The F-Rank Guild Master Has Too Much Money – Chapter 50

Author: CleiZz

⚠️ Warning: This section includes depictions of violence and physical abuse.

The foul stench of the bathroom mixed with the water flooding over my face, choking my breath.

“Ghk—”

Just before I blacked out from lack of air, the man yanked my head up, smirking with one corner of his mouth raised.

“We’re just getting started, and you’re already like this?”

“…You bastard—”

“Still alive, huh.”

My head was shoved back into the toilet. The water torture continued—no air, no chance to speak.

“Hey, you’ll kill him if you keep going. Stop it.”

At the burly man’s words, the one torturing me clicked his tongue and dragged me out by the hair. Pain ripped through my scalp as if it were being torn off. With my ribs already cracked, even breathing hurt. All I could do was groan through the pain.

“Tough luck. Should’ve kept your head down. No connections, no power, and still you acted all high and mighty. That’s why you’re in this mess. If you don’t want worse, give the right answers next time. Otherwise, I’ll show you hell.”

The burly man opened an iron door and threw me inside. I hit the floor hard—pain exploded through every inch of my battered body.

“Argh!”

“Oh, right—sis told us to do something else.”

The man grinned, picked up a wooden plank lying nearby, and raised it high.

“And this is the price of your arrogance.”

Thwack.

The sound was followed by a shock that made every nerve in my body scream.

“Gah—”

The pain was so intense that even my ribs stopped hurting—I couldn’t tell where it hurt anymore.

“This’ll make sure you can’t run, right?”

☆ For Real has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

This hurts to watch… Why does Aether have to go through this? Even as a human, he’s still a god at heart!

☆ Someone Help! has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

Help Aether. He can’t even breathe!

The men laughed and slammed the iron door shut behind them. In the pitch-black room, there was nothing I could do.

My body trembled with pain so intense I could barely think. All I could manage was to breathe—slowly, carefully—even as each breath threatened to choke me.

As my ragged breathing slowly calmed, a chill spread through my body. I was in such bad shape that I genuinely thought I might die.

Through the fog in my head, one person came to mind.

Choi Tae-hyuk.

If anyone would notice my disappearance—it’d be him.

‘Just hold on. A little longer.’

As my consciousness faded, I bit my lip hard.

【Aether? Are you here?】

☆ She’s Here! has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

Finally! Aether’s alive!!

☆ Thank Goodness! has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

Thank you so muchㅠㅠ! I’ll give you a gift when we meetㅠㅠ Thank you!!

As the voice echoed in my mind and the pop-up appeared, I trembled and turned my head. In the pitch-black space stood a glowing silver fox.

“Sha… Shayna?”

【How dare they. Which bastard dares to harm a god!】

The gentle smile vanished from Shayna’s face, and her silver eyes grew sharp with fury. With every step she took toward me, the air in my lungs tightened until breathing felt impossible. The sheer pressure of a god’s power was overwhelming—especially when I couldn’t use my own.

“Can’t… breathe…”

At my words, the oppressive aura vanished instantly. Air filled my lungs again, and I gasped weakly.

Wait—is Shayna part of this? Is she trying to kill me too?

Shayna circled around me.

【S-Sorry. The gods told me to come quickly, but I didn’t expect this. Are you okay? How badly are you hurt?】

So the gods sent her…

“Can you… untie me first?”

Panting, I asked. Shayna sighed softly and stepped closer.

【What happened to your face… This is upsetting. Really. Let’s fix your injuries first.】

“You’re… not a healing god.”

【My mom is. I can heal a little.】

Most gods were created through the authority of the Supreme God—their father. Others were born from the worship of mortals or different races. Those born from the father’s divine authority were always mid-tier gods.

Meanwhile, gods born from mortal faith could be mid-tier or low-tier, depending on how many followers they had—though some were born weak regardless.

But there was one exception: when two gods loved each other and shared their power to create a child. Such offspring inherited a mix of both powers and were usually born as low-tier gods. Shayna was one of them.

“Then… fix my ribs first…”

The pain in my ribs was so bad I could barely finish my sentence. Shayna stepped forward and placed her paw over my chest.

A brief groan escaped me as she pressed down—but then a warm, soothing sensation spread through my body. The pain eased, and my breathing steadied.

☆ Healing! has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

My heart almost stopped from fear—thank god you’re alive.

☆ What About The Drug? has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

Aether, has the drug’s effect worn off? Are you okay?

【This should be enough for you to move.】

I moved carefully. Not fully healed, but able to move, at least. The drug that had left my body limp seemed to have worn off, though the dizziness still lingered. I blinked a few times to steady my vision before speaking.

“Can you untie my hands?”

Shayna trotted behind me. With a soft click, the handcuffs fell away. I tried to sit up slowly, but a sharp, nerve-jarring pain shot through me. One glance at my right leg told me enough—it was badly swollen where I’d been hit with the plank earlier. Like my ribs, it was probably broken. Those cruel bastards.

They did this to a person’s leg? Fine. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

“Heal my leg too.”

“Huh? Your leg’s hurt too?”

“Yeah.”

“…Oh no. I’ve used up all my healing power.”

When Shayna apologized, I told her it was fine and summoned a gust of wind to cut through the ropes binding my ankles. Carefully, so I wouldn’t strain my leg, I pushed myself into a sitting position. My wrists were covered in red marks and scratches.

【How strange. It’s absorbing a god’s power.】

☆ That Too has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

Could it be something Corne made? Just to mess with Aether?

☆ No Way has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

I can’t deny it. If it’s Corne, it’s totally possible.

☆ No way… has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

Even if it’s his sibling, Corne probably didn’t know it’d be used like this.

I picked up the handcuffs Shayna had been eyeing curiously. The gem set in the center glimmered faintly—something I’d seen before on Hunter Market and in the news. A suppression stone. It was meant to restrain a hunter’s abilities, so why did it suppress divine power too?

“How did you even get this off?”

【My power wouldn’t work, so I used this instead.】

Shayna mimed inserting one of her long claws into the keyhole. So even her divine power hadn’t worked?

Then… does that mean hunters’ powers are the same type as divine power? Or was this thing modified to suppress divine power too?!

Ugh, my head hurt.

I’ll think about it later. First, I need to get out of here.

Now that I felt a little better, the bathroom stench clung to me, and I wanted to wash up as soon as possible.

“Shayna, I’m leaving.”

【With that body? Where are you going?】

“Home. I still need to treat the other wounds, and I’ll rest there.”

【You can barely walk. Want me to send you home myself?】

My right leg—the one that had taken the worst of the hits—was badly swollen. Moving recklessly felt dangerous, so I asked,

“No, I can’t go like this. Do you have something to keep my leg steady?”

【Something to brace it? I do, I do!】

Shayna sat like a human and waved her front paws in the air. A round ball of light gathered, spinning faster and faster until it flattened—then slowly began to take shape.

“…What is that?”

☆ Ugh has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

Corne aside, Shayna’s taste is kind of questionable too.

☆ If You Think About It has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

Maybe it’s just me, but I’m starting to think there isn’t a single normal god around Aether.

☆ Just Now, a God has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

Are you introducing yourself right now?

☆ Tehee has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

Busted, huh? If you’re not normal, no wonder Aether picked you up.

☆ For Real has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

It looks bizarre. It doesn’t suit Aether, yet somehow it does.

The shape that finally took form was a slime that looked like an anglerfish. Just meeting its grotesque eyes made me shudder—it looked horrifying enough to make even the gods recoil.

Seeing my reaction, Shayna grinned and said, 【Put your foot in its mouth.】

“Are you crazy…?”

【I added healing properties to its body. It’ll work better than any splint—wrap it around like a bandage.】

As if it understood her, the slime opened its mouth wide. It didn’t have teeth, but… why did it feel like it was going to bite my leg off? Was it really safe to trust this thing?

I gave Shayna a doubtful look. She thumped her chest with a paw, as if to say, “Trust me.”

Sometimes, I think she forgets she’s a fox. What kind of fox hits her own chest like that?

…Anyway, that wasn’t the point.

Would Shayna really give me something dangerous? We’ve been friends since birth. Let’s trust her just this once. Steeling myself, I cautiously lifted my foot and placed it in the slime’s mouth.

Chomp!

The slime bit down. Its once squishy form began to change, solidifying with a gentle warmth. By the time it finished, it had wrapped around my foot and up to my calf—looking exactly like a boot.

…A boot shaped like an anglerfish, but still.

Just as Shayna said—it worked perfectly as a splint.

【Is your head hurt too?】

I reached back to touch the back of my head, feeling a sticky liquid. No wonder I was still dizzy even after the drug wore off—my head was busted.

Thankfully, the bleeding seemed to have stopped. Only a tacky residue remained.

“Shayna. Do me a favor.”

【Sure. Want me to take revenge for you? I can do some killing here!】

“No, I’ll handle that myself. Those handcuffs—my room, you know where it is? Take them there.”

【In your room?】

“Yeah. I can’t carry them right now.”

Shayna nodded, gripping the cuffs in her mouth.

I couldn’t use my divine power while holding them, couldn’t store them in my inventory, and leaving them here felt too risky.

“Make sure no one notices.”

【Got it!】

I watched Shayna trot off with the handcuffs in her mouth, then summoned a gust of wind. The wind lifted me gently, letting me float in the air as if lounging on the world’s comfiest sofa. Slowly, it carried me forward, stopping before the iron door.

☆ Now has donated 100 Mana Stones! ☆

It’s begun. Show them, Aether.

◆ On Our Behalf has donated 100 Mana Stones! ◆

Bring them despair.

◆ ㅇㅇ has donated 100 Mana Stones! ◆

The terror of life.

◆ Endless has donated 100 Mana Stones! ◆

Eternal suffering.

◆ No One has donated 100 Mana Stones! ◆

An inescapable hell.

“…To those who insulted a god.”

A smirk tugged at the corner of my lips.