Chapter 19 - Guild (2)
Guild (2)
19.Guild (2)
Jo Ji-hyeok, the Association President of the Daeeop Guild, frowned as he looked at the name displayed on his smartphone screen.
It was a call from the Association President, an old nemesis of his.
"What the hell are you up to?"
As soon as he answered, unpleasant words spewed out, causing him to let out a deep sigh.
"Why are you being so difficult?"
"I heard you called a Spatialist who has priority entry to Gates and asked them to give up the Ruin Gate?"
"I don't know anything about that."
"Are you trying to make excuses right now?"
To be honest, Jo Ji-hyeok really didn't know anything about it. But as he listened, he became annoyed.
"But is that wrong?"
"What?"
"First of all, how did a Spatialist get priority entry to a Ruin Gate? That's supposed to be for the top Guilds."
"Iron Wall transferred it."
So that's how it was. Jo Ji-hyeok figured out how the situation was roughly unfolding.
If two Guilds used the Gate entry priority, the allocation would be determined by the Guild's ranking.
Daeeop, which had applied for the same Gate but was pushed back in priority, saw an opportunity and asked for the Gate entry to be transferred.
"So what?"
"What?"
"A promising team from the 3rd-ranked Guild has a higher chance of safely clearing the Desolate Ruins than a 2-person Guild, and isn't it better if they get something better when they obtain something?"
That was the reason why benefits were given differentially according to Guild ranking, to encourage them to clear more Gates.
"Are you even saying that right now? Iron Wall gave it, not the Association."
"Since Iron Wall is on your side anyway, that's not your opinion, is it?"
"It's none of my business."
"I don't know. Even so, is that a reason to call me and be a pain in the ass? We didn't try to take it by force, did we? We just asked if they could give it up, right? Are we not even allowed to ask?"
"Don't try to twist things. Do you think I don't know you're subtly trying to mess with them because you think they're inexperienced Hunters?"
The Association President on the other end of the line was just as annoyed.
"Don't go too far. I'm only letting you get away with it because I know you've built connections with the Association."
"Then?"
"I'm letting you be because you're clearing Gates while only thinking about yourselves. But there are some things you shouldn't touch."
"Is that an order?"
"It's a notice, a warning. If something like this happens again, I won't stand still either."
The Association President hung up the phone with those words. Jo Ji-hyeok cursed under his breath and put a cigarette in his mouth.
"Crazy bastard. What do you mean you won't stand still? Who started it first?"
Before the rise of Saebyeokbit, Daeeop was the 2nd-ranked Guild, receiving similar benefits to the 1st-ranked Guild.
They were pushed down to 3rd place when Saebyeokbit was separated from Iron Wall.
They missed out on quite a few benefits until they managed to revise the law through solicitation. His bad relationship with the Association President started then.
"Stupid bastards."
Jo Ji-hyeok cursed his subordinates in a low voice. It wasn't that their actions were wrong, but their method was.
Since the Spatialist and Dragon Knight were quite the hot topic, they needed to approach them more intelligently.
However, a foolish subordinate had caused trouble by calling about Guild recruitment before he could even give the order.
He had done it to curry favor with him by recruiting the Spatialist, but it was an incredibly stupid thing to do.
He had just demoted him the other day, and now another stupid bastard had touched them like this, perhaps to avenge the previous rejection.
Or, it could have been a solo act by a subordinate who wanted to go to the Ruin Gate. Jo Ji-hyeok sighed.
'This is annoying.'
Jo Ji-hyeok suppressed his anger. In about a year, it would be time to re-elect the Hunter Association President.
When a Discharge-type Gate erupted, Daeeop didn't go to a Gate, but to a politician's private residence for no reason.
He didn't have much time left to achieve what he wanted.
But as he finished his cigarette, his annoyance surged again.
'Because of that Spatialist bastard, I got cursed at by that son of a bitch...'
.
.
.
-You don't have to worry about the Ruin Gate. We've taken care of it on our end.
"So we can go in?"
-Yes. First of all, I'd like to apologize. There was an employee with connections to another Guild. We fired them immediately.
As expected, it seemed they had connections with another Guild and that's why they made that call to me. I think I know why they called me instead of Uncle.
Unlike Uncle, who has experience, I'm an Unawakened Hunter and younger. They probably thought I'd be easier to persuade.
"Is it possible to know which Guild it was?"
-It was Daeeop.
"Daeeop?"
Hmm. That name again. It wasn't surprising. Daeeop was originally like that anyway.
Is this revenge for blocking their call last time? Even so, resorting to such petty tricks...
I had doubts, but I realized it was meaningless. Not everyone in the world thinks normally.
Moreover, isn't society largely lacking in common sense after the Gate incident?
There are especially many who despise the weak in the Hunter industry.
It's true that I'm a promising prospect, but objectively speaking, I can't compare to Daeeop right now.
They have already achieved accomplishments, and as the 3rd-ranked Guild, they also have promising prospects and outstanding Hunters.
'I'm just someone with a promising future, not a guaranteed one.'
Perhaps Daeeop was just probing, hoping that if they got lucky, the Ruin Gate would fall into their hands.
Hoping for me to make a mistake. Of course, I'm naturally upset.
It's because a past bad relationship has come back once again. I clearly remembered this moment. I properly settle grudges.
-The Association President spoke with the Daeeop Guild Leader and warned them. This won't happen again in the future. If anything similar happens, please contact me anytime.
-Ah, you can also feel free to contact me if you need anything.
The fact that the Association was on my side played a huge role in suppressing this annoyance. The Association President's support, it couldn't be more reassuring.
It seemed that the Association was thinking about the future.
No matter how I thought about it, I was glad that the Association President was a good person. He had been like that since before his retirement.
The former Iron Wall Guild Leader.
He was the vanguard of the advance team, and he lost a leg while blocking a Discharge-type Gate.
'If he had been someone like the Daeeop Guild Leader...'
Honestly, I think it would have been a bit chaotic. I probably wouldn't have been able to sign a contract while receiving such good treatment.
"What did they say?"
Uncle asked with a curious expression as soon as I hung up the phone. He had been angry when he heard the conversation earlier.
"It's okay. The Association President warned them. They also apologized to us, and the employee who made the call was fired immediately."
"That's refreshing? I thought they would ask for understanding or something. There's nothing more to argue about?"
"We're a Spatialist and a Dragon Knight, so they naturally have to pay attention to us."
"That's true."
Uncle's confidence has also increased a lot since Yong-yong hatched. He has truly become a Dragon Knight.
The way he used to be cautious at the training center has disappeared.
"Let's go make a Guild. We need to register quickly."
* * *
Guilds can be formed with two or more people, and the Association tends to encourage Guild membership and creation.
This is to increase the survival rate of Hunters.
The mortality rate of Awakened Hunters who operate individually is significantly higher than those who operate in teams.
That's obvious. It's not for nothing that teams are formed with job balance in mind.
The vanguard can do what the rearguard can't, and the rearguard can do what the vanguard can't.
This is also why rare jobs are mostly shunned.
Because of the Gate's personnel limit, there is a lack of room for team members, so only good jobs are taken.
For example, a Bard has buff Skills, but a Healer also has buff Skills.
'The performance itself is better for Bards, but...'
It's not a huge difference. It was the mainstream opinion that it was ambiguous to put them on the team just for buffs.
It's better to take a Healer who can also heal.
Of course, if an individual's combat ability is outstanding, they can use Skills as support and work as a Hunter. Like me.
Of course, there aren't many people like that.
It's not self-praise. It's been 10 years since the Gate incident, but we were modern people.
The world is changing, and recently there are more and more people who have learned combat since they were young, but that's not the same as real combat.
In my case, I survived the Dragon and gained Stats, and I obtained Secret Arts from the Subspace.
"What should we name the Guild?"
"Yong-yong?"
"..."
Uncle looked at me with a pathetic expression.
"Why?"
"I said you were bad at naming things, but I didn't know it would be this bad. Yong-yong is just a temporary name in the first place."
"Wasn't that what we decided to go with?"
"When did I? I said, 'Let's just go with Yong-yong for now.'"
"It's already too late. Yong-yong has recognized its name."
"Ha..."
Uncle sighed.
"You're just as bad at naming things as I am. You're not not saying anything because you're afraid I'll laugh at you, are you?"
"It's not that I'm good at it, it's that you're too bad at it."
I want to argue, but even I think 'Yong-yong Guild' sounds bad, so I have nothing to say.
Something flashed through my mind.
"Then how about Dinosaur?"
"Dinosaur?"
"We're a Spatialist and a Dragon Knight. The pronunciation of 'Gongyong' Guild is a bit strange, so we'll go with 'Gongryong' which means Dinosaur. We also have a Dragon."
"Not bad?"
Uncle's eyes lit up.
"Instead of Dinosaur, how about Brachiosaurus or Tyranno?"
"..."
This time, I became serious.
"'Brachio Guild', 'Tyranno Guild'? What nonsense are you talking about..."
"Isn't it better than Yong-yong?"
"You have to compare it to Dinosaur."
"...Minseok likes those two dinosaurs."
Well, I admit that...
Even so, Tyranno Guild is a bit much. Dinosaur Guild isn't great either, but it has some meaning.
Well, you can always change the name later, so we can change it later. Anyway, we paid the Guild creation fee and created the 'Dinosaur' Guild.
It was only natural to add the Gates that Uncle and I had cleared to the Guild's achievements.
It's an outstanding achievement compared to our level and abilities, but right now we're a bottom-tier Guild.
The benefits aren't that great, but we created the Guild for the future and our freedom in the first place, so it doesn't matter.
"Now the problem is recruiting talent..."
Uncle was worried. I was too. It would be nice to have a Mage and a Healer.
"Do you have any good Mages around you, Uncle?"
"Around me? Would I?"
"That's a shame. I could invest in someone with a verified personality among my acquaintances."
Uncle's eyes lit up at my words.
"Invest? Are you talking about the Grimoire from the Subspace?"
"Yes."
I use swordsmanship. The Grimoire from the Subspace was still left. I can invest in someone I can trust.
Moreover, there is a high possibility that better Grimoires will come out in the future. It meant that I could raise a Mage, even if I couldn't raise a Healer.
"Well, the guys I used to work with are either dead, retired, or high-level."
That's true too.
"What about you? Don't you have any connections you made when you were an Unawakened Hunter?"
"I do, but not to the extent that I'd give them a Grimoire."
There were some people who contacted me a few times after I Awakened. They were the ones who used me as their exclusive porter when entering Gates.
They were ordinary Hunters. They were kind, but not to the extent that I would give them Secret Arts.
"Let's think about that later and apply for a change of residence."
In order for us to buy a house, we have to report it to the Association. Regardless of whether we have money or not, Hunters' freedom of residence is restricted.
This is to effectively prevent Discharge-type Gates that could erupt at any time. There are Hunters in each region.
Of course, it is not possible to distribute equal power to all regions, but it does maintain a minimum balance.
We also have on-call duty to prepare for Discharge-type Gates, so we have to schedule the dates to enter Gates.
"Hoo. I heard it's really hard to go near the Association."
Since the Gate incident, the popular residential area has been near the Hunter Association. Gangnam has cooled off, and Han River views are not preferred because a Gate appeared in the Han River.
The Hunter Association is safe because high-level Hunters take turns on standby duty to prepare for Discharge-type Gates.
"Still, wouldn't they accept us since we're a Dragon Knight and a Spatialist?"
I don't care where we go, but Uncle wanted to go to a safe place because of his sister-in-law and Minseok.
.
.
.
"A Spatialist and a Dragon Knight have applied for a change of residence?"
"Yes. Near the Association."
Park Seo-woong nodded at the Association President's words.
"What was it, those houses we use when we call foreign Hunters for Gate subjugation cooperation? Give them that."
"Yes?"
Those were things that weren't used often anyway. There were spares left. They were things that could be given to the Dragon Knight and Spatialist.
Moreover, there was something he wanted to ask them.
"Don't forget to ask for a Level-restricted survival gate request while you're talking."