chapter 84

I knew that Park Deokgu must have lied to them, and I could understand why he did it.

He had probably consulted with Kim Hyunsung and Sun Hee-young and found out that everyone else had gotten a heroic-grade job. I did not know how badly he had performed during the expedition, but I did know that he felt inferior in its duration.

It didn’t help that Kim Ye-ri, who was only just a child, had gotten a job that was classed on a higher grade than him. After all, the kid was a genius.

‘She’s above legendary potential.’

Kim Ye-ri’s talent wasn’t just limited to her stats, either. One could see her enormous potential just by looking at her. If one were to think about how well she had performed back in the Garden of Terror as a newbie, then it was natural to see an immense improvement on her next expedition. However, it appeared that Park Deokgu was not aware of this.

Geniuses belonged to a class far more sophisticated than the average human. I had not lived for a long time, but I’d already seen a fair share of them.

‘And not only on Earth…’

I found just many here – people who showed talent far beyond the simple understanding of many.

Jung Hayan casually made use of revolutionary magic as if it wasn’t a big deal. Sun Hee-young had the potential to become legendary and held the party’s center position with her unique calmness. There was Kim Ye-ri, a kid from the slums with exceptional talent. Even Kim Hyunsung, a returner from the future, brought with him a sense of potential that was insurmountable compared to most people.

We were the only party whose members could all be classified as geniuses.

Of course, even Park Deokgu had the potential to be a great adventurer, but when faced with the fact that he had natural geniuses on his team, I could understand how he must have felt.

‘Everyone here is a monster.’

Even Hwang Jeong-yeon had said that she felt intimidated upon seeing Jung Hayan.

Even so, Park Deokgu’s decision to lie was quite surprising.

Considering his personality, it would be correct to assume that he had chosen to lie without worrying about future consequences. It appeared that he prioritized his mental state above everything else, especially now that he found out I had also obtained a heroic-grade job.

At this point, he must have felt like he was the only one being left behind.

“The job I got this time was an Archmage,” Hayan remarked.

“Oh?” I asked with a curious expression.

“Yeah. It boosts a lot of magic and increases affinity for all kinds of attributes, and it doesn’t only boost elemental magic… It also works the same for other types of magic. I can use magic more efficiently, and I’ve also gained advanced magic knowledge. I can’t say that it’s amazing yet…” Hayan explained.

“No, no, that’s already great!” I replied with a smile to cheer her up.

“Ah, my magic power also rose to 69 this time, Oppa!” Hayan added.

“That’s brilliant, Hayan. You grew more than I thought you would,” I praised.

“My intelligence stats are also around 62,” she added.

“Why am I not surprised?” I asked, then she continued to blabber about the group’s stats.

“Hyunsung said that his stats rose to 70 as well. Sun Hee-young’s stats went up by a lot, too, though she did not hunt much.”

‘Ah, it seems like this kind of growth only applies to people like you…’

Park Deokgu’s stats, as well as mine, only settle on the levels of 60.

It was a little embarrassing for us to struggle at the same time, yet she grew even stronger than I did – but this didn’t necessarily mean it was a bad thing.

The stronger Jung Hayan gets, the safer I am.

Of course, the opposite may happen to bite me in the ass, but this was good news for now. I began to appraise Hayan with my ability.

[Archmage-Heroic Grade]

[This is a job given to those who have the qualifications to explore the truth of magic. Magical power is increased by five, and affinity for all types of magical power is also increased. Nothing is known about the jobs that it can be changed into afterward.]

‘Good.’

It was a job with a plain-sounding name, but its description suited Hayan. It was a better title than, let’s say, a murder mage or a madness mage.

Of course, it wasn’t just Jung Hayan who had shown immense growth. The same could also be said for Kim Hyunsung.

I couldn’t determine the direction of his growth, but at least Kim Hyunsung seemed to have avoided the purest form of examination.

[Advanced Swordsmanship Trainee-Heroic Level]

[This is a job for those who practice learning the extremes of swordsmanship. Strength increases by 3, agility increases by 2, and magic power increases by 1.]

There was no further explanation needed. The answer came just by looking at the description. For someone like Kim Hyunsung, a low-grade job such as this was only a passing opportunity for something greater. I knew he had chosen it for a reason. I also knew Hyunsung enough to know that he wasn’t the type to make stupid choices.

This time, he was the one who spoke.

“Ye-ri got a job as a tracker.”

“You mean the tracker?” I asked.

“Yes,” he nodded.

“As a type of archer, I thought it would be okay for her to handle small and medium-sized weapons such as daggers and swords, as well as bows. In Ye-ri’s case, her stats meant she is capable of this. Her focus is on agility and magic, so her options will continue to expand,” Hyunsung explained.

‘That’s because she has no stats below the heroic level.’

“She doesn’t have to worry about being left alone anymore,” I commented.

“Yes. That’s right. That was quite a problem for our party. Oh, besides that, Sun Hee-young also changed her job as a Supreme Court. Her divine power has risen noticeably. Deokgu also said he got an avant-garde job related to tanking skills.”

Upon hearing this, I immediately assessed Sun Hee-young’s title with my ability.

[Dark Priest Supreme-Heroic Level]

It seemed that Sun Hee-young had not explained her job to Hyunsung in detail. Upon hearing herself being mentioned, Sun Hee-young merely nodded.

Her new job looked like an evolutionary version of her previous job, but I couldn’t say for sure since there was no mention of any new spells or abilities.

Whatever the case, our party was growing exceptionally well.

Except for Park Deokgu, who was wearing an embarrassed expression, I knew we had substantially progressed.

In truth, Park Deokgu had achieved amazing results if he stopped comparing himself to the rest of our genius party members. He would be welcomed wherever he went at this point.

‘I need you to talk at least once…’

It was natural for him not to speak up when others were so fixated on their achievements. I didn’t want to let my team members know that I could see everyone’s stats, so it would be impossible to call Park Deokgu out on his sense of inferiority.

‘There’s nothing as stupid as comparing yourself to a genius.’

It may sound a bit harsh, but I wanted Park Deokgu to realize that.

Although the conversation had begun in a heavy atmosphere, it soon took on a lighter, happier tone. We soon started laughing about the mistakes they had committed in the dungeon and how I had been imprisoned in my workshop this entire time.

When I heard that Jung Hayan cried every day and that Kim Hyunsung had to save the party countless times from danger, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Even Kim Ye-ri, who hardly ever spoke, had begun to participate in the conversation in a slightly more confident manner.

It was then that the guild’s door opened with a rattling sound.

We all turned to see Lee Seolho and Lee Sang-hee, walking in with heavy expressions.

“I will prepare for the meeting right now. Please call all the remaining executives in the guild.”

“You mean, everyone?”

“Yeah. There will be no exceptions. First of all, please, convene. The meeting will be held in my private office. How many parties are there right now?”

“I know that the 2nd unit has returned.”

“The 7th unit also returned this morning, Lee Sang-hee, Lee Seolho.”

“If so, please send in for Hyunsung and Kiyoung as well.”

“Even them?”

“Yes. Please summon them all. I have news about the guild.”

“…Okay, that is noted.”

‘What the hell is happening?’

It wouldn’t take a genius to notice that something was wrong. Lee Sang-hee’s expression, usually so compassionate and mother-like, was now very pale. Even Lee Seolho looked worried.

“You go up first. I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Yes, please, Mr. Seolho.”

I could see general guild members also making their way up, probably to alert Hwang Jeong-yeon of the sudden meeting.

From what I could remember, the second unit lived on the fourth floor.

“Did something happen?”

“Kiyoung, let’s head up.”

“Ah… Yes, yes, of course.”

The light atmosphere just moments ago suddenly became much heavier.

I could see Lee Seolho glancing my way. Normally, I wasn’t the type to butt in others’ business, but I felt my actions were slightly justified this time around.

“Others can use this time to do whatever they like. However, I recommend that you take this time to rest.”

“Noted.”

“Okay, I see.”

‘What?’

I felt slightly disoriented by the atmosphere. I could hear the murmuring of other guild members growing louder and louder at this point. They, too, seemed to have no idea about what was going on from what I could hear.

“Kim Hyunsung, Lee Kiyoung. The Blue Guild Master is waiting for you…”

“I know. I will go up now.”

“What’s going on?”

“Ah. Then I guess I’ll head up as well.”

The guild member who was undoubtedly tasked with alerting all members nodded and hurried out the door.

As I went up to Lee Sang-hee’s office in a hurry, I saw an armed guard opening the door. Kim Hyunsung and I were able to get past without hassle.

“Is everyone gathered?”

“Yeah. I think so.”

Lee Sang-hee stood in front of us with a serious expression. Hwang Jeong-yeon and Lee Seolho were with her.

‘What? This is all of us?’

It was ridiculous to say that these are all the people present.

“Kiyoung, Hyunsung. Please sit down. I think it’s time I deliver some bad news.”

I still couldn’t figure out what was going on, even after considering everyone’s expressions. Kim Hyunsung, however, seemed to have an expectant look on his face.

‘Does he know what’s about to happen?’

It was then I realized the reason why we had even chosen to enter Blue Guild.

‘He knows.’

Kim Hyunsung knew what had happened. Whatever it was, it was the reason why he had chosen for us to enter the Blue Guild, despite having countless other choices during the recruitment.

It was then that Lee Sang-hee, designated Vice Guild Master, opened her mouth to explain.