Chapter 30: 29 – Gathering Party Members

My first mission. One that I would lead on my own, without anyone else to back me up in terms of seniority.

In short, it was one where my own merits would be the leading cause of who joined and whether they would listen.

While I didn't know why the mission glowed gold, I knew that it was important. And so, it was important to choose the people joining with me.

And the first person I asked...

"Huh?" Chohong stared at me, just finished with her workout. "You want me to come on a mission with you?"

I nodded. "That's right. You've heard of Ramman village?"

Chohong wiped her face with a towel and then placed it over her shoulder. After that, she said, "I have. But why me?"

"Well, do you have anything better to do?"

Chohong frowned. "I don't. But that doesn't mean I'm about to waste my time on an exploration mission when I could do something else. I'm almost to Level 5, so-"

"Great. Then if you come with me, I'm sure that you can reach it. You see, the point of this mission is to find out the cause of the monster attacks and get rid of it."

"And?"

"And if you help, you'll be counted as someone who helped bring stability back to Haramark, which should be enough to bump you to the next level. And even if it isn't... Well, I could always give you a reward myself."

Chohong shook her head. "Look. It's not like I'm not flattered at you asking me, Seol. But I really don't think I'm needed. I mean..." She frowned and said, "You've got Flone, right? Since she's really 'that' person, and since you're the way you are, won't the two of you be enough?"

"Technically. But..." I sighed and then said, "I'll give it to you straight then." I looked at Chohong and said, "I want to help you out. You're a good friend, and it bothers me seeing you left out."

Chohong narrowed her eyes and said, "What do you take me for, some weak girl that needs to be rescued?"

I shook my head. "No. You're a good friend that puts in a lot of hard work that doesn't get rewarded often. So just let me help you this one time, alright?"

"What if I don't want to?"

"Then should I go around telling people who the great Chohong flinched from a level 1 Warrior back when we first met?"

"...You're a bastard, you know that?"

"But a loveable one, right?"

Chohong sighed. "Fine. But if I'm coming on this mission with you, I want to know who else is coming. Master Ian isn't, right?"

I nodded. "Right now, it's just you, me, and Flone. I'm planning to get a priest to join us later today as well, but we should probably find two more people."

"Mm... It'll be tough for someone like you to do that." Now that Chohong committed, she changed her tune. "Did you want me to help you find the other members?"

"That'd be great."

Chohong nodded and then said, "Well, meet me back here when you get that priest then. I'll see you then."

xxx

Luxuria's temple. That was my next stop.

Although I had healing capabilities, things would definitely get too hectic if word got out that I had all of these abilities.

It was one thing to be good with swords and magic, since there was a supposed Irregular who walked that path before. But if it became known that I could heal and all as well...

Things would get complicated.

In any case, I walked into the temple and asked if a certain priest was in. As a result, I was led through the residential area within the temple, eventually arriving in front of a door among a corridor lined with them... And promptly left alone as my guide ran away.

Silence. I considered knocking, but the moment I had that thought, the door was flung open and a young woman emerged.

Brilliant blonde hair that was currently unkempt and messy. An oversized white shirt, with sunken eyes and pale skin.

Maria.

She stared at me and then huffed, pulling out a cigarette. After lighting it, she stepped back and said, "...Come in."

I walked inside.

The room was... Well, messy was putting it kindly. A pigsty would be more accurate.

Even though there was great lighting from windows and natural daylight, there was no helping the trash pit of her room. Burnt cigarette butts in a stuffed ashtray. Burns along the walls and bedsheets. And then countless bottles of liquor rolling around on the floor.

Maria hopped onto her bed and then looked at me. With a sarcastic smile, she said, "And what brings this mighty hero to my humble abode? Surely a hotshot like yourself has better things to do?"

I nodded and said, "I came here to ask you-"

"Stop." Maria grabbed a bottle from the ground and then took a deep swig before shaking her head. "You ain't gonna ask me for another Ceremony, are you?"

I shook my head. "No. I actually have an offer for you."

"An offer? For me?" Maria hummed, giving me a sly look. "I don't know. You still owe me a damned lot after last time."

"I do. So... How about this?" I swept my hands through the air and materialized a handful of silver coins before holding it out to Maria. "Ten silver coins."

Maria blinked, delight glimmering in her eyes. But she managed to keep a straight face and said, "Mm... I suppose I can hear you out then if it's like this." Although her words were mellow, she quickly snatched up the coins, eyeing them as if checking for counterfeits. Seeing that they weren't, she placed them away and then looked at me.

I nodded and explained why I was here. Specifically, that I was looking for a priest to come along with me for the mission to Ramman village.

Of course, Maria didn't look all too interested about that. "And why would I want to do that? I don't see any merit in me following you."

"True, true." I nodded and said, "The reward from the mission wouldn't be worth a priest of your caliber."

"Smart. Then-"

"But what if I made it worth your while?" I tossed a small bag on the table, causing silver coins to spill out from it.

Maria froze and then looked at me. "What's this?"

"Ten more silver coins."

"You..." Maria frowned and then crossed her arms. "How did you even figure out that I like this kinda stuff?" She glanced at the bag and then at me. "I'm asking you this purely out of concern for your welfare, okay? Just because I like you. Do you... Do you even have any idea how much a single silver coin is worth?"

"A copper coin is around 500 won, and a silver coin is a thousand copper coins. That's 500 thousand won. And so ten of those is 5 million won."

"What, you rolling in dough or something now?" Maria crossed her legs. "Even so... Well, I guess you're being sincere. You did pay me back more than I spent on that ceremony... and having someone like you in my favor is a good thing, but-"

I flipped my hand and tossed up a gold coin. Catching it, I held it up to catch the light and then carefully placed it inside the bag.

Seeing that, Maria blinked non-stop, looking between the bag and me. After that, she said, "...Can I ask you a question?"

I held out my hand and said, "Go ahead."

"How does a newbie like you have- No. Never mind that." She shook her head and then stared at me, her expression serious. "Why are you trying so hard to hire me?"

"Because I respect your ability, and because I think you're a trustworthy person."

The fact that she was able to heal Yun Seora's ruined arm, and the fact that she accepted such a loss to do so showed that her character, while profit driven, wasn't half bad.

Maria frowned. "...A guy like you thinks that much of me? Enough to pay me upfront?"

I shook my head. "Only you."

"...Okay. Then what about splitting the loot? The rewards?"

"An even split, of course."

Maria looked persuaded, but still hesitant. "Well..."

"But that's not the only reason why I'm here."

"Hm?" Maria turned to look at me.

"You see... I'd like to become Miss Maria's friend."

"Hah!" Maria grinned and crossed her arms. "I was wondering what you were thinking. But I see... so you were scheming to reel me in, were you?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"My, my." Maria uncrossed her arms and covered her mouth with a hand. "But what do I do now? I'm not that easy to catch, you know~? Haven't you heard the-"

I flipped my wrist, causing two more gold coins to appear before casually tucking them into the bag.

Maria's eyes grew wide and she looked at me, her mouth spluttering like a fish. "Bu-? What? That's-"

I smiled and said, "So, are you in?"

Maria shivered and then quickly stood up, snatching the coin pouch. Without a second thought, she gave me a wide grin and said, "Let's go, Oppa!"

I froze. "...Goddammit."

xxx

"Whaaat?!" Chohong screamed and pointed at me. "You got that bitch of all people to join us?!?!"

Flone frowned. "It's not nice to call people names, Miss Chohong. And besides, Jihu did a better job than you did today, didn't he?"

Chohong shook her head. "I didn't think the guy'd really find a priest... And to get her of all people. Damn."

The first floor of our building, Elysium HQ.

Since I'd finalized the talk with Maria, I headed back to regroup with the other members of my upcoming team. As a result, we were all seated around the sofas on the first floor.

Chohong crossed her legs and said, "How did you even manage to sweet talk a bitch like her? I mean, I get that you're awesome and all, but..."

"First of all, I'd like to ask for you to refrain from calling her a bitch. After all, she's going to primarily be the one tending to any potential wounds, so it'd be best to be on good terms."

"Tch." Chohong crossed her arms and said, "No promises, but I'll try."

"See that you do. Second of all... Did you really not find anyone else?"

"Ah-" Chohong flushed and said, "I... I thought you wouldn't be able to find a priest."

I blinked and then let out a sigh. "Did you seriously forget who I am? No, all that you've seen me do?"

Chohong coughed.

Flone smiled and said, "It was kind of cute, Jihu! She went around saying that she was worried that you wouldn't be able to find anyone because you were part of a newbie team and so she walked around, coyly asking people. But since Miss Chohong's like that, well..."

"Pf- What?!" Chohong's eyes grew wide and she rounded on Flone. "How do you know that!?"

Flone smiled and covered her mouth. "That's a secret~!"

"You...! Some kind of Saintess you are!"

"That's funny, coming from the priest who had to switch to fighting since she couldn't use her head enough."

"Goddammit! Hugo told you that, didn't he?! When that fucker comes back-"

"Ahem." I cleared my throat and looked at Chohong.

She froze and let out a sigh. "...Sorry, Seol."

"It's fine." I waved my hand and said, "I like that part about you anyway. It'd be weird if you suddenly started acting coy and restrained."

"L-Like?"

Sensing a minefield, I instantly changed the subject. "Anyway, we're supposed to meet Maria tomorrow at 'Eat, Drink, and Enjoy', so we'll look for the rest of our team then. I'll be counting on you for that though, Chohong for some reliable picks." I glanced out the window and said, "Looks like it's getting late..." I looked at Chohong and said, "Do you want to sleep over?"

"Wh-What?"

I nodded and said, "It's just you over there, right? It's probably a bit lonely, so why don't you hang out here with us tonight?"

Flone nodded. "That's right! And we can have girl talk all night long, like a real sleepover!"

Chohong gave Flone a wry smile and said, "Aren't you too old for that?"

A sudden burst of malicious intent. "...What was that?"

"N-Nothing, Flone. And that would be... fun..."

"Great!" Flone clasped her hands together and let out a bright smile. "I'll go get your bed ready!" With that, she ran upstairs.

When she was gone, Chohong looked at me and said, "That girl is... Are you sure something didn't go wrong when she came back to life?"

"Yes."

"...Yes that you're sure that nothing went wrong? Or that something did go wrong?"

"...Yes."

Chohong sighed.

xxx

Late at night.

After the Saintess girl finally fell asleep, Chohong got up to go downstairs and get some water to drink.

It was just a bit too unnerving still being in the room with a former vengeful spirit that somehow returned to life.

Of course, the fact that she acted all lovey dovey around Seol made her not quite as intimidating, but that fact never left her mind.

"...What a bunch of weirdos." Chohong muttered as she walked into the kitchen and poured a glass of water out for herself. But as she did, she noticed that there was a light on in the living room.

"...That's odd." She muttered and walked over, wondering if Seol forgot to turn off the light. When she did, she saw that he hadn't. In fact, he was still up and working on something.

Diagrams were scattered all over the table in front of him, and he had an unusually serious expression on his face.

'Is he still working?'

Chohong thought that he would be asleep by now, since he seemed to be the sort of person who had everything handled all the time. At least, that had been her impression of him from the beginning.

A miraculous talent that outshone everyone else. A guy who put her in her place the moment they met, wiping away all her years of efforts with a single act.

...And also the guy who turned down joining Carpe Diem because of her.

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Well, he never said as much, but Chohong could read in between the lines.

And now he called her his friend, but... She wondered about that. Someone as talented as him-

'Hm?'

A flicker of mana. Something that Chohong noticed only because she was so close.

'What is he doing?'

Just as she was about to step out and ask him, Chohong froze.

Sweat, pouring down Seol's forehead and body. Crackling energy, coursing through his vein. At the same time, his eyes were narrowed in concentration, quietly taking notes from the maps and diagrams into a notebook.

In short, an insane level of training.

Chohong didn't know exactly what he was doing, but she could guess.

Forcefully circulating mana through his body at maximum speed, maintaining concentration throughout it...

'Is he trying to make it subconscious?'

She heard about that sort of training before. Warriors that wanted to try and walk on the path of a Magician, or vice versa. In order to compensate for the weakness, they would try to forcefully strengthen either the body or magic circuits by continuously pouring mana through them circulating it non-stop.

But it was painful. Not only that, but it was tedious and mind-numbingly difficult. A single slip up could ruin everything and the returns weren't that much.

Chohong should know. She tried it once.

But... That guy was doing it without hesitation. Not only that, but he was moving about like it was a natural habit.

Did he do this every night? Was that why he was so strong? Why he could clear the impossible mission?

Suddenly, his words from earlier came back to her. About how he hated seeing a friend that worked so hard not be rewarded for her efforts.

At first, she thought it was just bluster. A typical guy thing trying to raise her morale. But...

'...He really understands, doesn't he?'

Seeing that Seol was deep in the middle of concentrating and not wanting to disturb him, Chohong quietly made her way back to her bed.

But as she did...

*So just let me help you this one time, alright?*

...She couldn't help but notice that her heart sped up a bit when she thought about those reliable words.

xxx

"Hiya~, so it was true." Chohong looked down on Maria and said, "Just what's gotten into Miss I Love Money that she decided to join in our little mission?"

"Oh?" Maria tilted her head and said, "I was expecting someone decent since Oppa mentioned that a member of Carpe Diem was joining. Turns out that it was that dumbass braindead bitch famed for her thick-headedness."

I let out a deep sigh and sipped on my drink.

We were at a table in 'Eat, Drink, and Enjoy' to meet with Maria as planned. Unfortunately, I didn't anticipate how vicious the two were with each other.

Flone looked at the two other arguing women and then turned back to me. "Jihu? Do we really have to bring the blonde chatter box and the rude lady with us?"

"Blonde chatter box?!"

"Rude lady?!"

At once, the two women rounded on Flone.

But Flone wasn't intimidated. Instead, she feigned wide innocent eyes and said, "Oh my. Was that out loud? I'm sorry. I'll remember to whisper next time so you two don't hear."

Maria slammed her hand on the table and pointed to Flone. "Oppa! Who is this lady?!"

Chohong slammed her hand as well and said, "Right! Oppa! Tell Flone that she can't talk like that to people!"

I felt a headache coming on, and it wasn't from the vodka I was drinking either. I sighed and said, "Could you not antagonize them too much, Flone? They're our teammates, and it's no good to be at each other's throats."

"M'Kay~!" A sweet and polite response.

Chohong's eyebrow twitched.

"As for you two... Honestly. We're in the middle of a public setting." I narrowed my eyes and said, "Simmer down... Unless you want me to teach you both a lesson as your 'Oppa'." For good measure, I let loose [Impending Doom.]

...And no, it wasn't because I was irritated at being called Oppa again. Definitely not.

Maria flinched and quickly sat back down, lowering her head.

Chohong clinched as well and averted her gaze.

At that time, the bartender finally approached the table. Giving me a strange look, he shifted his gaze to Maria and Chohong and said, "Are you two ready to order?"

In an instant, Maria and Chohong both changed their moods. The gloomy expressions were replaced with a bright twinkle, both looking at me like kids holding toys in the grocery store.

I waved my hand and said, "Order whatever you want. It's fine."

"Kyaha!" Chohong grinned and then turned to the bartender. "Bring me all the rum and vodka you got!"

"...And the other ladies?" He glanced towards Maria, hesitant.

"What she said!" Maria pointed at Chohong.

Flone waved her hand and said, "I'm fine, thank you."

The bartender nodded and went off, quickly returning with a tray of various bottles and a stack of cups.

Chohong expertly began blending drinks, passing them all around the table.

Maria grabbed her cups with glee, downing them in a single gulp.

Flone took some, but elegantly sipped them instead of downing them. Though, I distinctly noticed that she was sneaking looks at me as she did.

As for me... I just watched it all with a sigh and said, "It's fine to enjoy yourselves, but don't forget that we're looking for the rest of our team."

Chohong grinned and said, "No worries, Mister Leader! Step aside and enjoy the show. I'll take care of everything."

"Right, right!" Maria nodded like a bobblehead and said, "Oppa should just relax!"

"...Hah..." I shook my head and then pulled out a notebook from my bag.

Since it was like this, I might as well get some work in.

Recently, I managed to get a base harmonizing matrix over my body to account for the overflow of energy when I used a lot of spells, but it was still dangerous.

Bringing Flone back from the dead gave me certain ideas though. If it was possible to bind a soul to a body as a consequence of a powerful restrictive formation, I pondered if it wasn't possible to keep my body forcibly intact in the same manner.

Of course, that could cause a problem in the event that someone tried to heal me. But it would at least prevent my body from breaking apart like last time.

And then there was the fact that I wouldn't just drop dead even if my body was completely destroyed. Probably. I was fairly certain that my energy manipulation would allow me to remain in the world while my body was destroyed, so-

"Hey, Mikhail!" Chohong suddenly waved her hand and called out to someone.

I looked up to see her greeting a man and a woman entering the pub.

The man, a lanky sort of guy with short, neatly trimmed hair, stared at Chohong with wide eyes and said, "You were still alive?!"

Chohong scoffed and said, "You trying to jinx me or something?"

The man, Mikhail, smirked and walked over after gesturing for his female companion to wait a while longer. When he did, Chohong started talking to him.

"How have you been?" Chohong gave Mikhail a cursory look and said, "I heard you're about to reach Level 4."

Mikhail sighed. "Yeah, but that's been killing me lately. I only need a bit of experience, but the problem is money. I mean, the cost of equipment is just too damn ridiculous."

I... couldn't really relate, considering my abilities. But I could see his concern over that.

"Well, yeah." Chohong grinned and said, "That's why I wanted to ask you about something here. Wanna go for a mission with us?"

"A mission?" Mikhail scanned the table and then paused when he saw Maria. "What are you doing here?"

"Obviously for work." Maria shrugged. "It's nothing big though. Just enough for some pocket money."

I resisted the urge to scoff at that.

Treating 4 gold coins as pocket money... Maria's shamelessness really knew no bounds.

Mikhail whistled, impressed. And then he cast his eye on Flone. "And this lovely lady is...?"

The Saintess scoffed and turned away from Mikhail, scooting closer to me.

Mikhail let out a wry smile and rubbed the back of his head.

Chohong laughed and said, "Don't mind her. She doesn't like getting personal with many people. She's good though, at least as good as me."

Flone stuck her tongue out and said, "You mean I'm at least twice as good, right?"

Chohong's brow twitched.

Mikhail laughed and then waved his companion over. "Well, this seems interesting at least. Let me hear it out first."

The woman walked over and then both Mikhail and her took a seat across from us on the table.

Mikhail looked at Chohong and said, "Okay. So what work are we talking about?"

"Don't be hasty," Chohong said. "Here, enjoy a drink on us." She slid a cup over to him.

Mikhail shook his head and pushed it back. "I respectfully decline. Hell, I ain't touching anything you mixed even if it's free."

"Tch." Chohong took it back and moved it to the side. After that, she looked at Mikhail and said, "It's nothing major, just the monster extermination request from Ramman Village."

"Ramman Village?" Mikhail immediately looked disappointed. "It really was nothing... But wait." He frowned and looked between Maria and Chohong. "Why are you two stepping up for something this small? Isn't this too much?"

"Argh!" Maria waved her hands and said, "Why are you blubbering so much about the details?! It's simple. You in or out?"

Mikhail seemed to be pondering something before casting his gaze to his side.

The woman sitting there had her arms crossed and her brows furrowed in a tight knot. After a few moments, she shook her head, causing her long black hair to shift.

Seeing that, Mikhail looked back at Chohong and said, "Mm, sorry. But it looks like we'll have to pass."

"What? But-"

I stared at Mikhail for a bit and then looked to Chohong and said, "It's fine, Chohong. If it's like this, we can just head out by ourselves."

Hearing that, Maria looked at Chohong and hid a smirk.

Chohong bristled and then said, "But Seol-"

"Wait." Mikhail suddenly paused and then said, "Seol?" He glanced over at me, noticing me for the first time. "As in... Seol Jihu? The rookie that singlehandedly wounded the Medusa and then lured the horde of Cockroaches into the trap at Arden Valley? The same one who dashed through with magic and extreme swordsmanship skill?"

I blinked. "...Yes?"

"My god!" He stood up and held out his hand. "I didn't recognize you! I'm Mikhailov, a Level 3 Sword Runner! Ah, and this here is..." He turned back to the woman he was with.

"Veronika," the woman said. "Level 3 Sharp Ranger."

Mikhail turned back to look at me, awe and a bright smile on his face. "We were there when you pulled that off! It was amazing! Every time it looked like you were about to get overwhelmed, you broke through so easy that it made the Parasites look like nothing!"

Seeing his bright expression, I put on a smile as well and shook his hand. "I'm glad to meet you, Mikhail. And you too, Veronika."

"It's an honor!" Mikhail pumped my hand once and then let go. "But Mister Jihu... What brings you here as well? Surely you can't have assembled this all-star team just for a casual mission?"

I nodded. "You're right. It appears to be a casual mission, but..." I glanced at Mikhail and said, "Since you're an old hat, you probably know about Ramman Village, right?"

Mikhail nodded. "That's right. It's just an extermination request to get rid of the mutants... But I'm guessing there's more to the story?"

"There is. Each request, different species appear. And each time, the scale of the extermination team gets larger and larger. Now, if this was a video game, that would make sense. But..."

Mikhail's eyes grew sharp, realizing it. "But this place isn't. I see... But so what? Are you expecting a powerful mutant to emerge this time?"

"No. Seeing the rate of progression, there shouldn't be a drastic jump. But... rather than extermination, I'm planning to pull out the root of the problem entirely."

Mikhail's eyes widened. "That's... Mm. It'd be impressive if you can do it. And seeing those two on this team, you aren't doing it half-heartedly... Not to mention to beautiful miss over there. But..." He narrowed his eyes. "I still have to ask you. Are you sure about this?"

I shrugged. "I'm as sure as I can be. But you don't have to come along." I tilted my head towards Chohong and said, "I wanted to see if Chohong could pull some connections and see if I could make some new acquaintances, but I'm not pressured either way. The original plan was to just go along with me and Flone over here anyway."

Mikhail chewed on his lip and glanced over at Veronika. She seemed contemplative as well, giving me a long stare.

"Wait!" Maria rounded on me and said, "You mean that we can solve the mystery by ourselves and get all the contribution?"

I nodded. "Technically-"

"Then why are we even asking losers like them, Oppa?! Let's go, go, go!"

Chohong sighed. "Can't you be a bit more polite, Bi- I mean, Maria?"

"Can't you be smarter?! Think about it! If it's just us, then it's only a four way split! And knowing that guy, it'd really only be-!" She suddenly cut off, realizing that Mikhail and Veronica were there.

"H-Hold on!" Mikhail hurriedly interjected and said, "Let's go somewhere more private and discuss the more delicate details, first, alright?"

"Oppa!" Maria clung onto me. "Do we haaave to?"

I laughed and said, "Well, I'm not one to retract an offer." I stared at Mikhail and Veronika. "Let's go talk at our place. Ah, but I'm warning you ahead of time... If you talk about the details with anyone else then you'll regret it."

For good measure, I used [Impending Demise].

Mikhail and Veronika flinched.

I quickly retracted it and smiled.

Mikhail let out a shaky laugh and said, "You really know how to hook people, don't you...? But alright. Let's go."

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