Chapter 26
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: The Defeated Yeohae
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[Guild creation approved.]
[Guild Name]: Hayang's
[Guild Master]: Yang Hayang
"Waaaaah!"
The next morning.
I jumped in surprise and let out a scream the moment I got the message.
Whoa, it's already been processed.
I applied just last night.
Did they handle it in the meantime?
Feeling a strange surge of emotion, I pored over the message from every angle.
Guild Master Yang Hayang.
Just reading it made my heart swell.
"Heh heh, I'm a guild master too...!"
Sure, it was a one-person guild with no members yet.
But it still felt cool somehow.
Guild master—what a title.
Next time I meet Choi Geonwoo, I should introduce myself like, 'I'm Yang Hayang, guild master of Hayang's Guild.'
"Ah!"
Never mind that—I needed to spread the news far and wide.
First, to Jeong Yujin.
[Me] - Yujin
[Me] - I became a guild master
[Me] - (photo)
[Me] - Made a one-person guild
It was early morning, so I wasn't sure if she'd check her messages.
But surprisingly, the little '1' next to the chat vanished right away.
[Yujin] - ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
[Yujin] - Is Hayang unnie abandoning me now?
[Yujin] - You said Titan Guild was great, but you made your own already?
[Yujin] - So yesterday was all lies...
[Yujin] - Okay, I get it...
What?!
How did it turn into this?
Jeong Yujin seemed to have some serious misunderstanding.
[Me] - Nooo
[Me] - I love Titan Guild
[Me] - There's this thing called guild contribution points
[Me] - But I didn't want to join any other guild...
[Me] - Had no choice so I made a one-person guild
[Me] - Don't hate me please
With hands now pretty skilled, no typos this time.
I fired off the messages in a flurry.
They say people unleash their true potential in crises.
Spot on.
Even I was amazed at my typing speed.
[Yujin] - ㅎㅎ
[Yujin] - Just kidding
[Yujin] - Unnie's got the experience
[Yujin] - I'm actually happy Hayang made a one-person guild
[Yujin] - I was gonna tell you yesterday but
[Yujin] - Thought you'd find it burdensome so I didn't
[Yujin] - Seeing you handle it alone makes me proud ㅎ
[Yujin] - (puppy pat emoji)
Ah, so that's what it was.
Just teasing, then.
Phew, thought my heart was gonna drop out.
Jeong Yujin kinda annoyed me for a sec.
Part of me wanted to end the chat and go check the field.
[Yujin] - But guild master—sounds so cool
[Yujin] - No one Hayang's age is a guild master, right?
[Yujin] - Hayang really is amazing ㅎㅎ
"Ahem!"
...Ahem!
Still, ghosting her would be rude.
Better keep chatting a bit.
"Guild master, I'm a guild master~ ♬"
I hummed a little tune, swinging my legs happily.
By the time my chat with Jeong Yujin wrapped up,
I suddenly remembered yesterday and decided to check my status window.
[Unique Skill]: Commander
[Proficiency]: C Rank (68%)
[Effect]: Action Foresight, Information Grasp, Ally Enhancement, Constant Status Fixation, Combat Status Adjustment
[Skill]: Lion’s Roar
[Proficiency]: C Rank (24%)
[Effect]: Remove ally status ailments, Ally Enhancement, Charisma
"...Huh?"
But checking my status left me a bit confused.
Why hasn't my level gone up?
Stats are fixed due to the skill, fine.
But level should still increase, right?
Does status fixation include level too?
What kind of cursed skill is this!
Stuck at level 1 alone—looks so lame!
"Well, at least the new skill is there."
Meanwhile, scrolling to the bottom revealed the new addition.
My eyes lit up the moment I saw it.
The name—Lion’s Roar. Lion’s Roar.
Lion! Doesn't that sound cool?
But what's with the 'roar' part?
"Ah! The rear roar!"
Right! There's a kanji like that!
Heh heh! I'm not dumb!
It must mean as scary as a lion standing behind you.
And it says charisma is added below.
"Can I use this anytime?"
Thinking it over, I got curious.
My unique skill seems combat-only.
What about Lion’s Roar?
Tweet tweet tweet—
"Hmph...!"
Perfect. Test subjects appeared.
You're all dead today.
The noisy sparrow chirps from the open window.
I slipped on slippers and dashed to the field.
"Tweet tweet!"
"Tweet tweet tweet—!"
"Cheep? Tweet!"
There, lined up on the arms of my carefully placed scarecrow,
sparrows sat side by side, chirping away.
It looked peaceful at a glance.
But I knew from last night—they'd dried out my lettuce seeds while I was gone!
"You little punks! Leave my home's lettuce alone!"
"Cheep?"
"Cheep cheep tweet!"
"Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!"
I flailed my arms and yelled.
But they didn't budge from the scarecrow.
Oh, playing tough, huh?
No more taking this lying down.
Fear the guild master's wrath!
Thud!
"Lion’s Roar!"
I stomped hard, kicking up dirt everywhere,
and bellowed the skill name.
"Cheep?"
"Cheep..."
"Eh, what's that?"
But the sparrows showed no reaction.
They just tilted their heads at each other like, 'What's she doing?'
What?
Other hunters activate skills by shouting names.
Is this not how?
Or only in combat?
"Ah!"
Right!
This is Lion’s Roar!
Maybe I need to imitate a lion!
"Gr, grrrawr!"
"......"
After some thought, I raised both hands in a threatening pose
and let out a massive roar.
This time, the sparrows froze stock-still,
exchanged glances a few times,
"Tweet, tweet...!"
"Cheep cheep!"
"Tweet tweet tweet!"
then suddenly flapped their wings and shot into the sky.
Whoa! Did the skill work?!
Imitating a lion was the key!
My skill comprehension must be too low!
But their reaction just now seemed like...
'Guys, don't bother, just bail.'
Nah, must be my imagination.
Alright, starting today, I'm a charismatic guild master!
Jeong Yujin had been visiting the guild master's office more often lately.
Not because she had any ulterior motives toward Choi Geonwoo, of course.
It was just that Hayang had created a small connection, leading to more casual chats.
Choi Geonwoo teased that people might mistake her for his secretary,
but he never chased her out, so she boldly dropped by again today.
She had a legitimate reason, too.
"Master, I heard Hayang made a guild?"
It was to share news about Hayang.
Anything else, and Choi Geonwoo might brush it off, but...
"What? A guild?"
Hayang news always got a fresh reaction from him.
Deep down, Jeong Yujin knew he was as smitten as her.
He'd never admit it, of course—she'd never voiced it either.
"Yeah, she went home yesterday and set up a one-person guild. You can apply online now."
"Huh, that's impressive. Did you tip her off?"
"No way. I thought about recommending it, but just thought about it."
"She figured it out and applied herself. Good for her."
"Hee hee, right? Our Hayang is so capable."
Watching Jeong Yujin puff up like a doting mom,
Choi Geonwoo thought she'd gone all the way.
Unaware he felt the same quiet pride.
"But will she be okay? Low ranks are fine, but higher up, forming parties without a guild gets tedious."
"She'll manage. She's the kind of hunter we'd beg to join us. Plus, wild parties are common even in high-rank gates now."
Wild parties.
Ad-hoc raid teams or parties formed on the spot,
excluding official guild or certified ones.
In the past, high-rank hunters were scarce,
and gate info was limited,
so certified hunters gathered quietly by word of mouth.
Now, things were different.
Even Titan's A-Rank hunters often went with guildmates,
but just as often scraped together teams right at the gate.
"Besides, it's a one-person guild in name only—she'll attract people eventually. What we need to do now isn't lure her to Titan, but keep friendly ties no matter what."
"True. When she told me she made a guild, I half-wanted to transfer."
"Go ahead if you want. I won't stop you."
"Ahh! N-no, joking! Just joking!"
As Jeong Yujin scrambled to take it back, Choi Geonwoo burst into uncharacteristic laughter.
"Oh, right—Yeohae set out about an hour ago. They should be at layer 3 by now?"
"Probably."
"Might sound petty, but I don't really want them to clear it."
Jeong Yujin's self-mocking tone
drew a sharp line from Choi Geonwoo, erasing the prior warmth.
"Nonsense. You know what happens if we let them be. As hunters, curb that mindset."
"...Yes, sorry. My mistake."
Realizing her error, Jeong Yujin bowed her head.
'I wonder.'
Meanwhile, Choi Geonwoo looked away, drumming his fingers on the armrest, lost in thought.
Objectively, Yeohae had the strength to break through layer 3.
'What nags me is what Hayang said.'
One variable stood out.
Hayang blocking them yesterday.
That girl wasn't the timid type.
Unbelievable for a newbie to the hunter world.
She grasped and analyzed enemy forces better than anyone.
In that regard, she might surpass him by far—that was his guess.
So he wondered.
Yeohae's strength versus Hayang's judgment.
Which would prevail?
Harboring that mix of anticipation and unease,
as he casually scanned the papers on his desk,
Ring ring ring—!
"Hm?"
His desk phone rang unexpectedly.
This line connected directly to him, accessible only to a select few in the guild.
A call here meant an emergency.
"What is it?"
Choi Geonwoo picked up, his tone grave, and asked.
A frantic male voice echoed from the other end.
- M-Master! Did you see the article?!
"No, been talking. What's up?"
What could make them this worked up? As curiosity flickered in his eyes,
- Y-Yeohae raid team got wiped—only four left—and retreated!
"......!"
Unimaginable news hit.