Chapter 60

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 60

Chapter Title: Recruitment

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"... Oppa, don't you feel sorry for me at all?"

"... Ahem..."

"I was just trying to help you because I was worried about you..."

The situation was simple. I'd spotted Lee Yu-rim's exceptional talent for administration and dumped all the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠work on her like a hot potato.

After making her handle things for several days while I busied myself elsewhere, she'd stormed in, fed up from her perspective.

'I have to make that chimera... no choice...'

To make excuses, I had no option because I needed to remake the chimera. Sure, half of it was wanting a break, too.

"Yu-rim, I really had no choice. I had my own stuff to do..."

"... Oppa, even so, leaving just me and Uncle Ho-won to handle everything for five whole days? That's too much..."

Her words hit me like a gut punch. The truth was, I'd finished the chimera in two days. Replicating something I'd done before wasn't hard.

"... Haha! Come on, Yu-rim. Want anything? I'll buy you whatever. Just say the word!"

They say money solves everything in this world. If it doesn't, you just need more of it—I remembered hearing that somewhere.

"... Oppa."

Yu-rim stared at me like I was pathetic.

'Damn it...'

"... Fine. I'll handle some work too..."

I hung my head in reluctant defeat, and she grabbed my arm, dragging me to the office.

One thought hit me the moment I saw the scene inside.

'Damn... I have to dive back into this hell...?'

Uncle Ho-won seized my shoulders with both hands the second I entered, speaking firmly.

"Yun-seong, you'll keep handling your duties, right? A man takes responsibility for his work. You can't just run away."

His resentful tone—something I'd never heard before—made me flinch involuntarily.

And so, hell resumed.

Bam!

"W-What? What's wrong, man?!"

"H-Hyungnim?"

I slammed the table mid-meal with the clanmates—our first shared one in ages—and everyone stared in shock.

'Fuck... fuck... she bounced! Seo Yu-ju!'

A week had passed, and Seo Yu-ju still hadn't returned.

"... It's nothing. Sorry, everyone..."

Resentment boiled toward her for not coming back after the promised week. My workload wasn't shrinking at all.

Yu-rim looked dead inside, poking at her food.

She was probably regretting ever offering to help.

The other party members trained steadily, faces full of life, while me, Yu-rim, and Uncle Ho-won looked like zombies.

Uncle Ho-won even stared blankly into space.

"Uncle... you okay?"

"Ah... Huh? Oh... Yeah, fine. Just tired for a sec."

Logically, I should've suggested he take a break... but I couldn't.

'That'd just mean more hell for me.'

Yu-rim and I handling everything alone? That was jumping into the flames ourselves. Sorry, Uncle Ho-won, but no way.

"Hyungnim... do you think something happened to Noona Yu-ju...?"

"......"

Seo Yu-ju hadn't returned to the clan house for two weeks now.

'... Is something wrong?'

She usually kept her promises. A week turning into two had me worried despite myself.

'Fuck, no way to contact her.'

The issue was I had no means to reach out first.

"... Yun-seong oppa. Shouldn't we try finding where Unnie Yu-ju went?"

"... Thinking about it."

I told Ha-eun I was considering it, but finding Seo Yu-ju was practically impossible. How were newbies like us supposed to track someone across this vast continent?

'... At least tell us why she's gone.'

I got that she had regressor business, but it'd be nice if she explained absences beforehand.

'Damn, waiting like this is stressful.'

As I drummed my fingers anxiously on the desk, Yu-hyeon burst into the office.

"H-Hyung! Noona Yu-ju's back!"

Right after his words, Seo Yu-ju entered.

'... Who's the two behind her?'

The odd part: two strangers followed her.

One was a bespectacled man, around thirty. The other, a woman Seo Yu-ju's age, wore martial robes and had a cold vibe with black wolf-cut hair.

She looked about my age, sword at her side—probably a swordswoman.

I checked their status windows.

'Ha... insane.'

Seo Yu-ju must've taken time recruiting talent.

The woman aside, the man might seem underrated as an alchemist with low stats, but no.

'Traits are top-notch.'

We lacked an alchemist, so this was a great pick.

'... More than that, the woman—is she Chinese?'

Name and look screamed Chinese lineage. I'd heard not everyone here was Korean, but seeing a foreigner firsthand felt weird.

'Translation's automatic, they said.'

The tutorial explained the system auto-translates regardless of language.

The party looked flustered by the strangers.

"Sorry, everyone... I took way too long, huh?"

Seo Yu-ju apologized, gauging my reaction especially.

"... Yu-ju, we were worried when two weeks passed without a word."

"Ahaha..."

One week stretching beyond two left her sheepish.

"More importantly, who are the two behind you...?"

"Oh... New recruits for the clan. This is Song In-woo."

The man extended a polite hand first.

"N-Nice to meet you. Song In-woo."

I shook it firmly.

"... Nice to meet you. Lee Yun-seong."

He had a mild, salaryman vibe, face tense—seemed shy.

'... Looks like he'd handle admin perfectly.'

God, please free me from this paperwork hell.

After him, the woman greeted curtly.

"... Please take care of me. Wi Ho-yeon."

"Likewise. Lee Yun-seong."

She felt stiff. Not rude, just the type who'd take time to warm up.

"Wi Ho-yeon, you'll handle admin and finances with Yun-seong, and guard him."

"Understood, Clan Master."

She replied nonchalantly to Seo Yu-ju.

"... Huh? Wait, Yu-ju. Guard me?"

"Exactly. Wi Ho-yeon will protect Yun-seong."

"What does that..."

Why assign a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠guard to me? People would laugh. No clan guards regular members when even the Clan Master doesn't have one.

"It's for your safety. No objections."

"... Wait, no... hold on. What..."

'What the...'

Everything moved too fast to process.

"This is too slapdash. What clan assigns guards to regular members? People will mock us."

"Others' opinions don't matter. What does is you've nearly died twice already."

"Even so..."

"As I said, it's for your safety. Please understand."

Anything else she'd meddle in, fine—but a guard? Different story.

"I get recruiting them, but drop the guard thing. It's overkill."

"It's a safety call. Understand."

"No, Wi Ho-yeon will feel awkward too. We just met..."

"... I'm fine with it."

'Ha...'

Her face said she truly didn't mind.

'... They planned this ahead?'

Seo Yu-ju must've briefed her on the role during recruitment.

"See? Yun-seong."

"....."

It felt meticulously designed to block my refusal.

'Doesn't make sense...'

Wi Ho-yeon was top-tier. Not Kang Sung-jun or Yun Yeon level monsters, but solidly elite.

Unknown years in, but Hero-grade traits meant growth potential.

Why join our clan? Why accept guarding me without protest? I'd get it if she guarded the Clan Master—but a regular? She was becoming one herself, so guarding a peer was absurd.

'Gotta ask Seo Yu-ju privately later...'

Seo Yu-ju spoke up.

"Song In-woo, you'll handle potions, promotion, and admin. We're short-staffed, so focus on recruiting for the admin team."

"Got it. I'll d-do my best, Clan Master."