Chapter 48
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: The Strangers' Story (4)
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After leaving the dungeon, I intentionally dropped Yoo Se-yeon's name to Choi Soo-hyun.
Clinging to Choi Soo-hyun and making a pointless complaint was just a bonus.
It was only possible because I judged that there was no way he wouldn't understand my intentions.
My protest about Park Si-woo seemed to have worked well, but I never expected them to respond like this.
As I hesitated to reply, another message popped up.
「He said he had no intention of harming you.」
It seemed Park Si-woo had lodged a firm protest with Yoo Se-yeon.
「I've deposited the payment for the Bicorn's horn, so please check.」
With the messages flooding in, I opened my online banking app on my phone.
The payment for the horn I had entrusted to them right after leaving the dungeon had arrived.
I sent a message saying I would let them know about the item by tomorrow.
‘Let’s see.’
I scanned the list of items Park Si-woo had sent.
Unlike my expectation of him just tossing me something mediocre, the item selection was surprisingly substantial.
It was a shame I could only pick one; it was obvious he had put thought into it.
‘What did I do? Why is he being so generous? It's making me uncomfortable.’
Well, he must have put them on the list because he could afford to give away something of this caliber without a second thought.
After some deliberation, I chose an item.
As for the list Yoo Se-yeon sent, the answer was so obvious I didn't need to look at it for long.
I received Haeju's Ring from Park Si-woo and Angervadil from Yoo Se-yeon.
Haeju's Ring, an unrated item, allowed the use of a skill that could nullify magic.
Since I had no countermeasures against crowd control skills like poison or stuns, it wouldn't hurt to have an item like this as a form of insurance.
And Angervadil, which I got from Yoo Se-yeon, was perfect for use as an emergency dagger.
All in all, it wasn't a bad choice.
A few hours after sending my selections, a reply came from Park Si-woo confirming he’d seen it.
‘All that's left is the joint dungeon expedition with the Raon Guild... and Seo Ji-hoon?’
I knew that he was the third guild representative remaining in the Aria Guild.
A nagging sense of unease wouldn't go away.
‘I’ll have to ask Choi Soo-hyun again. But before that.’
There was something else I had to do first.
* * *
[Entering the Tower of Trials Lobby.]
The lobby was still a wreck. Several dilapidated temporary structures had collapsed.
The problem was that there wasn't just one or two of these buildings.
It was on a scale that was impossible to clean up alone, so I didn't even dare to try.
Ignoring the piles of garbage, I entered the tower.
[??]
Floor: 4
Having safely arrived in the capital, you go to meet the vice guild master as planned. There…
Reward: Contribution Points [10,000]
There, what?
I know the Tower is busted, but you can't go haywire too.
You've got to be kidding me.
I slowly opened my eyes. I could hear the murmuring of people inside a large building.
The first and second floors served as a combined lobby and dining hall.
People were packed in, with no room to stand, either eating or chatting.
It seemed I had somehow arrived in the capital.
At first, I thought this was simply a mission-based tower.
‘This is like…’
I felt as if I were following someone's old story.
It was just a feeling. In front of me sat a rolled omelet, sausages, and a mug of beer.
Seeing as I was sitting alone at the table, it seemed okay to eat this.
I ate a sausage and drank some beer. It tasted like a stout, sweet yet tangy, and quite good.
What kind of beer was this? It was a unique flavor, hard to find in Korea.
It was less of a meal and more of an act of staving off hunger.
I could hear the mercenaries behind me talking.
“Hey, you hear? They never caught the train station terrorist.”
“I heard it was the work of a Half-Muel.”
“They said it broke a taboo. The strange thing is, there wasn't a single survivor on the train.”
“Did the Half-Muel get away?”
“No, its body was found in a meadow just outside the capital. It seems someone killed the infected people on the train and the Half-Muel, but no one knows who did it.”
“In the end, it turned out for the best, didn't it? If all those infected people on the train had gotten out, it would’ve been chaos.”
The mercenaries were talking about a train terror attack.
The word "train" particularly grated on my ears.
But something was strange.
‘A train terror attack and infected people…’
Something felt wrong.
A neatly dressed man approached me.
“The Vice Guild Master is looking for you.”
I got up and followed the man upstairs.
The man opened an office door for me.
A red-haired woman sat at a high-end wooden desk, her back to a massive glass window.
She waved her hand, and the man bowed before leaving.
The moment the two of us were left alone in the spacious office, she shouted.
“Are you insane? What in the world did you do!”
“Excuse me?”
“The train incident. I know you were the culprit.”
The assassination was definitely a success.
But a train incident?
Nothing was adding up, from what the mercenaries downstairs were saying to what this woman was saying.
“I swear, you’ll be the death of me. What were you thinking, pulling a stunt like that?”
“No…”
“Don’t make excuses. I have no intention of listening. I was hoping to see you after so long, and this is what I get.”
She pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed.
At this rate, I couldn't even try to explain that it wasn't me.
‘What is going on?’
Is this how it's supposed to be?
Or did something go wrong?
I couldn't understand a single thing.
An awkward silence fell between us.
I felt like I had to say something.
According to the scenario, this character was a mercenary belonging to a fairly large mercenary group who had come to the capital to receive ‘a certain request.’
The incident on the train was just a single event that occurred on the way to the capital.
Watching the woman's expression, I asked cautiously.
“So, uh, what should I do now?”
The woman in the chair let out a sigh.
It seemed she realized there was no point in talking about the train incident.
“How should I know?”
“How can you be so indifferent? I came all the way from the countryside, struggling just for this one request.”
Since I was acting anyway, I decided to fully commit to the role.
Besides, it was true, wasn't it?
At my attitude, the woman let out a short laugh, "Ha."
It wasn't a sneer, but more of an incredulous reaction.
Fortunately, her expression quickly softened.
She adopted a persuasive tone.
“Wait a few days. You haven’t been in the capital for long, have you?”
“That’s true.”
“I called you today just to see your face. I was worried you might get caught. But from the rumors, it seems there’s no need to worry about that.”
At her considerably softer tone, I quietly shrugged.
It wasn't my doing, but trying to explain that would probably get me nowhere.
The woman rested her arms on the desk and propped her chin in her hands.
“I’ll call you again. In the meantime, why don't you take on a request or something? Your funds seem to be in order, though?”
I kept my mouth shut.
After clearing the lower floors, I had tinkered with various things and managed to gather quite a bit of information.
This world resembled the continent where I was first transported. Perhaps that was why it wasn't too difficult to adapt.
“Alright.”
I opened my status window.
As soon as the woman finished speaking, the status window had changed.
[Do Your Best.]
Floor: 4
Having safely arrived in the capital, you go to meet the vice guild master as planned. There, you meet the Vice Guild Master, ‘Eruel von Irphilia.’ After getting an earful from her, you realize you have about a week of free time before the mission. Why did she tell you to come in such a hurry? Well, as Eruel said, your funds were running low, so you decided to handle a suitable request within the guild.
Objective: Clear one of the requests in the guild lobby.
Reward: Contribution Points [10,000]
+) Additional Contribution Points can be earned depending on the request.
‘What’s with 'Do Your Best'?’
It wasn't a title I was particularly fond of, but the outcome was satisfactory.
As I was about to leave, Eruel threw something at me.
It was a golden plaque, slightly smaller than a card.
Eruel added an explanation about the plaque.
“It’s a special plaque made under the Guild Master's name. You can use it for personal expenses up to 10,000 gold. Anything more requires permission.”
“If I have this, I don't really need to take on a request, do I?”
I didn't know how much 10,000 gold was, but it was clearly not a small amount.
“Hah, do whatever you want. Suit yourself.”
Looking like she couldn't be bothered to talk anymore, she waved her hand for me to leave.
Piles of documents were stacked on Eruel’s desk.
She was clearly a pitiful administrator buried in work.
‘But she’s still sharp, despite all that.’
A sword was propped diagonally against the wall behind her black chair.
Throughout our conversation, I could tell that the woman was an exceptional swordswoman.
Even her seemingly casual movements were precise and flawless.
She was undoubtedly a master swordsman.
Well, that must be how she rose to the position of Vice Guild Master.
Even I, as clueless as I was, knew that the vice master of a guild influential enough to erect a building in the heart of the capital couldn't be some mediocre figure.
“What are you doing? Not leaving?”
Eruel, who had picked up a pen, jerked her head toward the door, urging me to go.
As if our conversation had never happened, she lowered her head and began reviewing the documents.
Her concentration was incredible.
There was nothing more to say, and judging that bothering her further would do no good, I left the office.
The floor below was still bustling. I descended the stairs from the fourth floor to the lobby.
It seemed impossible to find a seat again.
Instead, I turned my eyes to the wall.
The first-floor lobby, serving as both a dining hall and a quest hub, was a kind of meeting plaza.
One wall was covered with countless request forms.
It was a stark contrast to constantly hitting F5 on a guild message board to enter a dungeon, and once finding a desirable one, moving your fingers faster than anyone else to leave a comment.
Should I call it an analog sensibility?
‘Well, it doesn't matter either way.’
The wall was divided into six sections.
Each section had requests of a different difficulty.
The variety was vast, and the difficulty ranged widely, from one-star requests like ‘Find the Lost Cat’ to three-star ones like ‘Escort a Merchant Caravan.’
I fiddled with the golden plaque Eruel had given me in my pocket.
If it was issued under the Guild Master's name, there was a high chance it wasn't restricted by difficulty.
‘If I can get additional Contribution Points depending on the request…’
Then obviously, going for the best one was the right answer.
I walked unhesitatingly toward the far end of the wall.
Unlike the sections crowded with numerous requests, the corner-most area had only a few.
More than half of them were old, faded request forms—quests that had been left unclaimed for a long time.
Five stars.
Among them, a request form on red paper caught my eye.
I moved closer.
“This looks good.”
An 800,000 gold request. As I tore the form from the wall, another status window appeared before my eyes.
[The Strange High House in the Mist (Request)]
Difficulty: Unknown
Reward: Contribution Points [300,000]