Chapter 123: Shadow King’s Gambit

“An So-hee?”

“Wow, you remembered me! That’s right! Ranking 5th! Shadow King, An So-hee!”

After Park Kang-chul, now comes Ranking 5th, An So-hee.  

What on earth was going on?  

Just to be sure, I double-checked.  

“Did you really apply to join the Vulcanus Guild?”  

“Of course! You haven’t even looked at my equipment requests. What if the lower-ranked players get their gear first and start eyeing my spot?”  

“So that’s why you applied to join?”  

“That’s the main reason, yeah. I don’t belong to any guild anyway! Seeing the Berserker, there don’t seem to be many restrictions! It’s really great.”  

She was serious.  

Not joking around—she had genuinely submitted an application.  

Ranking 5th and 6th might be just one rank apart, but the gap between them was huge.

Just as the five major guilds were treated separately, hunters ranked within the top five were considered a different class compared to those below.  

And here was the Shadow King submitting her application to Vulcanus Guild.  

I never imagined this would happen.  

“Ah, should I introduce myself first? My name is An So-hee, profession Shadow Assassin! My ability is SS-rank, ‘Dark Veil’!”  

“Dark Veil?”  

“I’m a ranked hunter, so that’s as much as I can say! Ah, if it’s Vulcanus, I might tell you more. Want to hear? But if you do, consider your acceptance guaranteed!”  

Veil. 

It’s a term used in psychology, but basically means ‘mask.’  

And masks were the very items I had made for her.  

‘I thought it was just a hobby, but it seems not.’  

She was known for wearing various masks—animal masks, party masks, even traditional Korean masks.  

Since I made her masks, she hadn’t been wearing others much, but her love for masks was clear.  

Still, I never thought her ability was related to that.  

I was a bit curious.  

“That’s fine.”  

“Hey, I could tell you!”  

There was no need to hear more right now.  

She kept promoting herself, but honestly, I didn’t need to hear any further.  

Shadow King, An So-hee.  

If she’s joining, there’s no reason to refuse.  

“So, I’m accepted then?”  

“Which do you prefer, Team 11 or Team 12?”  

No need to drag this out.  

Nam Bora and Park Sang-hyun were nodding as if to follow my lead, so I made the decision immediately.  

Why stop the fifth-ranked hunter from joining?  

But then.  

“I want to join the Vulcanus Direct Guard!”  

“…There is no Direct Guard, and I don’t need one.”

“I know you don’t need it! Your main body’s location isn’t even revealed!”  

“So?”  

“It sounds cool! Plus, it’s easier to move separately! Like Berserkers going solo, I’m an assassin, so I don’t really like being stuck in rigid raids!”  

An So-hee made an unexpected proposal.  

A Direct Guard?  

Why would I need that?  

But hearing her out, what she wanted was just a formal position as Direct Guard commander.  

To be exact, she wanted an environment where she could operate freely like Park Kang-chul does.

Well, since she hadn’t belonged to a guild before, she said she hadn’t really done proper party play either.  

It would be easier for her to move around on her own than lead a team.  

After all, as an assassin who needs to move quietly, it’s a bit strange to form a group and run around with others.  

After a moment of thought, I said,  “Alright. It’ll be in name only, but I’ll appoint you as Direct Guard commander. Is that settled?”  

“Vulcanus Direct Guard Commander, Shadow King! Awesome! Yes! I’ll take it!”  

Just as she said, I decided to create a Direct Guard.  

Of course, it was meaningless.  

Direct Guard?  

I’m much safer living quietly and hiding my identity like now.  

“Vulcanus, then how many members are we recruiting…?”  

“Except for Shadow King, we’re still recruiting 20.”  

With that, 21 new members—including Shadow King—joined the Vulcanus Guild.  

Well, most of them were far from ordinary rookies, considering they were top-ranked hunters.  

***

The Vulcanus Guild’s first recruitment was at its founding.  

Since then, they had never recruited new members until now.  

This time, new members had passed the screening and interviews to finally join Vulcanus Guild.  

Today, that list was made public.  

“Team 11 leader, Kim Nara. You mean that Kim Nara? Ranking 6th?”  

“My god, look at the team members. Is this for real?”  

“Rankings 8th, 9th, 15th… the lowest-ranked hunter is 47th!”  

“Wasn’t she part of a Royal Guild?”  

“Well, if it were me, I’d join Vulcanus too. Getting exclusive Equipment will boost my ranking by several places.”  

Vulcanus had recruited two teams in total—Team 11 and Team 12.  

That meant 20 hunters.  

But just looking at Team 11’s roster made everyone’s jaws drop.  

The lowest-ranked hunter was 47th.  

How could this be?  

This wasn’t the level of an experienced rookie, but rather, a group of ace hunters.  

They were people who could easily create their own guilds, yet they were all new to Vulcanus.  

Everyone was stunned.  

Team 11 of Vulcanus Guild was probably stronger than Teams 1 through 10 combined.  

Once given exclusive Equipment, their experience and level would give them a huge advantage over existing members.  

“Then what about Team 12? They must be full of top 100-ranked hunters as well, right?”  

Eyes moved to the next list.  

Team 12 of Vulcanus Guild.  

How many ranked hunters would be there?  

Contrary to expectations,  few recognized any of the names.  

“What? Most of these names are new to me.”  

In fact, there were no ranked hunters at all.  

Except one.  

Even they had heard the leader’s name.  

“Lee Chaeyeon? Wait, Lee Chaeyeon… that’s…”  

“An SS-rank Awakener, right?”  

Lee Chaeyeon, the SS-rank Awakener.  

She was famous.  

In Korea.  

Actually, even worldwide, SS-rank Awakeners were rare.  

As soon as her rank was revealed, every major guild tried desperately to scout her.  

Yet, she refused all offers and didn’t reply to anyone.  

And there she was, listed as Team 12 leader of Vulcanus Guild.  

“Look below!”  

“Could that all be ranks?”  

Her rank wasn’t the only impressive thing.  

[Team 12 Member 1: Jo Euna (S)]  

[Team 12 Member 2: Kwon Jihyuk (S)]  

[Team 12 Member 3: Han Dawoon (A)]  

Every member of Team 12 was at least A-rank.  

More than half were the precious S-rank Awakeners.  

The team’s average awakening rank was S.  

Was this even possible?  

No wonder no one recognized their names.  

Their levels weren’t very high despite their high ranks.  

But everyone knew what would happen if they received Vulcanus Equipment.  

Levels would no longer be a big issue.  

Just like other Vulcanus members showing incredibly fast growth,  Team 12 would rapidly level up through gate hunting beyond their level once equipped with Vulcanus gear.  

“This is no joke.”  

“Team 11 is already strong enough to be used as high-powered operatives. Honestly, Team 11 alone could probably clear rank 8 gates, right?”  

“Once they get Vulcanus Equipment… it’ll be a breeze.”  

“Team 12 will grow quickly too with equipment support.”  

“It’s only a matter of time.”  

“Vulcanus has a promotion system based on skill, so one of them might even join an existing team and become leader.”  

“Amazing.”  

Looking at the new Teams 11 and 12, people couldn’t stop expressing amazement.  

Team 11 gathered only hunters ranked inside the top 50.  

Not just hunters who got ranking thanks to good gear, but those confident in their skills and potential.  

With Vulcanus Equipment, their power would skyrocket.  

Among them, Kim Nara, a ranking 6th Elementalist, could even break into the top 5 with exclusive gear.  

And Team 12?  

With their high awakening ranks, their potential was tremendous.  

This wasn’t a major guild scurrying to scout; they were calmly boasting this roster.  

Some even said it was time to recognize Vulcanus as one of the major guilds.  

Meanwhile-

“Huh?”  

“What’s that?”  

“There’s something else written below here?”  

Someone noticed an extra note below the list.  

Something you’d likely miss if you scrolled carelessly.  

[Direct Guard: Shadow King, An So-hee]  

Ranking 5th.  

Shadow King, An So-hee’s name.  

“Oh, Shadow King?”  

“You mean that Shadow King?”  

“You’re telling me Ranking 5th Shadow King joined Vulcanus Guild?”  

Shock rippled through everyone.  

The confirmation of Shadow King joining Vulcanus caused an uproar in the media as well.  

No wonder.  

Park Kang-chul, the Berserker, had already joined Vulcanus and fought for first place in the Hunter rankings, and the news about his dispatch to tackle Vietnam’s rank 9 gate was the hot topic.  

And now, Shadow King also joined Vulcanus.  

What on earth was going on?  

“Direct Guard?!”  

“Wait! The Berserker got Vulcanus Equipment and became number one. What about Shadow King?”  

“Shadow King’s current rank is 5th… Even if she can’t surpass the Sword Saint and Park Kang-chul, she should at least reach 3rd.”  

“Then what about Kim Nara? If ranking 6th Kim Nara receives Vulcanus Equipment—although briefly ranked 5th before—then…”  

“She’ll probably break into the top 5 for sure.”  

Shadow King’s rank would rise.  

Kim Nara’s too.  

So that makes four guaranteed hunters in the top five.  

The Sword Saint, the Berserker, Shadow King, and the recently dubbed Spirit Emperor, Elementalist Kim Nara.  

That leaves only one spot remaining in the top five.  

Meaning…  

“Either Cheongryong or Sky Palace could be pushed out of the top five.”  

“No way!”  

Cheongryong and Sky Palace.  

One of the two, long-standing top five holders, could fall outside the top five.  

The media buzzed loudly, speculating if Kim Nara would break into the top five and who would be pushed out.  

Meanwhile, at the center of the storm, Vulcanus was thinking.  

“What should I make first?”  

For the new guild members, I pondered the order of item production.  

Then I took a big gulp.  

“Ugh.” 

With a special pork soup, stir-fried vegetable tripe, yukhoe, grilled makchang, and tripe hot pot set, I was satiating my hunger.