Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: The Master Breaks His Silence
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The top floor of the Maestro Building in Jamsil.
A castle belonging solely to the guild master, the Master, was located there.
"Ugh."
Geum Eun-dong swallowed hard as he stared at the elevator doors sliding open without a sound.
Every time he set foot in this castle, his entire body tensed up.
It wasn't because of the special material flooring that swallowed even the largest footsteps whole.
Nor was it due to the Master's legendary masterpieces left scattered everywhere without any safety measures.
"Geum Eun-dong."
It was solely because of the presence of the guild master he served—the Master himself.
"Y-yes! Did you call me, Guild Master?"
"This way."
Calling him not from the doorway but from the living room meant today's conversation would drag on.
The Master's massive back loomed several steps ahead, while Geum Eun-dong's shoulders hunched inward in stark contrast.
"Sit."
"Yes. Ex, excuse me."
Geum Eun-dong quickly plopped his butt down exactly where the Master had pointed.
Usually, in situations like this, the Master would make him wait a good while, as if deliberately punishing him, before finally speaking.
In the meantime, Geum Eun-dong would frantically rack his brains, wondering what he'd done wrong.
So today as well...
"It's noisy out there."
"...Pardon?"
Geum Eun-dong was suddenly overcome with shock and terror.
For a full five years now, the Master had been in complete seclusion.
This wasn't just about ceasing public appearances.
Even before that, the Master had always maintained strict anonymity.
The Master's seclusion meant he literally never stepped foot outside this Maestro Building.
Hunters from around the world sent hundreds of commission requests every day, but he hadn't crafted a single item, locking himself away in Jamsil Tower instead.
Moreover, the Master had cut off all interest in worldly affairs.
The occasional reason Geum Eun-dong was summoned here was always some internal guild matter—never anything from the outside world.
"There's a problem with the gate prediction system."
"H-have you been watching TV?!"
Geum Eun-dong glanced wide-eyed at the now-blank screen before hurriedly adding,
"Th-the prediction system is abso, absolutely fine! I checked it myself!"
"So the Association is lying, then."
"Y-you know how the Association is, Master. For the sake of saving face, they'll sp, spout any ol' li, lie..."
The Master didn't respond.
He merely flicked his hand through the air, turning the TV back on.
'Oh my god. The Guild Master is watching the news.'
Geum Eun-dong's jaw dropped.
The guild master, who devoted himself solely to creation and ignored all worldly matters, was silently listening to these panelists ranting nonsense about him, veins bulging in their necks.
It was such an unbelievable sight—even as he watched it unfold—that Geum Eun-dong forgot to blink, holding his breath.
"Eun-dong-ah."
"...Yes?"
"Announce it right away. There's no problem with the system."
"...Guild Master?"
"I'm looking at it with my own eyes right now. There's no trace of any error in the system."
As if reading the gate prediction system's code—something invisible and unimaginable to Geum Eun-dong—the Master's eyes scanned the empty air.
"O-of course! But the problem isn't that!"
He had never once doubted the creations of the Master.
But as the vice guild master of Maestro Guild, there were all sorts of complicated issues he had to consider.
"It'll get messy if we do that. Th-the Association head is petty. If we make an official statement, it'll make it look like the Association was ly, lying."
"And?"
The Master's curt reply snapped Geum Eun-dong's mouth shut.
In truth, it bruised his own pride as well—the Master's eyes, ears, and voice.
"If we do that..."
"Scared of the Association?"
"N-no! At worst, they're just a bunch of sl, slow old politicians. Why should I fear them?!"
Ever since the previous Association head retired, the organization had slowly and thoroughly rotted away.
The current Association was nothing more than a social club for greedy old-timers from politics and business who wanted a fancy business card in their later years.
But Sama Young, standing behind them, was a bit intimidating.
Geum Eun-dong rolled his big eyes around, unable to say it outright.
'But if we leave it like this?'
He'd been fuming non-stop while reading every single article pouring in since yesterday's gate clear.
At first, the articles had covered the clash between the Association and the Gate Prediction Headquarters, but they'd slyly shifted to frame it as 'Association VS Master.'
'Who do they think kept them alive all this time? How dare they question our Guild Master's abilities?'
He'd been grumbling into his phone right up until the summons.
But that was a separate issue from this.
With the media hyped up over whether the Association or the Master was right, if Maestro issued an official statement now...
'...And?'
The Master's earlier question resurfaced in his mind.
His timid nature had made him panic first, but another thought began to creep up.
'So what if it blows up?'
Of course, his workload as the one handling the guild's external affairs on behalf of the Master would explode insanely.
He might not sleep for days or even touch item crafting.
But at least he wouldn't have to sit back and watch people doubt the Guild Master's abilities.
"Geum Eun-dong."
"Y-yes?"
"I've rested too long."
"Y-you know it..."
Geum Eun-dong clamped his babbling mouth shut.
Then his eyes widened in shock.
"So then...?"
"There's no issue with the gate prediction system. The guerrilla gate at Gangnam Station was predicted as A-rank from the start."
The Master spoke softly.
"Announce it that way."
"H-hic."
If the always-silent Maestro responded so definitively, it would corner the annoying Association.
Geum Eun-dong quietly grinned, imagining the satisfying revenge.
The Association had only dared to lie because they believed Maestro would stay mum as always.
"And."
But the Master added one more thing.
"Not as Maestro. Announce it under my name, as Master."
"...G-Guild Master?"
Since Maestro's founding, the Master had never stepped to the forefront.
Even amid the current uproar, people were demanding a statement from the guild—not expecting the Master himself to speak.
'Announce it under the Master's name?'
Geum Eun-dong's pupils shook behind his thick glasses.
'Why? Why go that far?'
It couldn't be explained simply as intolerance for insults to his creations.
The Master was Maestro Guild incarnate.
So it should've been enough for him to step forward as usual.
But issuing an official statement under 'Master'?
'There's some other reason.'
His instincts as someone who had served the Master at his side for so long told him as much.
"Do it."
"Y-yes."
Geum Eun-dong bowed his head quickly in assent.
Then he sneaked a peek at the Master's face.
His deep maroon eyes were still fixed on the TV.
Geum Eun-dong quietly followed that gaze.
The large screen was filled with the face of Justice Guild's A-rank healer, Nayeo-ju.