Chapter 45

It was three days and nights later when Yuseong regained consciousness.

Though he had woken up intermittently, he could only manage to take care of essential bodily functions before collapsing back into sleep, as even the slightest movement brought on an indescribable, terrible headache.

“Ah, aah”

Only after making a few sounds did Yuseong become convinced he was alive. He massaged his temples as he barely managed to get up from his bed.

Dark circles that extended down to his cheekbones and lifeless eyes, with perhaps a touch of exaggeration.

Looking at his appearance that wouldn’t be strange if he died at any moment, Yuseong was about to try sleeping again when he remembered something he’d forgotten and hurriedly put on his goggles.

-Girl Seeking Salvation(16 hours)

“That was dangerous.”

If he had closed his eyes one more time here, he would have surely failed the quest.

Though his condition wasn’t good enough to even jokingly say it was fine, he couldn’t give up now after having gone through all that trouble to carry out Alice’s quest.

‘First, I’ll go to the karma shop and buy skills…’

Skills like Titan Heavy Equipment Operation and Advanced Equipment Maintenance were unnecessary on Earth, but karma points were abundant and he bought them all since he never knew when they might be useful.

And when Yuseong opened his status window to check his changed abilities, he froze.

“…What is this?”

* * *

The world was changing at a rapid pace.

Guilds were one of the products born amidst those changes.

Groups of Contractors gathered for various purposes – monster hunting, maintaining public order, escort duties.

Given the state of the world, countless guilds were being born every day, with their forms and sizes varying greatly.

While there were loosely organized guilds where small numbers of people gathered to help each other, there were also guilds operating as massive corporations, securing hundreds of Contractors through various investments.

That’s why Yuseong could only scratch his head while looking back and forth between his navigation and the building in front of him.

“According to the map, this should be the right place…”

A huge, sophisticated building.

Hesitating at the situation that was different from what he expected, Yuseong went inside the building first.

Looking around the lobby bustling with many people, Yuseong spotted the counter and approached it.

“How may I help you?”

“I’m here to meet someone who works here.”

“Could you tell me your purpose? Hunting? Security? Personnel dispatch? Material processing?”

“If I had to classify it, I suppose it’s item collection. I asked for help getting some items, and they just said they were ready but haven’t replied since, so I came to pick them up directly.”

“May I have that person’s name?”

“It’s Seo Chang-hoon.”

Silence suddenly fell over the lobby.

“Are you referring to Mr. Seo Chang-hoon, the master of our guild, Chain?”

“If it’s not a guild with the same name and someone with the same name, then that should be the person.”

A haggard and hollow face that made one wonder if there were health issues.

No matter how you looked at it, he didn’t seem like someone who would know the guild master of Chain, but the receptionist didn’t make a hasty decision.

Since the world had become topsy-turvy, how many incidents had occurred involving Contractors?

Though causing trouble inside Chain guild’s building would only result in immediate suppression, even their own safety right in front couldn’t be guaranteed.

‘The master specifically asked not to let in any random merchants, what should I do.’

As the receptionist was considering whether to try persuading him nicely to leave or risk getting scolded later by making a call first, they suddenly tilted their head.

Looking carefully at the somehow familiar face of the man, the receptionist suddenly stood up and clapped their hands together.

“Could it be Mr. Han Yuseong?”

“…I’m sorry, but do you know me? How do you know my name?”

“Of course I know! Forest Master Han Yuseong! My goodness, to think I’d meet such a celebrity here! Please wait just a moment while I contact them!”

“Han Yuseong? Who’s that?”

“You’ve seen him too. That person from NewTube. The one who killed the Orc Warrior and turned his life around…”

“Ah, that person!”

Yuseong felt his face flush at the conversations around him.

‘Was that really something worth becoming this famous over? It’s been almost a month, but they still remember? And what’s this about turning life around?’

“I’m Kim Han-soo from Justice Guild. If it’s not too presumptuous, could we have a brief conversation?”

“Mr. Han Yuseong! I have a really good business idea, could you spare just a moment to listen?”

There were even people randomly trying to strike up conversations.

What saved Yuseong from this awkward situation where he could neither advance nor retreat was a single word from the receptionist.

“Verification complete! Please follow me!”

“W-wait! Just a few minutes, please spare us some time!”

“Mr. Han Yuseong has a prior appointment with our guild master! If you have business, please wait a moment!”

“Everyone please calm down! If this continues, we may have to use abilities!”

Yuseong silently followed the receptionist without even glancing at the commotion behind him.

The atmosphere was so heavy that the receptionist, who had been wearing an excited expression, had to clear their throat.

That atmosphere continued until the moment they entered a room marked as a conference room and met a familiar face.

“It’s been a while! Forest Master!”

“……”

“…Sorry about that. It was meant as a joke, so please lighten up. More importantly, what’s wrong with your face? Are you sick?”

“There were circumstances. And I told you not to call me that.”

“I know, but quite some time has passed and given your situation, I thought you might have gotten used to it by now. Sorry about that.”

“My situation? What about my situation?”

‘What did I do?’

No matter how much he thought about it, Yuseong couldn’t remember doing anything on Earth since killing the Orc Warrior, so he stared at Seo Chang-hoon with a look demanding explanation.

“Huh? You don’t know anything?”

“Ahem, I went into areas where communication doesn’t reach to hunt monsters and just recently returned, so I don’t know anything.”

Days spent busy just completing quests and gathering information.

He barely had time to search about Korea or other countries, Contractors or monsters, let alone know what rumors were spreading about himself.

“You know that when you saved those people back then, it was broadcast live on the internet, right?”

“I got a ridiculous nickname because of that, so how could I not know?”

“Besides that footage, videos of you selling mana stones and gold coins at the auction house also spread around the world.”

“Why would that matter?”

“You really don’t know, do you. Try searching the current market price for mana stones.”

After checking the price of low-grade mana stones on the internet, Yuseong made an absurd expression.

“Ten million won?”

“And that’s with prices still falling.”

Just a month ago, people thought monster byproducts and otherworld items held tremendous potential that could advance civilization.

However, countries were overwhelmed just trying to contain the chaos and maintain society, and few people ventured out to hunt monsters, so there were extremely few monster-related items in circulation.

While demand endlessly increased but supply couldn’t keep up, expectations were high but the true nature remained unclear.

In such a situation, when videos spread of Yuseong spectacularly hunting the Orc Warrior and selling the spoils for 57 billion won, it caused an enormous ripple effect.

Numerous Contractors gathered dreaming of instant riches, and the government hastily enacted laws related to armament, monster hunting, and byproduct sales.

And not long after, people could realize the harsh reality.

“In the end, it was just a bubble.”

That’s not to say they were completely useless.

Mana stones could achieve efficiency surpassing existing energy sources, and processed monster materials like bones and leather showed superior strength and properties compared to existing materials.

The problem was that they didn’t have enough impact to completely replace existing items and industries.

Once that fact became known, the prices of monster corpses and byproducts plummeted vertically in an instant.

“Of course, monster corpses with special effects or powerful items still sell for high prices, but for items below that level, well, that’s how it turned out.”

Finally understanding the situation, Yuseong could only make a dejected expression.

The incredibly lucky person who sold something worth ten million won for a thousand times its value.

At this point, it would be strange if people didn’t recognize him.

“I thought it was weird when people suddenly talked about business or said they had good items, so that’s what was going on.”

“I suffered quite a bit too. From relatives I’d never met in my life to people I’d just had a meal with once, there were so many supposed acquaintances that I thought I’d develop a neurosis.”

“Come to think of it, how did this happen? When you said you were starting a guild, I thought you’d set up a small guild like a party for three people to work together, but this is…”

“It’s nothing special. Just like you did, I helped some inexperienced Contractors and shared know-how about dealing with monsters, and people naturally gathered. It’s big in size but lacks substance.”

Though it definitely wasn’t something that could be dismissed with such words, Yuseong didn’t bother voicing such thoughts.

Not only was it not his guild, but he hadn’t come here to have such trivial conversations in the first place.

“What happened with the items I requested?”

“Hmm.”

The moment he heard Yuseong’s question, Seo Chang-hoon’s expression twisted.

“Could you tell me what you plan to use those items for?”

“I’m thinking of using them to hunt monsters.”

“With your skills, you can hunt monsters just fine without such things, and monsters you can’t handle won’t be manageable with items like these. Tell me the real reason.”

“They’re for self-defense in case of emergency.”

Realizing that Yuseong wouldn’t give a proper answer, Seo Chang-hoon let out a long sigh and brought over something that had been standing against one wall.

A huge metal case that looked easily 2m long.

After opening the case and checking its contents, Yuseong got up from his seat with a satisfied smile.

“I thought it was quite an unreasonable request, but you managed to get everything.”

“It wasn’t that unreasonable. There was plenty of time, and the related legislation passed, so permission came relatively easily.”

“Thank you. I’ll definitely repay this favor.”

“Thinking of leaving already? Rogers and Ha-young will be here soon, won’t you at least say hello? Or have a cup of tea before you go?”

“I have a prior appointment. Let’s have tea another time.”

With little time left until the quest deadline.

Though it might seem somewhat cold, there wasn’t time to leisurely drink tea.

“If that’s the case, it can’t be helped. Take care.”

“Yes. You take care too, uncle.”

Screech!

“Oh?”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

The moment he opened the door, Yuseong apologized as he almost bumped into a man standing right in front.

“……”

“…Excuse me?”

Yuseong tilted his head at the man who was staring intently at him, or more precisely, at the case he was carrying.

“Chairman?”

“Chairman?”

“Ah, you wouldn’t know. This person is…”

“It’s alright. I’ll introduce myself. I’m Kang Changseok, serving as the first chairman of the Korean Contractors Association.”

“Ah, nice to meet you. I’m Han Yuseong. I’m not affiliated with any organization.”

A ceremonial greeting.

However, the response to it was far too intense.

“…The pleasure is mine. Truly. I’ve been wanting to meet you, but to think we’d meet in a place like this. It’s so unexpected that I feel more bewildered than pleased.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not interested in business. I’ll be going now.”

“Business?”

Thinking he had the same purpose as the people downstairs, Yuseong tried to leave after giving a perfunctory greeting.

If it hadn’t been for the voice that reached his eardrums.

[Hey, RoomDweller. It’s you, right?]

A moment of stiffness from the unexpected ambush.

“Pardon? What did you say? Room what?”

Though he instinctively tried to use his acting skill to pretend he didn’t know anything, he sensed that the situation had gone awry with Kang Changseok’s following words.

“I’m sorry, but something urgent came up so I need to go now.”

“What? At least have a cup of tea before you go.”

“We can do that another time. Mr. Han Yuseong? Since you’re leaving anyway, why don’t we go together…”

After saying goodbye to Seo Chang-hoon and turning around, Kang Changseok burst into a helpless laugh at the sight of the empty corridor.

“Would you look at this guy?”