The Idle Ones
After finishing my conversation with the leader couple of the Seoul Station faction, I returned to Samira.
The talk with the couple, Yuk Dae-jang and Cha Dong-ja, had gone quite smoothly. I didn't need to explain things at length because they grasped my intentions perfectly well.
"Lee Hyun! You're back!"
I passed through the security checkpoint at the main gate of Samira's territory. The two people on duty greeted me with expressions and emotions that were genuinely welcoming. Even though they see me every day, they are truly happy to see me. Yet, they don't cling or act bothersome. I like that about the people here. Aunt Sujeong trained them well through her 'time of cultivation' sessions.
'Should I take a little detour...'
Instead of heading straight to the main building, I took a slight detour through the central garden, passing by the Day-Night Wheat fields. The golden, ripe wheat stood densely packed. The golden fields I had seen in the gates were now recreated on a smaller scale within Samira's land. In just a few more days, it would be time to harvest the first batch of wheat we had sown. A month had already passed.
"Hey! Who farmed this area? I told you, you have to spread out these clumps!"
As I walked a bit further, I heard Mr. Bae Bong-sik's voice. He was shouting from the newly cultivated field. Various crops were growing in the land he managed. The Day-Night Wheat field was the largest, but he had also planted various seeds we had acquired through farming.
'I need to get Mr. Bae Bong-sik to level 20, too.'
I scanned the people working with my eyes. Just as I was about to pass by quietly, a woman resting alone under the shade caught my eye. It was Yuri-an.
'Why is she resting alone?'
The members of Samira have different tasks depending on their assigned departments. While that is the general rule, they are sometimes dispatched to other departments because we are still short on manpower. I plan to make it so that everyone can focus professionally on their own fields later on.
Yuri-an had been assigned to the External Activities Headquarters. Her core skill isn't related to combat, but she is an Awakened, and she has shown enthusiasm for fighting monsters. Perhaps she had come to help Mr. Bae Bong-sik today.
"Oh? Lee Hyun!"
Yuri-an spotted me and waved. She stood up immediately and approached me. Her reaction made Mr. Bae Bong-sik realize I had arrived.
"Lee Hyun. I hope you had a safe trip."
The two of them hurried over to where I stood. Mr. Bae Bong-sik took off his gloves, wiped the sweat from his neck, and bowed. Yuri-an, on the other hand, looked fresh and clean. She stood close to me with a bright smile.
I took a step toward Mr. Bae Bong-sik, who had stopped at a slight distance.
"Oh, I'm sorry... I'm a mess, and I smell quite a bit of sweat."
"It's fine. How is the Day-Night Wheat?"
Since I was already here, I wanted to strike up a conversation. Yuri-an followed and naturally grabbed my arm, linking hers with mine.
"There are no problems. We were thinking of harvesting in four days..."
Mr. Bae Bong-sik glanced at Yuri-an before answering. "I've already requested additional manpower in advance to ensure we finish without any setbacks."
Mr. Bae Bong-sik is someone who enjoys his work. Since he takes care of things diligently, I don't need to put pressure on him. I had intended to just walk by, but he had already come over. We talked about things I already knew from reports, but I did it to hear it directly from him and offer encouragement.
"It looks like we'll be able to pick the oriental melons soon, too. I used my skill, so the growth accelerated. I'll have them on the dinner table within a week."
"I'm looking forward to it. And please, make some time for yourself."
"What kind of time are you referring to..."
"I know farm work is busy, but you need to level up, too."
I could feel Mr. Bae Bong-sik's emotions. He is genuinely happy whenever I show him this kind of attention. Most of Samira's members are like this.
"Yes. I will certainly do so. If Lee Hyun is telling me directly, I'll make the time even if I don't have any."
This, too, is a form of special treatment. I only look after a few people personally. Mr. Bae Bong-sik knows that, which is why he is even happier.
"By the way, why was Yuri-an resting alone?"
After talking about the crops for a moment, I looked at Mr. Bae Bong-sik and asked.
"I wasn't feeling very well today. So..." Yuri-an cut in from the side.
"I'm talking to Mr. Bae Bong-sik."
"Ah... yes. I apologize."
At my response, Yuri-an stepped back with a pout. The soft sensation against my arm and her body heat vanished. Then, Mr. Bae Bong-sik opened his mouth again, looking a bit nervous.
"She really said she wasn't feeling well, so I told her to rest."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. And someone else came to do the work in Yuri-an's place..."
Yuri-an had brought another intern with her when she came to work. It was an intern who had been granted a morning break. Apparently, the intern was doing Yuri-an's work in exchange for magic stones.
"And Mr. Bae Bong-sik allowed that?"
"Well... yes. The number of people working is the same anyway..."
After hearing the situation, I felt a lingering sense of discomfort that was hard to explain.
'This is ambiguous...'
Awakened can earn more magic stones than ordinary people through external activities. How they use those stones is their personal freedom. However, this is the first time I've seen individuals buying and selling labor between themselves. At least, in a work-related context. I'm not sure if I should view this as a natural flow of things.
I returned home after taking a lap around Samira's territory. Ah, after my conversation with Mr. Bae Bong-sik ended, Yuri-an had spoken to me again. She said she liked oriental melons too, and asked me to invite her over sometime.
After lunch, I gathered the group in the conference room. Today, Gi Eun-chae had taken on the role of team leader for external activities, so everyone was present.
"So, we cleared out all the monsters and entered Seoul Station."
I explained everything, starting from what happened in the morning. Then, I moved on to the point where I had spoken with the leader couple of the Hope Bunker.
"They seemed to suspect that I had come there on purpose."
"We even put up a smokescreen in the Square, but if they thought you knew everything and came looking for them... do you think they roughly know that Yuri-an joined us?"
"Who knows."
It could be, or it could not be. Regardless, I didn't bring up the Yuri-an group separately.
"So I made the proposal immediately. That they should accept Samira's protection."
"Yes. And then?"
"They didn't even really hesitate before saying yes."
The leader couple seemed to have anticipated what kind of proposal I would make. Their answer was as quick as if they had already reached a conclusion while I was busy with maintenance.
"Wait, without even hearing the conditions?"
"Yeah. Before I could even state the conditions."
Aunt Sujeong, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.
"The monster legion gathering must have worked in our favor."
"You think that had a big impact?"
"Yes. Because they had no power to resist them."
I thought the same as Aunt Sujeong. So I nodded and immediately stated the conditions.
"I think it would be best to treat Seoul Station like Yongsan Station."
"Hmm... so we'll have to go and sign a treaty?"
"Yeah. The basic terms will be similar to Yongsan Station... but they have some urgent gates over there."
The group would coordinate the finer details. Once again, I only set the direction.
"Please prepare so we can depart first thing tomorrow."
"Yes. What will you do about the gates?"
"I'll be the one entering them. You all should get ready to receive the people."
There are people in the Hope Bunker who caused trouble, just like in Yongsan Station. I plan to bring them to Samira and turn them into job applicants. "Besides those people, a few more will be coming."
"Yes? Who?"
"You know how we brought Kang I-seon from Yongsan Station? Like that, I'm going to bring a few family members of the Awakened from over there."
In simple terms, they are hostages. I demanded the family members of those who belong to the high-level Awakened group in the Hope Bunker. Including the daughter of the couple, Yuk Dae-jang and Cha Dong-ja.
"Wait, not just one or two, but how many?"
"Yeah. They were happy about it."
"Yes? Ah... I suppose that could be the case."
The people over there also know Samira's name. And everyone watched me fight. They think Samira is safer.
"Perhaps... from the leader couple's perspective, Lee Hyun's proposal might have been welcome."
Aunt Sujeong offered a guess. "Because they made the wrong decision once before. Regardless of the treaty's contents, the couple might literally think they are receiving Lee Hyun's protection."
"Ah, so the boss and that Yuk Dae-jang... no, Yuk-gaejang... and Cha Dong-ja... no, Cha-dong-ja."
I nodded at her explanation. It was a guess that the leader couple would continue to exercise their leadership by piggybacking on my power.
"Yes. As long as they listen well and show their competence, that doesn't matter."
It's a situation that benefits both sides. Thanks to that, the conversation with them ended quickly. "Next, there are four days left until the Day-Night Wheat harvest. According to Mr. Bae Bong-sik, the yield is..."
We talked about a few more things and ended the meeting.
After the meeting, I went back out of Samira's territory alone. I ran at full speed, leaving the sphere of influence. I had one concern. It was about the gates.
'Yongsan Station to the south, Seoul Station to the northeast.'
If there were a satellite city similar to the two factions to the northwest, I could create a defensive line surrounding Samira. The gaps would be large, but I would be able to manage the gates. However, because of what happened this morning, a question arose regarding gate clearing.
'Regardless of the difficulty, some gates take days...'
What if I just left the gates to collapse? If I could handle the aftermath, wouldn't it be more beneficial in terms of time? Of course, it's not a simple matter to think about. There are separate rewards for clearing gates, and while I might be fine, many others could die.
So, to calculate the experience points, I revisited the path I had taken in the morning.
'It's quiet.'
Yuk Dae-jang said that Goblins poured out as two gates collapsed. I don't know the method, but I speculated that they had gathered the monsters in the vicinity. I ran around the neighborhood between Samira and Seoul Station here and there. There were no monsters left within the designated area. No people, either. It was like a ghost town.
'Farming would be easy.'
I concluded that inducing gate collapses wasn't the way to go. The large-scale monster gathering I experienced this time was a one-time event. If you calculate the total, it's much more profitable to eat the experience points from clearing gates.
'Let's go back and rest.'
Having finished my internal deliberation, I returned to Samira's land. From tomorrow, I will be busy with work at Seoul Station, clearing gates, and responding to rescue requests. The aftermath of the fierce battle from this morning still lingered.
I arrived at the main building and was about to head home when I felt a familiar energy.
"Ah, Lee Hyun."
It was Seong Seol-hee. She was coming out of the main building with trash in both hands.
"I... I heard you fought a battle this morning."
She must have heard it from Bom. She approached me to talk, and the smell of sweat was strong. "I'll just throw this away and come right back up to use my skill on you."
Several questions arose as I looked at Seong Seol-hee. At the same time, the uncomfortable feeling I had felt at the Day-Night Wheat field around lunchtime returned. So, I stood still for a moment, lost in thought.
"Lee Hyun? Are you okay?"
"Seong Seol-hee, why are you the one throwing that away?"
I had let it slide earlier because there were more important things to do. But this time, I couldn't just let it pass.