Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: My Phone... It's You Again
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My phone... it's you again.
OK, extending it to one week.
“Ehehe, I won.”
Unfortunately, the head moderator stepped in and quickly shut down the gallery's hot topic. A sub-moderator then declared the topic banned—meaning they'd delete any related posts—but I was satisfied with the outcome.
I can just tease him again later when the "Sosa Station Windmill" proof post goes up.
“Alright, what should I do now... Oh, right. I need to check my comments.”
Sadly, all the featured posts that came after mine were taken down, but my A-rank certification flex post was still there.
Thanks to that, the upvotes poured in, and I hit 100. Besides the post I made when a drunk, unruly customer pushed over the counter during my convenience store shift, this was the first time I'd ever gotten 100 upvotes.
Just thinking about that time makes my head spin.
“Huh? Who's this?”
It was a username I'd never seen on the gallery before, and they'd left a comment on my A-rank certification post asking me to check my DMs.
I've been on the Awakening Gallery for about two years, and I've never seen that name.
“Who could it be...”
Just in case, I clicked on their Gallery Log, and just as I thought, they were active on the Active Hunter Gallery. Skimming through their posts, this person was...
“A Hunter from Busan...?”
The Sasang District Gate must be the open-type gate that recently appeared in Busan. And judging by the "back in my day" stories, he didn't seem very young...
“What kind of DM did he send?”
I checked my inbox just in case, and there were quite a few messages. Besides Reef, who asked me to check, there were about eight other people.
“Great Dragon...? Where's that?”
The message went on for much longer, but I didn't read the rest.
Besides, I'd never even heard the name before, which probably meant it was a small guild. And if they were only active in the Busan area, not even the entire Gyeongsang Province or Gyeongnam region, their scope seemed a bit small.
When I searched for the Great Dragon Guild on a Hunter guild information site, it wasn't as small as I thought, but...
“120 guild members? I can't tell if that's big or small.”
When you talk about Korea's four major clans, you start with Nova. It began in Gyeongsang Province, is now primarily based in the capital area, and still dominates the Gyeongsang region.
The Union Guild started in Gangwon Province and moved to the capital area as it grew, though later than Nova. They still have many subordinate units in Gangwon.
Of the two major clans that haven't entered the capital area, one is the Mujin Guild from the Jeolla region. These days, it's more like a coalition of all the guilds in Jeolla, so it's quite large.
The Orders Guild in the Chungcheong region is also one of the four major clans, but I heard they've been having a tough time lately. Something about a massive tower-like structure appearing that they're struggling to clear. It's probably been a year already.
Anyway, that's irrelevant. I figured if I were to join any guild, it would probably be the Nova Guild, since they helped me out.
“Ophelia, are we going to join the Nova Guild?”
“No, that is not the case.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“In order to fully utilize your Highness's abilities in the future, it has been determined that belonging to a single guild would not be greatly advantageous. However, if we were to name the clan we will work most closely with, it would be the Nova Clan.”
“Oh... I see. I didn't know.”
“My apologies for the delayed communication.”
“N-No! It's okay.”
I naturally assumed I'd join the Nova Guild, since Chae-rin helped me with so much and I ended up getting a ton of expensive magic stones and rare metals from them.
It seems Chae-rin and Ophelia must have discussed it when they met. I guess I won't be able to become one of the Guardians of the Galaxy then.
Gosh, this person is so persistent. I told him I have no intention of joining a guild. I'm the person who turned down the Nova Guild's confession! Well, technically Ophelia did that, but still.
As I wrestled with my phone, arguing with this person named Reef, Ophelia approached and asked me a question.
“Your Highness. If you find it difficult to respond, I suggest you block them.”
“Ah, but blocking seems a little too harsh, so....”
“Then, would it be acceptable if I responded on your behalf?”
“You, Ophelia? Um, well, I guess that's okay.”
“Uh....”
“It has been resolved.”
Is this really okay...?
After finishing my daily exercises, I was lying on the floor taking a short break when I got a message from Han Do-hee.
“A raid party...!”
A raid party meant it wasn't a 4-person party, but a whole group of 12 people going in together. But I wasn't sure if it was okay for me to join something like that.
Have I already become a force to be reckoned with, someone they'd bow down to invite to a raid party? Of course, I didn't do anything myself, but I couldn't help feeling good about it.
“But it's a raid party... That means there could be up to 10 strangers....”
Since Han Do-hee invited me, she'd be there for sure. And maybe Chae-ah would be there too?
When I was a convenience store clerk, I could handle my shyness by thinking of myself as an NPC, but attending a raid party with a high rank like A seemed terrifying.
What if I don't live up to their expectations? What if they start gossiping behind my back, calling me overrated, all hype, or saying my rank is inflated....
It turned out it wasn't some secret Awakening Gallery clique, but just the 'guys she hangs out with' that Han Do-hee had mentioned before.
But since people with similar personalities tend to stick together, many of them also used the Awakening Gallery. She said that, unintentionally, at least seven out of the twelve people, including herself, were registered or anonymous users on the gallery.
“Hrmmmmmmm....”
“Are you contemplating something?”
“Oh, Ophelia.”
Come to think of it, it wasn't as simple as me just saying yes and that being the end of it. A princess has to look after her subjects.
If Ophelia already has plans, it might be difficult.
“Ophelia, are you free on that day?”
“Hmm, unfortunately, it seems I have a prior engagement on that day.”
“Huh... really?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
Unfortunately, our kingdom's strongest asset, Ophelia, can't make it. That means my rank effectively drops to B-rank, which is honestly a bit... I mean, I got an A-rank, but Ophelia, the one who made it possible, isn't coming? That's basically fraud.
“Then I guess I shouldn't go....”
“However, my engagement does not demand significant combat power. Therefore, there is a way for your Highness to suitably overcome the current situation.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“If you transfer a portion of the rare metal and magic stones that constitute my body—to be precise, just a portion of the magic stones—Minium's combat power will increase significantly.”
She's right, the difference between high-grade and low-grade magic stones is huge.
“Is that possible?”
“It would likely require an increase in the level of your Issue Command skill.”
“Hmm, is there a way to raise it quickly?”
As I pondered for a moment, Ophelia nodded beside me.
“It seems there is no choice but to bring this out.”
“Huh? What is it? Don't bring it out.”
_Princess_Eve
Hello, nice to meet you
“...When did you take this picture?”
“My eyes are capable of recording.”
“Ah.”