I Became a Disaster-Class Newbie by Stealing Abilities - Chapter 53

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 53. Guild Establishment
At that same moment.
Outside the Underground Dungeon, several figures were waiting.
“Phew. My apologies. It proved far stronger than anticipated—beyond my capabilities, I’m afraid.”
The Doctor, his body wrapped in bandages, bowed at a ninety-degree angle.
“Your prediction was wrong!”
“I am deeply ashamed. Regarding compensation procedures for damages, I must ask that you contact the hospital directly.”
The two Nurses also lowered their heads in unison.
“Tsk. Foolish ghouls, the lot of you. I even withdrew knights from the Knight Order for you, and you can’t even handle one simple task? Why should I have entrusted this to you in the first place?”
Meltian, the marquis, shouted with exasperation thick in his voice.
“Still, we did manage to reduce its strength considerably. Please don’t be too harsh on us. Besides, the support we received from the Religious Order’s side is quite substantial, is it not?”
The Doctor gestured toward the black-armored knights standing behind Meltian.
While not quite matching the 4th Knight Order, these were skilled swordsmen fully capable of contending with regular knights of the 5th Knight Order.
“Using them was a last resort. Their existence mustn’t be exposed yet.”
“Heh. Such is the way of the world—nothing ever goes quite as planned.”
“Enough. Get out of here. We’ll take over from now.”
“Understood.”
The Doctor bowed respectfully.
Then he vanished along with Elizabeth and Beatrice.
Just as the black-armored knights took up a perfect encirclement and waited.
Tap.
Footsteps echoed from the opposite corridor.
The area had been sealed tight—not a single ant should have made it through.
Who would dare defy Meltian’s absolute orders in his domain?
“Who dares approach!”
Screeeee!
A black-armored knight instantly drew his blade.
Dark Power streamed from the sword’s edge in thick tendrils.
Then.
“You lot seem to be having quite an interesting conversation. Won’t you fill me in on the details?”
A spirited woman’s voice rang out from the darkness.
A beauty with golden hair.
The way she wielded a Great Sword over two meters long—as easily as a pencil—was almost unreal.
“Who… who are you?”
“No point telling you. I’m an existence unknown to the outside world, just like you.”
The escort guard of the Shadow Duke.
Erita Darkin.
A regular knight of the Royal Guard.
* * *
[Escaping from the Abandoned Psychiatric Hospital of Madness.]
The expected ambush never came.
Despite all the thorough preparations, it felt anticlimactic.
‘Was I overthinking it?’
Jusang tilted his head in bewilderment.
He’d been certain that Meltian, the most likely suspect, would attempt something.
Yet not a single ant crawled in sight.
“Jusang. The scent of blood clings heavily to this place.”
Baek Seol-gi sniffed the air repeatedly.
“Restless spirits are speaking to me. They say much death occurred here.”
Amy, having learned Necromancy, sensed the traces left behind in this place as well.
For both of them to speak thus meant a third party’s involvement was nearly certain. Another unexpected variable.
It meant a faction existed with both the motive and the capability to eliminate ghouls and Marquis Meltian.
‘Who could it be?’
Jusang searched the area thoroughly but found no significant clues.
The opponent had been far too meticulous in covering their tracks.
And the problem didn’t end there.
-All residents are forbidden from leaving the estate until the investigation concludes.
The 4th Knight Order had sealed the entire mansion completely.
It took a full seven days before the confinement was lifted.
The deaths of two nobles.
Particularly, the death of Meltian, the Governor-General of Korea, was far too serious a matter.
However, without concrete evidence emerging, they didn’t press the matter further.
‘In any case, the Empire got exactly what it wanted—a legitimate reason to start a war with the Murim.’
Meltian’s death had solidified the justification for war.
Now even larger events would begin to unfold.
‘Still, the compensation for returning that auction item is surprisingly meager.’
[Merit Points: 3,000 awarded.]
I’d expected to claim at least five thousand points.
But Meltian and the Murim had priority over everything else.
So I barely managed to scrape together these three thousand Merit Points after polishing my image considerably.
Fortunately, it wasn’t all bad—
they said there would be no further investigation into the missing auction item.
Taking an extra item as a gamble turned out to be a masterstroke.
‘Well, time to move on.’
I’d gotten everything I could from this place; now it was time to return to where I’d come from.
Leaving Yeouido behind, Ju-sang made his way to the Hanam Administrative Office.
“You wish to raise your Citizen Rank?”
The female clerk’s expression shifted to genuine surprise.
The same person she’d recommended a loan to less than a month ago was now walking in asking to upgrade their Citizen Rank—naturally, it was baffling.
“And your balance has increased tremendously. My goodness, how many zeros are there?”
Fifty billion, three hundred and sixty-five million won.
Given that the average personal asset in Hanam was around fifteen million won, I’d become a preposterous capitalist.
All thanks to selling the Jadu Dan to Namgoong Cheon.
“I’ll pass on various product subscriptions, thank you.”
“But a product with really excellent returns just came out—won’t you at least hear about it?”
The returns were certainly good, naturally.
Assuming you had the nerve to lock your money into the front lines when no one knew when collapse might come.
“That’s fine. Just raise the rank for now, please.”
“Upgrading to March Citizen doesn’t require special review, so it’ll process immediately. Please wait a moment.”
The clerk manipulated a large Mana Stone.
A few minutes passed….
[Merit Points: 10,000 deducted!]
[Citizen Rank upgraded to March.]
[Relocation to Gangdong is now available.]
[Citizen Pension and 2% Health Insurance discount applied.]
Everything had changed.
Just by spending numbers, my status had shifted.
A thick smile settled on Ju-sang’s lips.
‘Finally, I can go to Gangdong.’
There were still a few loose ends to tie up in Hanam, but most were trivial.
So until then, I’d rest thoroughly and regroup for what came next.
Oh, one more thing before that.
“I’d like to establish a Guild.”
“A Guild?”
“Yes. I believe it becomes possible once you reach March Citizen Rank.”
“That’s true, but the cost alone to establish one is enormous. At least three billion won—oh! But money wouldn’t be an issue for you, would it?”
The clerk clapped her hands together.
“It’ll take about a week. Transfer the funds to this account, and if you provide the Guild name as well, I’ll process it for you.”
A Guild name….
I’d actually given this considerable thought.
There were too many candidates.
Of course, I’d already chosen my favorite.
“Young Forty, then.”
There are exactly forty Calamities in existence right now.
Forty young, fresh elites who would sweep away the old, stagnant Emperor and build a youthful, renewed Empire—that was the ambition I’d poured into the name.
Breathtaking.
Even I have to marvel at the naming sense.
I’ve captured both profound meaning and trendiness.
If titles existed, I’d deserve “Master of Words.”
Just then.
“I beg your pardon. Would it be permissible to offer a suggestion?”
Heuk-bi approached abruptly, her words tumbling out with urgency.
She had to be objecting to the name—surely that was just my paranoia.
No! Don’t tell me she’s going to nitpick this brilliant choice.
“Do you have a name you’d like to recommend? For the record, I distinguish clearly between personal and professional matters. Recommend something mediocre, and there will be consequences.”
“What of Eoryeongsa? Your name is the sovereign, and we are the shadows who guard Your Highness. I believe it suits our dignity.”
“For a newcomer, that’s not a bad thought. I myself think it’s a fitting name.”
Baek Seol-gi cast her vote of approval immediately.
This is too much.
I’d assumed at least you would be on my side.
“I-I think this one is much better than Young Forty!”
Even angelic Amy said it.
They all want to turn against me.
“Then I shall register it as Eoryeongsa.”
The clerk immediately wrote down the name.
No, even you shouldn’t do that.
Shouldn’t the person putting up the money have some say?
The sovereign tried to stand immediately.
“Stop—! Nngh!”
But with three calamities grabbing him bodily all at once, there was nothing he could do.
* * *
Gohainet.
This was a luxury Japanese restaurant located in Hanam, where a single meal cost over three hundred thousand won.
It was the sort of place ordinary people might never visit in their entire lives.
And.
An Yong-seok, the chef of that establishment, had faced the worst customer in twenty-five years of running the restaurant.
“Four guests.”
Yes, until then, when he’d received the four customers, his mood had been excellent.
Group diners were always welcome.
But the moment he began preparing the sashimi, he had a conviction that this would be an extraordinary day.
“Wow. Look at that. Chef, your knife skills are incredible.”
It started with a word from the man called the sovereign.
“Hm. My skills are far superior.”
A white-haired beautiful girl drew the sword at her waist like lightning.
Slice!
In a flash, the flounder’s body was cut into hundreds of pieces.
Crash crash crash crash crash!
The cutting board simultaneously became unrecognizable.
The word “sharp” couldn’t begin to describe it.
Only spirits could match technique that carved flesh into pieces smaller than one millimeter.
“Seol-gi. You can’t suddenly pull out your sword like that. The chef is already in trouble.”
“I-I’m so sorry. I made a terrible mistake.”
At least there was one person with common sense.
Or so he thought—
“Gulp!”
This time Baek Sa burst out from under the table and swallowed an enormous flounder whole.
“Aaah!”
“S-snake!”
The guests at the neighboring table screamed and tumbled from their chairs.
“I apologize, but sir. Pets are not permitted inside.”
“This creature is not a pet—it is my other half.”
“I, I see. Would it be possible to leave that other half outside for a moment?”
“Only if you don’t mind if I slice your other half into pretty pieces and leave that outside instead?”
“…….”
She was not joking.
The smile in those mad, luminous eyes was one hundred percent sincere.
After vowing to add the white-haired girl customer to the blacklist, he turned to the blonde foreign girl smiling like warm sunlight.
“How is the meal treating your palate?”
“Oh! It’s so delicious! The fish seems to be alive and breathing—so fresh! And the sweetness and umami are absolutely perfect!”
-Holy Mother of the Dark, could that word “fresh” be… an order for us?
—Oh, so you’re planning to create undead fish spirits?
—I merely obey. I shall obey to the end.
A damp, murky energy began to coil upward.
It seemed as though some of the fish had come back to life.
“Blub.”
“Blub-blub!”
It had to be my imagination.
I forced myself to turn my head away, unwilling to meet their eyes.
I was afraid they might haunt my dreams.
That made two people on my blacklist now.
“Resurrection. Ascension. Reburial.”
The customer—whose gender I couldn’t begin to guess—muttered continuously under their breath.
They were even sticking talismans on the fish heads.
“Excuse me, customer. If you keep putting those things on the fish here, the other guests will be uncomfortable.”
“Only the sovereign can give orders to the departed.”
I’d smiled and tried to be reasonable, but it didn’t sink in at all.
This was why I should have turned away those Murim types from the start.
Three on the blacklist now….
A new record since opening day.
My last hope had been the black-haired man who seemed the most normal, but with each bottle of alcohol, he began to show his true colors.
“Hic! Chef, Chef sir. Don’t you think Young Forty is underrated? It goes down smoothly, it’s meaningful, it tastes wonderful—so why, tell me why you hate it! I love Young Forty! Argh!”
Why had the day turned out like this?
I must have been running this restaurant in this war-torn region for far too long.
[Gohainet will be temporarily closed.]
And so the once-prestigious Japanese restaurant of Hanam entered indefinite suspension.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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