New Environment (2)
For a moment, I even considered resenting him.
My skull was still a little numb, but I didn’t think Kim Hyunsung had any reason to deceive me.
There had to be a reason he’d recommended the Alchemist class to me. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone out of his way to give me a Heroic-grade item.
To him, it might have been nothing more than a trivial investment, but even Lee Sanghee, sitting right in front of me, only had two Heroic-grade items to her name.
I had no idea how many years she’d spent grinding away in this line of work, but based on the fact that she’d already changed classes several times and her stats were likely close to their growth limits, a Heroic-grade item was clearly…
Worth something.
I was worried he might simply have needed a potion factory, but judging by his attitude, that didn’t seem to be the case.
I have to trust him.
At this point in time, it was probably a class that wasn’t held in very high regard.
Still, there would come a day when Alchemists became valuable in one way or another. If not, then it might simply be a class that only paid off in the later stages of growth.
For now, I’d trust our regressor.
He wasn’t a thoughtless idiot, after all, so he must have had some direction in mind.
As long as it’s not a potion factory.
That was all I asked.
While I was turning those thoughts over in my head, the food arrived, and dinner began in a somewhat awkward atmosphere.
It was certainly cordial, but there was a strange feeling that everyone here wanted something from everyone else.
Park Deokgu, who was just happy to be eating real food after so long, had buried his face in his plate without a care in the world, but both Kim Hyunsung and Lee Sanghee seemed to be carrying a lot on their minds.
As they chatted back and forth, skillfully steering the conversation away from the main point, it was Park Deokgu, with his pure and unguarded brain, who finally drove a stake through the heart of the matter.
“Oh, this is good. I don’t even know when I last ate something warm.”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”
“My grandma always said never to trust anyone who feeds you for free... but maybe the spirit of Korea’s still alive after all! Isn’t that right, hyung?”
He had the look of someone who’d just been hit where it hurt.
Sensing the opening, Kim Hyunsung quickly stepped in.
“Mm….”
“Now that I think about it, yes. Park Deokgu is right. We do appreciate the generous treatment, but I’m curious as to why you’re being so kind to us. Of course, I don’t mean to sound uncomfortable. It’s just... for a celebration of our survival, this feels a little excessive. If this was only a show of goodwill, then I apologize.”
“Ah, n-no, not at all. I should be the one apologizing. Your concerns are perfectly reasonable. I’m sure everything must feel chaotic right now. Since you all seemed fairly composed, I think I failed to properly consider how you were feeling. Thinking about what you went through inside there, I can understand why you’d have trouble trusting people. I was the same way myself. I’m sorry I couldn’t explain things in more detail beforehand.”
“Ah, no, that’s not what I meant.”
“I think it would be best if I explained the situation here first.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“This place works in a structure that’s a little different from Earth, yet also similar. The Kingdom Alliance, the Republic, and the Holy Empire we belong to are the three major nations maintaining the balance here. Of course, there are also free states and other kingdoms not included in that count, but the three I just mentioned are the largest.”
“Ah.”
“Of course, we didn’t create this nation ourselves. You probably saw as much on the way here. There are natives living on this land, apart from us. The relationship between us Earthlings and the people who were already living here is tangled up in a complicated web of interests.”
“Ah….”
“Strictly speaking, Blue Guild is both part of the Benignore Empire and not part of it. We’re free from their laws, yet we live on their land and receive their cooperation and support. And Blue isn’t the only one. Every group that has settled here operates under a contract with the Benignore Holy Empire.”
I understood the general picture.
In a way, it was a fortunate situation.
Each group possessed a certain degree of autonomy, free from direct imperial control.
Of course, there would be a price to pay for that freedom.
Things like conscription in times of war, or taxes, and all the other bureaucratic nonsense that came with it.
The fact that the nations hadn’t been overturned told me that those three countries must have something the guilds couldn’t ignore.
They were probably using military force or resources to keep the guilds, who exercised their autonomy through such means, in line.
“I see.”
“The Tutorial Dungeon opens once every year or so. In the Holy Empire, management of the Tutorial Dungeon has been entrusted to us foreigners.”
“You mean the Blue Guild?”
“No. Management is based on rotation. Several large and mid-sized guilds gathered together and set up a turn system. The fact that it’s our turn this time is what that means. Blue Guild has been given both the right to manage this cycle and the first right of negotiation with all of you.”
“Fair enough.”
That fairness had probably been engineered by the Holy Empire.
I couldn’t quite imagine Earthlings getting together and deciding they’d divide things up so evenly and orderly.
No doubt they were trying to keep the Earthlings from banding together by balancing the guilds within the empire.
There were probably plenty of other safeguards in place too, but I didn’t need to know all that right now.
“So what you’re saying is that we’d be affiliated with the Blue Guild?”
“No. I did say that you would have the first right of negotiation, after all. If I were to put it in terms familiar to Earth, it would be easier to understand if you thought of us as a company and yourselves as people waiting for interviews and salary negotiations.”
“I understand.”
Exactly as I’d expected.
“You can think of this spacious room and the meal as bribes we’re offering you. Yes. That’s exactly what they are.”
Her smile was a little bitter.
Everything was unfolding more or less the way I’d predicted, but what I hadn’t anticipated was Lee Sanghee’s reaction.
She’s too honest.
That was the long and short of it.
If I had been in her position, I would have salted that explanation with more than a little outright fabrication.
But there was no need to lace this particular story with lies.
She was simply describing the reality surrounding the continent, rather than offering a personal opinion.
I’d expected as much from her temperament, but this woman was far too upright. That very honesty and rectitude had probably been what brought her this far.
And clearly, that was the image Blue Guild wanted to present to us as well.
They’re desperate.
They were desperate.
I spoke immediately.
This time, the question was about Blue Guild itself.
“I have a question.”
“Yes?”
“What exactly is Blue Guild’s position within the Benignore Empire?”
She hesitated, clearly unsure how to answer, but in the end she nodded and spoke.
“Blue Guild was once one of the guilds representing the Holy Empire. I wouldn’t say it was a huge organization, but….”
“That’s past tense.”
“Yes…. All I can say is that there were unavoidable circumstances. Still, I’d appreciate it if you’d consider its future potential. It has growth prospects no less promising than any other major guild, and the amount we can offer you, along with the conditions, won’t be inferior to what the others could present.”
I couldn’t tell what she was seeing in us that made her want to recruit us.
To put it bluntly, if she spent a fortune on bringing us in and we failed to produce results equal to that investment, she’d have paid gold prices for dog shit.
Granted, the fact that we had cleared the dungeon first—moreover, with just four people and an outcome that was practically unbelievable—made us a worthwhile investment by several measures, but even so, they still seemed rather desperate.
They really are desperate.
I didn’t know what had happened, but it was obvious that Blue Guild was in serious trouble.
Otherwise, there’d be no reason to make a gamble like this.
“I can’t make a decision right away. But I don’t think there’s any harm in hearing what you have to say.”
“Ah. Thank you.”
Kim Hyunsung was unexpectedly positive.
He seemed to think it was fine to hear them out, at the very least.
Probably because he still hadn’t settled on a destination of his own.
Is this one of the candidates too?
The odds weren’t zero.
A guild that had once stood at the peak but was now in decline was a tempting target indeed.
In any case, once our side took a favorable stance, Lee Sanghee’s face brightened.
“Then please rest well tonight, and tomorrow... would that be all right?”
“Yes. That will be fine.”
Kim Hyunsung gave a small nod.
Lee Sanghee nodded back with a smile, then led us to our respective lodgings.
Unlike the sticky, unpleasant ground outside, the rooms had beds that looked so luxurious I almost wanted to cheer.
This was what selling was.
There was always a possibility that once the contract was signed, they’d throw us to the wolves, but at the very least, until then, it looked like we’d be able to enjoy living like kings.
“If you need anything, please call for me. I’ll take my leave for now….”
“Yes. Thank you for taking care of us.”
After she left, everyone’s attention drifted subtly in my direction.
It felt like they were expecting a comment on the situation.
In the end, the choice would be Kim Hyunsung’s, but under Park Deokgu’s and Jung Hayan’s gaze, I put on a show of reluctance and spoke up.
“It’s a bit sudden, but... I never imagined things were being run this way. I’m having a hard time getting used to this kind of VIP treatment.”
“Same here, hyung. Grrr... contracts, empires, all sorts of stuff—I’m getting a headache just thinking about it. Did you get any of that, noona?”
“Yes... more or less….”
“Just think of it simply. Deokgu, Hayan. We’re the ones being treated well right now. And Blue Guild probably isn’t the only one. After the first round of negotiations ends, others will likely start making offers too.”
“I hate headaches….”
“It’s easier if you keep it simple. Which place would be best for us. In fact, this might be better than a large guild. The conditions may be a little worse, but since they need us right now, our treatment is likely to be guaranteed to a certain extent.”
“Ah. So you mean we should go somewhere that can support us?”
“Yes. It’s just a hunch, but Lee Sanghee doesn’t strike me as a bad person. Blue Guild was the same. I don’t know why they’ve fallen so far, but since they care about rebuilding the guild, I doubt they’ll shortchange us.”
I gave a slight nod at Kim Hyunsung’s words.
When I looked over, Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu seemed completely uninterested in the discussion, wearing vacant expressions.
Apparently, the only ones here with any real thoughts about this were Kim Hyunsung and me.
What surprised me a little was that he didn’t seem to have any intention of going independent. And he seemed fairly favorable toward Blue Guild.
Lee Sanghee?
She didn’t seem like someone tied to anything particularly major, but if Kim Hyunsung might have already operated here during his first turn, then returning to work here again didn’t seem like a bad option.
“So we’re going there?”
“Oppa?”
“I think we should think about it a little more. We’ll know when tomorrow comes. Nothing’s decided yet. It’d probably be better to leave ourselves some breathing room.”
“Yes. We need to consider all the possibilities. Yes, all the possibilities.”
Everyone seemed to be holding back their words.
I couldn’t quite tell what he was thinking, so in the end I had no choice but to lie down on the bed.
Exhaustion hit me the moment I did; I’d been up all night yesterday, after all.
As promised, the next morning the area was bustling from the start.
I didn’t particularly care what had become of Lee Jihye or the others in the Shelter, but they had probably been rescued safely and were staying somewhere separate from us.
What mattered now was…
Negotiations.
And what kind of offer they would bring to the table….
They’d probably stayed up all night.
They would have had to think about how much money and support it would take to recruit the four of us.
I suspected that, for Blue Guild’s executives, today might be the most important day of their lives.
After breakfast and a wash, we waited for a while—and sure enough, people soon came to call for us.
I’d wondered whether they might negotiate with us all at once, but of course, nothing like that happened.
“Kim Hyunsung.”
“Yes.”
The first to go in was Kim Hyunsung.
I didn’t know what happened inside, but I could even hear applause after he went in.
Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu were next, and it was the same for them.
Obviously, this wasn’t just a simple interview—they seemed to be running a variety of tests.
I hate this kind of atmosphere….
And by hate, I meant it.
It felt like they were trying to expose everything about me.
Watching Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan come back outside with dazed looks made me feel a little envious.
My raw abilities were pathetic compared to Kim Hyunsung, Park Deokgu, and Jung Hayan.
If I used magic, it would immediately become obvious that I was a trap card.
Still, I wasn’t exactly weak.
I had my limits, but as things stood, I was a fairly capable Alchemist.
I had high intelligence and mana that other people didn’t possess.
Just as I was thinking that we might be priced similarly, I heard voices from inside.
“Lee Kiyoung.”
“Yes.”
When I opened the door, it was the humans led by Lee Sanghee waiting for me.
They were obviously guild executives or HR staff. One slightly older man adjusted his glasses and spoke.
“Ah... your class is clearly... Ah, right. You said you were an Alchemist.”
“Yes. I chose Alchemist when my second class opened.”
I was a little taken aback by their clearly unhappy mood.
Lee Sanghee at least was tolerable, but the others looked like they were sighing or frowning.
Judging by the atmosphere, they didn’t even seem inclined to use the training room inside.
Unlike Kim Hyunsung, Park Deokgu, and Jung Hayan, they apparently had no special requests for me.
It seemed I wouldn’t need to show off any party tricks. That coolness wasn’t hard for me alone to notice.
Lee Sanghee seemed to try to lighten the mood, turning toward me with a bright smile.
“The signing bonus is 1,500 gold—150 million won. The contract period, like everyone else’s, is seven years, and the annual salary is 700 gold... what do you think? Of course, after that we can renegotiate your salary, and we’ll do our best to support whatever items or supplies you need.”
The old man beside her jumped in as if he wouldn’t be outdone.
“That’s for when you came in together with the others.”
At this point, I understood exactly what kind of situation this was.
These miserable bastards...
They were looking down on me as a fool.