Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: ACT.15 Return of the Kings (3)
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“That's beyond my authority. I can't give you a definitive answer...”
“If you can't, then fine. I suppose that's all I'm worth to you.”
“Urgh...”
Lee Tae-hyeon narrowed his eyes and covered his mouth.
From the first day the gates opened to the subjugation of the Disaster of Verdure.
They, who must have judged me based on all that information, wouldn't let me go so easily.
‘Especially the Jamryong Guild.’
Kim Ji-hyeon and Lee Seon-yul are members of the Jamryeong Guild.
Could they, who have been observing me so closely, not have told the Jamryong Guild's master about me?
Impossible.
If I were in their shoes, I wouldn't let a tempting fruit like me slip away, no matter the cost.
“Haa, I suppose I have no choice. Would you mind waiting a moment?”
Sighing, Lee Tae-hyeon took out a slightly different kind of phone and moved his fingers busily.
“With my current authority, this is the best I can do.”
On the screen of the large terminal Lee Tae-hyeon presented, images of various items appeared.
Weapons, armor, accessories, and so on.
The types were varied, but they all had one thing in common: they were B-rank.
In other words, they possessed over twenty pieces of equipment on par with the Sa-in-geom.
As expected of one of the five major guilds. Their collection of equipment is no joke.
‘The best he can do, my ass.’
I glanced at Lee Tae-hyeon's face and scoffed inwardly.
Common sense dictates that a novice who just became a player wouldn't know of a Great Master's existence, nor would it be easy to guess their level of skill.
At a glance, my words could have seemed like a casual probe to test the waters.
Despite that, Lee Tae-hyeon showed a moment of hesitation before immediately raising the stakes.
It meant he had come prepared for this from the start.
However, pushing for more could raise unnecessary suspicion.
“If you choose one of them, we will give it to you upfront, even if you don't join our guild. Let's compromise on this, and I will ask the Master about the A-rank equipment. How does that sound?”
“Not bad.”
When I smiled faintly, a smile spread across Lee Tae-hyeon's face as well.
It was the satisfaction of seeming to have accomplished his mission.
How long would it take for him to realize that a smile and an agreement were not the same thing?
“I'll take this one.”
After some thought, I chose a piece of equipment.
Lee Tae-hyeon nodded and snapped his fingers, and just like when the table and chairs appeared, the equipment I chose materialized on the table.
It's certainly convenient.
The thought of filling one of my trait slots with Teleport crossed my mind for a moment, but I dismissed it.
“I'm sure other guilds will try to recruit you, but please, remember our Hongryeon Guild.”
Lee Tae-hyeon bowed deeply, then vanished as suddenly as he had appeared.
He must be busy, probably off to recruit other rookies besides me.
I looked at the table and chairs Lee Tae-hyeon had left behind, scratched my cheek, and then examined the equipment he gave me.
[Red Witch's Mana Orb]
Equipment discovered in a gate that appeared before the world became like this.
It was called a mana orb, but it was actually a staff embedded with one.
It significantly raises the Mana stat and greatly enhances the effects of fire-type traits and skills.
The reduced mana consumption rate was a bonus.
Of course, I already knew who I was giving this to.
But before that.
“Choi Yeon-soo.”
-Oh, Leader. How'd it go? Any luck?
The call connected as soon as I dialed.
As if she had been waiting for my call, she immediately asked what I had gained.
“To some extent.”
-Right? I could smell the money from a mile away!
“The situation has changed. From now on, tell any guild that wants to meet me my location. Of course, only the major guilds.”
-Looks like you're raising the stakes, huh?
“Got to bleed them dry while I can. And spread a rumor that the Hongryeon Guild offered to recruit me and gave me B-rank equipment for free.”
-That sounds fun.
I heard a giggle from the other end of the line before the call ended.
The Hongryeon Guild's plan was likely to pique my interest by secretly giving me a 'magnificent' gift without other guilds knowing.
But I had no reason to keep it a secret.
In fact, it was more beneficial for it to spread widely.
The small fries who would annoy me would disappear on their own, and any other guilds that approached me from now on would have to prepare a gift that wouldn't lose to Hongryeon's.
“Hyung, hyung! So, to sum it up, a major guild scouted you with amazing terms?! Including us?!”
As I held the staff and looked it over, Jo Min-woo waved his hands around excitedly.
He's excited.
Then again, it is a pleasant thing to be recognized by a major player.
“Hongryeon Guild... I think I saw them on the news a while ago. They're one of Korea's five major guilds, right?”
“That's right. It's where a woman named Lee Min-hwa, who possesses an S-rank flame ability, is the master.”
“Min-ah has S-rank flames too, right? Does that mean she's on the same level as a major guild's master? Now that I look, their names are similar too.”
Jo Min-woo's eyes sparkled with fascination.
That's what I'm aiming for.
Because in the original story, Lee Min-hwa is the one behind the twins who suddenly emerge as top-tier players later on.
Whether it was because of their similar names and powers, Lee Min-hwa grew fond of Jo Min-ah and helped her in every way possible.
With that support, her innate potential exploded, and Jo Min-ah grew into one of the world's strongest players.
She became an indispensable existence for the story's progression.
“There's a difference in their traits, skills, and most importantly, their stats, so she couldn't win a fight. A player's rank isn't determined solely by the rank of their abilities.”
“Still, it means Min-ah can grow to be that strong later, right?”
“That's right.”
When I affirmed it with a smile, both their faces brightened.
The twins will grow stronger.
So much stronger that each of them could easily defeat Lee Min-hwa, the current head of one of the five major guilds.
“Hyung.”
While I was lost in thought, Jo Min-woo suddenly spoke to me, his voice low.
“What is it?”
“I want to get stronger.”
I wondered what he was going to say.
But his determination was real.
Jo Min-woo's eyes were burning with fervor.
...Why so sudden?
“I want to become famous like you, Hyung, and get everyone's attention!”
“......Huh?”
“Ah, here he goes again. Oppa, just ignore him. He has an attention-seeking streak and acts like this sometimes.”
“Hey, you have an S-rank unique ability! What do you know!”
“I know you're an idiot from watching you for fifteen years, that's what.”
“How dare you talk back to your oppa.”
“I'm the older sister, you know!?”
Watching the twins start to bicker, I gave a wry smile.
In a way, fighting over trivial things means they have a good relationship.
It's like how siblings can curse and fight with each other, but get angry if someone else insults their sibling.
“It's okay. You'll awaken soon too. I can see the signs.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
[Using skill, 'Extreme Eye'.]
[Character Information]
Name: Jo Min-woo
Strength: 22(+4) Stamina: 15 Agility: 30(+4) Mana: 10
Unique Ability: (Preparing to bloom)
Traits: Fighting Spirit (D), Martial Frame (C), Mana Circulation (B)
Skill: Aura (D)
I wasn't just saying it.
Jo Min-woo's unique ability was indeed in the process of preparing to bloom.
If my memory serves me right, Jo Min-woo will soon fall into a sudden coma.
That would be a bit of a crisis, but of course, I had a plan for it.
“Coming from you right after all this, it sounds like there's more to it than just wanting to get stronger, like Min-ah said.”
“That's...”
Jo Min-woo coughed and avoided my gaze.
I let out a chuckle.
“Min-ah, you take this.”
“Huh? But that man gave this to you, Oppa, didn't he?”
“I chose it for you in the first place.”
Jo Min-ah carefully took the staff.
The immediate change in her expression was noticeable.
Weapon-type equipment grants its effects the moment it's possessed.
She must have felt the mana circulation in her body smoothing out.
“You don't have to look so envious. I'll get you something next.”
“I-I wasn't thinking anything like that!?”
“Really? Should I not give you one then?”
“Hyung!?”
Equipment can also be purchased from the shop.
However, the equipment available in the shop at this stage is too low in quality to be worth spending coins on.
It's much better to invest in stats instead.
“I'm kidding. There'll be more coming, and I'll make sure to save a share for you both, so look forward to it.”
“More coming...? Ah, don't tell me it's about that call from earlier?”
Instead of answering, I just smiled slightly.
At that, Jo Min-ah also nodded and said no more.
“By the way, Hyung. If what that man said about teleportation is true, isn't that a totally broken ability? You could just swap the air with your opponent's heart and win instantly.”
A question seemed to have occurred to him, as Jo Min-woo narrowed his eyes and spoke.
Hearing that, Jo Min-ah seemed to agree it made sense and nodded.
“You'd be completely helpless.”
“Right? Maybe I should get that ability too?”
What is he talking about.
If something like that were possible, no one would have ever said 'End of Apocalypse' was difficult.
“It has restrictions. First, the target must be stationary. Second, you can't teleport just a part of the target. Without those restrictions, the ability itself would be too powerful to even be called S-rank.”
Without restrictions, it would have to be considered a true EX-rank.
After all, wouldn't you die the moment you encountered it?
Understanding my explanation, the two of them nodded and chuckled, saying, "That makes sense."
“Alright, let's clear two more gates.”
“What!?”
“What's with the surprise?”
“Didn't it feel like we were done for today...?”
Jo Min-woo laughed awkwardly, watching my reaction.
A ridiculous misunderstanding.
We've only cleared one gate so far.
“Who was it that said they wanted to get stronger?”
As I said that with a grin, Jo Min-woo's smiling face froze solid.
“The harder you work, the bigger the payout. Now, run!”
I followed the two as they started running with grimaces on their faces, a slight smile playing on my lips.
Incidents don't just happen in one place, one at a time.
They erupt simultaneously in various locations.
But I only have one body. I can't solve everything myself.
‘That's why I need them, a sort of extension of myself.’
Proxies who can handle other matters, allowing me to focus on one thing at a time.
To perfectly fulfill that role, the twins need to become strong enough, and quickly.
Jo Min-woo essentially caps out at A-rank, but because of the synergy he has with Jo Min-ah in a joint attack, they're practically a set.
I have no intention of separating them in the first place.
“...Hmm. It seems two new gates have appeared in this area.”
Sensing the gates' mana, I said as much, and Jo Min-woo's eyes lit up.
“I'll go first!”
“Hey! It's dangerous to go alone!”
“A man who can't overcome a little hardship is no man at all!”
Good grief.
That's a good way to get himself killed.
Being full of vigor is fine, but this is a world where you die the moment you let your guard down.
That won't happen while I'm here, but it would be good to correct that attitude a bit.
‘Four... no, is it five?’
I told the twins there were two, but in reality, there were more.
This area has a high frequency of gate appearances.
The two of them would never dream that I came here on purpose.
The secret to getting strong quickly is repetitive grinding.
This is practically a universal formula, true in any time or place.
Moreover, this is practically the only way to earn a lot of coins 'quickly and easily' before Chapter 8 begins.
I smirked slightly.
‘If we keep this up, their foundation will become solid.’