Login in to Alandal

"Orc blood."

"What?"

"What?"

"Ewwww!"

"…Oh."

Thud-

Tuduck-

Tung-

The team suddenly dropped their equipment.

"Hey, it was hard to make these! It was even enhanced by +3 to a rare grade. Pick them back up!"

"But…."

"Ugh…."

"It's disgusting..."

"I like it."

"Huh?"

[She’s a weird kid, after all.]

Everyone hated it except for Ji-young, who hugged her equipment with an inexplicable smile.

"Ahem, ahem, I'm glad Ji-young likes it. I originally intended to use Werewolf blood, but the color didn't appear quite right."

"Anyway, I'll put it to good use."

"T-Thank you."

"As expected... it smells bloody."

"I wonder what color came out with the Werewolf's blood."

Even with good equipment right before them, everyone's faces were gloomy except for Ji-young, who seemed to be more interested in something else.

I started to get annoyed, seeing the team pick up the equipment with sullen looks.

Each of their status windows was a mess. I couldn't help but frown.

Noticing my expression, Seol-ah glanced at the others.

'She's fast... hmmm.'

[What? Is your hand itching to do something about it?]

'Do you think I’m like you? I just wanted to give them some moral education.'

[Beating is not everything when it comes to teaching.]

‘Then why do you beat me like that?'

Even whilst working on crafting weapons, I practiced with the Heavenly Demon from time to time.

No matter how safe I was from actual harm, the thought of getting hit by his long pipe made me shudder.

[Ahem! You must be beaten so your martial arts skills increase quickly.]

‘...’

"Guys, let's try wearing them. Oppa had a hard time making them."

"Y-Yeah."

"It makes me sad, but..."

The girls agreed with Seol-ah. So, they weren't completely clueless.

Actually, Ji-young was already half-dressed.

Jiggle, jiggle, jiggle-

They suddenly threw off their outerwear.

"W-Why are you taking off your clothes here?!"

"What's the matter? We're wearing leotards underneath. You're the one getting weird ideas, aren't you?"

"Hmph! I’ll not waste my breath answering that."

They were helpless. These days, thanks to these guys, the fantasies I had about high school girls during my school years crumbled.

I turned away because their bodies were exposed, even with the leotards.

[But why do they make a jiggling sound every time they move?]

'You're imagining it. Imagining it.'

"We're done."

"It suits you well."

It didn't just suit them well. Their pale skin and red clothes matched to create a strange atmosphere.

"It's light and easy to move around in."

Eun-joo stretched her legs and moved around.

"I don't even smell the blood."

Hye-jong sniffed the clothes. Seol-ah frowned as she looked at her.

I thought it suited them well, but the things they were doing while wearing that gear...

I let out a sigh.

"I made it with mana, and it's leather, so there won't be any major restrictions to your movement. It definitely won't smell either."

"Now that I'm wearing it, I can see how much effort my Oppa put in. But I didn't know that you also had crafting skills. I wasn't sure about them until now."

"There's nothing to worry about. And our guild's name is engraved on the back. From now on, you guys will be Team 1 of our guild."

BnS-1

Team Seolhwa

I had it elaborately engraved on the back of the leather armor.

"I like this one."

"Me too."

"So cool."

"...Oh."

Each of them started talking non-stop, making me feel dizzy.

"Enough! I made it to protect you guys, so don't feel sorry about using them. If it gets damaged in any way, it can be repaired."

"By the way, where's yours?"

"Don't worry. I have my own too. Now, go. You're too noisy."

"Okay. We'll be going."

"Get some rest, CEO."

"I said I'm not—"

"Okay, bye!"

"..."

The others fled from my office, but Ji-young remained.

"Do you have something to say?"

Ji-young quietly took out Mitchell.

"This..."

The pale skull was genuinely bizarre.

"What?"

"Can you dye it in the same color?"

[...]

"...I can. Leave it here. I can finish it quickly, so come and pick it up in the afternoon."

"Yep! Thank you."

Ji-young hurried away.

[Isn't that child mentally troubled?]

"Everyone has a unique hobby."

[You're so carefree. Seeing that child, I thought of an old man called the Wicked Emperor I met in Martial Arts Society...]

"Stop."

[Alright.]

"Since when do you listen to me?"

[It's because you told me to stop. Are you going to nag even about that?]

"..."

Had I been too mean to him? He seemed upset.

Silence lingered after everyone had gone, and the Heavenly Demon grew quiet.

I gazed at Mitchell, which Ji-young had left behind on my desk. She must have taken great care of it. It was dazzling to behold.

[Skull Crusher - Mitchell]

[Rating: Legendary]

[Attack Power: 60]

[Endurance: Indestructible]

-A weapon containing the wielder’s thoughts. Hitting the target's head with this weapon increases the critical strike chance by 30%. (Exclusive)

I decided to do some simple mana processing, but it became a legendary-class indestructible weapon.

In addition, I assigned it the name Ji-young had given it, and it became her only weapon.

"Thoughts... she's a very peculiar child."

I now understood the explanation in the Skill Book that properties were given depending on how the wielder used the weapon when processing mana.

[It should happen with the Demonic Dragon Blade too. To think that such a bizarre weapon is endowed with these additional stats! The same goes for your bone! I don't understand why it has higher attack power than the Demonic Dragon Blade.]

As the Heavenly Demon said, the bone also became legendary.

[Bone Club - Byeong-gi]

[Rating: Legendary]

[Endurance: Indestructible]

[Attack Power: 60]

-You can feel the thrill of hitting with this weapon imbued with its wielder's madness. Satisfaction +50% (Own)

"It's a weird extra stat, but I like it."

[A thrilling taste! Tsk, tsk, tsk.]

***

The Office of the Director of the Hunter Management Bureau.

"The Skeleton Mr. Byeong-gi mentioned hasn’t yet been found. But the number of missing hunters continues to increase."

"Have you sent official letters to the guilds?"

"Smaller guilds seem cautious, but the larger guilds don't even care."

"Well, they will figure it out on their own. Where is the Heaven's Way Guild?"

"I still don't know, but we're doing our best."

"What is this? There's not even a scrap of evidence left..."

"And the frequency of Gate occurrences has also recently increased."

"At this rate, there will be no hunters left soon. Let’s move up the schedule."

"Are you talking about the Guilds General Meeting?"

"Yes, many new guilds were created as a result of the Second Cataclysm, so it would be good to familiarize ourselves with the faces of their new representatives. Also, how about managing the new Awakened and having the Probies ranking match?

"Even the Probies ranking match?"

"Yes, I'll have to check the newly Awakened Probies’ skills."

"Alright. And I got a call from the Defense Science Research Institute. They said the test operation of the Gate Detector will be possible in a month."

"When do those guys who only care about money do things so quickly?"

"The President is very interested in this. Well, although the opposition party is holding him back."

"Enough, I hate discussing politics. The other day, the President said he wanted to meet with Mr. Byeong-gi."

"The President did?"

"I’m telling you just so that you're aware. First, schedule the general meeting and ranking match as soon as possible and report back."

"Alright."

Yoo So-eun's feelings became complicated as she saluted and left the director's office.

'Why does he want to meet Byeong-gi?'

***

The Hunter Management Bureau announced the date for the Guilds' General Meeting and Proby Ranking Match.

Before my return, the Proby Ranking Match had never been held in conjunction with the Meeting, but due to extenuating circumstances, they had to move up the times for both.

It was disheartening to see the past I knew keep changing, but there were no major issues yet, so I instructed Lee Seong-jin to get ready for the Proby Ranking Match.

[Are you bothered by the changes to what you know?]

"I'm worried these small waves will turn into a tsunami."

[I've been thinking about that too. How about changing your perspective?]

"What do you mean?"

[I'm asking if you have ever thought the changes you are making now could prevent the end of the world.]

"!!!"

I wasn't expecting that.

With my return, the world was changing little by little.

But I didn't have to just worry about it. I should take advantage of the memories, take what I wanted, and change things quickly.

[I wanted to say that too.]

"Thank you."

[Don't get weird about it...]

"Anyway, the fact that I have to become stronger remains unchanged. To eat and live well."

[Of course. Only then will I be able to return to the World of Immortals. But keep this in mind.]

"What?"

[With great power comes great responsibility.]

"I think I've heard that somewhere before."

A few days later, I attended the Guilds General Meeting with Seong-jin and Seol-ah.

The other members of Team Seolhwa couldn’t join because they did not meet the participation requirements.

Only the president and executive-level members of each guild could participate in the general meeting.

Occasionally, other hunters who the presidents recommended could attend, but I stopped them because it seemed like they would be noisy if they came along.

The Guilds General Meeting hosted by the Hunter Management Bureau was held in the Grand Ballroom of Hotel Silla in Jung-gu, Seoul.

It seemed that decision was made because the Jangchung Gym was nearby, so it would be easy to have the Proby Ranking Match.

[It feels similar to the Martial Arts Society Banquet.]

'Were you invited to the Martial Arts Society Banquet?'

[What does that matter? If I wanted to go, I went.]

'You didn't do anything stupid there, did you?'

[I just showed the difference in power.]

'Of course, you did.'

"Wow, I've only ever seen places like this in dramas."

Seol-ah said that.

She had spruced up her attire, saying this was her first time attending an event like this, and she didn't want to seem like a high school kid.

I could feel her eyes roaming around as she wandered the venue.

Lee Seong-jin restrained Seol-ah as she exclaimed at every new sight.

"Miss Seol-ah, your voice is too loud. Sit down now."

"Hyung, straighten your back. You're the president."

"Ahem! S-should I?"

The Guilds' General Meeting had begun.

In the past, the meeting was a formal occasion to strengthen the ties between guilds, but this time there was an agenda. The first item on the agenda was about the recent disappearance of hunters and guilds, though the cause was not revealed, so the details were unclear. The second item, however, turned out to be the real problem: the sale of the BnS Vitality Potion, which our guild had a monopoly on.

For the benefit of all hunters, they asked us to relinquish our exclusive sales rights on advanced potions and allow them to sell their own products.

It was a challenge to our fledgling guild and a ploy to look after their own interests.

When Seong-jin said he would no longer give them the right to sell it after a year if they kept questioning it — which I had advised him to say in this situation — they couldn't hide their displeasure.

Seong-jin worried he might become the target of a larger guild, but I didn't listen to him.

The meeting ended, and the reception began. We were served a meal with several delicacies.

"Wow! It looks delicious. If I boast about this to the girls, they might kill me."

Despite saying that, Seol-ah was busy taking pictures.

"Are you planning to post that on social media?"

"Of course, I have to post it!"

"Hahaha, all young kids these days are like that. I do it sometimes because of my daughter."

Lee Seong-jin had a daughter in elementary school. He said that whenever he saw Seol-ah, he imagined how his daughter might be in the future.

He smiled happily while watching Seol-ah.

Lee Seong-jin's status window looking at Seol-ah was quite sound. That was normal.

The people watching her with sinister intentions were the weird ones.

"I think social media is a waste of time."

"It is, but sometimes useful information comes faster than the news. Not too long ago, that pervert exit seven incident was reported on social media faster than the news covered it."

"I-Is that so?"

"I don't know what kind of pervert he was, but how boring was his life at that point? I don't know why he hid in the women's bathroom. How can fathers relax with people like that in our world?"

"Ha. Ha. Ha."

As I awkwardly laughed, I met eyes with someone I didn't like.

It was Lee Seo-yoon of the Phoenix Guild, and next to her was Kim Gangsuk.

[Ha, your bad relationships from the past are revealing themselves one by one.]

'The Phoenix Guild shouldn't be here yet.'

[This must have changed because of you too.]

I grew annoyed when I saw Gangsuk's face, but I knew I had to calm down.

Lee Seo-yoon spoke to me first.

"Mr. Proby?"

"Ah, trash sm—... Manager Lee Seo-yoon."

Her eyebrows raised at my near mistake, but she ignored it and said.

"Mr. Proby, what are you doing at the General Meeting?"

"Is this a place I can't come to? I think you came with a Proby too."

"But you can't compare yourself to him. This person has proven his skills."

"Shouldn't we see before you decide that?"

'Displeasure' appeared on Kim Gangsuk's status window.

"So, you are that Lee Byeong-gi."

A middle-aged man exuding a benevolent impression intervened between us.

Lee Seo-yoon and Kim Gangsuk bowed their heads to him, and even Lee Seong-jin and Woo Seol-ah stood up in greeting.

I didn't like it.

"Oh, president, that's right. This person is that..."

"Hahaha! I guess I was right. Didn't you say our team leader smelled like trash?"

"Sir!"

Lee Seo-yoon shouted.

[He is the strongest-looking hunter I've seen so far.]

'He is currently the No. 1 S-Rank hunter in Korea and the president of the Phoenix Guild.'

Oh Young-seok. He looked benevolent, but I didn't know much else about him.

However, there were rumors that the second place top-ranker had faced him and lost all their power. He said it was just a rumor, but no one dared to challenge him after that.

[Oh, is that so? I want to see this fellow fight.]

He stared at me, and I greeted him, bowing slightly.

If it was in the past, I might have fully bowed like Lee Seo-yoon or Kim Gangsuk, but not now.

I didn't even get up from my seat.

Both curiosity and displeasure appeared on Oh Young-seok's status window.

"Your head's stiffer than I expected. Yeah, you said we'd have to see your skills to figure it out, right?"

It seemed he'd overheard my conversation with Lee Seo-yoon.

Intangible energy poured out of him and began to press on me.