Chapter 52

Unlike the calm façade they tried to maintain, Kilimanjaro’s guild members looked uneasy. Their quickened pace as they left the main avenue of Lucilvania betrayed their nerves.

Green kept glancing back at Father and the Guest Guild’s hall as it shrank into the distance. Sidling up to Kim Na, he whispered nervously,

“What if they end up reporting us to the admins?”

His words made everyone look at him. But then, as if admitting they shared the same worry would make it real, they quickly averted their gazes. Kim Na frowned deeply, clearly no less anxious, but said nothing. Instead, Red cut in.

“Even if they report it, there’s nothing wrong with the mushroom itself. The admins can’t do a damn thing. And since Blaine is listed as the registrant, if anything blows up, that bastard and their trash guild will get dragged in too.”

At that, Orange swaggered over, slung an arm around Green and Kim Na, and raised his voice.

“Exactly! We’re not the only ones who’d get screwed. Worst case, we just rope that guild in with threats and make them accomplices. Problem solved!”

The bold suggestion flipped the mood. Where tension had lingered, laughter and banter returned as if nothing had happened. They left Lucilvania loudly, as though the problem had already vanished.

But they overlooked one crucial fact. Father and the Guest Guild had never distributed the Bayan Mushrooms in the first place, precisely to avoid this situation—and they had also set royalties on them.

Striding proudly, Kilimanjaro returned to Rakvana, ready to craft something with Bayan Mushrooms, Nak Grass, and Sandia Flowers. But the moment they discovered the royalty fees tied to the mushrooms, they exploded with rage all over again.

Fuming, they stormed back to Lucilvania, demanding answers at Father and the Guest Guild’s hall. But this time, they weren’t even granted the courtesy of rejection—the door simply stayed shut.

On the terrace above, the twins leaned over the railing, laughing, while Mastar—dressed like Cinderella—resignedly wiped the banisters at their side.

The sight of Mastar made Kilimanjaro’s guild members flinch with a pang of guilt. Trying to recover, they shouted demands to waive the royalties and return their member. But, unsurprisingly, they got nowhere.

“You thieving bastards! Do you have no shame? Drop the royalties and give Mastar back right now!”

Kim Na’s voice was so loud it grated on the ears. The twins grimaced and plugged their ears.

“Damn, did this bastard swallow a train whistle or what?”

“Or maybe he’s got some kind of lump stuck on him, like an old hunchback.”

If It’s Not You Then Me narrowed their eyes, staring between Kim Na’s legs, and If It’s You Then Me burst into roaring laughter, clinging to the railing.

“Bwahaha! So that lump was that lump, huh?”

At first, Kim Na just blinked in confusion. But when the insult landed, his face went crimson, trembling with fury as he slammed his thighs together.

“Damn it—you’ve been mouthing off since last time, but why the hell am I a chief?!”

The twins stopped laughing and leaned lazily on the railing, nodding as if they had confirmed a long-held suspicion. Judging by his voice cracking with rage, the “lump” was undeniable.

“What’s wrong with calling a chief a chief?”

“I said, why the hell am I a chief?!”

“Once a chief, always a chief.”

“Leader of the Serengeti. The eternal chief.”

“Sere—!”

Kim Na tried to shout back that it wasn’t Serengeti, but If It’s You Then Me cut him off with sudden urgency.

“Wait!”

Everyone’s eyes turned to them as they trembled with feigned shock.

“If he’s ruling over the Serengeti… wouldn’t that make him a tribal chieftain?”

A heavy silence followed. Kilimanjaro’s members exhaled in disbelief, while If It’s Not You Then Me gazed at their counterpart with reverence, as if they’d uncovered some profound truth. Chief or chieftain—what was the difference, really?

Still, If It’s Not You Then Me turned to Kim Na with a scowl, clearly dissatisfied.

“…But calling him chieftain feels… cheap, doesn’t it? Look at the state of him.”

Both twins sized Kim Na up again. Yeah, he didn’t exactly measure up to the title. Then If It’s Not You Then Me brightened and looked at their other half.

“Then we just need to give him something worthy of the title.”

“And what would that be?”

If It’s Not You Then Me whispered into their twin’s ear, and the two of them burst into laughter before dashing back inside to find Marco. A moment later, they returned holding something—and hurled it straight at Kim Na.

It hit him with a loud clang before bouncing to the floor. Caught off guard, Kim Na clutched his head in pain and looked down.

“?”

It was none other than a Botturu.

“This is a Botturu, crafted personally by a Tier 5 blacksmith. You should consider it an honor.”

“Put it on already! Let’s see if you really become a chieftain!”

The twins egged him on, but Kim Na, seething with indescribable fury, kicked the Botturu across the floor.

“You think this crap makes me a chieftain?! And I told you—I’m not a chief or a chieftain!”

Their hopes of a grand promotion dashed, the twins gazed down at him with icy eyes and slowly lowered their thumbs.

“Boo.”

“Boooo.”

Kim Na felt like his head was going to explode.

“You insane bastards! Get down here! I’ll kill you, so get down here right now!”

“You come up.”

“You come up.”

“Shit! Get down here, I’m telling you nicely!”

“Ge’ doun hurr, ahm tellin’ yeh naicely~”

Their mockery was expert-level. Finally, Kim Na lost it and started smashing everything in sight. The destruction spilled onto passing NPCs and players alike, and before long someone reported him. Guards arrived at a sprint and hauled him off.

And so, Kim Na ended up in jail, forced to pay bail money for nothing.

At the central hall table of the guild house, Theo and Blaine sat across from one another, chatting idly. Kilimanjaro had caused their uproar just yesterday, but today was strangely quiet.

For Blaine’s safety, Theo had decided they should avoid hunting or fishing until the Bayan Mushroom issue was settled. Most of their time would be spent inside the guild house.

They were just debating how to kill time when a letter arrived for Blaine. The sender was the system itself. Curious, Blaine opened it—then froze, eyes widening.

Inside was nothing less than the royalties from the Bayan Mushrooms.

The sum enclosed was staggering: 1.158 billion won. It seemed Kilimanjaro really had swallowed the royalties to make something.

Blaine’s jaw dropped as he stared at the system window in shock. Then, snapping out of it, he looked up at Theo. Theo, puzzled, looked back at him.

Blaine turned his system window around, showing him the screen. His voice shook.

“They… really paid the royalties to use the mushrooms…”

“What?!”

At Blaine’s words, the few guild members nearby rushed over. When they saw the total amount on the screen, their mouths all fell open.

“T-ten figures… they actually spent this much on mushrooms?!”

Marco rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Beside him, Bastard Kid muttered in equal shock.

“What the hell are they making that’s worth over a billion? And if they’re willing to sink that much in, it means they’ll make it back somehow, right?”

Curiosity burned through the hall. Everyone was desperate to know what Kilimanjaro was doing with the Bayan Mushrooms. In the midst of the noise, Blaine asked quietly,

“So… what should we do with the money?”

Silence fell like a hammer. Everyone looked at Blaine, then at each other. It was 1.1 billion. Saying they weren’t tempted would’ve been a lie. Greed flickered in every eye, though no one wanted to be the first to say it.

Theo cut through the tension.

“This stinks. Don’t touch it. Leave it.”

If they accepted it, they’d risk being dragged into something ugly. Better to kill the problem before it spread. Hearing Theo, who cared more about royalties than anyone, choose to abandon them, the others reluctantly nodded in agreement.

Blaine, who would’ve gladly handed the entire sum to Theo if he could, couldn’t quite hide his regret. But everyone agreed—it was dangerous money.

From then on, they treated the Bayan Mushrooms with even more caution.

For days, Holanghee had holed herself up at home, wrestling with the mushrooms. None of the recipes worked. The pile of mushrooms she had stocked up was dwindling fast.

She had tried every combination she could think of, but all it did was waste materials. Not one proper result.

For a fleeting moment, she wondered if she should approach it as cooking instead of alchemy. But what kind of dish would be worth ten billion in royalties? Even if such a dish existed, who would buy it? In this day and age, cooking existed only for taste.

Sighing, she conjured herself a chilled glass of beer to cool her overheated brain. Then she threw open the window for some fresh air and sat once more at her alchemy tools.

She thought. She puzzled. She tried again. She repeated the cycle endlessly. Until, at some hazy point in her half-dazed state, something suddenly formed. She blinked. Her mind had been on autopilot—she didn’t even remember how she’d made it. Panicked, she opened her crafting log to record the recipe and tried again.

It worked a second time. Success. She had found a formula.

But what, exactly, had she created? She opened her inventory and tilted her head.

“Unknown?”

There it was: an item called Unknown, nothing but a square silhouette with no form. No name. No details. An item that shouldn’t exist—yet here it was.

A chill ran down her spine. But she had to know. Trembling, Holanghee used the item.

And with a single word, she collapsed.

“Wow.”