The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 176

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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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Chapter 176
Chapter 176
I had finished creating the Guild.
Now only one problem remained.
“But how are we going to recruit Guild members?”
Finding Guild members was the issue.
This was truly problematic.
I couldn’t just accept anyone—I needed to recruit capable people, but I had no immediate way to do so.
However, that problem was solved when we were selected as a Promising Guild.
“When you’re selected as a Promising Guild, they recommend talented prospects, right?”
“Talented prospects? Do such things exist?”
“I’m not entirely sure either, but I figured I’d give it a try.”
“Well, if the Guild Creation Center goes so far as to call them talented prospects, they must be decent people, right? Can I join too?”
“Of course. You’re the Vice Guild Master.”
“Hehe, me as Vice Guild Master? I really picked a great friend, didn’t I?”
“We just created a brand-new Guild, and you’re already getting ahead of yourself.”
“With you and me running it, becoming famous will be a breeze, I’m telling you?”
“Enough. I didn’t create this to become famous—I thought it would be necessary for managing my territory.”
After chatting with Kang Ju-hyuk for a bit, the appointed time mentioned by the Guild Creation Center director arrived.
When I went to the designated location, they had prepared an Interview Room for us.
After I sat down, not long passed.
Click.
The door opened.
“Hello!”
The first candidate entered.
Immediately after.
“I’m a level 312 Assassin! I have experience working as an intern at the Sky Guild just a few months ago….”
They began rattling off their credentials.
‘What are they going on about?’
Naturally, nothing they said made a particularly strong impression.
The Sky Guild, which they spoke of with such pride, was something I’d never heard of before, and boasting about items had little to do with actual ability.
Kang Ju-hyuk seemed interested in whether he knew anything about the Sky Guild and similar things.
But I had no interest in such matters whatsoever.
Scrape.
“Huh? Hey, why are you standing up?”
I stood from my seat and positioned myself in front of the first candidate.
Then I took a quick look around the room.
‘Fortunately, it’s quite spacious.’
The room seemed to have been hastily prepared for us as a Promising Guild, but it had a decent amount of space.
Thinking this size would work fine, I retrieved appropriate equipment through Luke and spoke to the candidate before me.
“Try attacking me once.”
“Huh? Here?”
“Yes. Use your best attack.”
“But what if I become a Murderer….”
“I’ll file a formal duel request. Then there’s no problem, is there?”
Attacking someone without consent makes you a criminal, but if you formally request a mutual duel and cross blades, such penalties don’t apply.
So we can swing our swords at each other without major issues.
Besides, this is an isolated space with no one else around, so there’s no risk of harming anyone.
The candidate, who had been flustered by my proposal, soon regained his composure and nodded vigorously.
Then he drew out a short sword.
“I’ll show you exactly what I learned during my internship at the Sky Guild!”
Whoosh.
The moment he spoke, the candidate’s body vanished in an instant.
Someone unfamiliar might have been startled, but to me, the movement looked far too simplistic.
‘He’s using Backstab so blatantly and openly right before my eyes?’
Backstab.
It’s a mobility skill primarily used by assassination classes, including Assassins.
It’s a skill that rapidly repositions you behind an opponent within a certain distance, but when used so openly like this—announcing ‘I’m using Backstab’—
Clang!
“Huh!”
Simply raising my sword behind me was enough to deflect the attack.
I thought that since he was using it so blatantly, he must have prepared follow-up attacks in case his initial strike was blocked.
But when his attack failed, the candidate’s expression turned to one of bewilderment—’How did he do that?’
Looking at that face, I could be certain.
“…You’re rejected.”
“What? Why! Just because one attack was blocked!”
That this guy was no prospect at all.
The first candidate voiced his complaints, but when I shook my head firmly, he left the room muttering.
Then Kang Ju-hyuk, who had been watching, spoke.
“Hey, why’d you do that? The Sky Guild has decent recognition, and if he made it through an internship there, he must have been a fairly accomplished user.”
“If that guild acknowledged someone like him, then the Sky Guild itself is flawed. Or maybe they saw through his abilities during the internship and kicked him out.”
“Come on, that’s too harsh.”
“His skill usage is too simplistic. He has no concept of strategy, and he’s not particularly quick-witted either. As his level increases, he won’t be able to properly utilize his skills, so he’ll never match his level.”
“…You determined all that from just one attack?”
“One is enough.”
I’m not exaggerating.
If the user had even minimal intelligence, he would have at least distracted my attention before using the mobility skill, concealing his timing, or
launched an unexpected new attack after Backstab, or
followed up with the next move immediately even if the first attack didn’t land, or
done something—anything.
I worried that Kang Ju-hyuk might not understand my reasoning.
“Well, if you say so, then that’s how it is.”
“Thanks.”
“Oh, and what about me? Be objective!”
“You’re decent enough.”
“Just decent? I won the Master League championship!”
“That was only because I coached you and provided the items.”
“But still….”
“Well, you weren’t perfect, but you showed potential for growth. Since it’s a field I know well, it was easy to guide you.”
“See? Incredible potential, right? Mwahahaha!”
Fortunately, he understood my perspective.
I conducted the interviews with all subsequent candidates using the same approach.
“You want us to attack you?”
“Yes. Any attack you’re confident in will do.”
All the candidates were flustered upon hearing my proposal, but they still seemed eager to join my Guild.
“Ugh, okay! Haaah!”
They attacked me with all their might, but.
“You’re rejected.”
The result was.
“You’re rejected.”
Mostly.
“You’re rejected.”
Rejections.
Though they were better than the first candidate, none of them impressed me.
After five consecutive rejections, Kang Ju-hyuk began to sense a crisis and tried to persuade me.
“Hey, at this rate you won’t be able to recruit anyone. Lower the bar a little, will you?”
However.
“These people I’m rejecting won’t be helpful anyway.”
“But….”
I had no intention of compromising on my standards.
As more candidates continued to fail my interview.
Some began asking why they were rejected.
“Why should I be rejected? You only saw one attack!”
“Just now, you simply used the strongest skill available to your current class, didn’t you?”
“Well, yes, but….”
“I asked you to attack me. In this confined space, wouldn’t it have been more efficient to use lower-tier skills like footwork and vital point detection rather than your strongest ability?”
“That’s….”
“And when your attack was blocked, you should have reacted somehow, but you just panicked instead, didn’t you?”
At my courteous explanation, they left the room tearfully—or rather, convinced.
And the candidates who came weren’t only combat classes.
“I’m a Blacksmith who completed my training at the Artisan Guild!”
Users from the Production Guild job category had also come for interviews.
This was something I had separately mentioned to the director beforehand.
Right now, I needed not only combat-class guild members but also Production Guild members to help develop the territory.
And those applicants would face the same rigorous evaluation.
“Please demonstrate your most confident Production Guild skill.”
“Pardon? Here?”
“I’ll fully account for the lack of proper facilities in this space.”
I conducted thorough practical interviews and made my decisions accordingly.
After all, I had developed a fairly comprehensive understanding of Production Guild skills, not just combat abilities.
And so.
“You’re rejected.”
“At this rate, it’s going to be just the two of us heading down there…?”
The applicants who had come for interviews were rapidly being eliminated.
* * *
Users with Production Guild professions weren’t particularly rare in Second.
Since it was a virtual reality game where combat was incredibly realistic, many more users chose Production Guild professions to avoid the stress of fighting than one might expect.
However, even within Production Guild professions, there were popular and unpopular specializations.
For example, professions like Blacksmith or Alchemy were extremely popular because they offered excellent money-making potential later on.
But on the other hand.
“Did I really need to change jobs to Architect….”
This particular user here.
Lee Chul-geun, who had changed jobs to Architect, fell into the unpopular category.
As an Architect, he needed to construct buildings, but since no users owned territories yet and land prices in the Empire were exorbitantly high, it was difficult to properly utilize the profession’s abilities.
Because of this, even the Production Guild wouldn’t accept him, and he was barely managing to level up by simply registering his name at the Guild Creation Center and doing odd jobs.
“Lee Chul-geun, would you like to take a Guild interview?”
“Huh? Oh, yes!”
An opportunity had finally come for Lee Chul-geun.
A user who needed an Architect had appeared.
But something felt off about the atmosphere.
As I followed the Tower Guide toward the Interview Room.
“This is seriously too much.”
“Who does he think he is, acting like he knows everything after seeing one attack?”
“Oh, you experienced that too? I went to what they called a promising guild, and it was a disaster. Seriously.”
“He told me that’s not how you swing a hammer. What does a combat user know about being a Blacksmith anyway?”
“Exactly! If you’re a Swordmaster, be a Swordmaster, and if you’re a Spearmaster, be a Spearmaster. But acting like he’s mastered every single profession….”
“We dodged a bullet anyway. He was obviously just some attention-seeker pretending to be impressive.”
“I agree. Let’s all do our best and find better places to join.”
The conversation of users returning from the Interview Room sounded ominous.
The more I heard, the more concerned I became.
‘What does it matter? I can’t do anything beyond this on my own anyway. If I join a Guild and can’t perform properly… it’s better to just quit.’
For Lee Chul-geun, this was essentially his last chance.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped inside, where I saw two men.
One of them stood forward.
“Are you an Architect?”
“Yes!”
“Then could you demonstrate one of your architectural skills?”
“Here? Now? Well, I’d like to, but there isn’t much I can work with here. Ah, I think I could construct a Mobile at least.”
“Then I’d appreciate it if you could build a Mobile. Your best work.”
The man made an unusual proposal.
Normally, when you enter an Interview Room, they ask about your career first.
But without even hearing about my background or introduction, he was demanding I demonstrate my skills outright.
Still, I didn’t mind.
If he was judging purely on ability, I actually welcomed it.
With that thought, Lee Chul-geun
“Could you tell me about the terrain first?”
Before building the Mobile,
I began asking the man questions.
“The terrain?”
“To construct a building, the surrounding terrain and environment are paramount. No matter how sturdy a brick house is, poor insulation increases heating costs in cold regions, and it remains vulnerable to moisture.”
As I spoke, Lee Chul-geun felt a pang of regret.
In truth, the Architect profession wasn’t completely rejected, but many Guilds had refused him because of his meticulous nature.
Yet, despite that, I couldn’t compromise my principles here.
Rather than bend my beliefs, it was better to abandon Guild membership and quit the game entirely.
With that resolve, Lee Chul-geun continued speaking.
“Tell me what the construction environment is like, what purpose the building will serve, and what the budget is. Once you provide those details, I’ll create the finest Mobile I’m capable of.”
Usually, by this point, the other person would grow tired and send Lee Chul-geun away.
So as I finished speaking, expecting to be dismissed,
what appeared before Lee Chul-geun’s eyes was
a soft smile.
The man whose expression had seemed so rigid and stern was now smiling gently.
“You’re hired.”

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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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