Chapter 224
Chapter 224. Guild
In Yeosu, Yoo Ji-han had seen the destruction of Ajesia through the memories of other people from another world.
But that was only very fragmented information.
While he had received explanations regarding the circumstances that led to the destruction, he wanted to personally witness the doom of Rudble, the world where Ajesia and Kazimir were born.
“I’m fine with it.”
Providing memories could be something that might be seen as a violation of privacy.
Even though it could have turned uncomfortable, Kazimir willingly allowed it.
“I’m fine too.”
“I refuse!”
While Adem also stepped in to offer his memories, the sole opposition came from Jerry, who had previously been forced to have her memory read by Yoo Ji-han.
She twirled her hair with her finger and said, “I can’t show my memories because they’re embarrassing! Especially the memory of being alone in my room at 11 PM the other night is absolutely off-limits.”
“…What were you doing alone?”
“Secret!”
Jerry blushed while glancing at Yoo Ji-han, who nodded uncomfortably.
“Do you have a mana extractor?”
“Just wait a moment.”
In the research institute, which was equipped with various devices for experiments, Kazimir briefly disappeared and returned with the mana extractor Yoo Ji-han requested.
As Adem infused his mana into the previously empty magic stone, his mana gradually infused into it.
With that, the sylph flew off from the completed magic stone infused with Adem and Kazimir’s mana.
—Are you eating?
“Chew it well.”
—Nom nom!
The sylph gobbled down Kazimir’s magic stone whole.
Yoo Ji-han sat in a chair, readying himself for the incoming memories.
‘I’ve been waiting for this!’
Jerry lashed her tongue across her lips as she watched Yoo Ji-han.
During the memory-reading process, he would be completely defenseless!
That meant, regardless of what happened, he wouldn’t be able to resist!
At that moment, Yoo Ji-han spoke.
“Sylph! Make sure she doesn’t come near me.”
—Okay!
“Nooow!”
With Jerry’s mournful wail, Yoo Ji-han’s consciousness started to fade away.
*
The memories built up by a single person throughout their life are vast.
Various landscapes that can be seen, sounds that can be heard, and a multitude of smells that can be sensed.
All information divided by senses like sight, taste, touch, and hearing are meticulously recorded in the brain without omission.
Among them, some memories are easily forgotten, while others are retained for a long time.
“Are all these Kazimir’s memories?”
—Yes. I gathered them to show you all at once.
In an empty movie theater.
Sitting in the best seat of an oddly shaped theater that was impossible to measure, Yoo Ji-han gazed at numerous films floating in the air.
Despite no light existing in the theater, the films appeared clear.
The scenes engraved on them were all memories of the human Kazimir.
‘There are even memories from just a moment ago.’
One of the films showed an image of Yoo Ji-han’s face, depicting the memory of Kazimir conversing at the research institute just prior.
If he turned his head, memories of the meal Kazimir had that morning or the movie he watched last night were engraved on other films.
The sylph, fluttering erratically between the films, spoke brightly.
—Now we just need to filter out the memories we want!
“Doesn’t seem easy…”
—Nope. It’s easy.
Zing!
The sylph emitted a bright light from its sphere.
At that moment, the entire dark theater was bathed in a soft green glow.
Whoooosh—!
The films began to swirl like a tornado, following the vortex created by the sylph.
Most of the films visible to Yoo Ji-han flew away somewhere far off.
This was the process of filtering out only the desired memories among countless recollections.
‘This is something humans can’t do.’
Watching the thousands, tens of thousands of films being blown away by the wind, Yoo Ji-han clicked his tongue.
It seemed like an impossible task without the sprit’s help.
—I found it!
Only five films out of the myriad flew back to Yoo Ji-han’s face.
As he touched them, the movie theater vanished, and the surrounding scenery rapidly transformed.
‘A lab?’
Dissimilar to modern architectural styles, the space appeared like a laboratory filled with flasks containing liquids of various colors.
Kazimir was engrossed in some experiment along with other vampires.
—Crash!
Suddenly, large tremors caused multiple flasks to shatter, leading to chaos.
Feeling the crisis, Kazimir and his companions tensed up amidst the surrounding screams of other vampires.
—Kyaaaah!
—Kyaaaaah!
Vampires started collapsing one by one onto the floor.
Amidst it all, Kazimir clung to the table, desperately trying to hold on.
His dilating pupils shook violently as he inevitably displayed strange behavior.
He suddenly inhaled the sample blood that was on the table.
Even stranger was that Kazimir returned to normal afterward.
‘So this is the Curse of Blood.’
This was the cause of the downfall of Kazimir’s world, Rudble—the Curse of Blood.
A phenomenon where the blood within one’s body vanishes for no reason.
Not evaporating, but completely disappearing.
Seeing the scenes he had only heard about unfold before him, Yoo Ji-han pressed his lips into a straight line.
—Survivors answer me!
In the quietened lab, Kazimir stood as the last survivor.
The floor was littered with the bodies of vampires dried up due to a lack of blood.
In a state of confusion, Kazimir grabbed spare blood and ran off to somewhere.
The following memories transitioned to him joining up with other surviving vampires to set up a survival camp.
It was possible only because he was a vampire who could produce his own blood by absorbing blood from other animals.
Humans and animals without such abilities met their demise, and even vampires gradually faced threats to their survival.
The dwindling prey made for a desperate struggle to survive in a world descending into ruin.
Yet even in the desolate Rudble where hope was absent, a gaunt Kazimir looked up at the sky.
‘Signs of destruction.’
In the center of the star that serves as the ‘sun’ for Rudble.
There lay a black spot.
The black spot had been observed since the day the Curse of Blood began.
Kazimir referred to it as a sign of destruction.
*
Kim Si-hu, having purchased a small flower, visited the columbarium where his mother’s ashes were kept.
In the photograph, his mother still maintained the beautiful image he remembered.
‘Even after a year, even after ten years, she won’t change.’
Smiling bitterly, Kim Si-hu reflected on the many changes he had undergone compared to his unchanged mother.
The numbers arriving in the guild’s account had changed, and his fame had rapidly increased.
Even as he entered the columbarium, many people recognized his face.
Clack!
Sticking the purchased flower to the glass panel, Kim Si-hu clasped his hands in prayer.
This was the last visit before going to another world.
Though his father, Kim Geon-oh, couldn’t join him, he believed his mother would understand.
“I hope you would have been happy if you were alive.”
Having achieved numerous accomplishments as a hero, he was also becoming increasingly familiar with the magic of elves hidden within his body.
What reaction would Erna Hass have had to see the abilities derived from the bloodline of a kingdom being carried on by her child… Kim Si-hu couldn’t say.
“She would have been happy.”
“…Miley unnie?!”
At that moment, a woman appeared next to the display case holding the ashes.
It was Miley, the elf who had crossed over from Grudia with Erna Hass.
“I’m sure Erna would have been very happy.”
Miley walked over to Kim Si-hu and placed a new flower in front of Erna Hass’s ashes.
She deeply remembered Erna Hass, who treated her as a friend despite being merely a maid of a former kingdom.
“I heard you were going to the columbarium, so I came to check if it was true.”
“You really didn’t have to follow me…”
“I also happened to be approaching the time for my own visit.”
The two of them silently gazed at the picture of Erna Hass for a while.
During that time, Miley pulled something out from her bosom.
“Here.”
“What is this…?”
“It’s Florun. You know that this form of Florun is the hardest to find, right?”
“Of course. This staff is made from the same thing.”
A high-quality material used for crafting top-tier artifacts, Florun is something experts sought after.
Miley handed Kim Si-hu the branch-like item that resembled a wand.
“It’s a gift, so take it.”
“It’s hard to get, so I can’t just refuse… But at the very least, let me pay you.”
“Forget it. We’ve got no need for money between us.”
Miley waved her hand at Kim Si-hu, who insisted on paying.
Instead, she pointed from his wooden staff to the newly received Florun.
“Can you overlap it with that?”
“…?”
“Just let them touch each other.”
Tilting his head, Kim Si-hu placed the newly received Florun on his wooden staff.
Then it happened.
Whoosh!
The two overlapping Floruns began twisting together like a braid.
A bizarre sight as the two Floruns gradually merged into one.
Faced with an unexpected phenomenon, Kim Si-hu’s eyes widened, while Miley pressed her lips together.
“W-What’s happening?!”
“…It’s enhancement.”
The enhancement of Florun.
A hidden method from the Siron Kingdom to strengthen equipment made from Florun.
Since the magical wavelengths used for the enhancement must match with over 90% similarity to that of the original crafted equipment, executing this method was exceedingly challenging.
There were far more complicated processes involved than the conventional cultivation method, as the wood had to take proper shape from being merely a small seed.
If the enhancement failed, all the efforts put into it would completely go to waste in an instant.
“I can’t believe there was a method like this…”
“Don’t go around telling people.”
Kim Si-hu’s staff was crafted from the Florun that Erna Hass had cultivated.
And that staff successfully accepted the Florun that Miley had cultivated and underwent enhancement.
‘I’ve been acknowledged.’
The Florun he had casually been handed was, in fact, the result of over a year’s worth of efforts from Miley.
Successfully enhancing it meant having been recognized by Erna Hass was tantamount to it.
‘I did it, Erna-nim.’
Kim Si-hu gazed in wonder at his staff, now combined and enhanced.
Meanwhile, Miley quietly felt joyful next to him, concealing her emotions.
*
While preparing to go to Kallem, Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu received a call from Jang Sa-im and headed to the location of the monster disposal company, Mongdang.
Jang Sa-im inclined his head as the two of them got out of the car.
“Sa-im!”
“What brings you here today?”
Yoo Ji-han, walking toward the warehouse, looked at Jang Sa-im.
But for some reason, Jang Sa-im’s expression was very serious.
Did he find something good while cleaning up monster corpses?
“Everyone.”
“Yes?”
“Are you perhaps considering acquiring our company?”
“…Pardon?”
Jang Sa-im was asking if they intended to acquire the company he had established.
Yoo Ji-han frowned at this.
Mongdang’s business seemed to be progressing well enough that they didn’t need to rely on others.
“No, your business seems to be doing well?”
“The competition from other companies is getting increasingly fierce.”
Mongdang, which took on the majority of the outsourcing from the guild, Sweet Fun, was well noticed.
Other monster disposal companies were wary of Mongdang, making sure they couldn’t rise further than now.
While they managed to persist for now, it was obvious that the interference would grow once their key client, Yoo Ji-han’s party, left for Kallem.
“They were trying to push me out of the industry when I was previously involved with another company.”
“So… you mean you’re looking to maintain your business by leveraging our name?”
“That’s right. Just like the blacksmith you brought to the guild last time.”
Admitting his intention candidly, Jang Sa-im caught Yoo Ji-han’s steady gaze, before turning towards Kim Si-hu.
“What do you think?”
“Sure. Let’s acquire it.”
“Our guild master says he’ll acquire it.”
With just a single phrase from Kim Si-hu, the acquisition of Mongdang was decided.
“…Is that for real?”
Having diligently prepared about two hours’ worth of presentation materials over the past few weeks for today’s meeting,
Jang Sa-im was left speechless at the sudden decision without even being able to pull out the materials he had worked so hard on.
