Chapter 54 - Contact (1)
Exchanges between guilds were not a very frequent event.
Considering the risks involved in each other's work, it might seem surprising, but at least guilds that could directly enter the Tower, not just the field, had plenty of leeway to form expedition teams without borrowing others' hands.
In that sense.
“Let's wrap up the regular meetings where we say stale things to each other here.”
Jeong Woo-jin of Jeokpungdae, who should have disappeared after saying this.
It was quite unusual for him to add a superfluous remark after that.
”He's called Kim Gyu-sik, right. Lend him to us for a bit. We'll pay a handsome price from our side.“
As everyone knew, Seo Hye-in was famous for her stone-faced attitude, with almost no change in expression in public.
She was on a level to compete for the world championship with Kim Jae-han of the same guild, who was a similar stone-face.
“Sir.”
In that sense.
Words that would shock most people who knew her followed.
“I'd appreciate it if you'd cut the bullshit.”
“...”
The politely delivered profanity was intense in itself, but the other party just chuckled instead of showing any reaction.
“What's this. We've even conquered a floor together, you're going to be like this?”
“We were a group united by necessity. If it weren't for that, we wouldn't have seen each other's faces again like this.”
“Aw. So cold.”
Jeong Woo-jin replied slyly.
Seo Hye-in's expression grew even colder at the sight.
It was only natural, as she didn't know what would happen if she lowered her guard at this superficial appearance.
The words that followed immediately proved it.
“Let's be nice. We already know what you're trying to hide.”
“What do you mean.”
“That ‘F-rank’. The fact that you guys are trying your best to keep him out of the eyes of other guilds.”
It was the topic that had been on the table since a while ago.
The fact that it came from Jeokpungdae, of all places, was reason enough for her to be exuding this much coldness right now.
It was a place she had had friction and quarrels with on every single matter since long ago.
There was no reason for her to sit by and watch as they drooled over one of the cards she had been cherishing the most recently.
“Kim Gyu-sik is under an ‘exclusive’ contract with us.”
Seo Hye-in said, mixing in a slight growl.
The opponent was also an A-rank Climber, after all. There was no way he couldn't detect the hostility in her tone that felt like it could cut flesh.
“No matter how much you try to negotiate, we cannot yield him.”
Whether it was the results the man had shown so far, or the expected growth potential in the future, there was no reason not to respond strongly from any perspective.
Moreover, in a chaotic situation like now, it was even more absurd to lose such a precious card.
“...Well, fine. If you want to hide him that badly, you can do as you please.”
And as if he had decided to back off a bit at her firm attitude, Jeong Woo-jin chuckled and continued.
“In a situation like this, how long do you think you can hide a guy like that?”
“...”
“Even with an exclusive contract or whatever, you're not the only successful guild in the world. Can you even imagine what kind of people will stick to him soon?”
Indeed.
No matter how much the Hunting Alliance held a position close to a hegemon in the Asian region, if the stage was brought to the ‘world’, they were ultimately just a fox in a den without a tiger.
And for a man who had single-handedly resolved a global incident like a ‘trial’, it wouldn't be strange at all to receive aggressive advances from such places.
For now, they were somehow concealing the information, but it would spread in an instant.
“Besides, you guys. You've already been hit hard by an incident like that once before. The mistress of the Hunting Alliance-”
“-Stop.”
Seo Hye-in cut off Jeong Woo-jin's words in a monotone voice.
It was a voice devoid of any emotion, but because of that, the intention behind it was delivered all the more keenly.
A murderous intent that said if he said one more word, she would cut his throat.
“...Right. That's a family matter from there. I should have been more careful. Sorry?”
“Cut the crap.”
Seo Hye-in snorted and stood up from her seat.
“And, as for Kim Gyu-sik. You don't have to worry about him.”
“Huh?”
“That person has no intention of hiding in the first place.”
“...What do you mean?”
“Even with an exclusive contract or whatever, we don't own him.”
If that were the case, he would have come under the ‘command’ of the Hunting Alliance long ago.
Not bring up a story about ‘collaborating’ with the guild he belonged to.
“...To that person, we are also just a kind of ‘means’. He's not a person who will quietly belong somewhere in the first place.”
It was purely in the realm of speculation with no proper evidence, but at least to Seo Hye-in, the man named Kim Gyu-sik was that kind of person.
And in the intuitive part of judging such people, she was a person who was rarely wrong.
That man was not someone who would belong somewhere trivial and follow someone's orders.
He was closer to a ‘monster’ who would drag people into the game he had set up and shake everything up.
“So, well. It would be better for you to give up on useless attempts too. This is advice coming from goodwill.”
“...”
Seo Hye-in, who chuckled at Jeong Woo-jin looking back at her while blinking his eyes, soon turned and left the place.
Meanwhile, her phone was ringing incessantly.
She had already heard what he was going to do tonight.
And the call informing her that it was ‘completed’ must have arrived.
The favor he asked for was a chore to clean up the aftermath.
It felt like he was using her, an A-rank Climber, as his subordinate, but she didn't have any particular feelings about it.
Because she was also sure.
‘...This man.’
Someday.
Definitely.
He was a monster who could reach a position where he could order her around with a nod of his chin.
***
“You did something trashy again, didn't you?”
“...”
When such words flew from Seo Ah-in out of the blue, I turned to look at her with narrowed eyes.
“What. What is it now.”
“I met that... pink mage named Lee Si-yeong a while ago.”
I don't know why she was wandering in front of the guild, though.
Seo Ah-in, who added that, then added that Lee Si-yeong seemed somewhat out of her mind.
“What does that have to do with me doing something trashy?”
“There's that... what should I call it... that unique atmosphere that only comes from people who have been beaten by you, all over her body...”
“...”
Watching her mutter such pointlessly long-winded words with dazed eyes was making me feel dizzy too.
“Why are you so full of useless conviction. It's annoying.”
“Because I have my own experiences.”
Hmm.
Logically, she was right. I couldn't refute it.
“Well, she must have her own busy affairs.”
To be precise, they were the tasks I had thrown at her.
No matter how corrupt they were and how I had caught them with all their criminal circumstances, cutting off the leadership of a huge organization like the Hunting Alliance would naturally have a massive aftermath.
She was probably running around like crazy with her older brother, Lee Seong-jin, trying to figure things out.
But, well.
If she had handled the work properly ‘as I had entrusted it to her’.
I could expect a pretty positive outlook when I returned later.
“...So, what are we here for now?”
Seo Ah-in said, looking around.
The 11th floor. The floor where the Wolf's Village, which we had cleared before, existed.
Today too, the area was teeming with people dispatched from various guilds.
The ‘trial’ countdown that had been stuck on the Tower's display like a billboard had disappeared when the 11th floor was conquered, but attempts to enter the floors above were still actively underway.
The ‘portal’ on the 11th floor was still valid, so people could freely enter and exit there, but the ‘passage’ to the 12th floor had not yet been discovered.
Up to the 10th floor, the floor above would automatically open when you ate the Conquest Token, so it was an unprecedented event, and the guys trying to get to the top somehow were on edge.
‘Well, breaking through the passage is no big deal, but...’
The trick was that only I knew the condition.
Thinking that, I took out a device from my pocket.
Among the large guilds, the Hunting Alliance was particularly strong in information gathering, but among them, the ones who especially crossed the line frequently were the group of Mr. Lee Chan-seong, whom I had just subdued.
Because they frequently bought information about all sorts of Climbers on the black market.
And the 'search device' that compiled all of that was this.
It was like a Wikipedia for Climbers.
And if you utilized its functions in a little more detail, this was also possible.
“...Found her.”
When I put the desired information into the device and searched, a target that matched exactly was displayed on the screen.
When I turned my head in that direction, there was exactly one person I remembered standing there.
A short girl who would barely reach my chest.
Distinctive blue hair. A faint yellow highlight at the end.
At a glance, she looked like a stereotype of an East Asian beauty, but the gap coming from her hair color was enormous.
I remembered her.
‘...She was a martial arts type character, I think?’
Chang Meirin.
Not a main character, but one of the main supporting characters that could be picked up as a companion.
In fact, she alone had little value, but the ‘side quests’ that came along when you got involved with her were all of enormous value.
This was especially true in my situation, where I was focusing on developing ‘Qi’ related stats.
“...Wait a minute. Another woman?”
“What?”
“Why is it that you always look for a woman whenever something happens...? Is my sister not enough for you?”
“...Stop with the bullshit. Seriously.”
There were things you could say and things you couldn't.
As I was feeling dizzy from the unfiltered words coming out of Seo Ah-in, she also turned her gaze and began to carefully examine Meirin.
“Hmm. What should I say. She's like a chick. She doesn't belong in a place like this.”
“Says the one who faints at the sight of a bug.”
“...”
Seo Ah-in immediately shut her mouth at my jab, but the evaluation she had given was justified.
The way she looked around timidly in a state of high tension was not the appearance of a seasoned Climber by any means.
“...So. What kind of sinister thing are you going to do to that girl this time?”
“Well. Just wait and see.”
“You're not even denying that it's sinister anymore.”
Ignoring Seo Ah-in, who was chattering beside me, I strode into the village.
The fog that had surrounded the area all year round had lifted, and the village residents, who had come to their senses, were striding around inside, looking much more vibrant than before.
This was all the result of siding with the Blue Wolf instead of the Yellow Wolf.
And if these elements continued to pile up... well.
Something incredibly good would come in.
A means that could overturn the very structure of the game.
“Oh, Climber!”
As I entered the village to some extent, I was able to face a boy who was sitting on a platform-like place, watching the inside of the village with a pleased look.
It was the Blue Wolf I had saved before.
The battered Yelena was probably still unconscious, so this kid was probably acting as the village chief now.
He looked full of life, a complete contrast to how he looked a while ago.
“I'm seeing you again after a short while! Nice to see you!”
“Yeah. Nice to see you too.”
“Did you come for a reason? Just tell me anything! Thanks to you, the village has found peace!”
A reason.
Of course, there was.
To the boy who spoke with a pure voice, full of peace and welcome, I replied with a broad smile.
“I'm going to mess up a few people, so give me some tools.”
“...”