REAPER SCANS
How to Raise Your Skeletons
[Translator – Dawn]
[Proofreader – BringTheRayn]
Chapter 193: The Birth of Otherworld
“A guild, huh…” Floa mumbled while chewing gum. “Sounds good. My master is someone destined to be huge, so this guild will grow fast too.”
The Demon King’s Army. Oxford. The Cult of the Heavenly Demon. These three organizations had one thing in common: their leaders were overwhelmingly powerful.
“If he’s the head of the group, then growing to that level is already a done deal. Wait, does that mean we’ll be the founding members?”
“I like the idea,” Gi Soyul, who was standing next to her, agreed. “Just looking at the city that’s already being built shows it’s far more than just a workshop.”
“I agree too. A guild, huh? That sounds cool.” Maximilian nodded.
“I have to admit. Honestly, the name ‘Demir’ did seem a bit weak.” Even Capu, who was usually reticent, raised his hand in agreement.
Wow. Everyone was this enthusiastic?
“What do you think, shop master?” With everyone’s support behind her, Kim Jinah looked at me with a confident smile.
All the other hunters’ gazes turned toward me as well.
I guess it’s my turn to answer?
“Hmm.”
Me? I wasn’t really that interested in stuff like this.
“Sure, why not?”
So I agreed without hesitation.
* * *
After a bit of lighthearted small talk, the members of Demir’s Workshop gathered around the newly built pavilion. In the center was a luxurious wooden table.
—Whooosh!
A refreshing breeze blew through, with the awe-inspiring view of rugged rock formations surrounding us.
“Alright then!” Kim Jinah, sitting to my right, clapped her hands. “We’re going to decide on the guild name first. As you all know, a guild name should be short and catchy—something that makes people go ‘Whoa!’ the moment they hear it.”
This was a meeting to choose our new guild name.
“She’s right. Honestly, ‘Demir’ was kinda meh,” Capu muttered.
Come on, seriously? Why does he hate that name so much? What’s wrong with our Demir, huh?
I felt a bit defensive, but I couldn’t say anything because the other hunters all agreed one by one.
“He’s right. What even is Demir? If you asked random people on the street what it meant, I bet none of them could answer.” Maximilian nodded with a serious face.
“Hahaha! Yeah, ‘Demir’ really does sound weird, doesn’t it? Sounds like a dwarf’s name.”
“Huh? It actually is a dwarf’s name, by the way. Didn’t you know, Ms. Thundercry? Demir is the name of the skeleton dwarf that the shop master summons.”
Even Thundercry and Kim Jinah joined in.
“For real? Kyahahaha! Naming the guild after your summon?! Hey, Master. You couldn’t come up with anything better?” Floa burst into laughter, clutching her stomach.
She was laughing like crazy. Was it really that funny?
I frowned. “Don’t make fun of my Demir, Floa.”
“Pffft! Got it, got it. I was just messing around. Hic!”
I sighed and shook my head.
Forget it. But still…
If everyone said so, I might as well change it. Honestly, they weren’t wrong. Like Kim Jinah noted, if we became the world’s top guild, the name “Demir” wouldn’t have much intuitive appeal. It wasn’t like I had any deep attachment to the name. And I wasn’t the type to be stubborn about stuff like this anyway.
“Alright then, let’s all pitch our ideas.”
With Kim Jinah leading, we began sharing suggestions.
First up—Thundercry.
“A guild name has to be powerful, like ‘Demon King’s Army’ or ‘Cult of the Heavenly Demon.’ It needs something like ’demon’ or ‘heaven’ in it. Hmm… Since we’re strong, how about adding the word ‘strongest’ in the name?” She licked her lips as if satisfied with her idea. “Doesn’t it sound awesome? Strongest! It slaps, right?”
—Crackle!
Sparks of electricity even popped off her body in excitement.
“…”
Everyone’s expressions turned awkward. They wanted to laugh, but couldn’t—because Thundercry was a high-ranker.
“Pfft!”
So I laughed for them. Definitely not because of what she said earlier about Demir. I laughed for the sake of the group, I swear. It was to set an example, as a good leader should.
“What kind of name is that? It sounds like something a kid would say.”
“What did you say, huh?!”
“What’s next, ‘invincible’? ‘Ultra’? ‘Super’?”
“…Ooh, I like those too!”
“…”
Let’s… not. I’m not claiming my naming sense is good, but Floa’s is definitely not it.
I shook my head.
“Ahem, ahem,” Gi Soyul cleared her throat.
“Oh? Do you have something in mind, Ms. Dark Empress?” Kim Jinah asked with sparkling eyes.
“I believe a guild name should carry symbolism,” Gi Soyul responded with a serious expression.
Symbolism, huh?
“The Demon King’s Army and Cult of the Heavenly Demon—their names both point directly to their leaders: Jack Smith and Ha Sera. Same with my brother, Giparang—his guild is named Parang. Even the White Swine named his guild after his alias.”
Now that I thought about it, I realized it was very true.
“So I think our guild name should also reflect Donghoon. Ahem, with that in mind… how about Bone King?”
…?
Wait a sec. What… The what king?
“Or maybe something like ‘Grave’ or ‘Cemetery’ would work too. Bones are usually found in those places…”
“…” A moment of silence passed.
I mean, I appreciated the sentiment—but come on, really?
And then…
“Pahahahaha! Bone King?! She said ‘Bone King’! Grave? Cemetery? Bahahaha!” Floa burst into uncontrollable laughter. Her eyes teared up as she shook her head.
It must’ve really hit her funny bone. The fact that Gi Soyul still wore a completely serious face made it even more amusing.
I sighed internally. And here I was, feeling all conflicted.
Should I just stick with ‘Demir’?
Capu spoke up, “How about ‘Utopia’?”
“Utopia?”
“Not every group needs to be named after its leader. Take the Oxford Magic Tower for example—its name carries symbolic meaning as the Magic Tower.”
“That’s true.” I nodded.
Capu was always firm and someone who guided me as a ranker. He was as dependable as ever in this situation as well.
“That’s why I thought—what if we make this Mulung Paradise our symbol? In English, Mulung Paradise is ‘Utopia.’”
Floa, who had been laughing for a while, lifted her head. “Oho? That one’s not bad.”
“It really is.”
“Not bad at all.”
The other hunters seemed to agree that this idea had some merit. The city that Demir and Eldrin were building together, just its framework alone was beautiful enough to become a symbol of the guild.
“Vice shop master,” Capu looked at Kim Jinah this time. “Did you have a name in mind?”
“Me?”
“Yes. Since this was your dream, I thought you might’ve already had something in mind.”
“Well, actually… I do.” Kim Jinah turned her gaze to the breathtaking view outside the pavilion. “I agree with Capu. A symbol doesn’t have to be a person… And whenever I see this picturesque landscape and the city forming in it, there’s one word that comes to mind.”
Wearing a neat suit and speaking with a clear, steady voice, she had the kind of tone that naturally drew people’s attention.
“That word is ‘otherworldly.’”
“…Otherworldly?”
Everyone stared at her blankly. Upon hearing that name, even I felt my heart skip a beat.
“In modern times, ‘stars’ are a metaphor for rankers,” she continued calmly. “One day, I’d like to fill this guild with countless stars—rankers. Combining the idea of filling this breathtaking, otherworldly scenery with rankers, I came up with the name. What do you think?”
“…”
Everyone went silent. The result was clear to see. No vote was necessary. Everyone felt drawn to that word for some reason.
“I like it.” I nodded. “Let’s go with Otherworld. It doesn’t seem like anyone’s going to top that suggestion anyway.”
“If the shop master approves, then that’s it, right?” Kim Jinah looked around.
Everyone nodded.
“Nice, whew,” she let out a breath of relief. “Starting tomorrow, I’ll register the name with the Association and begin the official procedure for launching the guild. Is that alright with you, shop master?”
“Go ahead.”
“Yes, I look forward to working with you, Guildmaster!”
As soon as I gave my clear answer, the way Kim Jinah addressed me had changed—from shop master to Guildmaster.
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator - Dawn
Proofreader - BringTheRayn
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://discord.gg/reapercomics
* * *
“Demir’s Workshop rebranded as ‘Otherworld’!”
“Skeleton King, center of the world’s attention, launches new guild. Will it succeed?”
“Otherworld tops weekly buzz rankings at #1!”
“Guild requirements: A-rank or higher! High bar but industry-leading benefits!”
The guild’s name change became big news in itself. To be quite honest, even if I just walked outside and said “hello” right now, it would make headlines. Therefore, Kim Jinah naturally leveraged that level of attention by doing something while the spotlight was on me so that the whole world would notice.
“Hehe, see? What did I say?” The old man, who had been summoned again after his cooldown, chuckled. “That girl’s got business sense. She instinctively knew if she launched the group now, she’d get global publicity at minimal cost.”
Kim Jinah, who had been holding back, now moved like a fish in water.
“Another domestic ranker joins Otherworld!”
“The newcomers: Rank 896 Druid and Rank 905 Asura!”
“Shocking! ‘Steel Fist’ plummets to Rank 600 overnight—and joins Otherworld too!”
Kim Jinah welcomed Steel Fist without hesitation. She clearly saw the world from a different perspective than most. If it were me, I wouldn’t have taken a ticking time bomb like Bong Jaeyoung.
“Heh, she must think she can control him. Or maybe she saw something else in that lump-headed fool. The more I watch her, the more extraordinary she seems.”
Kim Jinah’s strength was her intuition. She bet on me back when I was an E-rank hunter—and that said it all. But still, I had to wonder what she saw in Bong Jaeyoung.
“Parang’s Fine Bow sends sincere congratulations to the guild that his sister is affiliated with.”
“Independent ranker Jang Daewoong: ‘Joo Donghoon, I hope your guild thrives.’”
“Foreign rankers flood in with congratulatory messages and gifts.”
“Russian president: ‘Relationship with Otherworld is top diplomatic priority.’”
The Five Stars of Seoul, Vladimir, and the other rankers I had met through trials all sent messages or gifts to celebrate the launch. Even partner companies and acquaintances of our members sent their regards. The entire building was overflowing with flower arrangements.
“Truly, you’re not like me,” the old man muttered, having watched the whole process unfold. “Come to think of it, I’d always been a lone wolf. Whether it was battles or organizations… I carried everything alone. But people gather around you.”
“…”
“I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, boy. In fact, I’m learning a lot by watching you.”
“Come on, don’t say that.”
“It’s just—being alone isn’t always better. I knew that, but I was too stubborn.” There was a faint trace of regret in the old man’s voice, but that was all.
Hmm. Maybe he wanted to say: humans were social creatures?
The old man regained his composure and spoke again. “Still… To be the leader of an organization means you have to give up many things. Even a little neglect will rot a group from within… Do you understand?”
“Yes, Elder.”
Sure, I wasn’t heavily invested in the organization itself, but I knew there was still a sense of moral responsibility. If you took the position of leader and acted like it was none of your business… That was just being irresponsible.
“Well, like I said before, that Kim Jinah person is the perfect prime minister type. So the chances of that are slim.”
“Still. Now that it’s established, I should at least try to run it well.”
“Good. Don’t lose that mindset. From the looks of it, she’s going to be seriously stressed working under you.”
Hey now, what’s that supposed to mean…?
Then again, considering how her alcohol tolerance had mysteriously gone up lately, I had no comeback.
Anyway…
My newly formed guild—Otherworld.
Damn… I really liked the sound of it.
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