Chapter 51

Yorkshire grumbled with his usual sulky face, then suddenly turned to stare at the Kilimanjaro guild members. His eyes swept over them one by one. The Kilimanjaro members frowned in confusion as Yorkshire’s gaze darted among them—until his eyes lit up, fixed on one particular figure.

Among them stood a man who looked awkward, lost, and out of place. Following Yorkshire’s line of sight, the other guild members glanced at him too. His name was Mastar, a new recruit brought in after Blaine’s expulsion. With no clear explanation of the situation, he stood there sheepishly, uncertain of what was going on.

Yorkshire’s eyes narrowed. In a flash, he lunged forward and grabbed the dazed Mastar. The Kilimanjaro guild members were a beat too slow, reaching out to stop him—but by then Yorkshire had already dragged his catch inside the guild house.

All eyes turned on him, baffled. Why kidnap someone else’s guild member? Why Mastar, of all people? Father eventually broke the silence, asking Yorkshire what he was doing. Yorkshire threw a sidelong glance at Kilimanjaro, then explained something quietly to Father and Noquia. Whatever he said made Noquia burst into roaring laughter. She grabbed Mastar and hauled him upstairs, vanishing from sight.

The sight of Mastar kicking and struggling finally jolted Kilimanjaro into action, and they erupted in protest. Arms crossed, Father casually pulled up her system window and tapped at something. Then she pointed at Kim Na. Blinking in confusion, Kim Na checked his mail—where he found a letter marked as sent from Father.

Inside was a photograph. Three women were posing together in a Rakvana restaurant. Kim Na frowned at the meaningless picture. What was this supposed to be?

But then his eyes caught something. His pupils widened, and his breath caught in his throat.

“?!”

As Kim Na stared closer, Father gave a smug shrug as if to say, “Finally noticed?” Kim Na whipped his head up to glare at her, unable to believe what he was seeing.

The three “women” in the photo were none other than Father, Holanghee, and Noquia, their appearances cleverly disguised with wigs and outfits. In the corner of the photo, some of his own guild members were captured as well.

His guildmates crowded in, gawking at the system window. One after another, their faces drained pale as they realized what Kim Na had seen.

Then, from behind Father, someone appeared—descending the stairs in a fluttering black maid dress with white frills, carrying a broom and a mop. It was Mastar. Dressed in a maid uniform personally crafted by Noquia, he was being dragged out by her and Yorkshire, forced to his knees as he tearfully scrubbed the floor.

His pitiful figure, crying fat tears while cleaning up stains, finally made Kim Na snap. Along with the Traffic Light Trio, he charged the front gate—but there was no chance of breaking through. Father, as if mocking them, sent him another photo.

This time, the picture showed Father, Holanghee, and Noquia with their arms slung proudly around Kilimanjaro guild members.

Kim Na and the trio turned sharply toward the guildmates in the photo. Even those who had taken the picture stared back, dumbstruck and pale, never imagining the three women had been Father’s group in disguise.

Photo after photo came flooding in, dozens of them, each featuring Kilimanjaro guild members together with Father’s party. The final one showed them posing triumphantly while holding up a Bayan Mushroom.

Kim Na’s vision went white. His hands trembled with fury, teeth grinding hard enough to crack. Slowly lifting his head, he glared at Father and growled between clenched teeth.

“Blaine… bring him out.”

Father only smirked. “No thanks. If you’ve got business, take it up with me.”

“Shut up and hand over Blaine!”

Kim Na roared, lunging at Father. But with Father safe inside the guild house, all he could do was slam his fists against the doorframe in frustration.

“Tch. Look at this uncouth display.”

Father clicked her tongue, voice dripping with mockery. Kim Na only raged harder, pounding like a madman—until a stir overhead made him glance up. On the second-floor terrace, Father’s guild members were gathered shoulder to shoulder, peering down at the commotion. Among them stood Blaine.

The moment he spotted him, Kim Na yanked out a throwing knife and hurled it straight at Blaine. Startled, Blaine instinctively flinched and ducked. But Theo, standing calmly at his side, casually deflected the blade. It ricocheted downward, only to be struck midair by Holanghee’s whiplike urumi, and buried itself point-first in the dirt at Kim Na’s feet.

The speed and coordination of that seamless combo made Kim Na swallow hard. He glanced at the weapon stuck in the ground before him. Even if it had hit, there’d have been no damage in town—no PvP allowed—but the sheer force of the strike was enough to send a chill down his spine.

As he stared, dumbfounded, voices drifted from above.

“Doesn’t even ask, just throws hands first.”

“Even a wild beast’s got more restraint than that.”

He looked up to see two identical figures—same face, same voice, just different-colored hair—snacking on an oversized tub of popcorn while heckling him. Each time they grabbed a handful, crumbs rained down, forcing Kim Na to stumble back out of the fallout.

It wasn’t on purpose, but stepping back helped cool his overheated head. He sucked in a deep breath, then looked up at Blaine and gestured sharply.

“Blaine. Be smart and get down here.”

He still ordered him around as if Blaine were his guildmate, speaking with the arrogance of a master to a servant. In Kim Na’s mind, Blaine was still leashed—an underling bound to obey.

Theo’s brow furrowed before he even realized it. Who did this guy think he was…?

Just then, another shoe, still smeared with filth, came flying at Kim Na. He shrieked and barely dodged. Father’s cutting voice followed immediately.

“And who the hell are you to boss my kid around?”

“…What?”

Kim Na blinked, stunned, and Noquia chimed in beside her.

“Thinks he’s somebody, huh?”

“Not even worth dog shit!”

Even Yorkshire, who had been watching Mastar, had joined in at some point.

“Hey, if you wanna play leader, do it with your own people. What a joke.”

From above came another sharp jab—Holanghee’s voice, by the sound of it, though Kim Na couldn’t tell.

Four strikes in a row left him reeling, his jaw slack. But soon enough he gathered himself and forced a cough, trying to look composed.

Clearly, barking orders wasn’t getting him anywhere. Kim Na glanced around, gauging the mood, then forced himself to look up at Blaine again. His pride stung, but when Bayan Mushrooms were at stake, swallowing it was the smarter move.

“Withdraw the registration and I’ll pretend none of this ever happened. Right now—”

He tried to sound conciliatory, but the arrogance still bled through. Theo clicked his tongue and cut him off.

“File the correction yourself, bastard. What, you don’t have hands? Don’t have feet?”

His tone was flat, almost bored, but the words themselves were sharp. Kim Na blinked at him, flustered.

“N-no, I mean, if you just cancel the registration—”

“I said file it yourself. If you’ve got proof you did the modification, then it’ll be corrected. Why the hell come whining here and annoying us?”

Kim Na bit his lower lip again and again, clearly stuck. From the look of it, he didn’t want a correction at all—he wanted the registration erased entirely, as if he didn’t want the Bayan Mushrooms brought to light. There was definitely something shady behind it.

Finally, he blurted out at Theo.

“What do you want?!”

“What?”

“You must want something if you pulled all this! Money? I’ll pay. An apology? You think I was accusing you of hacking? Fine, I’ll apologize!”

“Who said we’d accept it?”

“Drinking kimchi soup already, huh?”¹

This time the twins cut him off, grumbling. The whole feud had started because of what Blaine suffered, yet Kim Na had the gall to offer an apology not to Blaine, but for accusing them of hacking.

“Then what the hell is it you people want?!”

Kim Na finally exploded, and Theo shrugged lazily.

“What do we want? Nothing. Just wanted to screw you over.”

“…What?”

Kim Na gaped, stunned. Theo lobbed a Bayan Mushroom straight at him.

“You think we grabbed some mushroom because it was worth anything to us? We don’t even know what it’s used for. But you guys sure seem to.”

At that, Kim Na and a few of his guildmates visibly flinched. Father narrowed her eyes as she watched.

“You lot are shady as hell. Rushing here like your ass was on fire the moment one mushroom got snatched. Begging for a withdrawal instead of a correction. Doesn’t add up.”

Kim Na gulped, throat dry, as Father fixed him with her gaze. From above, Holanghee chimed in.

“Not to mention you tweaked the strain and slapped a trait on it. So no one else can grow it.”

Everyone saw how stiff Kim Na’s body went. Between the traited cultivation and his desperate push for withdrawal, the suspicion only grew.

Father turned the mushroom in her hand, her voice edged with meaning.

“So tell me—what is this, really?”

No one expected a straight answer. But pressing him was worth it. Behind him, the Traffic Light Trio leaned in to whisper something. Kim Na kept his wary eyes forward while muttering with them in hushed tones. After a moment’s hesitation, he shot Blaine a venomous glare from the terrace—then turned on his heel.

Without another word, they left. So abruptly it was almost anticlimactic, leaving everyone staring in confusion.

In the end, the only one left behind was Mastar… still stuck playing Cinderella.