Chapter 48

The Clan House, now mostly empty as most members had gone on an expedition, looked noticeably desolate.

Lee Jae-hyo was temporarily acting as the Clan Master, but honestly, with this few people, there wasn’t much he could do.

It seemed like Lee Jae-hyo had been looking into dungeons for us to gain experience. With most members of the top three clans away on expeditions, it looked like he was trying to buy normal or rare-grade dungeons from other clans.

Not long after, we found out that our clan had started a massive promotional campaign after our party completed a rare-grade dungeon expedition.

“…. Is that the party everyone’s talking about?”

“Yeah, they’re newbies, but they don’t act like it. Especially Yoo Ju—they say she’s a monster…”

“I heard she cleared a rare-grade dungeon right after finishing the Training Facility, and she didn’t just get carried—she actually contributed.”

“Damn, some people start from the bottom, while others waltz into the Eternity Clan and walk the flower path… What the hell…”

“Shh, keep it down.”

Our party started getting recognized more as we walked around outside.

Our party was already famous as one with high growth potential, but most people didn’t know our faces.

However, after the promotional push, people started recognizing us more.

‘Do they want to groom us as key members of the clan?’

Well, if I were in the Clan Master’s shoes, I’d probably think about grooming us as key members too.

And then there was another big piece of news… A city in the kingdom of Tayos, not a neutral country, had been attacked by outlaws.

Until now, outlaws had operated outside cities, but this was the first time they had attacked a city as a group.

That’s why Lund was buzzing. I figured everywhere would be noisy because of this news.

“Did you hear? Branca in Tayos was completely overrun…”

“I heard the clan managing that city was wiped out.”

“Huh… The Thornvine Clan?”

“The world’s going to hell, I tell you.”

“That’s why Tayos is recruiting people to retake the city.”

‘…. A city attacked by outlaws.’

Since it happened in a kingdom and not a neutral country, it didn’t bother me too much, but it was clear that outlaws were a dark presence in this world.

I glanced at Yoo Ju, and she didn’t look too happy. As a Returner, she must have had run-ins with outlaws in her first run.

“…. Yoo Ju, are you okay?”

“Ah… Yes. It’s nothing, Yoon Seong.”

Since we were outside alone for a bit, I was concerned about her state.

“Having a city attacked by outlaws… It’s a good thing it’s not a neutral country, but Tayos must be in chaos.”

“Yes. They’ll probably launch a large-scale operation to retake the city. Tayos can’t just sit back and do nothing…”

Honestly, even if they launched a city retaking operation, I wondered if it would really mean much.

‘… The outlaws would just destroy the city, take what they want, and then abandon it and run away.’

Meaning they’d flee first, so the city could be retaken easily.

‘Though it wouldn’t be in great shape.’

I had a question, so I asked Yoo Ju.

“Do outlaws have a hierarchy?”

“Hmm… It depends on the group. Some operate individually, while others form clans.”

“….”

“Usually, among those who operate as clans, there’s a hierarchy. I’ve heard they even have a leader… but I don’t know who it is yet.”

“I see.”

Suddenly, Yoo Ju leaned in close, looking worried, and spoke.

“If you ever have to fight outlaws on your own, avoid them at all costs. They’re not like regular people. You have to stay by my side. Got it?”

“Haha… Got it. Don’t worry. With you and the party members around, what’s there to worry about?”

“Still, you never know.”

“Understood. By the way, Yoo Ju, is there an auction house in Lund?”

“Yes, there is. Do you want to buy something?”

“Well… My experiments are stuck, so I wanted to see if there’s any material that could help.”

“We’ve got some time. Should I show you around?”

“…. That would be great.”

So, Yoo Ju and I went to the auction house and looked around, but I couldn’t find anything useful for me. Most items up for auction were equipment, weapons, or luxury goods.

Catalysts and materials occasionally appeared, but they were nothing special.

‘Sigh… Should I look into the black market?’

From what I’ve heard, there’s a black market secretly operating in this world. They sell all sorts of materials, and even slaves from other races or humans.

‘The problem is figuring out where the black market is…’

Finding its location is one thing, but getting in is another. They wouldn’t just let anyone in.

With no progress in my experiments, I couldn’t help but sigh in frustration.

“Phew…”

Hearing my sigh, Yoo Ju, who was sitting next to me in the auction house, looked at me and spoke.

“Um… Couldn’t find what you were looking for…?”

I was so caught up in my thoughts about the experiment that I hadn’t paid attention to Yoo Ju sitting beside me.

“Ah… I made you worry for nothing. Sorry, Yoo Ju.”

“No, no… I just thought you seemed really frustrated…”

“I’m a bit stuck with my experiments, but it’s nothing to worry about. It’s fine.”

“…. I see. Can I ask what kind of experiment it is?”

‘…. I can’t tell her everything.’

She didn’t seem like the type to blab, but since my goal was to create surveillance chimeras rather than combat ones, it felt a bit awkward to explain.

“Well… I’m trying to create a chimera, but since I’m a Dark Sorcerer, any chimera I make is seen as evil, which is causing problems for my experiments.”

“Oh… Does it have to not be evil?”

“Yes. At the very least, it shouldn’t be evil. My goal is to completely remove any malevolent tendencies.”





“…Then, how about mixing some catalysts or materials of a good nature?”

She seemed eager to help me and started suggesting ideas.

“I was actually thinking the same thing. That’s why I came to the auction house to look for materials or catalysts, but… unfortunately, nothing useful seems to be here.”

“Then, should I try to find some materials or catalysts for you?”

“…I’m sorry, but could I really ask you for that favor?”

Honestly, I felt bad about asking for her help, but I wasn’t in a position to be picky, so I accepted her offer.

“Yes, of course! Don’t feel burdened. It’s not that difficult of a task.”

“…Thank you, Yoo Ju.”

Given that she’s a Returner, she probably has her own ways of getting things.

“Hehe, no problem. Just let me know if you need my help!”

“Next time… I’ll treat you to a meal. Thank you so much.”

At the mention of me treating her to a meal, Yoo Ju’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Wow! Really? Yoon Seong, you can’t take back what you just said!”

‘She’s way too happy about this…’

She seemed so delighted by my offer that she started giggling to herself.

“Of course.”

“Ah! You might take it back, so I should write it down.”

She suddenly pulled out a notebook and started jotting it down.

I stared at her in disbelief as she made a note of something so trivial.

“Hehe… No take-backs now.”

“…..No, there’s no need to write it down…”

“Eh, you never know. Anyway, let’s head back!”

******

When Yoo Ju and I returned to the Clan House, there was a woman loitering in front of it.

‘…Who is that?’

Judging by her appearance, she looked like a maid from a noble family. She was a black-haired, short-haired woman in her early 20s, and from her looks, she seemed to be a native, not a foreigner.

I approached her, thinking she might have some business with our clan since she was standing there so openly.

“…Excuse me, but do you have some business with our clan?”

“Ah… Ah!”

The woman turned around, startled by my voice from behind. Without thinking much, I opened her status window.

[ Name: Charis ]

[ Age: 21 ]

[ Job: Dark Judgment (Legend Grade) ]

[ Titles: Maid of the Silverstein Count Family, Second Finger of Citri ]

[ Unique Traits ]

Dark Judgment (Legend Grade) – Deploys Dark Judgment over a wide area. All stats of everyone except herself are reduced by 5 within the area. Additionally, continuous mental attacks are inflicted on everyone except herself.

Citri’s Favor (Hero Grade) – You are favored by Citri, the Demon Army Commander.

[ Traits ]

Grand Mage (Legend Grade) – Greatly increases understanding of magic.

Hatred of Good (Hero Grade) – When facing beings of a good nature, all stats temporarily increase by 3.

[ Stats ]

Strength – 28 Agility – 30

Stamina – 40 Luck – 25

Magic Power – 94 Resistance – 27

I froze after reading her status window. My mouth went dry, and I couldn’t speak.

‘…What the hell is this? Dark Judgment? Demon Army Commander…?’

The sudden silence made the situation awkward.

‘……Damn it, I need to say something.’

If I stayed silent any longer, she’d think something was off. I glanced at Yoo Ju, who seemed just as clueless about this woman as I was.

“…Uh…”

Just as I was about to say something, the woman spoke first.

“Ah…! I’m sorry! Are you, by any chance, from the Eternity Clan?”

Her demeanor was that of a pure, innocent maid from a noble family.

‘Damn… What a psycho!’

The thought that all her actions and expressions were an act sent shivers down my spine.

“Haha… Yes, that’s right. I’m a member of the Eternity Clan… Do you have some business with us?”

“Ah…! Yes…! I wanted to make a request to the Eternity Clan…”

‘A request?’

I had heard that other players or natives sometimes made requests to large clans, but it was rare for a native to make a request to a clan.

More than anything, the fact that this crazy woman wanted to make a request to our clan made me want to scream. It was clearly not going to be a normal request.

‘I have to refuse no matter what.’

I didn’t know what kind of request she was going to make, but there was no way we could accept it. Since others couldn’t see her status window, I had to stop her on my own.

“Haha, well… Unfortunately, our clan isn’t currently accepting requests…”

Just as I was about to politely decline, Lee Jae-hyo came out of the Clan House.

“Hmm…? Yoon Seong, Yoo Ju. Who is this…?”

‘Damn it.’

“It’s nothing, Jae-hyo. This person is just mistaken…”

“Ah, Jae-hyo! This person wants to make a request to our clan…”

‘You crazy woman!’

I couldn’t help but curse internally. At least I didn’t say it out loud.

This time, I really wanted to smack Yoo Ju’s head. Seriously.