Chapter 243: The Time for Nurturing Has Passed
Chapter 243: The Time for Nurturing Has Passed
To be honest, the next place Hayeon guided me to was nothing special. Its location wasn't bad, being on a street connected to the plaza, but the lot was extremely narrow. It also had only one building (if you could even call it that), which I wasn't too fond of. Of course, it was big enough for the nine of us to live in, but the problem was that it was wedged tightly between shops on both sides, making any future expansion impossible.
The moment I heard the price of the second location from Hayeon, I felt my mind lean heavily in one direction. There’s a saying that if the price is the same, you should always choose the better option. Even with a difference of ten or twenty thousand gold, considering our future growth, the first location was far more appealing.
The question is whether or not to accept the Istantel Low Clan’s favor.
After looking at both places, Hayeon and I headed back, just the two of us, and I fell deep into thought.
Hayeon seemed to be hoping I would accept the offer. Of course, if our finances were an issue, we couldn't pass up this opportunity, but based on my future plans, we wouldn't be short on funds. And, as Vivian had said, jumping at this proposal could compromise the very purpose of being a free Mercenary Clan.
That wasn't all. The Mercenary Clan, not even three months old, had purchased a Clan House. If the story behind it got out, we would undoubtedly be met with disapproving looks. It might be different if we had a justifiable reason to accept such a favor, but we didn't.
I weighed it from every angle, but it was an offer with more drawbacks than benefits. I felt sorry for Han Soyoung, but I decided to refuse and purchase it at its original price. Just as I made up my mind, a clear voice entered my ear from beside me.
“Soohyun. What are you thinking so hard about?”
“Hm? Oh. I was just thinking about Istantel Low Clan’s proposal.”
“Hehe. Don’t think only about work. You should cool your head a bit. We’re already back at the Love House. I’m starving, so why don’t we have a late lunch first? Madam Lim is a pretty good cook, you know.”
“Is she? I look forward to it.”
I gave a slight nod. And just as Hayeon said, we had arrived at the Love House. I climbed the steps one by one and gently pushed open the closed door.
As I stepped inside, I came face to face with Ahn Hyun, who was just coming down the stairs from the second floor. His eyes widened as soon as he saw me, and he called out.
“Oh, hyung! You’re back?”
“Yeah. Where are the others?”
“Everyone’s busy wrapping up their work. Oh, by the way, hyung. Did something happen with Vivian?”
“Vivian? Why?”
I asked back with a completely innocent expression, as if I knew nothing. I heard Hayeon stifle a laugh. Ahn Hyun scratched his cheek with a dubious look on his face and answered.
“Well, she went out with you, hyung. But she came back alone, crying her eyes out…”
“Crying? That’s strange. Why would she be crying?”
“I don’t know. Oh, and she was walking up the stairs all awkwardly. Do you think she got hurt somewhere?”
I did kick her like a soccer ball. Did I kick her too hard?
I had only given her a few good kicks because I enjoyed the sight of her wiggling her butt, but I never imagined she would run off sobbing her heart out. Feeling troubled, I crossed my arms and sighed. Hayeon, who had been covering her mouth and laughing the whole time, finally managed to speak.
“Pfft. But why did you suddenly do that?”
“It felt like she was deliberately throwing herself at me. Have you never felt that way, Hayeon?”
“I suppose I have, in subtle ways. Still, you were too harsh. Don’t you think you should go comfort her?”
“I don’t know. I just couldn’t help myself. Anyway, I’ll think about it.”
When I replied with a feigned serious expression, Hayeon finally burst into peals of laughter. Only Ahn Hyun was left blinking, completely clueless.
*
After having a late lunch with Hayeon, I decided to go find Vivian. Of course, part of the reason was to comfort her, but the main purpose was to help her solve the problem she was facing with her alchemy.
Holding a unicorn’s horn in my left hand, I knocked on Vivian’s door.
“Vivian.”
“Who is it?!”
“It’s me. I’m coming in.”
“Don’t come in!”
A sharp response came immediately, but I ignored it and threw the door wide open. I could see Vivian lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling and groaning in pain. Her eyelids were swollen as if she’d been crying her heart out, and her cheeks were streaked with tears. The pitiful sight naturally stirred a sense of sympathy in me. I walked closer and asked in a gentle voice.
“Are you okay?”
“Do I look okay to you?”
“No. You look like you’re in a lot of pain.”
“Right. So whose fault do you think this is?”
“I’m not sure.”
“What? You’re not sure? Are you messing with me right now?”
“Yes.”
Vivian foamed at the mouth when I answered with a calm face. Then she started screaming at the top of her lungs. Her voice was more than half-filled with sobs, so I couldn’t make out what she was saying, but it gave off a strong impression of, “I am currently flabbergasted and feel utterly wronged.”
“Don’t get so angry. It’s bad for your mental health.”
“!@#$%^&*()_+”
“Alright, alright. I’ll rub it gently for you. Lift your butt.”
“Wh-what? Are you crazy?! What do you think you’re doing?!”
After setting the unicorn’s horn aside, I reached for her hips. Vivian’s eyes shot open in surprise, and she flailed her hands, resisting fiercely. But the moment I easily broke through her resistance and grabbed her hips, she arched her back and lifted her butt, almost as if she was making it easier for me to undress her.
“……”
As I stared at her with a dumbfounded expression, she quickly lowered her back. But her face was beet red, and she seemed incredibly embarrassed. I could have made fun of her and gotten more material to tease her with, but I decided to stop here. I had already achieved my initial goal of cheering her up (?). Now it was time to get to the real reason for my visit.
I let go of her hips and picked up the unicorn’s horn again. Vivian shot up and composed herself.
“Vivian. About what you said in the meeting this morning.”
“…What about it.”
“You said your spiritual core alone couldn’t handle Belphegor’s Heart and Horrence’s Magic Stone. So, what about this?”
“What in the world is this… Huh? Oh, right! The unicorn’s horn! I forgot about this.”
At first, she had replied in a gloomy voice, but as soon as I took out the unicorn’s horn, Vivian’s eyes changed completely.
“Wow! But can we really use this? This is super rare, you know. If any mages saw this, they’d probably come at you with fire in their eyes.”
“As long as it’s effective.”
At my words, Vivian began to examine the horn with a serious expression.
“True. There’s nothing better for countering Demonkin or Horrence… The problem is whether it will side with the Magic Stone. It would become a 2:1:1 situation instead of 2:2… Kim Soohyun!”
“Gah, you scared me. What is it?”
“You know, what if we just purify a little bit of the power from the heart and the magic stone? It would be much safer that way.”
“If we reduce their power, won’t the results be less effective?”
“Don’t worry. With me, we can at least break even.”
Break even. The two elixirs scheduled for the alchemical refinement had stat increases of +2 and +4 to Stamina, respectively. Breaking even meant we could aim for a total of +6. It was certainly a high increase, comparable to an Angel’s Tear. But that wasn’t enough. It was far from enough. I slowly shook my head and said.
“Vivian, just breaking even isn’t enough.”
“Wh-what?”
“I’m sorry to pressure you, but this elixir refinement is extremely important to me. The most important thing is Stamina. Stamina. You have to make it the top priority. Got it?”
“Y-yeah.”
“I don’t need increases in other stats. It would be nice, but in my current state, they won’t have much of an effect. Anyway, while purifying them isn’t hard, we can’t deliberately weaken their power. It might be a bit more complicated, but try to think of a way to incorporate the unicorn’s horn.”
Sensing the sincerity in my voice, Vivian’s expression became incredibly serious. With this, another item was added to the refinement. Two elixirs, Vivian’s spiritual core, Belphegor’s Heart, Horrence’s Magic Stone, and the unicorn’s horn. Excluding equipment, all the prime items I had obtained through my explorations were now in her hands.
As an alchemist, she was facing a refinement she could only dream of, but Vivian looked nothing but burdened. I felt a little sorry for repeatedly emphasizing it, but my lack of Stamina was just that desperate of a problem for me.
“You said the workshop construction would cost 8,200 gold?”
“Yeah.”
“If you need anything else, just tell me. I’ll support you even if it costs double that.”
“N-no! This is more than enough!”
“Really? Alright. Then I’m counting on you.”
I patted Vivian’s shoulder three or four times and slowly stood up. She clutched the unicorn’s horn and let out a long sigh. But soon, her eyes burned with a competitive spirit as she spoke.
“Fine. I’ll do it again. Kim Soohyun, just don’t you forget your promise.”
“Yeah, yeah. I remember it clearly.”
Vivian then bolted out of the room ahead of me and shouted at the top of her lungs.
“Shin Sang-yooooong! Your master is summoning youuuu! Get out here noooow!”
Hearing Vivian’s voice pierce through the door, I let out a small smile.
*
The night grew deep. It felt like a lot had happened, but it hadn’t even been a full day since we left Barbara. For now, I had made a tentative decision about the Clan House, and Vivian’s research had entered a new phase. The matters that the clan members had been unable to decide on were once again slowly moving toward completion.
However, there was still one thing left.
I lifted my head and saw Ko Yeonju in front of me, her lips moving nonstop. She was reporting on Kim Yoohyun’s movements and the situation on the Western Continent, as I had requested before.
“Anyway, what I just told you is all the information I have on User Kim Yoohyun’s activities. Ah, I forgot to mention the news that he recently excavated a pyramid-shaped ancient ruin in the Wilderness Desert. Because of that, the southeastern Small City of Dana is apparently in an uproar these days.”
“I see. So he’s found the king’s tomb now…”
“Pardon?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Is there any other news about Kim Yoohyun? Anything at all is fine.”
I quickly changed the subject. Ko Yeonju tilted her head.
“Let’s see. I’ve told you everything about his movements. As for his personal information, he’s a Year 2 User, and he’s known as the Thunder Emperor, a Secret Class in the Mage category.”
“A Year 2 User? He can’t be that big of a deal then.”
“Soohyun, that’s absolutely not true. Just looking at his achievements so far, even most veteran Users would have to concede to him. And while he hasn’t established a clan yet, the Users around him are all extraordinary in their own right.”
“Is that so? That’s amazing. Haha.”
I readily agreed. Ko Yeonju looked at me with an even stranger expression. But what was important to me right now was whether my brother was safe or not, so hearing that he was doing well allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief.
I stretched my arms wide, twisting my body. The sound of my joints cracking echoed rhythmically.
“I understand. The shadow can’t reach the Western Continent, so there’s nothing to be done about that. As for Kim Yoohyun, I just asked out of personal interest. You’ve worked hard.”
“Hmm. Come to think of it, Kim Soohyun and Kim Yoohyun. Your names are similar. Is there some kind of connection?”
“Haha. It’s just a personal interest.”
I gave a bland smile and brushed it off. I wanted to rest a little, and just as I was about to ask her to leave, a thought flashed through my mind, and I spoke again.
“Ah, User Ko Yeonju. I have one more thing to ask of you.”
“It’s not a request, it’s an order, Clan Lord. I’m ready to follow any order.”
“It’s nothing much, but could you send a messenger to the Istantel Low Clan tomorrow morning? Tell them I’ll be visiting in the afternoon.”
“Ah, you plan on visiting the Istantel Low Clan?”
“Yes. I heard from Jung Hayeon that they took care of a lot of things while I was away. I have some personal matters to settle as well… but in any case, I plan to visit to express my gratitude.”
I had heard the details from Hayeon. Not only had they helped with the Clan House matter, but they had also visited several times. Of course, Han Soyoung likely had her own motives, but since they were the clan representing the city, a courtesy visit was necessary.
“I understand. I’ll send a messenger first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Yes. I’ll announce the details at breakfast tomorrow. You may leave now. I’d like to get some rest for today as well.”
“Well, I’m not so sure you’ll be able to rest.”
“Pardon?”
I asked again at Ko Yeonju’s sudden, out-of-place remark. She gave me a mysterious smile. Just as Ko Yeonju slowly stood up, a knock came from outside the door.
“I’m done. Don’t rush me. I’m coming out now.”
Seeing Ko Yeonju’s head turn toward the door, I figured she wasn’t talking to me. As soon as the door opened slightly, she waved at me with a disappointed look.
“Sorry. I lost today, so I can’t stay with you.”
“Wait a minute. What in the world is this…”
Just as I was about to ask what was going on, I saw Hayeon approaching us from the doorway. I didn’t know why, but I felt my breath catch for no reason. Hayeon’s eyes met mine for a moment before she turned to Ko Yeonju and spoke in a clear voice.
“That’s a relief. I thought you were deliberately stalling for time.”
“I may have narrowly lost today, but I won’t lose next time.”
“You were disqualified for using your shadow to cheat. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
“Hmph. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Soohyun, sleep well.”
Ko Yeonju stuck her tongue out slightly, pouted, and then skipped out of the room. As I stood there with my mouth agape, Hayeon sat down on the edge of the bed where I was sitting, a shy smile on her face.
“Hayeon. What is all this?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just…”
Hayeon paused and began to gently remove the clothes she was wearing. Soon, the white shoulders hidden beneath her robe were revealed. The moment my gaze was stolen by them, her clear voice, which had paused, continued to flow.
“While you were away, Soohyun, Ko Yeonju-ssi and I had a lot of talks.”
“……”
“For your information, I won today. The game was rock-paper-scissors. Can you believe it? She tried to cheat using her shadow.”
Hayeon smiled prettily as she made a fist for rock, then two fingers for scissors, then opened her hand flat for paper. Then, as I watched her fingers form a V-sign to signify her victory…
Gasp.
I felt my heart drop into my stomach.