The Crazy Woman (2)
As I raised a hand slightly, I could feel a dozen gazes snap toward me at once.
On the second floor, Kim Hyunsung, Park Deokgu, and Jung Hayan were all looking this way.
With everyone in the room focused on me, I did feel a little tense, but I honestly didn’t feel any pressure to show them some dazzling new side of myself.
From the start, I knew the guild executives weren’t expecting much from me anyway.
“I’m ready.”
What was really getting on my nerves was Jung Hayan.
She had gone oddly quiet, and I couldn’t read what she was thinking. That silence made me uneasy for no good reason.
Maybe it was because Park Deokgu was there, fuming on my behalf, but her attitude, as if nothing had happened, felt like she was trying to erase what she’d done yesterday.
I’m uneasy...
I had some idea why that insane woman had done it.
It didn’t seem like she was interested in me as a man.
She had probably been teasing Jung Hayan after she’d been practically leaking killing intent at her.
Of course, there had probably been an element of warning in it too, but if my lips were the price for her sending killing intent at the head of a major guild, then it was a cheap settlement all things considered.
It was just the method that was wrong.
Honestly, I almost wanted to thank that crazy woman.
I should’ve been grateful she hadn’t drawn a sword and taken my head off on the spot.
I cleared my mind before it got any messier and slowly began drawing a magic circle on the floor.
It was a somewhat complicated process, but the pattern was already fully formed in my head.
Inefficient.
It might consume less mana, but it was definitely inefficient.
Even so, the formation was completed in an instant.
Several people looked as though the design was familiar enough to them that they nodded.
“Lord, I beseech you. Answer my voice.”
The magic circle was the one doing the real work.
As I chanted, I could feel my mana being drawn out.
“Flame Pillar.”
At the end of the spell, a pillar of fire surged up from the circle and burned the target to ash.
That wasn’t the kind of firepower my mana could produce on its own.
The effect was flashy enough, and with the formation’s help, it could clearly generate far greater efficiency than my raw mana alone.
“Hoo...”
This time, there was no cheer like the one from Park Deokgu the day before, or Kim Hyunsung and Jung Hayan yesterday.
But then.
Clap, clap, clap.
The applause started. Everyone was nodding and clapping along.
It was a decent demonstration, but not one worthy of applause.
What they really wanted was one thing.
They were trying to make a good impression on me, the one who probably looked like the real power behind our party.
“Thank you.”
“I’m Lee Yeonhui, who runs the Four Star Guild. I’d like to speak for a moment... no, let me hand you my business card first.”
“I’m Jeong Jongcheol, Clan Master of the Clan. If I’m not being rude...”
“I’m Go Youngsu. Our clan is newly established, so our conditions may be a little lacking, but our growth potential is greater than any clan or guild...”
“I’m Park Hyesu, representative of the Magic Guild. I’d like to talk with you for a moment...”
Greeting each person one by one was work in itself.
Every single one of them was a valuable potential customer.
Whether it was a newly formed clan or a guild that had fallen on hard times, they all mattered.
I took their cards and exchanged formal small talk.
“If you decide not to sign with the Blue Guild...”
“Yes. We’ll definitely come see you all later.”
“Our guild as well.”
“Of course. Whenever you have time, let’s have a meal together sometime.”
“Wherever you end up going, I hope we can maintain a good relationship.”
“Yes. I’ll make sure to contact you first.”
It was all ceremonial, but that didn’t make it bad.
If someone asked what the big deal was about exchanging a line or two, I wouldn’t have much to say, but human relationships were built on things like this.
“That was an interesting way to do the demonstration.”
Interesting? My ass...
“It seems to have changed the way people think about alchemists. Hahaha.”
Lie.
“Thank you all. I’m a little embarrassed, honestly, since I didn’t really show as much as the other party members.”
Still.
This was what social life was.
As I pushed through the crowd, I could see Lee Sanghee and the Blue executives watching me.
Of course their faces were twisted.
They’d already realized the negotiation had gone off the rails from the very start.
It was only natural that they’d noticed Kim Hyunsung was also giving my words considerable weight.
We’d had plenty of chances to see one another over the past week.
We’d eaten together, and we’d also spent time being briefed on the basics of the continent.
If they’d seen our party having ordinary conversations, they would’ve reached only one conclusion.
Lee Kiyoung’s position inside Kim Hyunsung’s party is far higher than they expected.
“Could I trouble you for a moment? I think we need to go over the terms of the negotiation again...”
“Of course, Ms. Lee Sanghee. You’re more than welcome.”
“I’ll escort you inside.”
“Yes.”
I felt like humming under my breath.
Jung Hayan, Park Deokgu, and Kim Hyunsung seemed to be speaking with the others.
When I went back into the room where we’d negotiated before, the atmosphere felt distinctly different from last time.
Even the old men who’d been a little cocky before now seemed to be watching my face carefully.
Nice.
I almost wondered if this was what power felt like.
“First of all, I’d like to apologize for hurriedly adjusting the terms of the first negotiation. To be honest, we had assumed the terms would be generous for ordinary newcomers... but after seeing what you all displayed at the demonstration, it struck us that we had underestimated you, including Mr. Lee Kiyoung.”
“Ah. It’s fine. I understand. It’s only natural for an organization to avoid investing in unverified people. That’s a perfectly rational judgment.”
“Oh. Thank you very much for understanding.”
“......”
“You must have received offers from several places, whether you realized it or not.”
I didn’t think there was any reason to lie. They already knew it, I knew it, everyone knew it.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I don’t know what the other guilds offered you, but the Blue Guild...”
I couldn’t quite focus on the explanation, but I didn’t really need to hear it to know what it would be.
The amount they could offer might be a little short, but they’d talk about growth potential.
The Blue Guild’s unique advantages, the special conditions they could provide, their plans for how they would help us grow, and the sort of support they could give us.
It was obvious without hearing a word.
“The amount may seem smaller than what other guilds can offer, but the Blue Guild is still one of the named guilds in the Holy Empire. If you join the Blue Guild, we can allocate a separate budget for your party... ah, and that’s not all. There’s also the possibility of an executive position within the Blue Guild...”
“Specifically...”
“I can’t give you exact details just yet, but we’ll do our best to...”
“I see. Then would it be all right if I heard the terms in a little more detail?”
“Ah! Of course.”
He looked a little pleased.
“The signing bonus is 10,000 gold, and the annual salary is 3,000 gold. The contract term would be 10 years... and the salary can be renegotiated every year...”
“That’s 1 billion won in Korean currency.”
“Yes.”
It was half of what the Red Mercenaries had offered.
Of course, the Red Mercenaries’ offer hadn’t included Kim Hyunsung or Park Deokgu, but even so, it was hard not to feel bitter.
I knew alchemists cost a lot of money.
What mattered was that the contract term had been extended by three years.
They wanted to see us after we’d grown, it seemed.
If that was the amount they’d offered up front, then it meant they might be able to push it a little higher.
Cha Heera had spoken that way too.
A contract always made the one who was more desperate come begging.
I smiled faintly and opened my mouth.
“A signing bonus of 15,000 gold. In Korean currency, that’s 1.5 billion won. Those are the contract terms we want.”
“Ah...”
“In addition, we’d like at least Heroic-grade alchemy tools, adjustments to the byproducts from hunting, a Heroic-grade grimoire for Jung Hayan, and Heroic-grade basic equipment for Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung as well.”
“Th-that...”
“Think of it as an investment. Our party will continue to grow. There’s a reason I’m not fixated on salary. The faster we accelerate our growth, the more the Blue Guild will grow as well. We might even receive investments from several different guilds.”
“That’s... difficult for us, given our circumstances...”
“If you need gold, you can sell the first negotiation rights to another guild. Gold isn’t what matters to the Blue Guild right now, is it?”
His expression said I’d hit the nail on the head.
“Guild Master.”
Seeing that the guild master still hadn’t appeared when things had gone this far, it was easy to guess why.
Because of the sudden upheaval in the Tutorial Dungeon, not only the smaller guilds but the masters of major guilds had personally come to the scene.
Just look at Cha Heera. She’d come straight over here to make her own offer.
Even so, the fact that the Blue Guild’s guild master still wasn’t showing meant there was some sort of internal problem in the guild right now.
“You knew... that, didn’t you? Did someone tell you...?”
“It was a simple inference. If I can’t see something, it’s only natural that I’d make that assumption.”
It felt like things were moving along smoothly.
The Blue Guild would take my proposal.
If there really was trouble with the guild master and the guild’s core combat strength, then our party, which might grow into executives or even higher, would be more than welcome.
I thought I might have made a small mistake then.
“You insolent...”
It wasn’t Lee Sanghee.
One of the old men beside her was staring at me with eyes that looked far too agitated.
Uh...
“We are not investing in you, alchemist.”
“Mr. Lee Seolho. Right now! What the hell are you doing!”
“The Blue Guild is not so weak that it would be toyed with by a bastard like you, Ms. Lee Sanghee.”
T-tha...
“He’s still nothing but a boy who hasn’t even been here a year yet. Even if we do have to lower our heads, are we really supposed to lower them to a bastard like that?”
“Withdraw your mana!”
Damn it...
I finally understood what killing intent and mana really were.
Probably because of the old man’s mana, which had flooded the room, my body had begun to tremble, and even breathing had become difficult.
The thought that I was going to die kept rising in my head over and over.
“I said withdraw your mana, Lee Seolho!”
“I know trash like you very well. Loudmouthed bastards with nothing to their name. This place is full of all sorts of people. You really think I’ve spent all these years on this continent without ever seeing a rat like you?”
“Ugh...”
“Killing people like you without leaving a trace is nothing. This continent is always full of threats and currents running beneath the surface. Nobody knows what will happen, or where. It’s not like Earth. You stupid brat... how dare you swagger around without knowing your place? How dare you speak to the Blue Guild... how dare you!”
Die.
I really was going to die.
It was getting hard enough to breathe that much was certain.
I still didn’t properly understand what the hell was going on.
That miserable old bastard...
I wanted to rush out of the room right then and there, but even moving my body wasn’t easy.
When I was forced into a situation where I had no choice but to make some kind of decision, there was only one option left among the many choices.
“Go on, then, you crazy old bastard.”
“What?”
“I said go on, you crazy old bastard. If you can kill me, then kill me.”
“You dare!”
“Mr. Lee Seolho! Do my words not sound like words to you?!”
In the middle of a scene that had become so chaotic it was impossible to describe, I enunciated each word carefully.
“You crazy old bastard...”
“You bastard!”
“If I die, do you think our Heera noona will just sit still?!”
I could see the old man’s mouth snap shut.