The F-Rank Guild Master Has Too Much Money Chapter 20

 

 

“The auction will now begin. The starting bid is fifty million won, with increments of one million. Fifty-one, fifty-two, fifty-three million… the increments will now rise by three hundred.”

 

Everyone here today had gathered for one reason—to buy that dragon.

 

As the bids climbed higher, I couldn’t take my eyes off the monster.

 

There was something familiar about it—an aura, a scent I instantly recognized the moment our eyes met.

 

The gods watching me trembled, for a single undeniable truth became clear.

 

“1.2 billion won. Any further bids?”

 

Before the auctioneer could finalize the bid, I quickly raised my paddle.

 

“1.4 billion won. Do we have any bids above 1.4 billion?”

 

Paddle number 5 rose.

 

“1.6 billion won.”

 

Meeting the auctioneer’s gaze, I lifted mine again.

 

“1.8 billion won. Bidding will now rise in increments of 300 million. Any bids for 2.1 billion?”

 

The man holding paddle number 5 shifted uneasily, glancing between the dragon and his hand.

 

No matter the price, I intended to win. I raised my paddle once more.

 

“2.1 billion won. Bid accepted. Customer number 5, are you giving up?

 

The man hesitated before nodding weakly.

 

“2.1 billion once, twice… sold! To paddle number 10, for 2.1 billion won!”

 

As soon as the auction ended, I hurried backstage.

 

A silver tracking bracelet, an A-rank protection ring for An Bom, and the dragon’s gem—something I was compelled to obtain as a god. 

 

With so many expensive items bought by one person, the other hunters’ eyes turned toward me.

 

“How much is the total?”

 

“Two hundred and thirty-five million won.”

 

“I’ll pay in full. Two hundred and thirty-five million.”

 

“Y-yes! Please proceed with the transfer.”

 

Ignoring the stares, I transferred the money. The staff member quickly checked the payment on their computer.

 

“Transfer confirmed!”

 

I slipped the items into my coat pocket and unlatched the iron bars of the cage.

 

“Wait! If you open it like that, it could go wild!”

 

Ignoring the warning, I removed the collar from its neck and the shackles from its legs.

 

Then, carefully, I lifted the baby dragon.

 

It folded its wings neatly against its back, settled quietly into my arms, and rested its chin there.

 

As I stroked its head, I felt the cold texture of scales. The dragon gazed at me with wide eyes before slowly closing them.

 

“Wha—how…?”

 

“I’m allowed to take it with me, right?”

 

“Y-yes… yes.”

 

I walked upstairs slowly, careful not to wake the baby dragon sleeping in my arms.

 

‘Clairvoyance.’

 

[Wind Dragon Erkia, S-rank.]

 

• Attribute: Wind
• Skills: Tornado (S), Gust (S), Hurricane (S)

 

As expected…

 

The reason the dragon had looked at me was now clear. My thoughts grew tangled. To think this creature had been born of my power…

 

…This dragon was a monster created from my own power.

 

☆ Is That Even Possible? has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

How can a monster have Aether’s power?

 

☆ I Thought I Was Seeing Things. has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

Isn’t this Corne’s world? Why does it contain Aether’s power?

 

☆ That’s Not the Point! has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

The point is—it’s way too cute for something that wields Aether’s power!

 

☆ World Destroyer! has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

It’s a dragon! But it has pink paw pads?! Pink paw pads!!!

 

☆ Crazy… has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

Pant, pant—come here, little one! Big sister’s not dangerous, I promise! Pant, pant—

 

☆ Aether-nim has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

It looks heavy. Want me to carry it for you? No ulterior motives, I swear!

 

I ignored the flood of chatter from the gods and looked down at the sleeping Blue Dragon. I had created many beings before, so its existence wasn’t inherently strange.

 

The problem was—I had no memory of creating this one. And this wasn’t even a world I had made. My creations shouldn’t exist here.

 

‘How could this happen?’

 

Was there another god with my power? Or was this that damned brother’s work again?

 

Unless I found Shayna, I doubted I would get answers. I should’ve asked for a way to contact her back then.

 

When I reached the first floor, Choi Tae-hyuk approached me. Relief flickered briefly across his face the moment he saw me.

 

He must have been through a lot in such a short time. Behind him, as always, were guild headhunters and reporters snapping endless photos.

 

“Mr. Choi Tae-hyuk, you won’t regret joining our guild.”

 

“You may not know, but our guild is ranked number one in Korea—”

 

I forced my way past the headhunters and reporters and approached him.

 

“All finished?” Choi Tae-hyuk asked.

 

“So you’ve completed your Hunter registration.”

 

“Yes. Just as you said, I was registered as S-rank.”

 

“Congratulations. Well then, I’ll be going. Take care.”

 

I had planned to propose guild recruitment to Choi Tae-hyuk as soon as I came up, but now wasn’t the time to lure him in.

 

My dazed mind snapped awake the moment I saw Choi Tae-hyuk. First, I needed to figure out how this had all happened.

 

Who knew what schemes my brother was planning? Where had they said this dragon was found? I should return underground and—

 

“What is that?”

 

Choi Tae-hyuk suddenly grabbed my arm.

 

Following his gaze, I looked down at the baby Blue Dragon, sleeping soundly despite the noise.

 

“It’s a baby Blue Dragon. It was up for auction, so I bought it.”

 

“Isn’t it a monster?”

 

“For Tamers, it’s possible to raise a monster’s offspring. And with its gem, you can keep it even without being a Tamer. Anyway, I need to head back down. We’ll talk later.”

 

“…Aren’t you going to invite me to your guild?”

 

At his words, I tilted my chin toward the crowd behind him. Hadn’t they already tried to recruit him enough?

 

Even so, Choi Tae-hyuk kept staring at me.

 

His gaze was so piercing that I tilted my head slightly. Finally, with an expressionless face, he spoke.

 

“I think the guild’s name was Yeon Guild, right?”

 

“Yes, that’s correct.”

 

“They said Yeon Guild has an F-rank guild master. Is that true?”

 

When I glanced back, several headhunters quickly averted their eyes.

 

“…”

 

It seemed the rumor had spread far and wide.

 

“That’s correct.”

 

“Then I’ll join Yeon Guild.”

 

☆ Totally Fell For It has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

Fell for Aether’s charm—completely fell for it.

 

☆ At This Point has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

Is Aether the god of charm? Overflowing with charm, Aether!

 

The cameras that had been focused solely on him now turned toward the two of us.

 

Flash! Flash!

 

Blinding lights went off in rapid succession.

 

“…What did you just say?”

 

“I said I want to join the Yeon Guild. Is there any requirement or condition for the contract?”

 

“N-no, nothing like that.”

 

“Then when can we sign the contract?”

 

“You can do it right now, or…”

 

The constant flashing cameras, along with the headhunters shouting behind him that their guilds were better, made it hard to think straight.

 

Meanwhile, the one who dropped the bombshell looked calmer than ever.

 

What on earth is he thinking?

 

My already tangled thoughts grew even more complicated.

 

“Mr. Choi Tae-hyuk, let’s talk about the contract later. There’s something I need to finish downstairs.”

 

“Understood.”

 

I decided to handle what I needed to first. Leaving him behind, I headed back toward the underground floor—but he followed after me.

 

“…Why are you following me?”

 

“I’m curious. Isn’t it natural for a future guild member to want to know what his guild master is up to?”

 

“…We haven’t signed the contract yet.”

 

He pointed toward the headhunters behind us.

 

“They told me that S-ranks are welcome in any guild. Isn’t that right?”

 

That was true. Every guild would gladly accept an S-rank. I, too, had worried about how to bring him in at the beginning.

 

But I hadn’t expected things to go this smoothly. After studying him for a moment, I slowly nodded.

 

“…Then don’t follow behind me—walk beside me instead.”

 

Who would ever reject an S-rank who wanted to join? No one.

 

He then moved to walk beside me.

 

We returned to the auction floor and approached a staff member cleaning up the stage.

 

“…Excuse me?”

 

The staff member turned, jumped in shock, and stumbled back.

 

“Ah! You scared me! You can’t just carry a monster around like that!”

 

“It’s asleep, so it won’t bite. I just wanted to ask something.”

 

The staff member, still backing away nervously, nodded frantically.

 

What’s so scary about a sleeping creature? How did someone so timid get into the Hunter Association?

 

“Could you tell me where this little one was captured?”

 

“J-just a moment.”

 

The staff member rummaged through some papers in the corner. Flipping to the last document, they looked up and answered.

 

“It’s confidential. The dungeon belongs to the Kanghyeon Guild, and the registered finder is Guild Master Yeon Do-jin.”

 

Kanghyeon Guild and Yeon Do-jin.

 

…Could this have something to do with my brother?

 

When I saw him before, I didn’t notice anything unusual.

 

☆ Yeon Do-jin? has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

Is that the handsome man from the previous auction?

 

☆ Being Handsome Isn’t the Issue Right Now! has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

Think about the context—could there be some connection between Yeon Do-jin and that creature?

 

“Guild Master?”

 

Choi Tae-hyuk’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

 

“It’s nothing. Let’s discuss the contract back at our guild.”

 

“Yes, understood.”

 

With nothing more to gain, I went back up to the first floor with Choi Tae-hyuk.

 

“Mr. Choi Tae-hyuk. I’m Kang Geon-hee of the Kyunghee Guild.”

 

“Hello. I’m Park Hyun-sang of the Emergency Guild.”

 

“Hello. I’m Park Jin of the Spring Guild.”

 

As soon as we reached the first floor, guild masters began swarming around him. They were the kind of high-profile leaders you often saw on TV.

 

They were panting, as if they’d rushed over in a hurry.

 

Did they think I gave them permission just because I’m the guild master? I didn’t.

 

“I’ve already chosen my guild.”

 

“Name your conditions—we’ll match them.”

 

“We’ll even double it.”

 

“We can offer dungeon shares.”

 

Like baby birds chirping with open beaks, the guild masters clamored with offers. But Choi Tae-hyuk, expressionless, simply looked at them with disinterest before turning his head toward me.

 

“I’ve decided to go with Yeon Guild.”

 

All those baby birds instantly turned their eyes on me.