Chapter 114
Chapter 114
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: Regular Dungeon Auction Day
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"Argh, I just washed it yesterday!"
Jang Su-ho cried out in despair at the drizzling rain.
"See? I told you not to. But Jang Su-ho never listens."
I clicked my tongue at him.
Jang Su-ho muttered with a fairly aggrieved look.
"No, fair. You said we'd get photographed, Nayeo-ju."
"That's true."
I'd been nagging the guild members since yesterday.
Pay attention to your looks since we'd be standing in front of cameras.
But this puppy Jang Su-ho had focused on the car instead of himself.
Well, they're all handsome enough that just combing their hair would do.
I nodded as I looked back at the guild members already in the car.
"Alright, let's head out!"
With Jang Su-ho's shout, the car started moving.
I turned to gaze out the window.
Under the overcast sky, the Justice Guild building was gradually fading into the distance.
As I watched it for a moment, Kang Han, sitting beside me, asked,
"Something wrong?"
"No. Nothing's wrong."
"Doesn't seem like it."
Kang Han's green eyes fixed steadily on me.
Ah, I can't hide anything from this guy.
I shook my head and murmured softly,
"Just feeling uneasy."
Truth be told, very uneasy.
Gwak Ho-young's been too quiet.
Or more precisely, Sama Young behind him.
It wasn't even a secret—Taesan Guild had been thriving under Sama Guild's backing.
So, think about it.
Why did we have to go all the way to Gangwon Province for that guerrilla gate assignment?
Sama Young's interference.
But we broke through it, closed the Gangneung Gate, and stole the public's attention.
Right from under Taesan Guild's nose, who were close to Sama Guild.
And then Taesan suddenly proposed a joint raid.
We took the opportunity, but I expected some ulterior motive.
"But nothing's happened yet."
"Whatever it is, we'll be fine. Worst case, we go mining again."
Kang Han said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
He's even gotten decent at jokes now.
"Right? You saw how good I am with a pickaxe last time."
I grinned back.
But that didn't erase the nagging worry inside.
What if they try to make us spend even more money?
The Justice Guild's one weakness was still money.
I need to shoot more ads soon.
After this regular gate raid, time to seriously make some cash again.
I resolved as I watched the Awakener Association building come into view outside the window.
Unlike the Yeouido mining dungeon auction house, regular gate auctions were hosted by the Association.
They weren't held on a fixed schedule.
The dates varied based on the Prediction Headquarters' decisions, but the area around the Association always teemed with crowds on auction days.
Today was no different.
The press line was packed right behind with reporters staking their spots in a row, and fervent supporters from various guilds caused traffic to grind to a halt for a while.
But that was only at the start, when the major guilds arrived.
Looking around the now-deserted surroundings, Choi the reporter from Jo Kang Ilbo stepped back a few paces and called over his junior.
It was a deliberate move, mindful of the nearby YouTube live-stream camera filming the scene.
"Should we wrap up soon?"
"Yeah. We got all the shots anyway."
He checked his phone, noting the live stream's viewers were tapering off.
"Once Taesan goes in, we could probably turn off the camera for real."
Choi's junior said while wiping rain-flecked glasses.
"But Taesan's not even a top guild. Why are they so popular?"
Choi asked, eyeing Gwak Ho-young, who had just arrived and was still fielding interviews.
"Well, he's got a pretty face. He's all sweet to the fans."
"Is that it? That's kids' tastes these days? I think he looks kinda sleazy..."
"The rumors aren't great, yeah. But regular folks don't know that stuff."
"True. Hey, what's this? Another car pulling up?"
Choi instinctively raised his camera.
It was a black van approaching from afar, but the letters zoomed in through the lens were clear.
"Justi... That's Justice Guild, right?"
Other reporters killing time nearby sensed it too and hoisted their cameras.
Dozens of lenses, including the YouTube live cam, flashed toward the Justice Guild's black van slowing to enter the Association grounds.
A parking attendant took the van keys from Jang Su-ho.
"Let's get out."
Kang Han opened the door as he spoke.
A rush of shutter sounds hit us, followed by a barrage of camera flashes.
"It's Justice Guild!"
"Snap first, ask later!"
It wasn't that Justice Guild's popularity had skyrocketed overnight.
Everyone was just shocked to see us at a regular gate auction and snapping away reflexively.
Glancing back, the younger members including Im Cheong-su looked a bit tense but were managing their expressions steadily.
Worth raising them right.
"Over here, please!"
Led by someone's shout, reporters beyond the press line shoved their cameras even more aggressively.
Even the outlets that had been interviewing Gwak Ho-young up front.
Serves him right.
For an attention hog like Gwak Ho-young, it was brutal.
Look at him glaring.
Gwak Ho-young, robbed of the spotlight in an instant, was shooting daggers at us from afar with a smile plastered on.
Then our eyes met.
What're you gonna do about it?
I smiled back.
As we locked eyes briefly, a black umbrella suddenly blocked my view.
"Why stand in the rain?"
Kang Han had held it over me.
"We're going right in anyway."
"Still not good for your health."
Maybe because of the rain.
Or sharing the umbrella.
His voice sounded deeper and strangely unfamiliar today.
"Guild Master Kang Han!"
A reporter's call made Kang Han look up, away from me.
"Is Justice Guild challenging a regular gate solo?"
"No. Justice Guild is—"
"Justice Guild with our Taesan—"
Gwak Ho-young, now nearby, tried to cut in.
But Kang Han didn't let him.
He continued regardless.
"Justice Guild plans to team up with Taesan for the raid."
The mics and cameras stayed trained on Kang Han, naturally.
That's Kang Han for you.
More precisely, the weight of Kang Han himself and the enduring clout of 'Justice Guild'.
"Justice Guild's popularity has surged since the Gangwon Gate. Your thoughts?"
Kang Han didn't falter at the off-topic question.
"We'll redouble our efforts at Justice Guild to ensure the public's peaceful lives."
A straightforward, reassuring answer worthy of an ex-military man.
People loved this side of him.
The reporters nodding unconsciously proved it.
This was star power difference.
Plus, Kang Han knew how to charm the press without lessons.
"Auction's about to start, so we'll head in."
"Guild Master!"
"One more question!"
"Let's go, Nayeo-ju-ssi."
I bowed politely to the reporters on Kang Han's behalf and started walking.
The umbrella tilted over my head.
Kang Han's broad shoulder was fully exposed to the rain.
"Guild Master, wet shoulders kill the dignity."
I pushed the umbrella handle his way.
"What's a little wet?"
The black umbrella quickly tilted back toward me.
Inside the auction hall, the same scene from the press line repeated.
All eyes locked on us.
Taesan Guild trailing behind was long relegated to extras.
"What? Justice Guild?"
"Justice Guild?"
The vast hall buzzed.
"Justice already here?"
"Think regular gates are their backyard?"
The sour stares felt familiar.
Top guild hunters I'd seen multiple times on raid broadcasts.
But their faces mixed undisguisable tension.
Reactions that wouldn't surface if they weren't wary of Justice Guild's rise.
As we stood soaking in the prickly gazes,
"Justice Guild! Long time no see!"
A bright voice cut through alone.
"Fancy meeting here!"
Striding up the stairs waving was Camellia Guild's Yu Myeong-hwa.
"Ugh, no..."
I tried ducking behind Kang Han to evade her line of sight when,
Over Yu Myeong-hwa's shoulder appeared an infuriatingly handsome face.
"...Damn it."
It was Sama Young.