Chapter 38
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: A New Beginning (1)
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Large clans really lived up to their name. We started our journey in a carriage, and everyone except Seo Yu-ju was amazed by the novel sensation of riding in one for the first time.
The carriage we were in was an eight-seater, perfectly sized for all of us.
"Whoa... Bro. Riding in a carriage feels way better than I expected. I thought it'd be super bumpy..."
"That's probably because this carriage has magic applied to it. I've heard that large clans' carriages come with all sorts of convenience spells."
I'd heard that mid-sized or small clans often didn't even have carriages. A vehicle loaded with all this magic was clear proof of just how wealthy a large clan like this was.
"But... why'd you switch from calling me 'hyung' to 'hyung-nim' all of a sudden?"
"It's a sign of respect for you, hyung-nim. Hehe."
Kang I-seo, apparently fed up with Cha Hyun-jin's antics, chimed in.
"Ugh... Look at this guy's bootlicking skills. Unreal..."
"Ah, noona. What's your problem this time? I call you noona too, so if I don't call Yun-seong hyung 'hyung-nim,' it feels off, doesn't it?"
"What?"
"I mean... if you're gonna use honorifics, you gotta use them for hyung-nim, not just noona..."
Hyun-jin's point was that he called her "noona," so not calling me "hyung-nim" would be weird. Better to call just me "hyung-nim" than only her "noona."
Kang I-seo got what he meant and promptly flicked his forehead.
Kong!
"Ow! Why'd you hit me?!"
"Because... you deserved it!"
Everyone else was struggling to hold back laughs at Hyun-jin's words.
I had a question, so I turned to Seo Yu-ju.
"Yu-ju-ssi. I heard we're heading to a city called Lund. Do you know anything about it?"
"Hmm... As far as I know, Lund is one of the regular cities in Baronia. Countries have major cities and regular ones, though it varies a bit. Lund is managed by Eternity Clan."
Got it. Major cities were the neutral nation's capitals, and each of the three great clans managed one regular city.
"What I know about Lund is... it's peaceful. All neutral nation spots are pretty calm, but people say folks there have really bright expressions. And there's some festival once a year, but I'm not sure about the details..."
"I see..."
Seo Yu-ju's cheeks flushed slightly as she spoke to me.
"Um, if it's okay with you, Yun-seong-ssi, maybe we could go to the festival together..."
Just as Seo Yu-ju was about to say something, the carriage jolted to a stop and the door swung open.
"We've arrived at the clan house. Everyone, get out of the carriage."
Judging by Seo Yu-ju's expression, she wasn't thrilled. Her lips were pursed in a pout.
As Gu Yeon-jeong instructed, we disembarked, and a grand yet tastefully ornate building loomed before us.
"Wow..."
Everyone was awestruck by the structure. Gu Yeon-jeong, pleased by our reactions, smiled and spoke up.
"This is where you'll all be staying from now on. What do you think? First impressions of our clan house?"
I answered her question.
"...It's truly impressive. This really shows why Eternity Clan is one of the three great clans."
This wasn't flattery—it was sincere. In a world where survival was a constant struggle, only the top clans could boast buildings like this. If they weren't the three greats, who was?
She seemed to sense my genuine admiration and continued with a delighted expression.
"Hehe... Hearing that from our cute new recruits makes me feel like all my hard work has been recognized."
As we couldn't tear our eyes from the building, a man in armor approached from the clan house entrance.
"Clan Master, you've returned."
"I've brought our cute new recruits. Could you show them around? I have some business to attend to."
"Understood, Clan Master."
"Follow him, everyone. He'll take good care of you, so no need to worry."
"Yes."
Gu Yeon-jeong left promptly, and the man addressed us.
"I'm Han Pyeong-jin. Follow me, and I'll give you a basic tour of the clan house."
"Got it."
I replied while opening his status window.
'A monster.'
His stats were a bit lower than Gu Yeon-jeong's, but still top-tier player level. He was probably an important executive, not a regular clan member.
We followed him inside, and as he walked slowly, he began explaining.
"The first floor has the training hall, communal cafeteria, and reception room. You'll come down here for training or meals. Reception is usually handled by the Clan Master or executives, so you probably won't use it much."
Visitors were likely applicants or high-ranking guests, so the top brass handled them personally.
"This is the second floor, used by Parties 1 through 4."
A question came to mind, so I asked.
"You divide clan members into parties?"
"Yes. Eternity Clan currently has up to Party 8. Anyway, continuing the tour: Parties 5 through 8 use the third floor. The Clan Master uses the fifth. You'll be Party 9 on the fourth floor."
"How are clan ranks structured?"
"Each party has a party leader. For you, Seo Yu-ju-ssi is Party 9's leader. She's still a newbie, so not officially an executive yet, but treat party leaders as executives. I'm Party 1's leader, for example."
"......"
"There's also an admin team with its own executives, since it's a key part of the clan."
I figured even admin executives had less clout than combat ones. This continent ran on martial power, after all.
"Here's your fourth floor. Each room has a bed and wardrobe, so pick whichever you like."
We'd had pretty nice dorms at the Training Facility as raiders, but these were even better. No wonder everyone scrambled to join large clans.
As Seo Yu-ju looked around, she suddenly asked me.
"Yun-seong-ssi, which room are you picking?"
Caught off guard, I thought for a moment before answering.
"Hmm... I'll take the one at the end."
Like the end seat on the subway, I preferred the corner room.
"Then I'll take this one."
The moment I chose, Seo Yu-ju snatched the room next to mine. Kang I-seo gaped in disbelief.
"What the—? You gotta discuss this! What is this?!"
Seo Yu-ju replied shamelessly.
"You should've picked faster. Anyway, I've got this one, so hurry up and choose, everyone."
"Insane! I don't accept this! Pick again!"
"It's just the party leader choosing first. Now, everyone else pick."
Everyone stared at Seo Yu-ju in disbelief for invoking her authority over something so trivial.
Even I gave her that look, and her face reddened as she avoided my gaze.
In the end, Kang I-seo picked a room far from Seo Yu-ju's with a sour expression.
"Ugh... Avoiding the crap 'cause it's filthy. Whatever... I'll take this one."
Han Pyeong-jin, watching the whole scene, eyed us like he doubted we were the talents his Clan Master recruited.
After everyone picked rooms, Han Pyeong-jin composed himself and spoke.
"Ahem... Anyway, your gear will be issued tomorrow. No accessories, but weapons and armor will be Heroic grade."
Everyone's eyes lit up at the mention of gear. In this world, equipment was inseparable from a player's life, so it was only natural.
Seo Yu-ju, wanting to confirm, asked seriously—unlike earlier.
"...Per the contract, Yun-seong-ssi's gear will also be Heroic grade, right?"
"Of course. We're slightly reducing your salaries in exchange for Heroic gear for all, as per the contract."
I'd told her not to worry, but she must've pushed for me during negotiations, still hung up on the Incarnation Clan issue. I was deeply grateful.
'...My regressor. I'll make it up to you somehow later.'
"I've covered the basics. When mealtime comes, head to the communal cafeteria. You can eat in your rooms, but I recommend newbies eat there to bond with other members."
Makes sense—sharing meals and chatting was the easiest way to get close.
"The Clan Master will brief you on your tasks starting tomorrow."
Curious, I asked Han Pyeong-jin.
"Are we going on expeditions?"
"Haha... The Clan Master will explain in detail, but it'll be more like a modest outing than a real expedition."
Modest sounded low-risk, but I shouldn't let my guard down completely.
"I know about the Training Facility incident, so I'm sorry, but you'll be teaming up with Incarnation Clan for a small-scale expedition."
Our group's faces hardened at "Incarnation Clan." Seo Yu-ju spoke in disbelief.
"What? Teaming up with Incarnation Clan?"
"I'm truly sorry, but please understand. This was decided before recruiting you—actually, before you even arrived at the facility."
'I get the gist.'
The three great clans probably trained rookies jointly on expeditions.
'Like a safety net.'
It built camaraderie and provided top players as backup against accidents. Plenty of benefits to joint training.
What puzzled me was... why not Golden Wing Clan, another great clan? And...
'Seo Yu-ju didn't know about this?'
As a regressor, I'd assumed she knew the three clans' training process, but her face said otherwise.
'Well, in her first run, she was probably too busy surviving at this point.'
Han Pyeong-jin seemed sympathetic, aware of our ordeal.
Seo Yu-ju eventually nodded reluctantly.
"...Fine."
"...Thank you for understanding. I'll head out now. Come to the cafeteria at mealtime. Goodbye."