The Modern Founding Chronicles of the Returned Demon King

The Modern Founding Chronicles of the Returned Demon King

Episode 12: The Guild (2)

“Come in.”

Seated in his office, Kim Jin-woo responded to the knock on the door.

The door opened, and Ahn Daehyun, the head of the Alkebury Seoul branch, walked in with his secretary.

Rising from his seat, Kim Jin-woo walked over to the guest sofa and sat down without ceremony, offering them a seat.

“Please, have a seat. I knew you would come.”

The gesture of a superior dealing with a subordinate.

“…Yes.”

Caught by the naturalness of it, Ahn Daehyun discreetly bit his lip.

Although Kim Jin-woo was clearly younger, he waited for Ahn Daehyun’s words with his legs crossed.

Suppressing his emotions, Ahn Daehyun asked.

“Why exactly do you want to terminate our contract?”

“I’m sure the message was clear. Is there some misunderstanding? We’re not completely cutting ties with Alkebury.”

“What… what does that mean?”

“We won’t be renewing the ‘Best 1 Potion’ and the ingredients that go into it, everything else will continue. We’re not so flush with cash that we can only use expensive potions.”

As Kim Jin-woo adjusted his glasses, Ahn Daehyun clenched his teeth.

“Isn’t that the same as terminating our contract? That product is our main focus. What is the reason? If the demand isn’t met or the price is high, we can negotiate. Shall I meet Chairman Kim Jae-yong directly?”

“No, my father is also aware of this situation.”

Kim Jin-woo slightly nodded his head.

“And it’s not for those reasons either.”

“Then what is it?”

“Because there’s a potion with better efficacy. If there’s a potion with similar ingredients but better effects, we should naturally use that one.”

At Kim Jin-woo’s words, the Alkebury group was stunned.

With his mouth hanging open, Ahn Daehyun forced a wry smile and composed himself.

I thought something was off, but…

“Mr. Kim Jin-woo, I hesitate to say this, but it seems you don’t know much about this profession of alchemy.”

It was laughable.

Kim Jin-woo, who lived as if he knew it all, making such a ridiculous mistake.

“This potion was created by renowned Korean alchemists. It’s a product that’s even recognized overseas.”

Ahn Daehyun sighed inwardly.

It was a happenstance born out of Kim Jin-woo’s ignorance, not any fault of theirs.

Better than Alkebury’s? Must be some sweet-talking scam artist. Probably someone involved in abilities conned him.

Perhaps this incident could even solidify their relationship by avoiding a scam.

“So you found a potion with better efficacy?”

He relaxed his tense shoulders confidently and placed both elbows on his knees.

“That’s preposterous. I don’t know who scammed you, Mr. Kim Jin-woo, but you’re severely mistaken. If such a thing exists, then bring it. I’ll check it myself.”

Kim Jin-woo’s lips were tightly sealed.

Only the silent ticking of the clock cut through the quiet.

“…”

Clouds passed, covering the sun, and the rays coming through the glass gradually disappeared.

In the sudden darkness, the area behind Kim Jin-woo’s glasses became invisible.

At some point, Kim Jin-woo quietly began to speak.

“Mr. Ahn Daehyun.”

With a voice that was neither high nor low, he maintained a consistent tone.

“…Yes?”

Ahn Daehyun swallowed his dry saliva due to the sudden tension.

…He had momentarily forgotten.

The man in front of him was not just the leader of the organization, but also an S-rank hunter in his own right. He felt an overwhelming pressure from him, as if he were face-to-face with a wild beast.

Kim Jin-Woo leaned in with a cold gaze, scrutinizing Ahn Daehyun.

“You’re rather presumptuous. Do you think I’m like you, unable to distinguish between the real and the fake?”

“What… what are you saying?”

Knock, knock-

Someone knocked on the door at that moment.

Kim Jin-Woo leaned back onto the sofa.

“Didn’t you just say to bring it if there was such a thing? Knowing you’d say that, I called the person who made that potion. If you are a true alchemist, you should be able to discern which potion is superior.”

“…Yes?”

He called that scammer?

With what kind of nerve?

“Come in.”

Ahn Daehyun shifted his gaze toward the door.

The door opened, and the figure of a woman gradually became visible.

A woman with purple, short hair walked in, chest out.

His curiosity about her identity was short-lived as his attention was immediately seized by the man following her.

An elegant black suit and a black cloak.

“…. Lee Seo-Jun?”

That suave face was unmistakably Lee Seo-Jun, the S-rank hunter who had recently been the talk of the town.

‘… What is his relationship with her?’

Though momentarily confused, Ahn Daehyun rearranged his thoughts.

So, did that woman make a potion superior to ours? I’ve never seen her face before.

The secretary behind him stammered.

“Br-Branch manager…! Th-that girl…!”

“Do you know her?”

“That’s the woman! The one who comes to our building every day!”

“…What?”

Upon hearing the secretary whisper into his ear, Ahn Daehyun’s pupils dilated.

Jeong Ye-Rin walked confidently to the other side of the table and sat down. Kim Jin-Woo, who had been at the head of the table, gave his seat to Lee Seo-Jun.

Jeong Ye-Rin wore a sly smile.

“We meet again, don’t we?”

“…Who are you?”

“What do you mean? I’m the alchemist who makes this kind of potion.”

Jeong Ye-Rin took a potion out of her bag and slammed it on the table.

“You told me to make it myself if I had such a recipe, didn’t you? So, I did. Go ahead, taste it or smell it.”

Ahn Daehyun looked at her with suspicious eyes.

Such arrogance from a scammer.

‘I’ll wipe that smirk off her face.’

With that resolve, he reached for the potion. He then uncorked it, sniffed it, and even dropped a bit on the tip of his tongue.

He savored it as if tasting wine, feeling the moisture in his mouth.

And then, a moment later, Ahn Daehyun’s pupils shook.

“…This can’t be.”

Ahn Daehyun.

A well-recognized alchemist in Korea, competent enough to manage the Seoul branch of Alkebury.

Therefore, the moment he tasted the potion, he realized.

This was superior to anything that Korea’s renowned alchemists could jointly produce.

However, his feeble pride wouldn’t allow him to admit that fact out loud.

“Is what I made superior?”

…She was not a fraud.

A true, genuine alchemist.

His hypothesis was wrong, and her truth was right.

‘…There’s still a chance.’

Ahn Daehyun calmly closed the lid and straightened his clothes.

He needed to calm down.

The position of Seoul’s branch manager wasn’t something he got for free. He had maintained this position with all kinds of schemes and composure.

Even if you’re dragged into a tiger’s den, you can survive if you stay alert. All he had to do now was to respond rationally.

“…It seems I’ve underestimated a talented person. I apologize for my earlier rudeness. So, would you like to join Alkebury? We will treat you fairly.”

He would bow his head just this once.

And then he would bring her into Alkebury.

Of course, he didn’t think she would come in easily, but considering the status of Alkebury, he thought he had a fair chance of recruiting her.

And after recruiting her?

He would manipulate her to learn her recipe and then find various reasons to get rid of her. If things went as planned, snatching the position of the branch manager would be easy.

Profit must be gained and risks eliminated.

This could actually be an opportunity.

After all, opportunity often arises in a crisis.

He would step on this lowly stepping stone and soar once again.

“It’s a lie.”

Suddenly, a cold voice interrupted. The voice belonged to Lee Seo-jun.

Ahn Daehyun did his best to hide his panic.

“…A lie? Why would we mistreat such talent?”

A clean response.

After all, there’s no way he could know this was a lie.

Even so…

“Manipulate her to learn the recipe and then get rid of her. If things go on like this, she will easily snatch my position as the branch manager.”

…He had seen right through him.

“Shall I go on?”

That sharp voice and gaze pierced through him.

“W-what…”

“Consider this a warning. If you lie in front of me again.”

The cold voice wrapped around him, completely different from the pressure Kim Jin-woo had.

If Kim Jin-woo was a beast, this man was a monster, no, it felt like looking up to the high sky.

That sky had come down to lock eyes with him.

“I’ll rip that mouth of yours.”

He couldn’t even move his head. His mind and actions were frozen just by looking at him.

Jeong Ye-rin covered her mouth with both hands and exaggeratedly acted surprised.

“Oh dear, so it was a lie? But what could you do even if it was true? I’m already an alchemist under Lee Seo-jun. You’ve really missed out. I would’ve wanted to join you just a few days ago.”

Jeong Ye-rin shrugged her shoulders.

“But since it has come to this, what can we do? The one who missed the opportunity is you, isn’t it?”

Ahn Daehyun bit his lip.

None of his plans had worked. In this group, he was like a herbivore that could only stay silent.

“It seems our discussion is over then.”

Suddenly, a voice caught his ear; he sneakily glanced at Kim Jin-woo.

His gaze was filled with contempt, his mouth twisted in derision.

He sensed it then.

…That he was screwed.

***

[Dawn Group signs a contract with an alchemist for 30 billion won, who is Jeong Ye-rin?]

[‘Jeong Ye-rin Potion’ sold out as soon as it hit the market, rumors say it can even reattach severed body parts]

【Alkebury ‘Best 1 Potion’ reservation rates plummet, stock price drops 28% during trading】

[Alkebury Seoul branch manager ‘Ahn Daehyun’ resigns]

[‘Jeong Ye-rin Potion’ shocks the world, billionaires from various countries willing to pay 30 times the market price】

A week later, Jeong Ye-rin’s potion spread around the world like the morning sun.

There had never been a potion that could reattach severed body parts before, so it was truly a godsend.

Moreover, with the power of the Dawn Group behind it, our cruise sailed smoothly.

Jeong Ye-rin, an excellent helmsman, fainted after enthusiastically making potions for a week.

Although she looked nauseous, the corners of her mouth were turned up.

Whoosh—

Right now, I’m standing on the rooftop of a six-story building with Hyude.

A clean and neat building, free from any tacky signs.

This is a building I purchased for 5 billion won, which will serve as the cornerstone of the nation I will build.

A bigger building wasn’t necessary at the moment.

Our guild members are still just Lee Seo-yeon, Jeong Ye-rin, and Hyude.

[(Hunter Association President) Park Sang-cheol: Guild establishment preparations are complete. Just decide on the name and we’ll wrap it up. Take your time and let me know.]

I received a text from Park Sang-cheol just then. I had been preparing to establish the guild through him for the past week.

The fog lifted after about two weeks of sailing, and an attractive island came into view.

But this is just the first step.

My goals are much grander.

“Your Majesty, have you decided on the name of the nation?”

It might be premature to call it a nation, but it will serve as the foundation to support that goal.

I already had something in mind.

I looked around at the surroundings. None of the nearby buildings were taller than mine, giving a clear view of the sky.

“…..”

The sun setting on the horizon colored the sky red, the faint clouds like lightly swirled pastel pink. On the other side, the crescent moon was slowly rising.

Everything in this world was reaching my retina, revealing its splendor.

“Hyude, you know now that this world has a distinction between day and night, right?”

“Yes, it’s still a mysterious phenomenon.”

In the world of Solomon, the sky was always red, day or night.

But Earth maintains its balance by revolving and rotating. A balance that allows life forms to exist.

In such a world, I let my breath out.

“On Earth, there exists a time that is neither day nor night. We call it ‘twilight’.”

The dim light didn’t reach the other side, and darkness was approaching.

“I’ve been contemplating what kind of nation I would build in such a world. And today, I’ve finally decided.”

I stood in the middle of it all, surveying the world.

“I want to create a nation that is free from any category humans and demons, men and women, ability hunters and magic hunters, blacksmiths and alchemists.”

The boundary between day and night became blurred.

One side was bright, the other dark, but they intertwined in the middle, expressing freedom.

“So, the name of the nation that I will build is—”

The sun had not set, and the moon had not risen.

They simply stayed in their place, painting the landscape in shades of violet.

I finished my sentence under that beautiful sky.

“I will name it the Twilight Magic Kingdom.”

January 12, 2050.

That day was the founding anniversary of the Twilight Magic Kingdom.

[Strong Fortress] (Completed)

Description: Before ‘they’ arrive, you need a position and force that can stand against them. Your power is impeccable, but its domain is unclear.

Please build a strong fortress against their invasion.

Reward: Gain 20 Worldview Causality Points.

Finally, a foundation has been laid.

But that’s just it—a mere foundation. It’s still an uninhabited island with no form.

There’s a long way to go.

The priority is to summon the Solomon demons and shatter the public perception about demons.

The latter is not immediately doable, so I need to collect Worldview Causality Points to proceed with the former.

The current Worldview Causality Points I have is 40. The causality required to summon a legion commander is 100, so I’m not even halfway there yet.

Looking back, quests appeared when I took actions against ‘them’.

In other words, they come up when I’m helping this ‘Earth’.

But that’s also ambiguous. I didn’t get a quest just for attacking the gates threatening Earth.

‘Well, if they are who I think they are, they won’t show up just for that.’

So, I thought it’d be more effective if I focused on my own interests, which would eventually lead to Earth’s peace.

Because I am Earth’s strength.

Actually, the last two quests also appeared when I acted for my own benefit.

‘This will do.’

Coincidentally, there was something that could both benefit me and influence Earth.

[Illusion School Request – Security for Chief Mage Ahn Seo-jin’s Magic Lecture]

Guilds don’t just tackle gates, they take on requests like this and achieve other milestones to raise their rank.

Guilds also have ranks from F to S, and my newly formed guild is currently at F. I plan to raise this as well.

Among many requests, the reason I chose this one was the ‘Magic Lecture’.

Why focus on that?

[Alter’s Understanding]

By having many conversations with Alter, a great sage who has long researched magic, you can now utilize Alter’s magical understanding.

This is why.

Perhaps, this understanding would activate upon witnessing magic.

‘But there was no magic in the media.’

Each school seems to teach differently, having different theories, so they are cautious about leaking information to each other.

In other words, for them, magical knowledge is a closely guarded secret.

And I plan to absorb that secret with [Alter’s Understanding].

I even got permission for this. Though it was given in a tone like ‘if you can, then go ahead’.

Anyway, the security part was just a bonus.

So, on the day of the request,

“Hyde, follow me, this is the first official activity of the Twilight Magic Kingdom.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, I will do my best.”

The first official activity of the Twilight Magic Kingdom began.

(To be continued in the next episode)