After safely escorting all the rescued users to Muel, I headed straight back to Atlanta.
By the time the battle ended, the sun that had been high overhead was slowly setting in the west. What I had expected to take several days was surprisingly wrapped up in a single day. Of course, I’m more than happy when things turn out better than expected.
(I never thought it would end this quickly… Anyway, good job. Once the reward is confirmed, the temple will send a resident messenger.)
It seemed Lee Hyo-eul was thinking along the same lines, his voice a bit awkward as he spoke.
“Hmm. Sounds like the reward might take a while to come through.”
(Probably. Actually, there seems to be some controversy among the angels about the reward distribution.)
“Controversy?”
(Yeah. I don’t know the details, but don’t worry—they won’t shortchange us.)
I wasn’t worried. I know well enough that angels don’t lie, even if they’re vague or evasive.
“They’ll handle it properly. By the way, I asked the users from the Western Continent about the Guardianship duties…”
(Huh? You didn’t ask if they knew the Guardians of the Northern Continent, did you?)
“Are you kidding? I just asked if they had any contact with other Northern Continent users on the way here. They said no. We were the first they’d met.”
(Hmm. So there really was no connection…)
“So, what’s the plan moving forward?”
(…)
At that moment, Lee Hyo-eul’s reflection in the crystal orb fell silent for a moment.
The pause didn’t last long.
(For now… we have to keep searching. We’re still looking, and we’ll keep at it.)
He let out a long sigh.
(Of course, we haven’t forgotten about the inner city either. We’ll keep searching for a few more days, but if no leads turn up, I’ll focus on Atlanta.)
“Then I guess I’ll be hearing from you again.”
(Yeah, probably. We’ll need to discuss city development support and plans for relocating key buildings. I’ll contact you when the time comes.)
“Got it.”
With that, we ended the communication simultaneously. After placing the orb back where it belonged, I stood and stepped out onto the terrace.
A cool breeze blew in. When I first heard they were remodeling the room to include a terrace, I thought, “Is that really necessary?” But now, I found myself using it more often than I realized. It’s a perfect spot to clear my head and to enjoy a smoke.
Lighting a cigarette, the cityscape at dusk came into view. Despite being a large city, there wasn’t a single empty space—everything was packed and noisy. Most of the figures I saw were probably users who had gone exploring in the morning and returned by afternoon.
“Come to think of it, have I ever gone exploring from Atlanta?”
It seemed I hadn’t. Not because I was lazy, but because I had more pressing matters. I deliberately stayed put.
Of course, exploring isn’t necessarily a bad thing. While not as saturated as the Northern Continent, there are places in Atlanta where you can make progress. Plus, there’s a system in place to track achievements using records from the secret library in the Northern City.
But I’m different. To be more precise, my goals are different. While others left the overcrowded Northern Continent to seek new achievements in the Steel Mountain Range, I’m focused on a more fundamental purpose.
If my goal was just to live comfortably in the Hole Plain, I wouldn’t have come back at all. My reason for tackling the Steel Mountain Range was to go beyond Terra’s conquest and to seize the Zero Code once again with my own hands.
“I have to go home.”
Yes. I must never forget this goal. And Atlanta must become the foothold to achieve it.
Honestly, I want to march to Terra right now. But I’m not yet capable of reaching the “Temple of Promise,” and as my brother said, rushing would only increase the chance of failure. I have to carefully build my plan, step by step.
The top priority—settling the city—is done. Of course, it still needs to develop for at least six more months, but that’s something our subordinate clans, not the mercenaries, will handle.
“So now…”
Knock, knock.
Just then.
“Clan Lord? Can I come in~?”
While organizing my thoughts, a sudden knock was followed by a fresh, feminine voice.
The door opened, and a woman peeked in. Her long, jet-black hair fell neatly, her legs stretched out like a crane’s. Her sparkling eyes, deep and captivating, fixed on me.
“Je-gal Hae-sol?”
“Huh? Not bad, right? Standing there with the sunset behind you.”
“Thanks for the compliment. What brings you here?”
“Hmph. Do we always need a reason to see each other? That’s disappointing.”
I had no idea what nonsense she was spouting, but I gestured for her to come in and returned to my desk.
Je-gal Hae-sol gave a sly smile and swayed her hips as she walked over. But honestly, it wasn’t very sexy. She’s better off being lively—this just doesn’t suit her.
“…What did you take today?”
I shook my head, but she didn’t stop.
“Think about it. If a woman shows up at a man’s room this late at night…”
She stepped inside, perched lightly on the desk, crossing her legs. Then she leaned in close, winking one eye.
“…What do you think I’m here for?”
Her sweet voice tickled my ear. I sighed inwardly but tried not to show it.
“Well, for a woman like you, it wouldn’t be bad. So, straight to the bed?”
I wrapped my arm around her waist and gently pulled her closer. When I glanced up, I caught a slightly reluctant expression.
A moment later.
With a pop, the weight on my left arm vanished, and Je-gal Hae-sol appeared in midair in front of me. I watched in awe as she lightly landed on the sofa below. Her teleportation ability never ceased to amaze me.
“Unbelievable. ‘Not bad for a woman like you’? Is that how you really are? You’re not.”
Je-gal Hae-sol bit her lower lip tightly.
“I’m serious.”
She smiled and shrugged, then glared at me.
“Serious? Even if that’s true, don’t you dare touch me. I absolutely hate unfaithful men.”
“Then what if I only look at you from now on?”
“Hmm~ Then you can touch my hair, face, chest, arms, stomach, and hips. Oh, including all of my hips.”
“…What about my legs?”
I asked, realizing I’d missed something.
Je-gal Hae-sol made a disgusted face and pulled her legs in.
“Oh my. I didn’t think you were like that. What a beast. I’m disappointed, Clan Lord.”
“……?”
“Then you want to touch my legs too? Sorry, but that’s only after we’re married. I’m a bit of a virginity purist, you know.”
“…….”
Hearing “My legs are my pride,” I couldn’t help but cover my face. Suddenly, I wondered what it would be like to put Sun-yul and Je-gal Hae-sol together. Talking to these two always seems to lead me off on some tangent.
“Enough. What did you come here for?”
“Oh, I wanted to apologize for turning down your request last time.”
“No need to apologize. It wasn’t forced, and I wasn’t really keen on the job either. So, you came to apologize?”
“Of course, that’s not all. But about the reward for the request…”
“I haven’t received it yet. So you came because you’re curious about the reward?”
“…Fine. Just get to the point.”
Cutting her off, I heard a pouty voice.
Then footsteps approached softly as she got up and walked over.
“It’s nothing else. I just think it’s time for the mercenaries to change.”
At that, I raised my hand sharply. I was thinking the same thing. My thoughts were already on the next phase after city settlement—the clan development plan, like recruiting more clan members.
Je-gal Hae-sol was now right in front of my desk. It felt like seeing a ghost.
“Could you please read this first? Please.”
She began pulling out sheets of paper about the size of A4 from her pocket. The stack wasn’t very big—only four pages.
“What’s this?”
“The mercenary clan development plan. Author: Je-gal Hae-sol.”
She answered clearly.
I tilted my head and looked down. The handwriting was delicate and elegant. Suppressing my growing curiosity, I began reading the densely written pages carefully.
I skimmed through the first and second pages. They neatly summarized the current strengths and weaknesses of the mercenary clan, which I already knew. These had been ongoing issues.
But the moment I read the first line of the third page, I frowned deeply.
“Implementing a tier system for clan members?”
“Yes. By the way…”
I looked up again. Je-gal Hae-sol was sitting back on the sofa.
“This plan wasn’t made overnight. Since joining, going through the Steel Mountain Range, arriving in Atlanta, seeing the mercenaries after the Clan Lord disappeared, and even after your return—I’ve been thinking it through all along.”
“Hmm…”
“It’s time for the mercenaries to wear new clothes, right? Clothes that fit perfectly.”
“So you’re saying that until now, the Mercenary Clan has been wearing clothes that don’t fit them?”
I asked sharply, and Jegal Haesol’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Well, I didn’t exactly mean it that way, and the situation on the Northern Continent is… um…”
Jegal Haesol fidgeted, trying to find the right words, then suddenly smiled.
“Ah, you know what? I’ll just say it. Clan Lord?”
“I’m listening.”
“This is just my guess, but if things keep going the way they are now, the Mercenary Clan will never truly develop.”
“Hmm.”
Though he prefaced it as a guess, a surge of irritation flared up inside me. I couldn’t deny feeling a bit annoyed.
But I held myself back. Anyone else might have dismissed it as the nonsense of a rookie with zero years’ experience, but I knew who Jegal Haesol really was. He was the very person who had transformed the Night Willow Clan—once just Cha Seunghyun and Ban Dahee—into a clan rivaling Lee So-young’s Istantel Row.
Alright. Let’s pull myself together and hear him out. He wouldn’t bring up a plan like this without good reason.
“So, you’re saying that if we implement this plan, the Mercenary Clan can actually improve?”
“That’s what I think. Or do you have some better idea?”
I paused to think, then spoke. I did have a plan in mind.
“I’m thinking of dividing the clan into groups by class and electing leaders for each group to manage them—including new recruits going forward.”
“Hmm. There are definitely a lot of captains in the Mercenary Clan. If we can’t fit them all on one aircraft carrier, we’ll need to build destroyers. It could also encourage constructive exchanges among clan members when needed.”
“……”
“That sounds good. It really captures the spirit of a mercenary clan. It feels like a serious, well-thought-out plan.”
Jegal Haesol immediately caught my meaning, even before I’d gone into details. He understood that I intended to decentralize the concentrated power.
“But you still have to implement a ranking system for clan members.”
He nodded and murmured in agreement, still smiling.
I turned the page of the report. Thoughtfully, Jegal Haesol had even graded the clan members himself: I was EX rank, Ko Yeonju S rank, Cha Sorim A rank, An Hyun B rank, and so on. He’d initially marked Lee Yujeong as D, then scratched it out and changed it to C, almost as if he was reluctant to even give her a C.
Anyway, I shook my head. The plan was just too sudden. If we went ahead with it as is, it would definitely cause backlash and problems.
“Jegal Haesol, this is… way too sudden.”
“Well, I admit the plan is a bit harsh. But you know what they say—good medicine tastes bitter.”
“No matter what…”
“Clan Lord.”
At that moment, Jegal Haesol cut me off and fixed me with a steady gaze.
“Maybe when we were a small elite group of just ten or so, it was fine. But at some point, the Mercenary Clan has been wearing clothes that don’t fit for far too long. And as a result, we’ve just gotten used to it.”
The playful glint in his eyes faded.
“Now, you have to choose. Will you just patch up the clothes a little, or will you put on a whole new outfit?”
His expression turned serious.
“…Are you that confident?”
“Of course. Because…”
Jegal Haesol answered without hesitation.
“If we carry out this plan, we can revive two atmospheres that have disappeared from the Mercenary Clan.”
…Two atmospheres? That have disappeared?
Thunk!
Just then, the sound of magic bursting echoed again, and Jegal Haesol suddenly appeared in front of my desk.
“Alright, since we’re on the subject, I have one question.”
He slowly spread his hands on the desk, lowered his body, and looked me straight in the eyes.
“Clan Lord…”
I met his curious gaze without looking away, silently inviting him to continue.
Then, his soft pink lips parted slightly.
“Why did you suppress conflicts within the clan and eliminate competition?”
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
For some reason, Joara seems slow today. Haha.
Hmm… and after reading yesterday’s comments, there are a few things weighing on my mind.
To readers who were uncomfortable with Sarah Jane’s real name, I sincerely apologize. I’ll be more careful and thoughtful in the future. (__)