Chapter 52: Precious Artifact Hall (1)

Shortly after the discussion about the contract terms concluded, Ko Youngmin looked a decade older than when the conversation had begun. It was hard to believe someone so weak-willed could have been involved in Bae Hyeon-su’s Examination Manipulation scheme. In fact, it was puzzling how he could even handle an item like the “Bone Chamber of a Dead Wraith” in the first place.

“This is purely out of curiosity, but where did you acquire the Bone Chamber of a Dead Wraith?”

”…It was a secret treasure left behind by the first Guild Leader.”

Well, that was about what I’d expected. During the early days of the Great Change, when the first Guild Leader was active, there were no internationally banned items. The Guild had simply been secretly preserving an Artifact acquired during that era in its vaults ever since.

Moreover, Hwiryong’s founding Guild Leader remains an internationally renowned Necromancer and Blood Mage of unparalleled skill.

Simply possessing a Bone Chamber within the Guild posed virtually no risk of problems.

“I’m surprised you considered selling such a priceless treasure to an outsider,” I said.

“The Guild was on the verge of bankruptcy, and we desperately needed funds,” Ko Youngmin replied. “Our recent performance had been abysmal, so credit lines were frozen, and we couldn’t secure any investments. Even the Guild’s Artifacts were all Undead-type items, which wouldn’t sell even if we offered them at rock-bottom prices on the market.”

The Bone Chamber of the Dead Spirit was, at least, worth billions.

Since the item is internationally prohibited, there probably wasn’t a legitimate channel for selling it.

“Just then, Bae Hyeon-su approached us wanting to purchase the Bone Chamber… and I foolishly sold it to him.”

In the end, the Hwiryong Guild Leader, desperate for cash, had no choice but to sell off a valuable item he shouldn’t have. He unwittingly became involved in Bae Hyeon-su’s scheme to sabotage a major guild.

Feigning a serious expression, I asked, “So, have you managed to overcome the immediate financial crisis?”

“Yes, for now,” Ko Youngmin replied.

“That’s a relief,” I said.

Ko Youngmin, mistaking my words for sympathy, looked at me with a touched expression.

Since that wasn’t my intention, I continued firmly, “If things were still like that, I would have torn up the contract immediately and taken you to Alliance Headquarters myself.”

There was no point in wasting time sticking a straw into an empty shell.

”…”

“Then I’ll await your call. Oh, and one more thing.”

I stood up, leaving Ko Youngmin speechless.

“I look forward to working with you in the future, Guild Leader.”

After Taejun left the President’s office, Ko Youngmin slumped onto the sofa, clutching his head and groaning softly. “Ah, shit…”

How the hell had things spiraled so far out of control?

His gaze fell on the document lying on the table—a copy of the contract Taejun had left behind.

If only I hadn’t fallen for that psycho Bae Hyeon-su’s sweet talk back then…

Ko Youngmin reached for the copy with an agitated hand, as if ready to rip it to shreds. But instead of tearing it apart, he carefully cradled the contract in both hands, handling it as if it were fragile glass. After all, his very lifeline depended on this document.

At that moment…

Knock, knock, knock.

“Come in.”

Vice Guild Leader Jo Yongtae entered the room.

“You called for me, Hyung?”

Ko Youngmin quickly hid the copy of the contract under the table and looked up at Jo Yongtae.

Now, there was no way for him to escape Taejun’s clutches on his own. His only option was to use the “justification” Taejun had provided to struggle as much as possible.

“Yongtae, there’s something I need to ask you…”

“What’s this all of a sudden?”

Ko Youngmin recounted his encounter with Taejun, omitting the fact that he had made a deal with Bae Hyeon-su and was now hopelessly vulnerable to blackmail.

”…That’s how it went down.”

As Ko Youngmin finished speaking, Jo Yongtae’s face flushed crimson, veins bulging on his forehead as he opened his mouth.

“So, that bastard Lee Taejun not only demanded to join our guild, but he also insisted on becoming the Vice Guild Leader? Just because he’s the hotshot rookie everyone’s talking about?”

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

“That son of a bitch. Tell him to get lost.”

If only I could.

Ko Youngmin barely managed to maintain a poker face, his expression teetering on the verge of a grimace. “U-um, well, it might actually be a good thing. If a rookie like Hunter Lee Taejun joins, all eyes will be on our guild, right? That means more opportunities for sponsorships, advertisements, and investments.”

Of course, if we sign the contract as Taejun demanded, all the investment money will go straight into his pocket.

Facing the Hwiryong Guild Leader, who was struggling to find the words to speak, Jo Yongtae exploded, “No fucking way! You’re actually considering taking that bastard in? What about the loyalty you owe me, who’s served you since before you inherited the guild from your brother? Are you just going to throw it away like dogshit?”

A vein throbbed anew on Jo Yongtae’s thick neck.

In contrast, Ko Youngmin hunched his shoulders like a turtle retreating into its shell.

“H-hey, you little shit… Still, you can’t talk to your Guild Leader like that, you know?”

“Fuck it, whatever. Demanding the Vice Guild Leader position the moment he joins? That son of a bitch has no sense of his place. He’s just a freshly minted B-rank scrub.”

Outwardly, he resembled a barbaric warrior prone to mindless brawling, and his personality was equally foul.

He was an A-Rank Necromancer with exceptional undead summoning skills, surpassing even Guild Leader Ko Youngmin in raw combat power. If Ko Youngmin were merely the Hwiryong Guild Leader, without any connection to the guild’s founding leader, Jo Yongtae might have thought, That bastard could have pushed me out and seized the Guild Leader position long ago, and no one would have batted an eye.

Yet now, an outsider who had been a mere D-Rank porter just a few months prior was trying to usurp his position. It was as if a newcomer stone, not content with dislodging the embedded stone, was trying to shatter it entirely. Naturally, Jo Yongtae was seething with rage.

“That’s why I’m planning to have you fight him for the Vice Guild Leader position during Hunter Taejun’s induction ceremony.”

“If we fight, will it be a duel?”

“Exactly.”

“Fucking great.”

“Are you sure you can handle this?”

Jo Yongtae let out a rough laugh. “Fuck yeah, I’m sure. I’ll crush him from the start and make damn sure he never tries to crawl back up to me after he joins the guild.”

“Just so you know, we don’t know what kind of Undead-type skills Hunter Taejun has.”

“Hah, who cares? What kind of impressive skills could some D-Rank baggage handler possibly have?”

True.

Even if they couldn’t stop Taejun from joining, if Jo Yongtae crushed him during the initiation ceremony…

At least they could prevent him from running wild and acting like he owned the place within the guild.

“S-should we set the date for this Saturday, then?”

“Yeah. By the way, I’m seriously disappointed in you, Hyung. Fucking hell, after everything I’ve done for you…”

“I’ve been cutting you plenty of slack too. Even after you stirred up shit by stealing guild members’ achievements and tanking morale, I still covered for you…”

“What the hell was that?”

“Ah, never mind.”

Jo Yongtae glared at Ko Youngmin with more hostility than he showed toward Taejun.

The Hwiryong Guild Leader tried feebly to protest before quickly shrinking back into his shell.

Back in his one-room apartment after a long absence, Taejun woke up from a nap to find his smartphone flooded with messages.

As I lay in bed checking my messages, Manager Mi was blowing up the chat window.

“I know, right?”

It felt like just a month ago, I was stuck in this cramped room practicing ridiculous Fireball spells. I never imagined I’d be communicating with the power players who dominate the Korean Hunter Community. Honestly, it felt like a dream. But now that it was actually happening…

“This is kind of a pain in the ass.”

I knew these people wouldn’t settle for just messaging; they’d inevitably want to meet in person. Maybe it would be best to arrange a gathering and handle them all at once. Of course, I needed to wrap up the most pressing matters first.

Deliberately, I saved one message for last and opened it.

I immediately called back, and Ko Youngmin answered almost instantly.

“Ah, yes. Hello, Hunter Lee Taejun.”

“I’ve confirmed the date you suggested. Saturday is three days away.”

“Yes, that’s right. Is that acceptable?”

“Yes, though I’d prefer to move it up if possible. But this works fine.”

“Ahaha, well, we need time to process the paperwork in advance and make an internal announcement within the Guild. But rest assured, all registration procedures will be finalized by the day of the ceremony.”

“Understood.”

“Oh, and one more thing…” Ko Youngmin hesitated briefly before continuing.

“Didn’t Hunter Taejun say he wanted to prove his abilities in front of all the Hwiryung Guild members?”

“That’s right.”

“So, we’ve arranged a venue for the induction ceremony on the day of your enrollment.”

“How exactly should I demonstrate my skills?”

“After the ceremony, we’d like you to spar with our Vice Guild Leader, using only Undead-type skills, of course.”

”…”

When I remained silent, Ko Youngmin quickly added, “Hunter Taejun, you mentioned wanting to be appointed Vice Guild Leader immediately upon joining, didn’t you? We thought this would be the best way to minimize resistance from the current Vice Guild Leader while also demonstrating your capabilities to the other guild members.”

Another silence descended.

Gulp.

The sound of someone swallowing drifted through the receiver.

About a minute later, I spoke.

“That’s a good idea.”

“Right?!”

“In that case, it might be better to hold the sparring match first and postpone the induction ceremony until afterward.”

“Uh, are you sure you’re okay with that?”

“Yes. Please schedule the sparring match first.”

“Ah, understood! Then I’ll arrange the sparring match for Saturday!”

Ko Youngmin replied, his voice noticeably relieved.

Well, that was understandable.

He must be confident that Jo Yongtae can thoroughly crush me.

I had already used my QR Code Reader to gather information from Vice Guild Leader Hwiryung’s Status Window.

I knew exactly how Ko Youngmin would squirm to escape my grasp now that he was cornered.

And as expected, he didn’t disappoint.

“I’ll mark it down for Saturday. Please contact me if there are any changes.”

“Yes, I understand.”

I tossed my smartphone onto the bed.

Immediately, Manager Mi, who had been listening to the entire call from start to finish, shook the chat window.

“Why Parsley Market?”

“I need to get my hands on some incredible Undead skills and punish those clueless, outdated Status Window hicks who don’t know their place! Do you even know how many dimensions I know where Liches hole up in their Ma Towers, obsessively researching? I can recommend search keywords right away!”

I chuckled and shook my head.

“No need.”

There was no chance of acquiring a top-tier skill book with the Coins I had on hand. Besides, I had no intention of wasting my precious Coins on something like that anyway.

I grinned as I checked my Status Window.

Of course, some preparations would be necessary, but…

“What I have now is enough.”

I left home early the next morning, heading to Line Square in Yeongdeungpo, a sprawling shopping complex capable of accommodating over 100,000 people.

“This place never fails to impress,” I muttered, gazing up at the cylindrical tower that soared nearly thirty stories into the sky.

Buzz…

Suddenly, my smartphone buzzed.

“Yes, President.”

“Have you arrived, Taejun?” Che Yerim’s cheerful voice echoed through the receiver. She was the co-CEO of Shinwa and head of all external affairs.

“I’m at Line Square, near Gate 3.”

“I’m almost there too. Just wait for me in front of the gate—I’ll be there soon.”

Moments after the call ended, a massive limousine pulled up to the curb at Gate 3. With a soft whir, the rear window glided down, revealing a short-haired woman wearing sunglasses. She peeked out, her eyes fixed on me.