We marched tirelessly into the Red Wasteland without a single break. Thanks to Jegal Haesol’s transport skills, we finally reached the city by late afternoon.
Though we entered through the southern gate, we didn’t part ways immediately—not out of obligation, but because it felt wrong to do so. After sending the clan members ahead to the castle, I decided to see Han So-young off. (Along the way, Seonyul grumbled, “Ah, this didn’t go as planned… Just a lot of hard work for nothing,” but at least she quieted down soon after, showing some conscience.)
A little later, standing before the city’s entrance, So-young and I clasped hands firmly.
“Thank you so much for your help, Istantel Road.”
“No, it was nothing. It was quite an experience, actually.”
“I’ll never forget how you cleared the smoke alone back then, and how you dealt that fatal blow.”
“It feels strange to be praised like this. I just did what was necessary—the Mercenary Road is the one who set the whole thing in motion.”
Though sincere, So-young responded humbly.
“Anyway, I’ll make sure to repay you for this someday.”
“Repay me? No, really, it’s fine.”
“Huh?”
“I’ve already been repaid.”
With that, So-young pulled a small orb from her pocket—a recording orb.
“So, I guess that means there’ll be more to look forward to.”
What did she mean by that? But So-young closed her eyes gently and slowly shook her head. For a fleeting moment, it seemed like the corner of her mouth twitched into a slight smile. Or maybe I imagined it?
“Thanks for seeing me off. I’ll be going now.”
As the recording orb emitted a clear light, So-young swiftly brushed past me.
(Mercenary Road.)
Nom nom… Huh? Wait, what?
In that instant, a voice from the orb echoed clearly in my ear.
“Why don’t you try calling me ‘noona’ once?”
“Huh? ‘Noona’?”
“Yes. Come on.”
“W-why all of a sudden…?”
“Nu, nu—”
“Nu, nu, nu… noona.”
Suddenly, an overwhelming wave of embarrassment surged through my chest.
“I-Istantel Road!”
I was desperate to smash that orb, but So-young had already disappeared into the passageway. Around me, murmurs began to rise. I covered my face with both hands. Ah, my face is burning.
Back at the Mercenary Castle, I headed straight to the first-floor meeting hall. As expected, the clan members were lined up neatly on both sides, waiting. Only occasional congratulations on our safe return were exchanged—no loud commotion like before. The members who arrived earlier had probably briefed everyone.
After exchanging a mischievous wink with Ko Yeon-ju, I took my seat on the throne. The others sat down simultaneously.
“It’s been nearly a month. Actually, maybe a bit more. Anyway, it’s been a while, everyone.”
I began with a light greeting before calmly moving on to the mission report. No need to go into lengthy detail—they’d already heard most of it.
I briefly explained the unfortunate fate of the boy’s companions (they’d been used as nourishment by the plant legion, though I left out the gruesome details), our defeat of the plant legion and the 14 demon lords, and how we obtained the Fragment of Origin.
“The spoils from this expedition will be stored in the warehouse. And now, I have some good news to share.”
After handing the witch set to Ko Yeon-ju, I glanced to my left. Lee Yoo-jung, sitting in the D-rank row, quickly averted her eyes. When I beckoned her forward, all eyes turned. She lowered her gaze shyly but stepped hesitantly to the center.
“User Lee Yoo-jung…”
I began quietly, and the room fell silent.
“Has inherited a Secret Class from this expedition.”
“Huh?”
The first to react was Ahn Hyun.
“Hyung, really?”
“Ahn Hyun!”
Ko Yeon-ju sharply scolded him, and he sheepishly lowered his head. I shrugged and fixed my gaze on Yoo-jung. Almost everyone looked stunned. Judging by their reactions, she hadn’t spoken up herself yet. The others who went on the expedition seemed to have exchanged knowing looks. Finally, Yoo-jung nodded slightly, like a shy girl.
“Y-yes… that’s right…”
Her voice was stiff and awkward, unlike usual. Just as she admitted it,
“Wooooooah!”
Ahn Hyun let out a strange yell and rushed forward. Ko Yeon-ju frowned deeply and tried to stand, but I quickly motioned for her to stay. I wanted to see how this would play out.
Surprisingly, Yoo-jung seemed deeply embarrassed. Not only shy, but also almost apologetic as she watched Ahn Hyun run toward her. I suddenly thought maybe she wanted to keep this a secret as much as possible. That made me feel a bit sorry.
“Hey, is it true? A real Secret Class?”
“Uh, y-yeah…”
But Ahn Hyun paid no mind, poking her shoulder excitedly. As light applause began to ripple through the room, Yoo-jung’s face went blank, as if caught off guard.
“What’s the class called?”
“Mercenary Queen…”
“Wow, that sounds awesome. Pretty impressive name, huh?”
“……”
As the compliments kept coming, Yoo-jung looked at me helplessly, a hint of resentment in her eyes. I slowly raised a hand, and the room quieted again.
“And one more thing.”
Ahn Hyun immediately stopped his chatter and returned to the B-rank row.
“I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but this expedition was even more difficult than the Dragon’s Slumbering Mountain Range. There were truly dangerous moments.”
“……”
“We could only helplessly watch the world crumble. If we had stayed still then, we wouldn’t have made it back safely. At worst, everyone could have died.”
“……”
I stared back at the center. Yoo-jung bit her lower lip, her face flushed bright red.
“User Lee Yoo-jung.”
She flinched at the sound of her name.
“In a situation where no one else could act, you charged alone and stopped the world’s collapse. For that, your rank is adjusted from D to C.”
Yoo-jung’s expression turned to one of bewilderment. Rather than happy, she looked overwhelmed, as if saying, “This isn’t what I wanted.” She seemed about to speak, but another round of thunderous applause broke out, and she squeezed her eyes shut, biting her lip.
I smiled gently and spoke quietly.
“That concludes the meeting.”
I try not to think of any corner of the Whole Plane as ‘home’—after all, this is a world I’ll eventually leave, not one I’ll return to.
Still, even with that in mind, coming back to the castle is undeniably comfortable. After pouring in an unfathomable amount of gold coins, the castle’s facilities are far cozier than any makeshift camp.
After the meeting, a delicious meal, and a hot bath, night had already fallen. Feeling a bit restless, I stopped by the dining hall before heading upstairs and grabbed a good bottle of liquor. Humming “Ninya Nino,” I entered my office—but then I froze.
“You guys…?”
Inside were three visitors: Ahn Hyun, wearing a confused expression; Heo Jun-young, sighing deeply; and Lee Yoo-jung, sitting calmly. They all turned to look at me as I entered. I instinctively sensed something had happened.
Whatever it was, fine. I walked over to the sofa calmly. Trying to appear relaxed, I was about to joke, “So, how does it feel to finally have the power you wanted so badly?” when—
“Oppa, you don’t have to adjust my rank.”
Yoo-jung’s voice, soft but firm, stopped the words lodged in my throat.
“What?”
“And please lower me to the very bottom. To F-rank.”
My mind went blank. After all the effort to restore her to C-rank, she wanted to drop to F? Was she out of her mind?
“Ah, hyung, you’ve got to do something about her. She’s lost it.”
“I don’t know what she’s thinking.”
Ahn Hyun and Heo Jun-young spoke in unison. I sat down on the sofa and quietly studied Yoo-jung.
“Still sulking?”
“Come on, it’s not sulking.”
“Then is it rebellion?”
“No, it’s not that.”
Yoo-jung gave a bitter smile. She didn’t seem to be joking—her expression was serious.
“Why?”
“Just…”
She trailed off, lowering her head. Her calves, tucked beneath the sofa, trembled slightly.
“I got curious.”
“Curious?”
“Yeah. On the way back, I thought about a lot of things.”
“Thoughts, huh…”
Slowly, Yoo-jung raised her hand. It shimmered golden and burst into flames. This must be the new power she’d gained.
“This power… it’s incredibly strong. Almost too much for me.”
“But…”
“Actually, there was a way I could have become stronger back then. If I’d just made a slightly different choice, I might have been able to fully unlock the beast’s power.”
“…”
“But I didn’t. Yeah, I chose not to.”
“So you’re saying there was a way to get a more powerful ability, but you didn’t take it?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
I had a feeling something important was coming. I pushed aside my disbelief and listened carefully.
“Because I didn’t think the power I’d get that way would truly be mine.”
Yoojeong slowly lowered her hand.
“Honestly, it’s still the same now. I don’t think this power is completely mine. I just believe I’ve earned the right to call it mine—as a human.”
She spoke quietly, almost to herself.
“You can see it too, right? Even with the Secret Class, I’m still weak. Not strong at all. I’ve been in a position that didn’t match my skills, and now I have power that doesn’t fit my place.”
“So what’s your point? How does this relate to rank adjustment? And what exactly are you curious about? Isn’t it just a matter of working hard from now on?”
“No. I’m done looking up at others.”
“Yoojeong.”
“Oppa.”
“…”
She suddenly turned her head sharply and looked me straight in the eyes.
“I know it’s late, but… I want to start from the bottom.”
“What?”
“This isn’t some rash decision. I kept thinking about it on the way back. If I really put in the effort, how far could I climb? That’s what I’m curious about.”
“You…”
So that’s why she wanted to be dropped to F rank. I understood, but suddenly I was at a loss for words. No rebuttal came to mind, and the desperate look in her blood-red eyes made it impossible to speak. At least I realized she was sincere.
Glancing aside, I saw Anhyeon and Heo Junyoung staring blankly at Yoojeong. Awkward, right? I felt the same.
Anyway, when she comes out like this, I have nothing to say. I can’t stop someone who’s determined. And I never expected Yoojeong to be like this.
“Just let her. Kim Suhyun. She wants it that badly.”
That was Heo Junyoung’s voice.
“At first, I thought it was stupid too… but after hearing her out, I changed my mind. Even if she talks big, her spirit’s admirable.”
Heo Junyoung raised his glass casually. The bottle was already half empty. Who does he think he is, drinking like that? I went through the trouble of bringing good liquor.
He seemed to like the drink and kept refilling his glass.
“At least it’s way better than sneaking out of the clan to avoid the warrior’s path.”
“Heh. That happened?”
“Yeah.”
“So you stopped Yoojeong from leaving?”
Heo Junyoung didn’t answer, just downed his drink. Looking sideways, I caught Yoojeong subtly avoiding my gaze. Tsk tsk.
I sighed deeply and rubbed my forehead.
“Really? You’re serious?”
“Yeah.”
“And if you cry and regret it later, it won’t matter?”
“Of course not! If I change my mind later, you can kill me then.”
For a moment, I wanted to say, “Kill you… in bed?” but instead just said, “Do whatever you want.”
Once I gave my permission, Yoojeong finally smiled brightly. Was she really that happy? She grinned and gently rested her head on my shoulder. It wasn’t unpleasant.
Anhyeon looked at us fondly, then glanced at Heo Junyoung.
“Now that I think about it, I remember that time.”
“…?”
“When I got kicked out. You took care of me then, told me to use the money so I wouldn’t starve.”
“That was just pocket money. Don’t get the wrong idea.”
“Hey, I know your heart wasn’t just that.”
“Hmph. Feel free to imagine whatever you want.”
Heo Junyoung scoffed as he refilled his glass. Anhyeon’s face flushed a bit, then he smiled and rested his head lightly on Heo Junyoung’s shoulder. Heo Junyoung almost knocked over his glass but slowly set it down.
A moment later—
Swish!
“You bastard! I’m gonna kill you!”
“Hyung? Wh-why all of a sudden?”
“I’m enjoying my drink, and you dare ruin the taste? Get over here!”
“Suhyun hyung, stay out of this… Wait, wait! That’s a real sword! Aaaah!”
Anhyeon ran off, and Heo Junyoung swung the sword wildly. They disappeared down the hall in an instant. The sound of stomping down the stairs echoed. What are they doing at this hour?
“Heh, idiots.”
Yoojeong chuckled and lightly got up but didn’t leave. She took a few steps, leaned on the desk, and looked out at the terrace.
The soft darkness and dazzling moonlight. Maybe it was the magic of the night, but Yoojeong looked suddenly captivating under the gentle moonlight. Come to think of it, she was 25 this year, right? Her chest was quite full, and her hips firm and toned…
“But oppa, there’s something I’m curious about.”
Suddenly, Yoojeong turned to look at me. I quickly averted my eyes, still savoring the taste of the drink. I grabbed the half-empty bottle and poured some into my glass. She’d drunk quite a bit in a short time.
“What are you curious about?”
“How far did you go with Kim Hanbyul?”
Oh. That was an unexpected question. But if she thought I’d be flustered, she was wrong. I swirled my glass leisurely.
“Curious?”
“No. I don’t want to hear it. I’m me, and she’s different.”
But surprisingly, Yoojeong gave up quickly. I couldn’t help but smile.
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. Doesn’t matter. Anyway, my goal is to reach B rank as fast as possible.”
“B rank, huh? So you want to catch up to Kim Hanbyul?”
“In a way, yeah.”
“Heh. It won’t be easy. You know how hard Kim Hanbyul works.”
“I admit that. But no one knows what the future holds.”
Yoojeong turned back to the terrace, and silence fell for a moment. I raised my glass slowly, using her moonlit figure as my muse.
“You’d better be prepared, oppa.”
At that moment, Yoojeong, who had been quiet for a while, spoke with a hint of frustration in her voice. I smiled inwardly. Is she planning to climb to EX rank and snatch the clan lord’s spot?
She’s reckless, but that kind of spirit isn’t bad.
“When I reach B rank…”
Yoojeong glanced at me, then stared quietly before suddenly smiling slyly, her eyes curving like a crescent moon. The smile was mischievous for no reason.
“So, what will you do then?”
I calmly tilted my glass, wondering what she meant.
“I’ll come to be devoured by you, oppa.”
Pft.
I couldn’t help but spit out the drink.
W-what? Devoured?
“What did you just say?!”
I looked back immediately, but Yoojeong was no longer at the desk. I hurriedly turned my head and heard her laughter and footsteps running down the hall. The sounds quickly faded into the darkness.
“Ha, geez.”
I sighed.
“No matter what you say…”
Coming to be devoured?
That’s way too suggestive.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Like a woman who keeps growing roots even when stepped on, like Yumi who blooms again even after withering.
My stubborn identity has been fiercely protected, but old readers keep teasing me.
“Yoojin, build up your muscles and become a strong, sturdy man.”
“Yoojin, Yoojin, Ro Yoojin, Yoojin, Yoojin, Ro Yoojin, wrap a bandage around Ro Yoojin’s chest.”
…Sorry, I lost my mind for a moment.
I thought about it carefully, and it seems you all just assume I’m a woman no matter what I say.
So,
Ro Yoojin: I’m not a woman.
Reader: Doesn’t sound like it. No lies.
Ro Yoojin: I’m serious.
Reader: Haha, definitely a tomboy.
Ro Yoojin: I’m a veteran. I’ve even served in the military.
Reader: Okay, female soldier.
Ro Yoojin: Then let’s do an interview.
Reader: No proxies. No pressure bandages.
Ro Yoojin: Lower body proof?
Reader: What virgin talks like that? Pfft.
0ㅁ0…
Ugh. I don’t know what to do anymore.