The news that Kyu-seong had come to the Middle East with Hassan was delivered to most of the guilds in the region.
First, Awakener Lee Kyu-seong.
Rumors about him had already spread, and many were keeping an eye on him.
The rapid rise in performance of the guild he belonged to, Ara Hongryeon, proved his worth without the need for further evidence.
Countless guilds had personally inspected the items and tested their effects.
Because of this, many were eager to make contact with him in any way possible.
Of course, thanks to the joint efforts of the Korean government and guilds to keep foreign guilds in check, Kyu-seong did not feel the full extent of this impact.
While the talk about Kyu-seong was significant, the fact that he was traveling with Hassan this time was also noteworthy.
Hassan was a well-known figure in the Middle East.
Moreover, he was a top-ranking executive in Isthart, the world’s number-one guild.
Those who had hoped to recruit Kyu-seong for themselves could not help but be discouraged by this news.
With Isthart involved, recruiting him would be anything but easy.
As the situation in the Middle East grew increasingly complicated, Kyu-seong and Ara were sightseeing under Hassan’s guidance.
“This is about where I have in mind.”
“W-Wait, here?”
So many flashy skyscrapers?
Hearing Hassan say he planned to demolish them all and plant the World Tree, Kyu-seong swallowed dryly.
Moreover, the area Hassan had marked included the 150-story building they had just visited.
“There will be some financial loss, but it’s manageable.”
“‘Some’ loss? This is a bit…”
Seeing Kyu-seong hesitate, Hassan decided to show him some data directly.
“Tell me, how much have we spent on the green project so far?”
“Around 38.3 trillion won.”
“Did you hear that?”
After confirming the secretary’s response, Hassan turned back to Kyu-seong.
Hearing the astronomical figure, Kyu-seong froze, unable to breathe properly.
“Of course, that wasn’t spent all at once. It’s been nearly 30 years in the making. In that sense, it’s not that much. The cost of demolishing this area is insignificant compared to what we’ve already spent on the green project.”
Kyu-seong had heard about the wealth of Middle Eastern tycoons, but experiencing it firsthand was another matter entirely.
He decided not to argue further and simply nodded blankly.
They must know what they’re doing.
“It will take quite some time to clear the land and demolish everything. But at least there’s no need for foundational work. All we need to do is plant the seed.”
“Well, that’s true. We’re not building anything.”
“Then it’s settled. I will discuss the details with the working-level officials and finalize the specific areas. Oh, by the way, would you mind if I visited your dungeon again? I need to get an approximate measurement of the World Tree’s size.”
“Of course, no problem.”
Everything was moving at lightning speed.
Ara had no interest in the conversation and was simply excited to be exploring a foreign country.
“Well, that about wraps up your tasks. Would you like to do some sightseeing?”
“Would that be okay?”
“I’ll assign someone to accompany you. You’ll be treated as VIPs. Hahaha.”
Every day was enjoyable, but occasional diversions like this were a welcome change.
Kyu-seong explored the city with Ara.
Despite being built in the middle of a desert, the city had everything one could imagine.
It even housed the world’s second-largest aquarium, which was connected to an ecological botanical garden.
This reflected Hassan’s taste.
Thanks to that, Kyu-seong and Ara freely toured the massive botanical garden, ecological reserve, and aquarium.
“Look at this! A super big fish!”
“That’s called a whale. But keeping a whale in captivity…?”
Its sheer size was astonishing, but was this even legal?
Seeing a blue whale inside an aquarium was shocking.
But given the size of the facility, it made sense.
Kyu-seong only realized upon arriving that the combined area of the aquarium and botanical garden took up half the city’s total space.
It was absurdly large.
Hassan had claimed to own the city, and it no longer seemed like an exaggeration.
Even after spending an entire day exploring, they couldn’t see all of the aquarium.
As the day ended, they enjoyed a luxurious stay at a five-star hotel.
“So soft!”
“We need to build a house like this too.”
“When are we building it?”
“Hmm, should we start designing it right after we get back?”
“That’s great! Can I help? I have so many ideas!”
Seeing Ara’s eyes sparkle made Kyu-seong worried about what she had in mind, but he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
“Uh, sure. Ara, you can do whatever you want.”
“Oooooh! Amazing! House! House!”
After days of sightseeing, eating, and relaxing, Hassan finally came to find them.
“Took longer than expected. Sorry about that.”
“No worries. Did the discussions go well?”
“We’ve mostly wrapped things up. Now, all that’s left is to visit your dungeon and measure the World Tree.”
“Shall we head there right away?”
“Before that, how about stopping by Isthart first?”
“Oh!”
He had completely forgotten.
Anyone else would wonder how he could forget about the world’s number-one guild.
But to Kyu-seong, it didn’t feel like a big deal.
After everything he had been through, things like this no longer fazed him.
After all, he had spent time with four of the Seven Deadly Sins, was raising a Hero, and was walking the path of the Demon King…
‘I am not a Demon King! I’m just a monster welfare worker!’
Forcing himself to deny it, he answered Hassan.
“Let’s go.”
“I’ll notify them that we’re visiting now.”
No one outside the guild had ever visited Isthart before.
Kyu-seong was about to become the first guest.
However, he had no particular thoughts about it.
Ara was the same.
Seeing their indifferent reactions, Hassan chuckled and began making arrangements.
***
The journey to Isthart was made by helicopter.
Kyu-seong had been worried about whether it could operate properly in the desert winds, but Hassan’s helicopter proved more than capable.
“Don’t underestimate my wealth. Hahaha!”
“I’ll never doubt it again…”
“But did you know? Isthart’s guild master, Nayef, is even wealthier than me.”
“I can’t even imagine that.”
Hassan’s wealth was already overwhelming.
At this level, money itself seemed meaningless.
And yet, someone was even richer than Hassan?
It was beyond comprehension.
“It’s not just about wealth. As you know, Nayef is a Level 9 Awakener like me. With extraordinary decisiveness, he made bold investments in the early days of the awakening industry. Even someone as rich as Nayef nearly went bankrupt from the sums he spent.”
“And that’s how Isthart became the world’s number-one guild.”
“Exactly. Honestly, it’s unbelievable that such an exclusive guild managed to reach the top. But his past decisions created an insurmountable gap.”
Hearing this, Kyu-seong found it even more impressive.
But that was it.
To him, Isthart was simply a powerful guild—nothing more, nothing less.
By then, the helicopter had reached Isthart’s airspace.
When Kyu-seong and Ara spotted the guild’s building, they gasped.
“T-That’s…?”
“A palace! Just like in fairy tales!”
Kyu-seong had expected tall buildings, but that was not the case.
A golden palace.
And an unimaginably vast estate to go with it.
As he stared in speechless awe at the endless golden grounds, the helicopter slowly descended.
At the same time, a figure who had been waiting approached them and greeted them.
“Hello, I’m Muhammad. We’ve met before.”
“Oh! Muhammad Kazami?”
“Thank you for remembering me.”
The man who had once appeared out of nowhere was now standing properly to welcome them.
As always, he was strikingly handsome.
“Hello, it is I! I have arrived!”
“Hello, little lady.”
“I am Ara!”
“Haha, yes, Ara.”
After exchanging brief greetings, they moved to another location.
As Kyu-seong followed Muhammad, he took in the surroundings, which were entirely covered in gold, and Hassan smirked.
“99% pure gold. Not just gold-plated—solid gold.”
“Wow…”
Not gold-plated? That meant they had used pure gold for all the materials?
Kyu-seong glanced down at the floor he was standing on.
The golden surface gleamed as if it had been polished, and knowing it was solid gold made him tread more carefully.
“Just the maintenance alone costs around 18 billion won per month.”
“That’s… incredible.”
In many ways, it was overwhelming.
As they walked toward the palace, they saw people scattered throughout the area.
Most of them had an imposing presence and seemed to be high-ranking Awakeners.
Gulp.
Kyu-seong instinctively swallowed and lowered his gaze, forcing himself to keep walking.
In contrast, Ara walked confidently, as if showing off.
“I have arrived! Welcome me, everyone!”
Her words drew attention.
Even though they didn’t understand her language, the sight of a small child walking so boldly ensured all eyes were on her.
“That’s Hassan.”
“Then that must be…”
People whispered as they looked at Kyu-seong and Ara.
Eventually, they entered the palace.
“They’re not talking badly about us, are they?”
“Haha, not at all. They’re just surprised that you came with me.”
Since he couldn’t understand their language, their murmuring made him uneasy, but soon, he was able to take in the true grandeur of Isthart.
“Wow.”
“So shiny!”
The interior was adorned with all kinds of jewels.
In the center of the open space, a dazzling fountain scattered sparkling water.
Rather than a guild, it felt more like a luxurious hotel lounge.
In fact, there were people lounging around on sofas.
Tap, tap.
“Hm? What is it? Oh.”
“H-Hassan is here.”
“How many months has it been since you last visited the guild?”
The people inside, all presumably guild members, quickly snapped to attention.
Unlike those outside, they rushed to greet Hassan.
“Welcome, Hassan.”
“Has everyone been doing well? I contacted the guild master. Is he inside?”
“Yes, he is.”
Seeing the face of the one who answered, Kyu-seong thought he might be mistaken.
But soon, he realized he recognized her from somewhere.
‘Oh, I was wondering where she went!’
She was once a well-known Awakener.
He couldn’t quite remember her name, but she had been famous.
Jeong So-yeon, Korea’s youngest-ever Level 5 Awakener.
And the woman in front of him had become the youngest Level 5 Awakener in this region at the age of twelve.
At some point, she had disappeared from the public eye, and now it was clear—she had joined Isthart.
Glance.
Noticing Kyu-seong’s gaze, the woman looked at him.
Startled, he quickly averted his eyes.
“Hello, it is I!”
But Ara, mistaking Kyu-seong’s gaze for her own, stepped forward as if she were being addressed.
She waddled forward in her tiger-print pajamas.
The woman naturally lowered her gaze to meet hers.
“??”
“Hello, it is I!”
Ara, they won’t understand Korean.
But forgetting this fact, she continued to talk.
“I am Ara. What is your name?”
At that, the woman hurriedly searched for something.
After finding what she was looking for, she slipped a ring onto her finger.
“Ah, ah, can you hear me? Wait, can you understand me?”
“I have always understood you.”
It was a translation item.
Though she spoke in Korean, Ara could naturally understand all languages.
“Can you repeat what you said? I didn’t catch it.”
“Hello, it is I! I am Ara.”
“Hello, Ara. My name is Misha.”
“Misha!”
Displaying her usual friendliness, Ara bounced around energetically.
Before they knew it, a crowd had gathered around them.
Some of them even seemed to recognize Ara.
‘Did they watch her YouTube videos?’
Kyu-seong’s guess was spot on.
People eagerly held out their phones, recognizing her.
It was Ara’s daily-life YouTube channel.
“Are you my fan?”
“Yes, they said they’re your fans. I haven’t seen your videos, but I’ll have to check them out. You’re really cute.”
Misha smirked and patted Ara’s head.
And then—
Screeeech
A door at the far end of the hall opened, and a man walked out, looking utterly exhausted.
“Oh, the guild master.”
“He looks like he’s dying again today.”
“Should we get him something to eat?”
Despite the guild master’s state, the guild members treated him casually.
Kyu-seong was surprised by the relaxed atmosphere.
Given Isthart’s reputation for secrecy, he had expected strict hierarchies.
But that didn’t seem to be the case.
Nayef, the guild master, scanned the crowd and spotted the unfamiliar guests.
“Oh, right. I was told we had visitors. I completely forgot.”
Muttering to himself, Nayef turned around and walked back into his room.
Thud.
Everyone stared at the closed door in a daze.
The way he left made it seem like he was asking them to come inside.
Kyu-seong glanced awkwardly at Hassan.
“Our guild master has his quirks. Please don’t mind him.”
“A-Ah, sure…”
Isthart.
It wasn’t as rigid as he had expected.
Cliche Novel 