Chapter 167

The person who jumped in was none other than Song Kiyeol. He strode over briskly and slapped Song Junghye's cheek hard.

Slap!

A loud and crisp sound rang out.

It was obvious that Kiyeol put a lot of strength in the blow. It was almost a full swing. Song Kiyeol could be called a Ranker in his own right, and he was a tank class with a high Strength stat. Unable to take the impact, Junghye stumbled a few steps backward and slumped to the ground.

She looked extremely shocked.

"Oppa…?"

Judging from her expression, Kiyeol's act was completely out of line with his usual character. She clearly never even dreamed her brother would slap her. Song Kiyeol shouted at her, his voice trembling with anger.

"Are you in your right mind?"

"That's what I should be asking you!"

"Shut up. If you don't want to die."

Junghye got up.

State: Humiliation / Pain / Rage

That wasn't surprising. She had just gotten slapped out of nowhere in front of strangers, so it wasn't unreasonable that she was angry.

"Oppa. Do you want to get sued for assault? You want to go at it legally?"

"Apologize right now."

"For what?"

"Right now. Apologize to Player Kim Hyukjin."

"And for what?!"

Junghye kept cupping her cheek, probably because it still hurt. Her face had become very red, either from shame, rage, or both.

"You tried to steal the Red Eyes using Gu Sungmin."

Was it from the shock of getting slapped? Or maybe it was because she was talking to her brother? Song Junghye acknowledged it very easily.

"It was part of my scenario quest, so it couldn't be helped."

Bingo. It was true she was trying to steal the Red Eyes.

"Since you were trying to steal something that belonged to someone else… I'm sure you also prepared yourself for what would happen if you were found out?"

At the same time, Kiyeol grabbed my arm, his grasp full of earnesty. I didn't shake him off.

"Mr. Kim Hyukjin. I am truly sorry. She's my little sister. I will apologize in her stead. I am truly sorry. I will be sure to educate her fully so that something this disgraceful never happens again."

No matter how I thought of it, the Blood and Iron Queen name did not suit Song Junghye. Her brother's ability to assess the situation was far faster, and his response was much better. The reason he slapped his sister's cheek wasn't to really punish her, but to protect her from my retaliation.

Should I say this was just… an older brother's idiotic love for his sister?

Hm. What to do now?

'Shall we bump up the Taeguk Shield Guildmaster's prestige a bit?'

There were two options: completely drive Song Junghye and Gu Sungmin into a corner by reproaching Song Kiyeol, or step back a little. Knocking Song Junghye and Gu Sungmin down a peg might seem like a great idea right now, but it wasn't that great considering the long-term.

'If I yield a little here…'

When it was time to crush, you had to bring down your heel hard. If you were going to be half-hearted, it was best to not lift your foot at all. If I were to just let this slide without a clear cut resolution, there would definitely be a second, or third round of trouble.

'Song Junghye must think I'm an easy target, huh?'

Then she would definitely make more moves against me in the future. Yeah, just letting it slide was fine. All of her little attempts would make good content for Senia and me. Excellent. It wasn't a half bad idea to let her crawl and struggle as much as she wanted. Because no matter how much she flailed, she wasn't my opponent.

"I think I know the reason why you stepped in, Guildmaster Song."

Though Song Junghye herself probably didn't.

"Fine. If I am given an apology now, I will let this slide."

"By apology… Do you mean my little sister's apology?"

"Yes."

The Blood and Iron Queen was famous for her straight, unbending back. She was a woman who never yielded to others. What about the current Song Junghye?

'One thing's for sure. She's got a shit ton of pride.'

It was the same now. I didn't see the qualities and the situational judgment deserving of the Blood and Iron Queen title, but she did indeed have the pride worthy of the name.

"Me? Why? Did I steal anything? I didn't. And I even got assaulted by you, Oppa."

Sure enough, Song Junghye wasn't anywhere close to reflecting on her wrongs. She was truly foolish. No matter her feelings, it was the right call to apologize to me right now, at least if she wanted to maintain a semblance of a good relationship with me.

I shrugged.

"Well, if you don't want to, you don't need to."

My mind flicked to Seohye. Due to our mental connection, my thoughts were immediately relayed to her.

'Let Gu Sungmin go.'

Did Gu Sungmin have any idea that he nearly died just now? The red threads around his arms and legs disappeared.

Thud!

The man fell comically onto his butt.

"Oh Lord, dear God."

His face was covered in a thin sheen of cold sweat. Fear seemed to have permeated his bones. I turned around. I was extremely exhausted; my eyes were closing on their own. I had done too much today. I was both mentally and physically hollowed out.

The look in Song Junghye's eyes was quite enjoyable to me. Even I was surprised at myself for finding that vicious look enjoyable rather than scary.

'Just try…' I approached her, meeting those fierce eyes squarely. '...and crawl.'

I didn't fear her. Since I let her off so light handedly, she would come at me more outrageously next time. I lowered my head to whisper very quietly in her ear.

"The next time you mess with me… You'll have to put your life on the line."

[Using the special skill Mettle.]

"My warning is sincere."

She would feel terror. Sure enough, her face turned pale white. But what if that terror faded with time? Her humiliation would match the terror she'd felt.

'Let's wait and see how a Blood and Iron Queen with a wounded pride will act.'

* * *

Three days passed after hunting the Fire Giants. I should have gone to clear the Gyeonghoeru a few more times, but I couldn't.

'To think I slept for three days straight…'

I had slept for so long that my entire body ached. It was my first time finding out that a person could sleep for so long. I must have used too much strength facing the Fire Giants.

'In any case… I'm full of vitality.'

Perhaps because I came in contact with flames of a higher grade, the 'fire ki' rooted inside me had become more pure and clean. It was a little weird to say fire was cleaner, but there was no mistake. With a little more enlightenment and a little more opportunity, the fire ki inside me would probably evolve into the next level, whatever that was.

'I have a lead.'

I had seen the path forward, the path for my growth. Even if it didn't happen right this moment, this 'fire ki' would definitely grow, and the fire ki's growth was equal to my own. I was sure of it. Although clashing with the Fire Giants had seriously endangered my life, it was true that the encounter was a stepping stone for my development.

I went with Sunhwa to our office near the DMC.

"Everyone's here, so let's have a toast."

We finally had a full-fledged guild office of our own now. It was located near the DMC, the Digital Media City, in a building close to the Player's Association.

So much had changed in just half a year. The entire floor of such a grand building was ours to use, though we only had six people in our crew. Of course, we didn't pay rent—Sungshin was handling that.

Yeonseo gave me a small bouquet. "Congrats, Boss. We've become a real guild, too."

"Hyung." Sunghyun asked, "Should I register the guild?"

"No, Guildmaster Song agreed to do it for us."

Yoohyun seemed to be very excited. "Didn't Guildmaster Song also say he was paying the rent, Hyungnim?"

"Of course."

Yeonseo broke into another bright smile. "I don't know why you think him paying the rent is a natural and obvious thing, but whatever, it's great that we don't have to pay. Right?"

Everyone agreed, laughing. Oh, right. Technically speaking, Song Kiyeol wasn't paying our rent. It was just that the entire building belonged to him.

'In any case… things have really changed.'

In the last six months, I changed a lot, and so did the world. Official guilds were established, and these guilds were acknowledged by the Player's Association and given Guild Licenses. Of course, individuals could also acquire Player Licenses, like the 'intermediate' and 'highest rank' licenses Song Kiyeol mentioned to me before. For reference, the licenses I was given were 'Rank 7' and 'Royal', a rank given to only one Player in all of Korea.

'Never thought a civil service student like me would one day end up getting a formal Player License.'

The Royal one was just a symbolic rank created by Song Kiyeol as a sign of his sincerity, but the intermediate Rank 7 one wasn't too shoddy, either. Even if they didn't have outstanding talent, people who worked relatively hard at Playing typically received Rank 7 or 8. Licenses started at 10, and the lower the number, the stronger the Player. They went from Rank 10, 9, 8, 7, and so on. A Rank 7 license was dead average, a rank that invited neither mockery nor special treatment.

Sunhwa's face was slightly flushed. I guessed it was excitement from our guild finally having a formal name.

"The kids at school were telling me not to lie, saying what kind of guild doesn't even have a name."

"That so?"

"I said I was in the same guild as Mister Yoohyun and Yeonseo unnie, but no one!—no one!!—believed me."

Well, that wasn't a bad thing. It meant we were that hidden from the public's eye. In any case, our guild's name was decided. The idea came from Sung-gu.

"Oi. Fuck. Who are we? Aren't we like the uber special fuckin' strong guild that thrashed Fire Giants?"

He nodded to himself with a 'Yeah, that's right! We're like uber special class', then continued to boast.

"Since we've steamrolled giants, can't we call ourselves the giant gods?"

And then, he slammed the office table a few times in excitement. Giantgod Guild. Well, it didn't have a bad ring to it. No one had much interest in coming up with names, so everyone unanimously agreed on 'Giantgod'.

"C'mon, c'mon. Hyukjin. You gotta give me royalties, no?"

"..."

"I came up with the name."

"We're changing the name."

"..."

Sung-gu pouted. "Seriously, the blessed are the stingiest."

I didn't know what I was blessed with, but whatever. Sung-gu's lips squirmed for a while in a show of complaint. But just a few minutes later, he said, "I'm the one who came up with it, but man, this name's got hella snazz and aesthetic. Don't you think so, Giant~God girls and boys?"

Sadly, his overwhelming enthusiasm fell on deaf ears, and no one responded. Pouting, Sung-gu went on to sing, 'I'm the pitiful Loner-gu~ I have no friends~'

Anyway, I was of course picked to be the guildmaster of our 'Giantgod Guild'.

'The Giantgod Guild didn't exist in the past.'

So Yoohyun, Shin Yeonseo, Jo Sunghyun, even Choi Sung-gu. I never would have dreamed that a party composed of these all-star Players would be established. I was once again amazed by the fact that four of the 8 Heroes were here, in one place.

'At least these four won't clash with the Demon King.'

The 8 Heroes title was earned from their encounters with the Demon King. But now, they were a part of the Giantgod Guild, so there should be almost zero occasion for them to butt heads with the Demon King. That was because I still didn't intend on becoming total enemies with the Demon King. This alone was a huge change. Because of me, the future changed a great deal.

'But as I suspected, the big currents haven't changed.'

Though the details and small puzzle pieces were constantly changing, the general flow was unchanged.

'November 27, 2018.'

The date of the Gran Seoul Dungeon's opening.

The Gran Seoul was a massive building adjoined to the Gwanghwamun D-Tower. The Gwanghwamun D-Tower and the Gran Seoul would both dungeonize.

'It's actually the dungeon that marks the end of the beginner period.'

That dungeon was the gateway leading from the early-game into the mid-game. A dungeon that all Players in the Korean server—excluding very exceptional Irregulars—had to challenge in order to break into the mid-game.

'It'll open soon.'

In the meantime, we could keep racking up EXP while clearing the Gyeonghoeru Field. After parting with the others, I went towards the Players Association to have a meeting with Song Kiyeol.

"You appear to really care for Miss Junghye," I said to him.

That was why he slapped her cheek three days ago.

"Last time, I just let things slide in consideration of Guildmaster Song."

To be more precise, it was more that I let the bait (Song Junghye) go so I could draw a 'bigger picture', but well. I didn't have to lay it out that honestly.

"But next time, I won't just turn a blind eye."

Did Song Kiyeol know that his little sister tried to ruthlessly kill Gu Sungmin, or was he in the dark? Or did he know, but he didn't want to believe it? Everyone had their weaknesses. It seemed Song Junghye was Song Kiyeol's weakness, and a very fatal one, at that.

"Yes. I apologize for jumping in like that back then."

"No, she's family to you. I do understand."

Though… whether Song Junghye truly thought of Kiyeol as family was iffy. After some conversation, I went back home.

I once again flipped through the notepad that had come back to the past with me.

–Nov. 27, 2018. The Gran Seoul Dungeon opens.

There were less than two weeks left. We would have no choice but to continue our boring grinding until then.

Two weeks passed. I reached level 38, and the others were also around 37-38.

'Our levels are more than high enough.'

On November 24, I went to the Gran Seoul building with Sunhwa, exploring the area. I looked around thoroughly just in case another 'early adopter' scenario popped up, but I couldn't find any real clues. The 25th and 26th passed similarly uneventfully.

And then came the long-awaited 27th of November.

'It'll open today.'

The Gran Seoul Dungeon was supposed to open. That was a place we absolutely had to clear in order to hit the mid-game, whether we liked it or not.

But it didn't open.

Another day passed. It was now November 28th, 2018. The Gran Seoul Dungeon still hadn't opened.

Something had changed.

____