Chapter 38

We started moving by carriage because, well, it’s a Large Clan, so of course we ride in style. Everyone except Yoo Ju was amazed by the sensation of riding a carriage for the first time.

The carriage we were in was an 8-seater, just the right size for all of us.

“Wow… bro. Riding in a carriage feels way better than I thought. I expected it to be super bumpy…”

“That’s probably because this carriage has magic applied to it. I heard the carriages owned by Large Clans have various convenience magics applied.”

I heard that medium or small clans often don’t even have carriages. A carriage like this, loaded with magic, is proof of just how wealthy a Large Clan is.

“But… why did you suddenly start calling me ‘bro’ instead of just ‘hyung’?”

“It’s a sign of respect, bro. Hehe.”

Kang I-seo, seemingly annoyed by Cha Hyeon-jin’s behavior, muttered under her breath.

“Ugh… look at you, buttering him up. Seriously…”

“Ah, noona. What’s the problem now? I call you ‘noona’ too, so it’d be weird if I didn’t call Yoon Seong ‘hyungnim,’ right?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, if I’m gonna use honorifics, I should use them for him too, not just you…”

Hyeon-jin’s point was that if he’s calling her ‘noona,’ it’d be weird not to call Yoon Seong ‘hyungnim.’ He’d rather call only Yoon Seong ‘hyungnim’ than just her ‘noona.’

Kang I-seo seemed to understand his point and promptly gave him a light smack on the head.

*Thud!*

“Ow! Why’d you hit me?!”

“Because you deserved it!”

Looking around, everyone was trying to hold back their laughter at Hyeon-jin’s words.

I had something to ask, so I turned to Yoo Ju.

“Yoo Ju, I heard we’re heading to a city called Runde. Do you know anything about it?”

“Hmm… Runde is, as far as I know, one of the regular cities in Baronia. Each country has its major cities and regular cities. Runde is a regular city managed by the Eternity Clan.”

I see. The capital is the major city of the Neutral Country, and the three Great Clans each manage a regular city.

“Runde is known for being peaceful. Of course, anywhere in the Neutral Country is generally peaceful, but in Runde, people’s expressions are said to be particularly bright. And there’s some kind of festival held once a year, though I’m not too sure about the details…”

“I see…”

Yoo Ju’s face turned slightly red as she spoke to me.

“Um… if you’re okay with it, maybe we could go to the festival together…”

Just as Yoo Ju was about to say something, the carriage jolted to a stop, and the door opened.

“We’ve arrived at the Clan House. Everyone, please exit the carriage.”

Yoo Ju didn’t look too happy, her lips pouting slightly.

As we got out of the carriage, following Gu Yeon-jeong’s instructions, a large, elegant yet not overly extravagant building came into view.

“Wow…”

Everyone was in awe of the building’s grandeur. Gu Yeon-jeong, seemingly pleased with our reactions, started speaking with a smile.

“This is where you’ll be staying from now on. So, what do you think? First impressions of our Clan House?”

I answered her question.

“…It’s truly impressive. I can see why the Eternity Clan is one of the three Great Clans.”

This wasn’t just empty praise; I meant it. In a world where survival is tough, a clan that owns a building like this definitely deserves its status as one of the Great Clans.

She seemed to notice my sincerity and continued with a pleased expression.

“Hehe… Hearing such words from our cute new members makes me feel like all the effort I’ve put in has been recognized. It feels good.”

As we couldn’t take our eyes off the building, a man in armor approached us from the entrance of the Clan House.

“Clan Master, you’ve arrived.”

“I’ve brought our cute new members. Could you guide them for me? I have some things to take care of.”

“Understood, Clan Master.”

“You’ll be guided by him. Don’t worry, he’ll treat you well.”

“Yes.”

As Gu Yeon-jeong left, the man began speaking to us.

“My name is Han Pyeong-jin. Follow me, and I’ll give you a basic tour of the Clan House.”

“Understood.”

As I answered, I opened the man’s status window.

[ Name: Han Pyeong-jin ]

[ Age: 33 ]

[ Job: Judge of Wrath (Legend Grade) ]

[ Titles: Judge, Friend of Dwarves, Monster of Hatenbusk ]

[ Unique Traits ]

Judgment (Legend Grade) – When facing a being judged as ‘evil’ by his standards, all stats temporarily increase by 1. Additionally, he can use the Judgment of Justice.

Full Power (Legend Grade) – In a one-versus-many battle situation, his stamina temporarily increases by 10.

[ Traits ]

Battle Axe Master (Legend Grade) – His understanding of battle axes increases tremendously.

Recovery (Hero Grade) – The recovery speed of consumed stamina increases significantly.

[ Stats ]

Strength – 89 Agility – 82

Stamina – 85 Luck – 62

Magic – 78 Resistance – 84

‘A monster.’

Compared to Gu Yeon-jeong, his stats were slightly lower, but still within the top-tier range. He was likely an important executive, not just a regular clan member.

Following him inside, he began explaining as we walked.

“The first floor usually has training rooms, a communal dining hall, and a reception room. You’ll come down here for training or meals. As for receiving guests, that’s usually handled by the Clan Master or executives, so you won’t use the reception room much.”

I guess guests visiting the clan are usually those applying to join or high-ranking visitors, so the Clan Master or executives handle them directly.

“This is the second floor, used by Parties 1 through 4.”

I had a question and asked him.

“By ‘Party,’ do you mean the clan members are divided into parties?”

“That’s correct. Our Eternity Clan currently has up to Party 8. Anyway, to continue, Parties 5 through 8 use the third floor. The Clan Master uses the fifth floor, and you, as Party 9, will use the fourth floor.”

“How are the clan’s ranks divided?”

“Each party has a Party Leader…”





In your case, Yoo Ju is the 9th party leader. Also, since Yoo Ju is still a newbie, we can’t appoint her as an executive, but you can generally think of party leaders as clan executives. In my case, I’m the leader of the 1st party.

…

There’s also a separate administrative team, and within this team, there are executives as well. The administrative team is also an important part of the clan.

In my opinion, even if there are executives in the administrative team, they probably have less influence within the clan compared to combat executives. After all, this continent ultimately revolves around military power.

Alright, this is the 4th floor you’ll be using. Each room has basic furniture like beds and closets, so feel free to choose a room you like.

After a quick glance at the rooms, I noticed that even though our strategy team had pretty good accommodations at the training facility, these were even better. No wonder everyone’s going crazy trying to join a large clan.

While looking around, Yoo Ju suddenly spoke to me.

“Which room are you going to choose, Yoon Seong?”

I didn’t expect this question, so I thought for a moment before answering.

“Hmm… I’ll take the room at the end.”

Just like how the end seat on the subway is the best, I chose the room at the end.

“Then I’ll take this one.”

As soon as I picked my room, Yoo Ju quickly chose the one next to it. Seeing this, Kang I-seo couldn’t help but speak up.

“What the… We should discuss this first! What’s this?!”

Yoo Ju shamelessly replied to Kang I-seo.

“Well, you should’ve chosen faster. Anyway, I’ve picked this room, so everyone else should hurry up and choose.”

“Crazy! I can’t accept this! Choose again!”

“I chose as the party leader. Everyone else, hurry up and pick.”

Everyone looked at Yoo Ju in disbelief as she tried to assert her authority as the party leader over something so trivial.

Even I gave her a look of disbelief, and Yoo Ju, her face turning red, avoided my gaze.

In the end, Kang I-seo, with a disgusted expression, chose a room far from Yoo Ju’s.

“Ugh… I’ll stay away from the crap. I’ll take this room.”

Watching all this, a man named Han Pyeong-jin looked at us as if he couldn’t believe we were the talents his Clan Master had recruited.

After everyone chose their rooms, Han Pyeong-jin composed himself and spoke.

“Ahem… Anyway, your equipment will be issued tomorrow. Accessories won’t be provided, but weapons and armor will be of hero-grade.”

Everyone’s eyes sparkled at the mention of hero-grade equipment. In this world, equipment is inseparable from players, so it’s only natural to be interested.

Yoo Ju, wanting to confirm something, asked Han Pyeong-jin with a serious expression.

“…As per the contract, Yoon Seong will also receive hero-grade equipment, right?”

“Ah, of course. According to the contract, we’ll slightly reduce your salaries but provide everyone with hero-grade equipment.”

I had told Yoo Ju not to worry about me, but it seems she was still concerned about the Hwashin Clan issue and looked out for me during the contract. I was really grateful to her.

‘…Our Returner. I’ll make it up to you later.’

“Anyway, that’s the basic explanation. When it’s mealtime, you can come down to the common dining hall. You can eat in your rooms, but it’s recommended for new members to eat in the common dining hall. It’s a chance to get to know other clan members.”

Indeed, the easiest way for people to get close is by eating together and chatting.

“Starting tomorrow, the Clan Master will let you know what you need to do.”

I had a question and asked Han Pyeong-jin.

“Are we… going on an expedition?”

“Haha… The Clan Master will explain in detail, but it’ll be more of an embarrassing level of an expedition.”

Hearing it was an embarrassing level of an expedition, I didn’t feel too worried. Still, it’s not good to be too relaxed.

“Hmm… I’ve heard about the incident at the training facility, so I’m sorry to say this, but you’ll probably be going on a small expedition in collaboration with the Hwashin Clan.”

As soon as Hwashin Clan was mentioned, our group’s expressions stiffened. Yoo Ju, in particular, spoke up in disbelief.

“What do you mean? Collaborating with the Hwashin Clan?”

“This… I’m really sorry, but please understand. This was decided before you were recruited. Actually, even before you came to the training facility.”

‘I think I get the gist of it.’

Probably, the three major clans collaborate to train newbies by going on expeditions together.

‘It’s like a safety measure.’

There are several benefits to the three major clans collaborating to train newbies, such as fostering camaraderie and having higher-level players as a precaution against accidents.

The puzzling thing is… why aren’t we collaborating with the Golden Wing Clan, another major clan…

‘Did Yoo Ju not know about this?’

Did Yoo Ju not know about this training process?

As a Returner, she probably knew about the three major clans’ training process, but judging by her expression, she seemed completely unaware.

‘Well, Yoo Ju from the first round was probably too busy surviving at this time to know.’

Judging by Han Pyeong-jin’s expression, he seemed to understand our feelings, likely aware of the incident at the training facility.

In the end, Yoo Ju nodded in agreement.

“…Alright.”

“…Thank you for understanding. I’ll take my leave now. When it’s mealtime, please come to the dining hall. See you then.”