Creator
Creator
The Red Scale Guild Leader's office.
Hong Chae-yeon looked at Cha Seo-yun, who was sitting in the chair for guests, and asked with a sulky expression.
"Why have you been visiting so often lately? Before, you wouldn't come even when I called you."
Cha Seo-yun brought the teacup she was holding to her lips at Hong Chae-yeon's words. Savoring the subtle fragrance of tea leaves spreading softly, she answered in a calm voice.
"Since I've regained my eyesight, but as someone said, I have no friends. There was nowhere else to go."
Cha Seo-yun finished speaking and took a sip of tea. As if her sense of taste had returned along with her eyesight, the tea's flavor seemed to satisfy her greatly. Seeing Cha Seo-yun nodding quietly to herself, Hong Chae-yeon said, exasperated,
"Seo-yun-ah... what I said back then was a joke, you know...?"
Cha Seo-yun looked at Hong Chae-yeon, about to answer, but as if embarrassed, she slightly averted her gaze and got to the point.
"More importantly, is Si-woo-nim still unreachable?"
Hong Chae-yeon snorted, sounding flabbergasted at Cha Seo-yun's words.
"Huh... so that's what you were after?!"
Struck right on the mark, Cha Seo-yun's shoulders flinched and trembled slightly. It was a reaction far from her usual cool and perfect image. Hong Chae-yeon swallowed a laugh inwardly and let out a light sigh.
"After handing over an item like this, he goes incommunicado for a while saying he's making something again... but even knowing that, I can't help worrying... I even prepared a separate gift..."
At the mention of him being unreachable, an undeniable disappointment flickered across Cha Seo-yun's face.
It was when the two were quietly soothing their regret.
The Guild Leader's office door opened, and a secretary rushed in with an urgent report.
"Guild Leader-nim. The Association Chairman-nim called directly."
Hong Chae-yeon's eyes widened at the secretary's words.
"The Association Chairman-nim?"
Unable to hide her bewilderment, she stood up and picked up the receiver.
"Hello?"
A low, weighty middle-aged man's voice came through the receiver.
"Chae-yeon yang, it's been a while. It's the Association Chairman."
Hong Chae-yeon answered calmly.
"What brings you to call like this?"
"It's nothing else but I'd like to request your assistance."
Hong Chae-yeon's brow furrowed slightly. It was by no means common for the head of the Association that manages South Korea to directly request help from a major guild leader.
"...Assistance?"
The Association Chairman answered in a heavy voice.
"Yes. Cypher has started to move. But the Association is short-handed."
Cypher. At the mention of the notorious criminal organization that operates worldwide, Hong Chae-yeon's eyes sharpened.
"What about Yu-seong? Even with him there, you're short on people?"
As long as he was holding out in the Association, the excuse of being short-handed couldn't hold. But the Association Chairman's following answer was completely beyond Hong Chae-yeon's expectations.
"The thing is... somehow they found out and started moving when Yu-seong entered the Tower."
She pondered his answer for a moment, then asked back, slightly surprised.
"If what you say is true...?"
"Yes. It seems there was a little rat in the Association. That's why the Association is in a situation where it can't act rashly. If we move internally, it could worsen the situation."
Hong Chae-yeon fell into thought for a moment.
If there's a spy inside the Association, information will leak in an instant. But simply because she was a major domestic guild, she couldn't help but calculate the risk of clashing head-on with a global criminal organization. Even if she herself could handle it, she couldn't gamble dangerously with the safety of her guild members as collateral.
Just as she was about to shake her head and politely refuse,
"If you're thinking of refusing, reconsider."
As if reading her expression right before his eyes, the Association Chairman preempted her.
"The reason I called you, Chae-yeon yang, is not only to request help but also because there's something you need to know."
Hong Chae-yeon asked carefully.
"Something I need to know...?"
The Association Chairman's decisive words fell through the receiver.
"I heard they've armed themselves with SW equipment."
Hong Chae-yeon's body froze as cold as ice.
The possibility that Cypher procured and armed themselves with SW equipment, whether through the auction house or the black market, was understandable even if she bent over backwards to accept it. But why did the Korea Association Chairman specifically call her directly and bring up SW?
Amid a heavy silence, the Association Chairman spoke again.
"You seem to be thinking a lot. No matter how much the auction house guarantees anonymity, it's ultimately run by people. If the tail is long, it gets stepped on. Then why hasn't there been any mention in articles or news so far?"
Hong Chae-yeon swallowed dryly and answered.
"You've been blocking it, Association Chairman-nim..."
"That's right. It was a good bargaining chip for me. By turning a blind eye, I could have SW and the Red Scale Guild Leader owe me a debt."
Hong Chae-yeon's heart sank with a thud. A terrifying anxiety crept in that Si-woo's identity might have already been thoroughly uncovered. As she was about to say something urgently, the Association Chairman on the other end noticed her worry and continued.
"I'm telling you in advance so you don't worry, but I don't know who SW is either. I just confirmed that you're trading with them, and I didn't dig deeper than that. I have no desire to antagonize you or SW."
"...How can I believe that?"
"My heart isn't strong enough to lie to the head of the Red Scale Guild."
At those words, Hong Chae-yeon exhaled a long breath inwardly. If the Association Chairman's words were true, then Si-woo's identity hadn't been exposed yet. But as long as the Association Chairman held the link between her and SW, the justification and options to refuse this request had already vanished.
Hong Chae-yeon sighed once more deeply and answered.
"Hoo... I understand. Red Scale will help the Association."
Hearing the answer he wanted, the Association Chairman laughed pleasantly and replied.
"A wise choice. Then I'll hang up."
The call ended, and silence settled in the Guild Leader's office. Hong Chae-yeon put down the receiver and rubbed her dry face with both hands, muttering quietly.
"Ugh... really, he's like a snake..."
It was around the time the aftermath of the stupidly loud roar that blew away the entire forest subsided.
From afar, Romanike was seen running over in a hurry, his heavy footsteps pounding.
"Si-woo, are you okay?!"
At his urgent shout, I dusted myself off with a pat-pat and answered.
"Yes. I'm fine."
I steadied my breathing and explained about the battle with the old beastman that had just taken place. I spilled every strange and bizarre thing I felt during the fight, without missing a single detail.
"Even though I clearly cut with my sword, not a single drop of blood came out. On top of that, even when his neck was completely severed, he stayed alive and spoke. At the end, the old beastman's body crumbled like ashes, and only something like a pink tail was left alone before suddenly disappearing with a whoosh."
Romanike's eyes, which had been quietly listening to my explanation, widened in shock. He asked back in a trembling voice, as if gripped by a tremendous shock.
"What did you just say...?"
It was an expression of disbelief. Well, if I were him, I'd have dismissed what I just said as nonsense too. I hurriedly added, as if making an excuse.
"I know it's absurd that someone can stay alive with a severed neck, but I'm telling you, it's true."
But Romanike's reaction was completely different from what I expected. He cut me off urgently, as if he didn't care at all about the fact that a severed neck was alive.
"No, no, not that—what did you say after that? A tail?"
"Yes."
When I confirmed, Romanike's complexion stiffened coldly. With a grave expression, he muttered as if groaning.
"Of all things, to think it was one of 'her' tails..."
"'Her'?"
I frowned inwardly. What is that...? Don't just look all serious by yourself, let me in on it too! I shouted inwardly and was just about to open my mouth.
A familiar, clear notification sound rang out from thin air.
-Ttaring
[You have cleared the 22nd Floor.]
[Distributing rewards.]
[Your level has risen.]
[Your level has risen.]
[You obtain 'Cloud Stone'.]
.
.
.
[Exiting the Tower.]
Along with the system's unilateral notification, a white light began to well up from my toes. Without even a chance to ask, my vision flashed white and the world flipped. The dazzling light cleared, and my vision became clear again.
I expected the familiar streetscape I always faced when exiting the Tower. But the world spread out before my eyes was completely different.
"What's this......."
It wasn't the peaceful streets of Seoul. The roads were torn up, and the outer walls of towering buildings were cruelly smashed and crumbling. Here and there, black smoke and crimson flames were rising. Amidst the destroyed debris, people collapsed bleeding and children crying for their parents mixed with screams, presenting a living hell.
In an instant, my mind went blank. What could have happened in the middle of Seoul during the short time I was inside the Tower?
It was then, as I looked around bewildered.
I felt a murderous presence fiercely rushing at my back. My Agility stat, which had long surpassed three digits, instinctively sensed danger. I lightly twisted my body and naturally dodged the incoming attack. The man who brushed past me landed on the ground, letting out a rough breath.
"Oh? You dodged?"
The man's voice was hoarse and cracked. His appearance was not normal. But my gaze was drawn not to the man's hideous appearance, but to the weapon he was gripping tightly.
"...That's?"
A subtle luster and a familiar handle. There was no doubt. It was one of the countless Mithril swords I had mass-produced under the pretext of filling the compendium. Why is that crazy bastard holding my equipment?
As I was wrapped in doubt, the man let out a yell and used an unknown skill. Thick veins bulged and began to squirm on his neck and forearms as if about to burst. The man's physical abilities explosively amplified in an instant. He kicked off the ground and lunged at me with a much faster and more threatening speed than before. The Mithril sword in the man's hand cleaved through the air, aiming to slash diagonally from my right shoulder down to my left hip. It was a weapon I made that could cut steel as easily as tofu.
But.
-Tuk.
As soon as the sharp blade touched my right shoulder, the force dissipated, and the sword bounced off futilely without even cutting a single collar. The man's eyes widened as if they would pop out in shock. And in front of my eyes, a blue system window quietly appeared.
-Ttaring
['Primeval Maker' activated]
[You do not receive damage from items you crafted.]
I nonchalantly looked down at the sword that had touched my shoulder. It was the basic passive ability I had obtained when awakening as the 'Primeval Maker'. To be honest, I never dreamed I would use this ability in such a way. Because I thought a situation where I'd be attacked by a weapon I made would never happen.
I slowly turned my gaze toward the man who was sweating coldly in panic.
That aside. What the hell is this bastard doing to turn the middle of Seoul into a wasteland like this?
And above all, what makes me most dumbfounded and angry is that he dares to attack me with equipment I made?