Don't Cry. You Did Well. Ttok.
10 years. For Seo-rin, that was an eternity.
She had scoured the land in search of him, awakened herself, honed her skills, and climbed to fame.
All of it had been nothing more than a means and method to find him.
But when they finally reunited after ten long years, his demeanor was far too calm.
'After ten years, is that really all the words I was supposed to say?'
A wave of bitterness surged in Seo-rin.
She had searched desperately for him, yet he seemed to barely notice her existence.
As if she were an old thread that had long since snapped.
Worse still, during those very ten years, he had been accompanied by another woman—a disciple from a different world.
'Elysia...'
Seo-rin glared at the golden-haired girl clutching her Sovereign Sword, grinding her teeth in secret.
She looked elegant on the surface, but her words and actions clearly carried deliberate intent.
'Those were precious times just for me.'
Elysia's expression and voice when she spoke those words, and the way she gazed at Si-ho.
It felt as if she were saying, 'Compared to you, I am closer to Master. Do not even think of inserting yourself between us like the woman from the past.'
Of course, it was an exaggerated interpretation filtered through Seo-rin's heart.
But the words were not entirely wrong.
Elysia had also regarded Seo-rin with caution.
'You are... a friend of Master.'
Yet she was certain the bond went far deeper.
Seo-rin could tell from the way she treated Master.
The look in her eyes when she called him 'Oppa’s only sister.'
And the way she looked at Master.
Elysia, who had spent the most time at Master’s side over the past decade, understood instinctively.
This woman before her was a threat she must guard against.
That was why she had unconsciously revealed herself.
How precious the time she had spent with Master.
And how close she was to him.
After a moment of awkward silence, the two began to move.
Seo-rin was the first to seize the offensive timing.
'Flame Spear!'
Five blazing spears erupted around Seo-rin and streaked straight toward Elysia.
Fwoosh—!!
Yet not a single flame even grazed Elysia’s collar.
She dodged the incoming fire faster than it could burn and swept her blade in a graceful arc.
'Hmm... I hope Elysia isn’t holding back too much.'
Elysia seemed to have read his expression and subtly adjusted her speed and power.
Thanks to that, Seo-rin was able to fend off her surprise attack.
Seo-rin wrapped mana around his staff and activated a skill.
'Weapon Reinforcement!'
Clang—!!
A metallic ring echoed as Elysia’s sword clashed with his staff.
'The technique of reinforcing weapons using mana... Not bad.'
'Hmph! Don’t assume I’d be useless in close combat just because I’m a mage.'
It seemed like the mana-infused skill was allowing him to reinforce the staff.
His staff held up fine despite clashing swords with Elysia several times.
'Oh ho... So this is possible with a skill.'
Even in the other world, one could cast Weapon Reinforcement with mana, but it required a certain level of knowledge.
In this world, only ten years had passed since mana appeared, so that knowledge might still be underdeveloped.
Seo-rin was simply calling out the skill name to perform magic.
'A skill that doesn’t even exist in the other world.'
What hidden principle allowed him to wield magic so effortlessly?
As their duel grew fiercer, Seo-rin continued to ponder.
'Firefly!'
When Seo-rin cast the skill, orange flame particles bloomed around him.
They immediately swarmed Elysia and detonated.
Kwa-kwa-bang—!!
It looked like a skill meant to counter close combat.
Elysia remained untouched amid the flames, but Seo-rin was satisfied with the distance he had gained.
He immediately activated the next skill.
Suddenly, the blurred figure before him split into five distinct copies.
A clever illusion that concealed the real one among the decoys.
All five raised their staffs as if preparing to unleash different magics.
Elysia was no ordinary mage—she saw through the trick at once.
Whoosh—!
She rushed straight to the real Seo-rin and swung her sword.
'Eek!'
Seo-rin, who had been casually confident that his clone would fool her, was caught off guard.
He had no time to think of a countermeasure.
Thud—!
Elysia brought her blade down on the hand gripping the staff, forcing him to drop it.
'It’s over.'
A dropped staff meant the magician had already lost.
The duel ended with a sharp, heavy impression.
Thanks to Elysia holding back, Seo-rin had gained a fairly accurate picture of her power.
'Seo-rin isn’t a bad mage either. If this were the other world, she’d be a high-ranking mage at the Magic Tower.'
He was about to praise her when...
'Sob... hic...'
Seo-rin lowered his head and let out a wail.
'Waaaaaaaaaah—!!'
Seo-rin had risen twice—once from C-class to A-class.
Climbing to S-class was twice as difficult as the first jump.
He had sworn he would reach that pinnacle one day.
He had trained relentlessly for mana enhancement.
'Seo-rin, I’m sorry, but you still don’t meet the S-class requirements.'
'Is that so?'
It had been far harder than he expected.
The S-rank felt like a realm reserved only for the chosen, unreachable no matter how much effort he poured in.
That was why the sudden appearance of Elysia standing proudly beside him as an S-class Awakened bothered him so deeply.
He had thrown himself into the fight with even greater passion.
He would crush those who were naturally S-rank with his own hands.
And stand proudly among them, having risen from the bottom.
'Uwaaaaaah...'
But it hadn’t worked. Or rather, he had felt a wall.
Seo-rin was no fool. He knew Elysia had been holding back.
Yet he had not landed a single proper blow and had dropped his staff.
His accumulated pride had been badly wounded.
'Crap... I’m embarrassed in front of Oppa...'
He had boasted to Si-ho that he was an A-class Awakened and had even suggested the duel himself.
Now he felt so ashamed of this pathetic defeat that he wanted to run away.
Still bowing his head with tears streaming down, he turned to flee—
'Seo-rin. It’s okay. You fought really well.'
Si-ho caught her hand.
'Don’t cry. You did well. Ttok.'
And he pulled her into his arms.
He patted her shoulder gently until she calmed down.
At that moment, a fragment of memory surfaced in Seo-rin’s mind.
'Even that day... he comforted me like this...'
It was the day when Seo-rin was in third year of middle school.
After failing a school exam she had prepared so hard for, she had returned to the orphanage in tears.
'Hiiiiii... Oppa...'
'What’s wrong? Why are you crying?'
'Cough... hic... I failed the test...'
'What? I’ll see. Come here.'
Even then, Si-ho had hugged her and patted her shoulder.
'It’s only middle school. It’s not that bad. When you go to high school, you’ll do better. Ttok.'
'Hic... even after high school I might fail?'
'Then I’ll tutor you.'
'...'
He couldn’t study...
A few ordinary words.
The pat on the shoulder that once felt so comforting.
Why had it meant so much back then?
Now that she thought about it, there had been more than a few such memories.
When she recalled her childhood days, Si-ho had always been there whenever she cried.
That was why she had searched for him so desperately all these years.
Fortunately, Seo-rin quickly regained her composure.
'Ahem! What a disgrace for a first meeting. I learned a lot.'
'Not at all. You are also a formidable mage among those I have seen.'
Since the match had been free of bad feelings from the start, neither Elysia nor Seo-rin blushed.
'As expected, S-class is different.'
Seo-rin sheathed her staff with a wry smile.
'But it was fun. It had been a proper duel in ages.'
'The same for me. Using various magics at just the right times is not something any mage can do.'
Seo-rin’s expression softened slightly under Elysia’s sincere praise.
At least she could confirm that this woman did not look down on her.
Watching the two of them, I let out a sigh of relief.
'Thankfully, it went smoothly.'
I had worried a bit.
Both of them were strong-willed; a small misunderstanding might have escalated.
But they had somehow managed to pass it off.
Their eyes still held a hint of restraint toward each other.
Still, this was a decent conclusion.
Returning to my house, we exchanged casual small talk.
Seo-rin looked at me.
'Why did you go to the Guild Office? You said you registered yesterday.'
'Oh, that?'
I hesitated for a moment.
Should I mention the guild formation had failed?
'Actually, I went because I wanted to establish a guild...'
'A guild?'
Seo-rin’s eyes sparkled.
'Yes. But they said the guild master needs at least a year of activity to apply. So I put it on hold.'
'Ah, there’s that condition.'
Seo-rin rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought.
'Then should I make one for you instead?'
'What?'
My eyes and Elysia’s widened in surprise at the sudden offer.
'I have enough activity time. I can qualify for guild establishment.'
'That’s true, but aren’t you in no guild right now?'
'I’ve been active alone all this time. I don’t really belong anywhere.'
Seo-rin continued with a tired expression.
'If I go somewhere, I have to report it. I’d have to share the meteors with the guild. Plus, my reputation draws people everywhere...'
She looked utterly worn out.
But soon she brightened, speaking to me in a teasing tone.
'Still, if it’s a guild you’re running, I’ll consider joining.'
The unexpected proposal pulled at my curiosity.
Both me and Elysia were still untrustworthy figures.
I had been missing for ten years and suddenly reappeared.
Elysia was from another world to begin with.
We could even be seen as undercover agents sent from a foreign country.
If Seo-rin, who was well known in Korea externally, joined, we could start with solid trust.
'The guild master condition requires at least a year of activity, but transferring it afterward should be no problem.'
Seo-rin tapped her fingers.
'I could become guild master using some loophole, then transfer it to you. Probably works.'
'Is that even possible?'
'Of course. Guild master can be changed anytime. The strict requirement is only for initial establishment.'
Her explanation sounded reasonable.
'Still, wouldn’t it be better for you to run it? No need to transfer to me.'
'No.'
Seo-rin shook her head firmly.
'Being guild master is a lot of hassle. Paperwork, meetings, managing members... I don’t want any of that.'
She waved her hands dismissively.
'I just want to enter dungeons and hunt monsters. Handle the paperwork yourself, Oppa.'
'You say that so casually.'
'I’m a hero, right? I should be able to do that much.'
Seo-rin smiled playfully.
'Plus, with Elysia here, it’ll be reliable. An S-class talent that other guilds would covet.'
She glanced at Elysia.
'What do you think, Oppa?'
Hearing Seo-rin’s proposal, it didn’t seem bad.
'What about Elysia?'
'I think it would be good to follow Seo-rin’s words. After all, it’s better to have a formal framework.'
Opinions aligned.
Since the goal was to create a guild, the master could be anyone.
The next day, the three of us headed to the Guild Office.