Chapter 67 : Chapter 67

Chapter 67 - Encounter (1)

“...But do I really need to receive training too?”

“Of course.”

I replied to the grumbling Yoo Ho-jun and looked around.

In the Second Ordeal, there was a high probability that literally the ‘entire’ guild would be involved.

Because of its structure, it was a place where it couldn't be helped.

In that respect, the newly built guild house perfectly met the functional requirements for that purpose.

It wasn't just spacious; it was also very well-equipped with ‘training facilities’.

‘It was worth nagging them.’

This was the result of hounding Ironclad and Mr. Ebga for days on end.

Considering the relationship between elves and dwarves as portrayed in typical fantasy media, it would be normal for the two to be at each other's throats, but when they worked, they got along surprisingly well.

Putting the theorist, Mr. Ebga, and the skilled craftsman, Ironclad, together seemed to create a very good synergy.

“...”

It was a fortunate thing.

Because until the Second Ordeal, they would have to suffer through hell and high water.

“There's nothing here? What kind of training are you going to do here?”

Seo Ah-in, who was looking around, asked that question.

Well, in reality, it looked like nothing special on the outside.

Transparent walls, white tiled floor. Someone might mistake it for a psychiatric hospital.

But the true meaning of this space was revealed only after taking additional measures.

When I stepped on a panel in the middle with my foot, something like a control panel revealed itself.

“Mr. Kim Gyu-sik? What is that?”

I glanced at Ms. Seo Hye-in, who was asking with a tilted head.

As I had requested, she had put down all the Climber equipment she usually wore and was dressed in comfortable clothes.

Darien and Ms. Meirin next to her were in the same state.

“...Why are you looking at me?”

“I just thought there was no need to bother with you.”

A loser whose stats were all at the average level for a civilian was out of the question from the start.

I ignored Yoo Ho-jun, who was grumbling about why I was picking a fight, and answered the question Ms. Seo Hye-in had just asked.

“You can think of it as the teacher who will be in charge of this training.”

As I said that, I operated the panel.

The mana pattern flowing in the room changed all at once, and at the same time, the floor, walls, and ceiling began to shake.

Well, the basic framework was similar to the facility I had experienced in the boot camp graduation exam where I had thoroughly beaten up Seo Ah-in.

The one that created an environment similar to the inside of the Tower and pulled out the Demonic Beasts inside to conduct a virtual battle.

However, this facility was on a different level from such a crude facility.

This was a place inside a house made by plastering mana materials in a location much more abundant with mana than the outside. A much more detailed operation was possible.

Unlike that place, which merely projected images to ‘enact’ such an atmosphere, this one could actually shape the surroundings into the desired environment.

-!

In an instant, rain poured down from the ceiling, and the scenery changed to a swampy area with soggy mud everywhere.

“This is...”

Ms. Seo Hye-in's eyes widened when she saw the rapid change in the surroundings.

“...Is this an augmented reality construction set? The Hunting Alliance main building has a similar facility, but the level of completion is much higher.”

As expected of an executive from a rich guild, she figured out what this was in one go.

“A set like this requires hiring experts worth tens of millions of won just to calculate the setting values... Mr. Kim Gyu-sik, did you just create this by yourself?”

“Pardon?”

Setting this up alone costs tens of millions of won?

Ebga and Ironclad had indeed said that the operation was quite difficult, but when I actually tried it, it wasn't that hard.

What was so hard about this?

You could easily reproduce it if you just remembered the weather setting values, terrain information, detailed figures for the Demonic Beasts, the numerical values for the mana flow inside the stage, and on top of that, another 1,442 types of data values.

“...”

“...”

Everyone except Seo Ah-in was staring at me as if I were some kind of monster, which made me feel flustered instead.

No, it really wasn't that hard.

For me, who remembered the ‘entire’ game data, this much was at the level of a walk in the park.

It wasn't the first or second time I had picked apart the game with developer tools.

“Is that person always like that...?”

“Ah, Ms. Meirin, you might not know since you're new. You'll get used to it soon.”

As Seo Ah-in said that with the dignity of a seasoned assistant instructor, Ms. Meirin nodded her head with an "Ooh-" sound.

“...Stop the chatter. Focus.”

I said that and finished the settings.

At the same time, several Demonic Beasts resembling wriggling marine life appeared from the surroundings.

In fact, it was a number that should be described as teeming rather than several.

Yoo Ho-jun, the only one among them with no combat experience, looked like he was getting a headache just by looking at them.

“The level of reproduction is amazing. Is the training to fight jointly here?”

When Ms. Seo Hye-in said that with a tilted head, I chuckled and replied.

“No. The goal is to survive for more than 5 minutes alone in this situation.”

Well, they had to at least have that much skill to meet the minimum basic requirements for me to utilize them.

“...Against this many? I might be able to manage somehow, but the others-”

“Ah, excuse me. The goal is to survive for 5 minutes ‘without using mana’.”

“...”

That was the first time I saw Ms. Seo Hye-in curse with her eyes.

Her expression was thick with the meaning of 'how on earth am I supposed to do that', but I'm not a person who orders something impossible in the first place.

I roughly pulled out a sword that was nearby and stood in front of the simulation set I had configured.

“I'll show you just once. Watch carefully.”

Ah, I miss this.

It was no exaggeration to say that the basic skills that allowed me to act like a top-tier veteran in Conqueror were all honed here.

Let's see if my skills were still sharp.

***

“-And so.”

5 minutes later.

From a mountain of corpses that had died, scattering green body fluids around, I said with a bright smile.

“You just dodge what you need to dodge, deflect what you need to deflect, and hit whatever comes near you. It’s simple, right?”

“-Simple, my ass!”

Seo Ah-in, who had been acting like a seasoned assistant instructor, let out a shriek and slammed the sword she was holding onto the floor.

Tsk, tsk.

That was all money.

“What should I call this. It's not flashy, but... Mr. Kim Gyu-sik is probably the only person in the whole world who can fight like that.”

I tilted my head at Ms. Seo Hye-in, who said that as if it were a headache.

No, I didn't tell you to do it like me, I just told you to survive for 5 minutes somehow.

I never once said to pull off a reverse all-kill like me.

“...Either way, it's something an ordinary person can never do, you know?”

A remark like that came from Yoo Ho-jun, but I smoothly passed it over.

That's all because you lack eff-or-rt. There's nothing in the world that can't be done if you just pour in time and eff-or-rt.

In that respect.

“I'll give you one day. Get it done within that time somehow.”

“...You said time and effort, didn't you? Why won't you give us time?”

“Where do we have the leisure for that.”

The curriculum piled up ahead was a mountain.

If you can't even do something as basic as this, this head instructor can't help but be disappointed in the trainees.

“Anyway, I'm leaving. I'll be back tomorrow to check, so be aware of that.”

I left those words to the dumbfounded group of trainees and exited the training room.

I had my own schedule to attend to.

I checked my watch and headed to the main entrance of the guild house.

The person I had called in advance was waiting for me there with their arms crossed.

“...How do you show up at the promised time down to the second? Are you even human?”

“Is that a compliment?”

“Actually, I'm nagging you for not coming earlier.”

I let out a chuckle at Lee Si-yeong's nonsensical words.

Well, I had decided to drop the formalities with her a while ago.

It felt like I was losing out when only she spoke informally to me.

“So, why did you call me? I'm busy as hell because the work you left me isn't finished yet.”

“My apologies for that.”

“...I don't feel a shred of sincerity. In the first place, you suddenly kidnapped the face of the Chinese Martial Arts Alliance, so the work that was already a lot has increased even more. On top of that, you go and set up a guild house right in the middle of the Tower. Do you even know that every single thing you do is a huge issue?”

Lee Si-yeong let out a deep sigh, saying that just suppressing the information was a huge ordeal.

She said that collaborating with Mr. Kim Jae-han made every day a festival of administrative hell.

“My apologies for that.”

“No, why do you keep apologizing?”

“I'm sorry because it seems I'll be adding more work on top of that.”

“...”

I chuckled at Lee Si-yeong, who was making a ‘this bastard?’ face, and checked my watch again.

It should be about time for them to arrive...

-♪

Right.

A smile formed on my face at the clear chime.

Even in Conqueror, if you built a house like this inside the Tower, there was always a guy who would come to visit.

A guy who was called a lucky bag among the users.

-Heh. Not only did you build a guild house inside the Tower, but you even have a doorbell? You're really living it up, aren't you?

A voice that sounded like even the vocal cords were greased flew from beyond the door.

Ah, what a truly familiar voice.

Without realizing it, I took light steps and went to greet him at the entrance.

When I opened the door with a wide smile, a familiar face greeted me as expected.

“You're late. Do you know who I am to keep me waiting outside like this?”

At the tremendous tone from the very first meeting, Lee Si-yeong let out a deep sigh behind me.

Outside the door was one extremely obese, blonde man, putting on a grand air of arrogance.

His whole body exuded an atmosphere that proved he had lived a life of only eating and drinking well in a good house without any will of his own.

He was actually that kind of guy.

A third-rate villain who announced to the user that a real ‘event’ was starting.

“I am Gale Gilius of the Valhalla Guild. I've come to this small guild on the frontier to take issue with something.”

“...”

And as soon as she heard the words Valhalla Guild, Lee Si-yeong's gaze changed in an instant.

Because Valhalla was a guild belonging to the Western sphere.

In fact, in terms of prestige, it was at a level in the Western sphere that would be treated as ‘was there such a thing?’, but generally, the power difference between Eastern and Western guilds was overwhelming.

Even the Hunting Alliance, called one of the top three guilds in Korea, couldn't guarantee a mid-tier position if it went to the West.

That's why he could come to Renegade, which owned a Conquest Token, and say things like ‘frontier’ or ‘small’ without changing his expression.

“I'll give you two days. Close down the guild house and withdraw when I'm being nice. Otherwise, I'll make you pay the price for your foolish audacity.”

The words that followed were exactly what I expected. Don't act up, you weak Eastern guild, and get lost. Something like that.

As he continued to speak, Gale's gaze suddenly turned to Lee Si-yeong.

As soon as it did, his words stopped abruptly, and a sinister look filled his eyes.

“...”

Wow.

Really.

He was a third-rate villain to the point of being a stereotype.

No, well. Yeah. Ms. Lee Si-yeong's original features were quite pretty, but to express it so openly was admirable in a different sense.

Even the line that followed was perfect.

“...Hmph. Hmph. Or provide that woman. I can overlook some of it with that.”

The vulgarity level was breaking through 3000...!

Undisguised disgust flowed over Lee Si-yeong's face, but I felt like I wanted to applaud Gale's appearance as he spat out such words without a care.

Wow, truly perfect.

“...By the way, what are you so happy about, smiling like that since a while ago?”

“No, it's just that I can't help it.”

Because he perfectly matched the image of Gale that I remembered.

So.

“I'm glad it's exactly as I expected. Because I can do it without a single pang of conscience.”

“What?”

There were several reasons why this guy was called a ‘lucky bag’ by the users.

But one of the biggest reasons was.

[ Double Pulse ]

[ Shadow Secret Arts: Forceful Blow ]

[ Martial Arts: Bengquan ]

Because ‘every time you hit him’, something ‘good’ happened.

A fist that flew like a flash slammed directly into Gale's face.

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