Chapter 134: Could Another Zootopia Guild Be Coming, Too?

After Hwang Do-Hyun departed, Kei quickly resumed his work.

Sitting before his desk, Kei placed the successfully tested choker to the side and carefully redrew the crafting recipe.

In truth, the manufacturing process of the Purification Choker wasn’t as complicated as people imagined. Most of its skill patterns were already derived directly from the Purification Ring. Kei merely needed to alter the item’s form and append a brand-new pattern section onto the exterior of the core formula.

That was the pattern derived from the E-rank [Morph] magic.

The function of this magic was straightforward. It allowed an item to expand or shrink based on the physical dimensions of its wearer.

It didn’t just magnify when Hwang Do-Hyun transformed into the Lycan King; even when he reverted to his human form, the choker could automatically contract back to its original size.

Kei gazed at the blueprint before him, a quiet sense of satisfaction filling his chest.

"Just need to add one more stable connective pattern, and it’s done."

For a mage who had researched countless spells, this task was genuinely effortless. The sole challenge lay in seamlessly integrating the new connection pattern into a compact item while preserving the stability of its internal energy.

Fortunately, the Purification Ring already possessed a complete structure; Kei only needed to tweak it to suit the new choker design.

He reviewed the blueprint once more before starting to record the detailed fabrication instructions. From the sequence of carving the patterns and the precise volume of hunter energy required to be channeled, down to the handling of the central energy stone, everything was laid out with absolute clarity.

This design wasn’t intended exclusively for Hwang Do-Hyun.

Kei propped his chin in his hand and fell into thought.

"Perhaps this would suit hunters possessing shape-shifting abilities, as well."

Not every hunter capable of altering their physical form was a beast-type. Some could grow into giants, turn to stone, transform into elemental states, or alter their bodies in other unique ways.

Restricting this blueprint solely to the Zootopia Guild would honestly be a waste.

Kei promptly finalized the formula and duplicated it into multiple copies.

He intended to dispatch them to other Craftsmen via Thunder. Once the formula gained widespread circulation, individual Craftsmen could freely calibrate the scale and rank of the Purification Choker to match the specific needs of various Guilds.

Just as Kei set down his pen, hasty footsteps echoed from outside.

"Kei-nim! Are you alright?!"

Moon So-Yeon’s voice rang out from the front shop.

Kei raised his head.

Before he could offer a reply, the door to his workshop swung open. Moon So-Yeon strode inside looking anxious, her silver hair slightly disheveled from running too fast.

Kim Sora, seated at the counter, instantly whipped her head around to look at her.

"Guild Leader Moon? Why did you rush over here?"

Moon So-Yeon pressed a hand against her knee, taking several deep breaths before managing to speak calmly.

"Members of the Crying Ghost Guild reported that a gigantic white wolf had appeared inside your shop."

She scanned Kei from head to toe, as though needing visual confirmation that he was uninjured.

"They said the wolf stood nearly ten meters tall and almost clipped the roof. I thought something terrible had happened to the shop, so I rushed right over to check."

Kei blinked. "Hwang Do-Hyun merely dropped by to test out a piece of equipment."

"Test out equipment? Wait... Hwang Do-Hyun? Lycan King Hwang Do-Hyun?!"

Moon So-Yeon froze, her voice pitching up into a shrill screech.

Kim Sora immediately stood up and pulled her over toward the sofa.

"Sit down first. Let me fill you in."

Sora cheerfully pressed Moon So-Yeon down into a seat, then began recounting the entire sequence of events: Lucas and Hwang Do-Hyun’s arrival at the shop, Kei crafting the Purification Choker per their demands, and Hwang Do-Hyun shifting into the Lycan King right in the backyard to field-test it.

As she listened, Moon So-Yeon’s expression grew progressively rigid.

"Hwang Do-Hyun... came here?"

"That’s right," Sora nodded. "He even said he’ll be back in three days to pick up the recipe blueprint for the Purification Choker from Kei."

Moon So-Yeon fell silent.

The name Hwang Do-Hyun was already enough to give other Guilds massive headaches. He wasn’t the type of person to easily let go of things that piqued his interest, nor was he as easy to deal with as the Black Dragon Kai.

She slowly turned her head to look at Kei.

Kei was bent over, tidying up his blueprints, completely oblivious to the fact that Moon So-Yeon’s complexion had completely drained of color.

An absurd thought suddenly surfaced in her mind.

Could it be...

Could the Zootopia Guild be about to demand permission to open a branch office in Dong-San City, too?

Moon So-Yeon felt her eyelid twitch with an ominous premonition.

The Black Dragon Guild already had an office here.

The Angel’s Kiss Guild was about to construct one.

And now the Zootopia Guild was making its entrance.

If this kept up, Dong-San City would soon transform into a converging hub housing all five of South Korea’s largest SS-rank Guilds.

Moon So-Yeon looked toward Kei.

He was still entirely absorbed in double-checking every single stroke on his blueprint, wearing an expression as serene as if none of this had anything to do with him.

Yet Moon So-Yeon couldn’t shake the feeling that the very person sitting right before her was the catalyst making everything grow so bizarre.

A young Craftsman devoid of any prior renown, operating a tiny shop tucked away in a quiet corner of Dong-San City, and yet, the major Guilds were showing up on his doorstep one by one.

Moon So-Yeon involuntarily recalled Kim Woo-Jin’s warning.

*The future of this city is distorted; no one can clearly foresee what will happen here...*

"Moon So-Yeon?" Kei looked up at her. "Are you alright?"

Startled, Moon So-Yeon snapped out of her trance and hurriedly pasted on a stiff smile.

"It’s nothing."

She glanced out toward the storefront, where the crowd had mostly dispersed, though a few lingering hunters were still standing in the distance whispering among themselves.

"I just suddenly feel like Dong-San City is about to get a whole lot livelier," Moon So-Yeon muttered dazedly.

Kei tilted his head.

He couldn’t fathom why a simple choker would cause her this much distress.

Moon So-Yeon gazed at his carefree expression, letting out a quiet sigh inward.

Perhaps Kei still didn’t realize.

When five major Guilds gathered together within a single city, it could never be chalked up to just a small item shop.

And if her intuition wasn’t failing her, the real trouble in Dong-San City had only just begun.