Episode 11 - The Big Picture (2)
“It seems to be graduation season for the Academy students lately.”
When the woman with crimson-dyed hair, Yun Jina, muttered while resting her chin on the desk, the sharp-featured young man, I Yeonghun, replied.
“That’s why our guild put out a recruitment notice too, trying to increase our numbers with this opportunity.”
“Hoo, but I’m still the guild master, you know. Can’t you guys handle today’s interview by yourselves?”
When she whined, Yeonghun didn’t indulge her, instead hitting her with reality.
“If our guild were a first-rate guild like Sky Tower or Trickster, that might be different. But in a place made up of only eight guild members, it’s nothing but a dream.”
Struck by this sudden barrage of harsh facts, she recalled her past with a near-whining voice and lamented her lot in life.
“Sigh, maybe I should have joined back when Trickster offered me a position? I shouldn’t have dreamed so big for nothing….”
“But still, we’ve made it to a third-rate guild—one of only twenty in the entire country—in just two years.”
Revitalized by Yeonghun’s words, she rode that momentum and whined once more.
“I’m just saying. If I’ve grown this much in two years like you said, can’t you guys just do the interview by yourselves today? I want to rest a bit today!”
“If it were any other day, I would have allowed it without you begging so much. But today’s interview is important, so no.”
Seeing Yeonghun answer seriously, Jina resigned herself to accepting reality.
“Sigh, who’s interviewing that I have to go too?”
“Have you heard of I Yujeong? You know, the friend who awakened an S-rank trait, Dagger Mastery.”
“Ah! I remember her. But wasn’t she already picked up by the Cheongeom family? I thought Sky Tower had already scouted her.”
It was a valid question, as she had read an article just a few days ago about Sky Tower scouting Yujeong.
“I thought so too, but it seems something went wrong on their end. She applied for an interview with our guild urgently yesterday; that was the first I heard of it.”
“So that’s why you told me I absolutely had to come as an interviewer today?”
Seeing her seeming to agree, he relaxed and spoke.
“So today, absolutely! No matter what happens, you can’t skip out. Okay? This is all for our guild.”
“Alright. An Awakened with an S-rank trait is interviewing at our guild. And she turned down first-rate guilds, at that.”
“If I Yujeong joins our guild, we’d have three S-rank trait holders.”
Gaining hope from his words, she spoke in an excited voice.
“Right. With this, wouldn’t we be able to compete not just with second-rate guilds, but even first-rate ones?”
But Yeonghun battered the delighted Jina with facts once more.
“That’s not the case. There are only two first-rate guilds in the entire country, and each of them has the backing of ‘those’ two families that symbolize the Republic of Korea.”
“Yeah, yeah. I was just saying it because I was in a good mood. Can you please stop hitting me with facts? My bones ache.”
The guild master of the third-rate guild White Flame, Yun Jina, pouted and began walking toward the interview room.
***
Meanwhile, Seo Jun, who had succeeded in sending a “well-being” (?) video to the Cheongeom family, sat on the floor and muttered.
“I wonder if they received the video well? I even lowered my voice and put on a decent disguise, you know.”
After tying himself to a chair alongside Hajin and Geumho and filming himself, he had been able to send the video through great effort—using editing to record the voice separately.
*Since I’m not two people, I had to go through such trouble.*
He couldn’t have Knight Choe do it, as he wouldn’t have been able to pull off the voice acting.
Seo Jun glanced pitifully at Knight Choe, who had been trembling but seemed to have tired himself out and was now sleeping, then took out a paper he had kept in his chest pocket and fell into thought.
“Besides, if it’s the Tomb of the Nine Snakes, could it be that place?”
It was one of the six-star dungeons, of which there were only twenty in the entire world, located in Gimhae, Gyeongsangnam-do.
Six-Star Dungeon: Resting Place of the Nine-Headed Dragon.
Of course, it was a dragon, not a snake. But since “nine” was a common factor, it was the only place that came to mind.
*Honestly, aren’t dragons classified as reptiles just like snakes? The ones I saw in my past life looked like lizards, too.*
In any case, Seo Jun, having decided to go to Gimhae in three days, inspected the subspace rings he had taken from Hajin and Geumho one by one.
As a result of examining all seven rings:
22 elixirs, 11 Legendary-grade equipment, 15 Unique-grade equipment, and 12 top-grade mana stones.
“But these bastards had so much. If they were going to give it to me at the house, they could have just taken it out here. Why did they tell me to wait?”
The truth was, it was because the equipment they had given Seo Jun was the lowest quality among their Unique-grade items, but he didn’t know such trivial details.
“I’ll take the seven pieces of Legendary-grade equipment and the mana stones that Geumho was originally wearing, and give the rest to Sua.”
Since the elixirs were not permanent but only temporarily raised stats, they weren’t very efficient for Seo Jun, who already had high stats all around, so he could make such a decision.
*They don’t seem to have side effects, so Sua, who currently has low stats, needs them more.*
Since Seo Jun considered her family, he didn’t feel it was a waste to give them to her generously.
*Of course, it’s only because my growth is backed up that I can afford such leisure.*
If he hadn’t grown to his current level, everything he had just obtained would have been kept for himself.
After appropriately distributing the items among the seven subspace rings, Seo Jun took off his Unique-grade equipment and began covering his entire body in Legendary-grade gear.
As a result:
“Strength increased by 90, Constitution by 100, Agility by 90, and Mukgi by 50.”
Originally, it should have increased by 100 if it were Magic Power, but perhaps because it was Mukgi, it was reduced to 50.
“They raised my stats this much, yet he still got ambushed by me and flustered? Tsk, tsk.”
Seo Jun was once again surprised at Geumho’s lack of skill.
Moreover, since they were Legendary-grade equipment, some pieces might have built-in skills, so his expectations were high.
*Could all seven have skills?*
Since some Legendary equipment had built-in skills and some didn’t, and he didn’t have an appraisal scroll on hand, Seo Jun planned to check when he got home.
“Anyway, I obtained five subspace rings as well.”
Originally there were seven, but he planned to give one each to Ayeong and Sua, leaving him with five.
Although subspace rings were only Rare-grade, they sometimes dropped as rewards from 3-star dungeons at extreme probabilities, and since they could store up to 100kg, they were occasionally traded on the market for more than Legendary-grade equipment.
It essentially served the same role as an inventory in a game.
“Hoo, is it finally time for the grand finale?”
Having uttered words befitting a third-rate villain, Seo Jun’s attention was entirely focused on the mana stones.
“How much will it rise?”
Time to eat!
Adding the three he had received from them at the house, he used Cheonsik on a total of fifteen top-grade mana stones.
Ding!
[(Black) Mana Stone absorbed!]
[Mukgi stat increased by 150!]
[Contribution to Black has greatly increased!]
[Mukgi stat has exceeded 500!]
[Mukgi mastery rises to 4-star!]
[You can now maintain the form of Mukgi externally as well!]
Just as he was enjoying the system sound of his Mukgi mastery rising.
Ding!
An additional system sound rang out.
[Growth of the Soul confirmed!]
[Awakening a portion of the sealed Soul’s memories!]
[Congratulations! You have awakened the Naejeong (Lei Jing) trait!]
It was the moment Seo Jun obtained the power of his past life that he had dreamed of.
“Huh? Isn’t this coming out of nowhere? I was so happy I thought it was a dream for a second.”
Calming his wildly beating heart, Seo Jun called up his status window to check.
[Naejeong (Lei Jing): The core power required to connect all connection points to one another.]
“That’s right. It’s the Naejeong I used in my past life!!”
Although its mastery had been reset to 1-star, he just had to raise it again.
[Your Naejeong (???) mastery is 1-star. You can use the Link skill!]
*If it’s Link, I can check equipment traits without an appraisal scroll.*
Seo Jun used Link on each piece of Legendary equipment he hadn’t been able to check earlier.
As a result:
“The necklace absolutely defends against one strike per day from equipment of Legendary grade or lower, and the shoes let me walk in the sky three times a day.”
Only two out of the seven pieces had skills, but since both were excellent, he wasn’t disappointed.
“The necklace will be useful against ambushes, and the shoes will be very useful in combat.”
As he finished checking all the equipment, Hajin, who had fainted, caught his eye.
*Should I try it on him too?*
Having made up his mind, he approached Hajin.
Zzzzt.
Upon using Link, he could tell that the two of them were connected through Hajin’s soul and the energy of Naejeong.
*So for now, it only lets me read the target’s information. I need to raise Naejeong’s mastery quickly.*
Recalling himself at his prime and licking his lips, Seo Jun began reading the information of the connected Hajin.
「Name: Sin Hajin
Age: 46
Origin: Earth
Level: 92
General Traits: Heavenly Sword (SS)-4 star, Blessing of the Demonic Beast Forest (S)
Strength: 378
Constitution: 101(202)
Agility: 103(206)
Magic Power: 104(208)」
“Hmm, Demonic Beast Forest. What’s this now?”
Thanks to the Blessing of the Demonic Beast Forest, all of Hajin’s stats except Strength were doubled.
“A blessing is something that can only be bestowed by a Transcendent or higher, isn’t it?”
Seo Jun knew, thanks to his memories of his past life, that a being called “Masurim”—a Transcendent or someone who had ascended to godhood—had bestowed this blessing upon Hajin. Instinctively, he recalled the mysterious paper that had come from Hajin earlier.
*I’m not certain, but they seem to be related somehow.*
“Well, I’ll find out in three days.”
Seo Jun had taken a step closer to beings not yet known to the world.
***
“So you’re saying you have no idea of the location?”
The secretary cowered at Sin Yuseong’s pointed remark and didn’t know what to do.
“I’m sorry. The video thoroughly covered the surroundings so that no location could be identified, so we couldn’t tell. I’m sorry.”
“You must find him somehow. That bastard’s target is my one and only daughter.”
Having seen the end of the video late, they had poured all their efforts into identifying the kidnapper’s location, but their failure to find it left them in a state of rapidly mounting anxiety.
“If you can’t find him by tomorrow, you’d best be prepared to hand in your resignation.”
He was usually gentle with those around him, but when it came to his only child, Sin Yerin, he became fierce.
“More importantly, where is Yerin right now?”
“Right now, the young lady is understood to be in the Hongdae area due to plans with friends.”
Sin Yuseong somehow grew angry at her voice, which seemed somewhat calm despite the current situation, and raised his voice.
“The situation is what it is. Why haven’t you brought her in yet! Bring her here at once.”
Perhaps not having thought that far ahead, the female secretary had to rush to drive to Hongdae without even giving Sin Yuseong a proper farewell.
“Yes, yes sir! I will bring her back immediately!”
Left alone in the room after the secretary left, Sin Yuseong could only glare at the video.
“Lumos, was it? You’ve touched something you shouldn’t have. You’d best hide well.”
*I’ll find you and kill you no matter what.*
It was the moment the unforgettable name Lumos was engraved into Sin Yuseong.
***
I Yujeong, who was originally supposed to be scouted by the Sky Tower guild, was currently interviewing for a position at White Flame.
“Hello! I’m I Yujeong!”
Perhaps due to nervousness, her voice was full of tension, which put Yun Jina in an unavoidably good mood.
“Ahaha. Please don’t be so nervous; just take the interview comfortably. Yujeong-sshi. If you don’t mind, may I ask your current level?”
“Yes! I haven’t been long since graduating, so my level is 14.”
“I see. What weapon do you use?”
Yun Jina already knew well that Yujeong used daggers due to her trait, but she asked just in case.
“My trait is specialized in dagger arts, so I use a dagger.”
Having heard the expected answer from her, Jina suddenly wiped the smile from her face and continued the interview.
“Hmm. This is the last question. This one requires a rather important answer, so I’d appreciate it if you could reply carefully.”
“Yes!”
“Yujeong-sshi, what is the ‘real’ reason you applied to our guild?”
Perhaps because Jina’s question was unexpected, the flustered Yujeong couldn’t answer immediately.
“.......”
The guild members, equally flustered, looked at Jina.
“G-Guild Master!”
“I Yeonghun! I wasn’t asking you, so be quiet. And this is an important question for the guild as well.”
Yujeong, who had briefly pondered the intention behind Yun Jina’s question, soon seemed to find her answer and began to speak.
“The reason I applied to this guild is that there’s someone I want to defeat.”
Taking a breath, Yujeong continued.
“Guild Master. If you don’t mind, may I ask a question this time?”
“What is it? Go ahead.”
“Have you heard of the Tiger Tooth guild?”
Startled by Yujeong’s sudden odd question, Jina answered in a fluster.
“Yes. Of course I know it. It’s a third-rate guild like ours. And it’s also a subsidiary of the Cheongeom family.”
“Then, Guild Master, can you single-handedly face six elite members handpicked from Tiger Tooth?”
Perhaps feeling that Yujeong was mocking her, Jina’s voice gradually darkened.
“Single-handedly? That would be difficult even for me. I pride myself on being a high-ranker, but realistically, it seems difficult.”
“Exactly. It’s something difficult even for you, a high-ranker and guild master.”
As if she would no longer entertain this, Jina decided to ask Yujeong directly.
“Excuse me. I Yujeong-sshi. May I ask why you’re asking these questions? I simply cannot fathom your intention.”
“I am now answering the question you asked me, Guild Master.”
Hearing the answer to her question, Yun Jina began recalling her earlier conversation with Yujeong.
“What? What do you mean… No way?”
“Yes. That’s right. The person I want to defeat handled something that even you, the guild master, would struggle with as lightly as if taking a stroll.”
Her voice began to tremble at Yujeong’s unbelievable words.
“Who is such a person? No, more importantly, how is that even possible?”
“I can’t tell you who he is. Rather, Guild Master, is your doubt lifted now? As to why I rejected the Cheongeom family’s support and applied here.”
Realizing Yujeong was sincere, she soon set aside her doubts.
“So you want to grow strong with our guild’s support—not the Cheongeom family’s—and while not alone like him.”
“I know my reality. It’s impossible to grow strong alone without any support. But I did come to realize one thing.”
Yujeong continued.
“No matter which guild supports me, I don’t necessarily need the Cheongeom family’s help. Rather, if I received their support, I’d be overshadowed by them, which would be a great loss for me.”
Yujeong asked Jina in an earnest voice.
“Guild Master. Will you grant someone like me the chance to become that strong?”
Unbeknownst to Seo Jun, it was the moment an ardent fan of his was born.