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Join the Server“Nod if you understand.”
The leaders, with an average age of 54.5, nodded like puppets.
“Ugh… Sagyeol… you ill-mannered bas—”
Thwack!
The Hestia Guild Vice Guild Master, who had barely fluttered their eyes open, closed them again with a single kick from Sagyeol.
“This bastard has no sense of timing, not even when he should regain consciousness.”
“…”
Sagyeol, scowling as if about to spit, surveyed the room and chuckled.
“Everyone, please sit. Why are you standing?”
‘Because of you. You bastard. Because of you.’
Though everyone shared the same thought, no one dared to voice it.
“Ahem.”
“Cough.”
People coughed, retrieved their scattered chairs, and took their seats. Lee Hyun-su, who had remained perfectly still from beginning to end, finally spoke.
“Should such an incident occur again, the Credit Guild will withdraw from the subjugation.”
Those who had merely watched as the Vice Guild Master was beaten now stirred, greatly agitated. Some even raised their voices, demanding to know what he meant.
It wasn’t about Hestia withdrawing; it was about Credit pulling out. That was tantamount to abandoning the subjugation entirely.
“Does that mean you intend to abandon Grisha?”
The Guild Master of a prominent guild asked in a stern tone. Sagyeol, seated with his legs crossed, met his gaze directly and replied,
“While no one explicitly states it, surely those who know, know. Who was it that resurrected a Grisha on the brink of collapse?”
The murmuring ceased. Everyone fell silent.
Though Credit was now Grisha’s top guild, it hadn’t always been so, especially not twenty years prior. Back then, a colossal guild known as the Three Crescents dominated every aspect of the city.
They monopolized gates, charged exorbitant fees for gate usage and magic stone disposal, and even controlled the management rights for the turrets necessary for airship arrivals and departures.
They usurped the duties that rightfully belonged to the Association, seizing its income. Yet, their power was so absolute that no one dared to protest.
Among the citizens, a jest even circulated: they couldn’t tell if it was Grisha’s Three Crescents, or the Three Crescents’ Grisha.
Hunters and guilds not affiliated with the Three Crescents found nothing to laugh about. Even major guilds at the time were like wild dogs compared to a tiger when pitted against the Three Crescents, a stark difference in stature.
It was Sagyeol, then a mere seven-year-old, who had completely dismantled the Three Crescents and laid the foundation for the flood subjugation.
“I will rebuild Grisha. To do so, the subjugation of the flood is absolutely essential.”
And so, the boy who had become a man declared in the conference room,
“Since I was the one who built it, wouldn’t it stand to reason that I could also abandon it, if I wished?”
“…”
Though Sagyeol was now a full-fledged adult, the attendees, who had been adults even back then, wore expressions as if they had bitten into something foul.
‘Damn it. His face hasn’t changed a bit from when he was a child.’
‘To think I almost became a guardian to that monster. I must have been out of my mind.’
The boy who became king took actions no one dared to imagine. He refused all potential guardians and thoroughly crushed anyone who tried to play tricks.
Then, he poured all the manpower, resources, and information left to him into rebuilding Grisha.
The derisive laughter quietly faded. Before long, the entire city was chanting Sagyeol’s name.
As time passed, Grisha slowly reclaimed its former glory.
As if he had been waiting, Sagyeol dismantled the mere shell of the Three Crescents without a second thought and founded a new guild from virtually nothing.
That was the Credit Guild.
‘Only money is trustworthy in this world.’ Such was the guild’s ambition: to demonstrate reliability akin to cold, hard cash.
It sounded like something a mere rookie would say. Yet, this time, not a single soul dared to mock him.
The Credit Guild fought its way up from the bottom and stood at the pinnacle. No one dismissed them as a mere fledgling guild.
The flood subjugation also proceeded smoothly, and now the Fringe Forest had fully regained its color.
A refreshing, light green. The very color of the Middle Realm.
Those who witnessed it thought, ‘Sagyeol might be able to do it.’
‘That man might just succeed.’
The citizens were ecstatic. Sagyeol’s approval rating in Grisha was absolute.
If such a Sagyeol were to resign as the subjugation leader and speak of discord among the team members, the repercussions would be far greater than anyone could imagine. It might even incite a riot.
Sagyeol had issued a clear warning. He was showing them what he was capable of, and how far he was willing to go.
“Do not forget. I am the overall commander and the final authority for this subjugation.”
He was a monarch. The others were merely pawns in his game.
Several guilds, though not supporters of Hestia, who harbored hidden dissatisfaction, flinched.
“As those who know me are aware, I do not make idle threats in such matters.”
No one dared to ask, ‘Are you threatening us?’ because they knew the answer would be a resounding ‘Yes, it is a threat.’
Sagyeol was serious.
If such an incident occurred again, he intended to withdraw from the main subjugation and conduct a solo offensive with only the Credit Guild.
It might have been impossible before, but not now. With only the Returners, it was entirely feasible.
Having cultivated the Credit Guild’s strength from the ground up, he knew its true power better than anyone.
“P-please, calm down, Credit Guild Master.”
“Everyone is just anxious.”
“Yes, exactly. We haven’t been able to solve the labyrinth’s problem for a whole month now.”
The guild masters, gauging the mood, waved their hands in unison. Their awkward deference to Sagyeol, who was barely their son’s age, was quite pathetic.
“One month.”
Sagyeol declared with confidence,
“Within that time, the Credit Guild will take responsibility and breach the passageway. Therefore, do not mention the labyrinth walls again.”
“…”
The meeting concluded.
The battered Hestia Guild Vice Guild Master was the first to be carried out.
The other guild masters, after a final wary glance at Sagyeol, departed one by one.
Only the Association executives and Bang Seok-hwan, the Guild Master of the manufacturing guild ‘Amulet,’ remained.
“Credit Guild Master. Please understand with an open mind.”
He was the only one unaffected by Sagyeol’s rampage. This was because Sagyeol had intentionally avoided his vicinity.
“Old man.”
When Sagyeol, with a sullen expression, called him ‘old man,’ the young man sitting beside him bristled.
“What rudeness is this? Show some respect, Credit Guild Master.”
He seemed to consider himself quite intimidating, but to an S-rank Hunter, he was nothing more than a yapping puppy.
“What?!”
The young man flared up. Bang Seok-hwan chuckled, saying,
“He is the boy I’ve chosen as my successor.”
“This one?”
“Credit Guild Master! I repeat, show some cour—”
“Suhyeon, please wait outside.”
“…Yes.”
The young man trudged out of the conference room. Once the door closed, only Lee Hyun-su, Sagyeol, and Bang Seok-hwan remained in the spacious room.
“Even if the Amulet Guild operates in a grey area, someone with that kind of personality won’t last long.”
“I’d appreciate it if you could look out for him.”
“Is this a blatant request? And without even an offering?”
“Are this month’s processed inventories still outstanding? I’ll add a generous bonus.”
“Then I suppose I’ll look out for that fellow’s great-grandson, too.”
“Heh heh heh.”
Bang Seok-hwan laughed heartily. He was fond of this young man.
Sagyeol was a publicly trustworthy leader, and privately, he had a personality one could genuinely get along with.
Lee Hyun-su, however, always regarded the old man with a mix of astonishment and respect.
‘As if there’s no one else to dote on, he dotes on *this* kind of person.’
“Hyun-su, you may leave as well.”
Lee Hyun-su seized the opportunity and quickly departed.
It took him less than three seconds to open the door beside Sagyeol and exit.
Once truly alone, Sagyeol’s expression grew serious.
“I apologize. I’m not usually that rude.”
“I won’t retract the bonus I promised just because I’m displeased. Do you take me for such a petty man?”
“No, sir.”
Sagyeol promptly denied it, and Bang Seok-hwan chuckled.
“I am always grateful to you. There isn’t a soul in Grisha who doesn’t know how many lives you’ve saved.”
“But people are fickle, aren’t they? Now that life has become a bit more comfortable, other things inevitably catch their eye. So please, don’t take it too much to heart.”
“It’s fine. I never expected anything in the first place, so there’s no disappointment.”
“…”
“It’s no use looking at me like that. This is just how I am.”
It was a lie. There was a time when he, too, was innocent and gentle.
But he had gradually become this way ever since his mother was captured because of him, and he suffered to save her, while she suffered to save him.
Instead of offering a lengthy explanation, Sagyeol simply brushed it off with a smile.
“Then, I shall take my leave.”
Bowing his head, he turned and left Bang Seok-hwan behind.
Eyes clouded by age gazed at the young man, vibrant as the brightest day. His shoulders were broad, his back straight, and his stride resolute.
He was the very image of a fearless king.
Yet, in Bang Seok-hwan’s eyes, he saw a small, weeping child.
“Don’t lie to me. Mother couldn’t have been in that mansion. I lived there the whole time and never saw her once! How is that possible?”
At that moment, Bang Seok-hwan’s lips parted as if to speak, but he ultimately remained silent.
He knew. Though it was merely a supposition, the probability of his guess being correct was very high.
‘The boy’s mother was likely in the basement.’
‘Beneath the mansion. In a very deep, underground research facility.’
“Tell me it’s a lie!”
‘Perhaps she wasn’t even alive before any of this happened.’
He had held that tiny body in his arms. His chest, once soaked with tears, still ached at the memory, yet it had been twenty years ago.
“Are you, by chance, seeing anyone?”
Sagyeol stopped, turning to look back. A slow smile curled his lips.
His eyes curved like crescent moons, and his smooth cheeks seemed to glow. Sagyeol’s face brightened considerably.
Bang Seok-hwan’s mouth fell open.
“Yes.”
“Th-that so? Then that’s good.”
Sagyeol bowed his head again and exited through the door. Bang Seok-hwan, feeling his strength drain, slumped back into his chair. He raised a wrinkled hand and swept it across his face.
‘Thank goodness. Thank goodness.’
Tears threatened to well up. Bang Seok-hwan let out a dry cough, muttering to himself that he was getting sentimental in his old age, though no one was listening.
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