Chapter 104

It seemed marketing was all about grabbing people’s attention.

With the sensational topic of a cave that kept getting deeper spreading through TV and all kinds of media outlets, and with social media platforms like Instagram added to the mix, Wind Cave was flooded with an incomparable number of visitors.

And so, contrary to Guide Kim Sang-gyu’s worries, after a month of roaring success and endless waves of tourists…

just as public interest was starting to cool, another strange incident occurred at Wind Cave.

[An insect that emits blue smoke and bleeds blue blood has been discovered at Wind Cave, Ulleungdo’s new attraction, drawing major attention.]

The blue-blooded insects, the very reason for Guide Kim Sang-gyu’s anxiety over Wind Cave, had started appearing one by one.

The blue blood that splattered out when they died and the blue smoke that dispersed like heat haze.

To the marketing manager, those blue bugs were an unprecedented stroke of luck, something that could revive the cave’s fading popularity.

Once again, the marketing manager began promoting the cave to the public, weaving together a story that linked the insects to the ever-deepening cave.

As a result, it became the spark that sent Wind Cave’s fading popularity soaring all over again.

But when popularity rises, more eyes and mouths gather, and problems are bound to follow.

One day, the National Monster Research Institute suddenly stormed in, blocked off the entrance to Wind Cave, and carried out a full investigation.

The reason was simple: creatures with blue blood had a high probability of being monsters from Dungeons or similar places.

Because of that, the National Monster Research Institute brought in people from the Hunters Association, tore through Wind Cave, and collected twenty of the blue insects. The one-week business suspension, issued under the warning that the place might be a Dungeon, drove the marketing manager to the point of tears.

However.

A week later, the Hunters Association concluded that Wind Cave was not a Dungeon. The National Monster Research Institute announced that although the creatures were indeed monsters, various experiments had shown they lacked the aggression necessary to classify them as such. They declared them to be unique ‘insects’ that contained Mana and posted an official apology, ushering in yet another unexpected golden age for Wind Cave.

Two and a half months passed after that.

[A Mana-containing insect, the Blue-Glow Insect.]

Bzzzzzzzz-

“Do you see the Blue-Glow Insect flying over here? That glowing blue part is its abdomen, and they say it contains Mana.”

“Ooh, is that the thing that’s supposed to make you healthy?”

At the man’s question, Kim Sang-gyu, who was guiding several couples, forced an awkward smile.

Unable to bring himself to confirm it outright, Kim Sang-gyu instead opened the iron cage holding the Blue-Glow Insect and placed it on the man’s hand.

“How is it? Do you feel healthier?”

“Ooh, I think I feel something.”

At his words, the woman who appeared to be his wife giggled and said,

“My husband used to be quite the hunter back in the day. He’s really good at sensing Mana. Right, Jeong-ho dear?”

“Of course! I’ve killed at least three truckloads of goblins. If I hadn’t gotten injured back then, I’d probably be living as a ranker right now. What a shame.”

“That’s amazing, Jeong-ho dear.”

“Is that where you got the strength to father three sons?”

“Oh my! Hohohoho.”

The couples passed the Blue-Glow Insect around, laughing and joking among themselves.

Guide Kim Sang-gyu had no choice but to laugh awkwardly along with them, but inwardly, he was dumbfounded.

‘Sigh, I want to guide some young people too…’

He turned his head and looked at the other guides in the distance.

It wasn’t hard to spot guides laughing and joking with young people as if they were on dates.

The explosion of popularity on Instagram had certainly brought in more young people, but the marketing manager’s exaggerated promotions about beautifying the skin and the mysterious power of Mana seemed to have played a part too.

Thump.

Guide Kim Sang-gyu flinched at the unfamiliar sensation on his arm.

When he turned to look, he found that a middle-aged woman had slipped up beside him at some point, hooked her arm through his, and was smiling brightly.

“Wow~ Do you work out? What’s a handsome man like you doing with arms this thick?”

She was one of the group of four middle-aged women who had come along with the four couples.

“Oh my, oh my, you two look good together~”

“Oh, sis~ Is he your pick for today? You look so good together~ Hohohoho.”

“Guide-nim, play your cards right. That lady owns a building. She’s rich and classy~ She only has one child too~”

A guide’s job was a type of service work.

“Hahaha, is-is that so? You look wonderful.”

He had no choice but to smile brightly and play along. Then the middle-aged woman with her arm linked through his suddenly smacked his butt.

Then she gave it a firm squeeze and even threw him a wink.

“See you in a bit~ Oof, you’re full of vigor~ I don’t think I’ll even need to touch that blue-green-whatever insect~”

“Ha, hahaha.”

Again, all he could do was laugh.

“Hahahahaha.”

Unlike Guide Kim Sang-gyu, genuine laughter could be heard from all around him.

There were guides who laughed and joked with young people and even went out drinking with them afterward.

There were also guides who actually started dating, or became friends, while guiding people around their own age.

Whenever they returned to the dorms looking happy, he couldn’t help but envy them.

“It’s just my luck.”

There was a reason Guide Kim Sang-gyu had ended up guiding middle-aged tourists.

===

「It was around the time Wind Cave’s popularity had started to cool down.

As revenue gradually declined, the marketing manager grew short-tempered and started pressuring everyone to bring him something, anything.

It was just after the cave had passed its safety inspection and most concerns about it had faded.

At that point, Guide Kim Sang-gyu had suggested an idea to the marketing manager: that there was an insect in Wind Cave that had blue blood and emitted a blue light.

He had sent it by email and through KaTalk.

But.

“Blue blood? Blue light? There are plenty of bugs like that, what kind of nonsense are you talking about? You think something like that will catch anyone’s attention? Ugh, this is so frustrating. No wonder you’re just a guide with a useless head.”

The marketing manager had done nothing but trample on Kim Sang-gyu’s pride, calling him frustrating.

Then, as revenue kept falling, a man known as the managing director personally came to Wind Cave, and that was when it happened.

“Any ideas?”

At the managing director’s question, everyone stayed silent as he looked around. Just as he was about to start yelling at them for being useless,

“It’s too vague to call it an idea, but there’s a rumor that there’s an insect in Wind Cave with blue blood. Ridiculous, right?”

“Blue blood?”

“It was just something I mentioned. It’s too insignificant to even call an idea…”

“I like it!”

“Pardon?”

“An insect with blue blood. That has a nice ring to it. Let’s go with that.”

The very same idea that had earned Guide Kim Sang-gyu nothing but contempt and personal insults instantly captured the managing director’s interest.

At that, the marketing manager puffed out his chest and slid up beside the managing director.

“Right! I thought it’d be great too!”

“Whose idea is this? Who brought it up?”

“I… I…”

Just as Guide Kim Sang-gyu was about to confidently raise his hand,

“I… just thought of it!”

“Oh-ho, the marketing manager truly is impressive. First, you brought in crowds with the deepening cave, and now this. I like how unconventional your ideas are.”

“Thank you!”

“If this produces good results too, I’ll put in a good word for you for the Ulleungdo branch manager position.”

“Th-thank you! Thank you!”

With the atmosphere already decided, Guide Kim Sang-gyu had no choice but to lower his hand.」

===

In the end, the idea became a huge hit, and the marketing manager even took Kim Sang-gyu’s phone and deleted every bit of evidence showing that Kim Sang-gyu had come up with it first.

After checking everything from emails to KaTalk messages and even text messages, the marketing manager, apparently irritated by his very presence, even had Kim Sang-gyu’s seat moved.

From then on, he became the guide who handled only a different age group of tourists than the others.

“Guide Kim!”

“Hey! Keep it down. Didn’t you hear? The marketing manager is becoming the Ulleungdo branch manager, and he said he’ll get rid of anyone who’s close to Guide Kim. Don’t talk to me.”

What exactly had he done wrong?

The deepening cave.

The insect with blue Mana.

He had offered good ideas that could save Wind Cave, and even though he had been insulted personally, he had never once thought of retaliating or demanding compensation.

He had just stayed quiet…

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t understand why he had to be treated this way.

‘I was just working a little hard… I just liked this place, and I gave them an idea because I wanted it to do well…’

He didn’t know what he had done wrong, but the feeling of sinking lower and lower weighed heavily on Guide Kim Sang-gyu’s heart.

“Handsome guide~ Isn’t it our turn now?”

“Yes, I’m coming.”

At the words of the middle-aged woman who had been openly hitting on him, Guide Kim Sang-gyu dragged his heavy heart over and stood in front of Wind Cave.

“Alright, it’s dark inside, so we’ll move in single file like a train and hold onto the shoulders of the person in front.”

“Sis~ Stand here. It’s best to be right behind the guide~”

“Oh my, is this alright? Hohohoho. Excuse me~”

Before entering Wind Cave,

“Oops, my mistake~ I accidentally hugged you. Wow~ Your chest is, ooh, amazing~ I hit the jackpot~”

Even while they were lining up, the advances didn’t stop.

It felt like nearly his entire body had been touched.

Except for his private parts.

“Alright, we’re going in. This is the last course of the day.”

With the thought that this was the end, he gritted his teeth and endured it all as he took his first step into Wind Cave.

It was at that exact moment.

[Come to me….]

A strange voice suddenly brushed against Guide Kim Sang-gyu’s ear.

“Yes?”

Thinking that someone behind him had spoken, he turned around, but all he could do was tilt his head in confusion at the sight of the tourists laughing and asking, “Why?”

[To me…. Come to me….]

Hearing the voice again, he asked the tourists,

“Yes? Are you heading out now?”

“Huh? We’re leaving already? We’re not going farther in? I was just starting to have fun.”

“No, that’s not it. Just now, someone told me to come…”

“No one said that. Did you all hear anything?”

“No? I didn’t hear anything like that.”

No one had heard it.

Then…

[What you need…. I have it…. I will give you power… The things that wronged you… The things you long to achieve…. I will make them all come true….]

Whose voice was he still hearing?

[Come here…. I will make you a king…]

As the voice continued without pause, Guide Kim Sang-gyu finally shouted toward the inside of the cave, where the voice was coming from.

“Is someone in there? You have to enter in order, so come out right now!”

[Come here…. I will make you a king…. who reigns over this land….]

“Stop hiding and playing tricks and get out here now! Or you’ll be thrown out!”

As he kept speaking in an irritated tone, everyone finally realized it wasn’t a joke.

Eventually, sensing that something was wrong, the tourists patted Guide Kim Sang-gyu on the back.

When he turned around, all the tourists who had been laughing and joking just moments ago were now staring at him with frightened faces.

“Guide-nim… what’s been wrong with you for a while now… you’re scaring us.”

“That’s right. Is it because we were joking around? We were only teasing… You were enjoying it too, Guide-nim…”

At the tourists’ words, it was Guide Kim Sang-gyu’s turn to go pale.

“What…? You really can’t hear this voice?”

“We can’t hear anything but your voice, Guide-nim… This is a joke, right? Please stop joking. It’s not funny. This is actually getting scary.”

“It keeps telling me to come to it… that it’ll make me a king or a god… You really can’t hear it?”

The atmosphere made it clear that neither side was lying…

Then, in an instant,

“Ah, I can’t take this! I’m getting out of here!”

“Let’s get out! Ugh, this is creepy.”

All the middle-aged women who had been following him bolted out as if they were fleeing for their lives.

And so, Guide Kim Sang-gyu was left alone inside Wind Cave.

As the situation took a turn for the worse, the irritation he had been suppressing finally exploded.

He glared toward the depths of the cave where the voice was coming from and shouted,

“I’m going to have you dragged out!”

Thud. Thud. Thud.

His footsteps grew heavy with anger.

He walked, almost ran, deeper inside with long strides.

He searched here and there for any possible hiding place as he kept going.

And eventually, he reached the very end of the cave.

There, only a massive hole of unknown depth remained.

There was not a trace of any person anywhere.

“Is anyone in there?”

In that instant, the annoyance vanished, and the first thing he felt was worry.

He wondered if someone had fallen in.

[Here… Come here….]

The voice came again.

It was definitely coming from inside that hole.

“Are you in there?”

[Here…. Come in here…]

“I’ll go get people! Just wait there!”

But just as Guide Kim Sang-gyu was about to turn back after seeing the dark hole with no visible bottom,

Buzzzzzzzzzzz-

Hundreds of blue insects suddenly appeared from nowhere and flew toward Guide Kim Sang-gyu.

Just as the National Monster Research Institute had announced, the blue insects were extremely docile, and he had never once seen them attack a person.

They did not even really fly toward people. Most of the time, they stayed still, only occasionally taking flight.

But with an entire swarm suddenly coming at him, Guide Kim Sang-gyu panicked for a moment and began wildly flailing his arms to swat them away.

“Whoa… whoa whoa whoa…?”

As he stumbled backward under the onslaught of the blue insects, Guide Kim Sang-gyu lost his footing and then—

“Aaaaaaaahhh!!”

Splash!

With a scream, he fell into the deep hole.

“……”

For a moment, the inside of Wind Cave fell deathly silent.

Then, from inside the hole, a chilling voice could be heard.

[Hehehehehe…. Finally…. a king has been born…. A king… with high intelligence…]