Chapter 68: Like Like Function Guild (2)

Lee Jiyu’s palms were slick with sweat as they gripped the steering wheel.  

She was nervous.

Before pressing the start button, she let out a short sigh and steadied her breathing.

She knew very well the fallout when a ranker left one of the five major guilds.

Honestly, she knew they would let her go without much fuss, but this was still the guild she had been part of for years.  

Even when she was busy with personal business, they had shown her considerable consideration—at least on the surface.

Of course, any resentment had been completely silenced by the fact that an S-rank player, Choi Byeongryeol, had been exclusively assigned to escort her during climbs.

“Anyway… I hope it goes smoothly.”

She pressed the ignition. 

The heavy exhaust note rumbled as her pink sports car shot through the city toward the eastern Eden Guild headquarters.

***

“This is a first.”

The Eden Guild Master leaned back in his chair, lips pursed as if he didn’t particularly like the situation.

“Is it because of the recent talk going around the guild?”

He was asking if she was leaving because she was aware of the complaints some members had about Lee Nayeon—no, about her, Lee Jiyu.

The complaints that she was using her player status and the tower for celebrity activities instead of actually playing. 

In reality, it was closer to jealousy over her overwhelming beauty, youth, business success, and strength as a player.

But even within a guild that shared the same goals, such backbiting never stopped.

The guild master had now concluded that she was fully switching from tower climbing to business.  

That was why he could afford to be generous.

If she didn’t climb the tower and just ran her businesses well, she would earn more than enough.  

In a way, it was the safe, rational choice.

But the answer that came out of her mouth was the exact opposite of what he expected.

“More than that… I can’t say my rank dropping to 19th had no influence.”

“Hmm.”

She’s leaving the guild… because her rank fell?

Of course, it was a convenient surface-level excuse.  

After all, the guild not putting her on the front lines was part of the reason her rank had dropped.

“We’re not gangsters. If the contract is properly terminated, we let you go. After losing Choi Byeongryeol, it’s true we haven’t been able to treat you fairly.”

Lee Jiyu’s expression said you’re really not going to try to keep me?

Her fame and symbolic value were undeniably a huge blow to Eden. 

Losing the 19th-ranked player was more than just a rank loss.

A considerable number of mid-tier players in the guild had chosen Eden purely to see Lee Jiyu.

She was that much of a star player. 

Even she, who had braced herself for pushback, was instead bewildered by the lack of resistance.

“You’re probably not going to another of the five major guilds.”

If someone of her caliber moved, his information network would have caught it already.

She nodded.

“Correct.”

“To focus on business?”

“Well… not exactly, but honestly, that’s part of it.”

Only then did the guild master nod.

It sounded like she was either repeating safe floors or not climbing at all and focusing solely on business.  

He knew her businesses had been declining until she suddenly turned things around with one model—Lee Nayeon, the government-managed player.

She probably felt she couldn’t afford not to focus on business now.

“A shame.”

That was his honest feeling.

It wasn’t rare for rankers to leave guilds due to injuries.  

And this wasn’t a simple switch to freelancer or retirement.

He seemed to search for something to say before breaking the silence.

“It feels like you already have a destination in mind.”

Lee Jiyu smiled as if she couldn’t fool his instincts.

“May I ask? You don’t have to answer if it’s difficult.”

“If I don’t, you’ll just send trackers anyway.”

“…We’ve worked together too long.”

It was obvious.

It would be worse if annoying people started digging into her whereabouts.

This was the same guild master who, after losing the 1st-floor special reward Choi Byeongryeol, had scoured every dark player in Korea and even made a list of all F-ranks.

“I’m going to Lee Nayeon’s guild.”

For the first time, the guild master’s impassive face showed a slight widening of the eyes before returning to normal.

“I see… so Lee Nayeon is starting a guild.”

“Exactly. It was only a matter of time, right? The government finally let their guarded players out into the open.”

He looked like he had a mountain of questions, but he asked no more.

He simply nodded with an expression that seemed to say thank you for telling me.

“We spent a lot of time together. Thanks to you, the guild was able to grow this big.”

He genuinely extended his hand in goodwill.

Lee Jiyu was honestly surprised they were letting her go without any conflict.

The guild master had his secretary bring the contract termination papers.

“You can destroy it yourself.”

Lee Jiyu reached for the envelope on the table, but the guild master didn’t let go of the other side.

“Just one more thing, if I may?”

“Again? What now?”

“Lee Nayeon… is she Function?”

“How would I know? Probably not.”

She brushed off the expected question with nonchalance.

***

Whether Lee Jiyu went or not, Choi Junseok faithfully climbed the 32nd floor as usual.

Climbing two floors a day had become routine.

The humanoid monsters on the 32nd floor always felt creepy, but they were never a problem for Lee Nayeon.

[You have entered the 32nd floor.]  

[Time limit: 35 minutes.]  

[32nd floor clear condition: Defeat the 13 Assassins.]

The moment they entered, black-coned-hat martial artists surrounded them from all sides, drawing swords and charging in an instant.

The only problem was that their opponent was Lee Nayeon.

Slash!

A single horizontal cut cleaved not only the front but even the ones approaching from behind in half.

Shhk—clack.

She sheathed her sword as casually as if she had done nothing.

Not a drop of blood on the blade.

[Congratulations!]  

[You have cleared the 32nd floor.] 

[Clear time: 3 seconds.]  

[Register anonymously in the Hall of Fame? (Y/N)]

[Fairy Dragon of Recovery’s additional effect activated.]  

[Middle-floor clear rewards granted.]

Song Hana and Choi Junseok barely had time to be startled before the clear window appeared.

It felt like she was getting stronger without limit with every floor.

“Returning.”

Back at Lee Jiyu’s house, Lee Nayeon wore a slightly dissatisfied expression.

“They were weak.”

She had apparently hoped for at least some sword exchanges with the martial artists.

The desire to test her strength as a warrior—she wasn’t wrong to feel that way.

“Don’t rush. You’re growing.”

She nodded.

Her level was already 108, rising at an astonishing rate.

It wasn’t unusual to be over level 100 in the early 30s, but considering how little time had passed since she started climbing, it was explosive growth.

Still seemingly stiff, Lee Nayeon went to the gym.  

Song Hana went to take a nap.  

Choi Junseok headed to Haetaesik to deliver materials.

Early-30s floor items never satisfied Haetaesik, but many could be repurposed with slight modifications.

For others, they would be classified as “miscellaneous” in the status window and discarded, but in Haetaesik’s hands they had a chance to become excellent equipment—just a bit of sharpening and tempering could turn them into usable gear.

Haetaesik would be bored without such odd jobs, so it was win-win.

***

When Choi Junseok returned after finishing work,  

Lee Jiyu was already home.

She looked somewhat bitter—not because she had left the guild.

“There’s a rumor going around that Lee Nayeon is Function.”

“What?”

The rumor was that although she was SS-rank, the government had disguised her as F-rank and she was climbing the tower alone.

“And… sorry, but I accidentally told eastern Eden that I’m going to the new guild Lee Nayeon is creating.”

That wasn’t entirely unexpected from Choi Junseok’s perspective.

It might even be better if no one followed her.

– Junseok-ssi, you should be careful not to draw too much attention to Like Like Function Company.

There are signs that the UAE has sent spies targeting the Function Foundation, including Like Like Function Company.

“Already…?”

A chill ran down his spine at the news that foreign powers were already sniffing around to find out who Korea’s Function was.

– Confirmed your 3-second clear of the 32nd floor. Truly impressive as expected. Good work.

– The number of guild applications is… unusual. Moreover… the eldest son of SG Group appears to have applied.

Choi Junseok moistened his dry lips as he pondered what to do about rejecting SG Group’s eldest son.

“Everyone, attention… Jo Insu, the eldest son of SG Group, has applied to the guild.”

At Choi Junseok’s grave announcement after checking his phone, Lee Jiyu also narrowed her brows.

He immediately opened Jo Insu’s application.

His credentials were, of course, impeccable.

“You’re not seriously thinking of accepting him, right?”

“Of course not.”

He was only reading out of curiosity. 

They all knew roughly what would happen if they let him in.

But the line at the bottom of the application was outrageously bold.

“Guild… support fund of 100 billion won…?”