Chapter 94: Consultation (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 94: Consultation (3)
“Whoa… this is killing me.”
The morning run.
I was pretty used to it by now, but my legs still felt like they were about to give out by the time I finished.
As I gasped for breath and collapsed, Yu Hana, who had been running beside me, also caught her breath and spoke.
“Weren't we… a little faster… than usual today…?”
“Good, so you noticed.”
With that, I finally just sprawled out on the grass.
“I was just trying to keep up, and I nearly died.”
Despite my words, I had enjoyed it.
Running with Yu Hana had become a nice routine.
After resting for a while, we grabbed our usual bottled water from the vending machine and sat side by side on a bench at the edge of the field.
A brief silence passed as we caught our breath.
“…Hey, Hae-in.”
Yu Hana spoke up cautiously.
She lightly tidied her hair, glancing over at me.
“That experience program… where are you thinking of going?”
“Me? I'm still… thinking about it.”
I had looked over my organized notes yesterday.
You could apply to a maximum of two organizations for the program.
Even if you applied, it felt like the organizations would then select students based on their own criteria.
In my case, it wouldn't be a problem no matter where I went.
Most places would likely accept me if I just applied.
Just then, Yu Hana spoke quietly.
“What about… the Cheongpung Sect?”
As she said it, she lowered her gaze slightly.
I let out a small laugh.
In the original story, Yu Hana almost always chose the Cheongpung Sect, unless the protagonist dragged her somewhere else against her will.
Already trying to recruit promising prospects as the family head.
“Isn't this tampering?”
Of course, it wasn't tampering at all, but I wanted to tease her.
Yu Hana reacted immediately to my playful jab.
“Huh? N-No! That's not what I meant… I just!”
Seeing her wave her hands in denial, I couldn't help but smile.
“I'm kidding.”
I waved a hand and laughed.
Yu Hana turned her head away, embarrassed, the tips of her ears slightly red.
“Well, it’s not a bad idea. The Cheongpung Sect is a good place.”
The Cheongpung Sect is a prestigious group.
Its management is solid, and its domestic infrastructure is well-established.
It’s the kind of place that’s recognized everywhere.
But for me, it was lacking in several ways.
The Cheongpung Sect is a guild based strictly within the country.
Most of its activities take place domestically.
Later on, I'll need to go abroad to acquire Fragments and other things.
If I joined them, that would inevitably become a source of frustration.
The path I needed to take was much broader.
“But I probably… won't be going.”
“……Why?”
Yu Hana asked cautiously.
“Just because.”
I took a short breath before continuing.
“I'm just too greedy.”
At my words, Yu Hana quietly nodded.
She didn't reply, but her eyes trembled for a moment.
The water bottle was still half-full.
She held it to her lips for a long time without drinking.
Then, she finally spoke.
“…I understand.”
A moment later, Yu Hana stood up with a faint smile.
“See you in a bit.”
She turned her back quietly after that single remark.
Her smile looked a little sad somehow.
*
That afternoon, in Gaon’s Lecture Hall B.
It was the break between classes, but the students hadn't left their seats.
Or rather, they couldn't leave.
“Sooo~ if you join our guild, not only will you get a signing bonus, but we'll also lend you equipment, hazard pay is a given, and a mentor hero will create a one-on-one curriculum just for you.”
At the front of the lecture hall stood someone who was clearly an outsider.
A confident expression and overly energetic gestures.
The man, speaking animatedly in a flashy white suit, was a scout from Rapid, a guild ranked in the top 30 domestically.
“You know the A-Class Hero Kalix, right? Kalix? You can even meet him…”
He was really trying.
And for good reason. Here at Gaon, the world's number one academy, a top-30 domestic guild… frankly wasn't very competitive.
A few students glanced around cautiously.
Some looked genuinely interested, while others were clearly letting it go in one ear and out the other.
Most of them just looked like they wanted to leave.
His solo concert continued for a while longer until…
“Anyway, we hope to see many of you apply for the experience program!”
The scout left.
“Phew…”
“He talked way too much.”
“Who would even go there…”
The students grumbled, and a few even scoffed.
Yoon Chae-ha, sitting next to me, was no different.
“…Zzz.”
Of course, she’d been asleep since the start of class, but still, she was sleeping.
The students sighed or fiddled with their phones, waiting for the next class to begin.
And then.
Creeak.
A new person entered through the open door.
“Hello~”
The person was a startlingly familiar face.
The woman recently appointed as the new vice-representative of Lotus.
Her name was Yu Serin.
She had appeared in the original story as well.
Although Lotus had maintained its second-place ranking, it had been considered stagnant for some time, but after she joined, it began to reform its structure.
Of course, with a corrupt representative, its fate was already sealed.
“It’s so quiet in here… I was worried I might be interrupting.”
Usually, these guild information sessions were held by so-called ‘mediocre’ guilds.
Guilds with low recognition, lacking in credibility, and, above all, desperate to recruit students.
In that respect, Lotus was the furthest thing from a guild that needed to hold an info session.
Her composure was on a different level from the Rapid scout who had just left.
Her footsteps, her gaze, even her breathing.
The moment she stood before the podium, the students’ postures changed.
“I’m Yu Serin, the vice-representative of Lotus. It’s a pleasure to meet you all!”
At her bubbly entrance, the attention of the entire lecture hall was instantly captured.
No one was fooling around, and no one was looking at their smartwatch.
She walked to the front of the podium and continued speaking naturally.
“This won’t take long… But I promise to be as honest as possible!”
Her gaze swept lightly across the entire room.
That alone made some students sit up straighter.
“Lotus is—”
After a short breath, her expression suddenly turned serious as she declared calmly.
“—not a guild for fallen heroes.”
A brief silence fell.
The words weren't harsh, but they were strangely provocative.
Then her gaze landed on the front row, on Kang A-rin, who was sitting with a bored expression, her chin propped on her hand.
Kang A-rin didn't bother to hide her boredom.
Even so, Yu Serin’s gaze lingered there a moment longer.
“We only want those who wish to become the best, with us.”
In that moment.
‘…What was that?’
In that very moment.
I felt it clearly. Her gaze turned to me, and for a split second, it rested there, sharp and clear.
[All-Encompassing Perception resists Insight Eye.]
At that, Yu Serin’s eyes faltered for a second.
It seemed she hadn't expected her Authority to fail.
With a faint smile, she gave me a very slow nod.
Then she gestured to a neatly dressed female scout standing beside her.
“Please direct any questions to the scout over here. Well then, if you'll excuse meee~”
With that, she turned and walked out.
No one made a sound until her back had completely disappeared.
“……”
Silence hung in the air, and then, in the next instant.
The students rose from their seats all at once.
They swarmed the scout, each trying to be the first in line.
“Was Lotus always like this?”
“She’s kind of cute, but also cool…”
I was impressed.
Her gaze had definitely been aimed at Kang A-rin, the heir to Glory.
Though she hadn't said it outright, every student had understood the implied meaning.
‘Only students who want to surpass Maengju and become the best with us.’
It was a statement that would stir the hearts of many students.
After the Lotus scout had also left, I headed to the cafeteria.
Cheon Yeo-wool didn't come with me.
She said she was on a diet, something about how everything she eats goes somewhere else or whatever.
I didn't particularly want to understand, so I didn't ask further.
Yoon Chae-ha went with me. For lunch, we had the usual cafeteria food.
I rinsed my mouth and pushed open the cafeteria door.
Summer was slowly approaching, so I walked in the shade to avoid the warm sunlight.
Just then.
“Knock, knock.”
Someone’s fingertips tapped my shoulder.
Literally, making the knock, knock sound with their mouth.
I turned my head.
A pleasant scent of roses wafted over.
A scent too natural to be perfume, yet a little too vivid to be fresh flowers.
“Student Jung Hae-in?”
It was the person who had been on the podium earlier.
Yu Serin.
She was holding a small document in her hand, a slight smile on her face.
“Why haven't you answered me?” she asked playfully.
Beside me, Yoon Chae-ha looked at me with a horrified expression.
“If you put it like that…”
The meaning behind Yu Serin’s words was simple.
During the midterm bidding match, Lotus had bid a whopping 1.5 billion for me.
Although they lost the top spot to Vanquisher, that amount was more than enough to show their interest.
I could have responded to the guilds that bid on me… but I hadn't replied to any of them.
“I was the one who personally scouted you and placed that bid. You were my first pick after I was appointed.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes! The way you sliced right through Medusa…”
I replied nonchalantly.
But she didn't stop.
“Won't you come to Lotus?”
Yu Serin asked, straight to the point.
But my answer was already decided.
I was interested in Yu Serin as a person.
If she were to leave Lotus, perhaps.
But Lotus as a guild…
“I'm not going.”
“Is that right?”
She didn't even blink at my rejection.
Instead, she nodded as if it was the reaction she had expected.
“Well, there’s still plenty of time for you to change your mind.”
“You’d be better off not wasting your energy.”
“That’s… up to me!”
Yu Serin turned away with a familiar laugh.
I quietly watched her as she walked away.
She was, in many ways, a tragic character.
If only she had a colleague to properly support her, she could have soared so much higher.
Betrayal and conspiracy.
I knew her future.
In every route the protagonist took, she never escaped death.
Because Lotus was an organization destined to oppose Seong Si-woo.
However, things were already changing so much.
In a situation like this… wouldn't it be okay to say just one thing?
“Excuse me.”
She stopped.
Slowly, she turned her head.
“Yes?”
“Be careful who you trust.”
Yu Serin narrowed her eyes.
She seemed lost in thought for a moment. Then, she tilted her head and smiled.
“…You have a quirky side, Hae-in!”
“You're not so different yourself.”
With that one remark, I turned away.
I had no intention of getting deeply involved.
From here on, it was up to her.
