Jiho tried to keep calm as he reached for the cup of green tea in front of him.
If he knew he would receive such a shock, he would have forgone appearances and gotten himself that iced chocolate drink instead of this green tea. Jiho feels like his hand is going to start shaking; he needs something to refill his blood sugar.
Who used that skill? Was it Kim Tae Yong? Or Lee Rahui?
Was the reason they kept bringing up the subject of Yiwon and Jiho all to use that skill and force the truth out of him?
Jiho’s skill [Magic Resistance] is only D-rank. He’s pretty sure [Magic Resistance] wasn’t the one that blocked that skill for him. This is just a guess, but Jiho thinks what blocked it is a power he gained after becoming able to see the system.
If it was before, Jiho would’ve answered that question and have all of his inner thoughts exposed without a single clue.
When Jiho placed his glass down and looked at the two people, they were both calm, as if nothing had happened just now. Instead of checking Kim Tae Yong, who he doesn’t have the ability to check, he pulled up Lee Rahui’s skill window.
‘Lee Rahui is an A-rank barrier mage and support hunter.’
Lee Rahui’s barriers are known for their DEF increasing as the casting time increases. Thanks to that, she is frequently a part of city defenses, and there are even times she enters dungeons when they are expected to last several days.
Unlike Kim Tae Yong’s, Lee Rahui’s system window appeared immediately.
Status
| Name | Lee Rahui |
| Occupation | Mireu’s Vice-Guildmaster |
| Rank | S |
| Title | The Young Sage |
| HP | 1091 |
| MP | 2533 |
| STR | 455 |
| AGI | 1204 |
| Skill | Aprilis’s Arcane Magic ( S ) The Art of the Yellow Dragon ( A ) Spiritual Mentor ( A ) Shadow Summon ( B ) The Wisdom of Alchemy ( B ) The Joy of Torture ( B ) |
A system window that is shocking in a different way from Kim Tae Yong’s appeared.
Lee Rahui, an A-rank, is actually an S-rank?
It doesn’t make sense to say that her status is wrong. Not only are all of her stats besides STR over 1000, but her main stat, MP, is 2533, which is much higher than Jiho’s.
On top of that, her skills are a lot different from what has been revealed.
There’s not a single barrier skill, and there’s even a suspicious-looking skill called [The Joy of Torture] that Jiho wants to stay away from. The skill Jiho was looking for, [The Eye of the Prince] isn’t in Lee Rahui’s list of skills either.
‘Weird.’
The sudden influx of information was making it hard for Jiho to focus.
Is it truly a coincidence that the guildmaster and vice-guildmaster of the same guild are actually higher ranks than what is known to the public?
It doesn’t make sense that they lowered their ranks on purpose either.
For what? When Jiho thinks about why they would do something like that, none of the reasons are anything good. All he can suspect is that they’re acting weak for some dark scheme or something.
He’s in a closed space with two suspicious people from Mireu.
Jiho was barely able to keep down his desire to run away from this spot.
“Would it be okay if we returned to our original objective now?”
“Yes? Ah, ah. Yes.”
Jiho was so shocked that he forgot what the meeting’s original objective was for a second. Once Jiho remembered that the two people came not to harm him but to give him a present, Jiho calmed down a little.
That’s right, if the two people had truly wanted to harm him, they wouldn’t have made an appointment in the middle of the day and come to the guild. Though it’s clear that they tried to sound something out of Jiho, the chance that they’re going to put Jiho’s life in any danger is low at this moment.
As Jiho laughed awkwardly, Tae Yong pulled items out of his inventory pocket and presented it to Jiho.
The items he pulled out were one large peach and a single worn-out box. Although the box looks as if it had been empty for a long time, you can’t judge an item solely by its appearance.
“This is [Ambrosia] and [Treasure Chest from the Dragon Palace].”
While listening to Tae Yong explain the items, Jiho had pulled up the system windows for both of the items. As he read through the information, Jiho was stunned.
Information
| Ambrosia | |
| Rank | S |
| Description | Consumable item. This fruit that cultivators are known to eat looks like a peach. Once consumed, all injuries are healed, HP and MP are restored, and fatigue disappears. |
| Creator | Jeong Cho Hui |
Information
| Treasure Chest from the Dragon Palace | |
| Rank | S |
| Description | A copy of a precious treasure that is passed down through the Dragon Palace. When you open the chest and say, [Lead me], it will instantly transport you to [Mireu] Guild’s guildmaster’s office. |
| Creator | Shim Ye Seo |
“These…”
Are good.
It’s just that there’s something slightly… no, really suspicious mixed in.
“Do you recognize the worth of these objects?”
“I know about [Ambrosia], but I’m not very sure about the box….”
Since [Ambrosia] is a rather famous item, there’s no need to pretend that he doesn’t know about it. It’s Mireu Guild’s best-selling item, after all.
The peach-shaped [Ambrosia] is a perfect representation of the fruit that cultivators are said to have eaten in the legends. Because its effect is excellent and even non-awakened ones can buy it, not only is the item expensive, but it’s also really hard to get.
But from what Jiho sees, the item with the most value is not [Amb rosia] but [Treasure Chest from the Dragon Palace].
Still, Jiho pretended that he couldn’t see [Treasure Chest of the Dragon Palace]’s worth and glossed over it.
Jiho doesn’t want to reveal his inner thoughts to the two people hiding their ranks, whether that be because of a mistake with the evaluation or because of some dark, shady intention.
The person to explain was Lee Rahui.
“Yes, since [Ambrosia] is well-known, you probably know of it already. This here is a spatial teleportation item that our guild’s Shim Ye Seo developed. The command is [Lead me]. Other than that, as long as you have mana, you can use it infinitely.”
“…Where will it teleport me to?”
“Mireu Guild’s guildmaster’s office.”
“….”
Jiho, who had asked even though he already knew the answer, couldn’t fully hide his reluctance.
So why is Tae Yong giving another guild’s guildmaster an object that teleports them to his own guildmaster’s office.
There is no doubt that the guildmaster’s office is, along with the guild’s storage space, the core of the guild. Tae Yong’s allowing someone else to enter such an important place?
Even though Jiho entertains guests in his office, a big part of that is because he’s there with them. What kind of crazy guild would give another guildmaster an item that allows them to enter their guild’s guildmaster’s office at any time?
Now that he thinks about it, Joo Yiwon also tried to give Jiho an item that would teleport him to Chungram’s guildmaster’s office.
But that’s Joo Yiwon. This isn’t an item Jiho should be receiving from an S-rank guildmaster who he’s only met twice now.
Seeing how confused Jiho looked, Tae Yong smiled.
“This is a representation of how high my expectations are for you, Guildmaster-nim.”
So what, and why, are you expecting something from me?
Jiho suppressed his frustration and observed Tae Yong. Upon receiving this look, Tae Yong answered resolutely.
“Because you are the first awakened one.”
Though his words aren’t false, they don’t explain anything. Jiho has no idea what Tae Yong is scheming.
A quite violent prediction was floating around Jiho’s head.
Right after the fissures broke out and the number of awakened ones was still small, there were a lot of people who wanted to research Shin Jiho for being “The First Awakened One.” But though they called it ‘research,’ what those people really meant was human experiments.
Of course, Jiho’s parents vehemently refused them. Jiho was even guarded by a hunter from Chungram Guild for a while after he woke up from the two-year coma.
However, if Jiho’s family wasn’t as well-off, or if his parents weren’t as principled people, there’s no telling where Jiho might’ve been now.
If he went to Mireu Guild, would he end up in a similar plight? The guildmembers surrounding him as soon as he enters Mireu Guild. The mysterious Kim Tae Yong and Lee Rahui. Shin Jiho would’ve been strapped down by Mireu Guild and forced to go through this and…
“It seems that you received quite the shock.”
Lee Rahui said calmly.
“Though it is the guildmaster’s office, there is nothing special about it. The guildmaster’s office is just a play area for Guildmaster-nim.”
“What do you mean by ‘play area’?”
Even though Kim Tae Yong frowned, Lee Rahui didn’t have much of a reaction besides shaking her head side-to-side.
“It is a place full of all sorts of random trinkets and collectibles. Our guildmaster doesn’t do any paperwork in his guildmaster’s office…. Well, our guildmaster barely does any paperwork in the first place…. Anyways, unlike this place, our guildmaster’s office is not only full of random stuff, but is also being protected by my barrier.”
Protected.
Jiho frowned at the obvious intention behind those words.
“Then… you’re saying that you want me to use Mireu Guild as an evacuation center if something happens?”
“That is correct. You are probably wondering why we have such trust to give such an item to you, but because I can sense it when someone enters our guildmaster’s office, there is no need for us to worry about intruders. And Hunter Shin Jiho is not a bad person.”
What in the world is she putting her trust in for her to say something like that?
Jiho is slowly starting to suspect that Mireu Guild truly is a cult. Whether they knew that or not, Rahui continued to speak confidently.
“The guildmaster’s office is the safest place in Mireu Guild, so if, by some chance, something happens, you can escape to this place and explore the random trinkets that are there.”
“They are not random trinkets. Each one is an extremely invaluable artifact. If Hunter Shin Jiho visits, I will gift something precious from there…”
“Anyways, what I mean is that you do not have to worry about anything.”
“I see. If that’s the case….”
Feeling like they would keep trying to persuade him if he didn’t accept the item, Jiho hid his reluctance and pretended to be excited as he accepted the box and put it into his inventory.
Although the item he received is a little weird, it’s still a win. Jiho proceeded to open his inventory and take an item out. The item is [Gloria’s Holy Sword] that he picked up from Mireu Guild’s Gwangju Dungeon #3.
He had been racking his brain to figure out a way to return this item to Mireu Guild naturally. Since he received two S-rank items from them–though one of them is strange–he now has the perfect excuse.
“Because I have received something from you, I would like to give a present as well.”
“To me?”
Tae Yong’s eyes lit up when he saw the sword. He held the sword and pulled it out of its scabbard to check its condition. Even though Tae Yong is a mage-type hunter, the way he was holding the sword made it seem as though he was very familiar with swords.
“This is a fine sword. I can feel from the sword… resentment for being unable to protect its master, as well as a fierce fighting spirit. This child has a strong will to strike down the evil things of this world and help its user. It will definitely be of great help if you are to use it.”
“Ah…. Is that so?”
Are Kim Tae Yong’s otaku tendencies not limited to living things?
But his words might not be mere eccentricity but an actual ability of Kim Tae Yong’s. Jiho checked [Gloria’s Holy Sword]’s system window again.
Information
| Gloria’s Holy Sword | |
| Rank | A |
| Description | Once upon a time, this was the holy sword of the leader of the holy knights who served the gods. Because this is a holy sword blessed by the temple, it has a stronger effect on the wicked. STR +5%, +10% additional damage on Wicked, Chaos, and Destruction attribute enemies. |
Kim Tae Yong’s description and the item’s options match up perfectly.
Tae Yong put the sword back in its scabbard and placed it on top of the table.
“I believe it will be better for No Name to use it.”
“No, please accept it.”
“But…”
“Mireu Guild has already been such a big help and you even gave gifts like this. I hope that you would think of this as a gift from me as well and accept it.”
As they are still a B-rank guild, giving away a piece of equipment that’s an A-rank is a huge loss. In other words, this is evidence of how much they want to get closer to Mireu Guild.
In actuality, because this item came out of Mireu Guild’s dungeon, this should’ve been their item in the first place. But since Jiho couldn’t think of a way to return it to them without revealing the existence of his inventory, it ended up being done in this showy manner.
It doesn’t matter as long as he returned it, right…? It’s not like either side is losing out.
Tae Yong observed [Gloria’s Holy Sword] carefully and thought for a bit before nodding his head.
“Then I will accept this with a grateful heart.”
Tae Yong, who Jiho thought would refuse, accepted [Gloria’s Holy Sword].
“I would like to continue maintaining a positive relationship with No Name from now on.”
“Yes. I do too.”
Kim Tae Yong looked at Shin Jiho, who answered without much thought, with sincere eyes.
“I do not mean this lightly.”
“What do you mean lightly…?”
“Mireu would like to foster a relationship even better than that of Chungram with Hunter Shin Jiho-nim.”
LaZ Bird Corner
There was a lot of information this chapter, but the only thing I remember is [The Joy of Torture]…. What kind of skill is that….
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