The Price of Discontent (4)

"Hah... hah...!"

Clutching her wildly pounding heart, Hwang Jiwoo stumbled into the training ground. She had sweated so much that not only her clothes but even her shoes were soaked through.

"You called for me?"

"Drink."

Whoosh!

Hwang Jiwoo instinctively snatched the water bottle out of the air. Not bad. Seemed a few training sessions had already sharpened her reflexes a little.

"It's ice-cold."

"Oh! Thank you!"

Glug, glug!

Cap off, Hwang Jiwoo tilted her head back and chugged it straight down. Well, well. That certainly looked refreshing.

"I told you to run for one hour. Why did you keep going?"

"Hah... was I not supposed to?"

"No, I only asked because I was impressed."

"...I have to work hard too. I'm sure none of you were running like that from the very beginning either."

Quietly, Hwang Jiwoo turned her gaze outward. His four disciples, running their hearts out. They too had recently begun learning Hungyo's breathing method — not the Heaven-Purifying Heart Art, mind you, but an energy-circulation technique tailored to each of them individually.

"Good, keep at it. Endure it long enough and you'll end up healthy enough to make mincemeat of most professional athletes."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Now then, let's start with a trade."

"A trade?"

Out of nowhere? Hwang Jiwoo's face filled with curiosity.

"Take this first."

Vwooom!

The hand Baek Jinwoo extended flashed with light. What is this? She reached out and met it, and within moments both her eyes had gone wide as saucers — because the terms of the offer laid out before her were staggering.

"...An... an A-rank, three B-ranks, and even a Frost Cat..."

Reading each summon off one by one, Hwang Jiwoo murmured as though her soul had left her body. Her trembling lips told of just how violently her heart was reeling at that moment.

She couldn't even bring herself to press Y. How was anyone supposed to accept something like this!

As if he'd read her mind, Baek Jinwoo smirked and spoke. "I'm not just giving them to you. I'll lend them to you for a hundred days, so raise them well. And if you develop them meaningfully enough that Hungyo acknowledges it? Then I'll simply give them to you as your guild membership condition."

"R-really?"

She was so dazed that she didn't even register that the word guild had just left Baek Jinwoo's mouth. An A-rank summon! Those normally went for over ten billion won, and even then only traded when one happened to be on the market. Usually there wasn't even a listing to be found — the price was whatever the seller demanded. And he was holding such summons out to her without a moment's hesitation?

"In exchange, if you fail to earn Hungyo's acknowledgment, you can buy them later with part of that hundred billion you'll be receiving. I paid thirteen billion for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠them, so I'll sell them at exactly what they cost me."

Perfect! Absolutely perfect! And besides — weren't every last one of them ice-attribute summons? With her constitution alone, Hwang Jiwoo needed to raise ice summons regardless.

"Hurry up and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠press Y, will you? Or are you canceling? What a shame. This is a genuinely good lineup."

"I-I'll press it!"

Terrified he might change his mind, Hwang Jiwoo hastily jabbed Y. Dazed as she was, a radiant smile had bloomed across her face. What Hwang Jiwoo had received today was not merely a set of summons. It was hope.

Somehow... she would earn Hungyo's acknowledgment! She would earn it, and join that guild Jinwoo had spoken of!

Right in the middle of that resolution—

Huh?

Something felt off to Hwang Jiwoo. A guild? Since when did Jinwoo have a guild?

The guild creation process was complicated. Mountains of paperwork, HQ deliberation procedures, screenings by a parade of ministers, and even the consent of the ruling and opposition party leaders. Establishing a "guild" was, in effect, founding a legal armed organization within a nation — because summons stood at the very peak, above even the most cutting-edge modern weaponry. That was why most countries were loath to grant guild permits, and even when they did, they kept them under strict control.

But Yubaek was different. Under Yoo Jia's direction, the process rolled forward without a hitch. The national team captain was to be the guild master; there was the capital of Yoo Jia, granddaughter of the Daeseong Group's chairman, and the capital of Yubaek, which had been skyrocketing of late. What could possibly stand in the way? She didn't even need to lobby.

"Haha, Yubaek, you say? Of course we must approve it! I simply stamp right here, yes? All I ask is that you remember these three syllables of my name."

"Ahem, hem! I'm Jo Donghun, newly elected this term. A pleasure to be working with you!"

"Aigoo, it's your Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport! Is there anything else you need, I wonder? Shall we release a little more of the development-restricted zone around Geomdansan for you?"

Politicians and ministers alike — every time Yoo Jia paid them a visit, they fawned over her extravagantly. They had no choice. As long as Yubaek possessed Baek Jinwoo, she was, unmistakably, the one holding every card.

"Haha, unwinding the greenbelt can wait for now."

Hanam City was the only area in the capital region where greenbelt accounted for more than 77 percent of the land. If that greenbelt were released? Countless conglomerates would come swarming in to launch development projects. That much, she couldn't allow. From here on, every plot of land around Geomdansan was to be bought up by Yubaek at rock-bottom prices — they would need the room to expand YooBaek City later on. And to buy land cheap? The greenbelt had to stay put for now. Wolves smelling money were already circling YooBaek City in droves; if the greenbelt came loose too, prices would shoot clean through the sky.

"But I'll tuck that kind intention of yours safely away in my heart."

"Hahahaha! Wonderful! Just say the word! The Mayor of Hanam is my junior from university — keeping him in line is no trouble at all."

The Minister of Land guffawed. In truth, there was nothing to keep in line. Politically was one matter, but administratively, a mayor's position left him no choice but to follow the Minister of Land's directives.

In any case — she had barely finished making the rounds before the "permit" landed in her hands, crisp and official. With that "permit" alone, the guild could be established. The guild's name: SKY. A name born from Yoo Jia's mind. Ilcheon — One Sky. A name to honor Jinugod, the man who had once been a single sky! And naturally, the guild master was Baek Jinwoo.

The problem was— gathering the guild members.

"Jinwoo."

Yoo Jia, having come to the training ground, asked: "It seems that to establish a guild, you need at least ten members, guild master included."

"...Ten people?"

"I tried filling the slots with myself and the staff, but they have to be people holding player certifications recognized by HQ."

"Ah."

Baek Jinwoo scratched his head. He'd meant to start small and elite, but ten was quite a lot.

"What about Park Chang-seok?"

"Uncle Chang-seok is an HQ assemblyman, so in principle he can't join a guild."

"Then the people currently eligible are me and Baek Ajin... and that's the end of the list?"

"Yes."

Yoo Jia, Kim Byeongjin, Hwang Taeseop, and the rest all had their certifications revoked — for never setting foot in a dungeon.

"Hmm."

Baek Jinwoo pressed firmly at his temples. This was turning into a headache.

"Dual membership isn't allowed either, right?"

Then how was he supposed to sign up his four disciples?!

"I'm afraid that's not allowed either."

"Heh."

Baek Jinwoo let out a hearty laugh. "Well, nothing to be done about it."

If there was no way, then he would simply shelve it for a while.

"Until we have ten members, keep that permit somewhere safe."

"You're not going to recruit separately?"

"It'd be best if my current disciples could join, but you said dual membership is out, so there's nothing for it. I only want players I've trained personally as my guild members."

On that point, he would never budge. Baek Jinwoo intended to select only thoroughly vetted players worth raising properly.

Sorry, Ajin, but— she couldn't join SKY. She was less a player than a merchant.

Confirmed members so far: zero. And there was a fair chance Hwang Jiwoo would join in the near future. Beyond that? Well. He would gather them slowly.

The first place Baekho's guild master, Park Ho, went was the Player HQ. Or rather, to the Director himself.

"Heh heh heh, well, if it isn't the guild master of our proud Baekho!" The Director greeted him with a generous smile, and Park Ho lodged his grievances. Either claw back the trillion won Baek Jinwoo had taken, or make him pay the price for gobbling up national tax money! The Director had a history of receiving enormous backing from the Mirae Group, so surely he wouldn't refuse the proposal outright.

But.

"Ah-ahem. Baek Jinwoo, you say?" The Director produced a handkerchief and dabbed at the sweat beading on his forehead. Naturally, nothing could have pleased him less. He absolutely needed the public's favor to win his next term — and they wanted him to attack Baek Jinwoo, a man all but a national hero? He wouldn't merely be setting down his assembly seat; his entire political life would become an uphill battle. In this political arena, once the public branded you, the mark stayed until the day you died.

"What's the matter with you? You're both national team members — can't you get along nicely?"

"You're truly going to be like this?"

"What do you expect me to do! Honestly, I'd love to oblige! But it's already over. That bastard Park Chang-seok has swallowed up the HQ faction here as well."

"Assemblyman Park Chang-seok?"

"They're all the same, those assemblymen. They play at being brothers until your power runs dry, then turn around and pretend they never knew you. At this point I can't even be bothered to be disgusted."

True to his serpentine nature, the Director expressed his refusal in the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠roundabout way.

Grrrk! The HQ was a dead end!

But the HQ wasn't the only one turning him away.

"Hahaha, we're terribly sorry."

"For us, the risk is simply too great. Baek Jinwoo, Daeseong — their reach is far too vast for us to make an enemy of."

"We can run an article or two for you. But a full-frontal attack? That we cannot do. The burden on us would be far too heavy."

The media, the politicians — not a single one of them would stick so much as a toe out.

"Fuck. This is such bullshit." Park Ho finally exploded. "They were all too happy to gobble up the money when it was on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠offer, and now they're pulling their feet out?"

"...Hyung, what exactly are you planning to do at this point? Shouldn't you just apologize and beg, even now?"

Kang Geonho, ranked first in the nation, was lowering himself in a way quite unlike him. He had no choice. The opposing forces were far too powerful to stand on pride against. Honestly, he had bought the weekly dungeon strategy guide and read it too. Baek Jinwoo's play as captured there was so dazzling, so magnificent, that he'd fallen head over heels. And that wasn't all — he'd felt it during the consulting as well. Baek Jinwoo's teaching was every bit as first-rate. He had been quietly satisfied with all of it, until his brother — a man wound tight with nothing but that damned pride — stirred up this whole mess.

"What good would apologizing do? You think Baek Jinwoo would graciously accept it and consult for us again? Don't make me laugh. I haven't even gone to see the real ones yet."

The "real ones" Park Ho meant were MK and the Mirae Group — their chairmen, no less. Men who might as well have built the current Baekho Guild with their own two hands!

But.

"I'm sorry, but you — couldn't you stop kicking up a ruckus everywhere you go? I've been hearing some unpleasant things lately."

"If the guild we poured vast capital into raising should collapse over a single mistake of yours, I'll mobilize every man at my disposal to hit you with a damages suit."

Both chairmen had turned him down. Only then did Park Ho instinctively grasp it: someone was sabotaging him properly. Who on earth could it be? Irritation surged up through him.

"What if I just go ahead and naturalize abroad?"

"Hyung..."

Hoo. A sigh escaped Kang Geonho. With Baek Jinwoo in the picture, did Park Ho really think people would cry Please come back! if he naturalized abroad? If anything, he'd be lucky to escape being showered with curses as a traitor to the nation.

And it was right at that moment.

"G-Guild Master, have you seen this?" One of the Baekho employees came running up and held out a phone.

"What is it now."

Park Ho snatched it up irritably, began to read — and shot to his feet. What the employee showed him was a rumor sheet of sorts: not confirmed information, but the kind of tabloid outlet that made you think, where there's smoke, there's fire. The content went roughly like this:

"Insane. What the hell is this now?"