Chapter 68: New Guests
Emerging from the district office entrance, I was greeted by a swarm of people from various businesses and reporters. It seemed the news of my newly registered gate had leaked out. I wasn't particularly fazed, as I was already aware such things happened often. Besides, my skill Clear Mind was far too advanced to let me panic anyway.
Then, something interesting occurred.
Someone is attempting hypnosis.
Clear Mind has activated.
Shall we reflect it?
Last time in a similar situation, the message had been:
The opponent is attempting hypnosis.
Will you resist?
Someone attempting hypnosis meant one of those people, but the real issue was what followed. It wasn't asking if I wanted to resist—it was asking if I wanted to reflect it back, with Clear Mind activating.
"Yes."
I spotted one man's eyes glaze over slightly. I beckoned him over, and he approached.
"Tell me who you are and what you intended to do by hypnotizing me. Be honest."
The man spoke. "I'm Jeong Chang-gil, manager in the Planning and Adjustment Division of Daehu Group. I'm also a hunter and a hypnosis specialist. My mission is to hypnotize new gate owners and steer contracts in Daehu Group's favor."
Using hypnosis for advantageous contracts, huh. From what I'd observed, though, hypnosis wasn't all-powerful. This Jeong Chang-gil's hypnosis was only level 2. At that level, he could probably only plant simple suggestions? Yet the reflected hypnosis seemed to hit him even harder.
I'd just realized how the hypnosis worked. I could use it myself now if I wanted. But something about it felt off, so I held off. If I really needed it later, I'd register it as a skill then.
"Is anyone broadcasting live right now?"
Someone raised their hand. Jackpot. With Daehu Group—one of the nation's top conglomerates—getting exposed live for such dirty tricks, it was perfect. Sure, they'd spin excuses and cut off the tails later, but for now, this would do.
"You all seem curious about our gate. It's an island. A very small one. You know what that means, right? If I get the chance later, I might develop it into a resort or try some small-scale farming. Still interested?"
The reporters and business reps glanced at Kim Mi-young Team Leader trailing behind me. She nodded—confirmation it was true. Their interest in me waned, and they swarmed Jeong Chang-gil instead.
I told him, "Tell them everything as it is."
"Yes! I'll take questions."
"I'm Kim Ga-young from Tomorrow Daily. Is what you said earlier true...?"
As the reporters focused on Jeong Chang-gil, I asked Kim Mi-young Team Leader, "How did they know to go live? You must've known from earlier and tipped them off, right? Isn't this a problem? And you want me to think about defecting before it's too late? That's a bit ridiculous."
"I have nothing to say. I'm sorry."
No excuses. That attitude usually meant one thing: she hadn't done it herself but was willing to take responsibility. Probably one of her team members or a higher-up leaked it. No point grilling her.
"Who knows how things will change for me from now on. You can guess today's events will play a big role in that, right?"
"I have no words, even if I had two mouths."
"Then hopefully next time we meet, it'll be with smiles."
"I'm truly sorry once more."
If not for her name, she'd seem trustworthy. I had a feeling our paths might cross again, given her role in gate management.
"Well, I'll be off."
"Yes, take care."
Thanks to Kim Mi-young Team Leader, the article on my gate was just one line:
But the other headlines were blowing up:
The funny part about that excuse? It fell flat.
Daehu Group was in an uproar. Not quite a full scandal, but enough to rattle places that had likely pulled similar stunts before.
Of course, they claimed it was Jeong Chang-gil's rogue action. But why would someone working at a massive conglomerate learn hypnosis in a gate? And with a planning division manager wielding it, how many deals outside gates had been tainted?
Suddenly, the world was abuzz with hypnosis skills. The National Assembly rushed a bill mandating registration for all hypnosis users, passing it unanimously in record time. Probably fear of being manipulated themselves.
A few weeks passed like that.
Siho Territory was running smoothly as ever. The orcs trained diligently to become knights, while the female orcs chatted with the aunties over work. It was amazing they could communicate—watching them laugh and enjoy themselves in their respective languages made me wonder if they had some translation skill I didn't know about.
The Dubon-ri villagers threw themselves into their tasks. Farmers beamed at their crops, livestock handlers doted on their animals. All these goods sold through Seon-woo's dad's store, of course—except the truly special items, which we sold discreetly through my company's president.
The store's top sellers? Watermelons and pineapples, naturally. They'd made our gate famous. Kim Mi-young Team Leader mentioned a surge in hunter applications wanting in. But I didn't feel the need to expand the population yet. No rush, and more hands wouldn't help the territory right away.
In the meantime, the uncles and aunties had awakened too. Everyone happily slurped island minotaur bear soup and mine minotaur bear soup, picking up at least two skills each. Random awakenings led to some hilarious mismatches, but they were all good folks, so no issues.
The most surprising was the Village Head. He'd awakened Lie Detector, an active skill—and it was a game-changer. No lying in front of him; he saw right through it. A perfect fit for our territory, which thrilled me.
"Oppa, oppa!"
"What? What?"
"Um, something weird came out of the forest over there."
"Something weird?"
"Yeah, come quick."
With the lord's castle nearly complete, I was overseeing it when Si-yeon dragged me off. What emerged from the forest was...
"Whoa, what the heck?"
Two... things stood before me. Obviously male and female—or stallion and mare? Simple reason:
"Centaurs?"
They looked just like the mythical centaurs.
"((&^&(#!"
The female centaur muttered something, then:
"Hello, human."
"Whoa."
Si-yeon jumped. That mutter must've been some translation magic.
I'd watched closely and asked, "Centaurs, right?"
"That's what you call our kind in your language. We call ourselves the Wind Tribe."
"I see. So, what brings you here? We haven't clashed with your people."
"Oh, misunderstanding. We're not here to fight. If we were, we'd have brought warriors... though it probably wouldn't matter."
She glanced at Hoya as she said it. Recognizing Hoya meant she was telling the truth.
"Then why?"
"For exchange. You have what we lack."
"And what can you offer?"
"Almost anything from the forest."
"I don't even know what's in the forest yet."
"Ah..."
She'd spoken confidently, but my words left her embarrassed.
"I only play at the forest edge. Professor Hoya won't let me go farther."
"I see..."
I tried observing her, but even that couldn't pierce her fully.
Nyaang!
Hoya hopped on my shoulder, annoyed. Suddenly:
You have used Observation.
Observation (Active) skill has reached level 8.
Even at level 8 Observation, I couldn't see her full info. That meant she was on a higher plane than me—like how I still couldn't gauge Hoya's level.
"Helena, what exactly do you want from us?"
She startled at her name. "How do you know my name...?"
"Lord's privilege. I need to know the names of anyone entering my territory."
"I see. The lord's power is stronger than I thought."
Honestly, was it really a lord's power? The info appearing now was surely thanks to Hoya. The ultimate cheat key, as always.
"So, what do you need?"
"Food."
Food—the most vital thing for survival, for any lifeform. The centaurs seemed short on it.
"We have plenty. But for a fair trade, you'll need to offer something I need in return."
"Of course. Let's just call this a greeting today."
"Sure. Come back when you're ready."
"Yes."
Helena and her knight escort were impressively armed—mithril-plated armor and weapons. They didn't look as strange as expected. Half-human, half-horse, yet beautiful. Not monstrous at all. And her saintess powers apparently allowed cross-species talk, which was fascinating.
"We'll return in a week, Lord."
"Yes, do that."
She and her knight headed back into the forest. I turned to Hoya. "You know that tribe, right?"
Nyaang?
Hoya tilted her head cutely. But I'm Choi Si-woo, a sucker for...
"Aww, is our Hoya being adorable? Wind Tribe, Water Tribe—who cares?"
Hoya flinched.
"What? There's a real Water Tribe too?"
Nyaang.
Hoya played innocent. Guess there really was. Good thing the Wind Tribe weren't hostile. Without Hoya, though? It might've turned into a raid. The thought hit me hard.
"Let's go hunting, Hoya!"
Nyaang!
Hoya meowed excitedly. I truly felt how weak a lord I still was. And that my foes weren't just humans.