Ilseong Guild (2)

Inside Ilseong Guild's conference room, Guild Master Nam Cheolmin, the deputy guild master, and the senior officers had gathered.

“We have to oppose this investment as if our lives depend on it! Our parent company's support hasn't been increasing as it is. At this rate, it could actually be slashed.”

“Exactly. Sixty trillion won? That valuation is absurd.”

The chairman himself was actively pushing this through. Naturally, opposing him was a daunting prospect. But it was a different story if he was threatening their livelihoods.

Even a worm would squirm when stepped on. And they were no worms, but successful Korean awakeners. Now that their parent company, Ilseong, was trying to nurture some layabouts instead of them, they were firmly prepared to rise up.

'We have a fighting chance.'

Their objections weren't groundless. Sixty trillion won. And for only a twenty-percent stake. They acknowledged that the Money-Blowing Guild was doing well, but this valuation was clearly beyond the pale.

All they had done was clear a single A+ gate, wasn't it? Difficult as an A+ gate might be, it couldn't compare to an S-rank gate. They only had three members, too. Yet they were being valued almost like a guild just below the world's top tier.

“We absolutely have to bring that figure down.”

Of course they did. Sixty trillion won was enough to shake even Ilseong. Spending that much in one go would mean severe belt-tightening elsewhere. There was no guarantee Ilseong Guild would escape those cuts.

'Sure, we've been stuck in fifth place, but still...'

'They're trying to discard us?'

The more they thought about it, the more outrageous it seemed. Had they done nothing but take handouts from Ilseong? No. Ilseong had invested generously, and in return, the guild had run gates and supplied all manner of materials, equipment, and mana stones. They might not have generated enormous profits on Ilseong's investment, but they had at least ensured it didn't take a loss.

If they declared a boycott right now, it would deal Ilseong a tremendous blow. All sorts of manufacturing plants would grind to a halt. Of course, they had no intention of taking things that far. Where else would they find a guild that paid so well?

Now that Dorim, the nation's second-largest conglomerate, had been crushed, it was hard to find a nest in Korea as warm as Ilseong.

It was simply a matter of... 'Let us make a living here, too.'

That was more or less it.

'Maybe this is what the chairman intended.'

Wasn't that how negotiations worked? Start with a high demand, and even if it was cut in half, the result would still leave you grinning. The sixty-trillion-won investment was probably the same. There was a good chance he had intended to invest thirty trillion from the start and simply opened at sixty. Of course, thirty trillion was still an enormous sum...

'We'll have to live with that.'

'It is his eldest son's guild, after all.'

'Push too hard, and we might get fired.'

Their jobs were secure enough, but that didn't make them invincible. If they got too uppity, the hammer could come down. It might have been different if they were utterly irreplaceable, but they weren't at that level. So rather than opposing the investment outright, they intended to halve it. That would be a win-win for both sides.

“But what are we going to do? Honestly, I had a bad feeling back when they first invested five trillion. The investment just keeps growing. At this rate, aren't they really going to toss us aside?”

The guild members' faces stiffened at the awakener's words. It was obvious to anyone that the chairman's favor was shifting toward the Money-Blowing Guild.

“... True. No matter how much he invests, we're always around fifth place. It's understandable that the chairman is starting to favor them.”

“Then we need to show him something ourselves...”

Easier said than done. Climb the rankings? If it were that easy, they would already be number one.

If they couldn't improve their ranking, they had to demonstrate something through their gate clears. Until now, the gates Ilseong Guild had tackled ranged from A-rank to lower-tier S-rank.

'Should we attempt a mid-tier S-rank gate?'

Even S-rank gates were divided into lower, middle, and upper tiers according to their internal scores. Crossing that threshold was anything but easy. Of course, success would be worth it. Levels, experience, items... They would gain a great deal. The only problem was that they would have to risk their lives.

“... Let's discuss that later.”

“Agreed.”

Just then, a number appeared on Guild Master Nam Cheolmin's phone. He hurriedly answered.

“Yes, Chairman. Pardon? A guild battle? Against the Money-Blowing Guild?”

“...?”

Regardless of the guild members turning to stare at him, Nam Cheolmin continued the call.

“Not our second team, but our first team? Hah... And you intend to open it to the press?”

He let out a disbelieving laugh. Then, with a chuckle, he spoke into the phone.

“Yes. I understand. We're interested as well. We'll arrange a date and get back to you shortly. Yes, of course. We're confident.”

Confidence filled his voice. Then he declared boldly,

“What will we do if we lose? Hah... Chairman, we're Ilseong Guild. The Ilseong Guild that clears S-rank gates! That won't happen, but if it does...”

His eyes gleamed as he continued.

“We'll fully support every investment from now on. Yes, of course we'll accept the result gracefully. There won't be any complaints afterward, either. Yes, understood.”

After ending the call, Nam Cheolmin looked at the guild members.

“We'll be holding a guild battle soon. Our first team against the Money-Blowing Guild.”

“Hah. Is that really happening?”

“Are they crazy? There are only three of them!”

The officers were dumbfounded. Their first team had a full thirty members, with a balanced party composition to boot. Tanks, damage dealers, healers. They even had buffers to spare. And their levels were high, too.

What about the Money-Blowing Guild, on the other hand? Kim Minwoo and Park Siwoo were rookies who had awakened less than three months ago. The Sword Phoenix was the only awakener worth watching out for, but even she couldn't wipe out an entire guild alone. That remained true even if she had changed her class to archer.

“Haha, clearing one A+ gate must have gone straight to their heads.”

“It certainly seems so. Well, this is the age when they're most full of bravado.”

It wasn't that they were letting their guard down. They acknowledged the Money-Blowing Guild's potential. But this was far too soon. Had it been a year from now, they would have been seriously wary.

'But right now, it's different.'

They were formidable awakeners in their own right. Clearing an A+ gate and beating Jo Piluk? Those feats couldn't begin to compare to taking down their first team.

“Let's set the date right away.”

“The sooner, the better.”

“We'll finally get some media coverage again.”

It was a fight they couldn't lose. And it was bound to attract tremendous attention, so they might as well use the publicity to raise their value. Their faces filled with glee.

Then Nam Cheolmin gave them a serious look.

“Still, we can't afford to be careless. I know the chairman's personality. He wouldn't casually invest tens of trillions simply because it's his eldest son. There must be something more.”

“Yes. We'll give it everything we have.”

The Ilseong Guild members answered just as seriously. Naturally, they had intended to do their best without being told. Losing here would be fucking humiliating. The date was settled in no time.

* * *

Park Siwoo, Seo Yerim, and Kim Minwoo. Every member of the guild had gathered in one place.

'We should use this chance to work on our coordination.'

They had a guild battle coming up soon, with the Super Rookie Selection Tournament waiting after that. They needed at least one chance to practice working together.

“Snowy!”

COO.

Snowy flew straight into Seo Yerim's arms. Catching the bird, she gently stroked its head.

“It's been a while. You're still adorable.”

COOO.

Hugging the bird tightly, she looked toward Minwoo and asked,

“Are we really doing this guild battle?”

“It'll happen as long as Ilseong Guild doesn't turn us down.”

But they had no reason to refuse. They would assume they were going to win. Soon, Kim Minwoo received a call and broke into a grin.

“They accepted. It'll be held in two days at Sangam Awakener Stadium.”

“Wow, Minwoo. Isn't that a huge stadium?”

“It is. It's the sort of place normally reserved for national events.”

The facilities were rather too good to open for a mere exhibition guild battle. Still, booking the venue hadn't been difficult. Money could make anything happen.

“All three major networks will be airing it. If we don't want to embarrass ourselves, we'd better work hard on our coordination, right?”

The two nodded. It wasn't that fighting a guild battle with only three people put no pressure on them, but they didn't think they would lose. Even Park Siwoo, who was still practically a beginner, felt the same. Minwoo addressed the confident-looking Siwoo.

“What level are you, Siwoo?”

“149.”

“Still a real lowbie, huh?”

“... What level are you, then?”

“Me? 220.”

“...220?!”

Park Siwoo's eyes went wide. Sure, he had known Minwoo leveled up quickly, but...

'What kind of leveling speed is that?'

It wasn't as though Siwoo had been slacking off. He had been running gates whenever he had time. Even wielding the Holy Sword, he was falling further and further behind in levels.

'Does that even make sense?'

Wasn't leveling normally supposed to slow down as your level rose? It felt as though common sense itself was crumbling. While he stared at Kim Minwoo with his mouth hanging open, Minwoo spoke.

“I don't think sparring would do much for us. Let's run a gate. An A-rank one.”

A gate was one of the best places to work on teamwork. They could coordinate freely in real combat without worrying about prying eyes. An S-rank gate would be a bit much for their first outing, so he intended to warm up with an A-rank one.

Seo Yerim tilted her head.

“A-rank? Didn't you say the guild battle is in two days?”

“We just have to clear it and come back before then. I'm thinking somewhere with a small map. This one looks good. The giant dungeon in Paju.”

Its difficulty was among the highest for A-rank gates. As the name suggested, its monsters were giants. They resembled humans, only rather larger. They even used equipment, knew how to form up, and had a wide range of classes.

Each group had a balanced mix of classes: giant priests, mages, warriors, archers, and knights. Naturally, they were tricky opponents. A balanced composition was far stronger than a group without one.

In other words... 'They're like a guild.'

Guilds used balanced compositions, too. The only difference was that this was essentially a guild of oversized humans. And while the mobs were difficult, that came with an advantage.

The map was straightforward. Just smash through everything in a straight line, kill the boss, and clear the gate. In that respect, it resembled the Tomb of Osiris he had cleared before.

'Siwoo should hit 151 after a run here, too.'

The minimum level for entering the Super Rookie Selection Tournament was 151. This would qualify him.

“Minwoo, are we just going as we are?”

“Of course.”

Disguises and such wouldn't serve much purpose right now. He wasn't going alone; the three of them would be clearing it together. And with an outstanding awakener like the Sword Phoenix among them, at that.

When they arrived together at the giant dungeon in Paju, they were greeted with cries of surprise.

“Th-the Money-Blowing Guild?!”

“Are they here to clear this place?”

“Just the three of them? Holy crap!”

The soldiers and awakeners waiting nearby began staring at them. If they lingered much longer, the broadcasters would all come flocking over, too.

“Here's our guild ID.”

“All three members of the Money-Blowing Guild verified. You're cleared to enter.”

[You have set foot in the A-rank gate, ‘Land of Giants’!]

With that, the three stepped inside the gate.