Chapter 183: The Downfall of Golden Lion
Chapter 183: The Downfall of Golden Lion
“Oppa.”
“……”
“Oppa? Oppa!”
“Hm? Yeah.”
A sharp voice called out as someone grabbed my shoulder and shook me. I turned my head to see Yoojung’s face.
“What were you thinking about? I was calling you, but you didn’t answer.”
“It’s nothing. What’s up?”
“You know how the Golden Lion Clan guys showed up right after we first entered the Hall Plain?”
“Right.”
When I agreed, she tapped her left breast and continued.
“Didn’t those Users have a golden lion emblem on their chests? I don’t think we have anything like that.”
“I did register an emblem. But it doesn’t appear automatically. You have to draw it on your own equipment.”
“Ah~. I see~. I thought it just happened on its own. By the way, Oppa, did something bad happen? You look really upset.”
“I’m not. I was just lost in thought for a moment.”
The information Conrad Douglas had given me earlier suddenly came to mind.
〈It was yesterday. Members of this city’s representative clan paid a visit. They tried to pry into whether you had created a clan and asked for detailed information. I sent them away with some vague words for now, but their expressions were anything but friendly. Be careful. If you plan on leaving, it would be best to do so quickly.〉
I didn’t know exactly what Yoo Hyuna was thinking, but I had absolutely no intention of staying in Mule. I glanced at the words Free Mercenary (Free) in my Player Status window and pushed my thoughts aside. I was always one to act as if I were being chased. The thought that I would fall behind if I couldn’t keep up with the flow always made me feel rushed.
“User Ko Yeonju, User Jung Hayeon.”
After composing myself, I called out to Jung Hayeon and Ko Yeonju. The two Users immediately approached me.
“Yes, Soohyun.”
“You called?”
“Yes. I need you two to take the others and head straight back to the inn. Please pack up and prepare to leave Mule.”
“Are you planning to leave right away?”
I shook my head at Hayeon’s question.
“No. I have one last thing to wrap up. Still, please prepare as quickly as possible. We could be leaving as early as this evening. User Ko Yeonju, how will you handle the inn? Do you need some time?”
“Nope~. I’ve thought about that, and I’m just going to keep it. If we settle down in another city, I might be able to place a new Shadow here. So we just need to pack our things.”
Ko Yeonju’s judgment was sound. In the future, when civil war breaks out among the Northern Continent’s Users, the warp gates connecting rival cities will be shut down. Of course, she was likely thinking purely of information gathering for now, but having her Shadows in place to get inside information would be a great help when that time came. I figured someone like Ko Yeonju would handle it well on her own, and I nodded in agreement.
“I’m going to take care of that last bit of business now. Once all the preparations are complete, please gather everyone in the first-floor lobby. I’ll give you a brief outline of our upcoming plans. We will leave Mule after that.”
“Leave it to us.”
“I will follow the Lord’s command.”
Jung Hayeon answered in a clear voice, while Ko Yeonju replied playfully. Watching their backs as they walked toward the rest of the group, I also began to move. My destination was the commercial district, specifically, the Old Man’s Jewelry Shop.
*
When I opened the door to the Old Man’s Jewelry Shop, I saw the old man examining a deep blue gem. His white hair and wrinkled face were just as I remembered. He glanced at me as soon as I entered, then spoke in a gruff voice.
“It’s been a while.”
“It has. I trust you have been in good health.”
“Hmph. Seems you’ve picked up a fancy phrase from somewhere. Are you here to buy or sell?”
He must have found my words amusing, because he let out a small chuckle. Since he was a bit older, I had tried a formal greeting I knew from the past, and it seemed to have worked unintentionally. I gave a faint smile and took a pouch from my coat. With practiced hands, he took the pouch from me and carefully shook its contents out onto the counter. I felt a flow of magic from the old man’s eyes as he picked up one of the dozen or so gems that tumbled out.
As I watched him examine the gems one by one, I fell into thought. The reason I had come here was that the old man before me had a Rare Class: Rare Class Gem Appraiser. I didn’t know the details of his abilities, but honestly, by my standards, he was someone I could take or leave. However, considering Hanbyul’s class, I thought the two of them would have good synergy.
Originally, I had planned on a full recruitment, but I’d since had a change of heart and put the idea on hold. If I had been set on recruiting him, I would have brought Kim Hanbyul with me. But he wanted to live out the rest of his life quietly, and since he wasn't absolutely essential to my future plans, I had neither the right nor the inclination to drag him along. Besides, Kim Hanbyul’s situation was also uncertain, so I was just here to take a shot in the dark.
“Excellent.”
While I was lost in thought, the old man seemed to have finished his appraisal. He gathered the gems with both hands and continued in an admiring tone.
“These are on a completely different level from the ones you brought before. To call them top-grade would be an understatement. Their color is brilliant, and seeing how densely packed they are, their concentration of magic power must be extremely high. At the very least, they’re worth over two hundred gold each. Are you planning to sell them all?”
“No.”
“Hm? What was that?”
My answer must have been unexpected, as he asked again with wide eyes. But his expression soon hardened, and he seemed displeased about something. It was a sudden recruitment offer, I knew. But the User before me disliked beating around the bush, so I thought it best to be upfront from the start. Still, I needed to speak quickly.
“I’ve just come from establishing a clan.”
“You established a clan?”
“Yes. And we plan to leave Mule soon.”
“Ahem. I see. Well then. What on earth is your intention in telling me this?”
I could see the old man’s expression soften slightly. I let out a sigh of relief and spoke in a calm voice.
“By any chance, are you aware that a Secret Class User recently appeared in the Golden Lion Clan?”
“I’ve heard. They’ve been advertising it so much my ears are ringing. Well, it’s a class I’m personally curious about.”
“I know the person in question. It seems she’ll be primarily using gems, so I thought your help would be a great asset to her in the future. Of course, I can’t guarantee that she will join our clan. Still, I wanted to ask you once before leaving Mule.”
“Heh. So are these gems a down payment?”
“You can think of it however you like. Even as a new clan, we can afford to offer at least this much.”
I had a strategy in mind. Logically, trying to recruit a candidate for a leadership position in the Golden Lion Clan when Kim Hanbyul’s recruitment wasn’t even certain was nonsense. And there was nothing I could do about that right now. Still, I showed him the gems because I wanted to prove that even a fledgling clan like ours had this level of capability.
“I refuse.”
And just as I expected, User Lee Manseong flatly rejected my offer. I hadn't thought he would accept either. While I knew a fair bit about him, from the old man’s perspective, a User he’d met only once had just barged in and asked him to join a clan. I would have refused too, if I were in his shoes.
However, his next words defied my expectations.
“Still, I’m not offended. To think there’s a User who would take notice of an old man like me and even extend an invitation to join. You’re a peculiar young man.”
“Haha. The User who recommended this place had many good things to say about you. I just took a chance.”
“I appreciate the offer. But whether that Secret Class User is here or not makes no difference to me. It’s merely a matter of personal curiosity; that’s not why I’m refusing your invitation. Well, I won’t belabor the point. I simply wish to live out the rest of my days quietly here. Don’t you think I’m past the age for running around?”
“I understand. In fact, I’m sorry for making such a rude request, and I thank you for your kind words.”
User Lee Manseong let out a long sigh and slid the gems back into the pouch. Just as I was about to reach out to take it, his voice hit my ears.
“Still, if you do happen to recruit that User, stop by when you think of it. I won’t treat you poorly. Well, you’re welcome to visit even if you don’t recruit her.”
For some reason, a hint of loneliness seemed to cling to the old man’s voice. I bowed my head deeply, took the pouch, and secured it inside my coat.
“You must be busy if you’ve just founded a clan. You should get going. I hope to see you again, alive.”
“Haha. Thank you. I’ll be sure to survive and visit again.”
With that, the old man and I exchanged polite farewells. I left the Old Man’s Jewelry Shop with a light heart. It was time to return to the inn.
*
When I returned to the inn, the clan members were diligently packing their belongings. I could see a hint of excitement in their expressions, as if they were thrilled by the news of leaving Mule. I also went into my office and sorted the equipment I had been storing. The gold coins, gems, and equipment made for a sizable collection, but after storing them in the three Chaos Mimics and putting those inside my magic backpack, the volume was greatly reduced.
As I packed what needed packing and organized what needed organizing, the sun was already beginning to set.
At Ko Yeonju’s suggestion, we had a simple meal. Everyone had been looking forward to their last meal in Mule, but since we had used up most of our ingredients, it wasn’t as lavish as before. Still, Ko Yeonju was a naturally skilled cook, so everyone ate with expressions of delight.
If I had my way, I would have gone straight to the Warp Gate. But now I was a Clan Lord, and they were my clan members; dragging them around haphazardly wouldn't look good. It was my duty as a Clan Lord to at least provide a minimal explanation of our future plans. So, after the meal, I gathered the members who were drinking tea and began to speak.
“I will now briefly explain our plans moving forward.”
Unlike when I first came to Mule, the number of Users had doubled. Ahn Hyun, Ahn Sol, Lee Yoojung, Vivian, Jung Hayeon, Shin Sangyong, Ko Yeonju, and myself. We were no longer just a simple party, but the members of the clan I led. Receiving their focused gazes, I continued calmly.
“Today, we finally established our clan. Fortunately, we seem to have gotten off to a good start. But this is just the first step.”
I paused for a moment and took a sip of the tea before me. A sharp, tangy aroma filled my mouth.
“Mercenary is a free-mercenary-type clan. There will naturally be times when we act on our own, but we will build our influence by accepting and completing requests. However, with Mercenary’s current reputation, it will be difficult to operate through requests like those. That means there are two things we need right now. One is a clan house to serve as our base. The other is a way to raise our reputation. Of course, I’m also considering recruiting new comrades, but we’ll set that aside for now.”
“The clan house makes sense since we have a lot of money, but what methods are you considering for raising our reputation?”
At Ko Yeonju’s question, I nodded once and answered.
“For now, I’m hoping for a promotional effect. With this much combat power, I believe we will draw the attention of other Users. And as interest grows, many parties will naturally try to contact us. However, we will not go under any other clan. The only thing we must do is ride the wave of that interest and climb higher.”
Most of the inquiries would probably be about mergers. The important thing was that we had to move according to our own will. I wanted to refuse to be pushed around by someone else’s needs or circumstances. To do that, we needed enough power not to be underestimated.
“In that case, the question becomes how and in what way we will ride that wave. I have already laid out a plan for that. Soon, the Golden…”
Bang!
I was about to say, “I’m planning for our first move to be after the Golden Lion Clan finishes its expedition to the Steel Mountains,” but the sudden noise made me shut my mouth. The clan members, all startled, turned their heads toward the entrance. And there stood a single User, breathing heavily. It was Yoo Hyuna.
Immediately after, two more Users appeared behind her. One was the Martial God Cha Seunghyun, and the other was the Madwoman Ban Dahee. Her eyes fell upon us at the first-floor table and the luggage packed beside us, and her brow furrowed slightly.
For a moment, Yoo Hyuna and I locked eyes. Her pupils held a strange, fervent desire. Then, she closed the distance between us and slowly opened her mouth.