Chapter 123
Chapter 123: Rank 3 (3)
“Is that the opinion of the Deputy Minister over there?”
—That’s correct.
In the Office of Sweet Fun.
Yoo Ji-han’s mobile phone was connected to Yang Ji-cheol from the Hero Department.
It was to inquire about the request for promotion to Rank 3.
“Do you share the same opinion, Ji-cheol?”
—I think it’s a bit too early.
“Oh really?”
—It depends on the timing, after all.
Yang Ji-cheol was cautious about Yoo Ji-han Party’s promotion to Rank 3.
The reason was that the gap between going from Rank 4 to Rank 3 was way too quick.
But that didn’t mean he was completely against it.
It was only natural for a capable party to move up.
—What will you do?
“We’ll discuss it among ourselves and let you know.”
Once the call with Yang Ji-cheol was over, Yoo Ji-han sipped at the now slightly diluted Giant Cat Monster tea and spoke up.
“It’s been…”
“Just a little over 2 months.”
It had been nearly 2 months since the first party was formed in the guild Sweet Fun.
About 2 months ago, Yoo Ji-han had become the main dealer of the party and hunted the Giant Monster.
At that time, the party was Rank 5 and had challenged for promotion to Rank 4 at the request of the Hero Department.
In less than a month, they rose to Rank 4.
And now, the Hero Department had yet again recommended promotion for Yoo Ji-han’s party.
This time to Rank 3, not Rank 4.
“I’ve never heard of a party reaching Rank 3 in just 2 months.”
Typically, hero parties that reach Rank 3 have over a year of activity experience.
That is what it takes to be considered somewhat validated as heroes.
Of course, just because a party has been active for over a year doesn’t mean they all achieve Rank 3.
It’s also quite common to see parties that have been active for 2 or 4 years remain at a lower rank due to inadequate skills.
“To be fair, we’re not your average Rank 4 party.”
“Hmm.”
Kim Si-hu’s comment might verge on arrogance.
Yet, Yoo Ji-han slowly nodded.
If he looked closely at each party member, there was something peculiar about his party.
‘Yu-ri could easily handle Rank 3.’
Min Yu-ri, who had been hunting Giant Cats alone for years with the Snowflake Guild.
Considering how difficult it is to survive as a one-person guild in the hero world, she certainly had the potential for Rank 4 and above.
Moreover, she had the steadfast partner, Chilla, by her side.
If she had wanted, she might have reached Rank 3 long ago.
‘Si-hu has also surpassed the category of a rookie.’
Kim Si-hu, the guild master of Sweet Fun and an outstanding mage.
His time as a hero was somewhat similar to the other average rookie heroes.
But in terms of skill and achievements so far, he was incomparable to newcomers.
He was indeed a magician worthy of the title of top graduate from the Hero Academy.
Considering the bizarre magic he displayed when facing the Barbarian, he could well compete with Rank 3 and even Rank 2 mages.
“To be honest, if it were just Ji-han, few would see us as Rank 4.”
“Really?”
Yoo Ji-han tilted his head at Min Yu-ri’s unexpected remark.
She looked at him and continued, “Who would view a hero flying through the sky with magic, wielding an aura, and always taking the lead in battles against monsters and intruders as Rank 4?”
“Not to mention you have a spirit! With how hot the movie is currently, when the Sylph shows up, it’ll be complete madness.”
“If I were an outsider and not a party member, I would have had a similar reaction.”
Following Min Yu-ri, Kim Si-hu agreed.
Yoo Ji-han awkwardly smiled at the praise.
“Thank you for saying that… I’m a bit touched.”
“Who do you think brought you into Sweet Fun?”
“Bam!”
Chilla raised its hand as if to say it thought the same thing.
Whether it actually understood the conversation, who knows.
‘When we reach Rank 3, revealing the Sylph to the world should be cool.’
In that moment as Yoo Ji-han pondered about the Sylph, Kim Si-hu observed his expression and asked, “What should we do?”
“Okay. Let’s give it a try.”
“Really?”
“I’ll let Ji-cheol know.”
Yoo Ji-han coolly decided to challenge for promotion.
Even if they didn’t succeed, there wouldn’t be a major loss for the party.
Whatever happened would still be a good experience.
*
On the floor with offices exclusively for trainees at Cheongyoungsa.
Min Ju-yong from Nice Guild was hiding behind a wall, staring through the glass window of an office.
“Mmm…”
The opaque glass made it hard to see inside.
He licked his lips as he gazed at the shape within.
That office was where Yoo Ji-han’s party used.
The large gray mass visible through the window belonged to Chilla.
So the figure next to it must surely be Min Yu-ri.
‘I haven’t had a chance to talk to Yu-ri recently.’
All attempts to bring Min Yu-ri to the Nice Guild had failed.
However, Min Ju-yong had not given up on her yet.
She was merely affiliated with another guild and party.
‘It’s like the Cowherd and Weaver Girl!’
Though they were heroes from different affiliations, Min Ju-yong’s interest in Min Yu-ri continued.
“…!”
Just then, the opaque figure moved to the side, and the automatic door of the office opened.
The person who stepped out was none other than the Min Yu-ri he had been eagerly waiting for.
‘She’s coming!’
Seeing her approach, Min Ju-yong quickly straightened his clothes and stepped back.
Timing his movement, he walked forward as if he were just strolling casually.
“Ah? Ju-yong?”
“Hello, Yu-ri!”
It was a fated encounter disguised as a coincidence.
“What brings you here, Ju-yong?”
The Nice Guild had its own office.
There was no particular reason to come to the area where the offices of Cheongyoungsa were consolidated.
Min Ju-yong quickly racked his brain for a response.
“I just stopped by another party’s office for a moment.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Is your party moving in here?”
“Yeah.”
“I took a quick look and found this office cleaner and nicer than expected.”
“Really! It feels a bit too good to use for free.”
“By the way, I saw the movie you starred in! You looked amazing in it!”
“Thank you.”
Min Yu-ri smiled shyly at the compliment.
Min Ju-yong’s heart raced at the sight of her smile.
Not too long ago, he had captured Min Yu-ri’s face from the movie and saved it in a secret folder.
“How has your party been operating lately? Are you getting along with your party members?”
Min Ju-yong threw in the question, hoping to find leverage against Yoo Ji-han.
If there was even a slight chance, he was ready to whisk her away from Yoo Ji-han’s party at any moment.
“Our operations are going really well, just like the movie!”
“……”
But Min Yu-ri didn’t give him a chance at all.
“We’re probably going to challenge for promotion soon.”
“…Huh? Already?”
Min Ju-yong’s eyes widened at her words.
The timing of promotions for Yoo Ji-han’s party and Min Ju-yong’s party, which had attended the Rank 4 exchange meeting in the past, weren’t all that different.
And now they were talking about attempting a promotion to Rank 3 already.
“Even if the movie did well, isn’t it a bit too fast? I feel like they’ll fail anyway.”
“Fail? You don’t know whether it’s long or short until you try.”
With that brief exchange, Min Yu-ri walked past Min Ju-yong.
Desperate to spend even a little more time with her, he looked rather disappointed.
‘If she really gets promoted to Rank 3…’
He pondered over Min Yu-ri’s words left behind.
If she were to rise to Rank 3.
Not just the physical distance but the emotional distance would surely widen immensely.
‘Then I just… I just need to get promoted too.’
Min Ju-yong clenched his fist tightly.
In that moment, his infatuation turned into a desire for promotion.
*
“Have you heard the rumor that the Giant Monster might be promoted to Rank 4?”
“From what I see, it’s almost certain based on foreign opinions.”
“Could you two move aside for a moment! I need to place some documents on the desk.”
Bang!
In the Promotion Support Office of the Hero Department.
The staff responsible for processing the promotion requests had printed and placed the applications that had come in by the deadline on the desk.
A female staff member pointed to a stack of documents that had piled high enough to reach her eye level.
“This is the Rank 2 document that just came in, right?”
“Yes.”
“Geez, at this rate, I won’t be going home today.”
The staff member lamented her situation as she shook her head.
The pile of documents included requests from Rank 3 parties wishing to be promoted to Rank 2, totaling over several hundred.
Each document held information about a single party, making it the largest batch received in recent months.
“Can’t we just process this all via computer?”
“We have to do what we’re told from above.”
“Some aspects of this bureaucracy are just old-fashioned…”
By policy, documents related to promotions had to be printed on actual paper, signed by the responsible officers, and then filed away.
Because of this, the staff was often required to work overtime.
“This one’s about a Rank 3 document.”
Bang!
Someone placed a Rank 3 promotion request from a Rank 4 party right on the next desk.
That too was a significant volume.
“What’s up with everyone this month?”
“Are they trying to get their submissions in before the promotion criteria get tougher?”
“Sure seems like they’re quick on the uptake.”
Due to the increase in abnormal phenomena like mutations, the Hero Department was preparing to tighten promotion criteria.
If an underperforming party rose to a higher rank, there’s no guarantee of safety.
Word must have spread already, as many parties hurried to challenge for promotions.
“Out of all these, we’ll have to filter out at least one-fifth.”
“Right? To avoid getting scolded, we better keep our wits about us.”
The parties that ultimately succeed in their promotions are decided by the final examiners of the Hero Department.
However, parties that fall below certain standards would be filtered out right from the document review stage.
One of the staff members sighed heavily as she looked at the mountain of work.
If one were to estimate the number of successful candidates based on last month’s promotions…
It seemed many parties would face disappointment this month.
The staff also bore the burden of handling any protests that came in after the document disqualifications.
“This promotion will surely be competitive.”
“Okay, let’s get back to work! Let’s aim to finish before noon!”
The staff divided up the piles of documents and took them back to their stations.
At one desk, a male staff member placed the documents he received in front of his monitor.
Rubbing his palms together, he examined the paper on top of the pile.
“Wow, even the cast from that movie has submitted their applications.”
The top document belonged to Yoo Ji-han’s party.
Faces that had become somewhat familiar thanks to the movie.
The male staff member casually searched for the party’s name in the Hero Department’s system.
However…
“What’s this?”
A message appeared on the monitor that he had never seen before.
[This party has been designated as a prospective candidate for passing the Rank 3 promotion document review.]
[For more inquiries, please contact the number below.]
[……]
He wouldn’t be surprised if it were Rank 4, but a designated prospective candidate for the Rank 3 document review?
With such shocking news, the male staff member turned to his colleague.
“Jae-hee! I’ve heard there’s a prospective candidate for this document review?”
“Ah! I heard about that too.”
“Has there ever been a case like this before?”
“There have been. Like, back when Kim Hyun-tae’s party from Keroes went through this.”
“Oh… So does that mean these guys are at a level similar to Hyun-tae’s party in the past?”
“Seems so.”
*
Late at night.
Kim Si-hu entered the almost deserted Cheongyoungsa training center.
Yoo Ji-han and Min Yu-ri had already returned home.
With few people in the training center, Kim Si-hu quickly entered the personal training room he had reserved.
“Phew.”
As soon as he stepped into the empty space, he leisurely took off his hat.
Then, wielding his prized magic wand, he moved to the center of the training room.
‘Today feels good.’
The reason he came to the training center without telling his colleagues was for personal magic research.
“Where did I leave off yesterday?”
Kim Si-hu fiddled with his mobile phone.
Opening the notes app, he saw a screen filled with densely packed text.
The memo he had been writing up until yesterday contained research related to buff-type magic.
It was all an effort to reproduce the magic he had used on Yoo Ji-han when he encountered the Barbarian at the department store.
‘I need a stronger power than what I have now.’
Deciding to challenge for promotion to Rank 3.
While the party was quickly gaining fame and growing through the film, he kept feeling thirst whenever he thought of the enemies he would face in the future.
“Hmph, I feel like I know the feeling.”
He had succeeded in understanding about 10% of the buff magic he had used at that time.
Remarkably, that alone allowed him to wield power similar to existing buff magic.
However, he felt that it was massively insufficient to showcase to Yoo Ji-han.
‘No matter what, I need to make Ji-han stronger!’
Kim Si-hu had recently begun to sense his own growth.
His top priority goal was to support Yoo Ji-han in becoming stronger!
If the vanguard of the party grew stronger, the benefits would naturally flow back to Kim Si-hu, the magician.
‘By the way… This is definitely Elf magic.’
After several reviews, it was almost certain that this peculiar buff was Elf magic.
However, no matter how much he recalled the past, he had never learned Elf magic.
‘It must be something related to my mom.’
Kim Si-hu’s mother, Erna Hass.
Perhaps this magic had something to do with his mom, who used to claim to be of royal descent in another world, Kim Si-hu thought.
