Guild (1)

“Mmm...”

Park Siwoo opened his eyes. He was in an unmistakably luxurious room. Kim Minwoo was sitting nearby.

“Where are we, senior?”

“My room.”

“... Your room?”

A moment later, messages appeared before his eyes.

[All achievements have been evaluated.]

[Evaluation result: SSS]

[You receive a class skill book (SSS)!]

[Please select your desired class.]

“Huh? Senior...?”

“What?”

“I’m seeing something strange. My achievement evaluation... There are three S’s...”

“Triple S?”

“Yes. That’s what it looks like...”

“Then that’s what it is.”

Minwoo’s utterly casual reply left Siwoo momentarily dumbfounded. Everyone believed there were no achievements above S grade. Triple S was clearly higher than that, no matter how you looked at it.

And yet he was taking it so calmly?

‘Come to think of it...’

Minwoo’s words came back to him.

[“S-rank? No, you’ll definitely become an awakener beyond that. Let’s give it a shot. I’ll help you.”]

He had sounded certain that something above S existed. At the time, Siwoo had dismissed it as simple encouragement.

“Senior, could you be...?”

Just then, Minwoo grinned and pointed upward.

“That’s right. I’m above that too.”

“Oh... So that’s why...”

“Yep. That’s why.”

“No wonder. I thought that summon of yours, Cedric, was incredible right from the start.”

That enormous army of summons, with Cedric on top of it all. There was a reason Minwoo was so strong.

“You’re going with swordsman, right?”

“Yes.”

“Go on, open the skill book. I’m curious what you’ll get.”

Siwoo nodded and selected his class.

“... Senior, this is incredible! Take a look!”

He immediately shared the skill’s details with Minwoo.

[Holy Sword Arphesia (SSS)]

[Effect 1. Allows you to summon the holy sword. The holy sword grows alongside its master.]

[Effect 2. Grants you the qualifications to wield the holy sword.]

[Effect 3. Grants powerful bonuses while the holy sword is equipped.]

[Effect 4. Allows you to declare a sanctuary within a designated area.]

Minwoo’s reaction to this was quite understated.

“Oh, that saves us money on weapons.”

“... I thought you’d be a little more surprised.”

“That’s SSS grade for you. You even get to summon a holy sword. Congratulations.”

“Thank you. But I’m a little worried...”

“About what?”

“A holy sword is, well, the natural enemy of the undead, isn’t it? I’m worried I might hurt you if we travel together.”

“Is that so?”

Minwoo nodded. Now that he thought about it, that did seem possible. Weren’t holy swords the natural enemies of darkness?

Death Lord.

That certainly sounded like a dark class.

“Hang on.”

He summoned Cedric and a few skeletons into the room.

“Summon it now. Let’s test it.”

“Yes.”

Siwoo summoned the holy sword. Amid a dazzling cluster of light, a pure-white sword appeared in his hand.

Just then, the holy sword began trembling violently. Messages appeared before Minwoo’s eyes.

[The holy sword is horrified at the sight of you!]

[You behold the holy sword’s radiance!]

[The difference in standing is overwhelming! You are unaffected by the holy sword’s light!]

“It’s not affecting me.”

Minwoo wasn’t the only one unaffected. The skeletons were staring blankly at the holy sword as well.

“Senior, hold on. I think this holy sword is saying something.”

“What’s it saying?”

“It’s sort of babbling, ‘Eek, I don’t like the Death Lord, I’m scared’...”

At that moment, Cedric tilted his head and spoke, looking at the sword.

—Is that a holy sword, by any chance?

“You know each other?”

—I remember it. It’s the sword those so-called heroes carried where I came from. Its name was... Arphesia, was it?

Oh, they really did know each other. So this was how things connected?

“... Uh, so... you two know each other?”

Cedric nodded at Siwoo’s question and replied.

—It was always challenging the Lord and getting trounced. Unfortunately, it was indestructible, so only the heroes accompanying it died. After that happened about a hundred times, it finally quieted down.

The holy sword trembled violently at his words.

“Sir Cedric, wait. It says it was ninety-nine times, not a hundred.”

—Same difference.

Cedric shrugged and continued.

—Then, later... we both went down together. We couldn’t stop them.

“Sir Cedric, what do you mean by ‘them’...?”

—Just think of them as a third faction.

Siwoo scratched his head.

“Uh... So, to sum it up... Light and darkness fought, light lost, and in the end both sides were destroyed?”

—You catch on quickly.

“If you both went down together, doesn’t that mean you’re not really enemies anymore? Both your home bases are gone anyway.”

—Why do you think I’m leaving it alone?

“Oh...”

Siwoo nodded in understanding.

“You heard him, right? My senior and I aren’t enemies. We’re companions who’ll keep traveling together. So stop acting like that. Yeah. Okay. Got it. Senior?”

“Yeah, what?”

“The holy sword says it’s sorry. It freaked out because it suddenly sensed the Death Lord’s energy.”

“Guess it had PTSD.”

“Yes. It must have developed a deep-seated fear after getting beaten so badly. Its voice still sounds like a little kid’s... Oh, you’re old? Fine. You can be Grandpa.”

As Siwoo soothed the holy sword, his face lit up.

“I think we’ll be fine forming a party. The holy sword says it can’t affect you or your undead.”

“I can understand me, but the undead too?”

“Yes. Your undead carry the Death Lord’s energy, and apparently its standing is really high. So its own power doesn’t stand a chance. That’s what it says, anyway.”

—That is probably true. The undead under the Lord were almost immune to the light attribute. The difference in standing was that great...

... What a sweet fucking deal.

He had unexpectedly discovered another effect of Death Lord: immunity to the light attribute.

Of course, he didn’t know what would happen if an EX-grade being started blasting light at him.

‘Yeah, well, I’m not meeting one anytime soon.’

Right now, he couldn’t meet one even if he wanted to.

Just then, Siwoo’s eyes widened as he looked between the holy sword and Minwoo, as though something had dawned on him.

“Wait a minute, senior.”

“What?”

“The holy sword is triple S.”

“That’s right.”

“But if it can’t beat you... just how high a level are you on?”

“Oh, you know. A little higher?”

“Judging by how scared this old geezer is, I don’t think it’s just a little.”

“Shh. Knowing too much will get you hurt.”

“Yes, sir...”

Minwoo chuckled at how quickly Siwoo shrank back.

“I’m kidding. Anyway, my achievement grade is pretty high. That’s all you need to know.”

“Yes, sir. Um, senior, what should I do now? I’ve awakened, so I should start going into gates...”

“True.”

Park Siwoo. An SSS-grade awakener. Wielder of a holy sword.

Minwoo had practically changed his shitty diapers to help him awaken. Leave him alone now, and another guild or some foreign country would snatch him right up.

He’d be a fucking idiot to let him get away.

“I don’t really do party play, you know?”

“Oh... Of course. You could crush gates solo at your level...”

Siwoo immediately looked crestfallen.

“Yeah, exactly. But I’m not about to let a talent like you go, either.”

“Right! I am a holy sword wielder, after all!”

His face instantly brightened, as though he had never been dejected.

“Let’s start a guild.”

“A guild? Doesn’t Ilseong already have one?”

“That place is full of entrenched old-timers. They’re incredibly territorial, too. I’d be fine, but you’d have a rough time there.”

Ilseong was the country’s number-one conglomerate, but whether its guild measured up was another question.

Rather than go there, they would be better off making a tiny guild of their own and sticking together.

“I’ll set up a guild, so train there for now. Get some leveling done too.”

“Yes! I’ll work hard, Guild Master!”

Siwoo bowed deeply.

Kim Minwoo really was a remarkable person. Not only had he helped Siwoo as though he knew his awakening condition, he was also a hidden master whose achievement surpassed Siwoo’s own.

Both to repay his kindness and because Siwoo looked forward to the future he would create...

‘I want to stay with him.’

As long as he could continue alongside Minwoo, any arrangement would do. A guild would be ideal. Minwoo would surely guide him well while he was still inexperienced.

“What’s this ‘Guild Master’ business? That sounds awkward. Just call me senior.”

“Yes, senior!”

“Let’s go. We’ve got a guild to found.”

Time to pay the chairman a visit.

* * *

Ilseong Group.

Siwoo’s jaw dropped at the sight of its enormous headquarters. Tens of thousands of employees bustled about!

For someone who had lived such an ordinary life, it was an overwhelming sight.

“Don’t get intimidated, man. What are you going to do if you’re already like this? We’ll be meeting the chairman soon.”

“Ha, haha... Right.”

He was trying to laugh it off, but he was breaking out in a nervous sweat.

Minwoo gave him a few pats on the back and entered the headquarters. Security at the entrance was tight. He approached the security personnel stationed there.

“It’s me. Thanks for your hard work. The chairman’s in, right?”

“Ah, yes, sir!”

“Keep up the good work.”

After breezing through the entrance, he boarded the VVIP elevator reserved for the chairman’s office. The doors opened on the 130th floor, and they met Chairman Kim.

“Hoho! You, coming to the office? The sun must be rising in the west today! Well, what brings you here? And who’s your friend?”

“He’s a younger friend I recently made. Introduce yourself.”

“My name is Park Siwoo! It’s a pleasure to meet you, Chairman!”

The chairman chuckled warmly as Siwoo folded into a ninety-degree bow.

“Well, you’re certainly spirited! Take good care of my son.”

Minwoo sat down on a plush sofa with Siwoo. It was time to get to the point.

“Father, I’m planning to start a guild.”

“A guild?”

The chairman frowned slightly.

“But Ilseong already has a guild...”

“It does. But it’s stale.”

“Stale?”

“Yes. Honestly, does Ilseong’s guild perform up to our company’s reputation?”

“... Ahem. Well, it does fall a little short...”

Ilseong’s guild ranked somewhere around fifth. Considering the money poured into it, the results were lackluster.

That was why the chairman had secretly hoped his eldest son would join the guild and distinguish himself there...

“Honestly, it’s been stagnant for quite a while, hasn’t it? The public feels tired just hearing the name Ilseong Guild.”

“Hmm... So?”

“I want to create a guild exclusively for a select few of the very best.”

“A select few of the very best...”

The chairman nodded. If that was his aim, he could understand why his son wouldn’t join Ilseong Guild.

Ilseong Guild already had numerous awakeners in its ranks. Various businesses were also operating on the monster by-products, mana stones, and other materials the guild brought back.

Achieving his son’s goal there would mean firing all those awakeners overnight, and that was impossible. There would be an uproar from every direction.

“So, is this young man one of those select members?”

“That’s right. You’ll be pleased with him too, Father. He’s no joke.”

“Oh...? Just how good is he...?”

“He’s an awakener with an SSS-grade achievement. To put it bluntly, he’s on a level that would crush an S grade.”

The chairman gulped.

His son had already provided the astonishing example of EX, so he had accepted that grades above S could exist. But...

‘SSS right from the start?’

He could scarcely imagine what sort of guild his son would build.

“Your name was Park Siwoo, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“Is what he said true?”

“Yes. My senior personally helped me awaken. Thanks to him, I was able to achieve this grade.”

Having finished speaking, Siwoo looked at Minwoo. At Minwoo’s nod, Siwoo nodded in understanding and shared his status window.

“... Good heavens. Summoning a holy sword?”

“Impressive, isn’t he, Father?”

“... Hoho. It certainly looks incredibly powerful. But you’re not planning to reveal all this, are you?”

“No. We’ll just pass him off as S grade. As for the holy sword, no one’s likely to imagine it’s SSS just from seeing it.”

A moment later, at Minwoo’s gesture, Siwoo summoned the holy sword.

With those words, Siwoo summoned the holy sword.

Pure-white light poured from the blade.

“Indeed... If I didn’t know better, I’d assume it was just an S-grade skill.”

The chairman nodded. He understood how extraordinary that sword was only because he already knew. To an uninformed observer, it would look like the summoning of a reasonably impressive sword.

“These are the kinds of talents I’m going to gather. Imagine it, Father. A guild that’s impressive now, but will become even more astonishing in the future.”

The chairman swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. His son and Siwoo alone were awakeners who could shake the world.

And if more of these ‘genuine articles’ kept joining them?

‘He’s already found one.’

His eldest son had already offered some proof of his eye for talent. There was no reason one couldn’t become two, then three.

“Y-you will accept investment, won’t you?”

To hell with already having a guild. That wasn’t what mattered.

The question was whether Ilseong could get a foot in the door of this tiny, two-person guild just beginning to take shape.

“Of course. Exclusively for Ilseong, I’ll accept it at the regular price. Now’s your only chance at a golden opportunity like this.”

Minwoo grinned as though he knew exactly what the chairman was thinking.