Chapter 83: Swift Progress
Chapter 83: Swift Progress
“I’m afraid Sangyong-ssi’s proposal would be difficult for us to accept.”
Shin Sangyong looked as if he had expected this. The kids, however, were all staring at me with wide eyes. But only rookie Users would accept such an offer without a second thought. I knew they weren't like that, but I had no intention of giving them any reason to look down on me.
“We currently have one objective. Assigning valuable talent like Vivian as Sangyong-ssi’s advisor could seriously interfere with achieving it.”
“Of course. I understand. I didn’t intend to make such a request so thoughtlessly.”
I watched Shin Sangyong with a steady gaze.
“After this expedition failed, I was left with nothing. I can still make a living for now, but that is all. More than anything, I keenly feel that I have finally reached my limit. I survived this time through good fortune, but I cannot expect the same fluke again. That is why… I want to travel with Kim Soohyun-ssi’s party from now on.”
Beside me, I saw Jung Hayeon let out a sigh. Shin Sangyong was truly a pure-hearted man. He had gotten to the most important part, but he didn't seem to know how to beat around the bush. To put it nicely, he was pure; to put it badly, he was the perfect type to be taken advantage of.
When I remained silent, he hastily added his next words.
“I may not look like much, but I’m confident that I’m quite useful for a User of my year. I’m sure I can be of help with my Orthodox Magic alone. At the very least, I won’t be a burden. And…”
He trailed off for a moment, then, as if he had made a decision, continued in a solemn tone.
“For as long as I travel with you, I will claim no share of the profits. I will be satisfied simply to seek advice from Vivian-ssi and receive occasional instruction. It may not amount to much in exchange, but I will spare no effort in helping Soohyun-ssi’s party achieve its goal.”
He couldn't offer anything tangible right now, but he was betting his future on his current abilities. I suddenly remembered that I had the Chimera Alchemist book. The thought struck me like a bolt of lightning, and I immediately turned my gaze to Vivian.
“Vivian.”
“I’ll do whatever Soohyun tells me to.”
Vivian answered instantly when I called her name. It was a commendable response, but that wasn't what I wanted to ask. I was about to ask what the minimum requirements were to become a Chimera Alchemist, but I ended up closing my mouth.
The Magic Square of Harmony was unquestionably a formidable Unique Ability. If used well, it also appeared highly compatible with the Chimera Alchemist Class. This was only my speculation, but if Shin Sangyong became a Chimera Alchemist, he might generate a new Special Ability to replace the one he had lost.
I had only heard about it, but in rare cases a User’s abilities evolved when they advanced to a Secret or Rare Class. This situation was somewhat different, yet every Class had minimum Special and Latent Abilities it required.
An ordinary User could learn one Special Ability and four Latent Abilities. A User with a Unique Ability lost one Latent Ability slot. I possessed a Unique Ability, but an achievement reward had allowed me to retain one Special Ability and four Latent Ability slots intact.
There were cases like this, however. If someone acquired the Spirit Summoner Class, Summoning Magic was mandatory. If all of their Special, Latent, and Unique Ability slots had already been opened, the Class would be incomplete. Shin Sangyong’s situation was different: for some reason, his Special Ability had evolved into a Unique Ability.
If he awakened one Latent Ability and then advanced to a Rare Class, there was a slight chance that a new Special Ability might be generated. It was only a possibility, but…
Still, I couldn't just hand over a book that granted a Rare Class based on a good first impression. Since he had requested it himself, it wouldn't be too late to watch him a little longer and give it to him once I was sure he was trustworthy.
Even setting those thoughts aside, Shin Sangyong’s offer was highly attractive. In exchange for assigning Vivian to him, I could effectively borrow a User with respectable Stats free of charge. And as long as I possessed the Chimera Alchemist book, bringing him fully into our party would not be difficult.
I turned to Jung Hayeon. Originally, if Shin Sangyong made such an offer, I had planned to bind the two together by including her in the arrangement. That was no longer necessary. More precisely, I no longer needed to use Shin Sangyong as bait to hook Jung Hayeon. The Magic Square of Harmony had instantly raised his value to her level.
She was still an attractive User, of course, but I had no reason to cling to her. By my standards, I was still the strongest person in the Hall Plain. Had I been desperate enough to obsess over Jung Hayeon, I would not have let Kim Hanbyul, a Secret Class User, leave so easily.
As if she understood the intent behind my gaze, I saw the troubled look on Jung Hayeon’s face deepen.
Shin Sangyong’s words, “I will spare no effort,” and Vivian’s, “I’ll do whatever Soohyun tells me,” carried considerable meaning. In short, by joining us, Shin Sangyong was declaring that he would follow my decisions as the apparent leader; through Vivian’s reply, I demonstrated my position within the party.
He had a good reason to join: to train in the non-mainstream field of alchemy. But Jung Hayeon did not.
With her level of skill, she could join another proven caravan or apply to a clan. Of course, seeing as she wasn't in a clan at the moment, it seemed she had no intention of doing so, but no one could predict the future.
While she considered the matter, I activated Third Eye. I wanted to examine her information in greater detail.
〈 Player Status 〉
1. Name: Jung Hayeon (Year 2 User)
2. Class: Mage (Normal, Mage, Expert)
3. Nation: Barbara
4. Clan: -
5. True Name · Nationality: Water Droplet of the Lake · Republic of Korea
6. Sex: Female (26)
7. Height · Weight: 166.5cm · 42.8kg
8. Alignment: Lawful · Good
〈 Stats 〉
[Strength 34] [Durability 38] [Agility 40] [Stamina 32] [Magic Power 87] [Luck 80]
〈 Achievements (0) 〉
〈 Special Ability (1/1) 〉
1. Blessing of the Lake (Rank: A Plus)
〈 Latent Abilities (4/4) 〉
1. Orthodox Magic (Rank: A Zero)
2. Applied Magic Circuits (Rank: B Plus)
3. Rapid Incantation (Rank: B Plus)
4. Magic Resistance (Rank: B Zero)
After examining Jung Hayeon’s abilities closely, I smiled inwardly. Her Latent Abilities followed the orthodox path of a Mage, while the relatively rare Special Ability Blessing of the Lake expressed her personal specialty. She was probably highly accomplished in water-related magic.
I was especially pleased that she had learned Rapid Incantation and Applied Magic Circuits. Without exceptional memory and calculation ability, most people would not even attempt them, yet both stood at B Plus Rank. For a User encountered in the small city of Mule, she was unquestionably a major find.
Seeing Jung Hayeon and me just staring at each other, the others waited for her answer with tense expressions. The kids probably assumed that Shin Sangyong’s fate depended on her choice, since I had already told them I would accept her.
After a short while, I saw her tightly sealed lips slowly part.
*
“Good morning.”
“Ah, Leader. G-good morning. Haha.”
As I opened my door and stepped out, I saw Shin Sangyong coming up the stairs, yawning. When I greeted him, he responded with a vibrant smile. At his polite words, I let out a faint smile and spoke.
“You don’t have to call me Leader. It makes me feel awkward every time I hear it.”
“Still, a leader is a leader. Did you just wake up?”
“I did. But it looks as though Sangyong-ssi stayed up all night again.”
“I’m incredibly busy these days. Between reviewing what my master taught me and my own personal training, I can barely catch my breath.”
Shin Sangyong looked genuinely happy. Feeling a little envious of that, I nodded.
“Working hard is good, but please maintain your condition. We plan to leave the city tomorrow morning for another expedition.”
“I was planning on going to bed on time today anyway. But hearing that from you, Leader, feels a bit… strange.”
Shin Sangyong was pointing out my own schedule, which was far more packed than his. I didn't really have a comeback, so I just chuckled. We both burst into laughter at the same time. It was a pleasant laugh, the first in a while.
He looked exhausted, yawning constantly even as he spoke, so I stepped aside to let him pass. After watching Shin Sangyong give a slight bow and enter the room I had just come out of, I turned around again. The thought that a proper party was finally coming together made me hum to myself.
As I walked to the lobby, the usual empty tables and a dozing Ko Yeonju came into view. She looked so sound asleep that I did my best to move quietly and sat down at a suitable table. Then I thought about the recent additions, Shin Sangyong and Jung Hayeon.
In the end, it was decided that both would join our party, but unlike Shin Sangyong, Jung Hayeon had set a condition. She said she would work for the party and not receive any share of the profits during her stay, just like him, but…
“I’d like you to let me leave freely if I ever want to in the future. That’s my minimum condition.”
I had agreed in an instant. We weren't an official clan yet, and members leaving a caravan midway was an incredibly common occurrence. Thinking about it, the terms were so favorable to us that I told Shin Sangyong he could also leave whenever he wasn't satisfied, but he just nodded once or twice, seemingly with no intention of leaving anytime soon.
Originally, I had planned to set out on an expedition the day after they joined, but I changed my mind and decided to stay in the city for a few more days. It was my way of being considerate, as Shin Sangyong was dying to start learning right away.
Thanks to this, no one enjoyed life more than Vivian. Sangyong consistently called her Master, bolstering her pride, and—more importantly—Yoojung’s bullying had decreased dramatically. As a result, she had begun to show occasional glimpses of the cheerful side she had displayed in the dungeon.
My observation of the two of them over the past few days had been very, extremely, and incredibly satisfactory. It might be a bit of an exaggeration, but after always having to clean up after the kids, seeing Users who took care of their own business so efficiently was almost moving.
Shin Sangyong and Jung Hayeon had joined at the same time, but their behaviors were polar opposites.
Shin Sangyong lived each day on an extremely demanding schedule. He had already reached a respectable level, and his Class was entirely different from mine, so I had little I could teach him. Even so, he rose at dawn every morning and began meditating.
A person’s way of living revealed a great deal: whether the effort was a performance for my benefit or a habit maintained diligently long before meeting me. Some might call it foolish, but I found that attitude appealing. He was not a genius, yet he struggled however he could to climb higher. His approach resembled my own during my first run, which might have been why I warmed to him so easily.
In contrast, Jung Hayeon’s life was a series of meticulously planned moments. Honestly, it was enough to tire even me out; she wasn't a human clock, but she scheduled her life down to the second. The time she woke up, the time she ate, the time she slept, and the time she took for herself were always observed with razor-sharp precision. And during her waking hours, she displayed a frightening level of focus. However, seeing her flexibly change her schedule amidst all that suggested she had some degree of adaptability.
In a way, their lifestyles might be a stark representation of one side of the Hall Plain. Even with all that effort, there was a high chance they would never become top-tier Users. The kids also seemed to have learned a lot. They could be considered to be training hard themselves, but these two gave off the impression that they were living each day with desperation.
Seeing the kids’ attitudes change little by little after the two joined, I thought it was a positive development. You can never have too much desperation.
“Come to think of it, it’s about time for her to come down.”
The moment my monologue ended, I heard a door open on the floor above. Then, the sound of footsteps, tapping at a regular rhythm. I smiled a wry smile and pulled my chair out loudly. It seemed like a good time to wake up the soundly sleeping Ko Yeonju.