Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: The Top Guild's Dilemma
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Embarrassed though he was, Su-hyeok didn't bother calling Oh Shin-woo back.
It hadn't been a situation that could be resolved through conversation from the start. He'd just called Oh Shin-woo in a fit of petulance over the sudden turn of events.
Instead, he kept checking the internet comment sections on his smartphone.
Ridiculous as it was—not to mention embarrassing—his eyes were inevitably drawn to discussions about himself.
And not all the comments were positive.
💬 Comments — L But isn't No-Name just bluffing? Grade 8? Even in Universal 8 tests, no one's ever gotten above grade 5 on their first try? — 1 Yeah, right. No way. If it was a lie, it'd be exposed immediately, and Vice Chairman Oh Shin-woo isn't an idiot who would lie about that. — L No, but seriously, no one knows who No-Name is, right? Does he even exist? Isn't he just a phantom or fictional character made up by the Association? — 1 Conspiracy theory much? — L It might not be a conspiracy theory. Honestly, I think No-Name is a scammer. This was the situation that arose because Su-hyeok himself didn't want to reveal his identity as No-Name.
No one knew who Su-hyeok was.
Countless people, including broadcasters, were curious about his identity, but none of the people involved in the incident spoke up, so there was nothing to be done. One broadcaster had even gone to a victim with a bag of money, only to be chased away on the spot.
None of the victims had forgotten the grace of having their lives saved.
The Association staff had been managed directly by Oh Shin-woo.
KR Guild, including Kim In-gyu, had also kept silent.
Thanks to that, Su-hyeok could think that the world hadn't completely fallen into depravity yet, albeit in a different sense.
'I'm grateful, but...
Lying on his bed, Su-hyeok slowly set down his phone and closed his eyes, feeling a strange sensation.
In truth, this wasn't the first time he'd enjoyed fame.
He had competed against the top masters of the Huan Continent and won, ultimately becoming the Martial Emperor.
During that time, fame had always followed him as naturally as breathing.
So it should have been something he was used to.
Yet for some reason, unlike on the Huan Continent, he couldn't easily adapt to all of this.
Thinking about it, the reason was simple.
The scale and speed were different.
And the fact that he could see real-time reactions made a big difference too.
'Argh, I should've just said I stepped up because I was pissed off. Damn Vice Chairman Oh Shin-woo and his pouring oil on the fire...
Su-hyeok picked up his phone again to check the news articles, then burrowed under the covers.
It was a night where he felt like he wouldn't be able to sleep unless he forcibly emptied his mind.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After the truth came out, Su-hyeok and Su-a formed a temporary alliance.
The first principle of the alliance: fool their parents' eyes first.
It wasn't just about stopping them. They worried that if their parents found out right away, one of them might collapse from shock, grabbing the back of their neck.
The second was to quickly raise their license grades to gold or higher.
Gold badges were given only to Awakeners grade 9 or above.
It meant they were among the elite among countless Awakeners, so it was safe to assume they had that level of protection.
After the Dimensional Federation activated and basic training became established, the mortality rate of Awakeners plummeted.
Even among them, deaths of top Hunters grade 9 and above were extremely rare.
Most Awakener deaths occurred in the lower grades.
They planned to persuade their parents with this logic.
The third was to never overdo it.
Su-a had already realized that Su-hyeok had become something she could no longer hold back.
From grade 6 in an instant to grade 8 in a single day—a vertical leap in growth—and then becoming No-Name, one of the trends of the era. There was no stopping Su-hyeok now, but that didn't mean she'd stand by if he got hurt.
Su-hyeok swore on his conscience that he'd do his best in this regard too.
Only then did Su-a relax, and she decided to side with Su-hyeok.
They had overcome one major hurdle.
And in its place, another one arose.
It was about No-Name.
Su-hyeok was a solo player.
And on the internet, the fact that No-Name had solo player privileges was quietly spreading.
Until now, Korea's only solo player had been Baek Mu-hak.
Su-hyeok was the second.
That meant if any Awakener whose face wasn't known—like Baek Mu-hak—approached a portal alone to authenticate and enter a dungeon, their identity as No-Name would be revealed immediately.
Of course, the more people who shared a secret, the easier it was to leak.
For Su-hyeok, who hadn't yet overcome the wall of his parents, this was undesirable.
So, annoyingly, he bought a mask.
It was the face of an American robot hero sold at a kids' stationery store.
After entering portals a few times wearing it, new rumors started circulating on the internet.
💬 Comments — L No-Name's a fan of Iron Robot, apparently. — ■ My friend saw him recently too, so this seems legit. — L So No-Name really exists? — L He's definitely a real person, 100%. Not sure about his skills, though. It was a somewhat embarrassing rumor, but better than his identity being exposed.
And as Su-hyeok's exposures increased, the number of people doubting No-Name's existence dwindled.
Instead, people began questioning his skills, but even that faded away after more than a month passed.
In that month, Su-hyeok had solo-cleared over 20 portals.
This record wasn't officially announced, but the sight of a weirdo wandering around in a robot cartoon mask was impossible to ignore.
It was a record that stood out even among countless active Hunters.
Naturally, people began paying attention to his achievements.
⭐ Top Comment — L No need to doubt No-Name anymore. He's the real deal. All eyes in the world gathered on the bizarre name called No-Name.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Five years ago.
Countless dimensions that had only existed in imagination connected to Earth.
The world was shocked.
And the first encounter with otherworldly beings—demons—was anything but pleasant.
The American continent where demons first appeared was one-third destroyed in less than a month.
Modern weapons and chemical arms had little effect.
They worked somewhat on regular demon soldiers, but the power of the great demons—true devils—was overwhelmingly crushing everything.
Then another dimensional gate opened, and angels appeared. With the white wings described in scripture, they showed no pity for humanity. They simply hated the demons.
It seemed like a great war was unfolding on Earth as the stage.
When the 300 million demon army led by the 72 great demons and the 50 million angel army following the 12 archangels aimed their weapons at each other, ready to unleash their power...
Portals opened all over the world, ushering in an era of upheaval.
In truth, Earth wasn't particularly attractive to the demons.
It wasn't overflowing with mana, nor did it have sturdy slaves forged in harsh environments.
Rather than clashing with angels, the demon army chose to turn their eyes elsewhere.
And the angels pursued the demons to protect other worlds.
There were over hundreds of clashes and several major battles.
Unlike Earth, there were worlds desirable to the demons, and the angels fought with all their might to prevent them from taking them.
The natives fighting to protect their own dimensions aided those angels, and that power coalesced under the name Dimensional Federation.
And among the Earthlings—who were undervalued as having the lowest racial value and being insignificant—Awakeners appeared.
It was the moment Earth, always protected, gained the power to fight.
The angels who had looked down on Earth rejoiced greatly, saying Earthlings had received God's blessing.
After all, it meant another major force had joined to bolster the Dimensional Federation.
Thus, the era of change began.
Over a year, much blood was shed.
After two years, with the Dimensional Federation's help, the bloodshed decreased.
By the third, fourth, and fifth years, stability had come to Earth as well.
The changed world no longer felt awkward.
All of humanity followed the flow, adapting like to a new Ice Age.
The Awakeners—who had become humanity's final bastion—were no different.
Humans were herd animals, prioritizing forming societies for stability.
First, the World Awakener Council was established.
It took no time for a bill to pass mandating that any country with even one Awakener must join the council.
Afterward, countries with many Awakeners created national Awakener Associations.
This was all for world stability and controlling Awakeners.
What followed was different.
Corporations formed to make profit.
Awakeners were an entirely new profession in the world, and their numbers were few.
Moreover, otherworldly monsters provided new foundations for Earth's science and chemistry to advance.
Mana stones, these mysterious items, granted humanity possibilities beyond nuclear power. The scent of money was intoxicating.
Shrewd entrepreneurs, ambitious Awakeners, and conglomerates with existing influence.
Everyone jumped in without discrimination.
In Earth's society, money equaled power.
No matter how great an Awakener, if they wielded power recklessly or violently, they'd lose their life to national militaries, police, fellow Awakeners, or even the World Awakener Council if they went further.
But spending money freely was different.
Money could buy hearts, power, even others' lives.
Everyone knew it, so the competition was fierce.
Now, five years later, Korea had three major guilds that stood out: Baekdu Guild, Cheonhye Guild, and Imugi Guild.
If ranking them, Baekdu Guild was undoubtedly first.
Led by President Ye Hyeong-seok and Executive Director Im Sa-yeol—a grade 12 Awakener—numerous top-tier Awakeners followed them into Baekdu Guild. The reason these individually exceptional people flocked to the Baekdu name was simple.
Baekdu Guild had no shadowy underbelly like the other top guilds. From the moment he opened Baekdu's doors, President Ye Hyeong-seok had rejected capital from approaching conglomerates and collaborations with those in power, leading the guild alone—and ultimately elevating it to Korea's number one.
Ye Hyeong-seok, born and raised in an ordinary commoner family, accomplished what most deemed impossible.
And behind such a Ye Hyeong-seok was Im Sa-yeol, the elite strategist.
Before the Portal Impact that opened gates to new dimensions, Im Sa-yeol—born into a middle-class family—had topped Korea University's Law School through his own merits and even received offers from major law firms. After awakening, he joined Ye Hyeong-seok to open Baekdu Guild.
It was an extraordinarily unusual choice.
A brilliant scholar who stood out from the early days of awakening, Im Sa-yeol had received love calls from numerous conglomerates with far greater potential than Baekdu at the time.
Even abroad, many wanted him.
Yet he chose Ye Hyeong-seok, and together they built the massive Awakener corporation called Baekdu Guild.
The story of their friendship and legend still heated up Korea as a true tale.
Now, these two who had overcome countless threats and crises to reach the top were wrapped in a major dilemma after a long time.
"Ah, really... seriously...
Ha...