Chapter 70. Break (2) (1/2)

Late night.

Yoo Yeonha was sitting in front of her computer, completely focused on finishing her work. She had organized the Guild Experience Program matter from earlier in the day, and she also had to upload a job post on Violet Banquet. Now, she was working on something she had prepared for a long time.

[Information Guild ‘Falling Blossom’ – Now Hiring]

[A new information guild, Falling Blossom, is looking for elite agents.]

The founding of an information guild.

Of course, Essence of the Strait had its own information team, but that wasn’t enough. Yoo Yeonha wanted independent ‘shadows’, who only dealt with information.

As such, she worked to establish an information guild for the past year, and now she reached a point where she only needed to find members.

“…Rather than waiting for that lazy bum, I’ll look into it myself.”

Yoo Jinhyuk suddenly popped up in her mind, and Yoo Yeonha growled.

Meow—

At that moment, Yoo Yeonha’s smartwatch meowed, a ringtone she had personally set.

The sender was Chae Nayun. Yoo Yeonha immediately checked the content.

[Hey, did you see the footage from our fight with the limestone golems?]

As expected of Chae Nayun, she asked something that seemed completely random.

[Yeah, why?]

When Yoo Yeonha sent her reply, she was immediately bombarded with messages.

[Well, you see]

[Um]

[How do I say this]

[Today…]

Yoo Yeonha sighed. She had an idea of what Chae Nayun wanted to say.

[Are you talking about Kim Hajin saving you? It got recorded beautifully. You were practically in his embrace.]

[What…. Why are you looking at that?]

[Because I have to write a report.]

Nowadays, drones were deployed faster than Heroes. When a report came in, drones would be sent out from the nearest drone hangar to verify the report. Heroes could only be moved afterward.

As such, the scene of Kim Hajin using his magic power to pull Chae Nayun into his embrace was recorded in high definition.

[Argh, don’t you dare spread it.]

[I won’t, hehe. So? Did you like it?]

[As if. Anyways, I’m going to a seminar next Tuesday with Kim Suho. Do you wanna come too?]

Chae Nayun quickly changed the subject. Yoo Yeonha retorted shortly.

[No.]

[Shin Jonghak’s coming too.]

[Fine, I’ll go.]

At that moment, a lion’s roar rang out from her smartwatch.

This time, it was a phone call.

The caller was Park Sangho.

Yoo Yeonha picked up the phone thoughtlessly.

“Yes, Park Sangho Hero-nim.”

—Um, Yeonha-ssi.

Park Sangho spoke in a hurry. As she listened to his explanation, Yoo Yeonha’s face contorted to a frown.

—Um, it looks like Jin-Ah messaged Hajin-ssi on her own. Jin-Ah is saying she didn’t mean it that way, but Hajin-ssi is saying he’s quitting the Guild Experience Program because of it….

“What? Okay, I’m hanging up for now.”

Yoo Yeonha bit down on her lips. She was fuming.

‘That damned woman must have finally gone mad. We should be sweet talking him to get him to join us, but this is what she does?’

Yoo Yeonha felt enraged for the first time in a long time. Yi Jin-Ah would always criticize her for every little thing, but Yoo Yeonha endured it because Yi Jin-Ah was a competent person. Knowing that Yi Jin-Ah would eventually come under her leadership, Yoo Yeonha didn’t act hostile on purpose.

But what she did today was absolutely unforgivable.

“I didn’t want to resort to this….”

Yoo Yeonha took a deep breath.

She needed to prepare her heart to maximize the effectiveness of this method. Just thinking about it made her face redden, but now was the time to put on a thick skin.

Huuuu—

After taking three more breaths, Yoo Yeonha made a call.

The receiver picked up almost instantly.

Yoo Yeonha twisted her tongue as much as she could.

“…Un, Daddy~ You still weren’t sleeping~?”

**

The next morning, the office of the Essence of the Strait’s vice-leader.

Yi Jin-Ah stood with her back straight in front of the vice-leader, Jung Chulsoo. Looking wronged and upset, she gave an explanation of what happened the day before.

“Well, no, you see, vice-leader-nim, I did message him after he left, but…”

“So it’s true that you messaged him privately. How did you even get his number?”

“Well, I have a friend who works in Cube as a vice-instructor….”

The vice-leader let out a sigh.

“What a mess.”

“No, vice-leader, I swear I didn’t mean to threaten him in any way.”

Yi Jin-Ah was about to explode from frustration.

“I didn’t explain in detail, so I understand how he might have misunderstood, but…”

—Um, Hajin cadet-nim? This is Yi Jin-Ah, you saw me during the day. Can we talk?

—Ah, right, you’re coming to the guild tomorrow anyways. Let’s talk then.

Thinking back to her message, Yi Jin-Ah really didn't know what to do. It seemed that the cadet misunderstood her intention.

“Then why were you trying to talk to him privately?”

Yi Jin-Ah muttered hesitantly.

“…It was to talk about a scholarship.”

“Shut it. The guild leader is going to have a private meeting with you.”

At that moment, Yi Jin-Ah’s expression broke down.

A private meeting with the guild leader.

An outsider could think that it was a better punishment than being demoted or getting a reduced salary. Although it didn’t even come close to the serious punishments, in Essence of the Strait, there was no other non-serious punishment more fearsome than a private meeting with the guild leader.

Yi Jin-Ah swallowed hard.

“S-Spare me just this once.”

“I’d love to, but I have no choice. It’s an order from the guild leader.”

“No, please….”

Yi Jin-Ah really was desperate. She was only 25, and the last thing she wanted to do was to meet with the guild leader, which supposedly made one age by five years.

“It’s already decided. Go back.”

However, the vice-leader was resolute.

In the end, Yi Jin-Ah made her final ditch effort.

“B-But come on! That kid really isn’t up to our guild’s standards! He’s rank 934 for god’s sake! Even if he’s rank 1 in theory, he wouldn’t be here without his connection to Yoo Yeonha, and a mere cadet shouldn’t be allowed to interfere with a guild’s administration!”

On the surface, everything she was saying was right. In truth, even the vice-leader had similar doubts about how a rank 934 cadet was selected to the Guild Experience Program.

“…Huu.”

However, such doubts were washed clean by what Yoo Jinwoong said yesterday.

He spoke.

“Mountain Tyrant. You’ve heard of that name, right?”

“Of course, do I look like a rookie?”

“Then you should know that the Mountain Tyrant’s vital point is in our guild’s database.”

“Yes, though you wouldn’t tell me even if I asked.”

Data on a high-rank monster like the Mountain Tyrant was top-secret information. Even within Essence of the Strait, there weren’t more than ten people who had access to this data. Furthermore, those that knew had their mouths sealed with a magic contract.

“Come here.”

The vice-leader gestured with his hand. Yi Jin-Ah walked up to him stiffly. The vice-leader then whispered into her ear. Immediately, Yi Jin-Ah was dumbstruck.

“…Is that true?”

“Yeah. Kim Hajin is the one who provided that info.”

“H-How?”

“This isn’t the first time we’re seeing an oddball among Cube’s cadets. I’m sure he analyzed it himself. It’s not like there aren’t videos of Mountain Tyrant hunts. And didn’t you say so yourself? That he’s rank 1 in theory.”

Yi Jin-Ah shut her mouth. Thinking about it now, it wouldn’t be impossible for someone so outstanding in problem-solving to analyze a few monsters’ vital points.

“Listen, this is why I always tell you not to judge people by their ranks. Ranks can’t fully encapsulate cadets’ abilities.”

“….”

‘But last hiring season, you told us to reject anyone below rank 100….’ Yi Jin-Ah pouted, not daring to voice her thoughts.

“So just accept your punishment.”