Chapter: 17
“Welcome. You’ve arrived at the holy land of the devil, the Cheonmasingyo.”
I was definitely the one leading the walk.
As we approached the entrance, Astrea dashed out, turned around in front of the door, and came out as if she owned the place.
“Uh… let’s go inside.”
She spread her arms wide, genuinely welcoming me. I struggled to respond and moved into the entrance as if I were escaping.
It would have been better if lightning struck at that moment, at least!
Creek—
The interior was a far cry from the spiderweb-laden mess I had expected.
A long table with neatly arranged chairs. And of course, being a ranker guild, there was even a two-story layout with several cozy living spaces.
It wasn’t shiny, but it was surprisingly tidy—it seemed Astrea had been by recently to maintain it.
As I marveled at the place, the status window popped up, and I quickly glanced at my party.
Maybe Astrea would be fine with it, but Maria didn’t appear lost in thought either. It looked like this was just for me.
‘I had refused stubbornly when you kept insisting… yet here I am, somehow, finally joining.’
Thinking it might be easier this way in many respects, I went ahead and joined the guild.
“What do you think? Now that you see it in person, doesn’t it pique your interest in the Cheonmasingyo?”
“Not at all! If it weren’t for my brother, Maria would never have set foot in a place like this.”
“I had a feeling! I will personally enlighten you on the teachings and greatness of the Cheonmasingyo!”
“···!! Oh, brother···!”
While Maria had her eyes firmly fixed on Astrea, I plopped myself down in any chair and opened the guild information window.
Excluding me, who had just joined, Taegeun was the only guild member.
It was a tad ironic that my nickname, which had been rejected countless times, was on the list, while even the hyperactive Astrea didn’t have her name there.
That last login 98 years ago probably marked the day everyone quit playing. The absurd passage of time made me realize just how removed I was from reality.
‘Even if I go back to my original world… would it still be the world I lived in?’
I shook my head and closed the window.
I turned towards Maria, who had her ears blocked by the four arms of a samurai, and Astrea, who was blathering away without a care in the world.
“When the first heavenly horse took a step, the earth trembled, and when he stretched out his fist, the skies opened up!”
It’s quite surreal watching someone I considered merely annoying end up being deified like that.
I clapped my hands to draw their attention. Maria came to me with a blank expression, as if she had found her savior, and hugged me.
“Brother, that’s way too much talk…”
“···You did great.”
As much as I adore Maria, calling her ‘that thing’—what on earth had Astrea done to her in that short time?
I gently patted Maria’s head, offering her some recognition. My mind even lingered with guilt over the thought that it might not have been enough.
“Astrea, where are the first records you have about the celestial horse?”
“Oh! If that’s the case, follow me.”
Not knowing what she’d reveal, Astrea lit up with excitement at the mention of the topic and led the way.
Following the striking hair, which stood out even against her black uniform, I climbed the stairs.
“Behold, right there—the entire history of the Cheonmasingyo is contained!”
The place Astrea guided us to was the executive conference room on the second floor. It had a round table that was significantly smaller than the one downstairs.
In the direction her finger pointed, there was a screen that filled an entire wall, and it lit up as it detected our presence.
“If you operate this, you can check the history and achievements of the Cheonmasingyo chronologically.”
‘Ah, so it’s a guild bulletin board, huh.’
Well, that makes sense. I didn’t expect anything extravagant from the start, knowing this would be the case.
Even so, I couldn’t help but feel a bit deflated as the excitement fizzled out. I lumbered over and fiddled with the bulletin board.
‘The reason they started recruitment talks was that their first raid went belly-up, and they were puffing up all proud that they managed it on their own afterward.’
‘Should’ve come in pretending I didn’t have a chance…’
‘Looking back now, it’s just absurd. Why on earth did they even want me here?’
‘Geez, that little brat’s been having a blast without me, hasn’t he?’
By the time I snapped back to reality, I was deeply engrossed.
I might not have been there in person, but I’d certainly heard all the news and kept tabs on it.
‘What kind of kid was I thinking about when I threw myself into the demon world, claiming I’d try being a Cheonma?’
Getting sucked into a concept-filled game practically screams you’re having fun and genuinely enjoying it.
Their journey was substantial enough to alter one girl’s fate.
It even made me question if I really had enjoyed the game in the first place.
“···.”
Astrea stood there, arms crossed, gazing out with a satisfied expression.
Maria was absentmindedly toying with my hand.
“Astrea, when did you first come across this?”
“Hm, it was back when I was just a kid. I stumbled upon it while wandering aimlessly through the streets.”
“Don’t mess with Maria’s head!”
A jumble of emotions I couldn’t easily articulate bottled up inside me, and I nudged the side of the screen repeatedly with my finger.
“Hey, both of you, can you follow me for a moment?”
After some contemplation, I finally made up my mind. I dragged the girls straight to the guild storage room.
“You planning on taking anything?”
“If there’s anything left, of course.”
He was the only one who stayed in the guild, even as the others left, and it felt bittersweet to see it disappearing.
If we were going to disband, I figured I should at least keep something to commemorate it—not just the items, but some memories too.
“It’s impossible. I’ve already checked everything thoroughly this body, but nothing budged at all…”
Suddenly—
“It’s supposed to be…”
The box flung open with a shocking clarity. I stared blankly, while Astrea looked down awkwardly.
‘Can you believe it? I thought you’d keep the password unchanged until the end, insisting I just had to come and open it myself…’
It’s also quite something to switch to automatic membership acceptance. Were they secretly anticipating my silent departure all along?
Now that I say it, I imagine it sounds like I’m having an inflation of self-importance, but imagination’s free and who’s there to argue with me anyway?
“Here, take this.”
I pulled a badge from the guild’s storage and handed it over to Astrea.
“What, what is this…?”
“This is the emblem that proves you belong to the Cheonmasingyo.”
A rich navy blue badge adorned with a dragon. The little heavenly horse widened her eyes and momentarily fell silent, completely taken aback.
“Brother. What about Maria? What about Maria?”
“Oh, Maria… here.”
We handed our little munchkin a dragon plushie, the mascot of the Cheonmasingyo.
“Oppa’s… present…”
To be fair, it felt a bit awkward to claim I legitimately ‘gave’ it to her, but if she likes it, that’s what truly matters.
The storage also held quite a haul of items that couldn’t actually be used but were still worth a pretty penny.
“If the building had been demolished, all of this would have been thrown away. How on earth did it end up remaining here?”
“I’ve heard that it’s a huge headache for some reason.”
“A headache, you say?”
“Strangely enough, not just the buildings, but even the internal structure seems stagnant. So many places like this exist, all taking up space without any owners.”
‘Well, the system’s blessing has evidently lasted for decades.’
That’s why Astrea, being a non-member, couldn’t even attempt to crack open the vault, let alone know the password.
“Then tell me this—if you could suddenly fix that problem, would you try to pay a large sum to resolve it?”
“I guess, considering the potential benefits! As long as it’s not a ridiculous amount.”
If a guild leader fails to log in for over a month, they may lose their position—apparently, that feature exists.
I can’t imagine anyone’s been so foolish as to keep logging in just to hang onto a title for a century. Technically speaking, with just some time and effort, every guild building could be returned to normal.
“And you’re saying there are more places like this?”
“I heard that’s the case.”
“My brother’s wearing a sneaky grin.”
“Maria, everyone tends to look a bit sinister in the face of grand aspirations.”
“Hmm.”
“Oh dear, no matter how I look at it, it seems our ideas of ‘sinister’ differ quite a bit.”
It was just today that I set out. Maybe I’m fated to have a close-knit relationship with the royal family in this lifetime too.
Cheonmasingyo, you should be grateful. Thanks to me, you will be the last guild standing in the end.
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