Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: The Western Flower
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“Long time no see, Cooking Day.”
Yuseong silently glared at the man called Python who had suddenly appeared.
He had been aiming his gun at Pattern, ready to jump in at any moment if the battle resumed, when the attack came flying out of nowhere.
It was the most threatening attack Yuseong had ever received in Ark.
The attack had come from quite a distance, so he had dodged out of the direct path, yet his armor’s durability had plummeted in an instant, shattering it, and his HP had dropped to 3%.
If he hadn’t topped off his HP earlier, it would have been instant death.
Yuseong knew right away.
‘This guy’s stronger than Uncle Cooking Day.’
Judging from Cooking Day’s reaction, he seemed to be a player they knew. But it didn’t look like a friendly relationship.
‘Same reaction as Pattern.’
Only far more guarded. It was only natural, considering the attack from moments ago.
“Hyung!”
Pattern shouted upon seeing Python.
‘Hyung, huh…’
As far as he knew, it had two meanings. One was the term a younger sibling used for an older brother born to the same parents. The other was how men addressed older male acquaintances.
Yuseong didn’t know which one Pattern meant for this man, but one thing was clear: the two were on familiar terms.
‘This is bad.’
He had no confidence in beating this guy even teaming up with Cooking Day. And if Pattern joined in too?
On top of that, there was another person beside Python. He didn’t seem as high-level as Python or Pattern, but the fact that it meant one more opponent was burden enough.
“Yeah, hey.”
Python gave Pattern a casual wave in greeting. But he didn’t seem particularly pleased.
His eyes turned to Yuseong.
“You must be Yuseong.”
He scanned Yuseong appraisingly.
“Impressive. Completely different from ordinary players.”
“What’s different about him, hyung? Even if his physique is decent, he’s just a lowbie tag-along…!”
“Pattern.”
Python turned to look at Pattern.
“Shut up.”
“……”
Pattern clamped his mouth shut. The arrogance he’d shown so far was gone, replaced by a meekness that seemed unreal.
“I’ve told you before, haven’t I? There’s something more important than levels.”
Python pointed at Yuseong.
“My skill shredded half his armor and nearly killed him. He obviously knows he has no chance of winning, yet he’s still got his gun trained on us.”
“……”
Whether Python’s warning had sunk in or not, Pattern didn’t open his mouth. But his expression made it clear he wasn’t convinced.
“Yeah, yeah. You probably think he’s just lashing out in desperation. But no. People lashing out don’t have faces like that. That’s the face of someone constantly racking their brain to turn the tables.”
“……”
“Above all, he survived my attack—even if I held back. A mere lowbie, as you put it. Give credit where it’s due. This guy’s the real deal.”
And then he addressed Yuseong.
“I know you already turned it down, but now that I’ve seen you in person, I can’t help wanting you. What do you say, Yuseong? Our offer still stands. Why not join our guild right now?”
The spectators buzzed in surprise. An invitation from C.O.T.S?
No matter their bad reputation, C.O.T.S was a massive guild. The tangible and intangible benefits of joining were endless.
Even someone who hated C.O.T.S would likely nod if they got an offer like that.
But Yuseong shook his head.
“I already joined Willful. So I can’t join C.O.T.S.”
The spectators’ murmurs grew louder.
Willful? Sure, smaller than C.O.T.S, but still a famous guild.
“Wow, invitations from both C.O.T.S and Willful.”
“With skills like that, it makes sense.”
“Jealous.”
Python nodded.
“Then there’s nothing for it. It’s a real shame, but we’ll probably end up facing each other as enemies next time. Too bad.”
Yuseong edged subtly toward Cooking Day and asked,
“Who’s that guy?”
“Python. A C.O.T.S ranker.”
As expected. Yuseong nodded, convinced.
“Then this is a dangerous situation.”
“Yeah.”
Cooking Day was a ranker too, but the difference in their classes was too vast. He’d barely held his own against Pattern, who wasn’t even a ranker. He had no chance against a full-on combat-class ranker like Python.
And Python was one of the stronger ones among C.O.T.S’s rankers.
What would he do? Neither Yuseong nor Cooking Day could take their eyes off him.
But as if mocking their worries, Python sheathed his sword. As though he had no intention of fighting anymore.
Yuseong and Cooking Day were both startled.
“……!”
But Pattern was the most shocked of all.
His face plainly showed he wanted to demand why he was sheathing it. Yet Python’s command must have terrified him, because he never opened his mouth.
“You’re not going to fight?”
Instead, the man who had come with Python asked.
“No. I only came to pick up this scatterbrain, after all.”
Python patted Pattern on the head. Pattern pouted.
“Well, I did think about putting in some effort since our guildmates were clashing, but that’s only worth it if we have the advantage. We can’t guarantee victory right now. No reason to fight in a situation like this.”
“What are you talking about, hyung? If we both rush them, guys like that are…!”
Pattern finally couldn’t hold back and opened his mouth to protest.
“Good choice.”
A new voice rang out. Pattern’s eyes bulged in fury.
‘Which bastard!’
He was prepared to curse at Python, but who the hell was interrupting him?
The only people around were spectators, so it had to be one of them.
Lowbie scum who hung around lowbie hunting grounds daring to butt into a conversation between C.O.T.S guild members? His anger boiled over into sheer disbelief.
Determined to teach the fool a lesson about empty bravado, Pattern turned to the speaker.
And like the players who had badmouthed C.O.T.S earlier and gotten on Python’s bad side, he clamped his mouth shut.
The first thing that caught his eye was the silver armor, intensely reflecting the sunlight pouring down from the sky. It scattered a brilliant sheen, looking almost like a well-polished mirror.
A massive full plate armor covering him from head to toe with zero exposure. The greatsword slung diagonally across his back looked like it was meant not for slicing foes but for smashing them into minced meat.
He wasn’t particularly tall, but the sheer presence of the armor made him impossible to underestimate.
Thud! Thud!
The heavy-armor player strode past the C.O.T.S guild members. Python didn’t try to stop him. Pattern and the other guild member didn’t even dream of it.
They knew who was in that heavy armor. And they knew that no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t beat him.
“I’m here.”
Unlike his intimidating appearance, the heavy-armor player waved lightly at Cooking Day with one hand.
Yuseong stared at the player.
Judging from the C.O.T.S guild members’ and Cooking Day’s reactions, the armored figure seemed to be an ally.
He didn’t even need to check their reactions. The Willful emblem emblazoned on the left breast of the silver armor was enough to guess the player’s affiliation.
“Welcome!”
Cooking Day greeted him enthusiastically.
“I’m not late, right?”
“Late? You timed it perfectly.”
“Good.”
The extremely gentle tone clashed with his exterior. On top of that, the player’s voice had a fairly high pitch.
‘A woman.’
Whether friend or foe, Yuseong had met plenty of players by now, enough to tell it was a woman’s voice.
She walked over to Cooking Day’s side, then spun around to face the C.O.T.S guild members.
And so a 3-on-3 standoff formed. Cooking Day spoke up.
“So, you guys don’t want to fight anymore?”
“Yes.”
“Your little brother doesn’t seem to agree?”
“Just ignore this one as needed. Now that I’m here, he has no say in the matter.”
It certainly looked that way.
“Well, you’re the ones who picked the fight anyway. If you’re not fighting, we’ve got no reason to either.”
“Glad we’re on the same page. We can just call it here—no demands from either side, right?”
“This isn’t some full-blown guild war. What’s there to demand? We all just go our separate ways.”
Both Cooking Day and Python clearly had no desire to escalate things further.
Pattern’s dissatisfaction grew, but he had already completely lost control of the situation.
“Very well.”
Python clapped his hands.
“Then we’ll withdraw. Or would you like to go first?”
“You guys go.”
Cooking Day waved them off.
“Alright. Hope we meet again under better circumstances next time.”
“Like that’ll happen between us.”
“You’re right.”
With that, Python turned his back. The man who had come with him followed, and finally, Pattern—still glaring murderously at Yuseong’s group, clearly unsatisfied with the outcome—shuffled after them.
And with that, the battle of that day came to an end.
* * *
“Phew, it’s over.”
Cooking Day let out a big sigh. It had been a battle full of unexpected turns.
‘Jeez, I just came to scout one lowbie player.’
How had it turned into a standoff between two famous guilds, three rankers, and one promising prospect?
‘I can kinda see where Pattern was coming from.’
Even Cooking Day—who had been more than favorable to Yuseong joining, even actively pushing for it, and ultimately succeeded—found the situation absurd. How must Pattern have felt?
‘But come to think of it, the fight started because of that guy.’
He really was trash.
“You okay?”
Cooking Day asked Yuseong.
“Yeah.”
“Doesn’t look like it, with your armor in pieces.”
“…That’s definitely a shame.”
He’d splurged on a full set with the money from Hers Guild.
“That’s gotta be, what, a few black breads’ worth.”
“That’s impor—actually, yeah, it would be to you.”
Having spent the last few days together, Cooking Day was starting to get used to Yuseong.
“I’ll make it up to you. I’ll get you some good new armor made.”
“Thank you.”
Yuseong didn’t refuse.
Cooking Day glanced back and forth between Yuseong and the heavy-armor player.
“Oh, right, you two haven’t met. Introduce yourselves.”
Cooking Day introduced the heavy-armor player to Yuseong.
“Our guild’s pride and joy, ‘Western Flower.’”