Party (3)
I’m being persuaded.
When Deokgu first started winding himself up, I could only think that this bastard was talking complete nonsense.
But as time passed, I found myself starting to agree with him.
It does make a certain kind of sense...
Setting aside the fact that there was a strange resonance in his voice, Park Deokgu’s argument was oddly convincing.
There was no real reason she had to choose a shield warrior.
The only advantage that came with it was the possibility of advancing into a related melee advanced class.
Of course, that was the single most important factor in growth, but given Yoo Ahyoung’s fundamentally optimistic temperament, it was hard to deny that the road would be long.
Come to think of it, she hadn’t shown all that much passion even in the training camp.
It just isn’t a good fit for her.
She did have outstanding talent, but my private assessment was that she simply wasn’t very interested in that field.
It probably wasn’t a coincidence that the Blacksmith job option had appeared at all.
Park Deokgu never got a Blacksmith job option.
Like she said, because she had shown interest in production work, the category had appeared.
Of course, no matter how you looked at it, what she needed right now was a front line fighter who could hold the line.
Still, if Park Deokgu, who possessed advanced shield knowledge, were the one taking care of Yoo Ahyoung, it was well worth trusting.
And if I considered the fact that I, too, had achieved firepower on par with a mage through alchemy, then as long as the timing and the method of growth matched up, a Blacksmith might even be usable as a frontliner.
Her potential isn’t bad either.
The fact that her stamina talent was Legendary also suggested she had room to be put to use as a Blacksmith.
If there was one thing that worried me, it was that Kim Hyunsung didn’t seem very keen on the Blacksmith option.
Obviously, that wasn’t because Yoo Ahyoung was destined to have great success as a warrior in the future.
Kim Hyunsung seemed not to know her all that well, after all.
From Hyunsung’s point of view, he probably just didn’t want to turn a precious recruit into a production worker, but given enough time, someone of comparable level to Yoo Ahyoung could be found somehow.
Why?
Because I had the Mind’s Eye.
And Kim Hyunsung, who could recruit future talent, was no different.
Especially considering that we had Dialugia, the supreme treasure of this side, she might even be able to obtain a class like Dragon Blacksmith.
“So, hyung, what do you think? Isn’t Blacksmith the obvious choice?”
“Well...”
“Think about it! Blacksmith is the perfect fit! Anyone can see she’s got that Blacksmith look, right? I’m telling you, she’s got the face for it!”
It really did start to look that way.
“Just imagine her holding a hammer and striking an anvil. If she’s working inside a superheated furnace, her fire resistance might even be better than a normal frontliner’s. She could hold out in a sea of flames, no problem.”
This is ridiculous...
I couldn’t quite grasp the nature of that soul-shaking resonance. When I glanced sideways at Yoo Ahyoung, she was staring at me too, looking equally flustered.
Come to think of it, she might suit a Blacksmith’s outfit better than being wrapped head to toe in armor.
As I started rationalizing it, the thoughts I’d just had only grew stronger.
“Blacksmith!”
“Shield warrior!”
“Blacksmith!”
“Warrior!”
Even now, Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu were still shouting the classes they wanted for her.
This felt like the moment when I needed to take some sort of action too.
In the end, I had no choice but to open my mouth quietly. Unfortunately, it was a voice that betrayed the expectations of our lovely regressor.
“Blacksmith... doesn’t seem bad either.”
“Kiyoung?”
The first face that came into view was Kim Hyunsung’s, shocked beyond words.
Sorry, kid. But for some reason my heart keeps leaning toward Blacksmith.
Even his eyes, which looked like a puppy left out in the rain, couldn’t overcome the soul-stirring resonance of Park Deokgu.
“Of course, I think I understand what you’re getting at, Hyunsung, but honestly, I suspect it’ll be harder to find an outstanding Blacksmith than an outstanding warrior. If we searched the entire Empire, we could probably find a decent one, but...”
“Yes.”
“Personally, I also don’t want to expose Blue’s special resources to outside guilds or outsiders. And as Deokgu said, the knowledge she could gain from changing classes is something he can teach her well enough.”
“But... she won’t be able to learn advanced mana control elsewhere.”
“I may not have advanced mana control knowledge myself, but in terms of firepower, I don’t think I fall behind other mages by much.”
“That’s because Kiyoung-ssi is a special case...”
“She might become a special case too. Ah, of course, I’m only giving you a simple example. Ultimately, I think the choice should be left to her.”
That, in truth, was the most important issue.
What choice she makes.
No matter how hard we pushed from our side, her fate would be decided by the path she chose.
In fact, from the guild’s perspective, they could have forced the issue. Especially in Yoo Ahyoung’s case, since she had originally been contracted as a combat class.
If she suddenly changed into a Blacksmith without even discussing it, the guild would have every right to feel blindsided.
Still, Blue respected individual freedom.
They knew there was no efficiency in forcing someone to change jobs.
Of course, Park Deokgu’s soul-shaking voice really did have an absurd degree of persuasiveness, but the quarrel between Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu was, at the end of the day, only a recommendation.
The most important thing was Yoo Ahyoung’s opinion.
Once again, the room began to fall silent.
“Um...”
“......”
“......”
“Actually... I think I’d like to be a Blacksmith...”
“......”
“Kuuh! I told you so! Anyone could see she had a Blacksmith face!”
How exactly?
“May I ask why?”
“Ah, yes. It’s hard to explain exactly, but... it just feels like I’m being drawn that way. I don’t know if this is the right way to say it, but it feels like my soul is telling me to do it.”
That was persuasive.
“Ah...”
Whether he realized it or not, Yoo Ahyoung kept speaking.
“Of course, I’ll work hard so I won’t be a burden to the Second Party. Like Instructor Lee Kiyoung said, if I find my own way, I think it might be possible. Choosing a production class is a little scary, though...”
“I see.”
Back in reality, Kim Hyunsung wore a slightly sulky expression.
Sorry, kid.
But that expression vanished almost immediately. If Yoo Ahyoung truly thought that way, then it was right to support her, his heart seemed to have decided.
He may also have thought about the resources Dialugia possessed, or perhaps he was already considering future advanced blacksmithing techniques and deciding that the timing wasn’t bad at all.
Above all, the phrase about her soul telling her what to do may have carried more force than anything else.
Overall, it felt like he had chosen to respect her decision first and foremost.
“It’s a shame, but I suppose it can’t be helped. We’ll support you from the guild side as much as possible...”
“If you want to change what’s written in the contract, you can do that too. You were hired as a combat class in the first place... though now I feel a little sorry myself.”
That’s understandable.
I felt like I should step in here on his behalf.
“Ah, don’t worry about that, Ahyoung-ssi. We’ll probably need to adjust the contract period, though... if you choose Blacksmith, the resources you work with will be a little different from the ones lying around other places.”
“Yes. I’ve taken that into account too, Instructor.”
“Then that’s a relief.”
“Mm! Mm!”
Park Deokgu kept nodding in satisfaction, as if he were in a very good mood.
Was he trying to cut off the sprout of a new frontliner before she could become a threat?
That thought crossed my mind, but Park Deokgu wasn’t me.
He probably hadn’t thought of anything that devious. Still, something about it felt strange. From Deokgu’s perspective, it may have been pure luck, but judged by the result alone, it was a conclusion worth considering at least once.
After all, Deokgu was the one who brought up the production class idea first...
Of course, he probably hadn’t seen the Blacksmith option in Yoo Ahyoung’s class selection window. Even the Mind’s Eye couldn’t see that kind of thing.
No way. Surely not.
“At this rate, we’ll finally get to use the shield made by the guild Blacksmith!”
It’s not like he wanted one that badly either...
It probably wasn’t because he wanted weapons made from Dialugia’s horns or scales either.
If there was anyone in Blue I could call normal, Park Deokgu was the only one.
Yet the result of that soul’s cry had been designed in a way that was extremely favorable to him.
“I’ll back you up hard! Leave the training to me!”
The boldness of redirecting a new recruit toward an entirely different path while also getting her to make his armor for him.
This bastard might not actually be an idiot.
For some reason, I kept having that thought.
In the end, Yoo Ahyoung was wrapped in a faint light, and Park Deokgu secured his position once again.
A huge noise rose up again as all kinds of conversations went back and forth, but naturally most of the topics centered on Yoo Ahyoung, Han Sora, or Lee Changryeol.
“Did something new get planted in your head?”
“Yes. I want to try it right away.”
“I’ll look into whether there’s anything I can help you with in a few different ways.”
“Thank you, Instructor Lee Kiyoung.”
Among them, Yoo Ahyoung was the one drawing the most attention.
Even in a gathering formed to get away from everything else, seeing a conversation like this unfold made it clear we were all players to the bone.
Kim Yeri was also having a rather serious talk with Lee Changryeol, and Sun Heeyoung was speaking with Han Sora as well.
Obviously, it wasn’t everyday chatter.
So they really had adapted to this place.
It drove home the fact that humans really are animals that adapt.
Since this was the first day in Lindel, I had intended to finish things quickly, but the gathering showed no sign of ending.
Eventually, I saw one person after another getting drunk and heading off to their lodgings.
Kim Yeri, who was still a minor, had long since gone inside with Cho Hyejin under the guild master’s stern order to sleep early and rise early.
Sun Heeyoung, Hwang Jeongyeon, and the new recruits, along with An Gimo, also went in one by one to rest, but Jung Hayan, even while nodding off, remained steadfastly in the seat beside me.
Of course, Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung were the same.
Before I knew it, the people left at the end were the four of us who had met in the Tutorial Dungeon.
“So in the end, the four of us are the ones who survived!”
“Yeah. The ones who came out of the tutorial together...”
“Kuuh... just thinking that it’s already been a year makes it feel so strange. To think it’s already time to start raising the juniors. Honestly, I’m amazed. I thought I’d be sticking by hyung forever, but I’m glad I got to spend this long with you too, really.”
“I understand what you mean. It’s a little embarrassing, but thank you for following along so well for what you could call a long time.”
He looked a little stiff, perhaps because he thought it was a somewhat embarrassing thing to say.
Of course, when someone said something like that, the proper response was to answer with equal warmth.
“It’s only natural. We’re comrades.”
“......”
“......”
“Hyung...”
Even as he spoke, the words seemed to curl in on themselves a little.
Still, I could see Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung looking at me with expressions that suggested they were moved.
I had no choice but to change the subject quickly.
“And because Hyunsung’s decisions are always reasonable.”
“Ahem... well, that’s true.”
That was when the bastard finally spoke up in a more serious tone.
“Actually...”
“Yes?”
“I think this time I may be making a less reasonable choice.”
The mood seemed to shift a little. I could tell at once what he was about to say.
“Are you talking about the conversation you had with Black Swan?”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“Yes.”
Shit...
Something I had been worried about had finally arrived.