Guild Leader Noona (1)

“…Wh-what did you say?!”
“It’s a trial.”
“Tr-tr-trial?! Uh, what?”
“It’s a trial.”
“Whaaaat?!”

Hmm, this is something.

I felt a sense of déjà vu as I looked at the female employee asking us the same question.

Her mouth agape, she looked at us with an expression of disbelief.

Meowi, standing next to me, seemed to understand, empathizing with the female employee’s feelings.

‘Hmm, is it that big of a deal?’

When the [Sword Saint] class was released.
And when ‘Break Out’ was cleared as well.
It seemed like the people here were prone to overreacting around us.

“…Seha, that’s because you’re the weird one…”

Hmm, is that all?

Anyway, I felt like we wouldn’t get anything done at this rate, so I took the initiative.

I cut out only the system logs related to [The Garden of the Pearl Spitting Tortoise] and submitted them to her as evidence.

Including the Pearl Spiting Tortoise’s head, just for good measure.

“Here is the evidence.”
“I-I’ll take care of the storage…”

The female employee pressed the keyboard so hard that it seemed like it would break.

‘Wow, crazy… This is really a trial, isn’t it?!’ She mumbled, pulling herself together once more.

“Um, according to the record, you obtained priority access. And… it says that the binding contract is complete… D-did you clear it as well?”

“Yes, we cleared it too. The guy in that sack is the boss of this place.”

“…C-Crazy!”

The employee couldn’t stop herself anymore and covered her mouth with both hands.

Hmm, is that so?

“J-just a moment! Please wait, th-this is beyond what I can handle normally…”

“Yes, yes… Take your time.”

With that, she dashed off somewhere.

“It’s been a while, Mr. Yu Seha and Miss Ma Hana.”

A moment later, the person who appeared in front of us was a middle-aged man with streaks of white hair, looking amiable.

It was the Vice Guild Leader who had taken the lead in dealing with the aftermath of the ‘Break Out’.

“Nice to meet you.”
“N-nice to meet you…”
“It’s my pleasure. Now, let me show you around.”

The Vice Guild Leader guided us with a friendly smile.

His demeanor was as if he were attending to very important guests.

Even while doing so, he kept a smile on his lips and had conversations with us.

“You really are remarkable. To think you even found and cleared a trial…”

“It was just good luck on our side.”

“Luck at this level can be considered a skill. Even many A-class hunters find trials difficult to locate.”

“But I’m just an F-class hunter.”

“Hahaha. That’s just because Mr. Yu Seha hasn’t been very active. Everyone here knows well that you’re not really at that level.”

This excessive praise was somewhat overwhelming for me.

“Thank you.”

“I should be the one thanking you.”

“Uh, what?”

“I still deeply remember how you prevented a terrible disaster. Honestly… it was unavoidable at the time, but it hurt my heart a bit.”

I looked at him puzzled, not understanding what he meant.

“I could only offer compensation, and even now, thinking about it makes my face hot.”

Uh, well… If it was about money, the amount given should be enough.

Wasn’t 100 million quite a lot?

“So after the two of you passed away, I contacted the Guild Leader to somehow arrange compensation that fit your efforts.”

“Ah, the Guild Leader… must be abroad, right…?”

“Yes, that’s correct. As you’d expect from someone so esteemed, he has significant responsibilities… But given the situation, I insisted, and he returned to the country a few days ago.”

“Aha…”

“And to think you overcame a trial in such a short time… You are truly remarkable.”

Really.
I felt it the first time I saw him, too.
This gentleman was truly a good person.

‘…Oof. That feeling is coming back.’

I felt the same emotion I had when I first played ‘GAL’.

That uniquely ticklish yet constricting feeling.

I tried to ignore it, and before I knew it, we had arrived at our destination.

In front of a door that looked unmistakably luxurious with its brown hue.

The Vice Guild Leader who had stopped in front said, “Excuse me…” and knocked on the door.

“Guild Leader. I have brought the distinguished guests I mentioned.”
“Please, come inside.”

A voice that seemed to have been waiting for us.

It was like the sound of marbles rolling smoothly and attractively.

Creeeak.

As I entered, the first thing that caught my eye was the interior designed to offer a panoramic view of the scenery.

Several expensive-looking paintings, whose value was hard to estimate, adorned the walls, and luxurious sofas were arranged in the center.

Yet, all of this paled in comparison to the figure before me.

A woman dressed in an immaculate white suit, with not a speck of dust on her.

Her voluptuous figure was so striking that, involuntarily, the sound ‘Wow~’ could escape anyone’s lips, and she had long, pure white hair as pristine as her outfit.

As she slowly opened her eyes, her blood-red irises, stark against her white attire, stared straight at me.

“Meooowww…”

Mewoi, standing beside me, uttered a sincere exclamation of admiration.

She must have been in awe of her beauty.

The woman was not only stunningly beautiful but also possessed an overly seductive aura.

I, too, was so surprised that I failed to manage my expression.

‘…Can this even be real?’

Just to clarify, it wasn’t her beauty that astonished me.

I was surprised because of the woman’s appearance.

No matter how generously you estimate it, she didn’t look older than her early 30s.

‘Can someone so young really ascend to the position of Guild Leader already?’

It was an international corporation, a powerful armed group, and a <Clan> where most hunters gathered.
Even at a young age, if one’s skills were confirmed, becoming a ‘Clan Leader’ was possible.

In fact, in ‘GAL’, young clan leaders also appear as major NPCs.

However, a ‘Guild Leader’ was an official position appointed by the association.

It could be seen as a kind of top civil servant.

Unless there were truly unbelievable achievements, it was usual to be placed in a position appropriate for one’s age, as far as I knew.

“Nice to meet you.”
“…!”

Oh, shoot, that startled me.
In the brief moment I was lost in thought, the woman had quickly closed the distance.
She first shook hands with Meowi, and then, smiling broadly, she took my hand.

“…My name is Yu Seha.”
“Nice to meet you, Hunter Yu Seha. I am someone who has taken on the role of guild leader here, which is more than I deserve. Please feel free to call me Guild Leader.”

She deliberately did not reveal her name.
Was she wary of information leaking?
It was a natural tactic.

‘…Ah!’

Right after that, I realized why she looked so young.
The distinctively pointed ears that become visible as she habitually touched the back of her neck.

“Did you notice?”
“Yes, you are an elf… right?”
“I’m actually a part.”
“What?!”

At the mention of ‘elf,’ Meowi took a step back.

Then, realizing it wasn’t polite, she stepped forward to her original position again.

The Guild Leader smiled broadly, as if to say it was all right.

It was quite surprising to me.

Unlike other fantasy worlds, the treatment elves received here was, well…

‘…uh, um.’

It was unique in many ways.

“…This is truly astonishing.”

The Guild Leader’s usual composure had completely vanished.

She read the records handed to her with a serious expression.

While doing so, she occasionally let out short exclamations of amazement.

“…I apologize for being persistent. Hunter Yu Seha. Could you confirm this again?”

“Of course…”

“The trial you discovered this time, ‘Garden of the Pearl Spitting Tortoise’ was in an unexplored area… right?”

I nodded and recounted the circumstances I had casually discussed with Meowi before coming here.

Chasing a monster, we ventured into an unexplored route.

There, we found trees painted red and blue and an entrance within them, and we went inside.

“…The Forest of Dreams.”

“The system called it that.”

“It induced illusions, didn’t it?”

“Yes, initially, it was a nightmare of sort… but in the end, my most precious and warm memories surfaced.”

At my last words, the Guild Leader’s eyebrows twitched.

“It seemed to be a rather malicious place.”

“However, the reward was substantial. It increased my mental stats.”

“…Mental. Indeed, it’s a place worth risking one’s life for.”

Then, the two of us arrived at the garden.

In the report, we lured the Pearl Spitting Tortoise out of the water with poison and then knocked him down.

“The record states B+. The ‘+’ means… it’s a rare boss to come across, and as far as I know, it’s the first monster of its kind to appear.”

“It probably is. It was initially classified as a spiritual being.”

“…A spiritual being. A beast imbued with holiness. Indeed, that makes sense. A guardian who has protected the sacred tree… Given the high likelihood of receiving a reward when reported to the academic community, what will you do?”

Naturally, report it.

I didn’t care whether information about such an invasive species with no origin went abroad or not.

“Understood. The skills are [Water Bomb], [Water Breath], and [All-Out Headbutt]… It seems to have several derivative skills. It appears to have a few traits as well.”

“It is believed to have at least two.”

“With a minimum magic power of 30 as well. This is definitely not something novice hunters can handle. Considering the special aquatic environment… it seems we would need about one B-grade hunter leading three C-grade hunters.”

I was internally surprised by the Guild Leader’s analysis.

Indeed, to confront the Pearl Spitting Tortoise, who maintained a [Calm and Composed] demeanor, many people would need to strategize.

‘…Is this what it means to be a Guild Leader?’

“Taking it down just by yourselves… that’s an impressive feat to do. I thought from the first moment I saw both of you that the rank assessment was incorrect. Especially Mr. Yu Seha, you are definitely not an F-grade hunter.”

“…Thank you.”

“Now, let’s talk about the real work in hand.”

The Guild Leader set down the coffee cup she was holding and continued.

“How do you plan to manage the ordeal? May I ask?”

I thought to myself that the inevitable question had finally arrived.

For ‘undiscovered’ dungeons or ordeals, there were generally two ways to handle them.

The first was to manage and operate them continuously while scraping off some benefits.

If you only looked at the comprehensive benefits, this was the best way.

Because you could receive a portion of the hunters’ entrance fees, byproducts from hunting inside, and fees for magic stones.

‘The ratio would be about 8 to 2.’

Naturally, the association takes 8, and I take 2.

But sadly, this method would be rejected.

Trials or dungeons, even if successfully cleared and bound to oneself, couldn’t be kept indefinitely for personal use.

If owned by a group like a [Clan], it could be maintained and managed continuously for profit.

[The Garden of Pearl Spitting Tortoise] was bound exclusively to me and Meowi.

In other words, the two of us must manage it directly, which was practically unreasonable.

Of course, one could just leave the management to the association, right?
But one might say…

‘The cost-benefit analysis doesn’t add up.’

The management cost was not as trivial as one might think.

It inevitably involved various complications, like hiring and dispatching hunters with a certain level of skill and credibility.

And if a hunter happens to die, there might be a need to pay compensation for their death.

Crucially, the [Forest of the Dream] posed the biggest problem.

Even if you showed them the way, few would overcome the illusion and reach their destination without trouble.

‘And now, there’s nothing that can be gained there.’

The Garden of the Pearl Spitting Tortoise offered high rewards, but only for those who entered it for the first time.

On subsequent visits, the only thing that would regenerate was a single [Fish-type] boss monster.

It wasn’t a place where you could find useful resources or minerals, either.
Hence, not many hunters would risk their lives to come here again.

‘Therefore, the choice is to outright sell the rights.’

In fact, it didn’t necessarily have to be the ‘Association’.

A ‘Clan’ would probably pay a higher price.

After all, the capital they hold puts clans a step above.

But this option would also be rejected.

It was because it would be too dangerous.

‘I might get more money, but… in eight out of ten cases, greedy hands will reach out to me and Meowi.’

Meowi and I were still weak.

I needed to grow to the level of at least an A-grade hunter to maintain influence without interference from any special forces.

And whether I knew it or not, relations with the guild would sour over time.

The association’s guilds were fundamentally in competition with clans.

It was hard to imagine selling to a clan and working with the guild.

‘…All things considered.’

One hundred million.

That was the value I placed on [The Garden of the Pearl Spitting Tortoise].

I had already obtained all the hidden pieces that could be obtained from there.

Even just selling off the remaining scraps for one hundred million would earn enough to buy beef for dinner.

“I choose to transfer and sell to the guild.”

At my words, the Guild Leader gave a deep smile.
As expected, it seemed she had been aiming for this.

“I’m glad. It’s a decision made with trust in us.”

Not really.
It’s just because you seemed like the easiest option.

“Then, as the Guild Leader, let’s make the deal right here, right now. Hmm, about the price…”

Gulp.
I gulped nervously.

Ah, they wouldn’t possibly start at 10 million won, would they?

‘…No. No. Let go of greed. Be modest.’

Even if it’s 1 million won, I would agree.
Considering the conflict with the [Guild], it would be better to just take the loss.

…But maybe I should make a preemptive offer?

‘Maybe I could save up to 2-2 chapters?’

“20 million won.”
“1 billion.”

Huh?
What?
Huh?

Did I mishear 1 billion won or something?

“…What?”
“How about 1 billion won?”

Ah, I didn’t mishear it after all.