Thump.
"Here are all the documents needed for establishing a guild."
"...That's a lot." Suho chuckled dryly, looking at the mountain of documents piled in front of him.
As if he had anticipated Suho's reaction, Yoo Jinho grinned and picked up the topmost stack of papers, explaining, "Of course there are many documents. The guild you're establishing will be treated as a large one right from the start."
"Is it because of the Scavenger Guild?"
"Yes. The Scavenger Guild has already started selling the 'Spring Water of the Echo Forest'. And half of that profit will go directly to your guild. How could there be fewer documents?" Suho nodded at Yoo Jinho's words.
[Item: 'Spring Water of the Echo Forest']
The antidote potion obtained from the Ice Elves in the Glacier Dungeon had its effectiveness proven through various tests done by the Scavenger Guild. Suho already knew its effects very well because he had seen the item description. However, to sell it to other Hunters, such verification procedures were necessary, even if they were somewhat cumbersome. Once its value as an antidote potion was confirmed, the Scavenger Guild immediately launched their new product, and the public response was incredibly enthusiastic.
It was only natural. When hunting magical beasts that used poison, having a Hunter with detoxification skills was essential. But not everyone had such a Hunter as a teammate. In such situations, they had no choice but to wear gas masks during battles, which was inconvenient. Or they had to seek detoxification from Association healers after the battle. But now, with the antidote potion, the entire paradigm would change. And thanks to his contract with the Scavenger Guild, Suho would receive half of the profits from all the sales.
However, such a massive contract could only be made between guilds.
"In other words, Mr. Sung Suho's guild will become a close partner of a major American guild from the moment of its establishment. And since our Ahjin Soft will be mediating and managing that relationship, a tripartite contract is also necessary..."
"Yes. So, where do I sign?" Suho, already familiar with the details, picked up a pen, ignoring the lawyer's explanation.
Thanks to Yoo Jinho, the complicated contracts and paperwork were all taken care of. All that was left was for him to sign these numerous documents to establish the guild. As Suho was diligently signing all the papers, Yoo Jinho suddenly looked at him with a serious expression.
"But... there's one crucial thing left to do as a guild master."
"What is it?" Suho's eyes also turned serious at his expression. His uncle, Yoo Jinho, was the closest person to his father, who had regained all memories from his previous life. What could be the most important thing in his mind?
Yoo Jinho asked seriously, "Have you decided on a guild name?"
"Ah." Just that? Suho shrugged at the anticlimactic question. He had been so busy that he hadn't even thought about it. But to complete these thick documents, he needed to write the guild name at the very top.
"Hmm. Let's just call it Solo Play Guild."
"Wait a minute!"
"...?" Yoo Jinho's sudden flustered reaction puzzled Suho. His expression was complex. Yoo Jinho didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
'...Oh dear. Just like his father.' Yoo Jinho was reminded of a fond memory from the past. Sung Jinwoo had also wanted to casually name his guild Solo Play.
"Why? Is it weird?"
At Suho's question, Yoo Jinho asked back, "...Why do you want to use that name?"
"There's no special reason. I just like to work alone. I don't plan on recruiting more guild members in the future either."
"That's true, but strictly speaking, you're not fighting alone. You have your Shadow Soldiers."
"Hmm."
"Most importantly, it's too tacky! The guild name will be exposed in many places as it becomes known!"
Now that he thought about it, Yoo Jinho had a point. His logical and desperate persuasion made Suho nod. It made sense. This was a guild he might be with for the rest of his life. The guild name should carry a meaning that represented him well.
'That's why I chose 'Solo Play'... but it's useless if the meaning doesn't resonate.'
"A word that represents me." Suho asked again,
"Then how about 'Woojin Guild'?"
"Woojin?" Yoo Jinho's eyes widened slightly as he pondered the sound of it.
"Could it be... Did you reverse your father's name, Jinwoo?"
"Yes, that's part of it, but there's another meaning too."
"What is it?"
"Woo (宇) from universe, Jin (進) from advance." Suho reaffirmed his purpose. What he had to do in the future. What he wanted to do. And the name he wanted to give to the guild that would grow alongside him to achieve that purpose.
"Together, they mean 'advance into the universe,' Woojin (宇進)."
"..." Yoo Jinho was speechless at Suho's response.
"Because I will definitely reach the universe where my father is."
...And so, the Woojin Guild was established.
After creating the guild, Suho began raiding dungeons in earnest. Now that he was a guild master, he realized there was a big difference between having a guild and not having one. Surprisingly, the fact that the guild master was a C-rank Hunter didn't matter much. Such factors were only necessary when recruiting guild members. To secure dungeons for raiding, all that was needed was 'money.' And Suho now had plenty.
"1 billion won."
"...!"
"For now, use 1 billion won to secure dungeons with the highest possible grades."
"O-okay. I mean! Yes, Guild Master!" Lim Dogyoon, who had finally emerged from the Shadow Dungeon after a long time, couldn't quite adapt to Suho's sudden wealth. But earning money was the hard part; spending it was easy!
"And next month, there will be a lot more funds coming in from the Scavenger Guild, so take that into account and make some reservations in advance."
"Yes, sir!" Lim Dogyoon replied energetically. Suho noticed that his movements were quite different from before.
'He's fast.' And that change became even more apparent when Suho brought Lim Dogyoon into a dungeon.
"Wh-why did you bring me here?!"
Lim Dogyoon's role was to be a porter. He ran between Suho and the Shadow Soldiers as they hunted magical beasts, collecting magic stones. This task could have been done after the dungeon raid was over, or Suho could have simply assigned it to his Shadow Soldiers instead of bothering Lim Dogyoon. But there was a reason he brought him along this time.
"...Wow. He's really good at running away." Suho was impressed. Ammut had constantly made Lim Dogyoon run. And as a result, his lower body had been trained to its limits, and now he was skillfully evading the mid-level magical beasts attacking him.
'His magic power is still E-rank, but his strength itself has increased significantly. At this rate... wouldn't he be able to handle D-rank magical beasts or higher on his own?' Of course, just because he was faster didn't mean his attack power had increased. But what if he equipped Lim Dogyoon with a good weapon?
'Like a bow, for example.' Of course, Hunter bows used magic arrows as a base. So no matter how good the bow was, if it was in the hands of an E-rank Hunter, its attack power would be very poor.
'Does he even have enough mana for a single shot…? But what if it wasn't a magic arrow?'
"Try holding this."
"Huh? What? No, why?" Lim Dogyoon, who reflexively took the bow Suho handed him, looked puzzled.
"Guild Master, why are you giving me this? I don't have enough magic power to use weapons that consume mana..."
"I know, just try aiming with it."
"...?" Lim Dogyoon didn't understand, but he obediently followed Suho's instructions.
The moment he pulled the bowstring… Zwoosh!
"Mino, Shape Transformation."
"...?!" Lim Dogyoon was startled. The Shadow Minotaur, who had been fighting magic beasts, suddenly rushed towards him and transformed into a black arrow.
[Mino Lv.1]
[Shape Transformation - Arrow]
"H-hic..."
[MooOOOOOOO!]
"Wh-what is this? It's scary." Lim Dogyoon's hands trembled as he looked at Suho, the black shadow arrow flickering ominously on his bow.
"S-Suho? No, Guild Master? W-what... what happens if I shoot this?"
"What do you mean what happens? It'll fly forward, of course."
"W-well, that's true..."
"Come on, give it a try. What's the worst that can happen?"
"..." At Suho's urging, Lim Dogyoon closed his eyes tightly and aimed the shadow arrowhead at the fearsome-looking magical beasts. And then. Thump. The moment he released his hand.
[MooOOOOOOO-]
KwaaAAAAAAAAAAAH!
"Khieeek?!" The black streak of light that left his hand pierced through the giant magical beast's body like a cannonball, leaving a large hole. Lim Dogyoon stared blankly at the scene with a priceless expression.
"Wh-what in the world..."
"What do you mean 'what in the world'?" Suho grinned and replied.
"From now on, you're a full-fledged combat member of the Woojin Guild."
"...Guild Master." Lim Dogyoon looked at Suho with a serious gaze. An E-rank Hunter. The weakest Hunter, fit only for mining, not combat. That was him.
'...I'm weak.' No. He had always been weak. That's why...
'I always ran away.' From scary magical beasts. From his mother, who turned into a Mistburn and tried to kill him. And...
'From my father, who killed my mother.'
Mother. Lim Dogyoon still dreamed of 'that day' whenever he fell asleep. In those dreams, his father would kill the magical beast that his mother turned into without hesitation. And as he witnessed that scene… Lim Dogyoon would turn back on his father in fear and run away. Forever, until the dream ended. He would run and run endlessly. To escape from his father. Perhaps...
'My life has always been about running away.'
The fact that he gained the Running skill right after awakening? That was natural.
'Because I'm weak.'
Even after awakening, he was only E-rank. He still wasn't nearly as strong as his S-rank father. But...
Right now, Lim Dogyoon was looking down at his own two hands that had just killed a powerful magical beast in an instant. His hands trembled with belated excitement. Of course, he wasn't delusional. This power wasn't his own. It was merely a manifestation of the ability Suho had temporarily lent him. But for some reason, even this one experience made him feel a surge of courage he had never felt before.
"...Suho." Lim Dogyoon looked at Suho with a serious gaze. And he revealed an important secret he had been hiding until now.
"My father is actually..."
"Ah, yes Lim Tae-Gyu, the guild master of the Reaper guild? I know."
"Lim Tae... what? H-how do you know that?!" Suho looked at the shocked Lim Dogyoon with an incredulous expression.
"How could I not know? You resemble him so much. If I couldn't recognize that, I should return my Korea University of Fine Arts acceptance letter right away."
"..."
"Anyway, I guess you finally gained some courage now that you're talking about it?"
"What?" Pat. Suho placed his hand on Lim Dogyoon's shoulder. Then, with a meaningful smile, his eyes gleamed.
"Then, could you contact your father yourself now?"
"Wh-why?"
"He's been calling me to return the weapon he lent me. Haha."
"...Huh?" The A-rank weapon Lim Tae-Gyu had lent Suho before going to the Glacier Dungeon.
The 'Grim Reaper's Bow (Replica)' was gone, taken by the Ice Elf, Sirka, who left with his mother. No matter how rich Suho had become overnight, it was still only 1 billion won. Even if the Spring Water of the Echo Forest was selling like hotcakes, it had only been a few days since the sales began. So he didn't have the money to pay for that expensive A-rank weapon yet.
"So take this opportunity to reconcile with your father. And if possible, ask him if he can hand over some high-level dungeons..."
"..." Lim Dogyoon's excitement quickly faded as he saw Suho's bright, toothy smile.
Meanwhile,
"...Cha Hae-in!"
Sirka urgently called out while aiming the Grim Reaper's Bow (Replica) at the sky. Swish!
At her words, Cha Hae-in also looked ahead with a heavy expression.
"Could that be...?"
A gray blizzard. And beyond it a giant shadow loomed.