The F-Rank Guild Master Has Too Much Money Chapter 61

 

Before I knew it, Yeon Do-jin had walked up and given Emelyn Kiyo—who still stood with her head bowed—a firm slap on the back. The sound was sharp; it must have stung. Yet Emelyn Kiyo simply kept her head lowered without a word.

 

“Please stand.”

 

I took Yeon Do-jin’s outstretched hand, got to my feet, and looked toward the forest.

 

“Where exactly is the dungeon?”

 

“It’s inside the forest.”

 

“Why would you put a house next to a forest like this?”

 

No one builds residential areas near dungeons. You never know when one might erupt, or when a monster wave could happen.

 

“No one comes here. It’s quiet and peaceful, isn’t it?”

 

Nice my ass.

 

What a weird personality.

 

I shook my head at his answer, then glanced at Emelyn Kiyo. She was still staring at her feet, head down. Shoe issue, maybe? I nudged Yeon Do-jin with my chin in her direction; he just shook his head.

 

‘What’s her problem? Does she hate the shoes? Or because they were mine? They’re basically brand new—no way they smell already.’

 

“They’re coming.”

 

At Yeon Do-jin’s words, I turned back toward the forest. The orc corpses littering the ground were nothing but an appetizer; now, even denser hordes were pouring in—along with two trolls.

 

And among them was a monster so enormous it made the trolls look tiny. Bronze armor. A monkey-like face. Blade-like claws. And a sword of emerald. A race I’d seen often in another world. Corne’s first hero—Talos.

 

☆ It Really Was Corne’s Doing. has donated 100 Mana Stones.☆

Isn’t that Corne’s first hero?

 

☆ Exactly! That’s Right has donated 100 Mana Stones.☆

He was a famous hero for a long time. I thought he’d become a star by now.

 

☆ Re-Summon has donated 100 Mana Stones.☆

High-ranking gods can re-summon heroes who’ve already become stars.

 

‘Corne, seriously… what are you doing?’

 

If Talos showed up, this monster wave wasn’t natural—it was something Corne triggered himself.

 

“What is that?”

 

Emelyn Kiyo, finally composed again, stepped up beside me.

 

“I’ve never seen anything like it.”

 

Of course he hadn’t.

 

Talos was a hero created by a god—not something you throw in as disposable fodder. But now Corne had reduced him to a one-time-use monster—gone forever when killed.

 

‘Why go that far?’

 

I didn’t understand Corne’s intentions, and I didn’t want to. With a sigh, I motioned the two of them over.

 

“I know what it is.”

 

“Huh? Yeon-woo, you know?”

 

“You recognize that monster?”

 

When I nodded, Yeon Do-jin’s eyes lit up with interest. It must’ve been amusing—an F-rank knowing something even an SS-rank didn’t.

 

“Don’t use fire. It’s resistant to it.”

 

I warned Emelyn Kiyo, our fire hunter, then turned back to Yeon Do-jin, who was still watching me curiously.

 

“Look at its heel. You’ll find something like a plug sticking out. You need to pull that out.”

 

“Alright.”

 

“First, we take down the mobs. Talos gets stronger by eating the monsters around him.”

 

Talos had become a hero in that other world thanks to a trait that let him devour monsters and grow endlessly. The ground began to tremble as waves of charging orcs approached.

 

“Then I’ll begin.”

 

Drawing on my power, I stirred the winds. This time, I infused them with even more divine power—the swirling air began to glow a pale blue. Emelyn Kiyo’s eyes widened. By the time the winds had condensed into a massive hurricane, I shouted:

 

“Fire!”

 

“Okay!”

 

Her flames surged into the tornado. The whirlwind turned into a blazing inferno, the heat burning even from far away.

 

“Here I go!”

 

Following the raging firestorm under my control, Yeon Do-jin and Emelyn Kiyo charged in.

 

☆ It’s a Sea of Fire! has donated 100 Mana Stones.☆

A sea of fire! I love it! Burn everything! Become the flames!!

 

I discarded my sword and gathered the wind into the shape of a blade. Cold to the touch, it sliced through the orcs fleeing the fire. The wind blade responded to my will, shrinking and stretching at command, and with a single swing, five orc heads flew.

 

“Yeon-woo, you’re amazing!”

 

Emelyn Kiyo clapped while reducing orcs to ash. I sighed and swung again.

 

“Don’t get distracted—fight.”

 

“Yes! I’ll do my best!”

 

Flames burst from her hands, twisting into the shape of a snake that lunged forward.  While she caught fleeing orcs and burned them alive like a walking fire show, Yeon Do-jin fought in stark contrast—clean, precise, relying only on his sword and whip.

 

☆ Something has donated 100 Mana Stones.☆

Yeon Do-jin is so graceful. Those fluid movements, that swordplay…

 

☆ But Don’t They Look Similar? has donated 100 Mana Stones.☆

Am I imagining things, or does his style look exactly like Aether’s?

 

☆ Nope! has donated 100 Mana Stones.☆

Nope, I see it too. They’re eerily similar.

 

Unlike earlier when he toyed with small fry, Yeon Do-jin was now cleaving trolls apart in single blows. Then he charged straight at Talos.

 

Talos sat cross-legged, eyes closed, a shield as tall as himself resting at his side, bronze armor gleaming. When his golden hero’s eyes snapped open, they reflected the light. Then he swung his sword at Yeon Do-jin.

 

Boom!

 

The ground where Yeon Do-jin had been standing caved in.

 

“He’s insanely strong.”

 

Emelyn Kiyo stepped beside me after burning the last orc to ash.

 

“It’s not just strength,” I said.

 

Yeon Do-jin dodged the emerald sword and reappeared on the opposite side, striking—but a sharp, metallic clang rang out.

 

“What?”

 

“He can’t cut it. Its body is hard as stone.”

 

In that instant, Talos’s enormous hand swept toward him.

 

“Mr. Yeon Do-jin!”

 

He slipped through a spatial tear just in time, reappearing at my side. His hand gripping the sword was flushed red.

 

“It’s faster than I expected.”

 

Talos, who had been staring at the spot Yeon Do-jin vanished from, rose to his feet. His massive blue body—bigger than a troll—blocked out the sun.

 

☆ Size Up has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

It’s bigger than before. Looks upgraded.

 

Spotting us, Talos barreled forward, the ground trembling under each thunderous step. Yeon Do-jin snapped his whip at him, but the strike bounced harmlessly off Talos’s bronze armor. As Yeon Do-jin pulled his whip back, Talos swung his blade—its sword extending in an instant, just like mine.

 

“Mr. Yeon Do-jin!”

 

I summoned a shield of wind before him.

 

The tremendous force crashed against it, sending a painful throb through my chest.

 

‘Damn it, Corne. Why’d you make this thing so ridiculously strong?’

 

I hunched over for a second. Emelyn Kiyo’s worried voice reached me.

 

“I’m fine.”

 

This much was manageable. Once I confirmed Yeon Do-jin had dodged, I dispelled the shield. The pain faded.

 

“Yeon Do-jin! What were you thinking!!” Emelyn Kiyo snapped.

 

“I didn’t expect the whip to be useless.”

 

He clicked his tongue.

 

Talos, startled that his attack had been blocked, no longer charged. Instead, he watched us quietly, evaluating us.

 

I bit my lip. Corne had poured everything into Talos—strength, agility, power, intelligence, even magic.

 

“Dodge!”

 

As I shouted, Emelyn Kiyo reached for me. Yeon Do-jin grabbed my waist and yanked me back.

 

Emelyn Kiyo retreated a split second later. Where we’d stood, a bolt of pure white lightning crashed down, gouging a smoking crater into the ground.

 

“Hey!!” Furious, Emelyn Kiyo yelled.

 

“You’re slow,” Yeon Do-jin said with a smirk, clearly enjoying how irritated she was, then glanced down at me. “So, what’s the plan?”

 

“What do you mean, ‘what’s the plan’? We capture it.”

 

I tapped his arm—let me go.

 

“How?”

 

Instead of releasing me, he tightened his hold. Emelyn Kiyo stormed over and forcibly pried his arm off me.

 

“Hey! What do you think you’re—!”

 

“It’s coming.”

 

Yeon Do-jin instantly wrapped an arm around my waist again, grabbed Emelyn Kiyo as well, tore open space, and warped the three of us behind Talos.

 

Talos paused, confused by our sudden disappearance.

 

“Alright, now tell us the plan.”

 

“Let go of me first!!”

 

I struggled, and surprisingly, Yeon Do-jin released me immediately. Emelyn Kiyo fumed while he looked amused. I sighed and clapped once to get their attention.

 

“Okay, let’s catch him quickly. There probably won’t be another wave.”

 

“How do you know that?”

 

“A hunch.”

 

☆ I Think So Too has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

No way he’d treat his own hero like disposable trash, right?

 

☆ Exactly has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

If it were me, I’d make him a boss, not a mid-wave mob.

 

Right. Corne wouldn’t waste his beloved masterpiece as cannon fodder.

 

“As I said, he’s resistant to fire. So don’t attack with flames—just draw his attention.”

 

“Got it.”

 

“Mr. Yeon Do-jin, aside from portals, what other skills do you have?”

 

“Tell me what you need, and I’ll tell you if I can do it.”

 

‘How many skills does he have that he needs to check?’

 

Talos had no weaknesses—except the plug in his heel. I remembered how much care Corne put into making him.

 

[Nothing in this world will be able to torment this hero.]

 

Yeah. He really was built to be undefeatable.

 

Bronze armor, lightning abilities, resistant to fire and water—how were we supposed to win?

 

☆ How Do We Even Crack This Thing? has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

How are they supposed to beat a hero made by a god?

 

☆ With The Power of The Wind has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

Sure, maybe—but it’s definitely a death-regression route.

 

Ignoring the gods’ chatter, I watched Talos scan the area, searching for us. Then suddenly, a memory flickered.

 

When Corne bragged about Talos, another god said something that shut him right up.

 

What was it again…?

 

“Guildmaster Ji Yeon-woo?”

 

I raised a hand—don’t interrupt.

 

What was it… his weakness…

 

☆ But has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

Since the armor is bronze… wouldn’t he be unable to move if it froze?

 

☆ Oh My has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

Why would you say that out loud!!

 

☆ Which God Was That? has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

Confess now and you’ll be forgiven.

 

Thanks to the gods, the memory returned.

 

[His armor is bronze. If it freezes, he won’t be able to move. Then you just pull the plug from his heel. Simple.]

 

And the one who said that was the God of Ice.

 

“Mr. Yeon Do-jin, do you have anything related to cold—snow or ice?”

 

Realizing my intent, Yeon Do-jin smiled brightly.

 

“As it happens, I do.”

 

“Good. Let’s begin. Kiyo!”

 

Emelyn Kiyo dashed toward Talos.

 

“My turn, then.”

 

Yeon Do-jin lifted his hand toward the sky. A small dark cloud formed in the clear blue sky. The palm-sized cloud rapidly expanded, darkening the entire sky. 

 

Snowflakes and ice crystals drifted down. SS-rank wasn’t attained through skill alone. You needed at least two abilities. His first was spatial power. The second…

 

“Water.”

 

“Correct.”

 

Yeon Do-jin smiled, proud as a teacher whose student answered perfectly.