Talion Fortress Siege Battle (1)
In the lobby of the inn where the Salvatore Guild members were staying, Tiriya spoke up as all twelve current members of the Salvatore Guild gathered.
“Um. W-well then, before we officially join the monster subjugation, let's start a camaraderie event to build some rapport among us.”
The start of what should have been a lively party was surprisingly subdued. Part of it was due to personalities like Yu-jin and Park Cheol-tae, who weren't the type to enjoy parties, but the biggest reason was Seo A-ra glaring at Kim Gil-su with axe-like eyes.
“Heh heh heh. S-sorry about that, A-ra. I never imagined Yeong-sik and you would be in that kind of atmosphere.”
“What do you mean by 'that kind of atmosphere'? I have no idea what you're talking about, mister. I'm just a little disappointed that Kim Gil-su barged into Yeong-sik's room—our party leader's room—without even knocking.”
She spoke to him in a voice so cold it seemed frost might settle at any moment. Yeong-sik wore a complicated expression, about to retort, 'But you came into my room without knocking too,' but he clamped his mouth shut. He had a hunch that opening his mouth here would only complicate things unnecessarily.
“D-did something happen?”
Tiriya glanced at A-ra, who was glaring at Gil-su with fiery eyes, and asked.
Gil-su let out a light laugh and replied to her. “It's nothing, Guild Master. Just earlier, when Yeong-sik and A-ra were sharing a very sweet atmosphere, I accidentally interrupted them.”
“M-mister! It's not like that!”
“Hmm. A good atmosphere, you say?”
At Gil-su's words, A-ra shot up from her seat and shouted, while Tiriya glanced anxiously toward Yeong-sik with a mix of unease and worry on her face.
“Ahem. Everyone, calm down. This isn't why we gathered, is it?”
Hwang-hyeon, who had been sitting quietly listening to the commotion, cleared his throat lightly and spoke. Yuna nodded at his words.
“All this food was specially requested by my sister, so eat up! Starting tomorrow, we might be stuck eating only dried jerky because of the intense battles.”
“Ugh... I hate jerky now...”
At Yuna's words, Lee Chae-rin pouted and hung her head.
“A-hem. Yes, exactly. Since we've gathered to build camaraderie, eat and rest as much as you want today.”
Tiriya, snapping out of it at Hwang-hyeon and Yuna's words, cleared her throat and said that. Yeong-sik gazed at Tiriya, who had organized the 'camaraderie event,' with his mouth firmly shut. A complex mix of emotions crossed his face.
Among the current Salvatore Guild members, the one probably feeling the most mental turmoil and pain was Tiriya. It was hard to comprehend why she of all people would hold a camaraderie event.
'No, maybe that's exactly why.'
Yeong-sik thought as he looked at Tiriya, who was forcing a bright smile. Right now, all she had left was this Salvatore Guild. Beyond the mere twelve guild members, she had nothing else.
Tiriya looked around at the guild members and opened her mouth.
“The biggest reason I suddenly called this camaraderie event is that too many things happened in a row before our new members—Yeong-sik, Gil-su, and A-ra—could really settle into the guild.”
At her words, Park Cheol-tae, Hwang-hyeon, Jeong So-rim, and Han Tae-young nodded. Even Yuna and Bae Han-seong had only chatted a few times with Yeong-sik's group, but the other guild members were different. Right after returning from the expedition, they fought the remnants of Light Shield Guild, and then they investigated the secret passage to the royal castle for the castle raid without any real conversations with Yeong-sik's group.
“Hmm. For something like that, Yeong-sik seems awfully well-integrated into the guild, though.”
“Haha... Well, Yeong-sik is...”
At Yuna's words, which sounded like a gentle scolding, Han-seong let out an awkward laugh. In Yeong-sik's case, it wasn't just well-integrated—he had become practically the vice-guild master, wielding influence that made the term no exaggeration.
'Thinking about it that way, he's a really amazing guy.'
Han-seong gazed at Yeong-sik, who was quietly sipping his drink at the table. Normally, if a newbie who hadn't even been in the guild for a year gained influence equal to the guild master's, anyone would feel displeased first. Even Han-seong, who prided himself on his good nature, felt that way, let alone others.
Beyond mere emotions, it was something that critically disrupted the guild's hierarchy. But strangely, no displeasure arose toward Yeong-sik. No, he even seemed trustworthy.
It wasn't just because he had a unique mechanical body different from ordinary humans. There was a natural charisma emanating from Yeong-sik. The suffocating pressure, like facing an emperor ruling a vast empire, made it impossible to feel any negativity toward him.
“Even so, it's hard to say we're all close yet. I hope this chance lets us become as comfortable as family.”
Tiriya spoke with a bitter smile. A guild with a family-like atmosphere—that was the ideal guild she'd pursued for so long.
“Hmm. If that's what you say, Tiriya, we'll make an effort.”
Yeong-sik nodded and replied. It was true that he, A-ra, and Gil-su felt a bit detached from the rest of the Salvatore Guild right now.
“Hehe! Then let's start by dropping formal speech with each other!”
Lee Chae-rin, her mouth full of food, shot her hand up and shouted. Yeong-sik, A-ra, and Gil-su nodded with awkward smiles.
The next morning, the Salvatore Guild set off straight for the fortress city of Talion. Thanks to the well-paved roads, they arrived without much hardship, and from the entrance, they could see crowds of people swarming.
“Those people...”
“They're all guilds gathered to participate in this subjugation.”
Yuna, standing next to Yeong-sik, said. Yeong-sik turned his head and asked her—dropping formal speech, unlike usual.
“The participation rate is this high?”
Yuna nodded and replied. “For monster subjugations, guilds register and get rewards based on achievements. Even for small guilds, the rewards aren't something to ignore, so lots join hoping to get something.”
“Hmm. Who gives those rewards?”
“Well...”
Yuna turned her head toward where the summoners were gathered. Noisy cheers began to flow from among them.
“L-Leviathan Guild!”
“Whoa... First time seeing them in person.”
A group was walking into Talion Fortress. Each one exuded such an intense aura that it made skin tingle.
Among the group, Yeong-sik spotted familiar summoners.
“White Sword Kang Ha-rin!”
One summoner pointed at the woman with a long sword strapped to her back and shouted. Next to her walked a handsome man with sculpture-like features, five swords at his waist.
“That guy...”
“Isn't that the guy they call the strongest rookie among the 61st wave summoners?”
“Oh yeah! I heard Cheon Tae-hwang from the 61st wave became White Sword Kang Ha-rin's disciple!”
The summoners who spotted Cheon Tae-hwang grew even noisier.
“They say his level limit is 103, with an insanely powerful hidden class.”
“He already takes down level 90 elite monsters solo?”
“What? Level 90 elites? Even for a 61st wave newbie, isn't that exaggerated?”
“No! Our guild master saw it personally this time!”
The people buzzed with rumors about Leviathan Guild's rising star, Cheon Tae-hwang. He was a summoner who had grown at a speed countable on one hand in the over ten years of summoner history.
“Well, with 'Leviathan' attached, that growth rate makes sense.”
The summoners at the fortress entrance looked at Leviathan Guild with envious eyes. Especially the three at the front drew their focus.
White Sword Kang Ha-rin, with shoulder-length hair and an absurdly long sword. Warlock Park Sang-jun, wrapped head to toe in ragged bandages under a deep black robe. And leading them, the blue-haired beauty Leviathan Park Sia.
They were the core members of Leviathan Guild, one of the strongest forces in the east alongside Abaddon and Hanul Guilds—summoners powerful enough to be called strong even among rankers.
With countless high-level summoners gathered around them, Leviathan wielded unmatched power in Elnot Kingdom. Their backing explained the meteoric growth.
“Sigh.”
“If only my level limit were higher...”
The summoners at the entrance gazed enviously at the prodigy Cheon Tae-hwang, feeling the insurmountable wall between him and themselves.
“Hmm. The reaction is no joke.”
Yuna looked at Leviathan Guild and the surrounding summoners with a bored expression. Though she acted disinterested, Yeong-sik noticed the veins bulging on her clenched fist.
'Can't blame her.'
Yeong-sik thought as he looked at the Salvatore Guild members with complicated expressions.
Salvatore Guild had once been a massive force rivaling Leviathan. But now, it was a minor guild others didn't even bother with, so their complicated faces were natural.
“First, let's go register our guild.”
Tiriya spoke up. Reading the complex emotions on her guild members' faces, she wore a bitter smile.
“Are we using our guild name as is?”
Yeong-sik stepped closer to Tiriya and asked. She slowly shook her head in reply.
“No. Using Salvatore outright would be too much. We'll use an alias.”
Yeong-sik nodded at her words. They still lacked the strength to proudly use Salvatore's name.
“What alias did you have in mind?”
“Hmm... We'll go with your opinion, Yeong-sik.”
“My opinion?”
“Yes. We've received so many favors from you this time.”
“Even so...”
Yeong-sik looked flustered, not expecting to name the guild—even if temporary. The other guild members' gazes focused on him as they overheard.
“...Let's go with Eclogion Guild.”
“Ho. Fits the current situation perfectly.”
Han-seong chuckled at the word meaning 'metamorphosis.' Yuna tilted her head in confusion.
“Huh? Fits how? What's Eclogion mean?”
“...It's an English word meaning metamorphosis.”
Han-seong looked at Yuna with a slightly pitying expression. Yuna stiffened and continued cautiously.
“M-metamorphosis... what's that mean...?”
At her hesitant question, the guild members' expressions turned icy. Seeing this, Yuna shouted desperately.
“J-just kidding! Metamorphosis! Like, uh, Aesop's fables or whatever! Haha! I know that much!”
Lee Chae-rin hugged the awkwardly laughing Yuna and yelled at the guild members.
“Don't look at Yuna unnie like that! This ignorance is her charm!”
Hearing her cry, the guild members looked at Yuna with pity. Yuna whipped her head around and shouted in panic.
“W-what? Why? What does metamorphosis even mean?! Huh?!”
“...Let's go register first.”
Yeong-sik turned from her and headed to the registration desk for guilds joining the monster subjugation.
“D-don't ignore me, answer me!”
Ignoring Yuna's desperately pitiful shout, the guild members headed to the desk.