Power (2)
It was an ironic situation: on one side, there were people who had become guild executives; on the other, there were those who could only wait and hope that a guild or clan would come looking for them.
Honestly, I didn’t hate it all that much.
It felt as though my choice was proving to them that I hadn’t been wrong.
As I slowly glanced around, Lee Jihye and the others from the Shelter came into view.
They didn’t look especially bad. Considering the grueling training they’d been put through, they actually seemed to be in decent health. After all, they were merchandise to be sold at market, so the Blue Guild would have taken care of them fairly diligently. To my amusement, their nutritional condition even looked better than mine or Jung Hayan’s.
From how they had originally struggled to adjust, it seemed as though they’d finally begun to accept reality to some extent. As hard as it was to believe, they really seemed to be coming to terms with the fact that they had been thrown into this world.
“Uh….”
There were quite a few more survivors than just the people from the Shelter, so there were plenty of faces I didn’t recognize.
It didn’t take long to sweep them all over with the Mind's Eye.
Mana talent: rare and above, heroic and below, heroic and above.
As expected, there weren’t many who stood out easily.
There were a few with rare or better potential, but they probably weren’t the ones Cha Heera wanted.
Still, it was only natural to check the ones who had decent talent. If two people were judged at the same grade, it was better to assign the one who could go higher to one side and the one who couldn’t to the other, so I began sorting them in my head.
“This may feel a little novel to you.”
“Yes.”
Not only the trainees’ expressions, but also the instructor’s attitude made me feel pretty good.
It was obvious he thought it was advantageous to make the best possible impression.
These were the leftover odds and ends that hadn’t been assigned to any of the seven parties run by the Blue Guild.
If he could win favor with this side, he probably thought he might get into the newly formed party they were setting up this time.
Getting into an official party backed by the Blue Guild didn’t just mean your salary went up.
It meant not only benefits, but also the chance to grow with the guild’s support.
As for this instructor, it was obvious he had entered the guild as an ordinary member and then tried to worm his way into one of its parties, only to be chosen by none of them.
He’d probably been reduced to running errands for the guild with minor tasks and requests before eventually drifting into this line of work.
In truth, the Blue Guild only invested in people who showed growth potential.
There were always those who thought they hadn’t been able to rise because they hadn’t been invested in, but if their talent had really been outstanding, some party would have taken them in.
When I looked at the instructor with the Mind's Eye, I could clearly see the limits of his growth.
His stat values are low too... all around low.
“Hahahahahahaha.”
“I haven’t been here long, so I’m curious—how does the training here work?”
“Of course. I’ll explain in as much detail as I can. In truth, you can think of it as only the most basic instruction.”
“Mm.”
“Our primary goal is to have the people here acquire a class, but in fact only a very small number go on to leave after obtaining one. Those who get classes through training alone, without any hunting experience, are quite rare. Usually, that sort of thing happens more often among the talented.”
That was Jung Hayan’s case.
“I see.”
“For those who survived without any combat experience at all, it’s difficult to discover their aptitudes, so they’re made to go through a variety of lessons all at once. In the case of mages or priests, we first check whether they can even sense mana, so most of them end up shifting toward melee classes. In any case, the trainees learn many other things as well: basic combat methods, the value of the currency, and for those judged incapable of fighting, separate vocational training is provided through noncombat jobs.”
“When you say vocational training….”
“For example, they may be assigned to cleaning, cooking, or other miscellaneous work. Some are employed at restaurants or smithies run by Imperial citizens, while others make use of the skills they had on Earth and enter service jobs like working in a beauty salon.”
“Ah….”
“In fact, those who receive guild investment and start businesses tend to have fairly good reactions. Cha Heera of the Red Mercenary Guild also keeps a hair designer on staff separately.”
“Ah, yes. I know.”
Of course, that was the first I’d heard of it.
She did seem to care about her appearance, but more than I’d expected. She was a woman, so that was only natural, but for some reason, it was hard to picture Cha Heera sitting through a beauty treatment.
“Then for those who are diverted into noncombat roles….”
“We generally respect their own choice, but the training camp doesn’t particularly recommend it. The truth is, if they’ve been thrown onto the continent with no foundation at all, the results aren’t very good. We do provide a small amount of gold, but it’s nowhere near enough to really get established, so… most people hope to be contacted by a guild or clan. Being pushed into danger is the same everywhere, but… in situations like this, people want to belong somewhere.”
“Hmm… I see.”
“Yes. Most of them want to go to medium or large guilds, but… guilds that are already established don’t actually want to invest in new recruits. What they really want are people who are newcomers, yet not really newcomers… hmm… in other words, people like Lee Kiyoung-nim.”
That sounded familiar.
A newbie who doesn’t look like a newbie, or a veteran with the body of a newbie.
“How about the smaller and mid-sized clans?”
“I’m not quite sure how to put this, but the situation is even worse for them. Most of the people who fail to receive contact from a large or medium guild will end up going into smaller clans, but… the survival rate of new recruits who join those clans isn’t exactly high.”
“Interesting. Is there a particular reason?”
“The first reason is that, compared to the large guilds, they simply don’t have the room to breathe, so they end up going on excessive expeditions. It varies by guild, but just like black companies on Earth, there are quite a few clans of that sort here too. Accidents caused by taking on outside work for large guilds beyond their means happen all the time, and… because there are more and more clan masters who exploit their guild members to produce results or ignore safety altogether, most of them die without so much as proper insurance, let alone any of that so-called passion pay.”
“I think I understand what you’re saying.”
Actually, I felt like I didn’t need to hear any more.
I could more or less see how this continent worked.
Only the backdrop had changed.
I couldn’t put it into words exactly, but it felt like a perfect miniature of modern society.
Large guilds were the object of everyone’s envy, while smaller and mid-sized clans exploited their own members mercilessly.
There was probably even a difference in salary itself.
Those in power, who had established themselves here first, had successfully created a hellish environment for the newcomers who would come after them.
What was a little amusing was that the proportion of people who ended up in production or service work wasn’t all that small.
It was probably an unavoidable choice, but I thought it would be worth checking the noncombat personnel as well.
There might be people out there mindlessly selling bread, never having realized their own talent.
“We also spend time teaching general common sense about the continent. Things like the relationship between guilds, the Holy Empire, the Republic, and the Kingdom Union, along with their histories.”
“That’s still something we haven’t properly learned yet.”
“For team leader-nim, that education will come through the guild. The trainees are the same. If any of the remaining people join another guild or clan, each of those groups will provide separate training. Honestly, you could think of that as the real beginning. Guilds give new recruits a probationary period and shape them to suit their own tastes.”
“Ah, I see.”
“The Blue Guild is relatively free, but other guilds can be a bit more strict.”
“I see. Thank you for the good information.”
“Not at all. I’m delighted to be of help.”
I lightly patted his shoulder.
It might have seemed a little arrogant, but the corners of the man’s mouth naturally lifted.
“I’ll make sure to repay you later for everything you told me today.”
“N-no, there’s really no need….”
“No. I’m genuinely grateful.”
When it came to these kinds of backroom details, no one knew them better than a commoner who’d spent enough time rolling in the mud.
As I turned my gaze away from the instructor, who was openly beaming, and looked around once more, Lee Jihye caught my eye with a strange expression.
Should I bring her over?
Of course, that didn’t mean I was talking about taking her in as a party member.
It was obvious that I’d be busy without a moment to breathe for a while.
I still had to make the list for Cha Heera, and I also needed to secure the personnel Kim Hyunsung’s party required.
I needed time for the Blue Guild’s training as well, and I’d have to step into the broader administrative work too.
And that wasn’t all.
Dungeon exploration, potion manufacturing.
I also needed products for the dungeon assault Kim Hyunsung was planning and for the Holy Continent.
With the amount of work I’d piled up, even ten bodies wouldn’t be enough.
At the very least, I absolutely needed a teammate who could help me with the work from the side.
She seemed like the type whose head worked fairly well, so I had a feeling she’d be able to handle the basics.
“Hm….”
“Do you need something?”
“No, nothing like that.”
Just as I was looking around once more, familiar faces began entering through the training camp entrance.
Lee Sanghee.
And Kim Hyunsung.
The despicable old man Lee Seolho was nowhere in sight.
Since he’d been placed under confinement, he was probably resting his aging body thoroughly inside the guild.
I also caught sight of several administrative team leaders, and when I gave them a slight greeting, they lowered their heads back in my direction. Given that our ranks were effectively equal, it was a natural reaction.
Of course, the instructor who had been speaking with me and the guild members waiting nearby were all scrambling to bow in a hurry.
Lee Sanghee, who had been greeting the guild members one by one, soon approached me and opened her mouth.
“You’ve already arrived.”
“Yes, Lee Sanghee-nim.”
“I mentioned this to Hyunsung as well, but if there’s anyone you need, I’ll authorize recruiting them. We’ll also look into whether there’s anything else the guild can do to help, and then we’ll do our best to support you.”
“Thank you.”
Lee Sanghee was smiling quietly.
I’ll work hard for you.
Unlike being surrounded by abnormal people and having the life sucked out of me, being with Lee Sanghee was oddly reassuring.
It wasn’t the sort of thing one said about a thirty-three-year-old woman, but somehow she gave off the feeling of a kind of our own mother.
That was how comforting she felt.
“Thank you very much for working so hard.”
“No, I should be the one thanking you.”
After finishing our brief exchange, I took a suitable seat, and the faces of the trainees—who now looked quite tense—came into view.
They were undoubtedly wondering whether they might receive an offer too.
After all, the actual power holders of the Blue Guild were right in front of them.
There was nothing especially grand or ceremonial about it.
I hadn’t exactly expected a salute to the national flag, but for a graduation ceremony, it felt almost absurdly bare-bones.
The vice guild master of the Blue Guild quietly stepped onto the stage and began to speak.
“You have all worked hard until now. You were dragged here without understanding why, and you went through a difficult time, but you endured well during this short period.”
“……”
“If it were up to me, I would have liked to continue training you for a longer time until each of you had established yourselves on the continent, but there are many circumstances that prevent us from doing so, and for that I would like to express my regret. You will soon leave this place and head for the Holy Empire of Benigore. After today… some of you may receive offers from guilds or clans. Others may gather among themselves and establish a clan together.”
“……”
“Or perhaps some of you will blend into the Holy Empire as noncombat personnel. The way each of you lives will be different, but there is one thing I can tell you.”
The hall fell strangely quiet.
“Survive.”
It sounded like it was meant for me as well.
“Our Blue Guild has a guild house in the western district of the Free City of Lindel. We will always be waiting for your support.”
After bowing briefly, he immediately turned and walked away, and the whole thing was almost bewilderingly abrupt.
Not a single one…
The Blue Guild had no intention of recruiting even one of the people standing there.
The other guilds were probably in the same situation.
They had decided that these survivors were not worth the investment of guild funds and manpower.
That’s pretty ruthless…
This place, too, was bound together by cold, uncompromising interests, just like everywhere else.