Chapter 29

Yoo Ju has returned.

Everyone was so curious about the outcome that they couldn’t wait for Yoo Ju to speak and asked her first.

“Yoo Ju, how did it go? We can all join the same clan, right…?”

Since Yoo Ju only mentioned that she was going to resolve the issue related to clan membership, including me, no one knew which clan she was aiming to join.

Our goal was to join the best possible clan together, not necessarily one of the top three clans.

Yoo Ju smiled and replied.

“It’s all resolved. Don’t worry. We can all join the Hwashin Clan.”

Everyone was amazed by the news she brought. It was hard to believe that everyone could join the Hwashin Clan, one of the top three clans.

Ahn Tae-woo asked again, as if he couldn’t believe it.

“….. Are you saying the Hwashin Clan accepted everyone, including me?”

Ahn Tae-woo seemed dumbfounded by the fact that he could join the Hwashin Clan.

While everyone else was happy about joining the Hwashin Clan, I… couldn’t understand Yoo Ju’s choice.

‘…… Why the Hwashin Clan?’

I thought Yoo Ju wouldn’t join one of the top three or large clans. Because in large clans, it’s hard to assert your own will.

In large clans, rank and seniority can’t be ignored. Even if Yoo Ju wanted to do something based on her knowledge from the first round, she wouldn’t be able to do as she pleased unless she was the Clan Master or a high-ranking officer.

‘What is she thinking? And even if they recruited Yoo Ju, accepting all nine of us?’

Considering the effort and cost required to properly train a single clan member, it would have been impossible without some conditions. I thought there must have been some conditions.

‘Even if nothing else, there’s no way they accepted me and Ahn Tae-woo without conditions.’

It hurts my pride to say it myself, but my talent was truly terrible.

To put it into perspective, among the trainees in Ha Yu-ri’s class, I was second from the bottom in terms of grades. Although I was okay with the theoretical parts, my practical skills were just too lacking.

For example, if others increased their magical power by 3 after a month of training, mine only increased by 1. And this is compared to those with average talent, not even those with high talent like Yoo Hyun or Ha Eun.

Ahn Tae-woo also seemed to keep up with the classes, but the increase in his stats, as seen through the status window, was minimal.

As expected, Yoo Ju mentioned something about my curiosity.

“But… there are conditions. I’m really sorry to Yoon Seong and Tae-woo, but there will be differences in benefits compared to the others. I’m really sorry to you two…”

Yoo Ju bit her lip and bowed her head, seemingly truly sorry.

Feeling burdened by her bowing apology, I quickly spoke up.

“No, Yoo Ju. Please raise your head. The fact that we can all join the Hwashin Clan is a huge achievement. I’m fine with it.”

“….. But I really..”

Just as Yoo Ju was about to apologize again, Ahn Tae-woo asked her with a slightly annoyed expression.

“Can I ask exactly what the differences in benefits are?”

“…. First of all, there will be a difference in the basic salary.”

“If it’s ‘first of all,’ then there are other differences too.”

“….. Yes. It’s just my guess, but there’s a high probability that there will be differences in the basic equipment provided.”

“…….”

“In my case and the others’, we were promised hero-grade armor and weapons… but for Tae-woo and Yoon Seong, you’ll probably receive rare-grade equipment.”

Ahn Tae-woo clearly showed his displeasure. It seemed like he was really upset about being treated differently from the others.

‘Well… I don’t care.’

Because Yoo Ju, who has a connection with me from the first round, wouldn’t neglect me. She’ll surely take some measures later.

Looking at the others’ expressions, they seemed angry that I was being treated worse than them.

Finally, Yoo Rim spoke up.

“… I’m not blaming Yoo Ju unnie, so please don’t take it to heart. I just… don’t understand why the Hwashin Clan can’t recognize Yoon Seong oppa’s value.”

“Yoo Rim, I’m fine. I can improve my treatment through my actions once we join, and for now, I’m just grateful that we can all join together.”

“…. Yoon Seong oppa. Why do you undervalue yourself so much? You don’t deserve this kind of treatment…”

Do I want to undervalue myself? I can increase my value after joining the clan, so that’s why I’m acting this way.

Yoo Ju, hearing my conversation with Yoo Rim, carefully spoke to me, seemingly still concerned.

“…. Um, Yoon Seong. Should I go talk to Kang Seong-jun again to negotiate…”

“There’s no need. This result is more than enough, Yoo Ju.”

“….. But..”

It seemed like the conversation wouldn’t end like this, so I cleared my throat and started speaking to everyone.

“Everyone… there’s a misunderstanding. I appreciate you valuing me highly, but the Hwashin Clan is one of the top three clans. The fact that all nine of us can join is already amazing. Asking for more from the clan would be crossing the line.”

Kang I-seo, hearing my words, seemed a bit angry and snapped.

“Hey! We’re thinking of you…!”

I cut off Kang I-seo and spoke coldly.

“We’ve only been in this continent for three months.”

“……”

“Maybe because we’ve been getting offers from various clans, we’ve lost our sense of position… but we’re newcomers here. If we’re unlucky, we could die anywhere, anytime.”

Hyeon-jin, who was about to speak next, also closed his mouth after hearing my words.

“During the tutorial, it might have felt like we were something, but here, we have to crawl. I appreciate you thinking of me, but making Yoo Ju go talk to Kang Seong-jun again over something like this? I hope everyone realizes that the outcome could be worse than this.”

“….. I get it.”

“Good. Anyway… I’m sorry for speaking so coldly, but let’s end this discussion here.”

Eventually, everyone seemed to agree. While everyone was silent because of the atmosphere I created, Yoo Ju spoke up.

“Everyone’s too frozen. Yoon Seong didn’t say those things because he dislikes you all…”





I hope everyone feels a bit better now. Anyway… tomorrow we have the demonstration, so let’s get ready.

The demonstration is where everyone shows their worth to various clans. For example, close combat roles spar with instructors, and those who focus on magic demonstrate their spells. Usually, after the demonstration, people join the clan that offers them a spot.

In our party’s case, we’ve already decided which clan to join before the demonstration. Since all clans already know our party’s worth, waiting for the demonstration doesn’t make much sense.

Anyway, since it’s confirmed that we’re joining the Hwashin Clan, I should have told Yoon Yeon in advance that I was going to reject her offer.

If she suddenly hears that I’m joining the Hwashin Clan without any prior notice, she might get angry at me.

Of course, I didn’t think she’d get that angry, but just in case, I thought it’d be better to inform her beforehand.

I approached Yoo Ju to tell her that I was going to see Yoon Yeon.

“…. Yoo Ju. I’ll be going to see Instructor Yoon Yeon for a moment.”

As soon as she heard Yoon Yeon’s name, Yoo Ju’s eyes widened, and she answered me in a hurried voice.

“Instructor Yoon Yeon? Why…? Are you… planning to join the Myth Clan separately, Yoon Seong? I knew it, I need to meet Kang Seong-jun again…!”

Yoo Ju started rambling as if she was in a panic.

“No, that’s not it! Calm down for a second…!”

“I, I’ll do better! Please come with me…!”

“Please calm down! I have no intention of joining the Myth Clan.”

“…. Huh?”

“Phew… I’m not joining the Myth Clan, but I need to let Instructor Yoon Yeon know that I’m rejecting her offer, so I’m going to see her.”

Finally realizing her misunderstanding, Yoo Ju’s face turned red with embarrassment.

“Ah… okay, got it. Hmm, hmm…”

“…. Then, I’ll be going.”

“…. Okay.”

******

It didn’t take long after I started walking to arrive in front of Yoon Yeon’s bedroom. Originally, I was going to her office, but there was one problem.

‘Damn it… why do I only know the location of her bedroom and not her office…?’

The problem was that I didn’t know where her office was.

I asked a few people I met along the way, but no one knew where her office was.

‘Damn it… I hope she doesn’t break my neck for coming to her bedroom…?’

The only way I could reach her was by going to her bedroom. I wasn’t one of her students, after all.

After standing quietly in front of the door for a while, I heard a voice from inside.

“Don’t just stand there at the door, come in.”

“…….”

When I opened the door and entered, I saw Yoon Yeon sitting on the bed, wearing only a robe. Her hair was still damp, so it seemed she had just taken a shower.

For a moment, I was flustered, but I pushed my emotions aside and spoke to her.

“… I came to give you my answer regarding the offer you made last time.”

“Hmm… is it a rejection?”

I was internally startled. I hadn’t expected her to ask if it was a rejection right away.

“….. How did you know?”

“Why else would you come to see me at this hour? You must have decided which clan to join and came to tell me. You’re the type to care a lot about what others think, after all.”

“… I’m sorry. I really appreciate the clan offer, but I have to decline.”

“There’s no need to apologize. It’s your choice. Well, it’s a bit disappointing from my perspective, but what can I do?”

“……”

She chuckled and said to me,

“Don’t be so tense. I’m not the type to get angry or annoyed over something like that.”

I felt embarrassed that she had noticed I was worried she might harm me.

“Ahem…”

“Can I ask why you rejected it? I’m just curious. It’s purely out of curiosity, so don’t overthink it. I just want to know how a newcomer views our clan.”

She seemed genuinely curious about the pure reason behind my rejection.

Looking at her face, it seemed like she was ready to fix any issues with her clan if I pointed them out.

‘…. Honestly, I respect her.’

People in high positions tend to become arrogant, and at some point, they stop looking for their own flaws.

But not everyone in a high position starts out that way. The position changes them.

At first, they work on their flaws, develop themselves, and care about others’ opinions while climbing up.

But as their position changes, not only do they change, but the reactions of those around them also change.

Some changes are good, but some are bad.

When positions change, even if the relationship was once equal, it becomes harder for those around to point out flaws to the one who has risen.

Gradually, the people who would point out flaws disappear, leaving only yes-men around, and slowly, without realizing it, they become arrogant.

When you constantly hear that your judgment is right, your brain automatically starts to believe you’re always right.

It’s not easy for someone in a high position like Yoon Yeon to look for flaws in herself or the clan she created.

That’s why I respected Yoon Yeon as a person, separate from her position as the Myth Clan Master.

And I realized one important thing.

In my first run, I probably would have joined her clan with a very high probability. Because I was drawn to Yoon Yeon as a person.