Editor: Cherish
— I don't know, we don't exactly have the right relationship to communicate like this, — Kang Yu replied calmly to the girl who suddenly showed up.
In fact, they could hardly even be called acquaintances.
Kang Yu looked quietly into the eyes of the girl with short red hair.
— Do you have something to say?
— Chae Young- ju. — The girl sauntered slowly towards Kang Yu. — My name is Chae Young-ju. —
— Chae Young-ju? — Kang Yu felt he had heard that name somewhere before.
After racking his brain to go through all the people he knew, he finally remembered.
'I think that's who they were talking about in the waiting room at the Player Control Department…' The Player who received a special S-level ability from the very first rank. 'I think they said that she was the head of one of the five guilds.'
One in five.
One of the five largest guilds that exist in Korea today to date.
Hanul. Red Rose. Onnuri. Mir. Sanalae.
She was one of the five guild commanders.
— You're from Red Rose?
— That's right. I'm the leader of the Red Rose Guild.
Kang Yu didn't say anything. She was the head of one of those five guilds.
The guild that's at the top of Korea's most powerful guilds.
The girl he accidentally ran into at PC Bang turned out to be a very famous person.
'Then it's no wonder why she's so strong.' She was the only person whose power had been strong enough for Kang Yu to question it, and probably the only person capable of beating him.
The special ability level of the girl he encountered at PC Bang was several times higher than Kang Yu. Behind her pretty face was a fearsome Player.
'I wonder if this is how it feels when you find out a fat, absurd neighbor is actually the director of a large representative company. ' Of course, he wouldn't know for sure, but it seemed like a fair comparison to him.
He warily observed Chae Young-ju.
She looked different today compared to the day they first met: she wore comfortable short shorts and a tight T-shirt.
She was still dressed quite simply today, but given her appearance, she made a much bigger impression.
'She's dressed up.' You can't tell from the clothes alone, but looking at the light makeup that wasn't there last time, Kang Yu was certain.
He had no doubt that the girl wasn't here to fight him.
'If you're going to fight with someone, there's no need for makeup.'
When Kang Yu finished looking at Young-ju, he asked indifferently:
— What does the head of Red Rose Guild want from me?
— Actually, I found out some information about you. — She took out a piece of paper as she said that. — Oh Kang Yu. 29 years old. Spent his entire childhood in the Jeongson orphanage, and since he wasn't adopted, he's living an independent life now. Isn't that right?
— I don't know why you would do that, but that's right.
— He was registered as a Player on May 23rd. Which is… about two weeks ago.
Kang Yu, biting his lip, waited for her to continue.
— According to the Player Control Department's test results, your first special ability is class F. That's a mistake, of course. If it were really a Class F ability, you wouldn't have made it to the Level C Gate in two weeks.
— Hmm, — Kang Yu nodded slightly.
— Actually, at first, I thought that the identification and Oh Kang Yu's name was fake. — Young-ju continued impartially. — But both your face and your fingerprints match the data from when you were a child. —
— Where did you get my fingerprints from?
— Weren't your fingerprints taken when you made the ID?
— I didn't think the big guilds had that many connections.
Government protected information flows too easily into other people's hands.
— Well, as you know, money solves everything. — Young-ju shrugged her shoulders. — So the first thing I did was to make sure that you were who you said you were. And when it was confirmed… —
After carefully looking Kang Yu in the eyes, she continued:
— I realized that you're a player with outstanding abilities. Perhaps you're even stronger than Baek Gang Hyun.
— Thank you for such high praise, — Kang Yu said with a smile. — So what did you end up figuring out? —
Kang Yu wanted to know just how much she found out about him.
'She hasn't said anything else so far.' And he also wanted to hear from her why she came to see him in person.
There was no need to guess, of course. Kang Yu was very well aware of his value.
He had both power and skills that were greatly advantageous in the situation that Earth was now in.
And he had no desire to hide it nor use it for anything but his own purposes.
'How fortunate, I was just about to make connections with members of the big guilds.' He was not going to join any guild, but it was necessary to make allies.
— As head of the Red Rose Guild, I'm letting you know that we want to sponsor you.
— What…? — Wrapping his arms around himself, Kang Yu looked at the girl with a mock childish look. — So you aimed at my body? —
The girl took a deep breath and stared at Kang Yu like she was looking at trash.
'Hey! You shouldn't look at people like that!' He was only joking, but he received a look full of contempt in return.
Kang Yu shrugged his shoulders and continued:
— An unexpected offer.
— What did you think I was going to propose?
— To join your guild, of course.
— Um… — She exhaled the air with noise. — We can hardly accept a Player hiding behind a Class F special ability. If you were going to join a guild, you wouldn't be hiding your powers from the start.
— Mm-hmm… — It was clear from his face that he was thinking.
'But I didn't deliberately hide my powers.' It was only because he couldn't fully use Magi during the test, or rather, the stone couldn't measure his power.
Well, if she keeps thinking like that, it'd be easier for Kang Yu.
He wasn't planning to join the guild, so there was no need to prove himself to her.
— So what's the sponsorship?
— Simply put, our guild is going to help you get to level up faster.
— What's the price of this offer? Will you ask me to help you out with that game at PC Bang?
— Oh, you bit..- — She took a deep breath and tried to calm down.
— Ha-ha, just kidding. I really didn't know how to play, since it was the first time I did it.
— Ha, you know, you're the reason I couldn't go up to silver.
— What? So now we're talking about your rank in the game? Um, isn't your rank the lowest…
— No… No! My skills are better, I'm just unlucky getting teammates!
Kang Yu laughed a little when he saw her calm tone change to a high-pitched squeak.
One of the strongest people in Korea, the head of the guild, didn't match the image of someone who cared so much about games.
— Well, let's finish with the jokes. Why do you want to sponsor me?
— To make you stronger.
— You found out about me and as you may have noticed, I'm a rookie who became a Player no more than two weeks ago.
— And in those two weeks, you've managed, hunting alone, to climb to the Level C Gate. A real monster. And I know you're gonna be a lot stronger, a lot stronger.
Kang Yu remained silent, interested in what else she had to say.
'It's not for nothing that she's the head of her guild.' She was able to accurately assess the value of other Players and herself.
What she didn't know was that Kang Yu had returned to Earth from Hell from ten thousand years in the future, or that he had hidden powers that were becoming more and more powerful.
Despite that, she saw Kang Yu's potential and was confident in his powers.
— How will you support me?
— First, you will gain the right to enter all the gates up to Level A Gate. Also, if you decide to gather a party, we will provide the members. You'll be able to choose from our guild who you want. You can also sell mana stones through us and avoid taxes.
— Hmm…
— We'll also supply you with equipment. Of course, for a first-class outfit you will still have to pay a deposit, but if you need something easier, no problem. If you need, we can even pick up a house and a car for you.
'Well, that's not bad.' An outsider might even think he's joined their guild.
No, even joining a guild, Players don't usually get these kinds of privileges.
— What for?
— It's an investment for the future.
— And yet, it's too much.
Kang Yu wouldn't join the Red Rose Guild, he was just taking advantage of what's available to him.
'Besides, it wasn't just anyone who came to me, it was the head of the guild himself. She must be embarrassed by doing so.' It wasn't just a matter of the girl's pride, but of the entire guild.
'Apparently, this is her request.' No matter how talented he was, the conditions offered him were too good.
Of course, if they had known Kang Yu's true strength, the head herself would have fallen to her knees and begged him for a friendly relationship. But not this time.
— A little later… I'll have a request later, and if you're ready by then, I'd appreciate it.
— Um… — Her vague answer took him by surprise. — What kind of request?
When she heard Kang Yu's question, the girl tried to smile when she was sad.
The girl who was just excitedly talking about the video game grew quiet, and her face froze in a sad smile.
When Kang Yu saw this change, he bit his lip.
He felt it was the first time he had seen her real face.
When she wiped the sadness off her face, she answered with a low voice:
— I can't tell you that now.
— Hmm, — Kang Yu nodded quietly.
So far, he hasn't even accepted her offer. If it was a really important request, it was clear why Young-ju couldn't tell him yet.
'If the request doesn't make sense, I'll just refuse.' He decided that if he would accept the guild's support, he wasn't going to sign a contract.
Later, when he learns the request, he will try to fulfill it if he can, and if he can't, he will refuse and sever all ties with the guild.
Kang Yu's doubts were short-lived.
It was a great chance for Kang Yu not only to gain various benefits and support but also to become allies with the large guild.
Kang Yu certainly wasn't stupid enough to miss out on such a beneficial offer.
— I agree.