“Huh, come on. What’s going on here? You said yesterday that the permit would be approved.”
A player dressed in leather armor raised his voice in frustration at the counter. But the employee at the counter responded calmly.
“Sorry, but new guidelines came down from the higher-ups yesterday. You should have hurried.”
“Seriously, how are we supposed to deal with procedures changing overnight? Plus, you changed the location and increased the deposit amount. This is too much.”
“Well, you can drop it if you don’t like it. There are plenty of others who want that spot.”
The staff member, or rather the city official, showed no signs of remorse. Until last evening, they were certain that the permit would be approved, and by today, they would finally be allocated the land. But now, it felt like being hit by a bolt from the blue.
Cho Hyunjae, the vice guild leader of Daesung Guild, barely suppressed his bubbling anger and asked again.
“Then how long will the new procedure take?”
“Given the sudden change in regulations, it will take some time. You’ll need to wait at least fifteen days.”
Crunch.
Cho Hyunjae clenched his fist.
‘Damn it. What’s with this mess?’
They had already spent more than fifteen days to secure the land for the guild house. And now, they were being told to wait another fifteen days?
If this were Earth, he would have caused an uproar or filed a complaint with higher authorities. But this was Connect.
A backward city without an electronic system, where everything had to be handled manually. (Although major cities or territories had magical systems in place.)
He knew from experience that complaining wouldn’t get him anywhere.
“Phew. Please resubmit the application. And please ensure we still have priority.”
“Yes, we’ll handle that. Please fill out these forms, and pay the deposit at the counter downstairs.”
Looking at the more than ten pages of forms, Cho Hyunjae felt a headache coming on again.
‘Sigh, this is all such nonsense.’
He grumbled internally while mechanically filling out the forms. All of this was caused by the guild master who had fallen from the sky.
Han Gilju, the second son of Daesung Group.
Of course, he had somewhat anticipated this when Han Gilju was to be introduced into Connect, but the reality was far beyond his imagination. The frustration of seeing the guild he had painstakingly built in this desolate free city suddenly fall under someone else’s control.
Although he would still be managing and leading the guild, having to deal with an overlord like thunder incarnate was not going to be easy. Especially if that overlord was an arrogant and unreasonable brat with little common sense.
Han Gilju’s first act upon entering Connect was to gather all the guild members for a parade. Even though it was an organized setting, holding such an event in a game, with guild members who had no relation to the company, was absurd.
Han Gilju would never understand how much effort Cho Hyunjae had to put in to calm the guild members afterwards.
‘If he hadn’t given each of them an envelope, there might have been a real incident.’
And the first words out of Han Gilju’s mouth upon entering the hard-won guild house:
“What’s with this tiny, shabby place? You expect me to stay here? Find a new one immediately! It should be bigger, grander, and fancier!”
Even knowing that this was the largest mansion permitted for players in the free city of Mariacne, his attitude didn’t change.
“I did some homework before coming here. That First Knight Order’s guild house looks decent. Don’t you think we should have facilities at least as good as that? It would help attract more guild members too.”
To Cho Jaehyun, this was nonsense.
Even though this city was less developed compared to the free city Mira, obtaining a guild house with such facilities would cost more than constructing a building in the real world.
Besides, there was no way to procure such funds at the moment. Even though he wasn’t completely incorrigible and had compromised to some extent, it was still frustratingly the same.
‘I should be prioritizing equipping the guild members and investing in training with the money for the guild house.’
But what could he do? He had to follow Gilju’s words.
Ultimately, the only option left was to lease land and build a new guild house, but who knew how much time and money that would take?
‘Well, the time and funds already invested weren’t trivial. But having to get the permit again….’
He could only let out a sigh imagining the kind of fit the bratty master would throw. And sure enough. Returning to the guild house after re-submitting the documents, Cho Hyunjae had to face the tantrum of Han Gilju.
“You idiot! What kind of sloppy job did you do? Follow me, all of you!”
Han Gilju, fuming, led Cho Hyunjae and a few guild members straight to the city hall.
‘Surely, he isn’t going to do a “Who’s responsible here? Come out!” routine, is he?’
In reality, perhaps, but doing something like that here would make things hard to manage. Contrary to Cho Hyunjae’s worries, Han Gilju surprisingly showed some common sense.
He waited in line to meet the official. As their turn approached, Han Gilju spoke to Cho Hyunjae with a condescending smirk.
“Watch and learn. This is how you handle things.”
Han Gilju then faced the official, who seemed annoyed to have to explain everything once more.
“You’re doing a great job. Our representative seems to be inexperienced with this kind of process. Here, take this.”
Han Gilju handed a small pouch over the counter.
“What’s this?”
The official asked, to which Han Gilju responded with a sly smile.
“You know perfectly well… It’s a small token of our appreciation.”
“But I didn’t do anything.”
When the official tried to hand the pouch back, Han Gilju stopped him and spoke quietly.
“It’s a gift, a gift. Check it out, and if it’s not enough, I can prepare more.”
“Well, this is unexpected….”
The official scratched his head, but then set the pouch aside and began explaining the process again. Of course, this time, his tone was much more amiable.
‘See that?’
Han Gilju mouthed smugly to Cho Hyunjae. He then spoke to the now amicable official.
“No need to explain further. How long will the process take?”
“As I mentioned before, it will take about fifteen days.”
“……?”
The official’s calm assertion that it would take fifteen days left Han Gilju momentarily stunned. Thinking he must have misheard, Han Gilju asked again.
“How long did you say?”
“Fifteen days. Is there a problem?”
Han Gilju’s expression changed abruptly. And so did his tone and demeanor.
“Problem? A problem…?”
Sensing something was off, Cho Hyunjae hurriedly tried to stop Han Gilju, but it was too late.
Slap!
“Are you crazy? Trying to scam me for my money?”
Han Gilju, having gotten up from his seat, slapped the official across the face.
‘Damn it, we’re screwed… This must be a nightmare!’
Cho Hyunjae quickly grabbed Han Gilju and dragged him out of the building, but honestly, he felt like screaming himself.
“Hey, you bastard! Don’t you have any business ethics? If you take the money, you should show some sincerity! Don’t you know the concept of give and take? How dare a mere civil servant insult me?”
But Han Gilju, still clueless about his wrongdoing, continued to cause a ruckus while being restrained by Cho Hyunjae.
Of course, the result was inevitable…
“Freeze! If you move, we’ll shoot!”
The city hall guards rushed in, surrounding Han Gilju and Cho Hyunjae. They pointed swords and bows at them with menacing expressions, but Han Gilju was not intimidated.
“What’s with these guys? Do they know who I am to be pointing weapons at me?”
He then turned to the dozen guild members he had brought along and shouted.
“Hey, get rid of them!”
“……”
However, the response he expected did not come.
“What are you doing? I said get rid of them…?”
As the perimeter closed in, Han Gilju quickly turned his head, only to see an empty waiting area.
“……? Where did everyone go!?”
The guard captain shouted at Han Gilju, whose face was twisted in confusion.
“Drop your weapons and kneel! If you resist, we will use force!”
Clang.
Cho Hyunjae quickly dropped his weapon and knelt down. He would have preferred to flee alongside the guild members as soon as trouble started, but he knew that would make things even harder to handle.
“Mr. Jo, what are you doing? Do something!”
“Phew. Master, it’s best if you comply with their orders quietly for now.”
“What? You expect me to kneel to some NPCs? Screw that!”
In the end, Han Gilju, refusing to listen, drew his weapon and caused a disturbance, leading to his being killed by the guards. And there was someone watching this scene unfold from a corner of the city hall.
“As you can see, among the newcomers, there are many individuals who are aggressive and self-centered. Therefore, if any guild wants to settle in the city, it’s important to set strict criteria.”
“My goodness. A guild led by such a madman was trying to establish itself in my city! If I hadn’t taken master Raul’s advice, these ruffians would have overrun the place. Thank you so much.”
There stood Raul, who had just finished a meeting in the mayor’s office, and Mayor Egendore of Mariacne. Raul smiled as if it were nothing.
“No need to thank me. It’s only natural to inform you. We are partners now, aren’t we?”
“Ha ha! That’s right, partners! You give me such confidence. I should have accepted your proposal much earlier…”
Regret was evident on Mayor Egendore’s face. If he had accepted Raul’s proposal a year ago, before the Gate Incident, he might have been the lord of a much more developed city, if not as prosperous as Mira.
‘Damn those fools in the Leslie Kingdom.’
Even though the Gate Incident occurred and the palace was invaded, why did they show no interest in the players and free cities?
Even an unknown noble from another country showed interest in investing, making him falsely believe that big investors would soon flood in with their money.
That misplaced pride had led him to continually refuse investment from the First Knight Order politely, but he had reached his limit.
In just one year, the free city of Mira in the Ruben Kingdom and the free city of Mariacne in the Leslie Kingdom had become as different as a nation’s capital is from a rural lord’s castle.
‘Fools blinded by immediate profits!’
Mayor Egendore cursed the mage towers and nobles of the Leslie Kingdom, who were engrossed in factional disputes.
‘At least they’re seeking investment now…’
What was the point of the increased number of visitors from afar?
Facilities for them to eat, rest, and spend their money were grossly inadequate, so tax revenues were not increasing as much as anticipated.
Fortunately, master Raul had agreed to invest in the development of a large commercial and residential district, so the future looked promising.
As the saying goes, the old ways are the best ways. Raul’s business plan, having already revived the free city of the Ruben Kingdom, was flawless.
‘Yes. Instead of giving land to greedy mage tower people or unreliable outsiders, it’s better to entrust it to the First Knight Order!’
Just a moment ago, they had a close call. A barbaric outsider’s guild nearly established itself in the city center.
“Please continue offering your advice, master Raul.”
“Of course. Let’s work together for the revival of Mariacne!”
The two shook hands, their faces beaming with smiles.
“By the way, what do you plan to do with that outsider?”
Raul asked with a hint of curiosity, and Mayor Egendore replied as if it were obvious.
“We will arrest and deport him as soon as he resurrects. We can’t have someone like him in the city.”
“Hmm.”
However, Raul’s expression showed some dissatisfaction. Seeing this, the mayor asked in puzzlement.
“Is there a problem? Ah, we can’t execute him. It’s not just that execution is impossible here, but the gods have placed a restriction on us city officials that prevents us from taking an outsider’s life.”
Raul nodded.
“Of course, I understand. Mayors in Mira and other free cities are also troubled by crimes committed by outsiders.”
“Then do you have a better solution?”
Raul’s eyes twinkled as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“When punishing outsiders, we need to think from their perspective. They are different from us.”
“Of course.”
“So it’s important to deliver a punishment that they would most dislike. Would you like to try my suggestion?”
“Oh! What is it?”
“That is….”
The next day.
In the central plaza of the free city of Mariacne, Han Gilju’s crimes and their corresponding punishments were publicly announced. He was charged with assaulting a government official, bribery, property damage, obstruction of justice, and attempted murder.
As a result, he was sentenced to five years in the underground prison, followed by a lifelong ban from entering any free cities in Connect. In the end, Han Gilju deleted his account.
All the purchases he made for rapid growth, beginner packages, and guild support packages for quick advancement were lost. Worst of all, he had to pay over a hundred million won to reset his capsule.
The capsule was for single-person use only, so without resetting it, he would need to get a new one. Of course, for someone from a wealthy background, the amount wasn’t much of a burden.
The bigger issue was the ones left behind.
The Daesung Guild, which had painstakingly established itself in Mariacne, had drawn the ire of the mayor and eventually had no choice but to leave the city.
Fortunately, the travel restrictions in the city had been lifted recently, so they had somewhere to go, but it was clear their journey ahead would not be easy.
‘We’ll meet again soon enough.’
Raul watched them leave the city gates with a resigned smile, observing their defeated appearance.
(To be continued…)