Chapter 112

As if his emotions had reached their breaking point, Jurz’s voice gradually grew louder until he exploded in anger. Dumbfounded by this sudden outburst, Theo was momentarily speechless. It was simply absurd to watch him panting and baring his teeth in defiance. Jurz continued, spewing out words as if vomiting them up.

“I lost money and time because of that growth method you handed out like some act of charity! The build you taught me only looks plausible on the surface; it’s useless without an Eternal item!”

A hollow laugh escaped Theo’s lips.

“…Handed out like charity? I only explained it because you raised suspicions about my damage output and I had to clear them. Whether you chose to follow it regardless of your equipment was your choice, and isn’t taking responsibility for that choice your job as well?”

“You sure have a way with words! In the end, you just wanted to deceive me with that growth method!”

Now he was even claiming deception. It was true that Theo had shared the information knowing it couldn’t be easily replicated. Since it was a build impossible to achieve without Eternal Fog, he had opened up to Jurz without filtering anything. Even if one imitated it out of curiosity, it could never be completed without Eternal Fog.

It wasn’t an act of kindness, nor charity, and certainly not for the public good. But calling it deception? He would have preferred being accused of wanting to show off. That at least was true. There had been a part of him that wanted to brag, ‘My growth method is this unique and amazing!’

Regardless, it was a build predicated on an Eternal item. It was only normal to expect that while one could mimic it out of curiosity, they would never become identical. Even a passing dog would give you that answer if you asked. Yet, Jurz was recklessly denouncing Theo, claiming he had been deceived.

“In the first place, you’re a hybrid user who uses agility-based weapons, unlike me, an Origin.”

“What?”

“You wouldn’t have been able to go all-in on a bow, so you couldn’t have converted all your agility into strength, and the materials used for your weapons would have been different. You didn’t even meet the basic conditions aside from the missing Eternal Fog, so how do you have the nerve to play the victim and shout at me?”

“…….”

“It’s a growth method made purely for me, and I only told you to explain myself because you made those accusations. You’re the one who abused that information as you pleased, so why are you blaming me?!”

“Why…”

“?”

“Why did you have to tell me of all people? Because of that growth method, I… it made me so angry that you told me that!”

“What?”

“Do you have any idea what kind of deprivation I felt when I realized I couldn’t even reach your ankles no matter how hard I tried? That’s why I went public! So other bastards could feel exactly how I felt! It’s unfair if I’m the only one feeling this sense of loss!”

In one swift motion, Theo grabbed Jurz by the collar and hauled him up.

“You caused all this trouble just to soothe your petty little ego? Do you have any idea how many people are suffering right now because of you?”

“Who cares! I didn’t do anything wrong!”

Jurz violently brushed Theo’s hand away. However, it was far from enough to shake Theo off. Theo tightened his grip on Jurz’s collar even further.

“If you’re so innocent, why did you run away? Using a Shuffle Ring and everything?”

“Th-that’s…!”

“You ran because your conscience was guilty, you bastard! Stop acting like you’re so high and mighty!”

The more he spoke, the more Jurz’s absurd way of thinking fueled Theo’s rage, until finally, Theo’s fist flew. Amidst angry roars and frantic screams, the sounds of things breaking and shattering filled the air. Theo, having lost his reason and truly gone on a rampage, was difficult even for Father to restrain.

After raging for a long while, Theo grabbed the tattered Jurz and began to fleece him of every single thing he owned under the guise of an “information fee.” Jurz, seemingly lacking the strength to resist, surrendered everything he had as requested, and not a single member of the Edom Guild offered him sympathy or took his side.

Having seized his rightful compensation, Theo dusted off his hands with a refreshed face and apologized to the Edom guild members for the commotion. The Edom members, caught off guard, bowed back as they accepted the apology.

Under Carlotta’s direction and with everyone watching, Jurz was forced to post an apology on the growth forum. As soon as the post was confirmed, he was summarily expelled from the guild. Everything was resolved cleanly. The Father and the Guest Guild members breathed a sigh of relief and began preparing to return to Lucilvania. Many had grown close over the past two days, and warm goodbyes were exchanged.

Carlotta, exhaling a sigh of relief as the interior was cleared out, approached Father.

“We unintentionally caused you trouble because of our guild member. Have a safe trip back, and let’s see each other again if the opportunity arises.”

Carlotta extended her hand as a greeting. Father stared at Carlotta for a moment before taking her hand and asking a question.

“Since this counts as a connection of sorts, why don’t we maintain our alliance?”

Father made an unexpected proposal, and Carlotta’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Pardon?”

“If you’re not interested, feel free to decline.”

“Ah, no. It’s not that I’m uninterested… but are you sure you’re okay with that?”

At the cautious question, Father nodded with a smile.

“We’ve already become quite close, haven’t we?”

Staring blankly at Father for a moment, Carlotta eventually smiled back and said, “I look forward to working with you,” and the two guilds agreed to remain in an alliance.

And that evening, good news arrived: the 4th Generation Terrorists had finally been apprehended. The game issued an emergency announcement stating that Reinforcement State would be lifted following tomorrow morning’s maintenance. Users cheered, celebrating their final night of “confinement.”

The next morning, users waited with bated breath in their residences for the maintenance to end.

Theo and Blaine were no exception. They stood pinned to their front door, taking turns gripping the doorknob to see if the lockout had been lifted. After some time passed, the maintenance finally concluded, and the door swung open.

With a long creak, the world outside looked exactly as it always had, yet somehow felt entirely new. The bright sunlight seemed warmer than usual, and the chirping of birds nearby sounded clearer and more refined.

The two took in every corner of the familiar landscape before slowly stepping out. The moment they were outside, they looked at each other and froze in surprise.

They were no longer in the bodies of Father and Holanghee; they had returned to their original selves. It seemed that with the lifting of Reinforcement State, the effects of the Shuffle Rings had also been dispelled.

Staring blankly up at Blaine, Theo felt an unexpected wave of joy.

“It feels like I haven’t seen you in a really long time.”

Blaine, also staring down at Theo in a daze, nodded and gave a shy smile.

“Me too.”

Everything had returned to its proper place—the Reinforcement State was gone, and the Shuffle Rings were deactivated. However, the members of the Guest Guild felt a twinge of regret that they would no longer see the lightning-fast Theo, the dazed Father, the adorable Holanghee, the swaggering Blaine, and the sour-faced Noquia.

Blaine sat quietly at a table in one corner of the guild workshop. Theo and Noquia stood before him, deep in discussion, while the table was cluttered with papers covered in messy sketches.

“In the end, I felt like discarding the cloak element would be a waste. He’s a mage, after all. It’s got to flutter when he casts spells,” Noquia said, handing a sheet of paper to Theo.

Theo took the paper and examined it, his face clouding with confusion. “But this isn’t a cloak.”

“I said ‘cloak element.’ If I just put him in a regular cloak, it won’t be much different from what he has now, and it would just hide the outfit underneath.”

After hearing Noquia’s explanation, Theo looked at the drawing again. It looked more like a coat than a cloak.

“I’ve finished the temporary fitting piece for now. Let’s try a fitting.”

The garment Noquia pulled out for the fitting was stark white. Theo’s brow furrowed slightly.

“A white outfit?”

“Huh? Oh, no. I purposely didn’t dye it so we could decide on the color after seeing it on him.”

“Ah.”

Once Theo relaxed his expression in relief, Noquia handed the garment to Blaine and told him to try it on. Blaine looked at Theo as if seeking permission; only after Theo nodded did he finally put on the clothes.

The familiar outfit he had worn every day vanished, replaced by a pristine, spotless white garment.

The coat, serving as the cloak element, featured a standing collar that wrapped neatly around his neck before flowing down the lines of his sturdy, thick-set frame. The hem was short in the front, covering only his hips, while the back trailed down to his ankles, held firmly in place by a waist belt that smoothed the transition.

A harness crossed over his chest and intersected in an ‘X’ on his back, and the sleeves were somewhat wide, reaching down to his wrists. His thigh was fitted with a belt similar to Theo’s, and his footwear consisted of boots that reached up to his calves.

Resting his chin on his hand as he carefully examined Blaine’s new look, Theo pointed to Blaine’s arm.

“Are the arms completely covered?”

Blaine’s charm lay in the tattoos on his forearms that glowed whenever he cast a spell. It would be a shame to cover that part up entirely.

“Yeah, I worried about that part a lot too. We have to show off those glowing tattoos when he uses magic.”

“Right?”

“But short sleeves or sleeveless tops really don’t suit this particular outfit.”

Theo inspected the outfit again. She was right; if it were short-sleeved or sleeveless, it would likely look too light or even flippant.

“So… Blaine, could you lift your arm for a second?”

Blaine tilted his head at Noquia’s request but obediently raised his arm. As he did, the fabric at the crook of his elbow split open, and the sleeve slid down to reveal his tattooed forearm.

“I put a slit in there all the way to the elbow. When he raises his arms or moves, the skin will show.”

“Whoa…”

Theo looked at Noquia with genuine admiration, his gaze full of the respect one gives to a true professional. Meeting a look of wonder—a rare occurrence—Noquia puffed out her chest with pride. She seemed to be fishing for more praise, but no further compliments were offered.

Inwardly disappointed, Noquia grumbled to herself before turning back to Blaine. Blaine seemed to love the new clothes, moving around with an excited expression. Noquia approached him to touch up the fitting and asked.

“I added the harness and thigh belt so you’d match with Theo. Well? Do you like it?”

Blaine nodded vigorously.

“Yes! I love it. It feels like a set with Theo hyung.”

Blaine was as happy as a child. It wasn’t just the new clothes that made him happy, but the fact that he now shared a matching theme with Theo.

“What color are we going with?” Theo asked.

Noquia stepped back from Blaine and replied, “Now we have to discuss which color suits him best, right?”

“I want black. Just like Theo hyung.”

Blaine’s excited voice asserted his preference, but two firm voices cut him off instantly.

“No.”

“No.”