To the Continent (3)
Yeong-sik eyed the fox-eyed man approaching them with evident wariness.
The man gave a wry smile and replied to his words.
"I'm Jeong Chan-hyeok, a summoner from the 52nd wave."
"The 52nd wave... how long have you been in this world?"
Yeong-sik narrowed his eyes and asked.
Jeong Chan-hyeok flashed a friendly smile as he answered.
"Summoners are typically called in cycles of about two or three months. They rotate through the west, east, and south regions in turn."
"So... you've been here just shy of two years, then."
Yeong-sik nodded in response.
That means people have been getting summoned here steadily for at least the past ten years.
If Earthlings had started arriving that long ago, it made sense that they'd built up forces and established a 'guild' system like this.
"Yes, exactly—coming up on a year and nine months."
"Hmm... so what brings you to us?"
Yeong-sik kept his guarded gaze fixed on the man as he asked.
Jeong Chan-hyeok glanced briefly at Seo A-ra standing behind Yeong-sik.
His slender eyes glinted for a moment.
"To recruit talented folks into our guild, naturally. You'll see plenty of people like me around."
He continued with a light smile.
"We're Light Shield, one of the six major guilds, and unlike the others, we foster a family-like atmosphere. It's perfect for new summoners still adjusting to this world."
"..."
Yeong-sik narrowed his eyes at Jeong Chan-hyeok's words. Something that had been nagging at him finally came out.
"You've been talking about the three great guilds and the six majors—what exactly does that mean?"
"Ah... haha, my bad. You probably have no idea what I'm talking about."
He scratched his head with his trademark affable grin.
"In the eastern continent these days, there are three guilds with the greatest power. Those are the three great guilds. That White Sword, Kang Ha-rin, who caused a scene earlier? She's a member of Leviathan, one of them."
Jeong Chan-hyeok explained in a gentle tone.
"These three great guilds wield so much influence that even the eastern kingdoms can't touch them lightly."
"There are kingdoms here too?"
"Of course. Right now, the east has three: Elnot, Marsia, and Ixis. And this is Bellen, the easternmost port city in the Elnot Kingdom."
Yeong-sik nodded at his words.
It was only natural—there were natives living in this world originally, so kingdoms made sense. Even if Earthlings had arrived over ten years ago, they couldn't have built a city and civilization like this on their own in that time. Such developments took decades at the shortest, centuries at the longest.
"...Fascinating. How did Earthlings, here for barely ten years, amass enough power to rival kingdoms?"
Yeong-sik's eyes sharpened as he pressed the man.
According to the orb of light, the natives and monsters here had the same 'level' system. So the locals, settled here from the start, should have been stronger—how had Earthlings surged ahead in just a decade?
"Simple reason, really. Earthlings' average level caps are far higher than the natives'."
"Ah?"
"After the 'adaptation' phase, Earthlings average around level 30. Natives? Usually capped at 10. Of course, not all natives are weak—there are occasional 'ranker'-level ones over 100."
He explained point by point in a kindly tone.
Yeong-sik's expression twisted sour at his words.
So I'm even below average.
His own cap was 15. Better than natives, sure, but still short of the Earthling norm.
"Is level that big a deal?"
Yeong-sik asked something he'd wondered since his adaptation.
The fox-eyed man nodded with a wry smile.
"Yes. Higher levels boost physical strength, mana, base stats—all of it. Level isn't everything, but higher is always an advantage."
Levels were like the difference between a flyweight and heavyweight in fighting. Skill could bridge the gap, but all else equal, size won out.
"Hm. So a high-level summoner could wipe out low-level ones in one go?"
"Depends. Unless the gap's extreme, one-sided slaughter isn't feasible. Even rankers over 100 can't solo armies."
"I see."
Yeong-sik nodded, eyes keen. The power structures, level importance, and limits were starting to click in his mind.
Level gaps aren't absolute.
Some games made huge differences unbridgeable—no damage at all. That would make raw levels decide everything, strategy be damned. Good thing it wasn't like that here.
"What's a ranker, then?"
"Famous summoners over level 100. Even the three great guilds only have a handful each—rare as they come."
Yeong-sik nodded. In a level-based world, 'ranker' made perfect sense.
"Mind if I ask a question now?"
Jeong Chan-hyeok inquired, friendly smile intact. Oddly accommodating after fielding Yeong-sik's barrage.
"Sure, go ahead."
"I'd like to recruit you all into Light Shield. Leveling up is risky business regardless of your cap. Join us, and I promise safe progression to level 30."
"...Is leveling that dangerous?"
"Yes. Plenty of ways to gain levels, but hunting monsters is standard. Training gives more EXP later, but early on, monsters are faster."
Jeong Chan-hyeok's expression hardened slightly.
"But as you felt in the tutorial, monsters are deadly. Worse than orcs everywhere. Soloing them? No easy feat."
"...Can't you just hunt weak ones?"
"Haha, if only. Too big a level gap, no EXP. No exploits."
Yeong-sik nodded. No EXP from overleveled foes was common in games.
Means constantly tackling stronger monsters.
Yeong-sik pondered gravely. Guild help would be safer and faster than their trio alone.
Level 30...
He wryly smiled at the cap the man claimed was safe—beyond his own limit.
"Once your level cap's set, it doesn't change?"
"...Well?"
Jeong Chan-hyeok trailed off ambiguously.
"Training or rare items can raise it. Take Immortal Baek Kang-hyeon among the rankers—started at 60. But that's exceptional. Almost never happens."
Yeong-sik sighed deeply.
Raising his measly 15 wouldn't be easy.
But not impossible.
Zero chance would be worse. His offer was tempting—jackpot for fresh summoners.
But.
Something's off.
Yeong-sik eyed Jeong Chan-hyeok sharply. Too friendly. No guild needed this much courtesy for recruits.
And he didn't ask about our caps or classes.
Level's importance was clear now; classes surely mattered too. Yet he recruited blindly. Too suspicious for pure goodwill.
If it's not the levels or class...
Yeong-sik glanced at A-ra.
Then it had to be the person themselves. A beauty like Seo A-ra? Worth the hassle.
"What do you two think?"
Jeong Chan-hyeok turned to Gil-su and A-ra before Yeong-sik could speak.
They hesitated, glancing at Yeong-sik.
"Haha, no pressure. If you need time, here's my contact. Come find me anytime."
"...Thank you."
Yeong-sik nodded and took the pure white card emblazoned with a golden shield emblem.
"Show this at our guild branch—they'll bring you to me. Looking forward to a good answer."
Jeong Chan-hyeok walked off toward other summoners without a backward glance.
Yeong-sik stared at his retreating back.
"What do you think? Seems like a solid offer to me."
Gil-su sidled up, eyes half-closed.
"...But the terms are too good, right? Didn't even ask about our caps or classes."
Seo A-ra voiced her doubts, mirroring Yeong-sik's thoughts.
Yeong-sik didn't reply, lost in thought as he stared at the white card.
Strange.
Something felt deeply wrong. Too considerate for mere kindness.
What if...?
Yeong-sik activated his Structure Analysis skill.
Structure Analysis cannot be used on this item, as it is not mechanical.
"Tch..."
Yeong-sik eyed the white card regretfully.
Then—
Verification attempt on item detected.
Would you like to use Security Level 1 scan function?
Yeong-sik nodded.
Attempting Security Level 1 scan on item.
Scan successful.
Trace amounts of energy detected.
Information on the white card flooded into Yeong-sik's mind.
It looked innocuous, but the golden shield emblem harbored an unknown energy.
Energy in this world...
Yeong-sik's eyes sharpened.
The most fundamental energy here was mana.