Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Reward Negotiation
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“Was that what was bothering you?”
At Kang Hyun-soo’s question, Song Ha-na and the Beast Emperor nodded.
They began spilling out the words they’d been holding back, like a machine gun unleashing a barrage.
“To be honest, when you told me to take the Commander Appointment skill, I did feel a bit uneasy.”
Hearing the Beast Emperor’s words, the Wild Sense skill popped into Kang Hyun-soo’s mind.
‘Fair enough.’
An A-Rank skill like Wild Sense might have picked up on the unspoken downsides of the Commander Appointment skill.
Loyalty toward Kang Hyun-soo increases.
‘That’s a pretty hefty penalty.’
But what if they knew in advance that their life and death would be under Kang Hyun-soo’s control?
It might not seem like such a big penalty after all.
‘Plus, Song Ha-na and the Beast Emperor aren’t summoned beasts—they’re players.’
Puppets offering absolute loyalty.
Loyalty increases.
The difference between the two was significant.
‘Loyalty is just how I’m framing it.’
In reality, it could be affection, camaraderie, or trust that grows.
As players with free will, no amount of increased loyalty would turn them into Kang Hyun-soo’s puppets.
They wouldn’t follow orders to commit suicide or massacre innocents.
Why?
Because those two were players with free will, not summoned beasts.
A true loyal retainer doesn’t blindly obey their lord’s every word.
A real loyalist risks their life to offer remonstrance when their lord strays from the right path.
‘Not a penalty bad enough for Wild Sense to blare warnings about.’
That’s why it had settled as just a nagging unease.
“But now I’m thinking, do I even deserve such a benefit?”
The Beast Emperor had accepted Kang Hyun-soo’s offer mainly because it would make him stronger right away.
He also couldn’t pass up the advantage of growing stronger alongside Kang Hyun-soo’s own growth.
At first, he’d been thrilled that Kang Hyun-soo had offered him such an opportunity.
But not anymore.
Kang Hyun-soo’s summoned beasts were strong.
It was only natural, since they were based on Named Players like the Sword Ghost or Rankers.
Their combat prowess even surpassed that of the Beast Emperor and Song Ha-na, who were in the 400-level range.
“If the war between Kabal Guild and Zhonghua Guild escalates, you’ll gain even more summoned beasts.”
Those new ones would naturally be based on Named Players or Rankers as well.
“Do you really need us when you have such powerful summoned beasts under you?”
The Beast Emperor was wracked with self-loathing at the thought of being useless to Kang Hyun-soo.
Song Ha-na felt the same.
No—her sense of inferiority and anxiety was even greater, given how heavily she psychologically relied on Kang Hyun-soo.
“You’re needed.”
At Kang Hyun-soo’s firm affirmation, Song Ha-na and the Beast Emperor snapped their heads up.
“Summoned beasts are just summoned beasts, after all. They’re not like you two.”
“Wouldn’t it benefit you more to use the Commander Appointment skill on a summoned beast instead of me? I’ve only been receiving your help all this time. I don’t want to be a burden.”
Song Ha-na had initially shown deep satisfaction upon receiving the Commander Appointment skill.
She’d felt immense joy at the thought of being helpful to Kang Hyun-soo.
But now, she worried that she was nothing but a hindrance to him.
“That’s not true. I trust you two.”
“You trust us?”
“What exactly do you trust about us?”
At Song Ha-na and the Beast Emperor’s questions, Kang Hyun-soo opened his mouth with eyes full of conviction.
“You’re my precious friends and comrades. Not tools like summoned beasts. Summoned beasts made from Named Players or Rankers? You two are more valuable to me than any of that.”
This was Kang Hyun-soo’s sincere truth.
“That just means we’re dead weight to you in the end.”
Kang Hyun-soo shook his head at Song Ha-na’s mutter.
“I said I trust you.”
“So what exactly do you trust? It’s a fact that your summoned beasts are stronger than us.”
“That’s true right now. But it won’t be that way forever.”
“It won’t? You’re saying you believe we can become Rankers or Named Players?”
Kang Hyun-soo nodded at the Beast Emperor’s question.
“Could we really?”
Song Ha-na asked in a tone drained of confidence.
Rankers and Named Players.
The vast majority of players couldn’t break past the walls at level 400 or 500.
Those who then surpassed the barriers at 600 and 700 were hailed as geniuses.
Even with good skills and talent, the high-level walls were insurmountable for most.
Let alone for Rankers and Named Players.
‘They’re practically the sons of gods.’
Rankers were those blessed with talent, effort, and luck who pierced through atrocious odds.
Among those Rankers, only the absolute peaks who earned universal recognition could claim the seat of Named Player.
For 400-level players like Song Ha-na and the Beast Emperor, it was a distant dream.
“It’s possible. Believe in yourselves. I believe in your potential.”
Song Ha-na and the Beast Emperor nodded with moved expressions at Kang Hyun-soo’s words brimming with conviction.
There’s a saying that a man will lay down his life for the one who recognizes him.
But that’s not limited to men.
It’s a universal truth that transcends gender and race.
People will stake their lives for those who believe in them, recognize them, acknowledge them, and trust them more than they believe in themselves.
“Thank you.”
Song Ha-na broke into a radiant smile.
Those simple words—that Kang Hyun-soo believed in her—gave her tremendous strength.
“Well, then I’ll prove your judgment isn’t wrong.”
The Beast Emperor clenched his fist with eyes burning with fighting spirit.
He’d confirmed that Kang Hyun-soo truly believed in them.
As proof, he’d bestowed the Commander Appointment skill and Commander’s Blessing upon them—players, not summoned beasts.
Now it was time for them to repay that trust.
“Do your best.”
No sooner had Kang Hyun-soo spoken than Song Ha-na and the Beast Emperor shot to their feet.
“Thank you, Hyun-soo. I’ll work hard.”
“Let’s go eat. We’ve got to train after.”
Right now, Song Ha-na and the Beast Emperor were overflowing with the desire and will to grow stronger.
They’d been deeply inspired by Kang Hyun-soo’s convinced gaze and words.
They’d felt his sincerity.
‘Yeah, work hard. Then you two can grow even stronger than you were before regression.’
They were Named Players who’d earned the Emperor title in his previous life.
If they hadn’t died early?
If they’d received full support from their low-level days?
They might have earned a Divine title instead of Emperor.
Just as Kang Hyun-soo had glimpsed in the future foresight.
Having seen their pre-regression memories and futures, Kang Hyun-soo was firmly convinced of their potential.
If Song Ha-na and the Beast Emperor knew that truth?
The感動 they’d felt from his words and actions would cool in an instant.
They might even feel deeply disappointed.
But.
‘That’ll never happen.’
It couldn’t, even if it wanted to.
Why?
Because Kang Hyun-soo had no intention of ever revealing the truth.
* * *
“We kept our promise?”
Zhonghua Guild’s vice master, Demon Subduing Spear Jin Gu-pyeong, responded with an emotionless face.
“Yes. Which guild did you request support from?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
“For security reasons?”
“That’s right.”
“Will they keep helping us?”
“Secret.”
“You didn’t promise them too much, did you?”
“Wouldn’t that be a disaster?”
“A disaster? Thanks to their help, we just scored a huge victory.”
As the executives bickered among themselves.
Demon Subduing Spear Jin Gu-pyeong impassively reviewed the documents detailing gains and losses from the battle.
But unlike his stone-faced expression.
Inside, Demon Subduing Spear Jin Gu-pyeong was burning up.
‘Who the hell are they?’
Two Ranker players weren’t firepower you could just casually acquire.
Yet they’d suddenly appeared to aid them.
And that meaningful remark: that they’d kept their promise.
The executives thought Demon Subduing Spear Jin Gu-pyeong had secretly brought in reinforcements.
‘I don’t know either.’
Demon Subduing Spear Jin Gu-pyeong knew nothing about these sudden allies.
But he couldn’t admit that.
It might damage the authority he’d only just regained.
“How about a full-scale counterattack?”
“The guild master hasn’t returned yet. A full counterattack? Defense is our best option now.”
“But with their help, a counterattack is feasible.”
“How can we trust unknowns whose identities we don’t even know?”
“Vice master, can’t you at least tell us if they’ll provide more aid?”
The executives’ gazes converged on Demon Subduing Spear Jin Gu-pyeong.
“I can’t for security reasons. Let’s end the meeting here.”
Demon Subduing Spear Jin Gu-pyeong adjourned the meeting and rose.
The sudden arrival of allies whose identity even he didn’t know.
It left Demon Subduing Spear Jin Gu-pyeong flustered, as it would anyone.
‘If only they’d reveal themselves outright and demand payment.’
Demon Subduing Spear Jin Gu-pyeong headed to his quarters with that thought.
Then one of his direct subordinates hurried over and whispered in his ear.
“Is that true?”
His subordinate nodded at Demon Subduing Spear Jin Gu-pyeong’s question after the whisper.
“What should we do?”
“We go.”
“Isn’t it dangerous?”
“Dangerous? Are you serious?”
Demon Subduing Spear Jin Gu-pyeong was a Named Player with a title.
He’d suffered humiliation in a fierce clash with Kabal Guild’s master, Flame Knight Jamie.
But conversely, unless Flame Knight Jamie stepped up personally, no one in Kabal Guild could match him.
Moreover, the meeting place they’d proposed was.
“Who would threaten me in Luzabenu?”
It was Luzabenu, the great city that served as Zhonghua Guild’s home base.
“I’m sorry.”
“Keep your mouth shut tight.”
“Yes.”
Demon Subduing Spear Jin Gu-pyeong secretly slipped out of the guild house and headed to the rendezvous point.
* * *
‘Will he come? Or not?’
Kang Hyun-soo used the Division Commander’s Gaze to share the Sword Ghost’s field of view, watching the front.
‘I hope he does.’
Kang Hyun-soo had aided Zhonghua Guild.
Of course, his reasons were to weaken the guild harboring traitors and to annihilate Kabal Guild, made up of the Demon King’s minions.
He’d also reaped the benefit of mass-producing summoned beasts based on the Named Players and Rankers who fell in that battle.
But.
‘Still, I deserve compensation.’
He could never extract it from the Beast King.
But against Demon Subduing Spear Jin Gu-pyeong?
Kang Hyun-soo could squeeze out whatever reward he wanted.
‘He must be uneasy.’
Thanks to Kang Hyun-soo’s help, he’d barely held onto his political position.
Conversely?
Without Kang Hyun-soo’s aid, that position would have completely collapsed.
‘He would’ve suffered a crushing defeat without me.’
He’d probably panic when he found out later.
‘So he needs my help.’
He’d co-opted an ally for guerrilla warfare.
That had secured the planned victory.
Demon Subduing Spear Jin Gu-pyeong needed that justification.
‘He’s here.’
Demon Subduing Spear Jin Gu-pyeong appeared in the Sword Ghost’s view.
Step. Step.
“You’re the one who helped us?”
Demon Subduing Spear Jin Gu-pyeong asked the Sword Ghost.
The Sword Ghost was clad head to toe in iron armor, fully armed.
A helmet naturally obscured his face.
Demon Subduing Spear Jin Gu-pyeong had no idea that the dead Sword Ghost had been resurrected as a summoned beast standing before him.
“That’s right.”
Following Kang Hyun-soo’s instructions, the Sword Ghost replied in a calm voice.
“A Korean, as expected.”
The Sword Ghost had regained intelligence upon being appointed a company commander.
But it was only rudimentary.
Far from enough to judge or converse independently.
He could barely use a handful of languages.
Thus, the Sword Ghost was currently little more than a tool reciting commands telepathically fed to him by Kang Hyun-soo.
“Why? Does help from a Korean bother you?”
Demon Subduing Spear Jin Gu-pyeong let out a scoff at Kang Hyun-soo’s question.
“Of course not. But I am curious. Why help us?”
“Because I want something.”
“Then name it.”
“S-Rank or higher items.”
At Kang Hyun-soo’s words, Demon Subduing Spear Jin Gu-pyeong’s face hardened like stone.