The Guild Masters' Dilemma
The high-end restaurant was decorated in traditional Korean style. Tables overflowed with elaborate hanjeongsik dishes served in porcelain and brassware.
Yet not a single person at the table reached for their chopsticks.
Silence hung heavy in the room. The lavish spread slowly lost its warmth as the stillness dragged on.
“Did I see that wrong?”
A man’s voice finally shattered the quiet.
Oh Jangwoo. The one who had orchestrated this joint mission and the Guild Master of Hwarang, one of Korea’s three great guilds.
His eyes remained glued to the live Tower broadcast. Reflected in his pupils was the moment Park Jongwon and the allied guild members were reduced to dust by Solar Explosion.
“It’s still early. We’ll be fine.”
Yang Jeongsu, Guild Master of Phoenix, picked up his chopsticks. His fingers trembled despite the confident words.
Even a veteran like him was shaken by the overwhelming display from Jinho and the Yeokcheon Guild.
The word “defeat” flashed through the minds of the three guild masters—something none of them had ever seriously considered.
The instant they witnessed the first clash between Yeokcheon and the allied forces, the same thought crossed each of their minds.
‘No way. Those numbers are going to lose?’
‘That’s impossible.’
‘We poured so much into this mission.’
They watched the broadcast, masking the unease creeping into their hearts. Even as the food was cleared away and dessert was served, their gazes never left the screen.
They had only begun to relax after the first battle on the hill, when Park Jongwon’s rallying cry revived the allied forces’ morale.
The strategy analysis teams of the three guilds had prepared multiple contingencies for every conceivable scenario. They had been confident that no matter what abilities Jinho revealed, he could never overcome sheer numerical superiority.
Slurp—
The sound of tea being sipped echoed loudly through the tense room. The atmosphere grew heavier with each passing minute.
“I’ll be taking my leave.”
The Guild Master of Mir rose abruptly. His pale face stood out starkly against the dim lighting.
“Where are you going?”
“I need time to respond. We’re not one of the three great guilds.”
“Haha, respond, you say.”
“At this point, we have to admit it. Our defeat.”
“No decisive mistake has been made yet.”
Oh Jangwoo’s voice dropped low, carrying a faint trace of anger.
The Mir Guild Master sighed.
“We staked a great deal on this mission. The risk of failure is far greater for us than for your two guilds.”
“So?”
“I’ll take responsibility for the risk, but I still need time to prepare a response.”
The top ten guilds of Korea. While they were nominally ranked below Hwarang, Phoenix, and Baekho, the gap was enormous. Hwarang and Phoenix possessed the influence to weather this setback, but…
“We do not.”
The Mir Guild Master spoke with a hardened voice and left the hanok. His footsteps echoed down the empty corridor.
Just then—
BOOOOOOM!
The thunderous crash of the War Golem’s foot crushing Park Jongwon reverberated through the room.
* * *
Right after clearing the 35th floor.
The area in front of the guild house was swarming with reporters.
“This isn’t a marketplace.”
I clicked my tongue at the scene visible from the lobby.
“I’m getting used to it, though.”
“Good. Go handle the interviews, Jiyoung.”
“Eek, I’ll pass on that.”
“You said you were used to it.”
“A disciple can’t steal her master’s achievements.”
She sure knew how to make excuses.
“Master, I’ll take the interview instead.”
“You’re Chinese. You can’t.”
It was commendable that Ping Lei had stopped harping about China after changing his nationality, but given his personality, I had no idea what kind of bomb he might drop in an interview.
Jiyoung’s shoulders shook with suppressed laughter.
“Pfft, he called you Chinese.”
“You. This won’t do. We settle this with a duel.”
“I don’t want to? Bleh.”
“Both of you, be quiet.”
Jiyoung and Ping Lei immediately clamped their mouths shut.
While I was glaring at the reporters camped outside, someone pushed through the crowd and entered the guild house, like a salmon swimming upstream.
“Team Leader Han Suchang?”
What was he doing here?
“Congratulations on your victory.”
Han Suchang, having fought his way through the throng, caught his breath and offered his greeting.
“Thanks, but what brings you here?”
“Oh, come now. How could we not be involved in anything concerning you, Jinho-nim?”
“You can’t say things like that so casually. Yeokcheon Guild isn’t the Association’s puppet organization.”
“Don’t worry. We’re partners, aren’t we?”
Han Suchang grinned slyly. A few months ago, he’d still had some rough edges, but now he resembled the competent man from my memories before the regression. Being too capable was its own problem.
“So, what’s this about?”
“I have something to tell you in person.”
When I gestured, the guild members cleared the area. Han Suchang lowered his posture, and I wrapped a layer of Polar Night around us in a four-meter radius.
“Speak freely.”
“Recently, the National Tax Service detected suspicious fund flows with unclear origins.”
The NTS? That was an agency I hadn’t expected.
Rather than voicing my questions, I waited silently for Han Suchang to continue.
“A Swiss company supposedly invested a large sum in the Hwarang Guild. Turns out it was a shell company.”
“Why would anyone route investments through Hwarang? They’re one of the three great guilds.”
“When we traced the source, we found connections to China’s Guryong-bang.”
The puzzle pieces clicked into place in my mind.
“Because of Ping Lei.”
“That’s what we suspect as well.”
“Good thing our smokescreen worked.”
“Smokescreen? What do you mean?”
Han Suchang looked puzzled. I briefly explained how I had recruited Ping Lei.
“One… one hundred million dollars?”
“Half of it was money Ping Lei had set aside as payment, so it wasn’t a total loss.”
“Still, that’s an amount I can’t even wrap my head around.”
“Anyway, it seems Guryong-bang believes the Gold Moon Guild orchestrated Ping Lei’s recruitment.”
“What? They invested that much just to keep you in check?”
I shook my head.
“If Guryong-bang had truly targeted me, they wouldn’t have used such a clumsy method.”
Investing in Hwarang to diminish Yeokcheon’s standing? Jang Wufei, Guryong-bang’s guild master, wasn’t that soft.
If he had wanted to strike at me, he would have sent assassins through a roundabout route instead.
No. He might actually do that now, so I needed to be careful.
“Is that what you came to tell me?”
“Yes, Jinho-nim. You should proceed with caution.”
“Thank you.”
So Guryong-bang had been the one pushing Hwarang. Interesting information.
“Given the circumstances, please be careful during the press conference—”
I nodded vaguely and stepped outside the guild house.
Reporters swarmed forward.
Click! Click!
Camera flashes erupted from every direction, threatening to blind me.
“Guild Master Yu Jinho! You achieved an overwhelming victory against the allied guild members in the 35th floor mission!”
“Please share your thoughts!”
“Did you have any special strategy for this mission—”
Questions poured down like a waterfall. I furrowed my brow and cleared my throat, infusing it with internal energy. It wasn’t quite a lion’s roar, but the chaotic noise filling the courtyard instantly quieted.
“You, the reporter over there.”
“Lee Hanchul from Alliance News. Please share your thoughts.”
The reporter I pointed to spoke quickly—the standard opening question for a press conference.
I answered with a calm expression.
“I now understand exactly what level the Hwarang Guild operates at.”
“How did it feel to face them directly?”
“Boring.”
Hwarang—and behind them, Guryong-bang, who had instigated this whole affair. This was the perfect opportunity to send a message: if they touched me, there would be consequences.
“I never said I wanted to die.”
“That would be troublesome. Have you forgotten your contract with me?”
A warm presence settled on my shoulder. Nyx’s slender fingers pressed lightly against it.
“Of course not. How could I forget that?”
“Remember this. Your life belongs to me.”
“There was no such poisonous clause in the contract.”
“Hehe, if your life were to fade, you would be unable to fulfill the contract with me, would you not?”
“That’s a stretch.”
“I am willful by nature.”
Serving a superior was exhausting.
I closed the internet browser.
“Why provoke Hwarang?”
“I can’t strike at Guryong-bang directly right now.”
Hwarang and Guryong-bang weren’t closely tied. Routing funds through a shell company was relatively mild by Guryong-bang’s standards.
“The important thing is the message.”
“Message?”
“That merely supporting Hwarang won’t reveal the true force behind Ping Lei’s recruitment.”
Guryong-bang would understand now. If they wanted to touch me, they couldn’t rely on Hwarang’s hands—they would have to step forward themselves.
Showing off Solar Explosion during the 35th floor mission broadcast had been calculated as well. Hiding my power might create variables in the enemy’s plans, but that would only delay things. I needed to draw them out to settle the matter quickly.
“Oh? So you already consider Guryong-bang an enemy?”
“I didn’t do this thinking of Guryong-bang.”
I hadn’t known Guryong-bang stood behind the alliance of the three guilds. But since two of Korea’s three great guilds had tried to restrain me, I had to respond with an appropriate performance.
“I didn’t even use my trump card.”
“You mean the Void Mirror.”
“Yeah. They probably don’t realize I landed a hit on Ellen either.”
Ellen was among the top players in the world. If it had been a true life-or-death battle, or if she had known the duration of Void Mirror, the outcome might have differed. But victory was still mine.
Jang Wufei of Guryong-bang? In a direct confrontation, I could crush that arrogant nose of his.
“How arrogant.”
“I have the skill to back it up.”
“Arrogance is permitted to the strong. You have earned that right.”
I chuckled lightly.
Knock knock knock—
“Um, someone says they want to see you, Master?”
I searched my memory.
“I’m not expecting any visitors.”
“It’s a familiar face. I can’t quite place them, though.”
“Got it. I’ll get ready.”
Well, my only schedule today was training. Might as well see who it was.
When I entered the lobby, a foreigner stood up from his seat.
“Oh! Mr. Yu, it’s an honor to meet you!”
The red-haired man called my name with a bright expression.
Wait a second.
“Thomas Miller?”
“I’m honored you remember me, Mr. Yu!”
Thomas Miller—the greatest talent nurturer in America. Why had this guy come all the way here?