The Veteran Player Already Knows Chapter 57 : Chapter 57

Chapter 57 - Assembly (1)

“First, I would like to express my gratitude.”

That was what irin said after all the enemies were defeated.

The fact that she added ‘first’ seed to indicate that she wasn't just planning to be purely grateful.

“...May I ask for your esteed na, benefactor.”

“Why ask again what you heard before. Do you want to di-”

As I was about to answer bluntly, soone poked in the side.

I turned to see Seo Ah-in with a desperate expression.

“What.”

“Well, I know that Mr. Kim Gyu-sik is an extre egalitarian. But this person has a high position, you know. Let's be a little more careful with our words, shall we?”

“...Egalitarian?”

“In the sense that you don't distinguish between targets when you speak rudely to them.”

“...”

Right.

Thanks for the advice.

I nodded and turned my head back to irin.

“Why ask again what you heard before. Do you want to die.”

“...”

While Seo Ah-in squeezed her eyes shut and held her forehead, irin shut her mouth with a thoroughly bewildered expression.

But, well.

This level of treatnt was just right for this girl.

“...I'll apologize on his behalf! That person's personality is just a bit like that.”

“Ah... I see.”

Just seeing her flinch at Seo Ah-in clinging to her with a bright smile was proof enough.

It was a reaction so small that it would be completely unnoticeable unless observed carefully, but I didn't miss it.

Considering what kind of person irin was in the original work, that kind of reaction was exactly right.

So.

“Don't get too close.”

I grabbed the scruff of Seo Ah-in's neck and pulled her slightly away.

“Don't make things hard for an already timid person.”

“...Yes?”

Seo Ah-in looked back at with an expression that said ‘what kind of nonsense are you talking about’, but I paid her no mind and dragged her away.

And in the corner of my vision, I didn't miss irin flinching again.

This ti, it was a reaction large enough that anyone with a keen eye could imdiately notice.

“I don't know why you're walking around in a place like this wearing a weapon that doesn't even fit your body, but just do it in moderation and go back.”

I continued speaking to the stiffly frozen irin.

“You wouldn't want to die either, would you?”

And.

Leaving only those words behind, I walked away, dragging Seo Ah-in with .

“Huh? What? Is this the end?”

“Yeah. It's the end.”

I continued to move away, leaving irin standing there blankly, staring at .

“...What was all that about a performance and whatnot. I should have gotten an autograph beforehand.”

What are you talking about.

I've already put on more than enough of a performance.

If she goes back to the Martial Arts Alliance Leader and reports everything that happened here, well.

Sothing very interesting will happen.

***

For Chang irin, today was a very strange day.

Even if she were to reflect on all the events she had experienced in her life, it was hard to find anything that even ca close.

First, being thrown into a life-or-death situation for the first ti in her life.

Second, sohow managing to crawl back alive from there.

Third, eting a strange man she had never t before in her life.

And that third one was particularly severe.

So much so that it overshadowed the first two and made her obsess over it all day.

‘...It seed like he knew sothing.’

Kim Gyu-sik of Renegade.

A man who revealed his affiliation and na as if he had nothing to hide.

He even displayed a technique presud to be martial arts right before her eyes, and then disappeared just after showing that.

The level of coolness he exuded was almost as if he had sprayed perfu.

She had no idea what he wanted from her.

But, what was certain was.

‘He was different from other people.’

It wasn't just about how he looked or what his vibe was.

That man... how should I put it.

It felt like he was seeing through her ‘essence’.

There had never been anyone who gave her that feeling before.

That must be why he had set up camp in her head all day and had no intention of leaving.

Even her family thought of her as an exemplary ‘figurehead’.

So, it's a bit strange to express it this way, but.

Even though it was hard to see him as a polite person.

I should say that there was a sense of comfort in his attitude.

‘...Hmm.’

Whatever the case, what was certain was.

That man was soone she had many reasons to look into.

I know his affiliation and na, so should I try to get seriously involved?

Maybe because I've been thinking about that man all day, I feel like my concentration is decreasing.

“Your mind is elsewhere. Is there sothing important on your mind?”

During dinner, which doubled as a report on today's events, it seed my preoccupation was showing on my face, as my grandfather had said such a thing.

It probably didn't matter.

These people had no idea what she was thinking in her head.

It might be natural since she had always been good at hiding such things.

“...It is nothing of consequence.”

“Yes. I expected that you wouldn't be so concerned about such trivial matters.”

Trivial matters?

Trivial matters, you say?

She almost died and ca back alive because of it?

Such a feeling surged up, but irin barely managed to kick down the sentence that tickled her throat.

Saying such things would be completely pointless.

The Martial Arts Alliance Leader was as stubborn as a mountain anyway. He wouldn't listen to anything she said.

But.

Still, she had to say what she had to say.

“However, I have found a rather interesting person.”

“Hoh? Interesting, you say?”

“I need to investigate personally. Would you please grant permission?”

“...For what reason would you personally take on such a nial task? You should focus more on conquering the tower floors-”

“He seed to be using martial arts.”

At least, irin had never seen her grandfather so surprised in her entire life.

***

[ Important Notification ]

[ The ‘Martial Arts Alliance’ considers your existence important! ]

[ 1 skill share slot of the target ‘Chang irin’ will be opened. ]

As I was lying in the Renegade dorm, scratching my stomach, such ssages popped up one after another.

Oh.

It seed the bait had been properly spread over there.

All that was left was to wait for them to request a ‘contact’ with our guild.

After that, well.

The one-man show of the super veteran Kim Gyu-sik would be waiting.

‘Then what’s left is...’

I turned to my status window and opened the relationship chart.

[ Group Relationship Chart ]

[ Renegade - Currently Affiliated

Hunting Alliance - Friendly (Overall Friendship 60% / Unknown 40%)

Heukryongdang - Temporary Cooperation

Round Table - Unknown

Wanderer - Unknown

Martial Arts Alliance - Interested ]

Not bad.

First, from Heukryongdang, which was the starting point to contact most of the black markets, to the Hunting Alliance, which had completely turned friendly towards thanks to cracking Lee Chan-seong's head a while ago.

‘Although it’s a bit questionable?’

The fact that 40% was still not friendly towards .

It might seem a bit strange that such a proportion was unknown despite having taken down one of the largest factions, but when you look into the details, it's not strange at all.

One person.

Just one person.

There was a monster who held nearly half of the power of a super-large guild that would not be ignored anywhere.

‘...I’ll probably run into that side soon enough.’

Seo Jin-seong.

The father of the Seo sisters.

One of Korea's strongest Climbers in history, called the Dragon of Asia.

He was a powerhouse so strong that it was hard to find a Climber of a similar level even in the ga. At least within the Korean peninsula, there was no one who could even stand on equal footing with him, let alone be his match, except for the dean of Boot Camp, Kim Kang-in.

‘Well, it doesn't matter at all if only 60% is friendly right now.’

At the very least, having connections with both the groups that operate in the light and the groups that operate in the dark was a huge advantage.

It's better to see it as having almost all the groundwork laid for the guild to grow explosively if there's just an opportunity.

Except for just one thing.

‘I also need a public image.’

For the guild to grow explosively to the level I'm thinking of in a short period of ti, it couldn't just be 'doing well'.

Regardless of the era or field, 'packaging' always played a role in greatly amplifying the growth of a group.

The place I was trying to contact right now was a place that had received an insane amount of benefit from that rule.

“...Ah.”

As soon as I grabbed my phone, a sigh I couldn't hold back escaped.

I don't want to contact them.

I just don't want to get involved.

No, really.

I really don't want to.

It was rare for a place to elicit such a reaction from a veteran's perspective, but the person waiting on the other side of the number on the screen was soone I didn't want to approach first from ‘my’ perspective.

“...”

But, what can you do.

I steeled my heart and pressed the call button.

Then, I read the letters that appeared on the screen.

Darien Anfeld.

[...Hello?]

Wow.

She picked up in less than a second.

I barely suppressed the goosebumps that ran down my spine and continued speaking.

“...Uh. Yeah. It's been a while?”

[It has been a while... hasn't it. Avatar of the Savior.]

Uh, what's this.

The conversation was flowing more normally than I thought.

Her voice didn't seem to have much energy, but the terrifying passion she poured out at whenever we t seed to be absent.

If this continued, wouldn't it be okay to lightly bring up the topic?

“What are you doing now?”

[I was in the middle of a 7-day all-night fasting prayer.]

“...”

That was purely Kim Gyu-sik's delusion.

There was a reason her voice lacked energy. Shouldn't I praise her for not being dead?

“...Why are you doing that?”

[No, I was deeply feeling my own lack of ability, so for a little self-cultivation...]

“So why are you feeling that?”

[You haven't contacted first even once recently, have you?]

No.

What kind of terrifying thing is this.

[It must be because I am less useful than the others, so I must sohow strive in my training to cultivate my abilities enough to be of help to the Avatar of the Savior...]

As she spoke, her voice gradually faded as if crawling into a mouse hole. After a little while, I could even hear sobbing sounds.

“...”

Feeling like I was about to beco trash in this atmosphere, I racked my brain.

No matter how I thought about it, I hadn't done anything to make her cry.

Right. Let's just get to the point. She said she was waiting anyway.

“There's sothing I need you to d-”

[Really?!]

“...”

A shiver ran down my spine at her voice, which was a complete change from before.

I doubt it, but.

This girl, could it be she pretended to be pitiful on purpose to elicit such a response...

‘...No. No way. She wouldn't go that far.’

Putting aside the terrifying thought for now, I stated my business.

“There’s a regular assembly hosted by the Daeshinjeon in a few days, right?”

[Yes. Our Gusegyo is also officially attending.]

If the representative of Korea's vanguard-types was the Hunting Alliance, and the representative of the rear-guard types was Jeokpungdae, then the representative of the support-types was a religious organization called Daeshinjeon.

As you can tell from the fact that they call themselves a ‘religious organization’ instead of a guild, these guys were a group that followed their own doctrine rather than being managed by the Association.

It's easier to think of them as having the authority of a Korean Vatican. In reality, they did have the power to be called that.

And the ‘regular assembly’ they hosted... was an event that had many reasons to get involved in.

The attendees themselves were not just ordinarily splendid, and you could find quite a lot of people there who usually don't appear in official settings.

There was no better place for networking to build an image.

“Let's go there together.”

[...Hoo-wook...]

“...?”

From over the receiver, I heard the sound of soone gasping for breath from hyperventilation.

“...Hey. Are you okay?”

[A-alone with the Avatar of the Savior... Alone with the Avatar of the Savior... Attending as partners... E-ehehe...]

“...”

This girl.

I'm starting to get seriously worried.