Chapter 230
Chapter 230: The Audacity
“Is that really true?”
“I had a brief talk after hearing that Father suddenly collapsed.”
Alo, who was healthy one day, collapsed unexpectedly.
Min Yu-ri, who had experienced her younger sibling collapsing in the past, felt a strange sense of kinship with him.
And while they were sharing a short conversation about Alo and his family, she learned that Alo’s father had eerily similar symptoms to her sibling.
‘No external injuries, breathing normally, yet unable to regain consciousness for a long time, and when a Mage was summoned for treatment, his skin turned pitch black.’
It was an illness that even the treatment Mage, who was brought in with great difficulty from Kallem where Mages are scarce, could not identify.
It was no different from what is called Magic Discoloration Syndrome in Korea.
Kim Si-hu spoke with a hint of concern.
“Such a troublesome illness even in another world.”
“I heard there are harmful herbs among the medicinal herbs coming from Kabuum that can be used for Father’s treatment.”
“Really?”
“Yes! So if it works, I too…”
Thanks to her connection with the locals in Kabuum, Yogo Guild was able to exclusively distribute a rare herb that only exists there.
Min Yu-ri’s eyes sparkled at the news that Alo would use that herb to create a remedy for his father.
If there was even a slight chance of it being effective, she planned to take some back to Earth.
‘I need to work harder then.’
Since she had decided to help Min So-yeon when she first recruited her, Yoo Ji-han was determined to fulfill her wishes as much as possible.
*
Alo checked his clothes in the mirror.
A splendid outfit crafted by a famous artisan, sewn with threads from the golden beetle.
It was an expensive outfit fit for someone in the position of Guild Leader after a long time.
“Please come this way.”
“Oh, okay.”
The restaurant in Rakuaid was known for its especially high prices.
Alo walked down the hallway of the restaurant, guided by the staff.
Yoo Ji-han was closely following him.
‘Is it a meeting of guild leaders?’
A gathering of guild leaders from the various guilds operating in Leron, meeting periodically.
Yoo Ji-han had joined the gathering as Alo’s bodyguard.
After walking down a hallway with a red carpet, they finally arrived at their reserved location.
The restaurant staff kindly opened the door for them.
Creeeak—
As the door opened, what came into Yoo Ji-han’s view was a large circular table.
The people seated around it were all guild leaders of different guilds, maintaining a certain distance from each other.
‘What a luxury.’
Each guild leader was dressed lavishly.
What Alo wore was nothing but minor compared to them.
The thin and long red gemstones on their outfits looked as if worms were crawling on them.
Rather than being pretty, it felt more cumbersome, yet for the guild leaders, showing off each other’s wealth seemed to be a matter of pride.
“Yogo has arrived.”
“Huh? Who’s that behind him?”
“I don’t recognize that person.”
Alo sat down at his designated seat while listening to the whispers of the guild leaders.
Among the gathered guild leaders, he was the youngest.
“Alo, who is the person accompanying you?”
“This is the mercenary I recently hired.”
“A mercenary, huh.”
“He doesn’t look like someone who would do that…”
“It seems like you found the wrong person.”
Yoo Ji-han had a somewhat calm demeanor compared to the usual image of mercenaries in Kallem.
He ignored the scrutinizing looks aimed at him and moved towards the wall like the other guild leaders’ hired hands.
“Let’s have a simple meal first.”
As the gathering began, the restaurant staff swiftly brought dishes filled with food.
All of them were strange foods not seen on Earth.
Just as Yoo Ji-han listened attentively to the staff introducing the ingredients within the dishes—
“Hey.”
“…?”
A man standing next to him casually spoke.
He was a mercenary hired by another guild leader.
“I haven’t seen your face around here. What are you doing here?”
“And what about you, what are you doing here?”
The same question was returned, causing the mercenary to raise his eyebrows.
Yoo Ji-han’s demeanor seemed off to him like an inexperienced newbie.
“This guy’s being cheeky…”
“Can’t hear the food explanation because of you.”
“What did you say?”
“Shut up for a bit.”
“You…!”
The mercenary started to say something but closed his mouth, glancing around at others.
If he caused trouble here first, he would be the one to suffer the most.
And just as the meal among the guild leaders was coming to an end, desserts and drinks were served, and all the restaurant staff left the venue.
‘Now it begins.’
The real conversations of the meeting would start now that only the relevant parties remained at the table.
“Hey, Ques! I heard your guild sold sugar the other day at nearly cost price.”
“I just wanted to clear out inventory before the weather gets too hot. The price has gone back to the previous one now.”
“Still, isn’t that a bit against fairness? You should’ve at least given us a heads-up.”
“Come on! That was just for one day.”
Talks related to the items circulated through the guilds.
Discussions about setting the same prices for the same items sold by different guilds or intentionally lowering distribution to maximize profits were seen frequently.
During the conversations mostly led by the guild leaders running the larger guilds, Alo kept mostly quiet.
And when the slightly heated conversation began to cool down,
Alo threw out a new topic.
“The Yogo Guild plans to expand its business to Maz and Kabuum following Leron.”
“…Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“….”
“….”
The guild leaders fell silent in an instant.
It seemed Alo had uttered something he shouldn’t, causing the restaurant’s atmosphere to chill dramatically.
Then, a man wearing ten jewel rings on his fingers spoke.
“Alo. Are you challenging us right now?”
“Challenge? I merely mean to grow the guild larger than it is now.”
“That’s the same thing.”
Creating a guild that stretched across the entire continent without being limited to a certain area was akin to throwing down the gauntlet to the already large guilds.
The ambition was too grand for a guild that had mostly operated around Leron.
“How dare a mere newcomer rise up against us when they’ve just become a guild leader…”
“Sorry, but I’m not interested in your boring jokes.”
The guild leaders heading the larger guilds delivered a brief warning message to Alo.
A caterpillar must eat pine needles to survive.
They were advising him not to meddle in matters beyond his means.
“If you really want to bring in goods from other regions, you should share a bit. In return, we will charge a certain commission.”
“Thank you, but I’ll decline. We can bring them ourselves.”
“Are you really going to do this?”
“You cocky brat. Did your fallen father teach you that?”
“Huh? Why are you suddenly insulting my father?!”
Caught off guard by the insult towards his father, Alo exploded in anger.
As his face turned red, others chuckled lightly.
“That’s funny.”
Yoo Ji-han had a smile creeping at the corner of his mouth.
At that moment, one of the guild leaders said, “You’re the mercenary that Alo brought along. What’s so funny?”
“With so many big guys, how could I not laugh?”
“…What did you say?”
Big guys only in stature.
It was clear to everyone that he was referring to the guild leaders attacking Alo.
“If your guild is truly confident, it shouldn’t mind if competitors increase. But it doesn’t seem like that’s what I’m seeing right now.”
“What the hell do you know as a mere mercenary…”
“Indeed. It shouldn’t have guild leaders that are less capable than mercenaries.”
“How dare you!”
As voices rose in pitch, dissatisfaction appeared among the guild leaders.
Consequently, the mercenaries and soldiers affiliated with the guild also looked at Yoo Ji-han with disdain.
Some even reached for their weapons openly.
Yoo Ji-han warned them, “Why don’t you give it a try?”
Whoosh—
A small whirlwind started swirling at Yoo Ji-han’s feet.
It was merely a gentle breeze for now but could become a violent gust at any moment.
The mercenaries realized something as the breeze brushed against their skin.
“Magic.”
“Magic?”
“But how can a swordsman have such power…”
The Sylph’s magic was far too alien for a swordsman to showcase.
The mercenaries on guard against him all gulped.
Thud!
Yoo Ji-han walked to the table, placing a hand on Alo’s shoulder.
“Feel free to come at me if anyone has a grudge against Alo. If I lose, I promise that our ‘Pig’s Soup’ Mercenary Corps will completely sever ties with the Yogo Guild.”
“‘Pig’s Soup’?”
“To sever ties means…”
“Is the expansion of the Yogo Guild essentially going to be a non-issue?”
“…!”
The guild leaders buzzed with his shocking declaration.
The atmosphere felt like he wasn’t lying.
After all, mercenaries tend to comply with stronger forces.
The guild leaders glanced at the mercenaries they had brought with them but…
“….”
“….”
Most simply averted their eyes from the gazes of their employers in silence.
No one was willing to step forward first.
“I’ll give 100,000 coins to anyone who knocks that guy out!”
“No, I’ll give 150,000!”
“I can even give 200,000!”
The guild leaders raised their voices, promising money to anyone who could defeat Yoo Ji-han.
Their eagerness to disrupt the Yogo Guild raised the price higher than the bounty on a bandit that Yoo Ji-han had captured.
As the price began to exceed several months of contract fees for the mercenaries,
They began to glance at each other nervously.
“Uwaaaah!”
A bold mercenary made his way forward first.
Boom!
The moment he displayed his hostility, his body was slammed against the wall of the restaurant.
He was thrown by the wind, unable to respond properly.
The mercenaries broke into a cold sweat as they watched the scene unfold without Yoo Ji-han even lifting a finger.
“Are you going to draw it?”
“Tch!”
The mercenary who first provoked Yoo Ji-han bit his lip.
Yet, he ultimately couldn’t draw his weapon.
*
“I trust that means there are no complaints.”
Despite the increased bounty, no one dared to charge at Yoo Ji-han.
He soon left the restaurant with Alo, who had finished his meal.
After they disappeared, the remaining guild leaders sat in silence for a while.
Especially the leaders of smaller guilds were busy gauging the reactions of those leading larger guilds.
“How could such a thing dare challenge us…”
“Where on earth did they bring such a person from?”
“I can’t believe it.”
The common sentiment was that the Yogo Guild was getting too bold with usable mercenaries.
“I heard their cash reserves are more than we anticipated!”
“It seems like they are betting everything on this matter.”
“His father never acted this boldly…”
After the true owner of the Yogo Guild collapsed,
Alo, who had taken his place, was someone with ambitions greater than his father’s.
But no one expected him to act this boldly.
‘Those who dare to crawl upwards without fear…’
‘They need to be stomped down before they rise any further.’
In the small banquet hall of the restaurant, where all the mercenaries were sent away,
The guild leaders quietly continued their conversation.
