Chapter 50 (2/2)
A man's loud shout brought a bout of silence into the once-noisy establishment.
Seol Ji-Hu took a glance and saw a man standing there with a hand raised up in the air. He was built quite lean, and his long hair extended down to his waist.
”Is there a skilled Warrior or a Priest among you? Ah, I'm also searching for a porter as well, so it does not matter if your level is low.”
”What are you talking about, Samuel?”
A guy sitting on the table next to the man, Samuel, asked while chewing on a snack. Samuel lowered his hand and answered.
”It's a mission issued by the royal family. We'll be scouting the Forest of Denial.” (Samuel)
”Eii, f*ck that. Why would I go to that G.o.dforsaken place?”
The guy mouthed some snide remarks and went back to mind his own business. Others displayed roughly a similar att.i.tude. Some shook their heads, while a few others began smirking derisively.
However, Seol Ji-Hu was different. He activated Nine Eyes as soon as hearing that a porter would be hired, and the result was - Samuel had no colour on him.
'Should I?' (Seol)
At least, there were no colours related to danger here. Also, he was not really in a situation to be picky.
He should try to grasp every opportunity that had presented itself. Seol moved, thinking that at the bare minimum, he should listen to what other party had to say before deciding.
Samuel showed complete disregard towards the reactions of his fellow pub goers, but when he saw Seol Ji-Hu's approach, a bright smile lit up on his face.
”Oho! Our first lucky person arrives.” (Samuel)
”I heard that you're looking for a porter.” (Seol)
”Indeed. You have any prior experience?” (Samuel)
”No, this will be my first time.” (Seol)
”First time?” (Samuel)
Samuel looked a bit troubled, then.
'Will this be a no, too?' (Seol)
”I agree!” (Alex)
It was then, Seol Ji-Hu heard a rather familiar voice. Samuel turned around to look.
”You know this guy, Alex?” (Samuel)
”Yup. And I'm completely onboard with this idea. And I guarantee that you won't regret it.” (Alex)
Seol Ji-Hu blinked his eyes after hearing the name Alex. There was a familiar young man wearing a Priest outfit sitting around Samuel's table waving his hand at him.
”If Alex guarantees it, then I guess it's not so bad. Alright, then! Come join us here!” (Samuel)
Samuel nodded his head and pulled Seol Ji-Hu into one of the empty seats.
”Alex.” (Seol)
”Good to see you again. I had no idea that we'd run into each other so quickly.” (Alex)
”Yes, me too.” (Seol)
”I'm actually a member of Samuel's team, you see. By the way…. I see that you're a man at the end of the day. Hehehehe.” (Alex)
Alex began grinning in a sly manner.
”Woah, woah. I can see that you two are pretty familiar with each other, so why don't you give us a chance to say h.e.l.lo, too?” (Samuel)
Samuel waved his hand around between the two youths and reached for a handshake.
”Hey, there. Name's Samuel, leader of this team. I'm a level 4 Pathfinder.”
”I'm Seol. A level 1 Warrior.”
”Keuh-heu! I'm telling you, an Easterner always knows how to be super polite, man!” (Samuel)
Samuel then triumphantly pointed to his left. A brunette woman with curly hair as well as a woman with short, bright platinum blonde hair sat to his side.
”You already know Alex, so I'll exclude him. Firstly, this lady here~ She's Klara. A level 2 Hunter. And next to her is~ Grace. She's a level 3 s.h.i.+eld-Swordswoman. In a way, you could say that she's a senior.” (TL: ”s.h.i.+eld-Swordswoman” is the literal TL.)
Two women raised her hands at the same time and waved at him. Seol Ji-Hu also raised his head and waved back, prompting the two ladies to giggle among themselves. For some reason, they kept stealing glances at his way.
”Oh, yeah. You said it'll be your first time as a porter?” (Samuel)
”Yes.” (Seol)
”It's not going to be a tough job, actually. We'll be asking you every now and then to take care of some small things, but on the whole, just think of your job as carrying our luggage around for the entire duration of the expedition.” (Samuel)
”Is that all I have to do?” (Seol)
Seol Ji-Hu tilted his head slightly, thinking this would be too simple if that were the case.
”Mm! Of course, there are a few rules you gotta stick by. First of all, you can't fall behind in the middle of the trip. It'd get real troublesome if you end up holding us back, you know what I mean? And then, you shouldn't rashly jump into a fight, too. Things might get complicated, and we aren't expecting a porter to fight for us, either. So, how about it? It's easy, right?” (Samuel)
”Yes, it sounds easy.” (Seol)
”Good! Now, let's talk about splitting our rewards. First of all, a porter has no right to ask for any relics recovered during an expedition. Do you agree?” (Samuel)
Seol Ji-Hu had no idea what this 'relic' thing could be, but still agreed nonetheless. This was a rule every Earthling should be aware of already, but since it would be Seol's first time as a porter, Samuel was actually going out of his way to explain things to the youth.
”Good. As for other rewards, we split everything equally.” (Samuel)
”Really?” (Seol)
Seol was taken back by this proposal. He was thinking that he'd be nothing more than a glorified slave but now that he heard the terms, it was better than he expected.
”You're splitting equally even with a porter?” (Seol)
”Obviously. A porter is still a member of the team, isn't it?” (Samuel)
Samuel looked befuddled, as if he couldn't quite understand why the youth was asking this question, which only led Seol further down the Confusion Avenue. However, the Pathfinder quickly realised what happened here, and a wry smile formed on his face.
”Yeah, I heard that there are some teams out there that treat their porters like slaves, but I'm not one of them. You're an Earthling like me, and you are just trying to earn some experience, after all.” (Samuel)
He was implying that, in the Lost Paradise, the relations.h.i.+p between a team and a porter was a mutually beneficial one.
”You help us and let us focus on the expedition, and we will protect you from the danger. Okay?” (Samuel)
”I understand.” (Seol)
”However, don't expect to be treated too nicely, okay? You being a part of the team will make it a bit easier for the rest of us, but if you weren't here, then we'd have carried our own luggage, anyway.” (Samuel)
When considering the fact that, regardless of whether one was a Contracted or an Invited, most of the Earthlings would start as a porter, Samuel's words were being rather considerate.
”Okay, now. Time to get to the main topic at hand.” (Samuel)
Samuel formed a sly smile and then, he suddenly got very close to Seol's ear in order to whisper something.
”I hope that you didn't think I'd be really going on a recon to the Forest of Denial.” (Samuel)
Hearing that hushed whisper, Seol Ji-Hu's expression became hard to read as well.
”Oh. Of course, we will carry out our mission, no problem. However…. Oopsie. We should finish our chat elsewhere.” (Samuel)
Samuel whispered up to there and pointed to the exit of the pub with his chin.
”Follow us. Let's talk somewhere a bit quieter. When you hear what I have to say, even you'll think that you've stumbled upon a jackpot. I guarantee it.” (Samuel)
Samuel winked and shouted out, ”Let's get out of here!” before energetically standing up from his seat.
”Let's go. Decide after hearing us out. If you don't like what you hear, then you can opt to leave afterwards.” (Alex)
Alex also voiced his opinion. Seol Ji-Hu wondered whether there really was a need to change the venue, but he didn't say anything and got up as well.
Alex stood up with a happy smile on his face and muttered out.
”I've got a good feeling about this expedition.” (Alex)
”How come?” (Seol)
”Because, we're getting a level 3 Warrior as a porter, that's why. You wouldn't find something so ridiculous in any other teams around these parts.” (Alex)
”I'm a level 1, though?” (Seol)
”Sure, sure.” (Alex)
Alex giggled hoa.r.s.ely.
In Carpe Diem's office.
After Seol Ji-Hu left, the office remained eerily quiet for some time.
Each of them had a lot to think about. Dylan stared outside and continued to suck hard on his cigarette, while Hugo formed a facial expression that cried out 'I don't understand what happened.'
”Eiii, sh*t. How f*cking embarra.s.sing.” (Cho Hong)
Cho Hong laid down on the couch and continued to complain.
”Really now? F*ck me. Just how the h.e.l.l did he clear it?” (Cho Hong)
While Cho Hong continued to voice her dissatisfaction, Hugo finally opened his mouth to ask.
”Dylan, I still don't get it.” (Hugo)
Cho Hong quickly shot him a glare from the corner of her eyes. Hugo waved his hand around to indicate that he knew.
”I'm not saying I'm not gonna follow your decision, since you're our leader and all, but I still don't get it, you know? I mean, isn't he good enough for us to accept?” (Hugo)
”Not at all.” (Dylan)
Dylan made a simple reply.
”If you consider our team's unique nature, you should realise why we can't have him join us.” (Dylan)
”But, still….” (Hugo)
”What we need is a Warrior who can boost our combat potential right away. A newbie will be difficult, in other words.” (Dylan)
Dylan finished there and continued to puff on his cigarette.
”Dylan!” (Hugo)
”Hugo, that's enough.” (Cho Hong)
Cho Hong b.u.t.ted in while scratching her head.
”The current leader of Carpe Diem is Dylan. The old man personally appointed him. Let's not waste time arguing about this anymore.” (Cho Hong)
”I know that you are right, but man. Uh-whew.” (Hugo)
Hugo sighed as if he was still ruing the missed opportunity. Dylan eventually killed the cigarette and slowly opened his mouth.
”He had such clear eyes.” (Dylan)
Cho Hong and Hugo turned their confused faces towards Dylan.
”What are you talking about, all of a sudden? Did some of the old man rub off on you or something?” (Hugo)
”Hehe. Maybe. In any case, that guy named Seol. It is a bit regrettable. I understand where Hugo's coming from.” (Dylan)
”That's right! So, like, let's bring him under our wings! Weren't we newbies once upon a time, too?” (Hugo)
”Seol is a blank canvas.” (Dylan)
Dylan calmly replied.
”He's a huge blank canvas, unsullied by any paint whatsoever. I can't even begin to fathom how big the dimensions of this canvas is, so how can I, or for that matter, anyone else, carelessly throw some paint around on it?” (Dylan)
”What the h.e.l.l. Talk in a way so I can understand what you're on about, will ya?” (Hugo)
Hugo complained bitterly, causing Dylan to form a slight smirk.
”I acknowledge that he's incredible, but he's still a level 1. He doesn't know a lot, so he's bound to make a few mistakes, too.” (Dylan)
”That, is, why!” (Hugo)
”That is why he can't join teams like ours.” (Dylan)
Hugo was shouting out at the top of voice from sheer frustration, only to fall utterly dazed from those words.
Dylan continued on.
”This is the most important time for Seol. This is the time when his future path will be determined, when his unbelievable potential starts to reveal itself.” (Dylan)
”Are you saying we aren't good enough for him?” (Hugo)
”Rather than us not being good enough, it's more to do with who we are. We always fight with our lives on the line. We've experienced all sorts of sh*t and have grown cynical in the process, too. What would a guy like Seol learn from us, then?” (Dylan)
Dylan's calm explanations meant Hugo couldn't come up with anything.
”This is how I see it. Perfectly covering for his mistakes from behind, and leading him from the front while teaching him all he needs to know…. Seol needs to join a team like that. Which means, at the bare minimum, that ain't us.” (Dylan)
”Sure, me and Cho Hong are no good, but still, we have you and the old man….” (Hugo)
Hugo spoke with a voice clearly less vociferous than before.
”I'm not that confident of making it work. And you know that the old man is about to retire soon.” (Dylan)
Dylan firmly stated his position, and let off a long sigh.
”Alright. Let's stop talking about this matter and move on. We should get going, anyways.” (Dylan)
”To where?” (Cho Hong)
Choi Hong asked this time.
”Work. It's a request from Samuel's team. Hugo, get up, man. Let's go.” (Dylan)
Hugo licked his lips and slowly nodded his head.
”Okay, fine. I think I get it now. Anyway, what work are we talking about here?” (Hugo)
”Looks like we'll have to hear it straight from the horse's mouth. But, he did say it'll be a pretty delicious deal for all of us.” (Dylan)
”Well, if it's that b*stard, there's definitely a merit in hearing him out. Where are we meeting him?” (Hugo)
”In a certain inn. Maybe he's got some kind of a plan all worked out. In any case, let's get going.” (Dylan)
Dylan pushed the door of the office open to leave, his other hand in his pocket.
< 50.=”” carpe=”” diem=”” (2)=””> Fin.