Chapter 66 : Chapter 66

Chapter 66 - Moving

“...How did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“No. I was so stunned that I haven't been able to ask properly until now. But I feel like I have to ask. How did you get my grandfather’s permission in one go?”

She was only asking that now.

We had already left China and arrived right in front of the Renegade Guild building.

Still, compared to just a while ago when she asked why I did such a thing and if I was looking for trouble, the question had shifted to how I did it.

I had to take that as a good sign.

Instead of answering her question, I handed a small pile of stones to Ms. Meirin.

“What is this?”

“I brought it as a souvenir.”

“...”

And after a brief glance at it, a look of astonishment filled Ms. Meirin’s face.

“Is this what I think it is?”

“It's exactly what you think it is when you look at it.”

“...How are you alive right now?”

“Just am.”

With only that explanation, I trudged toward the guild building.

What I had just handed Ms. Meirin were the remnants of the Suction Stone.

If she looked closely, she might even find tears or saliva that the Martial Arts Alliance Leader shed when he fainted as the Suction Stone broke.

Of course, it had been sturdy enough for the Martial Arts Alliance to boast about it, but it wasn't strong enough to withstand the onslaught of the peak expert, Kim Gyu-sik, who had siphoned and absorbed all knowledge related to Martial Arts.

“...”

In truth, it wasn't so great as to attach such a grand title.

The fact that the Suction Stone had been weakening for a long time played a much bigger role in its destruction.

If the effect of Observation, which could check all weaknesses, was added to a stone naturally weathered by time, it wasn't very difficult to shatter it even with my half-baked Martial Arts.

‘So they’re in a real panic right now...’

The Suction Stone held the position of a su-per computer that stored almost all knowledge related to martial arts in the world of Conqueror.

For the Martial Arts Alliance, which had lost it, it was no exaggeration to say they had lost the only means for their revival.

Of course, they probably wanted to draw their swords and charge at me for breaking it, but what could they do?

They were the ones who told me to hit it in the first place. They had no justification to harm me.

‘It’s not just that they lack justification...’

In fact, if it were only a matter of justification, they were the type of people who would take their anger out on me without batting an eye.

The problem was, there was no practical benefit they could gain by harming me.

Not only could they not gain any practical benefit, but they were now in a position where they had to get on their knees and beg me.

Looking back at the conversation we had right after I broke the Suction Stone made that fact even more apparent.

-Oh my, it broke.

-You bastard! How dare you break the Suction Stone...!

-So you’re going to stick a knife in me? Are you sure you won’t regret it?

-What did you say?

-Right now, I’m the only one who can teach you about Martial Arts, aren't I?

-...

No matter how much they were puffed up with thoughts of swindling others, they couldn't deny that the Martial Arts I had just demonstrated was of an incredibly high level.

And the only artifact that held the potential for restoring Martial Arts had just been blown away by me.

In the end, among all the people the Martial Arts Alliance could contact, I was the only one with any deep knowledge about it.

In many ways, from legitimacy to effectiveness, the Martial Arts Alliance, who couldn't give up on Martial Arts, was now in a situation where I was the only channel through which they could be taught that knowledge.

It was the moment Kim Gyu-sik’s status was elevated from some outsider trying to snatch the Martial Arts Alliance Leader’s granddaughter to a super-subordinate.

‘It's a gain, what else.’

Thanks to that, they, along with the Heukryongdang, were now in a position where they had to listen to my words without being able to do anything for the time being.

While their strength as a guild wasn't of great help, the fact that they held a near-monopolistic position in the Chinese Climber market was quite significant.

Such a reliable backer would definitely be helpful in my future plans to bulk up Renegade.

And in addition to that, Martial Arts.

Although my stats were weak and I couldn't yet produce its proper power, this would definitely be helpful in the Second Ordeal.

The skill I'll receive through Share from Ms. Meirin. The skill I'll receive through Share from Kim Kang-in. And on top of that, Martial Arts.

If I combined these three, there was one ‘scene’ that I could definitely enact.

And... if it's that.

“...”

It would open. Unconditionally.

One of the conditions that could twist the entire conquest of the Tower.

“You calculated all of that before you did it, right?”

Seo Ah-in, who had heard the full story of what I'd been through in China, said as she pressed her temples.

Hearing this, Ms. Meirin asked back with wide eyes.

“...Pardon?”

“That's just how Mr. Kim Gyu-sik is. He's not the type of person to stick his head into a dangerous place without any insurance. He probably caused all this trouble because he had calculated everything from one to ten...”

“But... how on earth does he plan and execute such things...? Is he some kind of prophet?”

“From my experience, I'd say Mr. Kim Gyu-sik’s accuracy isn't any lower compared to them.”

“...”

Ms. Meirin turned to look at me with eyes that held a hint of fear.

That brat, spouting such nonsense.

“More importantly, what about what I asked you to do.”

“You can see for yourself. Mr. Ho-jun and I went through a lot of trouble, you know?”

Whether they had followed my instructions to finish the moving preparations well, all the luggage that was inside the guild building was packed and brought outside.

Well, they must have had a tough time organizing all the things from the Mana Workshop too.

“You spoke as if we should expect a lot, so we worked hard. You're going to get an earful if it’s a disappointing place, okay?”

“Don't worry about that.”

Because it's a place you will absolutely not be disappointed in.

***

In truth, if limited to the ‘game system’, the value of a Conquest Token was truly ambiguous.

Gaining control of a floor, you could hunt low-level Demonic Beasts all day, but the experience gained would be minuscule. And even if you monopolized the resources, for an expert, there were far more ways to make money.

In many ways, it was a white elephant.

So from a veteran's perspective, a Conquest Token was generally nothing more or less than a trophy given for clearing the game.

However.

If this was the ‘real world’, the story was a bit different.

While you could only perform limited activities within the game, being able to actually hold control and issue ‘commands’ to the elements within a floor was quite an attractive affair.

It meant that one could pull off some pretty crazy things with ease.

“...Wha... what... is... this...?”

Even Seo Ah-in, whose mental fortitude had grown considerably from running around with me, was looking up at the ‘structure’ before her, at a loss for words, which said it all.

“What do you mean, what is it. It’s the new guild building.”

To be precise, it was a neat new construction that could now be given the proper name of a guild house, rather than the ambiguous term of guild building.

“How can you say that...!”

“Why. Isn’t it good to move to a bigger building? What are you so surprised about?”

“...”

I chuckled at Seo Ah-in, who was glaring at me as if she wanted to kill me.

Well, if you just looked at the words, I was right.

There was no reason to make such a fuss just because the building got a bit bigger.

Honestly, even if we were a minor guild, we had recently been raising our profile by openly collaborating with the Hunting Alliance, and not long ago, we even received Kim Kang-in's letter of recommendation, and Renegade was also having various exchanges with the currently trending Gusegyo.

The number of people who were starting to recognize what kind of guild we were was growing. So it wasn't strange for us to move into a building like this.

However.

If only that building wasn't inside the ‘Tower’.

If only it wasn't built with ‘mana’ materials that ordinary Climbers would have to risk their lives to obtain.

“...Hey. Is this right? Can we handle this?”

Even Yoo Ho-jun, who had silently accepted most things as they came, had a pale face.

It made sense, as there had been cases where those who owned tokens of other floors decorated the inside like a garden to their liking, but there had never been a case of building a full-fledged ‘guild house’ inside the Tower.

Because.

“This is a declaration of war. That this floor is completely ours. All the other guilds will come running with bloodshot eyes, you know?”

That was indeed true.

Basically, the Tower was a place all guilds frequented, so no matter how much you had a Conquest Token, if you officially laid claim to it as your own, complaints would pour out.

Unlike in the game, coming in here and beating up Demonic Beasts was the guilds' bread and butter. If you declared that you would control that as you pleased, it was natural for their eyes to flip.

Seeing that even the Western guilds, which had preemptively taken most of the Conquest Tokens below the Mysterious Garden and Jewel Plains that I occupied, hadn't built their guild houses there, the risk was clear.

“I'll sort that out somehow.”

“...So how are you going to do that?”

“I have a plan, you punk.”

Yoo Ho-jun shut his mouth in dissatisfaction, but it was truly all part of the plan.

In fact, it would be better if they started picking a fight soon.

“Mr. Ho-jun. Please don't worry.”

“Huh?”

“That's the face he makes when he's preparing a new bluff or scam. Someone will probably get entangled again and cough up valuable things to Mr. Kim Gyu-sik...”

“...”

What on earth did she think of me?

Anyway, I didn't cause this incident without thinking.

‘Considering the Second Ordeal, this is an essential task.’

The Second Ordeal was not a place that could be broken through just by diligently preparing a skill set.

Considering the stage characteristics, trying to cheese it like in the first ordeal would be close to impossible, so without an honest stat-up, I couldn't even guarantee survival, let alone a swift clear.

And building a guild house inside the Tower like this, slathered with mana materials, would dramatically increase the efficiency of ‘training’.

If I just set up the right routine, I could truly transform into a character of a completely different class.

“...”

Yes. Training.

My stats were my stats, but just as important were the ‘other guys’.

In the Second Ordeal, it would only be possible to break through if not only I, but also the guys around me, were placed in the right place at the right time.

Even in the game, raising companion NPCs through the housing content before entering the Second Ordeal was a course that almost all users went through.

“Therefore, you all will enter hell training. The instructor is myself, Kim Gyu-sik.”

“...No, what's with the sudden rush? You should at least ask for our opinion...?”

Shut up.

There was no need to add an explanation to the actions of a top-tier veteran. After all, I had already tried everything and picked the best one.

“Ah, right. I forgot to mention. For the time being, other people will be living with us too.”

“What? Other people?”

“Yes.”

The people who will receive the training together.

“I am Darien Anfeld. It's nice to meet you.”

“I am Seo Hye-in. It's a pleasure to meet you for the first time.”

“...What is your relationship with the Avatar of the Savior?”

“...Ah, I don't know about any Avatar of the Savior, but with ‘Mr. Kim Gyu-sik’, we have a close relationship in many ways-”

Yup.

I called all of them. In fact, that's part of the reason I purposely built the guild house so large.

Anyway, they would also be quite useful in the Second Ordeal.

And as I said that, seeing them greet each other with bright smiles, it felt like a good start.

“...”

Yoo Ho-jun tapped my shoulder.

“Why are they all women?”

“...”

Now that he mentioned it.

It just happened to turn out that way.

“Gyu-sik. I'm telling you this because I'm starting to get a feeling.”

“Huh?”

“I don't think putting all those people together in one house is a very good choice.”

What was he on about now.

“They all seemed to be in a good mood just a moment ago. Is there a problem?”

“...Did that look good to you? You couldn't read that atmosphere? They were totally sizing each other up while greeting each other, you know?”

Sizing up what?

He worried too much.

“Well, it's not like they're going to fight. They're all adults, so they'll be fine.”

“The problem isn't them, it's that you're in big trouble. This bastard, he's so clueless in these kinds of things...”

What was he talking about. How was I in big trouble?

“No, this is really... the fact that you don't know means you're already screwed...”

Yoo Ho-jun said, clutching his head as if it were throbbing.

So, what on earth did that mean?

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