The Inheritance My Father Left Me

"Haa."

I swallowed a sigh as I stared at the papers shoved in front of me.

Once I'd finished reading every last line, the man sitting across from me slid another sheaf of papers my way.

"Here. These are the attached documents. They include the guild's asset inventory, the registration papers, the operational handover records, and so on."

"...Thank you. But, uh."

I let out another sigh and pushed the papers back toward the lawyer.

"Look, I don't actually want the guild. I've never even seen my father's face — this is already strange enough. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠And I'm not even an Awakened."

The lawyer fell silent for a moment, then opened his mouth in a calm, even voice.

"I can understand why you'd feel that way. However, if you don't succeed the guild, it will enter dissolution proceedings."

"Isn't that fine, then?"

"...Have you, by any chance, never heard of Apex Guild?"

"I know it. Of course I know it."

Apex Guild. How many Koreans in this country could possibly not know that name? It was one of the legendary guilds that, in the early days of the Great Cataclysm, had pulled Korea back from the brink and helped hoist the nation onto the world stage. And the Guild Master of that place — that legendary hero — had supposedly been my father. The fact of it made my blood boil.

"Never mind whether I believe any ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of this. Then why the hell did I grow up in an orphanage?"

"..."

"He was even alive until recently. And only after dying in secret does he come out and say I'm his son?"

"Even so, the value that the name Apex Guild carries is—"

"Let's be real here."

I cut him off.

"It's a guild in name only. No members, nothing — just the name, sitting there empty. There's no remaining fortune, no building. What kind of transfer is this supposed to be?"

This was treating me like an idiot. If the guild had at least been loaded with cash, I might've taken it with a greedy little grin.

"If I turn it down, can't someone else just buy it at auction?"

"The deceased requested that if you do not inherit the guild, it be put through dissolution proceedings."

Then just dissolve it. That was what I was about to say, when a thought snagged.

...Wait. What if I just take it and sell it off to another guild?

There had to be at least a few people out there who'd covet a name like Apex. If I didn't take it, the guild would be dismantled entirely — wasn't it better to keep the lineage going, even like this? Surely even the man who was supposedly my father would find that an acceptable outcome.

"Alright. I'll take it. What do I need to do?"

"An excellent decision! If you stamp here and we receive your seal impression, the process will be complete."

"...I'm not also inheriting any debt the guild was carrying, or anything ugly like that, am I?"

"Ah — there's no debt whatsoever. My understanding is that your father settled everything before he passed. Beyond that, I don't believe there's anything you need to worry about."

So he'd had a scrap of conscience after all.

"I just stamp here, right?"

"Yes. You've truly made the right call."

The lawyer gathered up the file with a broad, beaming smile.

"To be honest, I was on pins and needles wondering if you'd actually accept. Apex Guild is a place I've admired a great deal myself, you see."

"Ah — is that so?"

"Personally, I hope Apex Guild makes a spectacular comeback. You are his son, after all. I have every faith you'll lead it splendidly."

"Haha..."

Yeah, well. I don't have the slightest intention of doing that.

I bowed in farewell, doing my best to keep the sour look off my face.

"Take care."

"Yes. I wish both you and the guild a prosperous future."

The lawyer returned the bow with a good-natured smile and stepped out of the cafe.

And just like that, I became the Guild Master of Apex Guild.

"Wow. I figured as much, but there's really nothing here."

I'd been holding out a sliver of hope, honestly — that there might be at least some property in the guild's name, some scrap of an asset somewhere. There was nothing. Even the bank account registered to the guild had nothing in it but a perfectly clean zero.

"Why the hell would he leave me something like this...?"

The resentment drifted, as if by gravity, toward the biological father whose face I'd never once seen. If he'd at least come to see me once — if he'd at least apologized — what then?

"...Forget it. What was I expecting from a man like that."

Judging by how close the guild had come to dissolving, he probably hadn't treated the people around him any better. How else does a guild that was riding so high collapse overnight? Everyone must have turned their backs on him. That was my guess, anyway.

"I should just dump it as fast as I can."

There was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nothing to gain by hanging onto it. I'd sent emails to a few places that might covet the Apex name, but so far not a single reply had come back.

"Well, I don't know about the others, but I thought Cheonhwa Guild at least would show some interest."

They were younger than most of the big names, so I'd figured they might want the symbolic weight Apex carried. Apparently not. Or maybe they simply didn't believe the email. Fair enough — I'd be suspicious too if an official message suddenly arrived from a guild I'd thought had died years ago.

"Ah, well. I'll wait a little longer."

If they got in touch later, I could sell it then. For today, I had a more pressing problem: making a living.

A Guild Master working convenience store shifts.

It was a sentence that didn't belong in an era where a single well-run Gate raid could net you hundreds of millions — but what was I supposed to do about it? The Guild Master and sole guild member wasn't an Awakened, which meant setting foot in a Gate wasn't even a daydream. If I did go in, I'd be dead before I hit the ground.

I was walking along, turning all of this over in my head, when someone burst out of the alley ahead at a dead run.

"Wh-wha—"

"A-ah!"

Before I could even react, she slammed into me at full sprinting speed.

"Kyaa?!"

"Ugh..."

The impact sent me sprawling. I clutched my throbbing backside and pushed myself up off the floor, and found a woman hovering in front of me, fidgeting with a look of total panic. The instant I was on my feet she bent at the waist and tumbled out an apology.

"I-I'm so sorry! I was running too fast, and—!"

"...It's fine. Just watch where you're going next time."

Not that it didn't hurt like hell. Did I break something? This actually hurts.

I grimaced and probed the sore spot, and the woman flinched, sneaking glances at my face.

"I-if you're badly hurt anywhere, please contact me. I'll give you my number, so... c-could I have your phone for a moment...?"

The instant she held out her hand, something bizarre bloomed in front of my eyes.

"...?"

Something bizarre had started appearing in front of me out of nowhere. For a second I nearly forgot what I'd even been doing.

"U-um, could I have your phone...?"

"...Ah. Sorry."

I handed her my phone, and my eyes drifted, unbidden, to her neck.

It's actually there.

Whether that was the so-called Sun Petal Necklace or not, I had no idea — but there was a necklace, at least.

"...Hey."

"Y-yes?"

"That thing on your neck — is it an Artifact, by any chance?"

"Ah, yes! It's called the Sun Petal Necklace. It boosts my mana a little, so I wear it. I, um, I may not look it, but I'm an Awakened."

"...I see."

So it was. In that instant, my head started hurting worse than my ass.

Do I tell her, or not?

Some random guy you just crashed into on the street telling you that artifact is garbage ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and you should take it off? I wouldn't have believed it, that's for sure. And who was I supposed to be, handing out advice to a stranger in the first place?

I almost just walked away on that thought. The problem was her potential rank.

Holy shit. SSS-Rank?

That was what pried my mouth open, like a spell. This was me giving a pointer to someone who might become an SSS-Rank someday. How was I supposed to sit on that?

"...That necklace doesn't suit you. Try taking it off."

"Huh? What?"

"Just a feeling, that's all. I'll call if it actually hurts. Anyway, I'll be going."

"Wha—?"

Whatever. If it helped her, great.

I thought I heard her calling after me, but I ignored it. At this rate I was going to be late for my convenience store shift — I had a job to get to.