New environment (2)

Blaming Kim Hyunsung was the first thing that popped into my head.

Although I was automatically suspicious by nature, I thought that Kim Hyunsung had no reason to deceive me.

I knew there must be a reason for recommending the Alchemist job to me. Otherwise, there would be no merit for him in giving me a hero-grade item. It may have been a small investment for him, but Lee Sang-hee also only had two hero-grade items from what I saw.

I don’t know how many years she had been on this floor, but if you thought about her, who had already changed her job several times and has reached her growth limit, the hero-grade item was definitely…

‘It’s worth it.’

Maybe Kim Hyunsung wanted his own personal potion-making factory? Considering his attitude, it didn’t seem that way.

‘You have to believe in him.’

It was probably a job that seemed to irk a lot of people.

In the future, a time will come when an alchemist would become precious in some way. If not, it could be a job that would show efficiency later in terms of growth.

Kim Hyunsung and I had gone through a lot together alongside Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu. I saw no reason for him to harm me.

He wouldn’t be an idiot with his line of thinking, so I knew there was definitely a reason why he chose this job for me.

‘It’s not just about me becoming a potion factory.’

Although, I knew that would be considered a bonus.

While I was stuck in deep thought, our meals came, and the atmosphere once again shifted into something that felt more ambiguous.

Although these people were clearly friendly, I knew they were all secretly looking for people with abilities that suited their interests.

Park Deokgu, ever the carefree one, had already started digging into his meal with gusto. Kim Hyunsung and Lee Sang-hee, on the other hand, seemed to be in deep thoughts.

Painfully oblivious to this, Park Deokgu began to talk in an attempt to maintain the cozy atmosphere.

“This is delicious. I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve eaten hot food.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”

“My grandmother told me not to trust anyone who gives me free food… I guess the Korean affection is still alive! Isn’t it, Hyung?”

I was sure my expression right now would resemble that of a recently stabbed person. My cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

“Well…”

Kim Hyunsung spoke up urgently in an attempt to save face.

“I think it is. This is exactly what Deokgu said. Thank you for your good treatment, but I wonder why you are being so good to us. Of course, I don’t mean that in an offensive manner. It just… It just feels like overkill as an after-tutorial celebration. I apologize if I have offended anyone.”

“Oh, no. I am… Sorry. That’s right. Everything will be confusing. It seems that I couldn’t read your minds because you all were acting too calmly. When I think about what happened inside, it makes sense that I can’t easily trust people. After all, I’ve gone through the same thing, too. We are sorry for not being able to give you a more detailed explanation in advance.”

“Oh, no. I did not say this with that kind of intention.”

“I think it would be better to explain the background of this place first.”

“Yes, please. Thank you.”

“This place is a little different from Earth, but it has a similar structure. There are three countries living in balance: The Kingdom Union, the Republic, and the Holy Empire to which we belong. Of course, there are free countries and other kingdoms that are not included here… It is the three countries I mentioned earlier that have the largest scale.”

“Ah.”

“Obviously, it was not us who made this country. In addition to us, there are locals who have lived here. The relationship between us from Earth and the residents who lived here is entangled with complex interests.”

“Ah…”

“Our Blue Guild, technically speaking, belongs to and not from the Benigor Empire. We are free from their laws, but we live in their land and have their cooperation and support. It’s not just Blue. All the groups established here are working through a contract with the Holy Empire of Benigor.”

This roughly made sense to me.

This was a situation that seemed fortunate to me in many aspects. Each group had some degree of autonomy beyond the influence of the empire. Of course, they had to exchange other stuff in return for their freedom.

For example, they would be drafted in the event of a war… Or they would also have to deal with complicated stuff like taxes.

If one were to look at the fact that the country had not been turned upside down at once, the three countries mentioned above might have something that did not let them feel threatened by the sudden appearance of the guilds.

Guilds that exercise autonomy still need things like support or resources. They would still need to be bound to their respective countries in some way.

“I see.”

“The tutorial dungeon is held once every year. In the Holy Empire, we took over the management of the tutorial dungeon to our Gentiles.”

“Is that the Blue Guild?”

“No. Management is based on a rotation system. Several large guilds and small and medium-sized guilds gather to decide whose turn it will be. That’s what it means to be in charge of the dungeon this time. Our Blue Guild got the first right to bargain with you as well as the management of this round.”

“That’s fair.”

That fairness would have only been made possible by the Holy Empire. For some reason, I couldn’t imagine how the people of Earth could decide the order if the situation were reversed.

Perhaps there were more complex interests beneath the surface, but for now, I found no reason to know them right away.

“So what does this mean? Does this mean that we belong in your guild?”

“No. I have only mentioned the first right to bargain. It will be easier to understand if I say that we are a company, and you are the people who are waiting for the job and salary negotiations on this planet.”

“I understand.”

As expected…

“You can think of this large room and food as our version of a bribe to you. Yes. That’s what it is,” Lee Sang-hee sported a bitter smile.

All my guesses had been true thus far, but what I didn’t expect was Lee Sang-hee’s honest reaction.

‘She’s being too honest.’

Honestly…

In fact, if it were me who was in Lee Sang-hee’s place, I would have lied about more than half of the story.

The only truth I could have stated was that it only described the reality surrounding the continent rather than individual subjective opinions.

This woman was too straight. Such honesty and uprightness must have been garnered through her personal experiences.

Perhaps she was trying to make us feel that if we were to join the Blue Guild, we would enjoy a transparent community.

‘This means that they are desperate.’

It was the only explanation I could think of. At this, I immediately opened my mouth.

“I have a question.”

“Yes?”

“What is the Blue Guild’s position in the Benignor Empire?”

Lee Sang-hee hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she nodded and began to respond.

“The Blue Guild was one of the guilds representing the Holy Empire. I couldn’t say that our influence was big, but…”

“You mean, it was big in the past.”

“Yeah… I have nothing to say except that there were unavoidable circumstances we couldn’t get over. However, I would like you to think about the possibilities in the future. Not only does it have the same growth potential as other large guilds, but also the amount or conditions to be presented to you will not be pushed by other guilds.”

This would be a risky decision. We did not know how much we had to give in order to gain something in return.

If she paid a large sum of money to recruit us and we ended up not meeting their expected results, then I knew there would be hell to pay.

Of course, they also had to consider the fact that we just passed the tutorial dungeon.

Even though it wouldn’t be bad to invest in us, given the various possibilities, such as the fact that four people made incredible results, they seemed to want to take the earliest opportunity to grab us before the other guilds could.

‘They really are desperate.’

I didn’t know what was going on, but it was clear that the current situation for the Blue Guild wasn’t good at all.

Otherwise, there would be no reason for them to gamble like this.

“I know the information I’ve given you so far doesn’t seem sufficient. However, you shouldn’t worry. I’ll tell you all the details soon enough.”

“Ah. Thank you.”

Hyunsung Kim emitted a positive aura as he responded. Because of this, I felt that it was okay to listen to the story as well.

It would be better to know my options more, seeing as I still did not have a plan as of yet.

‘Am I still being considered as a candidate?’

A guild that was once at its peak, but was now declining, was a plausible prey.

Anyway, as our side took a favorable position, Lee Sang-hee’s face brightened.

“Then take a good rest today… And then tomorrow… Would you mind?”

“Yeah. We will,” Kim Hyunsung nodded slightly.

Lee Sang-hee smiled in response and began to guide us to their respective quarters.

Unlike the sticky and unpleasant ground floor, seeing a room with a tempting-looking bed was like heaven.

However, like Lee Sang-hee had admitted, this was just a bribe.

The moment we agree to sign a contract with them would be the moment we would start to lead an uncertain life. However, if the merits looked this good…

“If you have any complaints, please do not hesitate to call me. I won’t be far.”

“Yes. Thank you for caring for us.”

As she walked out, her gaze landed on me for a moment. I still did not know how I was faring in her internal evaluation of our worth.

The main, delectable choice was Kim Hyunsung, but I opened my mouth anyway, pretending not to notice her. Instead, I zeroed in on Park Deokgu.

“It’s a little sudden, but… I can’t imagine we’re being treated like this. This kind of VIP treatment confuses me a little.”

“I am too, Hyung. No… It’s a world full of contracts, empires, and headaches. Did you understand a little?”

“Yeah… Roughly…”

“You can think of it simply. Mr. Deokgu, Mr. Kiyoung, we are in a position to be treated favorably now. In fact, I can dare to say that if it were another guild in charge of management right now, we would still be treated the same. After these first negotiations are over, there may be several proposals coming from elsewhere.”

“All of this hurts my head.”

“Please take your time. Think about where it’s best to go. Rather, this might be better than a large guild. The conditions may be a bit bad, but it’s a place that needs us right now, so our comfortable treatment will be guaranteed to some extent.”

“Ah. Do you mean we should go to a place where people find us of any use?”

“Yeah. It’s a simple feeling, but Lee Sang-hee… She doesn’t look like a bad person. The same goes for the Blue Guild. I don’t know for what reason it fell, but I don’t think it will make me feel so sad as I care about rebuilding the guild.”

Park Deokgu simply nodded at Kim Hyunsung’s words.

However, it was apparent that Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan were not interested in what was happening, nor did they have an inkling of what the circumstances truly were.

It seemed that Kim Hyunsung and I were the only ones who had an idea here.

What was a little surprising to me was that Kim Hyunsung didn’t seem to want to become independent. In fact, he seemed to have warmed up to the Blue Guild almost immediately.

‘Lee Sang-hee?’

She seemed like a person who didn’t have any big connections, but considering the possibility that Kim Hyunsung may have been active in this guild during his first time, it will not seem bad to be active here again.

“Are you going to stay with this guild?”

“Oppa?”

“I need to think a little more about that. You’ll know when tomorrow comes. I haven’t decided what path I should take yet. It would be better to have a little spare time.”

“Yeah. You have to think about all the different possibilities. Yes. Indeed, there are many to choose from.”

The atmosphere now was a mix of wariness and coziness.

I couldn’t figure out what Kim Hyunsung was thinking, but for now, I had no choice but to lie in bed.

I stayed up all night last night, and now my drowsiness was slowly catching up to me.

As I said before, the surrounding area was quite busy the next morning.

I didn’t know where Lee Ji-hye or the others who were in the shelter were, but they were probably rescued safely and stayed in a different place than us.

I had to focus on what was important right now.

‘Bargaining…’

I would have to think about how much money and support should be given to recruiting all four of us.

To the Blue Guild executives, I thought today could be seen as the most important day.

After eating breakfast and washing up, I waited impatiently for something to happen. Finally, I saw some people calling out to us.

I thought about whether we would negotiate as a group, but I knew it wasn’t bound to happen.

“Hyunsung.”

“Yes?”

The first choice would obviously be Kim Hyunsung.

I didn’t know what was going on, but after Kim Hyunsung entered, the sound of applause could be heard from a mile away.

I knew Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu would garner the same attention as him.

After all, they passed the initial screening of what I had begun to call the ‘interview.’

‘I hate this atmosphere…’

I felt like I was the only blight in this otherwise perfect team.

I envied Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan. Both looked blissfully unaware of what exactly was happening. My stats compared to them were horrible beyond repair.

If I let them know that I used magic, I would probably be considered a trap card.

However, the ability to use magic was by no means bad stat. My growth was limited, but at this point, I was sure I could become a highly capable Alchemist.

I had high intelligence and could craft a magical power that no one could compare to. As I began to indulge myself in a disillusioned situation where I could be considered of use, a voice rang out,

“Mr. Kiyoung.”

“Y-Yes.”

The door opened to reveal Lee Sang-hee, along with other people whose faces looked unfamiliar to me.

One of them must be the guild’s executive or personnel manager. One particular man, who wore glasses and looked a little old, opened his mouth…

“Ah… Mr. Kiyoung must have a job… Ah. You said you were an alchemist.”

“Yes. When the second class opened, I chose to follow the path of the alchemist,” I felt a bit embarrassed by the atmosphere as if I was already doomed to fail.

Lee Sang-hee could now properly keep her poker face in place, but the slight disapproval was evident on the other people’s faces.

Upon observing this, my hopes were shattered. I knew I would not be as welcomed here.

Only

Unlike Kim Hyunsung, Park Deokgu, and Jung Hayan, there was no room in this Guild for me.

It felt like I had already lost the talent show before I could even showcase my talents.

Lee Sang-hee looked towards me and smiled widely as if trying to lighten up the atmosphere.

“The down payment is 1,500 gold. That is 150 million won in Korean currency. The contract period is 700 gold for 7 years. It is the same as how we charge other people… How is it? Of course, we will not only renegotiate the annual salary afterwards, but also provide maximum support for the items you’ll need.”

The old man next to her looked stubborn, so it was a miracle that Lee Sang-hee even bothered to assign me a contract as well.

At this point, one could see what was going on.

‘These beggars…’

Did these guys really see me as an idiot?