Chapter 246: The First Commission
Chapter 246: The First Commission
The chill of the dawn air settled around me. A faint breath brought the sweet scent of her skin, mixed with the air, deep into my lungs.
The dawn air chilled my bare back, but it dared not intrude where our skin met. In her embrace, which held my face gently, I reveled in a comfort as warm as a spring breeze.
A large part of me wanted to drift back to sleep, but I forced my drowsy mind awake. I had slept enough. I'd gone to bed relatively early, and compared to the fitful sleep I'd gotten every night at the Academy, this was heaven.
Lifting my head, I saw Hayeon's face, her expression peaceful as she breathed softly through her nose. I suddenly remembered her from last night, boasting about her two consecutive wins. I also remembered her embarrassment from two days ago, when we were intimate and I discovered the amplification jewel she had engraved below her navel. After watching her face for a little while longer, I quietly got up and hurriedly started to get dressed. There was no telling if Ahn Sol might wake up and burst through the door.
After I had put on all my basic gear, I finished by tucking the Formless Sword and Sun and Moon Divine Sword into my belt. The two swords clattered against each other. It wasn't a loud noise, but in the dead silence of the dawn, it seemed exceptionally loud.
Sure enough, as if reacting to the noise, Hayeon, who had been sleeping soundly with a motherly smile, blinked her eyes open. She blinked her drowsy eyes three or four times, and soon, her light blue pupils fixed on me.
“Soohyun…”
“Go back to sleep. It's still a while before morning.”
“Where… are you going?”
“I'm going to the library for a bit. There are a few materials I need for today's meeting.”
Perhaps because she had just woken up, Hayeon's voice was deep and husky. She twisted her body slightly and stretched wide as she sat up, then, startled, she quickly covered her chest. Seeing her embarrassed expression, I chuckled, then calmly turned away and continued.
“We'll have a meeting on the fourth floor after breakfast today. As I mentioned yesterday, please tell everyone to be prepared, as I'll be hearing their thoughts.”
“Mm~. Okay. But do you really need my opinion?”
“…Haha.”
“Hoho. I'm kidding. I'll prepare as you said.”
I gave a wry smile at Hayeon's playful words. When we returned from the expedition, I planned to immediately start establishing our base. That meant we needed clan members to stay in the city and handle things, so I couldn't take everyone on this expedition.
I felt sorry for making them work so hard ever since the User Academy, but right now, the only clan members who could also handle administrative tasks were Ko Yeonju and Jung Hayeon. Combat Users were good, but as we operated the clan in the future, we would also need Users who specialized in administrative work.
“I'm sorry. Please bear with it a little longer. I'll leave some people here to help you.”
“No. If anything, I should be the one who's sorry. You're out there risking your life, while I'm here comfortably in the city…”
Hayeon replied, calmly shaking her head. Then, we looked at each other and smiled at the same time.
“Alright then. I'll be back before breakfast.”
After I finished speaking, I started walking toward the door. The moment I opened it and stepped out, I heard Hayeon's voice from behind me, saying, “Take care.”
*
It varied from city to city, but libraries, like temples, were generally open almost all day. As for Monica's library, I knew it closed late at night and opened early in the morning. In Earth time, that would be around midnight and 4 AM.
I had received plenty of materials from Istantel Low Clan, but the records I actually wanted to check weren't included. What I wanted wasn't general information about the Plateau of Delusion and the Canyon of Illusions, but information about the ruins inside the canyon.
When I reached the library, a man was just opening the door. Seeing that he was wearing a mage's robe, it was clear he wasn't a Resident or a subsistence User, but a combat User working a part-time job. A look of fatigue was on his face, and as soon as he saw me, he scowled deeply, as if he hadn't expected anyone to show up at this hour. I casually ignored his reaction and went straight inside the library to start looking for materials.
Ancient… Myth… Legend….
After rummaging through the records in the stacks for a while, I finally found a few of the records I was looking for. I had narrowed down the search considerably with what I already knew, but the stack of records in my hand was still quite thick. I started reading them right then and there.
“……”
At first, there were many records I just skimmed through quickly. For some, I only read the first few pages before putting them back. But as the stack of records in my hand thinned and I reached the last few, I finally found a record related to my memories. I read it carefully, line by line.
The record itself was only eleven pages long, so it didn't take much time to read. After some time passed, I put all the records back in their places, except for the last one I read, and turned toward the entrance.
The User who had opened the door for me was at the counter, his head buried in an open book, dozing off. For a moment I thought about waking him, but I decided to just quietly write the record's title and my User information on the lending list. Then, I pulled out a large map that was stuck in a holder like a bouquet of flowers and dropped a coin into a bowl on the counter.
The coin clinked as it hit the bowl, but the man didn't lift his head. Whistling, I headed straight outside.
*
Breakfast proceeded in a quiet atmosphere. Since I had announced there would be an important meeting after the meal, the mood was calm and solemn.
After finishing the meal, the Mercenary Clan members, including myself, went straight to the fourth floor. The meeting room was the largest and best room, which I used as my own.
“We will now begin the Mercenary Clan meeting.”
I stuck the map I'd bought this morning to the office wall and turned around to see a total of nine clan members seated in their respective places. Most were sitting around the large table in the office, but Ko Yeonju alone stood beside me, her hands folded demurely.
After looking at each of their faces, I continued calmly.
“I explained most of the important details yesterday. However, a few clan members asked for time to think. Before we get into the specifics, we need to decide whether to accept the commission, so we will first hear from those Users.”
After returning from Istantel Low Clan yesterday, I had explained the situation to the clan members and asked for their opinions. Until now, I had mostly made decisions and led things unilaterally. Of course, I still had that tendency, but I planned to ask for the clan members' opinions more as we established a Clan House and gradually settled in. Moreover, this was our first commission, and it involved matters too significant to decide on my own.
When I finished speaking, Shin Sangyong glanced around before tentatively raising his hand. There were two clan members in total who had requested to reserve their opinion: one was Ko Yeonju, and the other was Shin Sangyong.
When I gave a slight nod, Shin Sangyong cleared his throat once or twice and began to speak.
“Ahem. Th-then I'll state my opinion. First, I'm not against the commission itself. I read through the records the Clan Lord gave us yesterday, and I've concluded that we can sufficiently prepare for the Plateau of Delusion with the Mind-Calming Pills we received from Istantel Low Clan. The reward is good, and the probability of success is high, but… I think entering the Canyon of Illusions, as the Clan Lord additionally suggested, might be pushing it.”
“Mm. May I hear your reason?”
“Y-yes. According to the survival rate written in this record, the rate in the Canyon of Illusions doesn't even exceed 30%. The Mind-Calming Pills can prepare us for the Plateau of Delusion, but I understand its effectiveness is halved in the Canyon of Illusions. And it's not like we have a huge supply… S-so. I think it would be better to safely search only the Plateau of Delusion and return, even if the reward is slightly smaller, rather than taking the risk and entering the canyon.”
Several clan members nodded at Shin Sangyong's words. Seeing their reaction, Shin Sangyong finished with, “That is all,” and let out a deep breath.
Next, I turned my head toward Ko Yeonju, and she too had an expression of agreement with Shin Sangyong's opinion.
“My opinion is similar to Mr. Shin Sangyong's. Of course, I fully understand the Clan Lord's position as well. But while the Plateau of Delusion might be manageable, the Canyon of Illusions is definitely dangerous. It's not a problem for you and me, Soohyun, but it becomes a problem for the other clan members. If it were just the two of us going in, I would agree.”
In other words, she was saying that while she and I would be fine, she wasn't confident she could protect the other clan members there. Considering the field effect of the Canyon of Illusions, it was a perfectly understandable opinion.
With that, both members who had reserved their decision had stated their opinions. I paused for a moment before speaking in a calm tone.
“So you're saying it's difficult to enter due to a lack of countermeasures for the Canyon of Illusions.”
“Th-that's right.”
“What if, then, there was a way to avoid the hallucinations in the Canyon of Illusions?”
“What…?”
“There is a way. We currently have a User in our clan with an ability effective enough to suppress that powerful field effect.”
The person who answered my words was not Shin Sangyong, but Ko Yeonju. When I spoke again with emphasis, a small stir went through the clan members. I waited for the commotion to die down, then turned my gaze to Baek Hangyul. And in a calm tone, I began to add a detailed explanation.
“From what I've heard from User Baek Hangyul, the unique Authority of the Aegis is Reflection. It's a ridiculously overpowered Authority that reflects any physical, magical, or mental harm directed at him.”
“Ah…! Th-that certainly makes sense. I hadn't thought of that. But isn't Baek Hangyul still a Year 0 User? He can't create a barrier large enough to cover all of us, and even if he could, it would be difficult to maintain it for a long time, wouldn't it?”
“Of course. But there's no need for Baek Hangyul to overexert himself. It's enough for him to create a barrier the size of his palm, just like he showed us before. Because we also have a User here who can solve that problem. User Kim Hanbyul?”
“Yes.”
Without giving anyone time to interrupt, I immediately called on Hanbyul. She answered, carefully rose to her feet, and explained that a Jewel Mage’s Authority was Gemstone Amplification.
“S-so, you're saying that as long as you have a gemstone, you can amplify the effect of any magic?”
“Yes. Though it depends on the gemstone. As long as we have a gemstone that matches Baek Hangyul's wavelength, I can amplify all of its positive effects.”
“N-no way! Then that means you're not processing and drawing mana from the gemstone, but drawing out its pure, intact magical power and using it!”
“Yes. That's correct.”
Hearing Hanbyul's confirmation, Shin Sangyong's eyes went wide, his face looking dumbfounded. Looking around, I saw that all the clan members, including Ko Yeonju, were staring at Hanbyul and Hangyul with newfound astonishment. I smiled inwardly with satisfaction at the sight. This was precisely the reason I had been so determined to bring Baek Hangyul, even if it meant giving up on all the other new recruits.
“Clan Lord? I take back what I said. There's a definite possibility. I'm in favor.”
“I-I'll also withdraw my reservation. I'm still not completely convinced, but if what the Clan Lord says is true, then all I can say is that it's truly incredible.”
As Ko Yeonju cunningly beat him to the punch, Shin Sangyong also scrambled to change his words.
It is true. We had such a headache because of him. Ah. No, it wasn't because of Hangyul.
Feeling burdened by the sudden attention, Baek Hangyul ducked his head and fidgeted with his fingers. Lee Yoojung looked at him with a proud expression before speaking in an excited voice.
“This is seriously amazing. Then didn't we not even have to worry about the Plateau of Delusion in the first place?”
“Idiot. That's not it. Do you know how many gemstones that would take? We can already handle the Plateau of Delusion to some extent with the Mind-Calming Pills. You want to use expensive gemstones there too? What a waste of money.”
“Ahh. Now that you mention it, that makes sense. But why is your way of talking so foul?”
“Sorry. Anyway, so the real lucky charm was someone else.”
As Ahn Hyun casually tossed out the remark, I saw the lips of the original lucky charm, Ahn Sol, jut out in a pout. In any case, I had succeeded in getting all the clan members to agree. With a pleased heart, I drew Sun and Moon Divine Sword that was hanging at my waist. And I touched the tip of its scabbard to a part of the map and began to speak. The scabbard tip pointed precisely at the Plateau of Delusion.
“You are probably all wondering. Why am I so eager to enter the Canyon of Illusions, even though it would be sufficient to just search the Plateau of Delusion and leave.”
From the moment I pointed at the map, the room had already fallen silent. It was an atmosphere I liked. I dragged Sun and Moon Divine Sword, which had been pointing at the Plateau of Delusion, diagonally down toward Monica.
“The journey from Monica to the Plateau of Delusion takes roughly ten to eleven days. And if we enter the Plateau of Delusion, the Canyon of Illusions is one or two days away. In other words, we have more than enough time to enter the Canyon of Illusions within fourteen days.”
“……”
“I told you that a communication came from the Rapids’ Edge Clan after two weeks. Just two words: ‘Save us.’”
I was looking at the map with my back to the clan members, then I slowly turned my head and spoke.
“The part that I found strange was precisely that.”