I'll Accept That Proposal (3)
“Ha?”
Kang Ha-rin let out a scoff at Yeong-sik’s bold declaration, her expression twisting harshly.
“Fine, you’re that confident, huh.”
She muttered while glaring at Yeong-sik with sharp eyes.
Park Sia stiffened, as if she hadn’t expected Yeong-sik to respond this way.
“I understand you have some pride in your abilities. But… have you not heard the rumors about Cheon Tae-hwang?”
“No one from the 61st summon wave doesn’t know him. He made a splash from the very start.”
Yeong-sik recalled the end of the tutorial. Cheon Tae-hwang had possessed absurd talent, slaying the orc chieftain single-handedly even before the ‘Adaptation’ system imposed level restrictions and granted classes.
“And what about his exploits afterward?”
“Hm… I’ve been busy with guild matters. I haven’t heard much about Cheon Tae-hwang since then.”
“Pfft. So that’s why you’re so full of yourself.”
Kang Ha-rin sneered at Yeong-sik’s response.
He seems pretty high-level… but that cocky attitude suggests he’s got a hidden class and leveled up a ton somewhere.
But.
The smirk on Kang Ha-rin’s lips deepened.
No matter how high his level, he couldn’t compare to Cheon Tae-hwang, who had broken past level 90 in just half a year. Even if they were the same level, no one could beat him.
Not even me, if we were equals.
She licked her lips, recalling Cheon Tae-hwang’s terrifying talent.
She approached Park Sia and whispered softly.
“Sis, he’s acting all high and mighty. Let’s just pit him against Tae-hwang and be done with it.”
“But even so, that’s…”
Park Sia frowned, looking troubled. Pitting a fellow 61st-wave summoner against Cheon Tae-hwang was practically a scam.
Kang Ha-rin pressed on with a sly tone toward the hesitant Park Sia.
“Or do you wanna cross that dangerous river where we might spark a conflict with the kingdom?”
Park Sia swallowed hard at the pointed remark.
Even for Leviathan Guild, with its overwhelming forces compared to Elnot Kingdom’s army, sheltering a regicide was too risky.
If it ends with just 300,000 gold…
That massive sum wasn’t trivial even for Leviathan, but weighed against the dungeon’s value, it was affordable. That dungeon hid something she—no, perhaps all summoners—craved.
“Fine.”
Park Sia nodded with a complicated expression. Turning to Yeong-sik, she spoke.
“So, you agree to settle this with a one-on-one duel between Tae-hwang and you?”
“Yes.”
Yeong-sik nodded calmly.
Kang Ha-rin cheered at his reaction, while Cheon Tae-hwang sighed deeply and shook his head. He knew well how alien and overwhelmingly powerful his own strength was. No other summoner from his wave could match him.
Hm? Come to think of it…
Cheon Tae-hwang tilted his head, staring at Yeong-sik’s oddly familiar face.
Ah, that was Salvatore Guild at the lizardman habitat back then.
He finally remembered where he’d seen Yeong-sik. The man had watched blankly as he swept through the lizardmen.
So he really is from the 61st wave.
He’d briefly suspected Yeong-sik of lying about his wave, but if he’d been at the lizardman habitat half a year ago, it checked out.
“Haa.”
Cheon Tae-hwang sighed. He thought of Rekras, whose power he couldn’t even fathom. Fighting in what amounted to a ‘scam’ duel right after such a battle felt distasteful. To him, battling the weak was as boring and pointless as it got.
But for the guild… I have no choice.
He knew better than anyone how much support Leviathan had poured into him. He could endure this much for repayment.
Park Sia approached Yeong-sik with her signature icy tone.
“Then, if Tae-hwang wins, we pay 300,000 gold and assist with the dungeon raid. If you win, we protect Salvatore Guild for a year. That’s the deal?”
“Yes. Sounds good.”
Yeong-sik nodded readily.
Park Sia sighed, watching him. She couldn’t shake the nagging guilt of scamming him.
“We can’t do it right now… Come find us after reward distribution to the participating guilds.”
“Got it. Oh, and of course, Eclipse Guild gets separate rewards for our contributions, right?”
“Naturally. Without Tiriya, Ha-rin would’ve been in danger. Eclipse Guild handled the right gate’s defense, I presume? You’ll be compensated fairly for that.”
“Thank you. We’ll visit later, then.”
Yeong-sik turned to leave, followed by Salvatore Guild members.
“? Yay!”
The moment Salvatore vanished from sight, Kang Ha-rin threw her arms up in triumph. She grabbed Cheon Tae-hwang’s shoulder with a grin.
“Heh heh. Tae-hwang, show that arrogant punk what’s what, okay?”
“…Haa. What if it strains relations for no reason? You know better than anyone we need angelic power to conquer the Forgotten Ones’ Tomb.”
“Ugh… Yeah, I know, but that guy’s just so full of himself!”
The mention of the Forgotten Ones’ Tomb drew a heavy groan from Kang Ha-rin.
“Agh! What the hell is that damn door made of? No matter how much we slash, it doesn’t even scratch!”
“…No idea.”
Cheon Tae-hwang’s face hardened at the thought of the door blocking the dungeon’s lowest floor. Even with Leviathan’s top forces—White Sword Kang Ha-rin, Warlock Park Sang-jun, and Leviathan Park Sia—unleashing everything, it hadn’t budged. The only inscription read: ‘Only one who inherits the angel’s blood may pass.’
“But Sia sis, what’s in that dungeon that you’re so desperate to reach the bottom for?”
Kang Ha-rin turned to Park Sia.
Park Sia’s eyes darkened deeply.
“…It’s worth it.”
“Hmm. But why does it need angelic power to open the door? It didn’t feel all that angelic—pretty creepy, actually.”
“That?”
Park Sia narrowed her eyes and continued.
“Probably tied to the Erman family’s secret.”
“Erman family secret? What’s that?”
“I only glimpsed it in a book from an Ingrium Empire ruin, so I’m not certain. But if it’s true… it explains why her power is needed to open the Forgotten Ones’ Tomb.”
“What is it?”
Kang Ha-rin asked with wide-eyed curiosity.
Park Sia stroked her chin coolly and replied.
“I’ll explain later. It’s not confirmed yet.”
“Eek?! No fair! Tell me now, sis!”
Kang Ha-rin chased after the departing Park Sia, pleading.
* * *
The war was over.
Dozens of guilds and 5,000 summoners had crushed the monster forces that breached the Northern Borderline into the interior.
The remaining dragonians resisted after Rekras’s death, but Park Sia joined after mopping up monsters and subdued them all.
Surviving summoners cheered victory or wailed in despair, clutching lost comrades.
The thrill of triumph and grief of loss faded quickly. Attention turned to rewards—the real reason they’d fought, not some sense of justice.
Leviathan, well aware, tallied gold and rare items from the war, hastening distribution by contribution.
“Eclipse Guild’s rewards: 42,000 gold, four B-rank rare items, and one A-rank rare item.”
Bae Han-seong reported to Tiriya while checking the items.
Tiriya nodded, inspecting them.
“Distribute the rare items to guild members by class. As for the gold… can you manage it, Han-seong?”
“Of course. Adding the gold from Light Shield’s warehouse, we’re set for guild operations awhile.”
Han-seong smiled brightly, relieved to escape poverty where even new recruits got no items. This sum could fund a guild house and expansion ventures.
“Yeong-sik, anything you need from these rewards?”
Tiriya turned to him.
Yeong-sik, browsing with Han-seong, shook his head.
“Nah, nothing for me. Oh, this A-rank staff looks perfect for A-ra.”
He held up a staff topped with a fist-sized blue orb.
“But… are you okay with this?”
“With what?”
“Duelling that Cheon Tae-hwang summoner.”
Tiriya eyed him anxiously.
“If things go as planned, no issue.”
“Planning to use that black armor?”
“No, gotta keep that hidden.”
Yeong-sik shrugged.
Tiriya and Han-seong looked puzzled.
“Then how do you plan to face Cheon Tae-hwang? Rumors might be exaggerated, but even accounting for that, he’s accomplished impossibly much for a 61st-waver.”
“Are you thinking of Forced Liberation? Don’t, Yeong-sik. You said it burdens you heavily.”
Han-seong and Tiriya voiced concern.
Yeong-sik chuckled at their worried gazes and shook his head.
“I can’t use Forced Liberation whenever I want.”
“Then…”
“I’ll use this.”
With that, Yeong-sik pulled a vial of dark red liquid from his inventory.