00435 Anger. ————————————————– ———————-=
The moment Sujeong came to her senses again was when she encountered the soft light of the glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
Sujeong, who was dazed, soon lowered her gaze with the feeling of ‘Ah.’ Come to think of it, “Client? Then it won’t matter if I participate in the meeting. I think I heard at first glance, “Let me in.” But before I knew it, I had already taken a seat in a corner of the conference room.
The conference room was very spacious. I did a rough count and found that there was room for about 100 people. Although only more than half of the seats were filled, it was no problem. The prayers of the users sitting in their seats were equivalent to hundreds of people, so much so that Sujeong’s heart was almost pounding.
Suddenly, Sujeong remembered a conversation she had with a colleague a long time ago.
‘Merchantary? Don’t even dream. It is said that the weakest user there will immediately lose power to other clans, but will they accept users like us? From what I heard, the entrance test is no joke… .’
At that time, I laughed it off and said it probably wasn’t that bad. However, when she actually faced the Mercenary Clan members, Sujeong felt that those words were true.
The inside of the conference room was so quiet that you could hear the breathing of the user sitting next to you. Sujeong touched the gold decorations covering the edge of the table for a while, then slowly raised her eyes and looked around at the users sitting across from her.
Some users kept their mouths shut, some had faces that did not like something, and still others were silent with a tense look on their faces. Everyone was different, but their eyes were all focused on someone.
Sujeong slowly followed their gaze. Then, I could see a man sitting at the head of the table at the end of the table with his eyes quietly closed.
‘Lord of the Mercantile Clan.’
Sujeong repeated the man’s name in her mind. There were many titles for a man, such as Top 10, Sword Expert, and Sword Specialist. However, the most commonly used title was ‘Merchantry Clan Lord’ or ‘Merchionary Lord’.
In some ways, it wasn’t a unique title, but in fact, the man didn’t really need a special title. More than any other good title, the fact that we stand at the pinnacle of the Mercenary Clan explains everything.
Sujeong stared at the man for a while, then suddenly became dazzled and frowned. There was no white wall behind her man. There was only a large glass window, allowing the sunlight from the sky to pour in.
Soon, the man’s eyes, which had been closed for so long, slowly began to open. Sujeong instinctively turned her gaze towards the edge of the table. It was because I was afraid that I might get goosebumps again, like when I made eye contact in the lobby on the first floor.
And, it was that moment.
“Then let’s start the meeting.”
A low, cold voice quietly flowed into Sujeong’s ears.
*
announced the start of the meeting.
In fact, when I first heard about it, I thought about going straight to the ‘Mountains where the Dragon Sleeps’, but I changed my mind and chose to take the path to Mercenary House. They say that the more urgent you are, the better you should go back, so for now, I planned to go after at least understanding the situation. Above all else, it was an inevitable choice as we had to take Hangyeol with us.
“I don’t know what to tell you first… .”
Soon, Hayeon, who was sitting on the left side of the conference room, slowly stood up. She took something out of her bosom, held it with both hands, and held it out to me. Looking at her record, which she narrowed in half, she thought it was her contract.
“It would be better to look at the request contract first.”
I knew it. I personally took the contract and opened the folded part. And when I checked the part just below, I could see a pattern of crossed swords and shields clearly stamped at the bottom. This was the emblem representing the Mercantile Clan and also symbolized the authority of the Clan Lord. If so, it means that Hayeon’s family has finally entered.
I stared at Hayeon, breathing softly.
“User Jeong Ha-yeon. “The contract has the Mercenary’s emblem on it.”
“… yes.”
That was the end of those words. Hayeon answered calmly and quietly closed her eyes.
I opened my mouth once more.
“I heard that permission was definitely not given via communication.”
“yes. I was opposed to accepting the request. However, in the end, the payment was made at the end, and user Baek Han-gyeol was added as an additional user. Of course, there was also a request from user Ahn Hyeon to accompany him… . “This incident is completely my fault.”
It was a sad tone. It’s clear that Ha-yeon is not entirely free from injustice, but she admitted to her own wrongdoing. She seemed willing to accept any punishment.
I bit my lip tiredly. Hayeon suddenly opened her eyes and was looking at me with transparent eyes. It is good to have an attitude of not making excuses. But even though I knew she couldn’t do that, I hoped that there would be some unavoidable circumstance that would force her to allow it. Because I trusted Hayeon that much.
A feeling of tightness continues to build up in my chest, and I sigh automatically. I looked down at the contract again. First, I planned to find out exactly what the contract was about.
‘huh?’
While I was calmly reading the record, my eyes stopped on clause 2. In number 2, the main purpose of the request was written, and there was a provision that it was to collect information related to the entrance, not the complete conquering of the ‘Mountains where the Dragon Sleeps’.
‘If you’re just starting out… .’
I was quiet and lost in thought. For a moment, I felt a vague question slowly rising in my previously oppressed heart.
Having experienced the first episode, I know a bit about ‘The Mountains Where the Dragon Sleeps’. And I also participated in an exploration of the interior of the mountain range.
‘The Mountains Where the Dragon Sleeps’ itself is difficult, but to be precise, it has a structure where the difficulty increases the further you go inside. Considering my experience here, the fact that Anhyeon and Hangyeol were attacked was a bit of a head-scratching fact.
Ahn Hyun is the user who has achieved the most growth in Mercantile over the past two years, and Hangyeol is a user with an ability that no one can match when it comes to defense.
Hayeon finally gave permission, and added Hangyeol to Ahn Hyeon’s request to accompany her. Allowing that was probably a choice to increase Ahn Hyeon’s survival rate in case of an unexpected situation.
In that case, ‘Qigong Spearman’ and ‘Shield of God’ only suffered at the beginning?
no. I can assure you that, considering the user information and experience of the two, they were not at a level where they would have been defeated at first.
Of course, there is a condition that it is limited to ‘beginning’. Since I couldn’t rule out the possibility that the two had gone deep inside, I moved my thoughts to the next question.
Another question is the cost of the request.
I also felt a little strange when I saw Kim Soo-jeong’s user information in the first floor lobby. Although it is said to be 2 years old, there is not enough user information to challenge the strategy of ‘Mountains Where the Dragon Sleeps’. Although some of my doubts were resolved by the second clause I just read, some questions still remained.
The Mercantile Clan’s request fee is very expensive. It was definitely not a level that the common caravans seen everywhere could handle. However, just looking at Kim Soo-jeong’s shabby equipment and clothes, it doesn’t look like she has a lot of money.
If they had gone by themselves, would they have understood that they were blinded by the chance to make a fortune? However, they paid for this expensive request by barely exploring the beginning, not even completely conquering it.
‘For what on earth?’
I don’t know. I got a sense of something, but it felt like I was seeing a vague picture rather than a clear picture.
I wanted to think a little more, but I was immediately brought out of my thoughts. Because there was no time to think about this and that right now. The longer the delay, the lower the chances of Ahn Hyun and Han Gyeol’s survival. Once we had finished assessing the situation, it was time to go and put out the fire in front of us. Internal organization was the next task.
A general call to arms for the Mercenary Clan. Countless glances from clan members focused only on me.
Receiving those gazes, I quietly opened my mouth.
“The situation is urgent, so I won’t talk too much.”
And then he looked straight at Hayeon.
“User Jeong Ha-yeon. I believe you have completed preparations for departure. Go out now and bring Hangyeol. I plan to announce the people who will join the rescue team right away. “Just wait at the front door and I’ll be right out.”
Hayeon calmly lowered her head. She walked out of the conference room quickly and quickly.
Hayeon, who is smart, probably would have understood what I just said. The fact that he was excluded from this appointment and the fact that he left the meeting room. And that I showed them some consideration. Nevertheless, not making any excuses probably means that he has already made up his mind.
Next, I began the announced appointment announcement. Since I had already thought about the number of people who would participate when I came, there was nothing to worry about.
“I will speak based on the size of the room. The leaders are myself, users Cha So-rim, Nam Da-eun, and Heo Jun-young. The archers are users Seon Yu-un and Lim Hanna. The wizards are users Kim Han-byeol and Vivien. The priests are User An Sol and Shin Jae-ryong. And the support battle users are Go Yeon-ju and Woo Jeong-min. The eleven people who have just been called should leave the conference room immediately and complete their personal maintenance. “Please finish as quickly as possible and gather in front of the main gate.”
They must have realized that the situation was urgent, as soon as they finished speaking, all 11 clan members stood up at the same time and walked out the door.
It was then.
“wait a minute! Clan Lord!”
Just as I was about to break up the meeting, a sharp voice stopped me. I turned her head to where I heard the sound and saw Yujeong looking at me with her restless face.
“me too… . “I also want to participate.”
“… you also?”
“Ahn Hyeon and I have been together since Rites of Passage. She and Hangyeol have been together for a long time. “I don’t want her to just wait like this.”
“well. To do that, we’d have to classify you as a support fighter, but the spots are already full. However, you can’t put it in the lead. “I think it might be helpful to just wait.”
“please. I’ll do as you tell me. I won’t be a burden. I also want to help save the day… . And I hate to think about it, but… . “If only it were possible, I would like to see them at least one last time.”
“… “It’s the last time.”
I quietly repeated Yujeong’s words. Her face took on a very desperate look. She seemed quite overcome with pride when she thought that Anhyeon, who had been like her brother and sister, might have died.
At that moment, I suddenly made eye contact with the client. Did you say her name was Kim Soo-jeong? Even though she had a blank expression on her face, when I made eye contact with her, she hurriedly turned her head away.
‘… I guess.’
At that moment, a method passed through my head as quickly as a beam of light. No, should I say ‘confident’?
I was lost in thought for a moment, then nodded slightly. Hannah quickly recognized my signal and left the conference room with her client.
And I immediately looked back at Yujeong and said.
“good. “You should prepare too.”
When Yujeong readily gave permission, a flash of color appeared on Yujeong’s face. She bowed her back and flew out of her conference room.
After a while, after confirming that Yujeong was the last to leave, I also got up straight away. Since my destination was the ‘Mountains Where the Dragon Sleeps’, I planned to make my own preparations.
Eventually, as I walked down the open central aisle between the long tables on the left and right, I spoke to one of the clan members who was still sitting.
“User Seungwoo Cho.”
“yes. Clan Lord.”
“Prepare for handover.”
“yes… ?”
Seeing Jo Seung-woo looking startled, I immediately added.
“This rescue will probably take at least a month, up to two months. So, tell them that I gave your permission and ask user Ha-yeon Jeong to hand over. “So that when I return, I can go through the formal procedures and start working right away.”
“I am… . “You mean?”
I’m not surprised. Rather, I bowed my head to Jo Seung-woo, who asked back with his eyes brightly shining.
‘Hayeon… . Too soft. ‘I’m not suited to this kind of work, since I can’t be cruel when necessary.’
I recognize Hayeon’s ability. He is naturally smart, has a quick mind, and is excellent at judging situations. And no matter what anyone says, Hayeon worked hard in charge of the mercenary’s internal affairs for the past two years.
However, there was one drawback that could not be fixed.
He definitely does what he’s asked to do, but he makes mistakes every once in a while when it’s really important. Moreover, being aware of the problem but not being able to prevent it ultimately shows that there is a lack of ability.
In other words, the position of replacing the clan lord was not one that could be held simply by being smart. You must have the charisma to thoroughly control the inside in response to external situations. And if you lack charisma, you need the ability to coordinate the surrounding situation and lead it to the situation you want.
And Hayeon was unable to achieve both. In other words, she is first-class as a user, but only second-rate as a clan lord.
I stared at Seungwoo Cho once again.
‘In a way… . A person like Seong Hyeon-min.’
In that respect, user Cho Seung-woo was a suitable person for the latter. Perhaps because he was a man who was running a fairly large business in modern times, the resourcefulness he showed after joining was quite impressive. Also, the ‘opportunity’ tendency that appeared in his user information was a rarer tendency than he thought.
In any case, it was not a handover that I thought of impromptu. It was just a matter of timing the right time. Anyway, I’ve done enough so far, so it would be a good idea for Hayeon to take a little rest and organize her thoughts.
Eventually, I reached the door and stopped for a moment. Then he looked at the shiny door and quietly opened his mouth.
“I’ve probably told you this many times before. Be careful about your actions. Don’t do anything that will find fault. “I don’t know how many more times I have to say it, but my mouth is starting to hurt now.”
I put my hand on the doorknob. And she gave it her strength and pushed it back.
“The reason we issued a general summons and held this meeting today is because we wanted clan members to be aware of the current situation once again. Although the situation is urgent right now, we will move on like this… .”
Soon the door opened wide and I took a step into the hallway. And said.
“I give you one last warning. “If an incident like this happens again in the future, it will be difficult for anyone to avoid responsibility.”
And before my body fully steps out.
“also.”
I quickly turned my head and finished my sentence.
“From what I just said, this incident will be no exception.”
—————————= Review of the work ——————– ——-=
It’s very late. I’m really sorry. I have a younger brother who is enlisting in the military soon, and I had an appointment today, so I came back late at night. _(__)_
ah… . And I think I have to say one more thing I’m sorry about. today. So, I go down to the big house at 6 o’clock, an hour later. I decided to go down on Lunar New Year’s Day, and when I asked why, I was told that it was my father’s cousin’s wedding. So, I think I will attend the wedding and stop by the big house for fun.
They say they will come down at 6 am on the 11th and return late at night on the 12th. So it seems difficult to serialize on the 12th, but it seems possible to serialize on the 13th. It will be difficult to update at midnight, but I will still publish it on the 13th.
To summarize, there will be a one-day break on the 12th and serialization will resume on the 13th.
We ask for the readers’ understanding. _(__)_
fantasy,
