The timing wasn’t bad. It felt like they had somewhat settled down and from Kim Hyun-Sung’s point of view, he thought that it was the best time to officially start making a move. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that there weren’t any outside factors that could get in their way.
The situation with the Red Mercenary Group and the Black Swan Guild was close to the end and what Lee Ji-Hye said came true.
‘All of you are the winner. It’s your victory. Lindel will be peaceful as usual and it’ll be safer than before. Let’s all do our best in our respective positions.’
The article was released along with the news that Jung Yoo-Ra’s apology was accepted. This kind of comment wasn’t enough to calm down the public, however, it wasn’t like there weren’t any changes. When the press continued to instigate the public in breaking free from the oppression of the large guilds, the public cheered for their victory and were satisfied. They were happy to see even one person fighting against the suppression of a large guild.
I was also very satisfied with the result. A few days after I made my announcement, the Black Swan Guild made an announcement about reorganizing their command system and donating to new adventurers. There was a heated argument, but no one thought badly about it. I was sure that the executives from the Black Swan Guild apologizing with their heads down was the reason why the public didn’t think badly about it. Since none of the executives from the large guilds had done this before, it was a very new scene for the public.
If there was one thing that remained unsolved, it was Jung Ha-Yan’s reaction after Lee Ji-Hye left that day. Even though she didn’t immediately show any strong emotions, she did show signs of anxiety. She became more clingy than before as she was trying to get rid of her anxiety by being with me. Basically, she became even more aggressive and if I were to explain it, she became a bit more straightforward.
‘It’s not good.’
It might be obvious, but I wasn’t happy with these changes.
As of right now, Jung Ha-Yan would ask things like.
‘Where are you going, oppa?’
Or…
‘When are you coming back?’
I was bothered by it because this kind of obsession would work against me. I was sure that she was thinking that I have some sort of connection with Lee Ji-Hye. She must have noticed that strange mood between me and Lee Ji-Hye. Even though Jung Ha-Yan pretended not to know anything, I think she caught on to the fact that there was a strange tension between me and Lee Ji-Hye. It wouldn’t be strange at all for Jung Ha-Yan to catch on since the system even acknowledged Lee Ji-Hye as my soulmate. I think she was more worried about Lee Ji-Hye than the Mercenary Queen even though the latter and I were sort of a fake couple. I had to control her and it was a thought I always needed to keep in mind. If this continued, I could be dragged around by her for the rest of my life.
Anyway, whether it was internally or externally, it was the perfect time to grow. Excluding the crazy gramps of the Blue Guild, there weren’t any external factors that could suppress us. It was perfect thanks to the good relationship of the guilds within the Three Power Alliance. As such, the dungeon and hunting culture improved a little and we were receiving support from all over through the press. It seemed like we were about to soar. Those were what currently surrounded Kim Hyun-Sung’s party.
“I’m sure you’re all aware, but there are two factors that are needed in order to change your job. Gaining experience through a hunt and repeating the specific action of a job. The same thing applies to increasing our stats. If you use magic, your magic stats will increase and if you use your strength, your strength will increase,” Kim Hyun-Sung explained.
“Of course,” I answered.
“After our dungeon exploration last time, we did take a break due to various reasons, but there’s a need to grow faster than we are now. It would be ideal if we all grew to Miss Sun Hee-Young’s current level, no, I think being on the same level as the people that participated in the dungeon last time would be the best. It’s time for us to get rid of the beginner title,” he said.
“I see.”
“We need to change jobs at least three or four times and our stats need to be in the 60s. That’s all I ask from all of you,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.
It was a difficult task, but an easy one at the same time. The comment was probably for me, Park Deok-Gu, and the kid, Kim Ye-Ri, but it sounded like he was specifically saying it to me and Kim Ye-Ri. Even though he couldn’t check our stats himself, he must have felt it. Jung Ha-Yan’s magic was in the high 40s and Kim Hyun-Sung’s stats were already over 50 points. Even though Sun Hee-Young joined later than us, there was no need to mention her stats and even though Park Deok-Gu’s growth was slow, his growth was there. The young Kim Ye-Ri was the same and it seemed that I was the only nuisance in Kim Hyun-Sung’s party.
‘Hm.’
Kim Ye-Ri was in a better situation than I am because she had above legendary potential, so her growth was only a matter of time.
I was a nuisance in his party and it wasn’t because I chose the wrong path for my growth. My job as an alchemist allowed me to cover my weak magic and the job kind of suited me. Unfortunately, it couldn’t be categorized as a combat job. Of course, it was natural for me to think that way since I didn’t know what I would look like once I had completely grown. But there were times when I thought that it wouldn’t have been a bad idea if I chose black mage back then. I was sure that there was going to be a limit to my growth, but I would have been stronger than I am today.
Of course…
‘Under the condition that this place isn’t the Holy Empire.’
“Ugh…”
“One month. I think it would be great if all of you could change to your third job and reach a certain level in stats within one month,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.
“It’s easier said than done. Even though I don’t know how to get a job, the growth rate of my stats has slowed down no matter how hard I train… I’m sure it’ll be different if we went on a hunt, but…” Park Deok-Gu said.
“I’m sure it’s possible,” Kim Hyun-Sung said, interrupting him.
“How…”
“We’ll start by first going out to hunt. Until we reach our goals, I don’t think we should return to the city,” he answered.
“Hm.”
“Five people will be going on the expedition. It’ll be everyone excluding Mr. Ki-Young.”
“What are you talking about? Hyung-nim is…”
Honestly, I felt my heart drop for a moment. It was only natural for me to react that way since it sounded like he was telling me that he was no longer going to carry me. My body reacted first before I could even think about it.
“Th-That’s not a good idea.”
It was a short period of time, but I had so many thoughts. Was he planning on treating me like a non-combatant from now on? Was he trying to push me out of the main party? These were the kind of thoughts I was having.
Park Deok-Gu and Jung Ha-Yan looked more surprised than me and even Sun Hee-Young didn’t look happy either. I thought that maybe he was trying to decrease my influence within the party, but Kim Hyun-Sung looked really calm. Based on his personality, he wasn’t the type to push me out just for that reason since I was a valuable party member under his care.
Even though my heart was beating fast, I calmly asked and Kim Hyun-Sung answered while nodding.
“Oh,” I said.
“Mr. Deok-Gu and Miss Ha-Yan grew up in a very good environment and it also applies to Miss Hee-Young who’s not used to hunting. I’m not talking about easy hunts with no challenge at all. Of course, I’m not ignoring your hard work, but because of Mr. Ki-Young’s presence, all of you have been living very comfortably because he provides everyone here a kind of mental stability,” Kim Hyun-Sung explained.
“Mental stability?” Park Deok-Gu asked.
I understood what he meant, no, I truly understood him, but I didn’t necessarily agree.
“If I were to exaggerate a bit, Mr. Ki-Young’s presence has been blocking your growth and even though I’m a bit embarrassed to say this, I’ve come to the conclusion that my presence has been affecting all of you in a bad way. I’ll be going out to the expedition with all of you, but I won’t step in as much. I believe it’ll be better if the four of you handle the situation together without me and Mr. Ki-Young,” he said.
‘His overestimation was ridiculous.’
The fact that I was a nuisance was the answer, although the way I interpreted it was different from his. The fact that I wasn’t growing wasn’t the problem, but rather, I was a problem because I was a nuisance in their growth. I did think that maybe Kim Hyun-Sung was overestimating me, but it was true that both Jung Ha-Yan and Park Deok-Gu relied on me a lot. However, I didn’t think that my presence had that much influence to the point that I would hinder their growth. To be honest, it was to the point that maybe Kim Hyun-Sung was mistaken about something.
“Mr. Ki-Young looks as if he doesn’t understand.”
“I do feel that way because Ha-Yan and Deok-Gu…”
“You contribute to the party a lot more than you think, Mr. Ki-Young. I’m not sure what the others think, but that’s what I noticed. If I were to exaggerate, there’s a big chance that this expedition will fail because you won’t be there, Mr. Ki-Young,” Kim Hyun-Sung said, interrupting me.
“Th-That’s not true. I mean even if that was true how can oppa… f-for one month…” Jung Ha-Yan said.
“We’re not kids, dude. Of course, I acknowledge the fact that Ki-Young hyung-nim is amazing, but…” Park Deok-Gu said.
“I’m speaking as the leader of the party. There’s no turning back. Mr. Ki-Young will not participate in this expedition and excluding myself, the four of you will take care of the hunt and the dungeon capture,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.
Everyone looked like they didn’t understand, but they nodded for now.
‘Not bad.’
I was a bit confused, but if Kim Hyun-Sung believed that this was the growth path we should take, then I was certain that he was right. I had no idea about Park Deok-Gu, but Jung Ha-Yan had to get used to me not being there all the time. I liked that she was following me, but maintaining a certain distance was more helpful than being completely attached. Jung Ha-Yan looked at me as if she couldn’t believe the fact that we had to be apart for a month, but I wasn’t planning on going against Kim Hyun-Sung’s decision.
“Huu…”
“Well, I agree with you, Mr. Hyun-Sung. If that’ll help them grow, then I think it’s worth a try,” I said.
The problem was me, not them. If this happened after Kim Hyun-Sung stopped carrying me, then I could have been on the verge of being kicked out.
It was a good thing for the party members to become stronger, but if they got stronger to the point that I couldn’t keep up with them anymore, then it may cause bigger problems later on.
‘Anything but that.’
Seeing as how he excluded me from the expedition, I thought that maybe the regressor had other plans. I was sure that he had a present for me since I looked like I had low potential.
Increase in stats and changing jobs... These were sweet words. I wasn’t sure what he prepared, but he could have prepared a very sweet gift.
“Then during that time, I should…”
But I guess that was nothing more than my misunderstanding. Kim Hyun-Sung’s smiling face was full of trust that was unknown to me.
“The same applies to you, Mr. Ki-Young. For a month, you just need to do everything you have to do with the thought of increasing your stats and changing your job,” he said.
“Oh… I see,” I said.
“We’ll leave as soon as possible and Mr. Ki-Young, please do not help us with this process either. I think it’ll be more meaningful if we make preparations from the start. Don’t worry about us and focus on your own growth,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.
“Okay…” I weakly said.
I wasn’t sure where his confidence was coming from, but his trust in me was boundless. It seemed like he had a change of heart, but I never imagined that I would be in this situation.
“I leave it up to you while I’m not here. I trust you, Mr. Ki-Young,” he said.
‘Don’t trust me, you bastard.’
Was what I wanted to say to him.
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