After the Guild War
Mu-hyuk heard the news that the Paradox Guild had disbanded.
"Whew, it's finally over."
"You worked hard, man."
"You too. And those Paradox bastards won't mess with us anymore, right?"
"After getting wrecked like that? No way."
"True. Heh, ah, but it's kinda disappointing. Leveling was going great—it was fun."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, better than regular hunting."
Guild wars were a hassle to prepare for, but the rewards were solid. Still, the risks of defeat were too high to go all-in every time.
"Not that I wanna keep doing them."
"Hm?"
"They're a total grind."
"Can't argue there."
And now, with the NPCs from the Hemil Empire heading out, they couldn't rely on that help anymore. The same went for the Gangster Necromancer users who'd joined as mercenaries.
The guild wars ended here.
Mu-hyuk took the lead as they walked, saying,
"From now on, let's just build up the village and hunt at our own pace."
"Just that? We gotta scout some dungeons, hunt boss monsters, and hit the towers too!"
"Towers?"
"Yeah, the ones on the Kairon Continent popped up early on, but they're still not cleared. Top rankers keep challenging them. Seeing that made me jealous—having endless content like that."
The tower on the Kairon Continent.
Early game.
Those words alone brought one tower to mind.
"Oh, you mean the 50-floor Tower of Death?"
"You know it?"
"Of course."
He'd heard it was brutally tough back then. But it got cleared before intercontinental paths opened, so no Forma Continent players ever experienced it firsthand.
Well, I'd watched tons of videos.
So he knew the strategies pretty well.
Not that it matters now.
"They say the difficulty spikes right from floor 1."
"Gotta be tough. But why the sudden interest in towers?"
"Forma doesn't get many. Just feels like a missed opportunity."
"Hmm..."
A thought flashed by.
Come to think of it...!
Around this time, one tower did open.
His memory was fuzzy.
Got cleared right away?
Maybe it lacked impact.
Or some other reason?
It wouldn't come to him.
That only made him more curious.
Damn, what was it?
This was worth pondering more.
"What? What's with the serious face?"
"Huh? Nothing."
Right—cleanup first.
Mu-hyuk hurried to find the knight captain.
"There you are."
"Ah, Vice Guild Master."
"Heard the news?"
"News...?"
"Paradox Guild disbanded."
"Is that so?"
"You're taking it calmly."
"I half-expected it. Anyway, it's over."
"Yes."
"A fine experience."
"Agreed."
"We'll prepare to depart."
"Already?"
"Yes, duties await."
Mu-hyuk nodded.
"Tell the Duke I'll visit soon."
"Understood."
"Oh, and take the prisoners from the jail."
"Of course."
After bidding farewell, Mu-hyuk headed to the nearby Gangster Necromancer users.
"Here you are. Everyone worked hard."
"Tough, but the rewards made it fun."
"You'll get quest completion rewards back home too..."
"Heh, just thinking about it... I was shocked when the completion notice popped up earlier."
Mu-hyuk chuckled.
"Hope you all get great rewards. Let's meet again if fate allows."
"Sure! See you!"
The Gangster Necromancer users headed to Valsian for their rewards.
Around then, the NPCs returned the borrowed gear.
"Thanks for lending it."
"No trouble."
Soon after, they left Column Village too.
The bustling village fell quiet in an instant.
So peaceful.
But this breather wouldn't last.
Lots to catch up on after the guild wars.
The knight captain reported.
"...And today, we confirmed Paradox Guild's disbandment."
"Didn't take long."
"Baron Mu-hyuk's prowess made it so."
"I heard. His feats were impressive?"
"Yes."
"And many outsider mercenaries too."
"Correct. Seems he brought them all—and every one had summoning abilities."
"All of them?"
"Yes, made breaking them easy."
"I see."
Duke Amur smiled contentedly.
"Well done. The bonus will be generous."
"Our thanks. Also..."
"Something else?"
"Baron Mu-hyuk said he'll visit soon."
"Noted."
"Farewell."
The knight captain bowed and left.
Clap.
Duke Amur clapped once, and a man appeared stealthily.
"You called."
"Yes. Keeping tabs on Count Alteon?"
"Of course."
"Anything suspicious?"
"Nothing yet."
"Hmm. Report any oddity immediately."
"Yes."
The man dissolved like smoke.
Ghostly stealth.
Unrelated, Duke Amur leaned back and closed his eyes.
Time to move.
The moment Count Alteon stirs, I'll snag him in the noose.
Mu-hyuk handed all borrowed weapons and shields to his skeletons.
"Phew, all set now?"
Not just Armor Skeletons—even basic ones now wielded at least +6 weapons and shields.
Felt like an accomplishment.
His gaze lingered on them.
Satisfying, but...
Demon Realm makes it fall short.
Why do they melt!
Raised the bar higher.
Still not enough.
Better gear.
Stronger.
One day, each skeleton a one-man army.
Grind like mad, but worth it.
Oh, right.
He checked the time, shaking off thoughts.
6 PM.
User Bandal would arrive soon to sell runes.
Gold overflowed, so he'd buy up the backlog.
But options had to be better than before.
To greet him, Mu-hyuk headed to Column Village's main gate.
Moving with his skeleton horde drew stares from villagers and roaming users alike.
Send 'em to Demon Realm?
He shook his head after a moment.
Fill runes first, then send.
They'd melt anyway—might as well toughen them to last longer.
Just then, Bandal galloped up on horseback from afar.
"Sorry! Give me a sec to turn off the TV."
He apologized to his audience and shut off Illusion TV.
Runes were still secret.
"Mu-hyuk!"
"You're here."
"Phew, did I keep you waiting?"
"No, just arrived myself."
"Oh, good."
Bandal dismounted with a bright smile.
Looked like good news.
"Um, my rune skill leveled up a ton this time."
"Nice."
"Yeah, so rune options improved a lot. All thanks to you. Really grateful."
"No big deal."
Runes would've sold to Necromancers eventually anyway. No need for such thanks.
"So, uh, I wanna sell at a discount."
"Discount?"
Not raising, lowering?
Mu-hyuk shook his head.
"No need. Full price."
"B-but..."
"It's fine."
"No, still...!"
"Really, it's okay..."
"No! I insist!"
Bandal seemed dead serious.
And surprisingly stubborn.
Man, people like this exist.
Mu-hyuk gave an awkward smile and nodded.
"Alright, a little off then."
"Thank you!"
"No, uh... no need to thank me..."
Thanks for a discount? Felt weird.
Quirky guy.
"Anyway, shall we move somewhere quieter?"
"Ah, yes!"
They found a secluded spot, and Bandal pulled runes from inventory. Even thin, the stack was massive.
"Take your time."
"Okay."
He picked the top one.
◈ Summon Strength +5
◈ Durability: Infinite
◈ Restriction: Summons
Mu-hyuk's eyes widened.
"This...!"
"Good, right? Big improvement."
Rune of Great Strength already.
Skill grew faster than expected.
"Huge upgrade."
He checked others quickly.
◈ Summon Stamina +5
◈ Durability: Infinite
◈ Restriction: Summons
All had the "Great" prefix.
"These all boost stats by 5?"
Bandal had over 200 easily.
If every one gave +5, power would surge again.
"Not quite."
"Ah..."
Mu-hyuk deflated briefly—then,
"These are minimum +5. Better ones go to +7."
Shock hit.
"What...?"
"Disappointed? I thought this was decent..."
"No—it's amazing."
"Really? Phew."
"What about the +3 ones?"
"Seemed too weak to sell you."
"You have them?"
"In inventory."
"Then..."
Mu-hyuk calculated swiftly.
"Sell me the +3s too."
"S-sure, if you want..."
"Got a lot of summons. Need 'em."
"Ah!"
"+3 for 30 gold, +5 for 40, +7 for 50."
"No—that's full price. I wanna discount today. +3 for 20, +5 for 25, +7 for 30."
"But..."
Materials alone cost plenty.
Felt guilty.
"Bulk buy, skill leveled—profitable enough. Honestly, without you, I might've quit rune crafter. Consider this repaying the favor."
Odd guy.
Mu-hyuk sighed, nodding.
"Fine."
"Thank you!"
Final deal: ~150 +5 runes, ~50 +7s, ~200 +3s.
Trading with user 'Bandal'.
Huge quantity—neared 10,000 gold.
But no loss. Sell later for better runes, recoup full amount.
"Phew, truly thankful!"
"Me too."
"See you next time!"
After seeing Bandal off, Mu-hyuk applied runes to skeletons.
Skeleton 'Armor Cavalry1' has absorbed a Rune of Excellent Strength.
Strength +7.
Skeleton 'Bone Sword1' has absorbed a Rune of Adequate Strength.
Strength +3.
Total 400 runes.
So many, he replaced all prior +2s.
Every skeleton now had three runes: min +3, max +7.
Will they last longer now?
Mu-hyuk sent the summons to the Demon Realm expectantly.