abcnovels
Chapter 80
Chapter 80
Chapter 80 – Guild Expansion (4)
F-rank dungeon, Liker Village.
It’s a dungeon belonging to the Maker Guild, a small to medium-sized guild.
“Let’s work hard today too!”
“Yes!”
Lee Yoon-hyung, an executive of the Maker Guild, clapped his hands energetically while looking at the guild members.
Usually, ten Maker Guild members, including Lee Yoon-hyung, hunt here.
The average daily wage is 200,000 won.
Considering the job characteristics of ability users who risk their lives, it was quite a low income, but no one complained because they could earn money steadily every day.
“I hope we hit the jackpot today.”
“Yeah. I wonder if anything good will drop?”
The Maker Guild really worked hard to claim this Liker Village.
Recently, due to government policies, many dungeons in the metropolitan area have been cleared, intensifying competition.
Small and medium-sized guilds like the Maker Guild had to shed a lot of blood just to claim one F-rank dungeon.
-Whoosh!
At that moment, the dungeon entrance opened, and several men and women entered.
“Who are you?”
“Pardon?”
“This is a dungeon owned by the Maker Guild. Please leave.”
Usually, guilds that own dungeons often engage in plundering, but these people didn’t.
They could use force if necessary, but most ability users would quietly leave if persuaded properly, so they didn’t want to cause a bloodshed if possible.
“Isn’t this Liker Village?”
“It is.”
“We were told there’s an interview here today…”
“What did you say?”
This was news to Lee Yoon-hyung.
‘Is the Guild Master trying to recruit new guild members?’
That was highly likely, but it was a bit unpleasant that he, who manages this dungeon, wasn’t informed at all.
“I haven’t heard about this. I’ll contact the Guild Master and get back to you, so please wait outside for now.”
“What’s this?”
“Isn’t this the place for the Badass Guild interview?”
“It seems that person doesn’t know.”
Lee Yoon-hyung tilted his head as he heard people murmuring.
“Badass?”
He had also heard that the Badass Guild was recruiting new members.
He wasn’t particularly interested, but because it was Kang Hyeon’s guild that had recently become too famous, he couldn’t help but hear news from around.
“Are you here for the Badass Guild interview?”
“Yes. Aren’t you from the Badass Guild?”
“No, but…”
It was when Lee Yoon-hyung sensed that something was wrong.
-Whoosh, Whoosh!
The closed dungeon entrance opened again, and people started pouring in like a flood.
“W-what’s going on?!”
The endlessly incoming people quickly exceeded 100 and soon filled the dungeon entrance.
The number easily surpassed a thousand.
Lee Yoon-hyung had never seen so many ability users gathered in one place before.
“When does the interview start?”
“They’re going to test this many people at once? Is that possible?”
“Are you the supervisor? When is An Yu-seong coming? I’m a huge fan!”
“Start quickly!”
“N-no! I’m not from Badass, I’m from the Maker Guild…”
Lee Yoon-hyung felt like he was losing his mind with the noise of a thousand people chattering.
“Who are you people?”
At that moment, Lee Yoon-hyung’s head quickly turned at the voice coming from right behind him.
“Kang Hyeon…?”
“Wow! It’s Kang Hyeon.”
“Hey, hey. Kang Hyeon’s here!”
Ignoring the commotion around, Kang Hyeon wore a fierce expression.
“I’ve never seen you before, why are you pretending to be our guild members?”
“No, you see…”
“What’s this? If you want to join, just take the interview today. Don’t play around.”
“That’s not it… This is our guild’s dungeon…?”
“Excuse me?”
Kang Hyeon looked bewildered at Lee Yoon-hyung’s unexpected words.
“This dungeon belongs to our Maker Guild…”
“Ah, so this dungeon had an owner. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Haha…”
Lee Yoon-hyung felt relieved when Kang Hyeon genuinely looked like he didn’t know.
‘He seems more reasonable than I thought?’
Originally, guild-owned dungeons can be immediately identified if searched on the radar, but well, it’s possible to not know.
‘He must have been too busy to check.’
Lee Yoon-hyung, who had been nodding for a moment, continued speaking.
“Then, could you please take these people and leave now? We need to work.”
“Excuse me?!”
Suddenly, Kang Hyeon’s expression turned grim.
“What did you say?”
“If you could leave the dungeon…”
“Why! Should I! Go somewhere else?”
“Obviously, this is Maker Guild’s dungeon…”
“From today, this dungeon belongs to the Badass Guild.”
“…?”
“It’s not like it’s legally determined anyway, and you guys also took this dungeon by force, right? Am I wrong?”
He wasn’t wrong.
Originally, dungeon ownership isn’t legally established, and it’s an implicit division of territories among guilds, so forcefully taking and losing dungeons was common.
Of course, the Maker Guild also claimed this dungeon after a war with other guild members.
“But this isn’t right!”
“What’s not right? I couldn’t sleep last night, so I’m a bit sensitive. If you have a problem, just come at me.”
The people who gathered for the interview wore intrigued expressions at the sudden verbal confrontation.
“Is it okay for a famous person like you to act like this?”
“F*ck, whether I’m famous or not, what are you going to do about it? Is there a problem with me taking by force what you took by force?”
“You bastard, you’ve gone too far!”
Finally unable to hold back, Lee Yoon-hyung drew his sword.
-Slash
That was Lee Yoon-hyung’s last memory.
“W-what just happened?”
“Did he just get slapped?”
“I couldn’t even see it properly.”
Kang Hyeon didn’t even glance at the fallen Lee Yoon-hyung, instead looking at the other Maker Guild members.
“I’ll borrow them just for today, so go quietly. Submit a claim to our guild for any unpaid wages.”
“Y-yes, yes!”
The Maker Guild members, half-dazed, nodded and immediately carried Lee Yoon-hyung out of the dungeon.
“Now then, sorry to keep you waiting. Let’s start the interview.”
Kang Hyeon calmly looked at the interview candidates as if nothing had happened.
“Before the interview, you should have been assigned numbers from 1 to 1000. As explained earlier, please gather in groups of 100. The order doesn’t matter. Just form groups of 100 people.”
Following Kang Hyeon’s instructions, people started gathering, recalling their numbers.
1-100
101-200
?
901-1000
A total of 10 teams of 100 people each were formed.
“Looks like everyone’s ready. Then, team number 1, please step forward.”
At Kang Hyeon’s words, 100 people walked forward.
“The interview method is simple. If you’re standing here after thirty minutes, you pass the first round. Using debuff skills is prohibited, and running away will be considered an immediate disqualification.”
“…?”
People were confused by Kang Hyeon’s sudden announcement.
“Are you saying that 100 people here should have a survival game?!”
“This test method is too cruel. There could be casualties.”
Kang Hyeon smiled wryly at the protests erupting here and there.
“It’s not like that, so don’t worry. You are all one team.”
“What? Then is monster hunting the test?”
“This is an F-grade dungeon… Isn’t it too weak?”
“Quiet!”
As the atmosphere became chaotic again, Kang Hyeon shouted to bring order.
“The rules are simple. You 100 people are one team. And the opponent is me alone. If you last thirty minutes, you win. Understand?”
***
Ippotranslation
***
“Is today the guild interview day?”
“Yes.”
Han Si-hwan , visiting the office after a long time, looked around.
“Where’s the Guild Master…?”
“If you mean my brother, he went to conduct the interviews.”
“Ah…”
Han Si-hwan wore a worried expression at An Yu-seong’s answer.
“Um, Vice Guild Master…?”
“Just call me comfortably.”
“Then, can I call you Yu-seong?”
“Yes.”
“Yu-seong. I heard about the interview content, and… Is it true that they fight as a group?”
“That’s right.”
Han Si-hwan’s expression darkened further at An Yu-seong’s calm reply.
“Aren’t you worried? I think we should go check…”
“You’re worried about Kang Hyeon? It doesn’t matter anyway since the first day is mostly for recruiting lower levels.”
“Even so, it’s 100 people. Plus, he has to subdue them. What if something goes wrong?”
“If you’re that worried, go see for yourself.”
At An Yu-seong’s slightly prickly words, Han Si-hwan quietly nodded and withdrew.
“Hmm…”
An Yu-seong, watching Han Si-hwan leave, spoke to Shin Seong-a.
“Older Sister.”
“Yes.”
“Why did you stay in the office instead of going with my brother today?”
“I have work to do today.”
“That’s unusual.”
“I need to design jackets for the new guild members.”
“I should have known.”
An Yu-seong, who momentarily thought Shin Seong-a was actually working, reflected on his assumption.
“And why are you here, Yu-seong?”
“What’s the point of going? It won’t be fun anyway.”
“It’s still a battle, isn’t it?”
“What kind of battle is that? It’s just playing with kids. I’m not interested in childcare.”
“I see.”
***
Ippotranslation
***
Han Si-hwan liked his current life.
The time he spent with Park Se-hyeon in the Guardian Guild before.
Those days filled with a sense of duty were certainly good, but now it’s good in a different way.
The free atmosphere of the guild.
The pursuit of strength.
Guild Master Kang Hyeon wasn’t exactly a good person, but he wasn’t evil either.
He always seemed to act on his own, but he had firm principles and knew how to take responsibility for his actions.
“Sometimes he’s too willful and makes things difficult, though.”
Anyway, Han Si-hwan always felt grateful to Kang Hyeon for taking in him and the Guardian Guild members.
Thinking that such a person might be in a difficult situation made him feel uneasy.
“I’ve arrived.”
Han Si-hwan, arriving at the F-grade dungeon Liker Village, immediately entered.
-Whoosh
The now-familiar sensation of his body rising.
‘I hope nothing’s wrong…’
Finally entering the dungeon, Han Si-hwan’s eyes widened.
“Is that all you’ve got? What do you think you can do with that kind of guts?!”
Hundreds of people were already lying on the ground.
Most of them seemed to be alive as they were still moving, but at a glance, they looked like they would need to spend quite some time in the hospital.
“Those waiting in line behind. If you think you can’t do it, leave now. Don’t waste time.”
Kang Hyeon was beating the interviewees without even holding a weapon.
They attacked him with all kinds of skills, but the difference in basic physical specs was too great.
“Alright! I’m leaving! What kind of interview is this?!”
“I’m going to report you!”
“You there. I heard that. Make sure you report it. Or you’re dead!”
The interview seemed to be about halfway through, but most of the people waiting in the back were leaving.
“Oh? Han Si-hwan?”
At that moment, Kang Hyeon noticed Han Si-hwan and called out to him.
“Yes, Guild Master.”
“What brings you here?”
“I was worried you might be having trouble…”
“It is certainly tiring to watch these stubborn ones.”
As he spoke, Kang Hyeon checked the time.
“There’s still 20 minutes left, and they’re all down already? Next group, come in.”
At Kang Hyeon’s call, about 20 people came forward.
“What? Is this all?”
“…”
Are these numbers 601 to 700?”
“Yes.”
“Where are the rest?”
“They all left…”
“Hah.”
Kang Hyeon suppressed a laugh at the guild member’s words beside him.
“Just gather all the remaining applicants now.”
Originally, 400 people should have gathered. However, even when all the remaining people were gathered, there weren’t even 100.
“We’ll do the last round all at once. The rules are the same as before.”
“…”
Everyone nodded with solemn expressions at Kang Hyeon’s words.
“Then, everyone come in.”
“Aaaaah!”
Han Si-hwan had certainly come out of concern for Kang Hyeon. But now he was starting to worry about the remaining interviewees.
‘This is called an interview…?’
He had never heard of such an interview in his life. To Han Si-hwan, this seemed like assault disguised as an interview.
“Argh!”
-Thud
“Kyaaa!”
Men and women, big and small, all were beaten equally.
Still, it was impressive that those who remained after seeing the previous scenes didn’t give up and kept charging. At the same time, it was pitiful.
‘What is the Guild Master thinking…’
Somehow, Kang Hyeon’s expression seemed to be quite enjoying it, which made Han Si-hwan even more worried.
“That’s it! The people left this time have some grit!”
People who were covered in blood and fallen on the ground, even those who seemed to have broken bones, were trembling and getting up.
Seeing this, Kang Hyeon smiled even more brightly.
“If you can hold out for just 30 more minutes, you all pass!”
***
Ippotranslation
***
After the hellish interview ended, government people came to support those who had fainted.
Given the large number of about 500 people, the dispatched team was quite substantial.
“You came?”
“Haa, Kang Hyeon. What on earth made you do this?”
Shin Tae-gil, who came after hearing the news, sighed.
“You said you’d support it.”
“What were you thinking when you planned this kind of interview?”
“That’s right. Even I don’t understand what the Guild Master was thinking this time.”
As Han Si-hwan chimed in after Shin Tae-gil, Kang Hyeon shrugged.
“Curious? If you’re curious, it’s 500 won.”
“Stop joking. Some were at a level where they could have lost their lives if it had been a little later.”
“Haha. They already signed the papers before the interview.”
“That’s not the point!”
“Ahem. It’s a joke. A joke. Just in case, I had professional medical staff on standby.”
When Shin Tae-gil became serious, Kang Hyeon laughed in embarrassment.
“Anyway, to get to the point. Grit! I wanted to recruit people with tenacity.”
“Tenacity…?”
“Yes. Tenacity. All the kids gathered today are at low levels, below level 30.”
“I know that from what I’ve heard.”
“Shin Tae-gil. You once told me, right? That the growth of ability users is stagnating.”
“Yes…”
The overall stagnation in the growth of ability users. It’s something Han Se-yeon mentioned a long time ago too.
“What do you think is the reason?”
“Hmm…”
“In my opinion, the first reason is that they’ve reached the limit of their talent. Those annoying talent-filled guys level up irritatingly fast, you know.”
“That’s right.”
It was no longer a secret that growth rates varied even when hunting the same monsters.
“But there’s an even more fundamental reason than that.”
Shin Tae-gil unconsciously tensed up as Kang Hyeon suddenly spoke with gravity.
“What is it?”
“They lack guts.”
“Guts?”
“Guts! In other words, stubbornness, determination, nerve, tenacity!”
“…”
“What ability users need now is that grit.
At first glance, it sounded like nonsense, but thinking about it carefully, it made sense.
At some point, ability users started to settle for the status quo.
Stronger bodies than ordinary people.
Lots of money.
They earn more money than corporate employees just by tackling E-grade dungeons without pushing themselves.
Once they get used to a dungeon, they can comfortably hunt monsters without any crisis.
“Are you saying their growth has stagnated because they’ve settled for reality?”
Shin Tae-gil, being in the government, knew this current situation better than anyone.
“That’s right. Unless you’re naturally talented. To become strong, you need to constantly push and be pushed to your limits. But if you’re just hunting the same monsters you hunt every day, there’s no way you’ll level up even if you hunt all day.”
“Hmm…”
“So! Looking ahead, I need people who really want to become strong, who will get up and fight again even if their bodies feel like they’re being shattered in the process of becoming stronger.”
“…”
“Then you can become strong even without talent. This difference will widen more as time passes.”
Shin Tae-gil and Han Si-hwan couldn’t help but nod at Kang Hyeon’s words.
In Han Si-hwan’s case, he had to agree when he thought about his own growth and that of the Guardian Guild members.
“Now healing magic has become much more common, and it will only get better in the future. In my opinion, there will definitely come a time when all ability users can recover without dying unless it’s instant death, like me now. When that time comes, those who know how to stick their heads into a monster’s mouth without caring about their bodies will survive and become stronger. I’d bet on it.”
“Haa…”
In the end, even Shin Tae-gil was persuaded by Kang Hyeon’s words.
“So you’re saying you’ll continue to do this in the future?”
“If necessary, we should. You told me to grow the guild, right? But I have no intention of accepting just anyone.”
Kang Hyeon turned around to look at the interviewees.
“Look at those kids standing there. Aren’t they amazing?”
Shin Tae-gil, following Kang Hyeon’s gaze, couldn’t smile like Kang Hyeon.
There were people standing there, not falling down even though they were covered in blood, with eyes full of determination.
Kang Hyeon approached one of the women among them.
“There’s no distinction between men and women in this kind of thing. We all get ability adjustments anyway, so what physical difference is there, right?”
Kang Hyeon said with a smile, but the woman didn’t answer.
“Huh?”
Kang Hyeon’s face hardened as he examined the woman.
“What… She fainted while standing?”
These applicants’ determination had already exceeded Kang Hyeon’s expectations.