ocean-life Chapter 129
Chapter 129
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
Chapter 129: Justification
The development of Necropolis and the strengthening of the undead army.
While being busy every day preparing for 'Blood Valentine'—
An unexpected visitor arrived.
“Master!”
【Oh. Your mana wavelength is much more stable now.】
“The advice you gave last time really helped. It’s all thanks to you, Master.”
Long black hair flowing down to her waist.
Despite her gentle tone, she exuded a sharp presence—like a finely honed blade.
Jang Miseon entered Necropolis with a bright smile.
“What are you doing here?”
“Aww, who was it that told me I could come and go freely?”
“I never said you could come here just to hang out.”
“That’s not what this is about.”
【Isn’t this a good thing, Master? You haven’t been training much lately.】
“That’s exactly why I don’t like it. Lately, I’ve been busy developing my territory, using Undead Rise to create mid-tier undead, and occasionally giving necromancy lectures to the Dark Minions. Honestly, if I could, I’d rather just lie down and move nothing but a single finger.”
“Aren’t you already doing that?”
Jang Miseon narrowed her eyes.
Her gaze clearly said—‘Of all people, you’re really going to say that while sitting in a rocking chair made of bones?’
Yoojin let out a short cough and got up.
“If you’re just here to spout nonsense, go home.”
“I have permission to come here, you know.”
“Not today. Go back.”
“I’m not here for no reason.”
“If this is about something trivial, I’m really sending you back.”
“The Phoenix Guild has an offer for you, Yoojin.”
Jang Miseon’s voice suddenly dropped into a serious tone.
‘What’s with the sudden shift in atmosphere?‘
“You know the Dawn Guild, right?”
“They’re one of the top three guilds in the country. Any Korean would know that.”
“Oh wow, I thought you’d play dumb and pretend you’d never heard of them.”
“But why bring up Dawn?”
“The Phoenix and Dawn Guilds hold joint training exercises every year.”
A collaboration between the country’s 2nd and 3rd ranked guilds.
Officially, it’s framed as an effort to improve teamwork in preparation for unprecedented disasters like the Great Cataclysm or monster waves.
But in reality, it’s a move to keep an eye on the undisputed No.1 guild, Arhan.
“Are you asking me to train under Fafnir before the joint exercise?”
“Aww, come on. That’s something we do regularly anyway.”
“Then what is it?”
“We want you to participate in the joint training session that’s scheduled for next week.”
“From the Phoenix side?”
“No. The proposal is for a joint training session with three groups, including Black Company.”
‘Huh? That’s unexpected. It makes sense for Phoenix to be open to the idea since they’re always amicable, but for Dawn Guild to agree to this? Their pride as one of the top three guilds in the country is well known. Even though Black Company has been making headlines recently, they haven’t grown enough to stand on the same stage as the top three yet.’
“It was the Guild Master who convinced them.”
“They wouldn’t have agreed just like that.”
“Well, I wouldn’t know the details. I’m just a low-ranking member.”
“Sure, and I’m supposed to believe that the ‘Next’ Sword Saint is a low-ranking member?”
Yoojin said.
‘A joint training session between Phoenix and Dawn, huh? It’s not a bad offer.’
Things have changed since the Double Dungeon incident and Arhan’s joint raid proposal.
If Black Company joins as an equal participant in a training exercise hosted and organized by two of the top three guilds...
Publicly, it would be a great opportunity to expand Black Company’s influence.
It would also be a good chance to gauge the strength of my newly enhanced undead army.
But—
“I don’t think I can do it.”
“Seriously? This is an amazing opportunity.”
“Can’t you see how busy I am? Preparing to deal with the Manhunters isn’t something I can take lightly.”
“You might’ve been more convincing if you at least got rid of that chair.”
Even with Jang Miseon’s pointed remark, Yoojin only chuckled without responding.
One week from now.
It was a tempting offer, but time was the issue.
【Is it because of 'Blood Valentine'?】
‘There’s not enough time to move immediately after the training ends.’
The final day of the joint training and 'Blood Valentine' were only one day apart.
‘Even if I used Life Drain to recover from exhaustion, I wouldn’t have enough time to prepare.‘
“Oh. I just thought you would be happy to hear the news, so I rushed in...”
Sigh—
‘So much for enjoying the rich aroma of my coffee.‘
Kim Youngsoo drained his carefully brewed cup in one gulp and sank into the sofa.
“...Did you manage to avoid discussing compensation, or did that come up too?”
“No way. Do you think Cheon Yoojin is an ordinary person? He squeezed everything he could out of us.”
“You sound pretty pleased for someone saying that.”
“Really? It wasn’t anything special... I wonder why.”
Despite her words, Jang Miseon was smirking.
After getting confirmation from Yoojin, she had a sparring match with him at Fafnir’s suggestion.
Between his smug grin and the way he kept bringing up compensation, she finally had a legitimate reason to—no, an opportunity—to beat him down in a proper match. It had been an incredibly satisfying way to let off some steam.
“...You didn’t do anything disrespectful to Hunter Cheon Yoojin, did you?”
“W-What? We’ve known each other for ages! Why would I do that?”
“I trust my dear Miseon.”
A sudden pang of guilt stabbed at her conscience, but Jang Miseon kept her expression neutral.
Kim Youngsoo watched her struggle to maintain her composure and suppressed a laugh.
“I did say that if you managed to dodge the compensation talk, I’d give it to you. Must be disappointing.”
“Well, I guess it just wasn’t my turn.”
The item vault of Korea’s 2nd ranked guild.
It housed over ten Unique-grade pieces of equipment.
Some of them were so rare that even with unlimited funds, they were impossible to buy.
“GuildMaster.”
“You were going to ask if I’m giving away something too valuable, weren’t you?”
“The guild’s been talking about it a lot.”
“If you think of it as the cost of flipping the game board, it’s not expensive at all.”
A puzzled look crossed Jang Miseon’s face.
Kim Youngsoo slowly picked up his teacup, only to frown when he saw there were just a few drops of coffee left.
“They call them the Big Three of Korea, but in reality, the power gap is quite significant.”
“You sure it’s okay to say that in front of a guild member?”
“What does it matter? Everyone’s already figured it out on their own.”
“It’s different when it comes from you, GuildMaster. Your words carry more weight.”
“Either way, now that Arhan’s once-solid position is starting to shake, we need to fan the flames a little more.”
A joint training exercise between two of the top guilds, and Black Company was participating?
Just leaking that information to the press would be enough to destabilize Arhan even further.
A company that had even drawn the attention of the Romanov clan, the famed family of mages!
If Black Company got closer to Phoenix and Dawn, Arhan Guild would have no way to break into that circle.
While Youngsoo didn’t know the full extent of the deals between Arhan and the Romanov clan, he understood well enough just how much weight they carried.
“A Unique-grade artifact is a small price to pay.”
“Hmmmm...”
“Sounds like you want one too?”
“I shouldn’t be complaining, considering all the support I already get from the guild, but of course I do.”
“I still owe Hunter Cheon Yoojin a debt.”
Jang Miseon added as an afterthought.
Youngsoo let out a brief chuckle.
Thinking back to the Double Dungeon Incident in Daegu, even he felt like he owed a debt of gratitude.
“At least Dawn is being cooperative.”
“The joint training was originally scheduled for May, wasn’t it?”
“They must have caught on to our intentions and are setting the stage for us.”
“Do you think Dawn will be cooperative toward Cheon Yoojin as well?”
“Knowing Park Jungyeon’s personality... hard to say.”
Dawn Guild was the complete opposite of the free-spirited Phoenix Guild.
Given Park Jungyeon’s nature, she would likely try to seize control of the joint training exercise.
“They’d probably rather have Black Company under their command than as a collaborator.”
“Hmmm. Sounds interesting.”
“The atmosphere is going to be pretty tense.”
“Well, as long as I’m the one suffering for it, that’s fine. But it wouldn’t hurt for Cheon Yoojin to sweat a little too.”
Miseon spoke like it was someone else’s problem.
Her voice was lighthearted, but—
‘Would that person really break a sweat?’
Everything he had done so far had been beyond belief.
A first-year awakened hunter had made Korea’s No.1 guild waver.
He had extended his influence into the border regions.
And he had even declared all-out war against the 5th Revolutionary Corps, which held dominance over the Kaesong area.
‘Maybe we should be worried about Dawn instead.’
The thought made Jang Miseon chuckle.
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]