Chapter 472: Give a Peck, Get a Bushel
Chapter 472: Give a Peck, Get a Bushel
“Soohyun. What’s so funny?”
Hearing Ko Yeonju’s voice, I glanced over at her. She still wore a puzzled expression.
Yet, her eyes held a strange sense of conviction as she looked at me. She was as sharp as ever. She probably had some idea why I was laughing and what I was thinking.
I tried to stifle the laughter that kept bubbling up and turned off the video that was still playing.
“How could I not laugh? To think that these are the so-called lords of clans, the Users leading that massive alliance…”
“Why? Because their actions are so petty?”
“No. No matter what they do, who’s to say anything as long as it benefits them? But it’s because they’re stupid. So incredibly stupid. That guy Shin Hyuk, in particular, is the biggest idiot of them all. Hahaha.”
“Hmm…”
Given who we were up against, I’d instinctively assumed there was something more to it, but now I saw there was no need for complex thinking. I just had to take it at face value.
Pushing all other thoughts aside, I organized the situation solely from the Alliance’s perspective.
So, this incident was planned and led by Shin Hyuk, the Clan Lord of the Southern Conquest Clan. The User who actually carried it out was Heeseon of the Baekhwa Clan. It was clear there was some connection between the two.
Shin Hyuk’s motives for planning this incident could be narrowed down to three. Revenge of a sort (from the Alliance’s perspective, of course), tarnishing Mercenary’s reputation, and using the incident to strengthen his own position.
In other words, the temporary representative clans of the western cities would soon be stepping down, and it seemed he was trying to gain leverage in the selection for the general city, Halo.
Yes. There was no need to overthink it. That was the gist of it.
In that case…
Just then, as I was about to continue my train of thought, I snapped back to reality and looked up. Ko Yeonju was watching me with an intrigued expression, her gaze analytical. The moment I realized this, a thought struck me, and I spoke quietly.
“Ahem. User Ko Yeonju. Besides this crystal ball, do you have any other information on the Southern Free Alliance?”
Ko Yeonju said nothing, but simply tapped her head in response.
“I watched the video carefully. But a few questions came to mind.”
“What questions?”
“From what I understand, Coran’s alliance was almost like a family. Each clan had a defined role, and they pursued mutual growth through friendly competition. But some of the Users in the video looked like they were ready to tear each other apart.”
“Ah, that’s simple. After Kim Yongman, who once ruled the alliance, died, that family-like alliance you’re talking about disappeared.”
At Ko Yeonju’s words, I raised an eyebrow slightly.
“The way you say it, it sounds less like he died and more like he was murdered. I don’t know the details, but… I thought Kim Yongman’s death was an accident during an expedition.”
“No? It was definitely intentional murder.”
Ko Yeonju said with a faint smile. I felt a lump form in my throat. What she had just said was something I hadn’t known even in the first playthrough.
“…Then. The internal situation of the Alliance must not be very good right now.”
“Yes. It’s not just ‘not very good,’ it’s a complete mess. To give you an example, on the surface, it looks like they take turns managing the cities month by month, but in reality, they’ve split into factions and are competitively carving up the profits.”
“Factions and competition, you say.”
“Because the profits from the cities go directly to the representative clan. Anyway, there are two Users from the video you just watched that you should pay special attention to: Park Taejin and Shin Hyuk. What they have in common is that they rose frighteningly fast after the deaths of Kim Yongman and his close associates, seizing key positions in the Alliance. Officially, Park Taejin has succeeded Kim Yongman and is considered the undisputed number one within the Alliance. And Shin Hyuk is seen as the number two, a threat to Park Taejin.”
“Park Taejin and Shin Hyuk… I see. What about the other clans?”
“The clan supporting Park Taejin is Serengeti, led by Baek Du-san. The clan supporting Shin Hyuk is Artemis, led by Woo Seolhee. The other four clans are currently maintaining a quiet neutrality, centered around Seo Jihwan of the Merchant’s Guild.”
With each question, Ko Yeonju provided the information smoothly, without a moment’s hesitation. Her intrigued gaze was gone. Her tone and demeanor were like that of a private tutor teaching a student, which made me smile inwardly with relief.
Some of the information she provided was new to me, but some of it I already knew. I could roughly guess the situation by comparing it to the first playthrough.
Nevertheless, I had asked about each detail because Ko Yeonju was so sharp.
Currently, the Southern Free Alliance appeared to have no problems externally, and this information had not yet spread across the continent. As such, if I had fumbled through my memories of the first playthrough and made a slip of the tongue, I never would have escaped her suspicion.
Honestly, it probably wouldn’t have been a huge problem even if I were caught, but for now, I was being as careful as possible.
In any case, I now had all the information I needed. Only one thing remained. I slowly rose to my feet and picked up one of the crystal balls from the desk. At that, Ko Yeonju’s languid gaze instantly fixed on me.
“So, what are you going to do now?”
“Hm? What do you mean, what am I going to do?”
“Don’t be coy. Are you really asking because you don’t know?”
“Hahaha.”
I laughed nonchalantly, then tossed the crystal ball in my hand. It flew up to my head before descending back into my palm. After repeating this a few times, I spoke quietly.
“What else? It’s time to get to work.”
“What?”
Ko Yeonju asked back, her voice filled with confusion. Seeing her delicate brow furrow slightly, I repeated my words in a teasing tone.
“Let’s get to work. Work. Ah, and you did a great job with this, User Ko Yeonju.”
“…What?”
A moment later, Ko Yeonju’s face went blank.
*
Time flew by like an arrow. Three days had already passed since Ahn Hyun and Jung Hayeon left the Mercenary House.
During that time, Kim Soohyun had been so busy handling a mountain of work that he barely had time to breathe. Although he was facing the massive incident with the Alliance, that wasn’t the only thing on his plate.
Of course, there was a very simple way to resolve this incident. The method was straightforward: just release the two crystal balls Ko Yeonju had brought to the public. Those involved would be unable to escape severe punishment, and the Southern Free Alliance’s image would plummet to rock bottom.
But Kim Soohyun didn’t do that. No, to be precise, he had no intention of doing so. His personality wouldn’t allow him to let it slide like that.
As someone who lived by the proverb, ‘Give a peck, get a bushel,’ Kim Soohyun planned to handle this incident in a slightly different way. That was why he was sitting back and observing the situation for now.
So, while he had turned his attention to other matters first, there was no longer a need for him to personally oversee every little thing. With over fifty members in the Mercenary Clan now, there were plenty of capable Users.
On the third day, around the time the morning sun rose in the sky.
Jo Seungwoo finally received a summons from Kim Soohyun.
After Jung Hayeon, who had been in charge of Mercenary’s overall internal affairs, left, it was Jo Seungwoo who had taken her place.
Receiving his first summons from Kim Soohyun, Jo Seungwoo was extremely nervous. He had been able to receive a handover of duties while Kim Soohyun was away at the Sleeping Dragon Mountains, and from what he’d heard, the required workload was no joke.
That wasn’t all. Even Ahn Hyun and Jung Hayeon had left Monica. One was the clan member he favored most, and the other was one of the members, along with Ko Yeonju, who carried the strongest voice in the clan.
And yet, he had cast them out in an instant for a single mistake.
Although it was a very big mistake, the decision not only revealed Kim Soohyun’s character but also served as a stark warning to the other clan members. As such, while Jo Seungwoo kept his guard up, he also felt a thrill of excitement.
Every single member of the Mercenary Clan was formidable. One couldn’t stand out without exceptional User information. By Mercenary’s standards, Jo Seungwoo wasn’t a particularly prominent User.
But after Jung Hayeon stepped down, an unexpected opportunity had come his way.
Yes. This was an opportunity. A huge one. He couldn’t make a name for himself just by working hard as a clan member and diligently doing what he was told. Everyone did that.
The fact that the position of managing Mercenary’s internal affairs had suddenly fallen to him must mean that Kim Soohyun wanted something. With that in mind, Jo Seungwoo resolved to accomplish whatever was asked of him. He swallowed hard and stared at Kim Soohyun, who was sitting in front of him.
“They said they’d leave today to file the performance report… and the members who returned mid-assignment are scheduled to be redeployed today… Good. It seems things are finally getting back in order. Ah, what happened with the client matter?”
“After the conquest of the Sleeping Dragon Mountains, all the articles slandering our clan have disappeared. The Northern Continent’s reaction to the conquest is half amazement and half curiosity about how we did it. Also, the client, Kim Sujeong, paid the remaining balance without complaint. And as a token of her gratitude, she said she’d like to visit you someday…”
“I see. If she’s paid the balance, there’s no need to see her again. Please convey my polite refusal. How are things within the clan these days?”
“With the Clan Lord’s return, a clear center of gravity has been established. Everyone is focused on their assigned tasks, and after this incident, there’s talk of being especially careful with our future actions. Ah. And some have been asking when the achievements will be made available.”
Jo Seungwoo was telling the truth. Even he felt a sense of reassurance just seeing Kim Soohyun sitting in the office.
That was the kind of presence Kim Soohyun had in Mercenary. A User who had never once made a wrong decision and had achieved success in everything he did.
Reminding himself that he was merely a substitute, Jo Seungwoo watched Kim Soohyun shake his head.
“Making the achievements available… That’s a good idea. But, User Jo Seungwoo. More importantly than that, there is something else we must do. Something far more important.”
“Something important?”
Kim Soohyun was silent for a moment before slowly raising his hand and gesturing. It was a signal to come closer.
As Jo Seungwoo took a few steps forward, Kim Soohyun reached into his coat and placed something on the desk. Looking closely, he saw it was a crystal ball. Not just any crystal ball, but one for recording video.
Kim Soohyun spoke.
“What does this look like to you?”
“It looks like a video-recording crystal ball.”
“Correct. But it’s not an ordinary crystal ball sold on the market.”
“Then…”
“Back when we conquered the Magic City Magia, I obtained an achievement called Mavolo’s Preservation Orb. To put it simply, this is a special crystal ball that contains a fragment of that orb. It’s a new item created by Vivian, with the ability to arbitrarily control and permanently maintain the flow of mana within it.”
“…Is that possible?”
Jo Seungwoo was a mage himself. Understanding Kim Soohyun’s words instantly, he couldn’t help but be astonished. If what he said was true, the crystal ball before him was essentially a hidden camera with perfect camouflage.
“Hahaha. You don’t need to understand the details. For now, would you pick one up and see what’s inside?”
“…Understood.”
Jo Seungwoo blinked a couple of times and cautiously nodded. He slowly reached out his hand, composing himself. Although he had finished several reports this morning, they weren’t particularly important. To be precise, they were the kind of basic tasks expected of someone in his position.
Kim Soohyun had clearly said this was an important matter.
In other words, the real test was about to begin. Whether he could handle the task assigned to him after viewing this crystal ball would determine if he remained a mediocre User or became someone with a stronger voice.
With that thought, Jo Seungwoo steeled his trembling heart and reached for the crystal ball.
Then, at some point, Jo Seungwoo instinctively froze. Suddenly, the corners of Kim Soohyun’s mouth had lifted slightly, his lips parting to reveal his pearly white teeth.
Jo Seungwoo squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again. He saw the usual Kim Soohyun, nodding his head as if to urge him to look quickly.
But Jo Seungwoo had seen it clearly. Kim Soohyun’s face hadn’t seemed shadowed, but he distinctly remembered the flash of teeth.
Of course, it could have been just a simple smile, but he was a man who rarely smiled. And the aura he gave off felt different, creating a sense of distance Jo Seungwoo had never felt from him before.
Was he always like this?
Jo Seungwoo tilted his head in confusion. But there was nothing he could do about it now, so he calmly placed his hand on the crystal ball.
It was then.
Knock! Knock, knock!
“Orabeoni! Orabeoni! Something terrible has happened!”
The sound of frantic knocking was followed by an urgent voice filtering through the door. It was Ahn Sol.
Jo Seungwoo, who was just about to infuse his mana, jumped in surprise and looked at Kim Soohyun. Kim Soohyun let out a deep sigh and shook his head.
“Don’t worry. It’s probably not a big deal. Yes. What is it?”
As Kim Soohyun called out, the door burst open and Ahn Sol walked in. Her eyes were blinking rapidly, a contrast to her composed steps.
“Orabeoni! Oh…?”
Ahn Sol, who was about to speak, flinched when she saw Jo Seungwoo. She then cleared her throat a few times, straightened her neck and back, and put on a solemn expression. Seeing this, Jo Seungwoo smiled wryly. Right, she was an attendant too.
“Orabeoni—no. Ahn Sol, attendant to the Clan Lord, is here to report. Ah. This is important, so could User Jo Seungwoo please step out for a moment?”
“Don’t be silly… Sigh. It’s fine, just tell me.”
As if displeased with Kim Soohyun’s words, Ahn Sol crossed her arms petulantly. After clearing her throat again, she spoke quietly.
“We have visitors. They say they’re from the Southern Free Alliance, and they wish to see the Clan Lord.”
The moment Ahn Sol finished speaking, Kim Soohyun’s expression changed completely.
And a moment later.
After a long silence, Kim Soohyun uttered a single phrase as he rose to his feet.
“Looks like it was a big deal after all.”