Chapter 42

Chapter 42 – Guild Establishment (3)

“Wow! Thank you!”

The student who received An Yu-seong’s autograph ran off excitedly.

Seeing this, others who had been hesitating and watching from afar seemed to gain courage and started approaching one by one.

“Excuse me, are you the Goblin Slayer? I’m a fan!”

“My brother said he’s alive thanks to you. Thank you.”

“You’re our lifesaver!”

At first, this kind of attention was awkward and uncomfortable. But as time passed, Kang Hyeon got used to it, and now he was accepting it naturally.

“Mr. Kang Hyeon.”

In the midst of signing autographs, a familiar person made his way through the crowd.

“It’s been a while.”

Kang Hyeon greeted Shin Tae-gil, who was dressed in a neat suit.

“Yes, it’s good to see you. Oh, An Yu-seong is here too.”

The two greeted each other naturally.

It seemed Shin Tae-gil and An Yu-seong were already acquainted.

‘How does this guy know everyone?’

First with the Dangun Guild incident, and now everyone he meets knows An Yu-seong – Kang Hyeon found it quite remarkable.

“How do you know An Yu-seong?”

“Mr. An Yu-seong was also a recruitment target for our team. He politely declined, though, so it couldn’t be helped.”

There was a hint of bitterness in his tone.

“Anyway, thank you. I didn’t expect you to achieve such results so soon, it’s very good.”

Shin Tae-gil, who had taken over Jung Young-sik from Kang Hyeon, smiled rarely.

“Is there any specific reward you’d like? Feel free to ask.”

At the mention of rewards, Kang Hyeon fell into thought for a moment.

“Hmm... I don’t need anything right now. Just set aside any good items if you come across them. Preferably related to magic power.”

“Understood.”

“Then, take care.”

As Kang Hyeon was about to leave after finishing his business, Shin Tae-gil stopped him.

“Mr. Kang Hyeon. I have something to discuss with you.”

“Yes?”

“It’s not appropriate here. How about we move somewhere else?”

“Sure, why not...”

As soon as Kang Hyeon agreed, the men in suits who had come with Shin Tae-gil cleared a path.

“We’re on official business. Please step aside.”

Kang Hyeon was inwardly impressed, seeing a scene he had only witnessed in dramas and movies before.

‘This looks pretty cool.’

Soon, a wide path was created through the crowd.

A large van stopped in front of Kang Hyeon as he escaped with the group.

“You can get in the car.”

Following Shin Tae-gil’s words, Kang Hyeon immediately got into the vehicle.

“Wow, I feel alive again.”

The interior maintained a cool temperature like mid-winter.

It seemed they had rescued Kang Hyeon, who had been waiting in the scorching August sun.

As he sat in the plush seat that enveloped his body, a cool drink from the car’s refrigerator was placed before him.

“Don’t you have beer instead of this?”

With just one word from Kang Hyeon, the drink was promptly replaced with a can of beer.

-Click

“Ahhhh!”

Cold beer on a hot summer day was truly the best.

Kang Hyeon continued to express his satisfaction while drinking the beer for a while.

“Ahem...”

After waiting for a moment, Shin Tae-gil cleared his throat, and only then did Kang Hyeon put down the beer can.

“Now, tell me. What did you want to say?”

“Mr. Kang Hyeon. Have you heard the news?”

“...?”

Kang Hyeon looked confused at the sudden mention of news.

“Yesterday, China succeeded in the world’s first complete clear of a C-grade dungeon.”

“By complete clear, you mean...”

“It means they succeeded in defeating the boss and removing the main core.”

Kang Hyeon vaguely recalled seeing something about it on the news.

“I think I did see news about a large-scale attack to clear a dungeon, so I guess that finished yesterday.”

“Yes. There were quite a few casualties due to the human wave tactics, but the title of world’s first was worth the sacrifice, I suppose.”

China is the country with the largest population in the world. Naturally, there were also that many ability users.

“So what do you want to say? Let’s skip the roundabout talk and get straight to the point.”

Since there had already been loud noise, the group immediately drew attention.

“Who are these people?”

“Ah! I’ve seen them on the internet before.”

Hearing people’s voices, Kang Hyeon shook his head.

“Geez. Are you guys some kind of attention seekers? Please try to be normal for once.”

An Yu-seong with his super Saiyan hair full of piercings and tattoos.

Shin Seong-a in her rare full-body leather outfit with a cold expression.

One drove a sports car that’s one of only a few in the world, while the other rode a massive bike rarely seen.

They couldn’t help but draw attention wherever they went.

“Hyeon, at least try to look pleasant when you speak.”

“I don’t think Kang Hyeon is in a position to say that.”

Kang Hyeon just quietly clicked his tongue at their retorts.

‘What’s wrong with me?’

Since becoming quite famous, Kang Hyeon had been careful not to stand out too much.

Today, too, he wore a cute t-shirt with Ppotongryong (a character) printed on it that he had just bought yesterday, trying to look as ordinary as possible.

“What kind of kindergarten clothes are you wearing?”

“Kindergarten? Don’t exaggerate.”

“...”

“I just bought it yesterday... But it does seem a bit small.”

“It seems more than just a bit, though.”

At that moment, a child approached from afar, seeing the Ppotongryong drawn on Kang Hyeon’s back.

“Mom, it’s Ppotongryong!”

Children’s friend!

Children’s president!

The child ran towards his idol with a bright smile.

However, that bright expression gradually distorted as he got closer to Kang Hyeon.

“What is this...?”

Soon, the child who saw the Ppotongryong drawn on Kang Hyeon’s back suddenly started crying.

“Mom. Ppotongryong looks weird! Waaah!”

The giant Ppotongryong on Kang Hyeon’s back looked very different from what the child knew.

Due to Kang Hyeon’s excessive muscles, the t-shirt had stretched sideways too much.

As a result, Ppotongryong’s eyes, which were originally tiny, were completely torn and looked like they were glaring.

“Tsk tsk.”

“It’s good to see you taking the lead in destroying children’s innocence.”

“Oh shit...”

Kang Hyeon sighed deeply and roughly ran his hand through his hair.

“Hyeon!”

At that moment, hearing the child’s cry, the mother came running in a hurry.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. These things happen.”

“Yes...”

The mother was clearly apologizing, but her eyes towards Kang Hyeon were filled with contempt.

“Didn’t mom tell you not to approach strange people?”

“I’m sorry. Waaah!”

‘Come on, what exactly did I do...’

Feeling unfairly accused, Kang Hyeon looked at the scene with bitterness.

“Sigh, forget it.”

And so, Kang Hyeon’s plan to become a popular star among children came to nothing.

“Forget all of this. Let’s get straight to the point.”

At Kang Hyeon’s words, the other two focused their attention.

“You know why we gathered today, it’s because of the guild.”

“Is it finally starting?! I’m ready anytime.”

“I’ll join too.”

The conclusion was reached before the discussion even started.

“Listen seriously. You know we’re entering a C-rank dungeon soon, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’m thinking of creating a guild to participate in it.”

The two nodded at Kang Hyeon’s words.

“Sounds good.”

“Actually, even D-rank bosses aren’t easy for just us. Obviously, going to C-rank would be life-threatening. So, you two should think carefully...”

“I’m in.”

“I’ll go.”

Faced with answers that came before he could finish speaking, Kang Hyeon wore an expression of resignation.

“What’s the point of me talking to you guys.”