On the way back to the dormitory, the sweaty Chae Da-Hee and Jae-Hyeok ran into each other halfway.
“Where do you go every night?”
Recently, Jae-Hyeok ended his days at the coast. On the surface, it was to hunt black tuna, but his actual purpose was something else. They must’ve figured out my routine by now. He was luring assassins. He wanted to eliminate the threats on campus as soon as possible, but most importantly, he needed to figure out the families and organizations behind them. Killing that assassin Yoon Sang-Ho and finding out that the Steel Guild was behind him had helped Jae-Hyeok greatly. Now, he was alert to any faculty with the slightest connection to the Steel Guild.
Once I’ve built up enough power, I could attack them first, or I could use them... he began to contemplate.
Jae-Hyeok was a swan in the eyes of his teammates—he took it easy in every class and training session, and every time he faced a crisis, he overcame it with grace. However, beneath the water’s surface, swans swam nonstop—their life was fierce and desperate.
I hope the assassins will come forward quickly.
Jae-Hyeok’s growth was phenomenal enough, but the benefits of hunting high-level players were so great that he hoped the assassins would come out already.
Even if I want to grow faster, I won’t consume the Fairy Tears.
The Fairy’s Tears had no recipe. It was an advanced elixir with a terrible probability of dropping when clearing S-grade-and-higher quests or S-class boss monsters. Its value was simply too great to take carelessly.
Taking the Fairy’s Tears would raise his stats by 4 at least, but the result depended on how much of the elixir's energy he absorbed. The more he could absorb, the higher the stat increase. Famously, it was said that the Fourth Dragon, one of China’s National Treasures, used the Fairy’s Tears to gain as many as 8 stat points.
Jae-Hyeok wasn’t yet confident. I need to learn how to manipulate my mana as much as possible if I want to absorb the elixir fully.
In other words, he needed to major in mana control. However, he wasn’t allowed to listen to the professor’s lectures until the second year.
This rule came about because of the first-year students’ lacking stats, which left them incapable of following the advanced lessons. For example, if a student with a low Magic stat tried to learn multiple mana control techniques, rather than being beneficial, it would only increase the likelihood of falling into a state of mental overload.
In the end, there was only one thing for Jae-Hyeok to do: accumulate as many credits as possible. He aimed to gain preferential treatment by getting excellent grades in the various evaluations.
Jae-Hyeok suddenly said, “The team.”
Da-Hee was confused. “Huh?”
“I can’t wait to complete our team and participate in the competitions. Have you thought about who to put in the last spot?”
“Mr. Jae-Hyeok, I know you want a support... I think you should look for a senior student. At the level of the first-year students, it’s hard to protect yourself and support your teammates at the same time.”
The most important stat for a support was Insight because the more they could look at the situation on the battlefield as a whole, the more they could help their allies appropriately. However, this also made it cruel to expect low-level supports to defend themselves. After all, their main stat was insight, and their Skill was optimized to assist allies. This meant a support’s combat abilities were often lacking, and their growth rate was greatly reduced compared to players of the same level.
After a certain level, a support’s growth became easier since all types of organizations were eager to take them in. But at the lower levels, they fell into a vicious cycle of falling behind because they had to do things alone.
Jae-Hyeok thought back on Park Hae-Rin’s usual appearance. Her small yet dignified back was always in front of her allies in danger. And every time a group of monsters went on a rampage, she was always near, busily helping the others and greatly reducing Jae-Hyeok’s workload.
She gives the impression of contemplating the entire battlefield.
A tank was usually in the vanguard. It was a role that focused on the enemy directly in front of them rather than the entire battlefield. Park Hae-Rin’s Insight was too outstanding for her to be a tank. Jae-Hyeok even thought, If she isn’t a tank, I would like her on my team no matter what.
He asked, “By the way, you have a blond-haired boy in your class, right? He’s around 178 cm tall and has a habit of crossing his arms when he smiles.”
“Y-yes? There are too many with blond hair and 178 cm? I’ve never looked closely at the boys, so I don’t know their habits... ”
“Hmm. You must have very low Insight.”
“W-why are you accusing me all of a sudden?”
“That person’s tone was rude. He spoke nicely, but his way of speaking was irritating.”
After he’d explained further, Da-Hee immediately knew.
“Ah! You're probably talking about Jeong Ru-Han. He’s the son of the Guardian Guild’s sub-master. I don’t think he has a particularly bad personality, but many people are reluctant to talk to him due to the way he talks.”
“That is a bad personality.”
“It’s just his tone... ”
“Forget it. By the way, has there ever been a time when the master of the Guardian Guild wasn’t a tank?”
“No. True to their name, they are guardians. The master of the Guardian Guild has always been a famous tank every generation.”
“What’s the possibility of someone who isn’t a tank becoming the master?”
“Um... I don’t think that’ll happen. There would be strong opposition from within, right? The Guardian Guild is among South Korea’s top five guilds because of the guild master’s extraordinary tanking ability. It’s what has earned them an unconditional spot in S-grade gates. But that position might be weakened if someone who isn’t a tank becomes the master.”
It isn’t just a simple concept for the guild.
In some cases, gates below A-grade were attacked alone by powerful players such as National Treasures. However, for gates S-grade or above, most went in a party. It was difficult for even the National Treasures to take them on alone since there were many gimmicks, such as monsters that were completely immune to certain attacks.
The higher the level of the gate, the more important it was for the party members’ roles to be distributed appropriately. If the next master of the Guardian Guild were no longer a tank, their position in the party wouldn’t be guaranteed.
In any case, he could understand why the Guardian Guild insisted on the position of tanks. Tanks were essential for parties targeting S-grade gates. As long as the master of the Guardian Guild remained the best tank in South Korea, they could freely participate in any of the S-grade gate attacks. It was an enormous economic and political advantage. From the Guardian Guild’s point of view, it was natural to want the next guild master to be a tank as well.
But the Initial Skill that Park Hae-Rin awakened was probably a support-type.
What was the story there?
Jae-Hyeok was driven by intense curiosity.
He wondered why she chose such a difficult path when she could’ve had a lifetime of wealth and fame if she had awakened a Bloodline Skill.
I don’t think it was just because she didn’t want a fixed fate.
Aristocrats shouldered responsibilities because they had the power to protect the people, but guilds weren’t much different. The Guardian Guild guaranteed jobs for tens of thousands of people. The successor shouldered a responsibility no less than the aristocracy.
Hae-Rin didn’t look like someone who would shy away from responsibility. She was the model example of working hard quietly.
Of course, he shouldn’t make hasty judgments when evaluating people—with the exception of Chae Da-Hee and Baek Do-Jin—kids like them, who were as pure as clean water, could be judged based on what he saw.
“...Why are you smiling?” Da-Hee asked.
“I’m smiling because you’re funny.”
“I-is there something on my face?”
Da-Hee wiped her sweaty face with a handkerchief. Suddenly, she recalled an old memory from a time when a city had collapsed after a dungeon break. At that time, the handkerchief that the Yaksha had handed to her crying self was embroidered with a yellow chick.
Smiling, Da-Hee said, “You know, I think a handkerchief is a must-have for a player. Most of the people who receive our help will be bleeding or crying.”
The Yaksha must’ve carried several different handkerchiefs. He had to comfort many people, after all.
Jae-Hyeok nodded. “That makes sense.” Then he took the lead to start walking and added, ‘”But I won’t need to give a handkerchief to anyone.”
99% of the disasters experienced by civilians were due to the Dungeon Break phenomenon, and dungeon breaks only happened because of incompetent players who failed to meet a gate’s capture conditions within the time period.
There will be no tears when it’s my turn.
Da-Hee complained, “Ugh, crappy manners.”
-This shield guards tens of thousands of employees and their families.
Once a guild represented a country, it grew to the size of a large company.
In order to sustain the activities of hundreds to thousands of guild members, the guild inevitably supported various business fields, such as management, production, manufacturing, distribution, and transportation. In addition, the Guardian Guild operated various businesses of its own, often directly involving many of the guild members’ families.
The responsibility for all of this industry—for all of these people’s livelihoods—fell squarely on Park Hae-Rin’s shoulders.
She had learned to wield a shield taller than herself while growing up—and she didn’t dare to speak of its heaviness. Even if the shield was heavier than a great mountain, she’d learned it was infinitely light compared to the weight of people’s lives.
That’s right. This girl had learned so much from a young age. She’d learned how to do things for the guild and the people who sustained it rather than herself.
Thus, years passed, and her first Initial Skill awakened.
The girl was beyond happy to see it was a Skill that specialized in helping others—the meaning of protection, she cleverly understood, wasn’t limited to the shield. The person she trusted the most also supported her.
-It’s wonderful.I’m sure your father will be pleased.You should learn this amazing Skill.
The whispers of the one she trusted the most were sweet.
-Isn’t it better to hurry up and show your father how good you are when he comes back from his business trip?
The girl was too young.
She believed in the gentle smile of her most trusted and mustered up her courage. The memory of that day, which could never be turned back, was distant but never forgotten.
It’s always the same.
Hae-Rin, who had been sleeping curled up like a cat, opened her eyes.She definitely had a terrible nightmare, but she couldn’t remember of what.
She stared at the photo frames on her desk before heading toward the bathroom.
She soaked in warm water but her heart wouldn’t calm—it was racing so fast that it hurt.
It would be okay. She only needed some time.
Hae-Rin came out of the bathroom and groomed herself. Combing her bangs, she eventually settled her heart with the slow, steady motions.
“Sigh.” She gave the photo frame one last look before leaving the room. Maybe smiling would make her feel better... The corners of her mouth curled weakly.
“You’re late often, huh?”
However, the moment she left the dormitory building and heard that person’s voice, the corners of her mouth, which were barely raised, sank.
“If it weren’t for me, you would be starving in the morning.”
The boy handed over the sandwich he’d bought from the store.
Jeong Ru-Han’s gentle smile caused Park Hae-Rin’s heart to tighten. Why is this happening? Hae-Rin was confused by her own reaction, but she tried not to show any signs of discomfort.
“Thank you... ” Her stomach twisted, but she managed to grab the sandwich.
Suddenly, a mischievous voice came from behind them, “How many convenience stores are there at school? Why would she go hungry without you?”
Hae-Rin immediately noticed who it was, and he sounded anxious to pick a fight.
“You didn’t even bring anything to drink, only bread. Do you have no money, or did you not think? A fool who can’t properly prepare a meal has entered Lion’s Castle. The world really is going to the dogs.”