Chapter 270

Ding.

System

• Logout complete.

My eyes flew open with the familiar System notification.

Instead of the familiar ceiling, I found two pairs of eyes staring down at me.

The moment our gazes met—

“Eek!”

“Oh my God!”

They both let out piercing shrieks and fell backward onto their butts.

I yawned as though I had just woken up and looked at Mom and Hayeon.

“What are you so surprised about?”

“Gasp… Haaah…”

“Huuh… Huuuuu…”

They looked as though they had seen a ghost. Still sitting on the floor and catching their breath, they shouted at the same time.

“You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

“You little bastard! You little bastard!”

Smack! Smack!

Hayeon’s eyes blazed, while Mom charged in and mercilessly pounded my back.

Somehow, the palm of a woman in her fifties hurt worse than the fist of an average martial artist.

Was this some kind of Inner-Family Heavy Hand?

The Mother’s Palm Strike, remembered by both body and soul.

It was only after I had taken many more blows that the barrage of slaps finally stopped.

Of course, getting hit a few times didn’t solve all my problems.

“Son.”

I swallowed hard at the weight in Mom’s voice. As expected, the mood was ominous.

“Yes, yes, Mother.”

“Do you know you’ve been sleeping for two whole days?”

Hayeon added, “Forty-two hours, to be exact.”

“That’s right. You wouldn’t wake up, so we almost called an ambulance.”

Forty-two hours.

I’d slept quite a while. I had spent more than a year in Murim, after all, so it made sense that this much time had passed.

To be honest, I hadn’t expected it to take this long either.

“Do you have narcolepsy or something? How can you sleep that long? You didn’t even react when we shook you.”

Hayeon stared at me in disbelief, and I casually began piling lie upon lie.

“What are you talking about? I woke up once or twice in the middle.”

“You didn’t. Every time Mom and I checked, you were sleeping…”

“I woke up around dawn each day. How could you have seen me?”

“Huh?”

“Every time I opened my eyes, it was around dawn. I was tired, so I just kept sleeping.”

“No, but even so, can a person really do that?”

Of course not.

But I had long since mastered the art of dealing with this distrustful little menace of a sister.

“Hey, Jin Hayeon.”

I deliberately hardened my expression as I called her by her full name, and Hayeon flinched.

“Y-Yeah?”

“Don’t you know what I was like in high school?”

“I-I don’t.”

“I slept straight through all seven periods without even eating, then slept again during evening self-study.”

“…”

“You think that’s all?”

“There’s more?”

“Of course. After sleeping at school, what do you think I did at home?”

“Could it be…”

“That’s right. I came home from school and went back to sleep. That’s the kind of person I am.”

“That’s incredible.”

Hayeon nodded solemnly. Mom, who had been listening quietly, looked utterly crushed as she spoke.

“Son, that’s not something to brag about…”

Sorry, Mom.

But something similar might happen again, so it seemed better to hammer the point home now.

The problem was that I was hammering another huge nail into my mother’s heart.

There goes another point on my unfilial-son score.

I quietly avoided Mom’s gaze. It wasn’t as though my poor academic performance was anything new. Thankfully, the whole narcolepsy business disappeared from the conversation.

Before Hayeon could say anything else, I changed the subject.

“Oh, right. The massage chair. Weren’t we going to buy one?”

Hayeon answered with a look of utter contempt.

“We already bought one, you idiot.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. I picked the most expensive one. It was worth every penny. I reclined in it for a minute and nearly went straight to heaven.”

“You’re taking the express train to hell when you die. Where did you get the money?”

“What do you mean, where? It was all your money. Here. I put your card to good use.”

“…Right. Good job.”

When had she taken my card?

But I had my own crimes to answer for, so I couldn’t say anything.

How much did the most expensive one cost, anyway? Maybe I should have kept more of the money from selling the raid monster last time.

I was mulling it over as I took back the card when—

Ding-dong.

Mom and Hayeon’s ears perked up at the doorbell.

“Could that be them?”

“They’re here!”

What was here?

I asked with a bewildered expression.

“Is someone coming?”

“Of course. The delivery driver.”

Hayeon answered excitedly and dashed out of the room.

But a moment later, the voice that accompanied the sound of the front door opening did not belong to the delivery driver Hayeon had been waiting for.

“Excuse me. Is Jin Taekyung here?”

“Who…? Are you perhaps a reporter?”

“No.”

A soft yet low voice continued.

“I’m a Team Leader. The Peace Guild’s Team Leader.”

There was only one Peace Guild Team Leader I knew.

When I stepped into the living room, I saw a man in a black coat over Hayeon’s shoulder.

“Team Leader.”

Team Leader Choi dipped his head in greeting.

“Have you been resting well?”

“…More or less.”

In truth, spending over a year struggling in Murim had left me mentally exhausted.

It had been a while since I’d seen him, but I felt more uneasy than glad. If this man had come all the way to my house, his business was obvious.

“I’m glad to hear you’ve had a good rest.”

“I didn’t say I’d had a good rest. No, wait—what brings you here? I thought I didn’t have any media appearances scheduled for a while.”

“That’s only natural. You aren’t a celebrity, after all.”

“Then?”

“The workshop for our new Guild members is today.”

“A workshop?”

“Yes.”

That was fine. I was curious what the new Guild members were like, and I could go for a little while before coming home and getting some proper rest.

“When does the workshop end?”

“It’s scheduled to last about six nights and seven days.”

“What kind of workshop lasts a whole week? Are we going to Pyeongchang or Gapyeong?”

“Think bigger.”

“Then maybe… an overseas resort in Southeast Asia?”

“Hmm.”

“Phuket? It’s Phuket, isn’t it!”

Team Leader Choi beamed at me.

“We’ve secured an A-rank Gate.”

“Oh.”

“We’ll build team unity while hunting monsters together.”

“…”

A workshop with monsters.

Wonderful.

Rumble. Boom!

The ground shook every time the five-meter-tall¹ giant took a step.

Its entire body, from head to toe, was made of solid rock. Moss clung to it here and there, and the whole thing looked damp with moisture.

A red light flashed from the uppermost rock, where vines hung down like hair.

The monster’s eye.

Someone groaned under their breath as that lifeless eye swept over them.

“Golem…”

A bona fide A-rank monster.

The rookie B-rank Hunters who had just graduated from the training center felt their knees weaken at the mere sight of it.

“How are we supposed to take that down…?”

“I feel like one hit would kill me.”

Just as the roughly twenty new Guild members were watching the Stone Golem loitering in the distance and swallowing dryly, someone spoke.

“There’s no need to be afraid. The Stone Golem approaching us possesses tremendous destructive power and durability, but it does have one weakness: it’s slow.”

At the young Team Leader’s words—he looked as though he had just stepped out of a fashion magazine—the female Hunters nodded with dreamy expressions.

“They say it’s slow.”

“If Team Leader Choi Minwoo says it’s slow, then it’s slow. He’s right.”

At that moment, the Stone Golem’s head slowly turned toward them.

A brief silence followed.

Then its rocky legs accelerated, devouring three meters² with every stride.

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

“…It’s really fast, though.”

“Fuck, I should’ve gone with damage dealer instead of tank.”

“Excuse me. Do you think damage dealers are people who sit around and eat for free?”

“Then take my shield and tank it for me.”

“I’d rather not.”

The dark clouds hanging over the new Guild members’ faces scattered when a clear voice rang out.

“The wind dwells within you. Haste!”

“Power that can shatter stone. Strength!”

“Breathe life into your weary bodies. Healing!”

Fwoooosh.

The incantations rang out one after another.

A refreshing breeze swept over them, and halos of light descended onto the new Guild members’ heads.

Feeling their bodies grow vastly stronger than before, they turned around in astonishment.

What is this? The difference is incredible.

She’s a B-rank healer like me, but her effect is this strong?

Wow. So she really is from the Ares Guild.

Under their collective stare, Song Song’s flawless brow furrowed.

“What are you all doing? Do you want to keep standing there glassy-eyed until you have your workshop in heaven?”

They had been left dazed once by her buff magic—powerful enough to make them mistake her for an A-rank healer—and a second time by her beauty.

Only then did the new Guild members snap out of it.

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

—Grrrroooar!

The Stone Golem had already closed to within twenty meters.³ It swung its arm.

Whoooosh!

With an air-splitting roar, a massive tree that had stood rooted deep in the ground moments before shot toward them like a cannonball.

“S-Shields!”

Clack-clack-clack!

At the panicked cry, several tower shields filled with mana rose to block the front.

But could those shields really stop a massive tree fired at them like a bullet?

Everyone gritted their teeth, bracing for the impact.

“Fire Wall.”

Fwoooosh!

A massive wall of flame surged upward.

The intense heat incinerated the dry branches and leaves. The blackened trunk crumbled the instant it struck the tower shields.

“Whoa…”

“What is this?”

A rich baritone worthy of a coffee commercial drifted down from above the new Guild members’ gaping faces.

“I blocked that one for you. There won’t be a second time.”

It was strange. His words and actions were impeccably polite, yet the old gentleman’s eyes held the same viciousness as the training Instructor who had tormented them until recently.

No, it was even worse.

“Fire Wall.”

With the second incantation, another wall of flame surged upward.

The only difference was that this time, it appeared behind them instead of in front.

“Ah, hot!”

“What the hell is this?”

“Guild Master! Guild Master?”

Kim the Butler blocked off the new Guild members’ rear with a curtain of fire and smiled faintly.

“You cannot grow by receiving nothing but help inside a Gate. Fight as though your lives depend on it.”

“…”

“Mages, locate the core with detection magic. Tanks, protect the healers and draw its aggro. Damage dealers… I trust I don’t need to explain any further.”

Swoosh.

Kim the Butler flicked his fingers, and Team Leader Choi and Song Song’s bodies rose into the air.

The abandoned new Guild members were just about to fall into a panic when a shout rang out.

“Tanks, forward!”

Boom!

With a thunderous cry, a massive man in full armor slammed a tower shield into the ground.

Several of the new Guild members frowned at the sight.

The first man to step forward was a middle-aged D-rank Hunter whose only claim to distinction was twenty years of experience.

“What are you doing? Get your heads in the game!”

But they had no choice. Their bodies, already sensing the threat to their lives, moved toward the front line of their own accord.

“Formation!”

“Formaaation!”

Clack-clack-clack!

With a deafening chorus repeating the command, the tower shields formed a solid wall.

The mages and healers drew up their mana, while the damage dealers prepared the strongest strikes they could unleash.

Crouched behind the shields, Im Kkeokjeong shouted with a grim expression.

“Hold!”

—Grrrroooar!

The Stone Golem charged straight into the wall of shields.

Kra-boom!

“Gasp… Haaah…”

“Ugh…”

Heavy breathing and groans rose from every direction.

The tank with a broken arm and the mages and healers who had exhausted all their mana collapsed onto the ground, while the damage dealers lay sprawled across the Stone Golem’s remains.

“Ugh, I’m dying.”

“Did we really take down this Stone Golem?”

The raid had lasted a full five hours. Despite their numbers, it had been a long, grueling fight, but the rookie Hunters who had only just graduated from the training center felt their chests swell with pride.

“I took down an A-rank monster…”

“Let’s take a group picture later. I’m going to frame it and hang it in my living room.”

“Who takes down a Stone Golem for their first raid?”

“Good work, everyone.”

Just as everyone was looking back on their achievement with moved expressions—

—Grrrroooooar!

—Roooooar!

The new Guild members’ faces went rigid as they spotted more golems approaching in the distance with thunderous roars.

What is that?

There were more than ten at a glance, and they looked larger and tougher than the Stone Golem. Light flashed from their massive bodies with every violent movement.

Someone shrieked.

“Iron! Those are Iron Golems!”

“Eeeek!”

The appearance of Iron Golems, among the highest-ranking of all golems, was more than enough to send everyone into a panic.

“W-Why are they here?”

“Aren’t they supposed to be scattered all over the place?”

They had never heard of golems living in tribes.

But the sight of them drawing closer by the second, and the ground trembling as though an earthquake had struck, told them this was all too real.

In the end, they had only one lifeline left.

“Please help us! We’ll all die at this rate!”

The cry rose toward the sky. Team Leader Choi, who had been floating in the air and watching the situation from beginning to end, smiled.

“There’s nothing for us to help you with.”

“…What did you say?”

Has that bastard gone insane?

Just as everyone began to doubt their own ears—

Whoooosh! Slash!

A red flash tore through the air.

The charging Iron Golem split cleanly in half, from the crown of its head to its crotch.

Crash!

A man emerged between the masses of steel collapsing to either side.

“Mob farming is fucking sweet.”

The young man, Jin Taekyung, grinned.