Chapter 20

Ch.20 The Regression Of Calamity-Level Monster Tamer

The area around the White Gate bustling with people.

But an atmosphere different from usual was flowing.

Because uninvited guests were here.

Peolleok―

Several Guild flags fluttering in the wind proved this.

Considering the characteristics of White Gate, it was an unusual occurrence.

Yet people didn’t find it strange.

Because they knew who had entered the Gate.

Currently the hottest potato in the Player scene.

A super-premium stock guaranteed to skyrocket.

‘Kang Si-woo.’

“…Huh?! It’s Crow Guild!”

“Over there, looks like Jotunn Guild came to the back too? But wasn’t theirp

  relationship with Kang Si-woo bad?”

“A shield emblem? Don’t tell me Shield Guild also had their eye on him?”

Nine out of ten Players here were people who’d been rejected from joining Guilds.

That much longing for Guilds, of course, and envy toward Kang Si-woo had to be sky-high.

Waggle waggle―

“…White Tiger Guild… Sword Beast Guild… Skull Guild… Just how many places came?!”

“Hey, I fight pretty well too! Please recruit me!”

“I held off White Gate’s sixteenth Wave!”

“Fuck, anyone below the tenth can’t even present their card.”

So their heated reaction could be seen as a predetermined course.

Rather, it would be strange if an accident didn’t break out.

It should be seen that the Guilds’ overwhelming force was suppressing the excited public.

At that moment.

Kung―!

With loud noise, two flags appeared from afar.

One side was a flag with a demon mask drawn on it.

The complete opposite side was a flag with wind and waves drawn on it.

“……”

“……”

“……”

The entire White Gate area became quiet.

Because two Guilds that divided Korea’s Player scene appeared.

Dokkaebi Guild and Seonyang Guild.

Cheok. Cheok. Cheok.

The Guild processions, led by flag bearers, marched in step toward White Gate.

Like Moses parting the Red Sea, the crowd naturally split.

The Guilds that arrived first were the same.

People whispered while watching the person walking at the head of the two Guilds.

“A house-sized red bear Magic Beast… then that middle-aged man is Ma Eun-mok, right? Ma Geon-woo’s second son…”

“Then who’s that side?”

“…Shh! Who else? Don’t you know Seonyang’s Department Head Park Jae-gwang?”

The two groups, as if familiar with people’s murmuring, continued forward with indifferent expressions.

The two forces thus faced each other with White Gate in the middle.

“……”

“……”

The two people representing the groups just looked at each other without words. Then the first to speak was Seonyang’s Park Jae-gwang.

“Been a while? I think we last met when that guy was a bear cub… seeing him grown so big, time really flies, doesn’t it?”

“Keureureureurung―“

At Park Jae-gwang’s banter, the house-sized red bear standing behind Ma Eun-mok bared its teeth.

Then Ma Eun-mok stroked the Magic Beast bear and answered calmly.

“You’d better watch your mouth. This guy extremely hates being called by ugly people. And he’s not even an adult yet.”

“…Pardon?”

“Anyway, you came to meet that ‘Kang Si-woo’ guy or whatever too, right?”

Park Jae-gwang showed a momentarily flustered appearance but immediately fixed his expression and responded to Ma Eun-mok’s question.

“Recently we conceded one Rookie to your side, but this Kang Si-woo guy who appeared this time, we’ll definitely recruit. Well, think of it as a notification.”

“…Father said.”

“…?”

“That freshly awakened rookie is more outstanding as a Tamer than me.”

“…Please stop with that shitty Zen riddles? There’s a limit to treating a good family young master well.”

Eudeuk―

Park Jae-gwang ground his teeth tightly and raised his momentum.

He looked like he’d burst out any moment.

Yet Ma Eun-mok’s expression was languid.

“If that guy is a more outstanding Tamer than me as Father said, he’ll become a member of Dokkaebi, and if not, he’ll become your Guild member. Do I really have to explain it this easily for you to understand?”

“You son of a bitch!”

Park Jae-gwang, unable to endure, surged toward Ma Eun-mok.

Then he drew a greatsword as tall as himself from his back.

“……”

Park Jae-gwang’s eyes wavered briefly.

But that wasn’t fear—it was the eyes of a merchant who’d finished his final calculations.

‘This much commotion is fine. That he personally put this in my hands means it’s the same as telling me to do as I please.’

Huuuuuung―!!

He immediately swung the greatsword vertically.

Some subordinates belonging to Seonyang who saw that scene broke out in cold sweat and whispered.

“Th-that… he’s really swinging it? Is that okay?”

“Uu, I don’t know. I won’t watch.”

Conversely, the Dokkaebi side Guild members had stiff expressions momentarily, then returned to calm expressions when the giant red bear slammed its front paw on the ground.

Ma Eun-mok watched all those scenes and slightly frowned.

“The mad dog’s disease has properly taken hold. You can’t not know what that action means.”

Lightly sighing, he finally looked Park Jae-gwang in the eyes directly and muttered.

“You’ll have to take responsibility for all your conduct, Red Bear.”

“Keureureureurung!“

The moment Ma Eun-mok’s words fell, Red Bear rushed toward Park Jae-gwang, and.

At that moment.

Kwaaaaang―!

Riding the explosion, dirt scattered.

“……”

“……”

“……”

Then in the silence appeared Red Bear blocking Park Jae-gwang’s greatsword with one hand.

At that sight, Dokkaebi Guild members cheered, and Seonyang fell silent.

Because despite Park Jae-gwang making the first move, he couldn’t inflict any significant damage.

But what people focused on wasn’t the fact that the bear blocked his move.

“…Huh?!”

“That weapon is…?!”

The greatsword itself that Park Jae-gwang held.

A weapon with an impressive wide blade engraved full of rippling wave patterns.

People with some discernment couldn’t help but gasp the moment they saw it.

“Tidal Overflow Blade…?!”

Because it was one of Seonyang Group’s chairman ‘Oh Hae-su’s beloved weapons.

And that it was now in Park Jae-gwang’s hands meant he’d been delegated full authority regarding this matter. It meant the chairman was paying great attention to recruiting Kang Si-woo.

In fact, this was Park Jae-gwang’s thoroughly calculated action.

This reversed the atmosphere.

“…Hmm.”

Ma Eun-mok, who couldn’t not know that fact, let out a groan for the first time.

Seonyang’s chairman and his own father.

In terms of clout, Ma Eun-mok himself was more lacking.

But there were too many watching eyes to rashly back down.

‘Damn it, what do I do…’

At that moment when Ma Eun-mok could neither do this nor that.

Ttiring!

“…?”

“…?”

System notifications rang throughout all of Seoul Botanic Park belonging to White Gate territory.

And the message window that soon appeared made everyone forget all the previous discord.

[Player Kang Si-woo has broken the record!]

“…What!?”

“The record was broken?!”

“What does that…”

Seoul White Gate’s record had been maintained unbroken for 20 years.

A tied record achieved by Dokkaebi Guild Master and Seonyang Guild Master in their rookie days.

‘Giant Trent’ appears there.

Attack power is on the low side, but physical defense and magic resistance are high, making it very tricky to conquer.

That’s why even if one succeeds in conquering it, consumables and stamina of course, all resources are exhausted.

The capacity to attempt the next Wave is lost.

So people called that stage like this.

‘The devilish 35th Wave.’

That record was mercilessly broken by Kang Si-woo today.

But the amazing thing didn’t stop there.

[Player ‘Kang Si-woo’ cleared the 36th Wave!]

“…!!”

“What?!”

“Heok…”

Not long after, the System message appeared again.

Moreover, the speed grew faster afterward.

[Player ‘Kang Si-woo’ cleared the 37th Wave!]

[Player ‘Kang Si-woo’ cleared the 38th Wave!]

[Player ‘Kang Si-woo’ cleared the 39th…]

Breaking bamboo momentum.

His progress was sufficient to express with one phrase.

“I’m not hearing things, right? Didn’t it just say 38… no, 39th Wave?!”

“It doesn’t make sense… how is that different from taking an elevator?”

From some point, the crowd couldn’t raise their voices and couldn’t even breathe properly.

Because it’s too fast. Because it’s too overwhelming.

Because they had to focus on System messages disappearing as if passing by.

[Player ‘Kang Si-woo’ cleared the 40th Wave!]

Now the System message sound announcing the record-breaking march had become a kind of fear alarm sound.

“Wait… I think I heard that Seonyang’s elite challenged that Wave before and gave up halfway…”

“Hey, Lee… won’t you shut up? Read the room, you bastard…”

“Ah, Seonyang’s here… fuck, they’re staring. I’m screwed…”

No one shouted.

Instead, along with silence, they watched each other’s reactions, gauging whether they could fit into this scene, whether they’d have competitiveness afterward.

“This won’t do. You can’t persuade this kind of guy normally. Report directly to the chairman. Tell him we’re pulling out.”

One mid-sized Guild Master quietly tore up the membership proposal he was holding.

Some Guild official, overwhelmed by shock, dropped their pad from their hand while viewing messages and sat down.

And not long after, System messages rang out again.

[Player ‘Kang Si-woo’ cleared the 41st…]

[Player ‘Kang Si-woo’ cleared the 42nd…]

“……”

“……”

“……”

The crowd was completely speechless.

The silence was deeper than fear, thicker than awe.

Then someone quietly spoke up.

“…Now this isn’t a matter of choice but duty. Whichever side takes Kang Si-woo will overturn the Player scene.”

At this point, not only Dokkaebi and Seonyang, but even small and medium Guilds that had been just watching from the sidelines realized it was time to throw in everything they had.

The same thought arose in everyone’s head.

‘Rookie? Absolutely not that level. No matter what sacrifice we pay, we must bring that guy in.’

Of course, like the mid-sized Guild Master earlier, there were Guilds that gave up and pulled out.

But wise Guild Masters who knew that choice ultimately led to the path of obsolescence boldly placed their bets.

“Hey! Stick as close to the Gate as possible! Absolutely don’t fall back!”

“What are you doing not pushing quickly! We need to push those guys out to secure our position!”

“Fuck! Grit your teeth and hold on! We can do this much! I’m telling you to appeal!”

Kwagagagang―!!

Peong! Peong!

In front of White Gate instantly became a Guild battle arena.

“Fuck, you just pushed on purpose, right?”

“That’s where our senior was standing, don’t you have a brain?”

“…Draw your sword? You want to die.”

Sparks flew, Magic Beasts barked, and the sound of metal clashing filled the plaza.

Even in the midst of that, someone set up a signboard, someone pulled out a membership application.

The sight of Guild solicitation starting before the Gate even opened.

In front of White Gate was a crucible of madness and competition.

“Magic Power’s being wasted! Set up meat shields and go in!!”

“The front line is collapsing! Can’t cover the back line!!”

“Damn it, where did Team B go?! The circle magic all dispersed!!”

“That Magic Beast! Stop hitting it! What if it dies!”

At that moment.

Jjeoeoeoeoeoeoeng――!!

An ear-splitting roar.

At that one sound, the plaza that was no different from chaos became eerily quiet.

Murmuring, shouting, even Magic Beast cries ceased.

What flowed through the area was only faint groaning sounds.

“…Uueuk.”

“What is this…”

“……”

Where everyone who felt pain turned their heads.

There, a group of over ten people were slowly walking over.

White combat uniforms and unified stride.

On their chests was engraved a ‘blue shield’ emblem.