Chapter 26
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Meeting
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"You've arrived, Ms. Ha Yu-ri."
"Yeah... sure."
Kang Sung-jun clapped his hands and addressed everyone in the meeting room.
"Alright, now that we're all here, shall we discuss which rookies stand out?"
There were about ten people gathered in the meeting room, all instructors.
One man spoke up.
"...There's a rookie with the basic Archer job who's got some real talent."
A woman sitting across from him asked,
"Oh? Who's that?"
"Kang I-seo, one of the dungeon raid team members. For a total newbie, she shoots her bow pretty well and adapted incredibly fast."
"Hmm... I know who you mean. The girl who was mouthing off up front during the orientation speech?"
"That's the one."
"Well... our clan could use more ranged DPS, so maybe we should send her an offer?"
"...Eternity Clan Master, aren't you being a bit too greedy?"
"Ha! Greedy? Everyone's hungry for talent here!"
Everyone nodded. On the surface, this was a place to share info on promising rookies and compete fairly for recruits.
Surface-level, anyway.
The man bristled and shot back.
"Last batch, you snatched a recruit we were after!"
"Whoa, you've grown some guts, huh? Filling in for your clan master and talking big. Just the other day you were shaking in your boots in front of me... so cute back then."
"Khm...! What does that have to do with this?"
The woman smirked at his flushed face.
From a seat a bit farther away, a man with a grave expression spoke up.
"...As everyone knows, there's one absolute monster among them."
Silence fell over the room. They'd all heard the rough details from the rookies about what happened in this Tutorial.
"Seo Yu-ju, the one I taught this time around. Honestly, I didn't believe the Tutorial stories at first. They were just... too ridiculous."
Everyone here had thought the same initially. Until they'd cross-verified with the rookies themselves, they'd dismissed it all as nonsense.
Another man raised a question.
"Veritas Clan Master. So the rumors about that rookie are true?"
"True. Seo Yu-ju's talent... frankly, it's above ours."
Shock rippled through the room. These were the top dogs of this world, after all.
"What...? Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
"...Let me flip the question. Which of us racked up achievements like that at her stage? We sure as hell weren't that strong as newbies."
"......"
"Of course, we're way stronger now. But in three years? Will we still be?"
"......In that case, maybe we should eliminate her early..."
BAM!
The man suggesting they take out Seo Yu-ju early jumped in surprise at the sound of someone slamming their fist on the table.
"...What the hell kind of insane talk is that?! Kang-san Clan Master, are you out of your mind?!"
"Ah, no, I misspoke. C-calm down, Incarnation Clan Master."
"...Let's at least keep some basic standards. We're not those psychotic Eastern Alliance bastards. Don't ever say shit like that again."
"...S-sorry."
Once things settled, Kang Sung-jun spoke up.
"Any other standouts?"
The Veritas Clan Master replied.
"...Frankly, all the raid team rookies seem exceptional. Even setting talent aside, their adaptation speed is insane. Of course, Seo Yu-ju's at the center."
"Well... Seo Yu-ju's a given—everyone's gunning for her. We all know her value."
As the woman finished, a burly man spoke up.
"...You might not know Kim Ho-won, the middle-aged guy, but he's solid. Great Resistance stats, and battle-savvy as hell. Doesn't seem like your average Earthling."
"I see."
Kang Sung-jun turned to Ha Yu-ri.
"Ice Witch. Any standouts in your group?"
Ha Yu-ri fell silent for a moment before answering.
"...Lee Yu-hyeon and Song Ha-eun. They're both exceptional. One's a Priest, the other's a Spirit Summoner."
Everyone marveled at her words. Priests were rare on this continent, but Spirit Summoners were practically mythical.
"Impressive... A Priest and a Spirit Summoner? Are they raid team too?"
"Yes. And while everyone's fixating on the Spirit Summoner, the real gem's the Priest. Hero-grade job."
"...What?"
Mouths hung open as if they'd heard the impossible.
The Veritas Clan Master looked baffled.
"...Do you realize what you're saying?"
"Can't believe it? I get it. I doubted my own eyes at first. But I confirmed it during the lecture when the kid used her abilities."
"...Unbelievable. An Awakener..."
Sighs filled the room. Awakeners were that rare. In all of Eras, there were fewer than five known.
Kang Sung-jun shook his head in disbelief.
"This batch is... unreal. Seo Yu-ju, an Awakener, a Spirit Summoner? What kind of ridiculous lineup is this...?"
"...And one more."
"...Who? There's more?"
"Not in a good way. Lee Yun-seong—you might know him."
Kang Sung-jun recalled him instantly. The guy who'd asked a ton of questions when he'd shown them to the dorms.
'...He seemed adaptable enough...'
"What's his deal?"
"For someone who got his job in the Tutorial, his Mana's low. No real knack for magic either. He's probably the weakest in the raid team. No value for clan recruitment."
"...Is that so?"
As everyone started nodding along, someone burst out laughing.
"Ahahahahaha!"
Stunned by the sudden laughter, everyone froze. Ha Yu-ri frowned at the culprit.
"...What's so funny, Shin-hwa Clan Master?"
"Ahahat... Hold on... My stomach hurts from laughing... Hoo..."
"...Are you losing it? What..."
"Ahaha... It's nothing. I know the guy too."
It'd been less than a week—how did she know Lee Yun-seong? Ha Yu-ri couldn't wrap her head around it.
'...Because he's on the raid team?'
"Hmm... Ice Witch—or should I say Ma-dan Clan Master. Don't you hate Dark Sorcerers?"
"......"
For some reason, everyone knew Ha Yu-ri despised demons and Dark Sorcerers.
"The guy's a Dark Sorcerer. Is that why you hate him?"
"...So what? He's a Dark Sorcerer, sure, but his talent is just..."
"Come on, he's got grit and a good head on his shoulders. Isn't that a bit harsh for just a short training stint?"
"Then what do you call someone without talent? A genius?"
"I won't argue he lacks magic talent. But declaring him worthless for recruitment... feels like it's your Dark Sorcerer bias talking."
"Ha... A mage without magic talent isn't trash, then? What is he?"
"Ahaha... See? You just called him trash."
Ha Yu-ri's face darkened as Yoon Yeon kept nitpicking.
"...Ha. He must've really caught your eye. Go seduce him or recruit him yourself if you like him so much."
Yoon Yeon chuckled at Ha Yu-ri's jab.
"Already did. Invited him to my bedroom on day one."
'What the hell...? Did...? They...?'
"Wh-what?"
"I said already did."
"Y-you mean... you two... did it...?"
Not just Ha Yu-ri—everyone else panicked too. Yoon Yeon's words left way too much to the imagination.
Yoon Yeon spoke with a straight face.
"Ahaha! What are you all imagining? I made him a recruitment offer."
Realizing she'd been pranked, Ha Yu-ri flushed just as one line hit her.
"...Wait. A recruitment offer? Already?"
The others looked equally puzzled. Offers this fast meant the rookie was either a prodigy or a personal favorite.
Seo Yu-ju? Sure. But Lee Yun-seong?
Ha Yu-ri asked, genuinely baffled.
"...Why? What value did you see to offer already? Shin-hwa Clan Master, you high or something?"
"Heh... He asked the same. Why offer him?"
Kang Sung-jun leaned in, curious.
"Shin-hwa Clan Master. Just curiosity, but... mind sharing why you offered Lee Yun-seong?"
"...Gut feeling. He seemed... desperately driven. I have a thing for people missing something or on the edge. They usually achieve something—good or bad."
"...Understood."
"Didn't want to advertise and create competition, but... In that party, Seo Yu-ju's the leader, but Lee Yun-seong's the core too. Just saying."
Everyone got it. Don't alienate the whole party by dissing Lee Yun-seong.
"...Though one person's already off-base."
"...Huh?"
Kang Sung-jun lightened the mood.
"Alright, meeting's over. Prep for tomorrow's lectures, everyone."
A month had already passed at the Training Facility. The others seemed somewhat adjusted now.
"Ugh... This is killing me. Fuck, the training's way too intense."
"...You think you're the only one? I'm beat too."
I'd thought being a Dark Sorcerer meant skipping physical training, but nope—wishful thinking. Mages, Priests, everyone did stamina drills.
Instructors said stamina was essential for every job.
Expeditions with parties or clans lasted days to weeks, even months. You had to march with gear, camp out.
Big clans hired porters or used wagons to ease the load, I'd heard.
For someone like me who'd barely exercised ever, it was hell.
"Dude, why are you so scrawny? How you gonna handle night duties? Pfft."
"Shut up... you bitch."
Stamina training was tough but bearable if I gritted my teeth. The real issue? Ha Yu-ri.
'That crazy bitch... really... ha...'
Her harassment worsened daily. No physical stuff, but she'd skip proper explanations, ignore my questions—enough to make me wonder if I'd pissed her off in my first timeline.
Yu-hyeon and Ha-eun kept glancing at me nervously during lectures. Ha Yu-ri trashed me while praising them to the skies.
'Fuck... but Seo Yu-ju's the bigger problem.'
I tried hiding my struggle, but she'd heard from them somehow. Lately, her looks were off.
Her stares at Ha Yu-ri from afar felt murderous—like she wanted to rip her apart. Maybe just my imagination.
Lost in thoughts of Seo Yu-ju, Kang I-seo spoke up.
"Hey, you really okay? You look pale lately... Want a massage? Heard your instructor's been riding you."
"Ha... Who told you? It's nothing, don't worry. Just two months to endure."
"If it's that bad, talk to the Chief Instructor? He seems decent. Might do something."
"Nah. Even if it fixes things, it'll just paint me as weak to the higher-ups."
"...I'm just worried 'cause you look wrecked, asshole."
"Fuck, the stamina training's the killer. Instructor's just talk—no big deal anymore, bitch."
"Ooh... Loved that curse. Swear more?"
"Crazy bitch... Get lost. I'm grabbing food."
I hurried off, leaving Kang I-seo behind.
"Argh...! Hey! Wait up!"