Chapter 28
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Negotiation
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Three months had already passed since we began our training. In seven days, there would be a graduation ceremony in the same auditorium where we'd first heard that speech.
With the ceremony just a week away, we'd casually discussed our plans afterward with the party members before, but today was the day we'd nail down our future direction through proper discussion.
After Ha Yu-ri's utterly pathetic final lecture, we returned to the dorm to find everyone gathered except for Seo Yu-ju.
Kang I-seo spoke up first.
"So, what do we do now? We need to start deciding which clan to join."
"...I don't know. Everyone's received offers from different clans anyway. We should talk it out properly today."
"...You're okay with that?"
"With what?"
It was probably about the offers. I had only received one from the Myth Clan so far.
I'd once floated the idea to Seo Yu-ju of all joining Myth Clan together, but she didn't seem interested in the slightest.
'...From that conversation back then, it feels like something bad happens to Myth Clan later.'
It wasn't just that she disliked Yoon Yeon or anything like that. Seo Yu-ju's reaction had been as if the Myth Clan was destined to fall.
'...No matter how I think about it, neither Yoon Yeon's stats nor her personality suggest she'd let a clan crumble due to incompetence... What the hell happened in the first round?'
"Hey."
"......"
"Hey! You okay? Why aren't you answering?"
"Huh?"
Apparently, I'd been lost in thought and hadn't focused on Kang I-seo's words.
"...I asked if you're okay. You only got an offer from Myth Clan, right? Should we just all join them?"
Kang I-seo seemed to think I was worried about possibly splitting up from them.
"...Yun-seong oppa. Maybe we should be the ones joining Myth Clan instead..."
Lee Yu-rim must have mistaken my momentary distraction for the same concern.
"No, I get why you're worrying about me, but that's not it at all, so don't."
Not everyone looked convinced by my words.
'Damn it... Why won't they believe me? I'm seriously not worried about that...'
What actually had me concerned was my conversation with Seo Yu-ju about the Myth Clan last time. Based on her reaction, Yoon Yeon ends up dying or falling for some reason.
I wasn't worried about joining a clan at all. Seo Yu-ju had said she'd handle that part.
And that was exactly why we were waiting for her right now.
I was heading to see Kang Sung-jun about getting our party members into his clan. The graduation was approaching, and I wanted to stick with Yun-seong and the rest of this party.
A while back, when I'd talked with Yun-seong, he'd asked what I thought about all joining Myth Clan, and I'd been horrified.
'Well, Myth Clan is plenty good.'
The current Myth Clan wasn't much inferior to the top three clans at all. I might not like Yoon Yeon much, but I had to acknowledge her abilities and strength.
In fact, after the top three clans crumbled for some reason, Myth Clan was set to rise as one of the new top three.
...The problem came after that.
From what Yun-seong had told me about the first round, he'd joined Myth Clan early on.
The issue was that, though I didn't know the details, about a year later, the Myth Clan Master dies for some reason, and the clan splits apart.
In the first round, Yun-seong and I hadn't grown close until very late.
Of course, we'd been active together in the Tutorial, but we weren't particularly friendly then. I was too busy scrambling for my own survival to have a chance to bond.
Above all, the Tutorial atmosphere in the first round made it hard for anyone to get close.
This second round, we've all bonded a lot and become true comrades, but the first round was a hellish situation where no one could trust anyone.
'...Jo Chan-ho, that bastard—I had no idea he was like that back then. Probably going by Jo Byung-ok at the time.'
Killing Jo Chan-ho early this round had been a massive win.
Anyway, skipping the Jo Chan-ho tangent, by the time I met Yun-seong in the first round, he was already badly broken.
'...I'd heard Yu-rim and Yu-hyeon died before that.'
When we reunited, Yun-seong had lost his clan master and even Yu-rim and Yu-hyeon.
We shared love, but every time I looked at him, I felt anxious. Something always seemed missing deep in his heart.
'...He was like a walking corpse.'
Honestly, meeting Yun-seong this round shocked me. He was so bright, nothing like the man I remembered.
'...I never knew he could smile like that.'
That's why I wanted to protect that smile even more. That's why I'd come back.
By the time I met Yun-seong again in the first round, I was already the fallen master of Incarnation Clan, and he was a member of our clan.
'...Thinking back, I have no idea how we even got close. He helped me out a ton in all sorts of ways.'
The help I received from him.
Yes, help.
Sacrifice.
When he died protecting me, it felt like the world collapsed.
"....."
Thinking back always brought cold sweats and headaches. It was a memory I desperately wanted to forget.
'Calm down. This isn't the first round anymore... I won't let it turn out that way.'
This second round was going perfectly so far. We'd eliminated Jo Chan-ho, met Yun-seong early, and gathered great party members.
Looking at our current party, most were people I hadn't seen in the first round's Tutorial.
Yu-rim and Yu-hyeon aside, I figured they'd all died during the Tutorial.
'...Or maybe sometime after the training facility.'
Anyway, if I negotiated well with Kang Sung-jun, joined Incarnation Clan, and then took over after everyone else died in that large-scale expedition—excluding us—that would be it.
'...No point trying to stop the expedition anyway; they won't listen.'
There was no saving them. No one would heed a rookie's words.
Lost in thought as I walked, I arrived at Kang Sung-jun's office. I made some noise and knocked.
Knock. Knock.
"...Seo Yu-ju, trainee. I'd like to discuss the clan offer. Is now a good time, Instructor?"
Click.
He opened the door in under ten seconds, welcoming me warmly.
"Haha... Welcome, trainee Seo Yu-ju. Have a seat here."
"Yes. Thank you."
Kang Sung-jun, master of Incarnation Clan. Or... Uncle Sung-jun.
This man would die in less than six months. Not just him, but most of Incarnation Clan.
Thanks to the unwritten rule against taking first- or second-year rookies on large expeditions, only me and my party would survive.
'...He's a good guy at heart. Unfortunately, unavoidable.'
Despite being one of the continent's top powerhouses, he wasn't arrogant or dishonest. People like him are rare. A genuinely good person.
...But this continent doesn't let the kindhearted survive long.
"For you to come to my office like this... I take it you're positively inclined toward my proposal?"
"Yes. That's exactly why I came."
"A wise choice. I promise you won't be disappointed with the treatment. With your talent, you'll be appointed to a key executive role in about a year."
"....."
"We'll spare no support. You'll receive hero-grade weapons and armor immediately upon joining, and we'll arrange small-scale expeditions with other clans per the rookie curriculum to help you gain experience."
"...The benefits are more than enough. Honestly... they feel excessive."
"Haha! Not at all. Compared to your talent, this investment is nothing. By the way, what about the others...?"
"You mean I-seo, Ho-won oppa, Yu-hyeon, Yu-rim, and Ha-eun?"
"...Yes. I figured if you came, they'd come too, but if not, they wouldn't."
"You've sent them offers too, right?"
"Yes, exactly. They're all talented, so I did. It'd be more comfortable for you to join with familiar faces anyway."
"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk about—a request."
"......"
Uncle Sung-jun's expression turned serious, sensing a big ask.
"...May I hear what it is?"
"You can cut back on my benefits if you want... But in exchange, please accept all nine of us, including me."
"........"
Uncle Sung-jun tapped the desk, face deep in thought.
Tap.
Tap.
"......Honestly, that's a tough request."
I'd expected that. For a major clan, recruiting six rookies is a huge burden. Training one proper member costs a fortune in time and money.
That's why some clans only want seasoned multi-year players.
"Taking in six is possible because it's our clan, and they're talented... but six and nine are different numbers."
"...Hyun-jin is average. Not exceptional, but hardworking. Tae-woo and Yun-seong..."
Kang Sung-jun nodded and spoke.
"I know. If you insisted on Cha Hyun-jin, I'd accept. He's not outstanding, but he's average."
"Ah..."
"But An Tae-woo and Lee Yun-seong are different. Sorry, but bringing them in would stir talk within the clan."
".....Please don't judge Yun-seong just by his talent. He's incredibly capable. In our party, I'm the muscle, but Yun-seong always made the right calls. Tae-woo always gave his all too."
"......."
"Yun-seong is... the heart of our party, in a way. Without him... sorry, but even I and the others won't join Incarnation Clan. This isn't a threat—just the truth."
"Hm..."
Suddenly, Kang Sung-jun recalled Yoon Yeon's words from a meeting.
'...She said Lee Yun-seong was the core of that party.'
Come to think of it, she'd sent him an offer in less than two days.
'...Is there something about Lee Yun-seong I don't know?'
As Kang Sung-jun pondered, Seo Yu-ju made a bold proposal.
"The implicit contract for rookies is max two years, right? If you take all my party members... I'll sign an indefinite contract with Incarnation Clan."
Kang Sung-jun was stunned. The two-year cap existed to prevent clans from exploiting clueless rookies indefinitely.
He was shocked she even knew about it, but her offer of an indefinite contract—an effective lifetime commitment—left him speechless.
Seo Yu-ju's drastic offer swayed him.
"...Very well. We'll accept all nine. But... I won't reduce your benefits, though An Tae-woo and Lee Yun-seong's will be noticeably less than yours or the others'."
".....Yes. Thank you, Clan Master."
"Welcome to Incarnation Clan, Seo Yu-ju."