Chapter 167

I stared blankly at the screen.

Floa, I could understand, but who were these people?

Mask Rider?

Mudskippers?

Golden Lion? Grim Reaper?

They were all figures I had committed to memory at one point or another.

Because they were Rankers within the top 100.

“Did all the world Rankers go on a group retreat somewhere? What is all this….”

Kim Jina muttered with a look of disbelief.

“If this is true, it’s a huge deal! To think that the Ranker acknowledged by all the world Rankers is our President…! Ahhhh, Dmir’s Workshop’s standing and recognition are about to go global!”

Just as she was clutching her cheeks with both hands and shouting, [Holy!].

“…Donghoon-ssi. I think they were the examiners.”

Ki Soyul came closer and whispered.

So that Kim Jina couldn’t hear.

“I only found out later, too. That the examiners were watching a part of our trial process.”

“Ah….”

Was that so?

Was that why they were cheering me on so fervently?

“You shattered the record, so it must have been truly impressive. I’ve never seen Rankers rush to do something like this, no matter how amazing it was.”

“Heo, if they say that so openly on social media… won’t they get in trouble for violating confidentiality?”

“Would they? It’s not like they revealed the contents of the trial, they just praised you.”

“Right, I suppose so.”

I nodded.

Praise from people I’d never even seen before….

For some reason, it felt embarrassing.

The fact that they had been watching me from behind, and also this.

The fact that they were so excited about it that they were praising me publicly.

‘My colleagues did well, too, not just me.’

Come to think of it, my peers’ rankings had already been revealed.

[Rank 601, Space Mage Vladimir Rodygin]

[Rank 654, Judgment Spear Zhang Wei]

[Rank 740, Water Witch Olena Zelenska]

[Rank 819, Spring Apostle Myoi Hana]

[Rank 905, Absolute Unrivaled Maximilian]

[Rank 908, Guide Capu]

Splendid titles.

And updated rankings.

In particular, Vladimir and Judgment Spear had entered the 600s.

Olena was at 740, and Myoi Hana was at 819.

Also, Maximilian and Capu were in the very early 900s.

‘Actually, I’m the one who’s amazing.’

Those were insane results, too.

Usually, no matter how one passed the trial, they said the 800-900 range was the average.

‘So the Dungeon fanatic Kim Hyukseon was the norm.’

Suddenly, I thought of the Dark Lord Kim Hyukseon, a Necromancer my age.

In terms of Delilah’s trials, he was a sunbae, one class above me.

‘Was his entry rank 948?’

Thinking about it now, it was really no big deal.

‘Why was I so jealous back then?’

Envy for what I didn’t have.

Ugly envy and jealousy.

I decided to fully acknowledge it.

‘That, too, is me.’

Because the me of back then existed, the me full of venom also existed.

And the persistence and luck born from that had brought me to where I was now.

– “A fire that does not burn does not produce smoke.”

The Elder chuckled and muttered.

‘…What does that mean?’

– “It’s just as it sounds. There’s no smoke without fire. It means there is no result in the world without a cause.”

‘Those are good words.’

Whether I made a mistake.

Or acted shamefully.

That, too, was me, and the one who grew because of it was also me.

At the very least, if I realized my shame, I just had to fix it from then on.

That would be a much more mature choice than denying myself.

“Euheoheo! President!”

Kim Jina was still jumping around in excitement.

I let out a soft laugh and watched her.

“Should we launch the guild right now? Beer! No… beer won’t be enough, will it?”

We weren’t even family.

How many people were there in the world who could rejoice in my achievements like that?

It was a strange feeling.

‘Hmm, are we as good as family now?’

A family bound by the community called Dmir’s Workshop.

“President! Don’t we need to hit some strong whiskey? A clean balsam? I heard connoisseurs don’t really like balsam since it’s blended, so how about we just go for a single malt? I’ve worked hard enough that we can easily afford some high-end liquor!”

“Vice President… Did you always like alcohol?”

“Me? I’m practically an addict! There’s nothing better for relieving stress! Hic!”

Just from the way she spoke, she was the spitting image of a dwarf.

A dwarf crazy for booze, at that.

Heh.

At such a young age, what would she do if her pancreas gave out?

Just as I was looking at Kim Jina with a worried expression.

– Oh, oh, we have some breaking news that just came in! Following the various Rankers…! My goodness, the world’s 5th-ranked Ranker has also expressed her opinion on an American broadcast!

– Rank 5… isn’t that Delilah, the Dungeon Maker?

– Th-that’s right! She, who is in the ranks of America’s legends along with the Demon King, has also reportedly lavished praise on the new Ranker, Joo Donghoon!

– Is that really true?

“Huuuhhhh?”

Kim Jina’s jaw dropped so wide it looked like it would dislocate.

“What’s that now?”

“Hm?”

“Huh?”

Ki Soyul and I also stared at the screen with dumbfounded expressions.

What the.

Delilah, too?

‘These people, really.’

It was absurd.

Were they determined to make me some kind of popular star?

I could understand the others, but Delilah—how could you do this, too?

“Crazy! Wh-who are you!”

In the end, it seemed Kim Jina had decided to treat me like a monster, no, an alien.

“You’re not the President! What kind of bizarre things have you been doing?! Delilah! Delilah, the symbol of mystique…! That’s crossing a serious line! I should have known when you said you had circumstances you couldn’t talk about!”

“…Ugh.”

It would have been nice if it had stopped there.

Unfortunately, another piece of news popped up on the screen in succession.

– M-my goodness! Just now, there was also a statement from Oxford’s Sage Sophia Silverstone in Oxford, England!

– Silverstone, isn’t she rank 4?

– Yes, that’s right…?

– What was the statement?

– W-well, to translate… it says… [Seems like a Joo Donghoon praise train is trending, so I’ll join in. Our Magic Tower invited Joo Donghoon first. You’d better be prepared if you try to claim him]… is what it says?

– Pardon? What does that…?

– Just what… who is this Joo Donghoon? I’m starting to get a little scared?

– It-it feels like watching the world’s conglomerate Rankers walking a tightrope! As if they all want to show only their good side to the Skeleton King…? Is this just my imagination?

– No, I’m getting a similar feeling. It’s amazing! Simply amazing!

“Kkeuaaaack!”

Finally, with foam at her mouth.

Thud!

Kim Jina fell backward.

….

It was my first time seeing the literal embodiment of the phrase ‘to be shocked out of one’s wits’….

“She seems very drunk, so it’s probably best to leave her be for now…. She’s still breathing.”

Ki Soyul, who was watching the scene, muttered quietly.

Even though she said that, she looked surprised, too.

‘Ha.’

I sighed inwardly.

These Rankers.

They were just messing with me.

The faces of Delilah and Sophia Silverstone, wearing mischievous smiles, flashed through my mind.

—

“Waaaaah!”

“Hase Ra, hurrah! Joo Donghoon, hurrah!”

“A new Ranker! Joo Donghoon! Joo Donghoon!”

“Skeleton King!”

The Republic of Korea cheered.

A new Ranker had appeared.

But this Ranker was no ordinary Ranker.

He was a Ranker supported by both rank 4 and rank 5, and endorsed by countless Rankers in the top 100.

And he was from their country.

That fact was more than enough to fill the citizens with a sense of national pride.

“Let’s go! To the Dmir Workshop!”

“Hey! What are you reporters doing! What are you streamers doing! Let’s get an interview right now! Whoever gets it first, it’s a guaranteed scoop!”

“We want to see the hero’s face!”

Countless people gathered in front of the workshop.

Reporters with cameras, internet streamers, onlookers….

The streets of Apgujeong-dong instantly became a noisy mess.

“Ahem. Hem.”

A sobered-up Kim Jina was watching the scene.

Behind her, Bone Seven, no, Dana was casting a healing spell.

“Friend of my benefactor. Your mind will clear up in just a moment.”

“Ah, thank you. I can definitely feel the drunkenness fading. Whoo.”

Had it been about 30 minutes since Kim Jina fainted?

I had used Dana to wake her up quickly.

“Joo Donghoon, hurrah!”

“Skeleton King, hurrah!”

“What happened! What kind of fortuitous encounter did you have to become a Ranker in one fell swoop?!”

To handle that surging crowd, I couldn’t do it alone.

“So….”

Quickly grasping the situation, Kim Jina took a short breath.

“Hoo, you’re saying that dealing with all those people over there is a pain, President?”

“Should I be honest?”

I opened my mouth with a fed-up expression.

“It looks more troublesome and difficult than any Dungeon I’ve ever faced.”

I had only thought about becoming a Ranker.

I hadn’t thought about the attention that would pour in.

Attention was good.

But I hadn’t wanted such fervent attention.

It was better to have a certain distance, even with attention.

‘I haven’t achieved my goal yet.’

My goal was to be rank 1.

Dealing with all those people would take more than half a day.

Countless questions would pour in, and I would have to respond accordingly.

And after today?

There would be tomorrow, and countless offers from corporations and broadcast companies would come.

In other words, what I needed was time.

Time to focus solely on getting stronger.

“Alright.”

Kim Jina said, biting her lower lip firmly.

“This is why I took the position of Vice President. You did well to tell me.”

“Is there a way?”

“I’ll be the one to worry about the method. Rather, I have a request for you.”

It was then that Kim Jina looked me straight in the eye.

“First. I’ll apologize.”

“Pardon?”

“For the past three months, I really resented you, President. I even regretted my choice. Ah, I chose the wrong master to serve. Things like that….”

“Ah….”

“But I didn’t know you were trying that hard, President.”

It was then that Kim Jina’s expression turned emotional.

“….Whatever the method, to become a Ranker. And to earn the recognition of all those Rankers, how much blood, sweat, and tears must you have shed.”

“I’m grateful that you think so, but….”

“You just have to keep being like this, President!”

Kim Jina stretched both her hands straight out in front of her and shouted.

“Just be ‘light’ itself by your very existence! You can train comfortably, too! Go in and out of Dungeons as you please! Vacation? I’ll take care of it. The guild? I’ll grow it for you!”

“….”

“Press conference? Official statement? I’ll handle it all. I mean, the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect is like that, right? Have you ever seen the Heavenly Demon Hase Ra on any media outlet? If there’s a problem, the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect handles it. But no one criticizes them, right?”

“That’s right.”

Why?

Because it was Hase Ra.

As long as it wasn’t a crime, the name Hase Ra was a free pass to do anything without getting flak.

“Now, you have that right too, President! Yes, you do! You’ve already become someone who can receive state guest treatment as a global VIP! Just maintain that shining skill of yours!”

‘Kyah.’

I felt so reassured.

So incredibly reassured!

As expected, I really did a fantastic job hiring this one employee, didn’t I?

“Just give me one week, and I’ll have everything sorted out, President!”

“Then.”

I glanced out at the terrace.

A bustling crowd.

For some reason, more and more people were gathering.

“I’ll leave it in your hands?”

Swoosh!

Shadow Art.

And just like that, Ki Soyul and I vanished into the darkness.