Chapter 211
Chapter 211: Declaration
After Keroes rose to become a mid-sized guild, Park Joong-seob received VIP treatment wherever he went.
This was due to the honor and status that came with being a Guild Master.
Thus, it had been years since he had been so outrightly ignored.
‘Yoo Ji-han, you dare to attack Keroes, the one who raised you?’
In Yoo Ji-han’s party’s movie, Ajesia 2, Kim Hyun-tae’s party made an appearance.
It was possible because heroes had no right to their likeness in videos filmed on-site.
Conversely, Kim Hyun-tae’s party could also film his face in the movie without asking for Yoo Ji-han’s consent.
But……
——How can I believe what you’re saying?
——Tch! Yoo Ji-han, quit pushing.
——If you don’t want to get hurt, just scram!
——You told me not to give orders.
Kim Hyun-tae’s attitude in the movie, where he came off as particularly stubborn, left a very bad impression.
It was a stark contrast to the image he usually showed publicly.
“Hoo…… If Hyun-tae had just kept his cool on set…”
He wished he could mobilize various means to retaliate against Sweet Fun right now.
However, he had to hold back, as a misstep could lead to even greater harm for Keroes.
After all, there were plenty of reasonable excuses to cover for Yoo Ji-han’s contract.
Park Joong-seob calmed his anger and examined the documents on his desk.
“Tch!”
It was a list of heroes to replace Lee Mi-a, who had withdrawn.
There were many who wanted to join Kim Hyun-tae’s party in the guild.
With many candidates gathered, Lee Mi-a’s absence could easily be filled by a much more cooperative hero.
“Sure, I’ll just watch how long you all flail about.”
Whether Yoo Ji-han made a name for himself or formed an alliance with Lee Mi-a, it would all be nothing more than the foolish flailings of those who had left Keroes.
Kim Hyun-tae would eventually become Korea’s top hero while being in Keroes.
In the end, Park Joong-seob had no doubt that the final victor would be himself.
*
[An In-Depth Analysis of Yoo Ji-han’s and Keroes’ Contract.]
[Guild Exploitation of Newbies: Just How Far Has It Come?]
[The Absurd Hero Contract: We Need Proper Institutional Procedures…]
…….
…….
Right after Yoo Ji-han made his contract public, numerous suspicions and information related to him began pouring in.
Keroes, which had maintained a clean and integrity-filled image, now had a blemish.
However, Keroes deployed its usual promotional strength to release counter-articles.
They also shaped negative public opinion against Yoo Ji-han.
[Anonymous13: Isn’t the contracting party responsible?]
[Anonymous24: To me, it looks like Yoo Ji-han messed up. Considering Kim Hyun-tae’s party, it was practically giving him a chance to join.]
[Anonymous15: If you didn’t like the terms, you shouldn’t have signed the contract.]
[Anonymous55: It’s pathetic to be acting like this now.]
Every time someone raised a suspicion online, comments sprang up in hordes within minutes.
Those quick on the uptake recognized that this was the work of people employed by Keroes.
No matter how much they tried to hide it, they were obviously protecting Keroes too much.
[Anonymous10: They’re being ridiculous at Keroes.]
[Anonymous32: Guild Master Park Joong-seob is truly pathetic.]
[Anonymous18: Did you see what Kim Hyun-tae did in the movie? It’s so infuriating.]
[Anonymous11: I’ve been a fan since Kim Hyun-tae made his debut… Today, I’m unfollowing him.]
Supporters of Yoo Ji-han and supporters of Kim Hyun-tae.
These two groups of people were at each other’s throats in online communities.
In reality, their relationship was not that great either.
Their fans were clashing too.
“I’ve never seen Kim Hyun-tae get such backlash before.”
For Yoo Ji-han, observing this spectacle was somewhat strange.
It was rare to experience people he didn’t even know rallying to fight against another faction on behalf of his ally.
‘Thankfully, Si-hu seems to have a good image.’
Through an interview, Kim Si-hu revealed his race.
He had expected some criticism or insults coming his way, but perhaps his worries were unfounded, as the people’s gaze towards him was warmer than he thought.
Moreover, this incident had drawn significant attention to Kim Si-hu, the half-elf, among Korea’s minority races.
With the perception of minority races deteriorating due to people from another world, it was hoped that the newly emerged Kim Si-hu would play an important role.
A company founded by a dwarf even emailed expressing their desire to invest in Sweet Fun.
‘But……that’s not the problem right now.’
The relationship between Yoo Ji-han and Keroes.
The revelation of Kim Si-hu’s concealed race.
All were undoubtedly important matters.
[Anonymous19: Guys. That’s not what’s important right now.]
[Anonymous44: I hear Chilla can talk!]
The issue surrounding Chilla’s communication abilities was garnering attention beyond imagination.
The moment footage of Chilla speaking spread through VTube,
Researchers from Korea and around the world became interested in Chilla.
“Hyung! We just got another email from America.”
“Didn’t we just get one from Japan?”
“That’s right.”
Everyone eager about Chilla had contacted the guild through the official email.
It was as if they didn’t consider the recipient’s position at all, as there were so many messages that couldn’t be read without going through a translator.
Min Yu-ri, Chilla’s owner, said with a slightly tired expression.
“There was someone who offered a fortune to buy Chilla from us.”
“Chirp! Why is everyone so interested in me?”
“Because you’re cute.”
“Chirp! So that’s why!”
Chilla nodded, seemingly understanding.
Yoo Ji-han looked at him and said,
“Let’s refuse all requests related to Chilla.”
“Yes.”
“Now that it has magical power, we don’t have to worry too much.”
After personally testing Chilla and finding that its physical abilities had improved since gaining magical power, Yoo Ji-han realized that even a moderately capable hero would struggle to push away that shield-bearing chinchilla.
Furthermore, with Min Yu-ri being attached to Chilla 24/7, there was no need to worry about kidnapping or anything of the sort.
‘Should I be thanking Jung Young-wook for this…?’
Chilla, transformed into a mutation due to the black mist that erupted from Jung Young-wook’s body.
At that time, Jung Young-wook had brought a crisis to the expeditionary force but, in the end, provided Chilla with an opportunity for growth that couldn’t be obtained even by spending a fortune.
Yet now, having become Kim Si-hu’s enemy,
Yoo Ji-han couldn’t figure out what emotions he should hold.
*
The Yoo Ji-han party gathered in the office and moved to the Hero Department Seoul Branch.
They had a schedule to fulfill at the Hero Department.
But……
“Yeo-wook has gone missing?”
Yang Ji-cheol informed the Yoo Ji-han party that Jung Young-wook, who had been in the treatment room, had disappeared.
Yoo Ji-han was shocked by the sudden news, but what surprised someone even more was Kim Si-hu.
With wide eyes, Kim Si-hu asked in a panicked voice.
“How about the CCTV?”
“It went out for about 30 seconds due to a power outage, and during that time, he vanished without a trace.”
“Just 30 seconds?”
“Yes. The strange thing is that neither the windows nor the doors were open.”
“……!”
The treatment room’s door, which had been firmly closed unless a nurse, doctor, or healer from the Hero Department visited, was now suspicious.
Jung Young-wook, who hadn’t awakened during that time, was under intensive care and was being monitored 24/7.
He was the only human and hero that had been abducted by people from another world.
Yoo Ji-han had made prior comments about him to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.
“Show us immediately.”
The Yoo Ji-han party dashed after Yang Ji-cheol to the treatment room where Jung Young-wook had been.
No matter how it was done, it was impossible for someone to vanish in such a short time without magical intervention.
If they could find traces of magical power Jung Young-wook had used at the scene, it could turn out to be an important clue.
—Huh? Nothing here! ……Why is there nothing?
However, even the tiniest hint of magical power was absent from the treatment room where Jung Young-wook had disappeared.
While a flustered Sylph flew around the treatment room, Yoo Ji-han spoke to Kim Si-hu.
“Don’t you feel anything?”
“It’s surprisingly clean in here.”
“……What do you mean by ‘surprisingly’?”
“Usually, when a human possesses magical power and remains in one place for a long time, there are magical residues or remnants left behind. Since Young-wook stayed here for several days, there should definitely be something noticeable, but…… there’s nothing. It’s as if someone deliberately erased all traces.”
The Yoo Ji-han party investigated the treatment room for a while but ultimately failed to find any substantial clues.
Kim Si-hu gazed down at the bed where Jung Young-wook had been lying with a very complicated expression.
*
The auditorium of the Hero Department, structured for various filming purposes like press conferences.
Numerous media outlets had set up in the back of the auditorium, manipulating cameras and such.
“Entering!”
As the Hero Department staff shouted, multiple hero parties began to enter through the wide-open doors.
Some wore immaculate suits, while others donned equipment that one would wear on-site.
Journalists eagerly captured the diverse appearances of these heroes with their cameras.
“Park Jae-kyung! Please look this way!”
“Red Hole is here too!”
“Let’s get a shot of that one.”
As time passed, the number of heroes entering the auditorium gradually decreased.
The one common trait of those invited by the Hero Department today was their remarkable achievements in provincial expeditions.
Bang bang bang bang!
As Kim Hyun-tae’s party entered, camera flashes erupted in their direction.
They were receiving extra attention due to their role as the expedition leader in Haenam and the conflict that had arisen between them and Yoo Ji-han’s party.
Lee Mi-a, who had left the party, was nowhere to be seen.
“Nice to meet you, haha.”
Kim Hyun-tae displayed a warm smile and moved to his assigned seat.
And about 10 minutes before the entrance time, Yoo Ji-han’s party walked into the auditorium.
“Gasp!”
“……!”
Without a doubt, they were the ones whose names had spread the most from this expedition.
The previously chatty reporters all suddenly fell silent, and every camera in the auditorium turned toward them.
“Chilla! Just one word, please!”
“Chirp? I don’t really have anything I want to say right now!”
“Wooow!”
“He really speaks!”
Those who had only previously seen Chilla on video cheered at hearing its voice.
The rumors that Chilla’s speech was merely an effect of ventriloquism evaporated in that instant.
‘Is my seat over there.’
Yoo Ji-han’s seat was completely separated from that of Kim Hyun-tae’s party.
It appeared the Hero Department had thoughtfully arranged the seating as well.
“Thank you all for gathering here despite your busy schedules.”
The event’s host and organizer, Jo Du-jin, who had planned this to commend the heroes who participated in the expedition, entered the auditorium and offered a formal greeting.
“Thanks to the efforts and sacrifices of many, including all of you, we have been able to regain peace. On behalf of all citizens of South Korea, I sincerely thank you, Jo Du-jin.”
Jo Du-jin, seated in a wheelchair, bowed his head to the heroes seated.
When he lifted his head again, a playful smile graced his lips.
“Actually, many high-ranking officials wanted to be present today, but I firmly rejected their requests, saying their remarks would be uninteresting and might make you uncomfortable. Haha!”
Jo Du-jin boisterously laughed, outright stating that he had turned down the presence of the President.
Some heroes, including Yoo Ji-han, smiled alongside him.
Indeed, he seemed to be a figure even the five-year-term president couldn’t treat lightly.
“This event was supposed to be a space to give you all commendations following your expedition… but I think I’ll change it up a bit.”
Originally, the event was to include a medal ceremony for each party along with best wishes and a banquet.
However, Jo Du-jin’s expression grew serious as he stated he would alter that plan.
“I declare today, from this place….”
Amid the interesting statement, the attention of the heroes and reporters focused intensely.
Jo Du-jin brought his lips close to the microphone and said.
“I will announce the incursion into another world to reclaim the Rank 1 Heroes.”
