Chapter 24
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Newbie Team 4
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Sizzle...
Pork sizzled deliciously over the flames.
A moment later, Hyun-ah flipped the meat with the tongs, timing it perfectly. Sure, Lin Sha had handled the tongs at their previous team dinner, but Hyun-ah had eight years of experience assisting her older sister Hyun-jung with the grilling, making her a self-proclaimed expert with real skills to back it up.
Still, it wasn't like she would get mad if someone else took over. As she turned the meat, Hyun-ah glanced at the unexpected guest who had shown up looking for her and Minguk.
The junior hero who wielded a bow and had synced up with them in the temporary Team GGW. It was Choi Yuna.
"What's up all of a sudden?"
Minguk asked Yuna, who wore a gloomy expression. He'd been puzzled when he got her message, and seeing her now only deepened the confusion. The temporary team had already disbanded, and they'd all achieved their goals. There was no reason for Yuna to seek him out.
"...Well, it's..."
Yuna trailed off at Minguk's question, then downed the shot glass of soju in front of her in one go. It seemed like it was something hard for her to say outright.
After slamming back the soju, Yuna slathered ssamjang on some veggies for a side dish and let out a heavy sigh. She was just about to refill her glass when Hyun-ah's tongs blocked it first.
"Listen here. Something must've happened while we weren't looking, but you're ignoring your seniors, acting all rude? Have you forgotten the people you're sitting with are hero veterans?"
Her voice was icy enough to make Minguk's eyes widen in surprise. But Hyun-ah's scolding didn't end there.
"We helped you out, worked together in that temporary team, and I was gonna let it slide nicely... but come on, Choi Yuna. This won't do. Are we friends or what?"
But hero culture—especially the strict seniority among those who risked their lives battling monsters—was beyond imagination. For a junior like Yuna, who wasn't close to them, to show up uninvited while Minguk and Hyun-ah were spending personal time together was seen as downright presumptuous.
"I'm sorry."
Startled by Hyun-ah's words, Yuna bowed her head deeply right away. She knew she'd messed up.
With Yuna's apology, Hyun-ah pulled back the tongs that had blocked her glass. She wanted to chew her out more, but Minguk was there. No point ruining the mood.
"So, what's going on?"
"I applied to a bunch of clans, and today I got rejection messages from all of them. It hit me that maybe I'm worthless as a hero now, and I just got so depressed..."
Hyun-ah tilted her head silently. Yuna wasn't a ranker, but from what she'd seen, her skills weren't bad at all.
The paperwork she'd submitted for the raid qualification exam had been solid too. Under Minguk's lead, she'd cleared the same monsters as the rest. Hyun-ah remembered her average contribution per fight being around B- to B.
"You got rejected? Which clans did you even apply to?"
"Hero Era, Memoria, Strong Women, Ewha Clan..."
"Hold on, wait a sec."
Hyun-ah cut her off, blinking. The clans Yuna named were top ranker clans representing Korea—higher ranked than even the number-five Rose Shield.
"Aren't you aiming a bit too high?"
Frankly, the cutoff for those places was way above Yuna's level. Considering there were over twice as many dealers as tanks or healers, you needed at least A- to A average contribution to pass the paper screening.
"Well... I've been hearing from my peers that if you're not in a ranker clan, your future's bleak. They say mid-tier clans work you to the bone and then ditch you. Some don't even provide revival stones..."
"Hmm."
Hyun-ah scratched her head and nodded. What Yuna said wasn't entirely wrong. Such clans did exist.
Even with the Hero Association issuing stern warnings for treating heroes' lives so callously, they ignored it.
But some heroes had no choice but to join them to work in a team or under a raid leader who could actually lead. And the outcomes were never good. Death or mana corruption—one or the other.
"So that's why you came to Minguk?"
"Yes. I'm really, really sorry, but you're an amazing raid leader, so if we could team up, it'd help a ton... But I don't want to join some dangerous clan and die either..."
Tears welled up in Yuna's eyes.
"Ha, unbelievable. So you're just gonna use Minguk? This girl, seriously..."
Her situation was somewhat sympathetic.
But trying to leech off a senior? Hyun-ah's sharp words stabbed Yuna right in the chest. The air grew frigid, tension thick enough for a fight to break out any second. Meanwhile, Minguk pondered deeply.
What was the top quality a raid leader wanted in an attacker? Exceptional skill? Top-tier gear? Quick thinking in any situation? Sure, having all that made for a great team member.
But what raid leaders craved most was unwavering consistency—showing up every single day without fail—and blind loyalty to the leader's commands. That kept team morale steady through endless boss trials, allowing raids to push forward.
Like GGW, the Hordes of Darkness demanded countless challenges against terrifying beasts. You couldn't tolerate anyone dragging down the vibe.
And Yuna looked desperately eager in Minguk's eyes. The kind who'd do anything—even fake her own death—if he asked.
"Choi Yuna. You can do whatever I tell you, right?"
"Pardon? Yes! Anything!"
"Hey, Han Minguk."
Yuna snapped back reflexively. Hyun-ah shot him a displeased look.
"I've got a plan, so let's talk later. For now, send her off..."
But picking team members was the raid leader's call. And since Minguk said he had a reason, Hyun-ah sighed, shook her head, and focused back on the grilling. Then Minguk turned to Yuna, his voice calm.
"First, let me explain our situation. Hyun-ah and I joined Rose Shield. I'm forming my own team, and we've got three dealer spots open."
"...Okay."
Yuna replied cautiously.
"I know your skills well. Not bad, I'd say. Nothing outstanding, but considering our history, I'll recommend you. But you've gotta join Rose Shield first."
"I'll do my absolute best."
"That won't cut it. Like I said, I don't like people challenging my authority. In raids, you follow my orders no matter what. Break that, and you're out of my team."
But if she didn't, Minguk planned to take her on. As long as that mindset held, she'd handle the dirty jobs in raids just fine. And every raid team needed members like that.
"Yes, yes!"
Yuna practically shouted with determination. Suddenly, every customer in the barbecue joint turned to stare at Minguk's table.
"Good. First order: go home now. I'll contact you tomorrow, or the clan will."
This was his and Hyun-ah's time together, after all. Feeling the women's gazes, Minguk covered his face and shook his head.
"Sigh. You're really taking her on as a team member?"
After Yuna left, Hyun-ah placed a piece of meat on Minguk's plate and asked. Her actions today hadn't endeared Yuna to her at all.
"I'm leaning yes for now. We synced well, her skills aren't bad, and girls like her excel at special tasks."
"Phew. There'll be a double line of dealers better than her on the Hero Academy grounds. Among the new recruits joining our clan this year, you won't even find ones worse than her."
"But she'll listen to me better than them, right?"
She would. During that week prepping for the raid qual exam, Yuna never once disobeyed Minguk—not even by accident.
"Other girls would listen to you too, no? You're not taking her just 'cause of her sob story, are you? Even without trash clans, there are plenty of decent mid-tiers. With her skills, she could join one easy. No need for you to—"
"It's not just that."
It did factor in. Just a little.
"Well, if that's your call..."
Hyun-ah smiled at his answer and poured soju into their glasses. His mind seemed made up; pushing it would just sour the mood.
Still, her sister might be a bit disappointed. With Yuna nearly locked in, that meant only two more from the clan's overflowing newbie heroes for Minguk's team. A full ten-man raid team was still premature.
"Man, Han Minguk's turned into a real player. Back when you were a ranged dealer, you had nothing going except your looks."
"Huh? That's how you saw me? Harsh."
"Truth's truth. Let's be real with each other?"
They brushed off the unappealing Yuna topic, downed a few shots, and soon stories flowed from Minguk and Hyun-ah's lips—mostly old tales.
By the time they'd chatted deep into the night, it was late. Back home, Minguk and Hyun-ah naturally explored each other's bodies passionately, spending a steamy night until morning.
"Choi Yuna, got it. I'll handle that personally."
In the Rose Shield clan house.
Oh Hyun-jung nodded at the words of Minguk, the new rookie raid leader.
With so many new recruits already, it was a slight letdown, but if it was the raid leader's pick, so be it. At least she wasn't a clan hero, so no transfer fees.
"And these are the dealers we're recommending."
"Same profiles as the email from yesterday?"
"Added a couple more."
This year, Rose Shield had thirty newbie heroes joining, split into six teams. No—scratch one dealer acceptance. Yuna's entry would leave a gap.
Minguk was taking "Newbie Team 4" among the new squads. Team name: GGW, his choice as raid leader. Roster so far: tank Oh Hyun-ah, healer/raid leader Han Minguk, dealer Choi Yuna. Two dealer spots left.
"Our recommendations are Kim So-jung and Jung Ye-rin. Dealer rankings 26 and 31, specialists in greatswords and ice magic."
"Got it."
Minguk nodded immediately at Hyun-jung's words. No reason to turn down strong picks.
"Want to meet them now? Kim So-jung's at the clan house; Jung Ye-rin could do tomorrow."
"Nah, no need."
Not necessary. They'd gel in raids anyway. He'd reviewed their profiles fully.
'Gotta tweak Yuna's skill tree a bit.'
Kim So-jung with her greatsword was fine as is. But Jung Ye-rin, ice magic main, overlapped with Yuna big time.
Couldn't change the better performer's specialty, objectively. Yuna, maining Ice Arrow (B), would have to adapt. And she'd accept it.
'Mesmerizing the ice mage handles; Yuna focuses more on AoE damage.'
Party roles were crystallizing in his mind. Next, he picked their first dungeon under the Rose Shield banner.
Midang-gu, B-9 difficulty. Three rank-3 monsters—perfect moderate challenge to test raid-qual passers.