Chapter 66

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 66

Chapter Title: Only I Remain the Same

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I woke up to find that, for some reason, my Unique Trait had leveled up.

Upon checking it out, unlike before where I could only view status windows, I could now instantly inspect item information through my Unique Trait—info that previously required using an artifact to access.

'Nice. No, it's way beyond just nice.'

This wasn't merely good; it was on another level. Because now I could check out the gear other people were wielding, too.

'As long as it's in my line of sight, no matter the distance.'

In other words, I could scout enemy equipment as well.

I hadn't tested it properly yet since I was still in the clan house, but I wondered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠if I could view monster and dungeon info too.

'The trait description mentions "other things," so it's not impossible.'

If I could inspect monsters and dungeons too, this trait would be broken beyond belief.

'No combat prowess, sure. But the performance is insane.'

If my hunch was right, it would be a huge boon to our clan's survival.

Assuming I could check monster info, I'd know their temperament and classification, making battles tilt in our favor naturally.

And that was just the start. If I could gauge dungeon grades and details beforehand, we'd know if it was high-difficulty before even stepping in.

'Survival rates skyrocket.'

While others had to clash head-on and learn through blood and sweat, I'd just need to lay eyes on it. An absurd advantage.

Of course, all this could be jumping the gun, but I was confident my guess was spot-on. No reason for the status window to mention "other things" otherwise.

'Anyway, that's enough mulling for now.'

Time to get to work.

I stepped out into the hallway, and right then, Seo Yu-ju emerged too, heading for her duties. We ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bumped into each other.

"...Uh..."

She looked a bit flustered, clearly not expecting to run into me.

"...Good morning, Yu-ju."

"...Ah, uh, good morning... Yun-seong..."

From Seo Yu-ju's perspective, yesterday's embarrassment probably made her want to crawl into a hole.

Sure enough, her face flushed as she averted her eyes.

Before she drowned in shame, I started to move aside—but she called out.

"Um... Yun-seong...!"

"Yes? Something on your mind?"

"It's just..."

I hadn't brought up yesterday, but she seemed eager to explain herself.

"Y-Yesterday... I think I got really drunk. Sorry..."

I wasn't tone-deaf enough to complain about being tired or inconvenienced.

"No worries, Yu-ju. If anything, it was fun seeing a new side of you. Don't sweat it."

"But..."

"I actually enjoyed it a lot. Felt just like hitting up a bar back on Earth."

"Y-Yeah..."

"Well, I'll head to the office then."

"O-Okay... Yun-seong..."

'Was yesterday that mortifying?'

I'd feel the same if I'd acted like that. Especially since she had feelings for me—embarrassing herself in front of her crush would be brutal.

In the office, Wi Ho-yeon was already there, ahead of me despite my early start.

'What is she, a machine?'

She sometimes seemed less human, more automaton.

"You're here, Lee Yun-seong."

"Ah... Ho-yeon, you're here early."

We exchanged formal greetings and dove into work.

Checking finances and reports, things looked markedly better than before.

Recruiting Wi Ho-yeon and Song In-woo had paid off big time.

The issue was our lack of combat personnel and overall firepower.

We had Lee Jae-hyo, Seo Yu-ju, and Wi Ho-yeon, but compared to big-name clans, we were short.

'And Lee Jae-hyo's still holed up in his room.'

Essentially, our heavy hitters were just Seo Yu-ju and Wi Ho-yeon.

To fix this, clan members needed to power up or we'd recruit fresh blood—but the latter had issues.

'...No reason for anyone to join Eternity.'

A half-ruined clan like ours? No appeal.

But there was a way to tackle both: boost clan members and raise our prestige.

'Succeed in an expedition.'

A couple of successful runs would solve everything. The benefits were obvious.

Not low-grade dungeons, though. Minimum rare, ideally heroic for max impact.

With Wi Ho-yeon added to the roster, heroic was feasible, if risky.

'If it's too dangerous, Yu-ju will call it off beforehand anyway.'

"...Here, some coffee?"

Lost in thought during paperwork, Wi Ho-yeon approached with a cup.

"Ah, thanks, Ho-yeon."

"...If you're tired, take a break. You look worn out."

"I'm fine. Thanks for worrying, Ho-yeon."

A bit later, she spoke up again.

"...It's lunchtime already. You should eat."

Glancing at the clock, she was right. I'd been too focused to notice time flying.

"Ah... Not hungry. You go ahead, Ho-yeon. I'll be okay."

"...Then I'm fine too. Back to work."

"...No need. Seriously, go eat."

"I'm your bodyguard, Lee Yun-seong. I can't eat if you won't. That'd be failure on my part."

'Sigh...'

She wouldn't budge unless I did, so I stood.

"...Let's eat."

In the cafeteria, Hyun-jin and Kang I-seo were mid-meal, spotting us and waving.

"Hey! Over here! Join us."

"...Eating already? Where's Ho-won?"

They usually stuck together as a trio, so his absence stood out. Hyun-jin answered.

"Ah... Ho-won headed out."

"I see."

"Anyway, bro, Ho-yeon sis, eat up."

"Sure."

"Understood."

Hyun-jin was calling Wi Ho-yeon "sis" like he did Seo Yu-ju or Kang I-seo.

"...Training going well, you two?"

"Eh, so-so? Oh, my job grade went up recently..."

"...It leveled?"

I pulled up her status window at the news.

The stats had risen nicely, but her job shifting to rare grade Intermediate Archer stood out more.

'She's been grinding hard.'

Kang I-seo's status screamed effort.

Just to check, I peeked at Hyun-jin's too—his job had upgraded to rare grade Intermediate Swordsman.

'Everyone's progressing steadily.'

Proof they weren't slacking. Constant training yielded results, naturally.

"You've been putting in the work."

"...Hmph... What work? Just keeping up with everyone else."

Unaccustomed to praise, Kang I-seo looked away.

"Sis... why get shy over this? Geez..."

"Wh-who's shy? Shut it!"

So predictable.

Wi Ho-yeon watched our banter with a faint smile, clearly approving.

"What about you, Hyun-jin?"

"Ah... Mine hit rare too. Asked around—seems everyone who was common upgraded to rare."

"Everyone?"

"Yeah. Ho-won and Yu-rim too."

Sudden anxiety hit. If true, I was the only one still at common grade.

'Damn it...'

I'd long known I lacked talent, but facing it stung.

Handling admin had sidelined my combat growth, but bitterness lingered.

"Oh, and Yu-ju sis mentioned an expedition soon."

"...Yeah, she told me directly last time. Probably within a week."

"Ha... Tense this time. First real one since the clan shake-up."

"Yep."

"...So the outcome's huge, right?"

"Obviously."

It was critical. This expedition would make or break Eternity.

Failure wouldn't dissolve us, but rumors would spread. Better to succeed.

'No chance of failing anyway.'

Not optimism—Yu-ju planned it, so she'd picked something suitable.

'Chimera's a slight worry, but it'll be fine.'

No chimera on hand; I'd assigned it to Ha Yu-ri yesterday. Short-term yielded little intel, so a month it was.

"...Hey, didn't peg you for the worrying type. Surprising."

Teasing Kang I-seo on purpose, with a mocking grin. She bit.

"What? You little... Piss off!"

"Aw, mad already?"

"You're dead. Freaking climbing lately."

Wi Ho-yeon, seeing my playful side for the first time, stared wide-eyed between us.

As we bickered over food, Seo Yu-ju descended for lunch.

"Ah..."

She froze spotting me, then straightened her clothes and approached.

"Ahem... Everyone eating, huh."

"...Yes, Yu-ju. Here for lunch?"

"Yeah. Got hungry..."

Curious about her amid the job upgrades, I checked her status.

'Heroic grade already...'

Her growth outpaced everyone. Retreading familiar ground let her level fast.

At this rate, she'd catch up to her first-run self in no time.