Chapter 140 (1/2)

Chapter 140. A Red Rose with Thorns

Seol Jihu sighed for a long time.

He dragged his eyes around left and right, and then up towards the ceiling. Then around the statue of Gula, back and forth.

The reason he repeated these meaningless actions was clear; it was a clear cry of 'Change my cla.s.s name!'

But no matter how long he waited, there were no signs of Gula changing her mind. Eventually, the upset Seol Jihu gripped his ice spear and Bang! slammed down on the floor.

Considering that the temples were sacred areas, Seol Jihu would have had nothing to say in defense even if a thunderbolt struck him down right there and then.

There was, of course, a reason.

He could somewhat bear it when he was still a low-level newbie, but a Level 4 was acknowledged as an experienced person anywhere in Paradise. It was a level that would automatically get him a.s.signed to the main combat force if a draft call was ordered.

Above all, some were called Barbarian Warriors, while others were called Pathfinders and so on. There were plenty of decent names, but him?

'Mana this, mana that… Stupid mana.'

It wasn't like he wanted anything big. He didn't wish for riches or honor. Was making a decent cla.s.s name that hard?

Seol Jihu began brooding about how unfair she was, working him like a dog but not listening to such a simple request.

[Haaah…..]

Gula sighed.

[This kid…. Just when I thought he was maturing a bit…]

The sound of Gula clicking her tongue echoed out.

Seol Jihu, who left the temple as if he was driven out, came back to his senses and checked his stats.

His stat points had increased to 10. If he leveled up once more, he would have 15 points, but that was just a pie in the sky.

There were two new abilities he could learn.

Like Agnes mentioned, there was Mana Cultivation which was the evolution of his Mana Circulation.

And…

'Flash Thunder?'

Reading the description, it was an ability that awakened the body using lightning energy.

The demo vision only showed flashes of lightning here and there, so it wasn't of much help.

Still, it was an ability that was unlocked at Level 4, so it wasn't going to be easy to learn.

Though he really wanted to push everything aside and head straight to Huge Stone Rocky Mountain to train, he couldn't.

It was because Jang Maldong had informed him that a meeting with the White Rose was scheduled before Seol Jihu managed to say anything.

Though learning new skills was important, it wasn't as important as recruiting the siblings, so Seol Jihu immediately got ready.

Chohong and Hugo giggled on the side saying they could rest easy with such a hardworking leader… until they were ardently beaten by Jang Maldong's cane.

Seol Jihu left Chohong and Hugo moaning on the floor to board a carriage for Scheherazade.

“They made a request.”

Jang Maldong spoke when they were pa.s.sing Zahrah.

“They want today's meeting to be a secret.”

“It's not like we would have gone around talking about it anyway.”

“Obviously. But the White Rose is also keeping it a secret from the siblings.”

Seol Jihu narrowed his eyes. It seemed like they were trying to sign them off without their knowledge.

“Don't feel troubled. Even the FCs don't consider how the players feel when they sell them.”

That was right. Anyhow, the White Rose was the one losing out on two Bronze stamps.

“But to do it without letting them know is a bit… I wouldn't feel too good if I were them.”

“How so?”

“The size disparity between Carpe Diem and the White Rose is just too big. The kids might prefer a large, stable workplace.”

“Well, you're not wrong.”

The nodding Jang Maldong suddenly threw a question.

“Then why did you turn down Sinyoung?”

Seol Jihu hesitated. How had he known when he hadn't told anyone?

“There isn't a law for every decision. Everyone has their own circ.u.mstances.”

Jang Maldong grinned.

“I know what's troubling you, but don't worry. Those two seem like they want to leave White Rose as well.”

“Yi Seol-Ah and Yi Sungjin?”

“The siblings just couldn't voice it out probably. But the White Rose insisted that it was the case. They said that the siblings would chase you even to the depths of h.e.l.l if you told them that you'd recruit the two.”

So the White Rose wasn't the one trying to make them leave, but it was in fact the other way round?

“That's why they want it to be a secret. Imagine how big their disappointment would be if you gave them hope, only for things to not work out.”

Seol Jihu suddenly asked after pondering.

“What kind of group is the White Rose?”

“I told you. Did you forget already?”

“No, not that. I want to know about their internal structure or if they recently had any important issues within their group.”

“Issues?” Jang Maldong frowned before asking again. “Why?”

“Huh? If you ask me why….”

“No, why did you suddenly become interested in that.”

Jang Maldong didn't seem disapproving but just a bit taken aback. Seol Jihu scratched his head.

“Was it something I shouldn't have asked?”

“It's not like that. As for me, I know the White Rose to some extent, but you. You don't know a thing about them.”

“Yes.”

“Then how—”

Jang Maldong closed his mouth at a loss for words.

“…you interesting little b.a.s.t.a.r.d….”

Shaking his head, he turned to stare out the window.

“I do have a few conjectures..”

A deep sigh followed.

“It just doesn't seem right. I'm getting the feeling that there's an ulterior motive behind handing the siblings over.”

“You're saying…”

Seol Jihu gulped.

“They're bait?”

“I'm not sure.”

Jang Maldong replied solemnly.

“If it really is due to their internal circ.u.mstances, then they'll negotiate with the usual conditions. But if not, then they might ask for special requests.”

“By special requests you mean…”

“For example, they might guise it as looking out for Carpe Diem's benefits… Hmm. Well since their leader is a crafty snake, then it wouldn't be strange if they offered something that looked normal on the surface. They already have a perfect pretense to do so.”

The pretense was the siblings wanting to leave the White Rose.

“If this is the case….”

Jang Maldong narrowed his eyes.

“We can't cross off the possibility that you're their main objective.”

Seol Jihu widened his eyes at the unexpected remark.

“Well let's just go and see. There's no point making blind guesses between ourselves.”

“…We'll have to listen to their conditions first.”

Seol Jihu accepted the situation but just couldn't shake off the thought that something wasn't right.

There was this uneasy feeling in a corner of his heart, like a stone shard digging in. His eyes were also itchy.

Rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands, he suddenly remembered Kim Hannah's words.

[There will be a ton of people who are going to try to use you.]

Unless the White Rose went crazy, they wouldn't release the siblings for free without at least receiving back the amount they had invested in them.

Seol Jihu narrowed his eyes.

The carriage arrived at Scheherazade on the noon of the second day.

Seeing Flone fly off excitedly the minute she saw the new city, Seol Jihu chased after Jang Maldong.

The White Rose's building was located slightly to the west of the city center.

If modern buildings were tall towers, then the exterior of the White Rose's building looked like a beautiful flower.

Compared to the Carpe Diem's office, its scale was on a whole another level, so as Seol Jihu followed the escort, he constantly glanced around.

As if they were really meeting secretly, they were guided to a relatively secluded backdoor.

After going up the stairs and opening the door at the end of the hall, they were greeted by a crudely dressed man with gla.s.ses getting up from his seat.

“Sir.”

The man had a slender figure with wrinkles around his mouth, making him appear slightly older.

“Thank you for coming all this way.”

“En. It wasn't that far of a journey.”

“But I should have visited instead. Ah. And this friend?”

“Don't ask if you already know.”

As Jang Maldong bluntly spoke, the man awkwardly laughed and stretched out a hand.

Seol Jihu shook his hand.

“Nice to meet you!”

“Likewise. My name—.”

“I actually know already. Seol Jihu, right?”

He had been about to introduce himself as just 'Seol,' but ended up dumbly nodding his head.

“I'm the leader of the White Rose, Bok Jungsik.”

Bok Jungsik gestured to the long table while still grabbing his hand.

“Let's sit first. There's someone else coming as well.”

“Who?”

Jang Maldong asked as he sat down.

“Who else could it be? It's someone that you know very~ well.”

“What? Why is that kid coming?”

“That's what I wanted to know. I couldn't help it when she refused to listen no matter what I said. So I ask for your understanding…”

Jang Maldong lightly sighed before turning to look at the door.

Clack, clack.

A clear sound of heels rang out from the hall. Seol Jihu who was quietly sitting next to Jang Maldong also turned to face the door.

“Speak of the devil.”

Jang Maldong muttered.

“What do you mean a devil…”

Bok Jungsik made a bitter smile.

“You must have meant a th.o.r.n.y flower.”

The door was flung open.

“And who is this th.o.r.n.y flower?”

A clear voice rang out, followed by a beautiful lady with a breathtaking appearance.

“Our leader must have all grown up now, knowing how to gossip behind my back.”

“S-sora. It's not like that.”

“Whatever. Anyways…”

The beautiful lady brushed back her winding hair that flowed down to her chest and glanced at Seol Jihu. Then upon seeing Jang Maldong, a smile blossomed on her face.

“Grandpa?”

As if showing off her long slender legs, she strode towards him and blinked charmingly.