Chapter 20 - Seo Hye-in (2)
“-that is the reason we called you.”
As Seo Hye-in said that, my consciousness was pulled back to reality.
It had been a series of boring stories from the middle, so I had let my mind wander far away.
But I still knew what the business was.
They were currently desperate to pull me into their guild.
They were insisting on compensating me for Jeong Min-woo picking a fight with me.
It was an extension of what Mr. Kim Jae-han had told me.
“No, it’s fine. It’s not like you guys did anything wrong.”
But if I accepted it meekly, I wouldn’t be able to get what I was aiming for.
As I was muttering some face-saving comments, Seo Hye-in opened a drawer and pushed a blank sheet of paper towards me.
“Write it down.”
“Pardon?”
“We will do anything we can for you. Of course, including the request you made through Team Leader Kim Jae-han before.”
This again.
It was orthodox, but a sound that couldn’t help but be tempting.
In other words, she was offering me a blank check.
“…Excuse me for a moment, Director. No matter how you look at it, this is too unreasonable…”
As I said that, one of the people positioned around Ms. Seo Hye-in suddenly opened his mouth with a dissatisfied look.
It was a look of ‘why are you being so nice to a bum like this.’
“Stop.”
He immediately shut his mouth at the single cold word from Seo Hye-in.
“I have judged it to be worth it. Do you have anything more to say.”
“…I do not.”
Seeing the subordinate retreat while saying that, I could tell the influence this person had within the group.
And it would be foolish to refuse such an offer from such a person.
“Hmm.”
I pulled the paper Seo Hye-in offered towards me and racked my brain.
If I was making a request to a super-large group like the Hunting Alliance, almost any request I could think of would be approved.
Perhaps if I just used this well, I could live the rest of my life without worrying about money.
“…”
But, well.
I was not a fool who would waste such a golden opportunity on ‘just that much’.
What I could gain here by talking well was something so precious that it could never be obtained even by pouring in a fortune.
“Then.”
After jotting down what came to mind, I returned the paper to Seo Hye-in.
Seo Hye-in, who took it, read it with a serious face, but her expression gradually changed to a strange one.
“…This is?”
“Didn’t you tell me to write down my request?”
I replied with a smile.
At this, Seo Hye-in looked over the paper I gave her with bewildered eyes again.
Most of what was written inside were just simple requests.
Get me a few things.
Dispatch a few people upon request.
Things like that.
“…I’m saying this just in case, but the Hunting Alliance is one of the top guilds in the country. You can ask for a little more than these requests-”
“That’s enough.”
I answered curtly.
The things I wrote down were necessary for future events, but most of them were difficult for me to obtain on my own.
It wasn't an empty statement that it was enough.
However, from their perspective, it was also true that it wasn't a big deal.
So it was also possible to talk my way through like this.
“It’s just, it feels a bit much to receive a lot from a friend’s family.”
“Pardon?”
“She bragged so much about her older sister.”
That was a lie.
Seo Ah-in had never uttered a word about Seo Hye-in.
But as soon as she heard that, I felt a slight flush of color return to Seo Hye-in’s icy face.
“…Is that so.”
“Yes. Just a little while ago, she was earnestly telling me to be good to her sister.”
This was also a lie.
Seo Ah-in had been trembling like a vibrating phone the whole time and couldn't even speak properly.
But this time too, the corners of Seo Hye-in’s mouth twitched subtly upon hearing this.
“You seem to… get along well.”
“We do. So, let’s just say I’m doing a friend a favor.”
Needless to say, it was a lie. It was nonsense, too.
But if you spouted such nonsense while kicking away such a great opportunity right in front of her, it surprisingly gained some credibility.
“…You are a strange person.”
I could tell just by the way Seo Hye-in spoke in a dumbfounded voice.
It was a sight that could never be imagined from her usual ice-statue-like appearance.
How would she feel, seeing a guy who would throw away a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for nothing more than a ‘promise with a friend’?
Alright. Then.
It was about time for a reaction from the older sister who ‘on the surface’ completely ignored her younger sister.
[1 Skill Share slot for target ‘Seo Hye-in’ has been opened.]
For instance, something like this.
“…”
With all my might, I held down the corners of my mouth that were trying to ascend to the heavens.
With this one thing, I didn't need gold, silver, or treasures.
Just by sitting here and saying a few words, I had obtained the most crucial element to conquer this main quest.
Well then.
Now that I had obtained the crucial element, the next step was to create an opportunity for me to intervene in the main scenario.
“Ah, then I’d like to give you something in return.”
“Pardon?”
Seo Hye-in looked back at me, flustered by the sudden words, but I continued speaking as if nothing had happened.
“I heard a rumor that the Hunting Alliance is dispatching a conquest team this time, right?”
In fact, no one had told me, but according to the game’s timetable, it should definitely be in progress.
10th Floor ‘Jewel Plains’.
As soon as that subjugation was over, the full-fledged main scenario would begin.
‘It’s an event that will happen eventually anyway…’
The scenario progresses automatically even if the player doesn't intervene.
But if I don’t get involved, well.
People who don’t have to die will die.
A lot of them.
“That… is true. But what is that about…?”
“I was wondering if you could make a spot for me there.”
Seo Hye-in blinked blankly.
Sisters really are alike.
Her reaction when she was flustered was almost a carbon copy of Seo Ah-in’s.
Well, an F-grade Climber participating in a conquest team was a request that only a suicide hopeful would make, considering the risk.
“…May I ask why you are making such a request?”
“No.”
I responded with a smirk.
“You won’t be able to work for a while, so I thought I’d bring you a present in the meantime.”
I said, looking at the other person’s hand.
Flinching at this, Seo Hye-in slyly lowered her arm under the table and observed me with slightly wary eyes.
She was trying to figure out just how much I knew.
“…That’s right. It will certainly be difficult to show my true strength for a while.”
Of course.
This person’s ability had a very clear ‘limit’ to its use.
If used more than a certain number of times, it required a long cooldown period.
And according to the story, at this point in time, she would be using it whenever the cooldown was up.
“…”
This person was often called the ‘Cleaner’ in some shady and dark places.
What she cleaned, well.
It wasn't for nothing that I had evaluated this person as being ‘good at killing people’.
The reason she deliberately kept her distance from Seo Ah-in was related to that.
“You’re going through a lot.”
As I casually threw out those words, Seo Hye-in’s expression changed subtly.
“…What do you mean?”
“I mean exactly what I said, that you’re going through a lot.”
It meant exactly what the sentence said.
If you looked into the details of what this person was involved in right now, you couldn’t help but feel sympathy.
But that wasn’t a problem to be solved right now. We would inevitably get entangled in some way later, though.
For now, I had to focus on the main quest.
“So, what’s your answer? Is it possible?”
“It is… possible.”
Seo Hye-in answered with a troubled expression.
“The only vacant position at the moment is at best a porter… and the commander of the subjugation team is also a very problematic person. No matter how great you are, I can never guarantee your safety…”
“Yes. That’s fine.”
“…”
Seo Ah-in narrowed her eyes and glared at me.
No, but,
I was serious.
All of those were the conditions I was aiming for.
“…”
Seo Hye-in, who was looking at me as if I were a crazy person, finally let out a deep sigh and continued.
“…Even if an accident happens, I can’t help you if you’re under this person’s command. It may be impertinent of me to say, but this person belongs to a group that is in opposition to me-”
“Yes, that’s fine too.”
“Pardon?”
I shrugged my shoulders at Seo Hye-in, who asked back in a dumbfounded voice.
“Well, you can look forward to it. After this is over…”
I said, making eye contact one by one with Seo Hye-in’s subordinates who were looking at me with dissatisfied faces.
“You all will definitely not regret it.”
Well.
At least they would think that deciding to get along with me was a good decision.
***
“So. It’s all good, but.”
Seo Ah-in spoke in a voice that seemed to hate the world.
“Why did you bring me?”
On her shoulders was a load of luggage that looked heavy at a glance.
I was also carrying a similar amount, but it was actually almost empty.
I had passed most of what was inside to Seo Ah-in.
But seeing her continue to walk around just fine, this girl’s basic specs were truly on a gangster level.
“Because I can’t be a porter.”
“…Then why did you apply as a porter in the first place?”
“To leech off you.”
Seo Ah-in glared at me with eyes filled with ominous killing intent.
“What’s in your bag?”
“A recorder.”
“Why did you bring a recorder?!”
“Because I need it. It’s much more important than your luggage.”
“…”
Then, she looked up at the sky with transparent eyes as if she had reached enlightenment.
“What. Why.”
“I was just trying to remember what I did wrong in my life to meet someone like you.”
I answered with a chuckle.
“Well, I didn’t really call you for that. I brought you because it’s helpful for you too.”
“I don’t believe you…”
“Have I ever lied?”
Unwilling to say no with her own mouth, Seo Ah-in just quietly pouted her lips.
“By the way, Mr. Kim Gyu-sik, there was something I’ve wanted to ask you for a while.”
“Yeah?”
“Why do you go around sticking your head into every dangerous place like this? Anyone would think you’re a person crazy to die.”
I wondered what she was talking about.
I answered with a smirk.
“Because that’s how you can get stronger.”
“…Even if we say you can really get stronger by doing this. Why are you trying to get so strong?”
“Because I want to live.”
“…Pardon?”
I just shrugged my shoulders at the girl who answered blankly.
Well, it meant exactly what it said, so there was nothing to explain.
If I wasn't this tenacious about sucking up everything I could, I couldn’t guarantee my survival, no matter how much of a bug character and veteran combo I was.
As for what that meant exactly, well.
This girl would probably find out soon enough.
“Hey. Over there.”
And, a swaggering voice suddenly flew from the front.
It was a middle-aged man who was walking at the head of the subjugation team.
“Looks comfortable, does it? Seeing as you still have the leisure to chat like that?”
“…No, I’m sorry.”
I answered like that for now.
Im Jae-hwan.
He seemed to have the skills to be the commander of a subjugation team as a C-grade Climber, but he was a guy who constantly picked fights with me and Seo Ah-in.
Thanks to him, the entire subjugation team had a hostile atmosphere towards me and Seo Ah-in.
“You two, you came in on Seo Hye-in’s recommendation, right? Don’t get cocky just because you caught the eye of someone great. The thing I hate the most are guys who act up when they have nothing to show for it.”
Laughter that seemed to agree erupted from the surroundings.
They were all just faces full of emotion that looked down on us.
“No, really, what the h…”
I grabbed and stopped the exploding Seo Ah-in.
Anyone would be angry like her in this situation, but it wasn’t good to start a fight right now.
“If you’re a useless porter, then act like a porter and shut up and work quietly. Can’t you even do that one thing right? Huh?”
“Haha. I’ll work hard.”
As I smoothly laughed it off, Im Jae-hwan clicked his tongue with a displeased look.
“Tch. Annoyingly funny.”
As he spun around and returned to the front, Seo Ah-in gritted her teeth and opened her mouth.
“Wh-what kind of person is that? What on earth did we do wrong?”
“How is that important in a faction fight?”
A very clear piece of social science knowledge.
Wherever a number of humans gather, groups will form, and those groups will, with high probability, be at odds with each other.
The Hunting Alliance was no exception.
These guys belonged to a faction that was in complete opposition to Seo Hye-in.
So they were just taking their anger out on us.
“So, you’re telling me to just listen to that and endure it?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“…Pardon?”
I grinned at Seo Ah-in, who answered blankly.
“You know.”
Right now, guys who would treat us like baggage were actually more convenient.
I didn't need to cooperate with guys like these.
“Have you ever seen me just leave disrespectful bastards alone?”
I didn’t need to feel guilty about what was going to happen either.
“…”
It seemed she recalled various memories at those words.
Seo Ah-in’s expression turned slightly pale.