Chapter 66: Star, The Meeting (4)

Chapter 66: Star, The Meeting (4)

“Come on, hyung-nim. You’re talking crazy. How could a Player that has no Guardian become this strong?” Seo Jeong-Gwon snorted, crossing his arms.

His reaction was understandable. Unlike small Clans that worked like religious groups, the members of the major or supranational Clans such as the White Tiger Clan couldn’t have the same Guardian. The White Tiger Clan was especially more tolerant about its Players having different Guardians, so the Clan worked more like a mercenary group.

Of course, to become executives they had to change their Guardian to Heoju, but the ordinary White Tiger Clan Members were rarely forced to do so. That was why the public and the media had two main questions when Chang-Sun had first shown up: How did such a genius appear out of thin air, and which Guardian had he chosen?

Because he hadn’t shown any signature skills, some conjectured that Chang-Sun did not have a Guardian, or that his Guardian wasn’t famous. However, just like Jeong-Gwon’s reaction, they were instantly disregarded because they ‘didn’t make sense’.

Even the public knew that there was a limit to how strong Players could become without Guardians. On top of that, so many Celestials wanted to have Chang-Sun that they wouldn’t leave him alone. Among the experts, the fact that Chang-Sun had finished the tutorial was no longer a secret, thus they could only assume that Chang-Sun had a Guardian. However, Chang-Sun and Executive Director Oh just looked at each other without saying anything.

Standing in between them, Jeong-Gwon felt anxious, beginning to think that the impossible might be true. He turned to Chang-Sun and said, “...Say something. Hyung-nim... no, Executive Director Oh is making a wrong assumption.”

Chang-Sun stayed silent.

“Hmm? Why aren’t you saying anything?” Jeong-Gwon asked again.

“...”

“No way... It’s not true, right? Of course, it’s not true. Of course.” Jeong-Gwon shook his head.

“...”

“Huh...? Is-is it true?” Jeong-Gwon took a step backward, but he was stopped by the elevator wall.

“...”

“Impos-s-s-ible...!” Jeong-Gwon stuttered. Although he looked too intimidating to ever be shocked, he gaped so hard when he became certain. His jaw would have been dislocated if he wasn’t a Player.

Without a Guardian, Chang-Sun had shown remarkable ability and cleared the ‘Blackish-Red Mountain Range’ within a month; the dungeon that even the White Tiger Clan Leader had given up clearing in his youth. In this case, Jeong-Gwon couldn’t help but wonder how much greater Chang-Sun’s abilities would be if he had a Guardian.

‘It’s craz...!’ Jeong-Gwon was so dumbfounded that he couldn’t even think in complete sentences, but he could now see why Executive Director Oh had reacted like that.

If Chang-Sun truly had no Guardian, what kind of power would he have if he chose ‘Calamity Tiger’ as his Guardian in the future? What position would ‘Calamity Tiger’ offer to Chang-Sun? Just thinking about the answer made Jeong-Gwon tremble. The title of ‘genius’ was attractive if the person was just normally smart, but an extraordinarily talented genius like this made people feel like they were meeting an alien.

“It seems the ‘Calamity Tiger’ wants me.” Chang-Sun nodded.

“Of course. Even I, his mere servant, want you. Which deity wouldn’t?” Executive Director Oh shrugged.

With his guess confirmed to be true, Jeong-Gwon could only silently stand still.

“Many deities have offered me the seat of an apostle. Would you be able to offer me something as valuable as that?” Chang-Sun asked.

Since Heoju’s apostle was Munseong, Chang-Sun’s question was ridiculous from the start. Implicitly, he wanted to know whether or not he could be ranked as a high priest or a bishop. However, it was also absurd because the White Tiger Clan’s high priests or bishops were the executives of the White Tiger Clan, just like Executive Director Oh and Director Gwon.

The Clan would be thrown into mayhem if a rookie like Chang-Sun was treated the same as the executives. Even if Heoju allowed him to become one of them, they would put restrictions on Chang-Sun on their end. There were Clans where every Player was considered to be of equal rank aside from the Clan Leaders, but the White Tiger Clan had a strict hierarchy.

Executive Director Oh smiled enigmatically. “You know very well that you’re making an absurd request, right?”

“That’s why I’m telling you if the condition to receive the reward is to choose a Guardian, I’ll just resign. There are many benefits to not having a Guardian.” Chang-Sun said, firmly drawing the line.

“I see I have a new boss.” Executive Director Oh said with a crooked smile on his face.

[Fierce Tiger].

[Jackal Tiger].

[Cruel Tiger].

[Roaming Tiger].[1]

[Mountain Tiger].

[Strict Tiger].[2]

[Four Tigers].

[Black Tiger].

And [Dream-Eating Beast].[3]

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ proudly tells you that these are the real treasures that made him who he is today.]

[The Celestial ‘Calamity’ Tiger’ tempts you. He says if you become his priest, you will be able to have everything in this library.]

‘They’re the advanced versions of [Tiger Form],’ Chang-Sun thought, realizing why the Tier 2 Library existed only after he read all the nameplates.

After mastering [Tiger Walk], [Tiger Kill], and [Tiger Disaster]—the three basic skills—one could transform their energy to look like a tiger using [Tiger Form], as it meant they were able to freely use [Tiger Claw] and [Tiger Teeth]. Those two alone were enough to incapacitate most Players, which was why the White Tiger Clan was famous for their combat power.

However, [Tiger Form] wasn’t a simple skill. According to each Player’s personality and combat style, [Tiger Form] presented itself in different ways. It was similar to the person’s hidden personality that they developed, or their shadow. Through mastering the nine categories, one could advance their [Tiger Form].

The Fierce Tiger, the evil Jackal Tiger... If one could master a category that matched their [Tiger Form], they would reach a higher level much more easily and transform themselves into a true force to be reckoned with.

[The reward on hold for finishing the quest ‘The Tiger’s Plunder’ will be given now!]

[There are a total of nine paths in front of you right now. Through each path, you can learn a method to become a tiger with a unique characteristic.]

[Choose one of the paths. Your key will change upon your choice.]

[However, according to the condition set by the ‘Calamity Tiger’, you have been granted the right to open all the paths, but you must choose him as your Guardian.]

‘He’s pulling a stupid trick.’

Chang-Sun lightly chuckled. He could see what Heoju was up to. Heoju couldn’t force Chang-Sun to join him, so he was trying to lure him in with gifts.

If Chang-Sun successfully mastered all nine categories, they would all become Chang-Sun’s authorities. So with this, Heoju was taking the plunge and practically giving almost everything away. Chang-Sun assumed that Munseong was the only one who Heoju had opened all the categories for.

‘He’s really pathetic,’ Chang-Sun thought, because Heoju didn’t know one thing. ‘I’m already planning on taking away everything in here, even if he didn’t offer that.’

Chang-Sun slowly pulled out the key that Executive Director Oh gave him. There was no reason to not take it, so he intended to get what he needed the most first. Among the nine categories, Chang-Sun chose...

1. This comes from the phrase 縱虎歸山 (lit. let a tiger loose in the mountains), which means that you should take care of loose ends lest they turn into major problems in the future. ☜

2. A metaphor for very strict rules. ☜

3. The raw was 몽식맥(夢食貘). It’s often used to refer to Baku because, in eastern mythology, Baku feeds on people’s nightmares. But 貘 also means a beast, so the current Dream-Eating Beast isn’t technically Baku. ☜