G.T.O (2)
“You got the patient all the way out here… how am I supposed to make it up to you, darling?”
“Don’t tease me. You know exactly why…. And anyway, I didn’t expect to come back here again…. It feels strangely nostalgic. Thanks for calling me, noona.”
“Right? People who come back here usually react about the same way.”
As if she had expected that answer, Cha Heera came into view, watching me with an expression that said she’d had this all figured out from the start.
Her face was the same as ever. That easy, almost brazen smile was still there, along with those eyes that somehow always felt dangerous, and those red lips I remembered too well.
The biggest change, if I had to name one, was her hair. It was still unkempt, spilling past her shoulders and down to her chest, which only made it clearer that I really hadn’t seen her in a long time.
Aside from that brief glimpse before, this was the first time we’d actually met face-to-face.
I could roughly guess why she’d been avoiding me all this time, so I didn’t bring it up. Still, the sight of Cha Heera acting as though nothing had happened was a little surprising.
So she’s trying to pretend it never happened…
I supposed that was possible. Though, knowing her personality, there was no way she was going to let it slide for free.
Whatever her reasons, what Cha Heera had done in Castle Rock was a pretty serious mistake.
Since she’d caused us trouble, it was only natural that something would have to come back my way as compensation.
Maybe that was why she’d called me here in the first place.
The guild in charge of this Tutorial Dungeon was Red Mercenary, after all. Even if Blue and Red Mercenary were allied, bringing me in like this ahead of time was a special favor, one way or another.
Maybe she’ll even hand me a few priority negotiation rights…
I couldn’t be sure, but since I was already here, I had no choice but to assume some kind of benefit was coming my way.
“Ahem. Then I’d like to hear the details first, if that’s all right?”
“Sure. I was going to get started right away anyway. Have you eaten dinner?”
“Not yet.”
“Then eat while I talk. Just take it in through your ears. It’s not that complicated.”
“All right.”
“Hey! Could you bring us something to eat? Nothing fancy is necessary. Ah! You know the thing I had last time, right? Bring that again.”
“Yes, Guild Master.”
Red Mercenary really was different.
Even compared to when Blue had handled the Tutorial Dungeon, the scale felt completely different.
One especially strange thing was that, unlike Lee Sanghee back then, the guild master wasn’t personally coming out to greet the raiding party.
That alone made it easy to realize just how unusual it had been when she’d come to find me and Jung Hayan herself.
Right. Back then she said it was because of the fastest time…
And when I said it felt different, I didn’t mean it in just one way.
I could hardly believe that the place I was standing in now was the very same one Lee Sanghee had used before.
The training grounds visible through the window had already been perfectly prepared, waiting for the new recruits to arrive.
While I stared blankly at the scene, the door opened and the food Cha Heera had ordered began to come in.
I wasn’t the sort of person who got excited about food, so I didn’t pay much attention, but even from a glance, the quality looked excellent.
Even this is different.
“Try this, darling. I had it last time, and it’s good.”
“Really?”
“Yep. Want a glass of wine too?”
“No, that’s fine. I’m still a patient in public, after all.”
“That’s a little disappointing. So? What do you think of this place?”
“My honest opinion?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m really surprised.”
“I’d prefer if you were a little more specific.”
“I think I understand why people keep saying Red Mercenary, Red Mercenary. When I first came here, Blue already seemed pretty impressive, but this is definitely on another level. Not a single thing here looks cheap, and the guild members too… it feels like they’re all really fired up. If someone saw this, they’d think the ones being trained were Red Mercenary’s own members, not the newcomers. This is about showing off, isn’t it?”
“It is. The new recruits are part of it, of course, but this annual event is also a chance to show the other factions exactly what kind of power our guild has. We can’t exactly ignore that. The transfer market will open soon too, and we get to keep the other guild scouts down in the dirt as well… isn’t that great?”
“What a terrible hobby.”
“Anyone standing at the top has to show off their power once in a while, darling. Otherwise you end up attracting all sorts of useless challengers.”
“There isn’t a single lunatic in Lindel crazy enough to challenge you, noona.”
“Of course I wasn’t talking about Lindel. Celia has those Japanese bastards, sure, but Daewan with the Taiwanese factions is another matter entirely. As you can see, Red Mercenary pushed itself pretty hard for this. If we’re going to show it off, we might as well do it properly, so we replaced all the members’ insignias and equipment with brand-new gear, the training grounds got a full upgrade to the latest equipment, and the central building’s been under construction for months. That should tell you enough.”
“Was that why you called me?”
“Hmm…. It’d be wrong to say there was no connection at all. It’s good to show that our alliance with Blue is strong. Still, that wasn’t the only reason I called you.”
“Hmm….”
“You can guess, can’t you?”
“I’m not sure if it’s the same reason I’m thinking of, but… is this about production classes?”
“Exactly.”
“I was worried I’d be wrong. Glad I wasn’t.”
“To be honest, until you came along, I hadn’t paid much attention to production classes. If I’m being blunt, I’d say I was almost completely indifferent.”
“Yeah, well, that tracks.”
“Alchemy specialists are only really useful in parties that don’t have priests. In fact, even calling in an alchemist is ridiculous…. You can just buy potions, so why would you ever bring a noncombat class like an alchemist into the party? They’re only dragged along as a last resort in groups without mages or priests.”
“That’s a brutal fact check.”
“I’m not talking about you. Blacksmiths are the same, more or less. There are already plenty of skilled blacksmiths in the Holy Empire. No one would risk their lives by letting a beginner handle materials and weapons…. And as for the many other noncombat and production classes the system defines, I think you know how most of them end up. They can’t even get into guilds, and they usually wind up sleeping in the slums before getting stabbed and dying.”
“Until I showed up?”
“Exactly right. Until you came in, that was how things were. There’d never been an example of what a production class could do with the support and capital of a guild behind them. Of course, it’s not like other guilds never invested in production classes. There were several attempts before you came along in each guild, but every one of them was a complete bust.”
“I think I get it.”
“With things like this, I started wondering whether the city should offer some support for production classes too….”
“That’s a little surprising.”
“Actually, besides you, there was some guy in a little backwater town who showed up as a Star Carver or maybe a Sunlight Carver…. That side didn’t seem all that efficient, but he was still one of the production classes backed by a guild. He didn’t exactly repay the investment, but he proved there was potential. You being here is partly my own personal greed, but it’s also because of petitions from Lindel’s guilds and clan masters.”
“Oh… so that’s how it is?”
“I figured I could ignore it and it wouldn’t matter much, but I’m in favor of improving the quality of city production classes too. The Empire seems strangely eager for it as well, so there’s that.”
I could finally see how the gears were turning.
So that’s what was going on.
In other words, I’d raised expectations for production classes just by existing.
Actually, even among the potions I made, the higher-grade ones were good enough to rival a priest’s healing efficiency.
Because people thought of them as consumables, expensive potions weren’t used all that often, but any party heading out to hunt would still carry several as emergency supplies.
Naturally, there had been a brief boom in production classes within Lindel, and even now some guilds and clans were still investing in them.
In a situation like this, it was obvious what kind of petitions all those guilds and clans had sent to Red Mercenary.
They must have asked for production classes to be included in this training ground’s curriculum.
A few petitions from random guilds could be brushed off as nonsense, sure, but Red Mercenary—the king of Lindel—could hardly pretend not to hear the pleas of so many of its people. That would’ve been politically inconvenient in more ways than one.
Especially when the Empire itself seemed to want exactly that, in some weird, roundabout way.
What a benevolent ruler.
In other words, this was Cha Heera’s way of showing both authority and mercy at the same time. That, I supposed, was what an ideal king looked like.
So she’d expected that if they kept petitioning Red Mercenary, she’d eventually call me in. Those people really were clever….
“It probably went to Blue too. Around the time you were holed up in your lab, maybe? I’m sure you were pestered from all sides and got plenty of lobbying too. It was probably their way of being considerate, so our precious alchemist could focus on his research.”
“Now I almost feel grateful.”
“How touching. I should ask just in case: you and that side piece aren’t actually dating, are you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“No, no. It’s just that there’ve been some strange rumors around the city… and even a weird book going around….”
“It’s a baseless rumor.”
“Good, then. Anyway, that’s how things are. Of course, I put on a big show saying not to worry about it, but if you don’t like the idea, I’m not planning to force you.”
“No, it’s not that I dislike it.”
“You’ve got a reason?”
“I honestly do support raising the quality of production classes.”
“That surprises me.”
“Sure, from my point of view as someone who effectively monopolizes the market, you could argue that doing nothing is more profitable. But it’s not that simple. To be blunt, a proper market hasn’t even formed yet. I’m the only well-known seller around, and my potions are classified as pretty expensive. If I had to give an example, it’s the kind of thing only people who can afford it actually use.”
“Ahhh….”
“Poor parties and clans can’t afford my potions anyway. The ones who go hunting without priests and end up dead can’t use my products in the first place. That’s why I made cheaper models, but there’s also the matter of brand image, and if I’m going to run a factory anyway, it’s more profitable to produce the premium stuff.”
“Hmm… I get it. You need the folks at the bottom to prop up the market, right?”
“Exactly. Potions already have a bad image because people think of them as consumables, but even if there are people who’ve never drunk one, there isn’t anyone who’s only drunk one once. What do you think happens if those bottom-rung guys come back from hunting, pocket some profits, and keep growing? Do you think they’ll keep using the cheap stuff? Not when their lives are on the line.”
“So the destination is always Made by Lee Kiyoung, huh?”
“That’s right. People loving luxury is the same here as it is on Earth, and buyers want companies they can trust. I’m not trying to brag, but I’m unrivaled as an alchemist. I can say with confidence that the chance of a competitor appearing while I’m still alive is zero. Well, that’s part of it. There’s also the city’s welfare issues, my image, and a bunch of other things, so overall it isn’t a bad deal. What I really want to know is whether there’s anything in it for me right now. They wouldn’t have petitioned you for free, would they?”
“Of course there’s something. First, there’s the compensation that goes directly to you personally. The guild and the clans will pay gold under the name of educational expenses.”
“Nice!”
“You’re happy?”
“I’ve been short on cash lately.”
“Nothing from Red Mercenary, then?”
“Aren’t you being a little too obvious, darling?”
“Ahem….”
Though I could see Cha Heera tapping the table in mock disappointment, I wasn’t going to run a class for free.
“Of course Red Mercenary will be paying a fee as well. I also have a few things I’m personally planning to give you… I was going to hand those over even if you hadn’t done the job, but still. And then.”
“And then?”
“I’m also thinking of transferring part of the priority negotiation rights to Blue.”
“How many?”
“Shouldn’t you ask how many people are in this raiding party first?”
“Ah, right.”
“There are fourteen people who cleared this Tutorial Dungeon. The priority negotiation rights we can give out number five. It’s a pretty unreasonable amount already.”
“Fourteen people?”
“That’s about normal. Your party was the unusual one. So… are you doing it or not?”
“Noona, aren’t you going a little overboard?”
“I already said I was going overboard. Consider it part of the apology, so don’t worry about it.”
“An apology for what, exactly…?”
“Don’t look at me like that while pretending you don’t know everything. And don’t make that face. Just answer already. Are you doing it? Or not?”
With a bright, toothy smile and that odd little expression of hers, I could see Cha Heera urging me to answer quickly.
She was kind of cute, in a way.
And naturally, my answer had already been decided.