Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Spendthrift Necromancer (25)

Guild (1)

“Ugh…….”

Park Siwoo opened his eyes.

One glance was enough to tell the room was outrageously luxurious.

Kim Minwoo was sitting nearby.

“Hyung, where are we?”

“My room.”

“……

Your room?”

Then messages appeared before his eyes.[All Achievement calculations have been completed.][Final Result: SSS][You have received a Class Skill Book(SSS)

!][Choose the class you desire.]

“Huh? Hyung……?”

“What?”

“I, uh, something strange popped up. My Achievement result…… has three S's…….”

“Triple S?”

“Yes. That's what it looks like…….”

“Then that's probably what it is.”

Park Siwoo was momentarily dumbfounded by how calmly Kim Minwoo answered.

The world believed there were no Achievements above S.

Anyone could tell Triple S was a rank beyond that.

And yet Minwoo was this calm?‘Come to think of it…….’Park Siwoo remembered something Kim Minwoo had said.―S-rank? No. You'll definitely become something even greater than that. Let's do it. Your hyung will help you.

He'd spoken as though absolutely certain something above S existed.

At the time, Siwoo had assumed it was merely encouragement.

“Hyung. Don't tell me you're also……?”

Then.

Kim Minwoo grinned and pointed one finger toward the sky.

“Right. I'm above that too.”

“Ah…… So that's why…….”

“Exactly.”

“No wonder that summon called Cedric seemed way too incredible.”

An enormous horde of summons.

And Cedric on top of that.

There had been a reason Kim Minwoo was so strong.

“You're choosing Swordsman, right?”

“Yes.”

“Open the Skill Book. I'm curious what comes out.”

Park Siwoo nodded and chose his class.

“……

Hyung. This is seriously incredible. Look at it!”

He immediately shared the skill details with Kim Minwoo.[Holy Sword Arpesia(SSS)][Effect 1. You may summon the Holy Sword. The Holy Sword grows alongside its master.][Effect 2. You gain the qualifications to wield the Holy Sword.][Effect 3. Equipping the Holy Sword grants powerful bonuses.][Effect 4. You may declare a Sanctuary within a certain area.]

Kim Minwoo's reaction was.

“Oh, saved money on a weapon.”

Quite understated.

“……

I thought you'd be a little more surprised.”

“Looks about right for SSS-rank. Even summons a Holy Sword. Congratulations.”

“Thank you. But I'm a little worried…….”

“About what?”

“If it's a Holy Sword, isn't it, well, the natural enemy of undead? I'm worried it might hurt you if we travel together.”

“Maybe?”

Kim Minwoo nodded.

Thinking about it, that did seem possible.

Holy Swords were naturally the nemesis of darkness.

Death Lord.

Just looking at the name, it was obviously an extremely dark class.

“Wait a second.”

He summoned Cedric and several Skeletons into the room.

“Summon it now. Let's test it.”

“Yes.”

Park Siwoo summoned the Holy Sword.

A pure-white sword appeared in his hand amid a dazzling burst of light.

Then.

The Holy Sword began trembling violently.

Messages appeared before Kim Minwoo.[The Holy Sword is horrified upon seeing you!][You behold the Holy Sword's radiance!][The difference in rank is overwhelming! You are unaffected by the Holy Sword's light!]

“Doesn't affect me.”

And Kim Minwoo wasn't the only one.

The Skeletons were also staring blankly at the Holy Sword.

“Hyung. Wait. I think this Holy Sword is saying something.”

“What?”

“It's babbling stuff like, Eek, I hate Death Lord, scary…….”

Then.

Cedric tilted his head and stared at the Holy Sword.―Is that perhaps a Holy Sword?

“You know each other?”―I remember it. In the place where I came from, those called heroes used to carry a sword like that. Its name was…… Arpesia, perhaps?

Oh.

They really did know each other.

How did this connect like that?

“……

Uh, so…… you know one another?”

Cedric nodded at Park Siwoo's question and said.―It used to challenge the Lord and get shattered as a matter of routine. It was indestructible, so only the heroes accompanying it kept dying. After about a hundred attempts, it finally quieted down.

At those words, the Holy Sword began trembling violently.

“Sir Cedric. Hold on. It says it wasn't a hundred times, it was 99?”

―Same difference.

Cedric shrugged and continued.―Later…… we all went down together anyway. We couldn't stop them.

“Sir Cedric. Who do you mean by ‘them’……?”

―Think of them as something like a third faction.

Park Siwoo scratched his head.

“Uh…… so to summarize…… Light and Darkness fought, Light lost, and then eventually both sides got wiped out?”

―You're quick to understand.

“If both sides got wiped out together, you're not really enemies anymore, are you? Both home bases are gone.”

―That's why I'm standing here quietly.

“Ah…….”

Park Siwoo nodded in understanding.

“You heard that, right? Hyung and I aren't enemies. We're comrades who'll keep going together. So you stop it too. Yeah. Right. Got it. Hyung?”

“Yeah, what?”

“The Holy Sword says it's sorry. It suddenly sensed Death Lord's aura and freaked out.”

“Must have PTSD.”

“Yes. Sounds like getting beaten that many times left it with serious psychological trauma. From its voice it sounds like a little kid…… Ah, you're old? Fine. You're Grandpa.”

After soothing the Holy Sword like that, Park Siwoo's expression brightened.

“I think we'll be fine forming a party. According to the Holy Sword, it can't affect you or your undead.”

“Me, sure. But even the undead?”

“Yes. It says your undead are covered in Death Lord's aura, and the rank is too high. Apparently its power isn't remotely enough to affect them. Anyway, that's what it says.”―That is likely true. Undead beneath the Lord were almost immune to the light attribute. The difference in rank was that severe…….……

Fucking sweet.

He'd unexpectedly discovered another effect of Death Lord.

Immunity to the light attribute.

Of course, he didn't know what would happen if an EX-rank being fired off some light attack.‘Yeah, not meeting one anytime soon.’Even if he wanted to, he couldn't right now.

Then.

Park Siwoo alternated his gaze between the Holy Sword and Kim Minwoo before his eyes suddenly widened.

“Wait a minute, Hyung.”

“What?”

“The Holy Sword is Triple S.”

“Right.”

“But if it can't beat you…… just what level are you?”

“Eh. A little higher?”

“Judging from how terrified this old geezer is, I don't think it's only a little.”

“Shh. Knowing too much gets you hurt.”

“Yes, sir…….”

Minwoo chuckled at Siwoo, who immediately shrank back.

“I'm joking. Anyway, your hyung's Achievement Rank is on the higher side. That's all you need to know.”

“Yes. Um, Hyung. What do I do now? I've awakened, so I guess I need to start going into Gates too…….”

“That's true.”

Park Siwoo.

SSS-rank Awakened.

Holder of a Holy Sword.

Minwoo had practically changed his diapers while raising him into an Awakened.

If he just left him alone, another guild or some foreign country would snatch him up immediately.

Only an idiot would let that happen.

“Your hyung doesn't really do party play, you know?”

“Ah…… Right. At your level, Hyung, you can probably crush Gates solo…….”

Park Siwoo's expression visibly fell.

“Yeah. That's true. But I don't plan on letting talent like you go either.”

“Yes! I am still the holder of a Holy Sword!”

His face brightened instantly as though the previous expression had never existed.

“Let's make a guild.”

“A guild? Doesn't Ilseong already have one?”

“That place is already a party of old fossils. The territorial bullshit is terrible too. I might be fine, but you'd suffer if you went there.”

Ilseong ranked first in Korea's business world.

That didn't necessarily mean its guild was top-tier.

Rather than joining there, making a small mini-guild and hanging around among themselves sounded better.

“Your hyung will make a guild. Train there for a while. Level up too.”

“Yes, I'll work hard! Guild Master!”

Park Siwoo bowed deeply.

Kim Minwoo.

He truly was a mysterious person.

Not only had he helped Siwoo as though he knew his awakening condition from the start, he was also a hidden expert who had achieved an even higher rank than Siwoo himself.

Even just to repay the kindness he'd received.

And because he looked forward to the future Minwoo would create.‘I want to keep going with him.’Any method was fine as long as they could continue together.

If that method was a guild, all the better.

Minwoo would surely guide his inexperienced self well.

“Guild Master, my ass. Sounds awkward. Just call me Hyung.”

“Yes, Hyung!”

“Let's go. Time to create a guild.”

He needed to see the chairman.* * *Ilseong Group.

Park Siwoo's jaw dropped at the sight of the enormous headquarters.

Tens of thousands of employees bustled around!

For Park Siwoo, who had lived as an ordinary citizen, it was an overwhelming sight.

“Don't get intimidated, punk. What are you going to do if you're already like this? You'll be meeting the chairman soon.”

“H-Haha…… Right.”

He laughed calmly, but cold sweat poured down as though his nerves were burning him alive.

Minwoo patted him on the back and entered the headquarters.

The entrance housed an extremely strict security system.

They approached the security personnel.

“It's me. You all work hard. The chairman's here, right?”

“Ah, yes, sir!”

“Keep up the good work.”

They passed through the entrance naturally.

Then boarded the VVIP elevator reserved exclusively for the chairman's office.

The elevator reached the 130th floor and opened.

Chairman Kim was waiting.

“Hoho! You actually came to the company. The sun must've risen in the west today! So, what brings you here? And who's that young man beside you?”

“My new little brother. Introduce yourself.”

“I'm Park Siwoo! It's a pleasure to meet you, Chairman!”

The chairman burst into hearty laughter at the perfect ninety-degree bow.

“Good! A spirited young man! Take good care of my son.”

Minwoo and Siwoo sat together on the plush sofa.

Time to get to the point.

“Father. I'm planning to establish a guild.”

“A guild?”

The chairman's brows furrowed slightly.

“Ilseong already has a guild…….”

“It does. But it's boring.”

“Boring?”

“Yes. Honestly, does the Ilseong Guild perform at a level worthy of our company's name?”

“……

Ahem. Well, it is slightly lacking…….”

The Ilseong Guild ranked around fifth.

Considering the amount of money poured into it, its achievements could be called underwhelming.

That was why Chairman Kim had privately hoped his eldest son would join and perform spectacularly there…….

“It's been stagnant for a long time, hasn't it? These days, when the public hears ‘Ilseong Guild,’ the first thing they feel is fatigue.”

“Hmm…… So?”

“I want to create a guild exclusively for the absolute best. Small, elite, nothing else.”

“The absolute best, small and elite…….”

The chairman nodded.

With a goal like that, he could understand why his son wouldn't join the Ilseong Guild.

The Ilseong Guild already had countless Awakened.

On top of that, it ran various businesses using monster byproducts and mana stones brought back by the guild.

To pursue his son's goal, they'd have to fire most of those Awakened overnight, which was impossible.

There would be backlash everywhere.

“So that young man is one of these elite members?”

“Exactly. You'll be satisfied too, Father. He's no joke.”

“Oh…… To what extent……?”

“He's an Awakened with an SSS-rank Achievement. To put it bluntly, he could crush an S-rank like nothing.”

Gulp.

The chairman swallowed.

His son had already shown him the astonishing example of EX, so he had accepted that ranks above S could exist…….‘But SSS right out of the gate?’He couldn't even imagine what kind of guild this would become.

“Y-You said your name was Park Siwoo, correct?”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“Is what he said true?”

“Yes. Hyung personally helped me awaken. Thanks to him, I managed to achieve this rank.”

After finishing, Park Siwoo looked at Kim Minwoo.

Seeing Minwoo nod, Siwoo understood and shared his Status Window.

“……

My god. Holy Sword Summoning?”

“Father, isn't it magnificent?”

“……

Hoho. It certainly looks incredibly powerful. But you aren't planning on revealing all this, are you?”

“No. We'll just say it's around S-rank. As for the Holy Sword, if he simply brings it out, nobody's going to imagine it's SSS.”

At Kim Minwoo's gesture, Park Siwoo summoned the Holy Sword.

The sword burst forth in pure-white light.

“Certainly…… if you didn't know beforehand, you'd probably assume it was just some S-rank skill.”

The chairman nodded.

He only understood how incredible the sword was because he already knew the truth.

Someone unaware would simply think it was a moderately impressive sword-summoning skill.

“We're going to gather talents like this. Imagine it, Father. The guild is already shocking now, but what it'll become in the future will be even more incredible.”

Gulp.

The chairman swallowed against his suddenly dry throat.

His own son and Park Siwoo alone were already Awakened capable of shaking the world.

And if, going forward, only ‘the real deal’ gathered into this guild?‘He's already found one.’His eldest son had proven, to some extent, that he had an eye for people.

There was no law saying one couldn't become two, then three.

“Y-You'll accept investment, right?”

Forget the fact that Ilseong already owned a guild.

That wasn't what mattered.

The question was whether Ilseong could get one foot into this tiny two-man guild just beginning to take shape.

“Of course. Special deal for Ilseong only. Full price. This chance only exists right now. A golden opportunity like this.”

Kim Minwoo grinned as though he'd already seen through everything.