Chapter 66: The Hamster’s Growth and the Guild Master’s Rage

Lee Hyun-su turned towards the still-stunned hunters, publicly declaring that the Black Mist raid had been successfully completed. Sagyeol, however, paid them no mind, focusing solely on Yeowon.

“You waited so nicely.”

Slightly flustered, Yeowon managed, “Yes.”

“Usually, when someone does something well like this, they get a reward.”

“…”

Yeowon didn’t know how to respond. He fumbled through his pocket and pulled something out.

“This is all I could grab.”

It was a fist-sized magic stone, glowing with an ethereal blue light. He had undoubtedly retrieved it after defeating the boss.

“When the gate closes, the demonic energy will scatter.”

At that point, a cleanup crew would be dispatched to recover whatever remained. *Take it all*, Yeowon’s gesture conveyed.

Sagyeol gazed up at the tranquil sky, where flying demonic beasts soared. He knew he still had a long way to go.

‘Damn it, how did I end up—’

“Sagyeol?”

‘—falling for such a cute guy!’

With a blood-stained cheek in his hand, Sagyeol abruptly pressed his lips against Yeowon’s. Yeowon flinched, pushing Sagyeol’s chest.

“Weren’t we just intimate business partners?”

“That’s right.”

Yeowon grew even more bewildered. His expression suggested the unspoken question: ‘Isn’t this something only lovers do?’

“We even shared a body; is this all it takes?”

“That’s…”

The incident on the airship remained the greatest mystery to Yeowon. If anyone asked why he’d done it, he could only admit he didn’t know himself. Sagyeol bringing it up left Yeowon utterly speechless.

The cunning snake did not miss its opportunity.

“The scope of intimacy is subjective. Besides, in some cities, a kiss is a sign of intimacy.”

Lacking common knowledge, Yeowon certainly wouldn’t know the greetings of distant cities. The muscular hamster, caught in the snake’s maw, could only accept it once again.

‘Well then.’

Having achieved his goal, the snake leaned in, pushing his snout forward. Yeowon evaded him again. Sagyeol’s brows furrowed sharply.

“Why again?”

“You’re covered in blood.”

“I can wash it off.”

“Isn’t one greeting enough?”

The hamster had grown.

“Whoa-a-a-ah!”

Just then, a roar of cheers erupted. It came from the hunters standing nearby. Only then did both Sagyeol and Yeowon turn their gaze sideways. An intense wave of excitement swept over them.

The Black Mist.

The Wall.

The Labyrinth.

It went by many names, yet there was no disputing that it was an object of fear and hatred for Grisha. Even S-rank hunters had been powerless against that black barrier. Half of the hunters devoured by the flood had perished because of its demonic energy.

Now, someone had appeared who had resolved it with astonishing ease. Hunters swarmed forward, showering them with words of praise. A bewildered Yeowon merely blinked, while Sagyeol’s mood plummeted vertically.

CRASH!

Ultimately, a colossal ice wall shot up, sending screaming hunters flying. Lee Hyun-su, weeping, then brought the chaotic situation under control, thus concluding the scene.

When the news reached Grisha, the city was once again thrown into a frenzy.

Who did what?

Insane, is that really true?

Every guild focused on this new divinity, and citizens frantically tapped their terminals, searching for information about Credit’s returnee. Some even pushed forward Hestia’s returnee, asking if it was this person.

The deluge of inquiries paralyzed Credit Guild’s response channels. The Hunter Association was in a similar predicament. When they made an urgent call, Sagyeol simply stated,

“I have no intention of engaging in public activities for a while, so please ensure my personal safety,” and promptly hung up.

The most desperate were the reporters. Unless one was a high-ranking hunter, they couldn’t even set foot in the flood zone. Moreover, most electronic devices would become useless there.

Therefore, to record what happened inside, hunters either had to film directly with flood-resistant terminals or review drone black boxes.

Fortunately, some hunters had captured footage of people entering and exiting. These videos sold for exorbitant prices, appearing in news reports and articles. All sorts of speculation ran wild.

Renowned scholars in the field emerged, expressing their awe and high praise while presenting their opinions.

However, all of it was mere conjecture; only those who were actually inside truly knew what had transpired.

What exactly happened in the Black Mist?

The center of this storm of attention, after returning the drone, holed up in the guild building. For a considerable time, they did not show their face.

CRASH!

The Hestia Guild Master raged. The heat emanating from him incinerated his entire office. Flames, born of magic, devoured their surroundings without a wisp of smoke.

Paradoxically, Hestia Guild boasted the best fire suppression system in all of Grisha. Soon, magic-connected sprinklers unleashed torrents of water.

Bae Gil-su, thoroughly drenched, his eyes gleamed ominously.

“Where is Lee Su-yeong right now?”

Kim Jeong-su, who had stood in the corner throughout the Guild Master’s outburst, quickly responded.

“He’s in his room. Should I drag him out?”

An eerie gaze fixed on Kim Jeong-su. Despite cold sweat trickling down his back, the man managed an awkward smile. He knew the fury wasn’t directed at him. Surprisingly, he was capable of observing Bae Gil-su with a certain detachment.

Bae Gil-su was a man who reveled in the misfortune and suffering of others, cackling with delight. Yet, when it came to his own troubles, he would erupt into a fiery, uncontrollable rage.

‘His inferiority complex towards the Credit Guild Master stems from that very trait.’

A petty man who would foam at the mouth and lunge at the mere mention of Sagyeol’s name. That was Bae Gil-su, as Kim Jeong-su saw him.

“Drag him out immediately!”

Kim Jeong-su sprinted away.

He dashed down the corridor, quickly reaching his destination. The B-rank hunters guarding the door stepped aside without a word.

Inside, a man who had been nervously tapping his foot sprang up. His face, upon seeing Kim Jeong-su, was utterly drained, blackened by despair.

He was ordinary, small, and timid—hardly fitting for a hunter, and even less so for Hestia.

“The Guild Master is looking for you.”

The man’s face instantly turned ashen. He gasped for breath as if on the verge of collapsing, then barely managed to speak.

“I, I, if I don’t go…”

“You won’t?”

“…”

At Kim Jeong-su’s sneer, the returnee’s face cycled from pale blue to white. The Vice Guild Master scoffed and turned away first. Before long, a corpse-like presence shuffled behind him.

Kim Jeong-su clicked his tongue. Though he secretly disdained Bae Gil-su, he still acknowledged the Guild Master’s strength. In contrast, the trembling fellow fluttering like a foxtail behind him was precisely the type Kim Jeong-su despised most.

‘How on earth did such a person survive in the ‘Demon Realm’?’ Bae Gil-su, having harbored the same thought, had once asked, and Lee Su-yeong had replied weakly.

‘Those who use their brains are rare there. So, as long as weaklings who can wield a pen do their jobs well, they aren’t killed. It’s like an unspoken agreement.’

Kim Jeong-su recalled the information about the Demon Realm he had overheard from Bae Gil-su. It was fascinating, yet difficult to imagine.

According to Lee Su-yeong, it resembled a medieval fantasy world. It had classes and statuses, and was governed by the absolute logic of power. Lee Su-yeong himself had been taken as a s*ave by a knight-class demon, handled paperwork, and then thrown himself into an irregular gate to return.

It could only be described as sheer luck. While one could cross into the Demon Realm through a gate, returning through the same gate was impossible. One had to find a different gate, making the survival rate even lower.

‘Still, adapting to demonic energy means he’s formidable…’

Before Kim Jeong-su could finish his thought, Lee Su-yeong, already in an overly tense state, startled at the sound of the elevator and jumped.

“Hee-e-e-eok!”

“…Idiot.”

One thing was certain: the Demon Realm, as described by Lee Su-yeong, was a hell where even Kim Jeong-su couldn’t guarantee his survival. For such a timid person to have survived there could only be explained by incredible luck.

“You worthless worm!”

And it seemed Lee Su-yeong had used up all his luck in that place.

Bae Gil-su was still burning with fury. He immediately began to torment Lee Su-yeong. His fists flew before any words could escape. Though he was a magic operator, he was S-rank. The frail D-rank physical enhancer, struck by his blows, tumbled across the floor. Only gasps of pain and the sound of a beating echoed through the room.

He appeared to have lost his reason, yet Bae Gil-su’s most despicable trait was that he only *pretended* to be irrational, while meticulously and rationally delivering his assault. He would probably stop soon…

WHAM! WHAM!

He should stop…

CRACK! THUD!

Something felt wrong. The bloodshot eyes made him look genuinely insane. Kim Jeong-su urgently stepped forward.

“Guild Master, please stop! You’ll really kill him!”

“Huuuuff… huff.”

Bae Gil-su, breathing heavily, looked at Kim Jeong-su. The latter flinched. The Guild Master was never entirely sane, acting like a madman but possessing eyes like a lion. That was the Hestia Guild Master. But the person before him now, as crazy as it sounded, didn’t seem to be Bae Gil-su.

‘What is this?’

A shiver ran down Kim Jeong-su’s spine.

“Huh?”

Lee Su-yeong, who had been sprawled on the floor, twitched and pushed himself up, staring at something. It was a tablet with a cracked screen.

This was the very object the Guild Master had smashed in a fit of rage after seeing an article about Credit’s returnee. The returnee’s expressionless face was greatly enlarged on it.

Lee Su-yeong, his eyes wide, mumbled,

“L-Lord of the Castle?”

“What?”

Bae Gil-su echoed, the sense of strangeness vanishing instantly as his gaze returned to normal. Kim Jeong-su covertly observed the Guild Master, searching for any anomalies. There was nothing amiss.

‘Did I see wrong?’

“What are you talking about? This guy is the Lord of the Castle?”

Bae Gil-su, sensing something, threatened Lee Su-yeong. The latter stammered out unbelievable words. Kim Jeong-su, hearing them alongside him, also doubted his ears.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

Underdog Connection

ChaebolContemporaryObsessiveLove

Read Now →
Not interested