I had already decided that if the opportunity arose today, I would casually bring up the topic over drinks. After all, Hanbyeol and I were likely to part ways soon, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to be honest about my feelings. In hindsight, I regretted not having this conversation in front of the cabin. But it was too late; our hearts had already changed.
“If you ask me why… it’s a bit difficult to explain.”
“Is it hard to tell me?”
Hanbyeol emphasized the word “me,” and I shook my head. That wasn’t what I meant.
“That’s not it. Do you remember what we talked about in front of the cabin steps?”
”…Yes.”
“I’ve had a lot of time to think over the past three months. Seeing the world of Hol Plain has changed my perspective. Anyway, I won’t be joining the Golden Lion Clan or any other clan.”
Even though I trailed off, Hanbyeol was sharp. She seemed to mull over my words before looking at me with wide eyes, as if she understood my intention.
“Then… are you thinking of starting a new clan?”
“Something like that. I want to create a clan. The others didn’t get an offer from the Golden Lion Clan, but more than that, I wanted to stick together with them.”
“I also…”
Hanbyeol started to say something but closed her mouth. I noticed her breathing had become slightly uneven. Her face showed signs of inner conflict. She bit her lip, then spoke with a voice louder than usual, as if she had made up her mind.
“I feel the same way. My thoughts have changed a lot since entering Hol Plain. You were amazing during the rite of passage. Even at the User Academy, you stood out from the rest. I know better than anyone that you have talent. But…”
But. This was the signal that she was about to tell me what she really wanted to say. I listened intently, my expression neutral.
“Hol Plain is vast and unpredictable. It’s not a place where one person’s abilities can handle everything, like during the rite of passage. You might say there are three others with you.”
I was about to say that but closed my mouth and nodded. Hanbyeol continued, her face now composed and cool.
“I’m not saying you should or shouldn’t do it. I’m not trying to be negative. But… I still feel like, even if you say otherwise, you’re carrying this burden alone. In Hol Plain, it’s too dangerous for a group to rely on one person.”
Hanbyeol wasn’t underestimating the abilities of the three others. She was pointing out my attitude in relation to theirs. Her words implied that one person can’t do everything alone, and she had a point. But she overlooked one thing.
She took a deep breath, as if she had said everything she needed to. I gave her a moment to catch her breath and gathered my thoughts before speaking slowly.
“Hanbyeol, you have a tendency to be single-minded.”
”……?”
“Thinking logically is good, but you tend to go in one direction.”
“What are you suddenly talking about?”
“I’m saying don’t judge me and the others by your own standards.”
Hanbyeol seemed startled by my cold tone and quickly closed her mouth. I looked at her with a frosty gaze. Her lips trembled slightly, a sight I found a bit pitiful. But I had decided to treat her as an equal, so I would say what needed to be said.
“I’m sorry. But I thought we were similar. Always rational…”
“Similar, huh. You might think so, but for me, especially when it comes to joining a clan, it’s not a rational choice. Especially not the Golden Lion Clan.”
“Why? Are you saying I’m wrong?”
“Is it about being right or wrong? Every choice has pros and cons. Isn’t a rational choice about weighing those and making the best decision for yourself and your situation?”
Hanbyeol made a rational choice based on the present. I made mine based on the past and future. Despite the simplicity of this logic, Hanbyeol looked confused. For the first time, I felt a sense of frustration looking at her. We weren’t understanding each other.
“The Golden Lion Clan is the largest clan in the northern continent. It’s an open secret that they’re preparing to advance into the Iron Mountains. It’s bound to be different from starting from scratch. I just can’t see the advantages of the path you’re choosing.”
“Who guarantees that their advance into the Iron Mountains will succeed? Have you thought about what it means to be recommended by an executive? More importantly, do you really trust the users in the clan you’re trying to join?”
I shot back with a slightly sharp tone, but Hanbyeol listened quietly. A moment of silence passed between us, a cold tension hanging in the air. Just as I was about to speak again, she beat me to it.
“Then, are you someone I can trust?”
”…….”
One word. Just one word. Her single question turned the cold tension between us into a chilling silence. The only sound was our breathing. Her face showed a myriad of emotions—anger, sadness, regret. It was the first time I’d seen such a range of expressions from her.
I spoke quietly, but my words carried the disappointment I couldn’t hide.
“You once asked me why I was doing this. If I were to answer that now, I would say…”
I would say.
“I wanted to be a protective figure for you all. I wanted to give and receive trust. By nature, I don’t trust people easily. So, I did consider going it alone. But as you said, I knew I couldn’t do anything alone. I couldn’t ignore that fact.”
I took a breath and continued.
“So, having made that decision, I wanted to choose at least the people I started with. People who trust me, and whom I can trust. It’s a clan, after all. I wanted at least one or two people who felt like family.”
Throughout my explanation, Hanbyeol’s eyes wavered. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something. But by then, the large information building loomed before us.
Once, Hanbyeol and I stood at a crossroads. Back then, she followed my choice. Now, we were at another crossroads. I had already chosen my path, but she hadn’t yet.
I climbed the steps calmly and grasped the door handle. Hanbyeol remained still. As I gently pushed the door, it opened smoothly without a creak. I stepped inside slowly.
I didn’t hear Hanbyeol following.
Ahn Hyun and the others were already deep into their drinking session. I never got around to bringing up what I wanted to discuss. Watching them laugh and joke, I sighed inwardly. These guys had no idea what I was going through, and it made me a bit grumpy. Carefree fools.
Still, I didn’t let it show. This might be the last time we could enjoy a day like this. Starting tomorrow, the path ahead for me and the others would be anything but easy. The User Academy would seem like paradise compared to what lay ahead.
The drinking party ended in high spirits. Ahn Hyun and Yoo Jung got so carried away that they eventually passed out. Fortunately, Sol was still awake, so we each carried one of them back to the dorm. After tossing Ahn Hyun into a corner, I lay down and fell into thought.
Now that I was in Hol Plain and my perspective had shifted, there was so much to do. First, I needed to collect my mission reward points and leave Barbara immediately. As I mulled over various plans, I drifted off to sleep.
The next day, the long-awaited morning arrived.
The graduation and departure ceremonies were honestly quite dull. They said a lot, but it all boiled down to congratulating us on our hard work and wishing us success on the northern continent.
“You have completed the User Academy in the northern continent’s major city, Barbara. You receive 4 ability points as a mission reward.”
After the graduation ceremony, the users’ situations became clear. Those who received offers and those who didn’t. Those with offers joined the clan members who came to welcome them, while the rest were left twiddling their thumbs.
Even if not in a major city, there should be clans worth joining in smaller towns. Seeing them still lingering around after the ceremony made me feel a bit sorry for them. Not that it was any of my business.
I wanted to rush to the warehouse to collect the items I purchased with GP, but the others swarmed me, thwarting my plans. Ahn Hyun, Yoo Jung, and An Sol. With the four of us gathered, I could feel the eyes of clan scouts on us. We had already politely declined all offers, but it seemed they still held out hope.
Ahn Hyun might not shine as brightly because of me, Woo Jung-min, and Sun Yu-un, but he certainly showed enough potential to make any clan drool. Yoo Jung’s grades were also above average. Both of them received numerous offers from mid-tier clans, but they turned them all down because of me.
To be honest, if we’re talking about treasures, Sol was the real gem. The Brilliance Priest. The pinnacle of the priest class, standing alongside the Execution Princess and the Shadow Queen as a representative of female users. Even if she didn’t secure this class, her initial stats of 75 magic points and 100 luck points were a massive advantage.
Yet, surprisingly, Sol didn’t attract much attention. According to Ahn Hyun, she struggled quite a bit with controlling her magic. It made sense; it was unusual for a novice user to manage mid-level magic. As she becomes more accustomed to it over time, her true worth will undoubtedly shine through.
The scout from the Golden Lion Clan looked at the users with disbelief. After the graduation ceremony, I learned that the clan had made offers to five new users. However, only two accepted.
“I’m sorry. I have a group I’ve been with all this time. I can’t just leave them behind and join alone.”
After smoothly turning down the last scout’s offer, Ahn Hyun and the others seemed quite apologetic towards me. They seemed to take my words at face value. While this misunderstanding wasn’t necessarily bad, it felt a bit uncomfortable, so I thought it might be better to clear things up when the opportunity arose.
As we stepped out of the academy’s main gate, the area was bustling with new and existing users. Among the Golden Lion Clan members, I could see the emblems of various other clans.
Then, a scene caught my eye—Lee Ji-young. She seemed to have joined a fairly reputable clan, looking down on the users who hadn’t received offers with a smug expression. Standing next to an instructor with her arms crossed, she was putting on airs, and I couldn’t help but think how ridiculous she looked. I was curious to see how her demeanor might change in six months, but for now, I turned away.
I suddenly had a feeling that Kim Han-byeol might be somewhere around here. I sensed a gaze poking at me persistently. When I turned in the direction of the gaze, there she was, staring at me and my group. However, I had no desire to rekindle any ties with her. It seemed the fact that she was a Jewel Mage hadn’t spread yet, suggesting they decided to keep it a secret within the clan for now.
The others followed me with faces full of anticipation. Just as we were about to leave, a voice calling my name made me pause. Turning around, I saw Woo Jung-min and his group. From his greeting, it was clear who the other two were that had turned down the Golden Lion Clan’s offer. (Though I had a rough idea already.)
During a brief chat, Woo Jung-min suggested we team up for a while. Honestly, it was a tempting offer. It seemed wise to take the opportunity to cleanly sweep away the Red Fang Clan before they gathered strength. But before I could respond, the idea was shot down by Won Hye-soo from their group and Lee Yoo-jung from mine, who both seemed to dislike the idea.
Won Hye-soo still seemed unable to let go of her feelings for me, occasionally glaring in my direction. I understood her feelings, but my patience was wearing thin. I decided to let it slide for now, but I resolved to set things straight with her eventually. With that, I bid them a brief farewell.
When I glanced back, the others were looking at me with blank expressions. They had likely turned down offers from decent clans to follow me blindly. They still had the demeanor of fledglings following their mother, but I felt a growing desire to trust them.
To do that, I needed to share my plans for the future.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Hello, this is Ro Yu-jin.
Haha, as expected, Han-byeol is getting a lot of flak. I feel a bit sorry since she’s a character I put a lot of effort into. But she’s not just a one-off character. She’ll appear many more times, so please keep an eye on her. :)
『Reader Comments』
Ailillia: Congratulations on being first! I was surprised to see your comment almost as soon as I posted. Thanks for pointing out the typo. I fixed it first thing in the morning. If I had written Ji-young as Han-byeol… hmm, I think she would have gotten a lot of hate. Haha.
rhkdel2: It’s a very tempting offer, but I have to blame my fingers. Boohoo.
HumanLife: Oh, your birthday is on Thursday. Congratulations! Eat lots of delicious food and get plenty of presents. :)
GradeRown: Oh dear, I’m such a blind author. ㅜ.ㅠ It was definitely tough to level up a mage in the early stages of MapleStory. Haha. In Whole Plane, to play a mage class, you need high magic power as a prerequisite. That’s the most important thing. Of course, some study and training are necessary too. The rest is mostly grinding, I suppose? :)
GayunEul: Please don’t hate Han-byeol too much. She may seem like this on the outside, but inside… oops. (Spoiler alert!)
LikeYooUn: This is the content of this chapter. You got it right. Clap clap clap! (Applause!)
Blami: Haha. Honestly, In-gong doesn’t have much lingering attachment to Han-byeol. Even though the secret class is a bit tempting, it’s not a big deal for In-gong right now. Because… (The rest is a spoiler, so no comment!)
TragicLife: Just consider her a supporting character. Although, for a supporting character, she will have a bit of a storyline.
StepByStep: Think of the rite of passage as the early part. In the long run, the User Academy can also be seen as the beginning. For other questions, refer to the previous comments by Kaion and Toranoanal, who explained it in detail, so I don’t need to add more. (Or refer to comment 11 in the afterword.)
Let’sPlayYeook: Haha. It’s a very attractive offer, but I have to blame my fingers. ㅜ.ㅠ I read your question carefully. It was too long to write in the afterword, so I sent it to you in a message. Please take a look!
Toranoanal: <It was subtly mentioned in the early part, but it was somewhat vague and was supplemented little by little in the middle.> <The author showed just that much.> You pinpointed the core of my intention and flow. It’s a perfect answer without needing further explanation.
SealedTolstoy: I was waiting for this question. If you read the text properly and accurately, it’s something you would naturally wonder about.
For the first question, you can consider it In-gong’s mistake. However, it wasn’t confirmed on the spot, and although it occasionally crossed his mind afterward, Han-byeol didn’t show her face much. By that time, their relationship had grown distant. After separating Han-byeol and Han So-young, he didn’t pay as much attention as before. The latter case is closely related to Han-byeol’s personality. Explaining it in detail might lead to spoilers, and it’s a question that will be resolved as the story progresses, so please wait a little longer.
Jinmyung. Jinmyung has no effect. However, there is a <place to use> it in Whole Plane. Items purchased with GP are not separately graded. But if you compare, you can consider it between S-grade and EX-grade.
That’s all for today.
I hope you always read my work with a relaxed mind.
Recommendations, comments, critiques, and questions are always welcome.