Chapter 207: That Was But a Misconception
Chapter 207: That Was But a Misconception
“That’s a fine idea.”
Han Soyoung’s lips parted, her gentle voice echoing softly through the conference room. The moment she spoke, a sudden silence fell over the room. She looked back and forth between Sung Hyunmin and me before continuing.
“Indeed, if the Mercenary Clan participates in the User Academy, I believe it will lead to significant mutual growth and improvement. It’s an opportunity to strengthen your clan’s power, build connections with the representative clans, set a good example for the new Users, and mitigate the impression that this is just a matter of carving up the pie. It would also help us save face before the Matriarch later. From the perspective of the entire Northern Continent, you could say it’s killing five birds with one stone. As such, I too would like to ask for the Mercenary Lord’s participation.”
It was quite rare for Han Soyoung to speak at such length. As she did, her unique ability, Charisma, must have activated, as most of the Users listening to her wore dazed expressions. A few of the male Users were even blushing.
“That’s right. That’s exactly what I was saying.”
“I also agree with the Han Lord. It certainly seems worth a try.”
Having barely regained his senses, Sung Hyunmin smiled awkwardly and seconded her words. Park Hyunwoo, with a relatively composed expression, voiced his agreement. The moment the Golden Lion Clan’s consent was secured, the other clan Users, who had been quiet until then, also began to eagerly press me.
“I’d like to ask as well. Of course, I know you must be busy establishing your clan, but for the future development of the Northern Continent, I think it’s something worth doing.”
“That’s right. If you’re worried about clan affairs, please come to the southern small city of Coran after the academy is over. Not just our clan, but the entire Southern Free Alliance will be able to offer a great deal of help.”
“Our… our Moonlit Night Clan is the same. We’re still based in only a small city, but we’ll do everything we can to make things convenient for you….”
“Mercenary Lord. The offer I made earlier is still valid.”
Once the Su Clan made their move, the other clans followed suit, beginning their lobbying. Even Han Soyoung reminded me of the conversation we’d had before the meeting. It wasn’t just one or two people speaking, and I felt my head start to spin a little.
Suddenly, the whole situation felt incredibly absurd. In my first playthrough, these were people I wouldn’t have dared to even look at during this period. But now, in my second playthrough, seeing them trying so hard to pull our clan into their cities left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth.
It was then.
“……”
The rising voices vanished in an instant, as though they had never been there. Turning my head with a weary expression, I saw Ko Yeonju, who had been silent all this time, casting an icy glare around the room.
“Ha, haha. Perhaps we got too excited and only spoke from our own perspectives.”
The quick-witted Sung Hyunmin seemed to grasp the situation immediately and hurriedly spoke up.
“O-Of course, we intend to prioritize the Mercenary Lord’s opinion. I apologize for getting ahead of ourselves.”
“Be quiet.”
Ko Yeonju’s voice was languid, yet it held the sharp edge of a cold blade. Sung Hyunmin retreated with an embarrassed look. The atmosphere grew a little chilly, but thanks to her, I finally had a moment to catch my breath. I licked my lips and slowly closed my eyes. There was a lot to think about.
There were clear benefits to entering the User Academy.
There were also benefits to skipping it, leaving Barbara immediately, and proceeding with my original plan.
Each path had its own merits and demerits. Both offered such comparable advantages that it was a waste to give up either one.
The reason I was even considering the User Academy and postponing my original plan was because I had recently been able to read information about the ‘Inn of Beginnings.’ The greater the number of new Users, the proportionally higher the probability that Users with deep potential would be among them. And this time, it was even more certain. After all, there was a User who had completed the Rite of Passage in a mere five days.
The problem, however, was that too many clans were participating this time. With so many formidable clans around, there was no guarantee that new Users would choose my clan. Our clan certainly had its selling points, but objectively speaking, we were at a disadvantage in terms of competitiveness. Thinking this way, it seemed better to just give up cleanly, but then another variable emerged.
The future had changed. The clans had responded to the Call to Arms, and their conflicts had been resolved through the Matriarch’s mediation. This was something that hadn’t happened in the first playthrough. Of course, it was too early to jump to conclusions, but the possibility of Users starting a civil war after the Western Continent’s rise to power had been significantly reduced.
Perhaps they might even send a relief force if the Vagabonds invaded, now that they had the justification of protecting the User Academy. If so, the future would unfold in a completely different way than I remembered. Considering that, securing a spot in the User Academy now seemed like a good idea.
I mulled it over for a while, but I needed to reach a conclusion quickly. Everyone was waiting for my answer, and I couldn’t keep dragging it out.
“Hmm…”
Having made up my mind, I opened my eyes. The sight of everyone staring at my face with tense expressions greeted me. First, I calmly raised my hand and took Ko Yeonju’s arm. As I did, I could feel the cold glare shooting from her eyes immediately soften.
Subtle expressions appeared on the tense faces of the Users. It seemed they found it novel to see a User who had reached the ranks of the Ten Strong obeying the command of a mere Year 0 User. After meeting their gazes, I opened my mouth and spoke in a calm voice.
I’ll start by playing a little hard to get.
“The Mercenary Clan is a newly founded clan. However, we have already planned our future course of action, so this User Academy matter isn’t exactly a welcome proposition. As someone mentioned, the Mercenary Clan is currently short on squad members… ah, personnel.”
“Of course, I can understand. You must have a lot to do in the beginning. Especially since you already have plans laid out…”
Sung Hyunmin scratched his head with an awkward expression and trailed off. I calmly lifted my head and met his eyes. No matter how high our potential for growth was or that we had Ko Yeonju, a fundamental difference still existed. Yet, this man was being overly cautious with me. I once again activated my Third Eye.
Player Status
1. Name: Sung Hyunmin (Year 4 User)
2. Class: Swordsman (Normal, Swordsman, Master)
3. Nation: Barbara
4. Clan: Han (韓)
5. True Name · Nationality: Cold Flame · Republic of Korea
6. Sex: Male (33)
7. Height · Weight: 178.8cm · 73.8kg
8. Alignment: Mild · Belief
[Strength 87] [Durability 81] [Agility 84] [Stamina 85] [Magic Power 90] [Luck 76]
Stat Comparison
1. Kim Soohyun: 542 / 600~
[Strength 96(+2)] [Durability 92] [Agility 98] [Stamina 72] [Magic Power 96] [Luck 90(+2)]
(12 stat points remaining.)
2. Sung Hyunmin: 498 / 600~
[Strength 87] [Durability 81] [Agility 84] [Stamina 85] [Magic Power 90] [Luck 71]
(No stat points remaining.)
His stats were decent. His overall information, including his class, was somewhat lacking compared to the Ten Strong. However, my attention was drawn to his alignment: a strong will hidden beneath a mild exterior. It almost perfectly matched my memory of him from the first playthrough.
He was decisive and had a strong sense of responsibility. He was particularly famous for meticulously looking after each and every one of his clan members. I suspected that this aspect of his personality was why the grand alliance he later led had never suffered any internal discord.
There was no evil in his alignment. It seemed he had some other motive, but I could roughly guess what it was. His methods might be slightly different, but he surely had similar thoughts to Han Soyoung. The difference was that Han Soyoung had spoken her mind directly, while he intended to take his time and proceed slowly.
Frankly, while I had ridden the wave of events well, being too successful was also tiring. They had already begun to compete for me implicitly.
Watching him look disappointed as he trailed off, I spoke in a low voice.
“But it also weighs on my mind to refuse your requests like this. Still, I’m only a Year 0 User. I wonder if I can really be as helpful as you say…”
“Ah, no. Not at all. Many people here believe it’s worth a try.”
“Mercenary Lord. It’s not that difficult a task. We can handle most of the troublesome work at the academy that requires experience.”
The moment I left a slight opening, Sung Hyunmin and Park Hyunwoo quickly began to persuade me. If I let this continue, it seemed another long speech would begin, so I decided to get straight to the point.
“Well then, may I ask for one small favor?”
“Yes. Please, speak.”
“It’s nothing major, but I understand that Users’ access is strictly controlled during the academy period.”
“Um, yes, yes. That… is correct.”
Park Hyunwoo nodded with a reluctant expression. In reality, while access was strictly controlled at the beginning, it tended to loosen as the term neared its end. In fact, I myself had been treated to meals outside several times when I received offers. Recalling that time, I continued slowly.
“Would it be possible to receive a little consideration in that regard?”
“Consideration…?”
“The initial operations of the clan can be carried out even if I’m not there. Of course, it would be better if I were. Still, I believe the ‘Shadow Queen’ would be more than capable of performing my duties as a proxy.”
“Ah… Ah! I see. Yes, you don’t have to worry about that. We will grant the ‘Shadow Queen’ free access to the User Academy.”
The good thing about talking with high-level Users was that they caught on quickly. There was no need to explain everything in detail. I glanced around and saw that everyone seemed generally satisfied. Any User who knew the internal situation would likely have felt that my request was not a big deal and was perfectly acceptable.
I smiled inwardly in triumph and decided to end the push-and-pull there.
“Thank you. If you could show me some consideration in that matter, I believe I can also participate in the User Academy with a glad heart.”
“Haha. Not at all. That’s an easy matter.”
Only after I had concluded the discussion by agreeing to participate could we begin to adjust the finer details. After that, the meeting began to pick up speed again. The most important topic among them was the recruitment of new Users, which was easily settled by adhering to the basic principle. Anyone could equally promote their own clan and make offers. And since the final choice rested with the new Users themselves, it was fundamentally a matter of a clan’s capabilities.
“Then, let’s conclude the primary discussion here. It would be best to end the Call to Arms at this point as well. And while you may find it a bit tight, those participating in the User Academy will need to move quickly via the Warp Gate.”
“Yes. Then, as discussed, we will select our personnel and arrive at the plaza in Barbara before the night is over. Until then, we’ll be in the Golden Lion Clan’s care.”
After wrapping things up, they exchanged a few perfunctory pleasantries. Then, one by one, they began to leave the conference room. The hurried steps of the eastern and southern clan members suggested they were eager to report the day’s achievements as quickly as possible. Before leaving, Han Soyoung and Yeon Hyerim’s eyes met mine. They looked at me for a moment before promptly exiting the room. A bitter smile played on Park Hyunwoo’s lips as he watched their departing backs.
Just as I was about to get up and leave myself, he suddenly turned his head towards me and spoke.
“Mercenary Lord. Could you wait just a moment? I have something to discuss with you privately.”
“Ah, yes.”
I halted the step I was about to take and turned around, though I didn’t sit back down. It was a silent signal that I also had things to do, so I wanted to finish this as quickly as possible. He glanced once at Ko Yeonju beside me and then hurriedly began to speak.
“If you don’t have a suitable place to stay, our clan can introduce you to a good one. Ah, it’s not inside the clan house, so you don’t need to worry. We have a building outside that our clan members use for lodging.”
“It’s alright. I’ve already arranged for a place to stay.”
“Ah… is that so. I understand.”
“Was the thing you wanted to discuss…”
“No. It’s not very important, so I’ll tell you later when things have settled down a bit.”
I was a little surprised. I had expected him to bring up the incident with Mule, but he was subtly letting it slide himself. I tilted my head for a moment, but seeing Park Hyunwoo’s reaction, I had a feeling I knew why.
The Golden Lion Clan must have evaluated us more highly than the Beech Tree Clan. And with Ko Yeonju also involved, it would be a tricky matter to touch upon carelessly. Of course, I didn’t think they would just let it go completely. I’d have to wait and see, but even if an investigation were to take place later, it would likely be nothing more than a formality.
“In any case, I appreciate the consideration. I’ll be on my way now. Although I’m in Barbara, I need to hand over my duties for the upcoming work.”
“Yes. Please take care. And I look forward to working with you.”
After exchanging formal goodbyes with him, I quickly left the conference room. I crossed the hall and stepped out of the entrance of Geumho Hall to see that the sky had already grown dark. The cool night breeze washed over me, and I felt the heat in my body cool down a little.