chapter 142

I was looking forward to going home. It had been fun staying in the city, but now I missed the guild more than anything.

‘Ah…

Of course, I was afraid of the upcoming work stress, but I knew it would have been sorted out to some extent by now.

Thinking of Kim Mi-young, Park Jung-gi, Park Deokgu (whom Hwang Jeongyeon was in love with), as well as other members of what could be said as a competent administrative team working hard made me smile.

I began to wonder how everyone was faring – from Kim Hyunsung to Park Deokgu, Sun Hee-young, and even little Kim Ye-ri.

Though I missed everyone, I thought of our party members the most. It seemed to me that I had gotten attached to them. It wouldn’t be bad to hang out as a group once I got back.

‘Shall we go into the dungeon?”

It might not even be bad to travel to Celia as a group. Of course, I didn’t know if everyone would have the time to do so, but I could probably convince them to take time off to relax.

Meanwhile, I had named my griffon White Paul.

There had been no other reason for its name other than its obvious color. Though I initially felt uncomfortable getting on top of it, I could see that it acted in consideration of me.

After crossing a small mountain, I finally saw the Free City of Lindel. This meant we were close.

‘We have arrived.’

I was finally back.

Of course, the place we arrived at was the landing site of the Red Mercenary Guild. There was still no space within Blue to accommodate griffons.

Sadly, Jung Hayan fell apart from my back and got off the griffon, and I stroked White Paul’s head once.

“Krook.”

It’s definitely a cute guy.

“It’s okay if I leave it with you for a while, right Hee-ra?”

“Of course.”

“Take the other griffon, too. There is still no space in our guild to accommodate these children.”

“It’s not difficult, honey. Why don’t you take a break for one night before heading back.”

“No, it’s fine. I should stop by the guild first.”

“Really? That’s sad.”

“I’ll stop by tomorrow or the day after. When I have time… I have some things to talk to you about.”

She seemed a little sad, but I knew she must have other things to do on her end. After all, she had been gone from the guild for quite a long time as well.

Jung Hayan and I eventually left the Red Mercenary Guild. Though it appeared that we had been gone for some time, Lindel still seemed about the same. I could still see the square lively with both vendors and people looking for party members, while others were conversing.

‘Ah, it’s good to be back.’

It was then I saw a strangely large and familiar figure.

‘That bastard…

Even the back of the woman next to him was familiar. I didn’t know what they were talking about, but they both seemed quite happy.

“Ah!”

Jung Hayan, who was beside me, uttered a small exclamation as if she was surprised to see who was in front of her. I didn’t even have to explain.

I wasn’t sure if the two were already in such a relationship, but they looked very friendly from where I was standing.

Smiling, I called out for the guy. He jumped in surprise and looked in our direction.

“Deokgu!”

“Huh?”

I could see Park Deokgu smiling, as if I was someone who had died, but then came back to life. Then, his expression shifted, distorted, even, not in an angry manner, but in a manner that made him look as if he was trying to hold back his tears.

“H-Hyung-nim!”

His vigor was like an 8-ton truck with a broken handle. It was as if a bull was charging towards me. I thought about dodging, but I felt so glad to see him that I stood still.

That was a mistake on my part.

“Hyung-nilim!”

When I opened my arms a little, he looked a little more moved. As he hugged me tightly, I was instantly breathless.

‘Fuck… I shouldn’t have let him hug me.’

I think some part of my back had broken.

However, I also patted Deokgu on the back. People around us looked confused with our passionate embrace, but Park Deokgu was not conscious of it at all.

‘This bastard…’

Eventually, he began to speak.

“Hyung-nim! You should’ve told me that you came back…”

“Puhahaha. Everyone else knows already. Didn’t you see the griffon flying here?”

“Ah! Was it you riding that white griffon?”

“Yes.”

“I think I heard about hyung-nim’s success… Whoo… Did you have any other hard time besides that? You look a little tired.”

“It’s not like that. The last few days were quite comfortable.”

“Speaking of… The newspaper said that you were framed. Do you know how much my heart fell? Is that all solved now?”

“Of course. It was a story to be revealed in the first place. It wasn’t a big deal, so don’t worry. Didn’t you know since you got the letter?”

“No, of course, I know something, but I didn’t really know what was going on there from here, so I couldn’t tell how things were. I wanted to go if I could, but every time I got a letter… Oh, I just thought you would ignore it. I was so worried that I couldn’t sleep at night.”

“Puhahaha.

“There’s nothing to laugh about, Hyung-nim. Really! He doesn’t say anything but, Hyunsung-ssi wanted to go too. Oh, and it turns out that I forgot about Hayan. How are you?”

I found this to be good news.

“Yes. Deokgu. W-We’ve been doing well.”

“No. We shouldn’t be like this; you have to go back to the guild. Everyone will be happy to know that hyung-nim is back.”

“Rather than that, what were you doing here with Jeong-yeon?”

At this, Park Deokgu hesitated. A shy expression crossed his face.

Seeing Hwang Jeong-yeon blushing and turning away revealed that something really did happen between the two.

“R-Rather than focusing on that, return to the guild quickly, Kiyoung-ssi. It’s so good to see you after a long time.”

“Ahem. Let’s go quickly.”

He looked so cute, trying to change the subject. At this point, I knew that the way back to the guild would not be boring at all.

Meanwhile, Jung Hayan and Hwang Jeong-yeon seemed to be catching up as well. As they did, I continued to converse with Deokgu about the guild’s current situation.

“How are Hee-young and Ye-ri?”

“Hee-young seems to be the same every day… Ye-ri, that kid, is growing up.”

“Huh?”

“They grow up differently from day to day at that age. In fact, as I see her every day, I can’t tell, but the other people in the guild say that she’s grown a lot. Oh, and she seems to be getting stronger very quickly… That… You will probably be surprised when you see it.”

“Ahhh…”

“You don’t look so interested, hyung-nim.”

“No. I was already expecting that Ye-ri’s growth would be fast. How are you, Deokgu?”

While speaking, I looked at Park Deokgu with my Mind’s Eye, assessing his stats.

It was not that impressive because I had already seen more monstrous stats than most would ever see in their lifetime, but his progress seemed to be going quite smoothly.

[Checking the status window and talent levels of the player Park Deokgu]

[Name: Park Deokgu]

[Title: None. You should try a little more.]

[Age: 23]

[Disposition: Simply ignorant enthusiast]

[Class: Steel Shield (Rare)]

[Stats]

[Strength: 67/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]

[Agility: 34/Growth potential: Rare or lower]

[Health: 70/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]

[Intelligence: 27/Growth potential: Rare or lower)

[Durability: 71/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]

[Luck: 23/Growth potential: Rare or lower)

[Magic: 22/Growth potential: Normal or higher]

[Overview: He is showing decent growth due to high strength, endurance, and stamina. Endurance and stamina stats beyond 70 stand out. I feel bad for the relative lack of magic power, but if he tries hard, he might be able to rise to become the top player. However, I still feel quite sorry for his magic stats.]

‘Endurance is 70…

That was actually great. 70 was not low, by all means.

‘You worked hard, Park Deokgu.’

It appeared that he could still catch up with the rest of the geniuses in the party.

However, I knew that this would be a difficult feat. There was still a distinguishable difference between working hard and having natural talent, yet I knew Deokgu would be able to do it.

“Ah, nothing great… I worked just as hard as everyone else…”

“Really?”

“It’s the usual training. My stats have risen, and I tried to visit the veterans | saw at that time to learn a lot, but I don’t think I’ve grown as good as I wanted to.”

“How much is it?”

“I have over 70 endurance and stamina, and my strength is still 67. My magical power stats won’t grow no matter what…”

“You’re doing well.”

“What?”

“You’re doing well, so you just have to do as you do now.”

“Ah…”

“You don’t have to compare yourself with other people, Deokgu. If you work hard as you do, someday you will surely be rewarded. It’s good to think about it, but don’t go too deep. If it’s too hard, come to me. If you look at the stats of the other free peoples we started with, or the people who have no choice but to choose the non-combat army, you can understand how fast your growth is.

“H-Hyung-nim…”

“Your efforts will never betray you. There is a quote that says that.”

I felt guilty as I spoke. I knew that effort too easily betrayed human expectations. However, I knew I had to say it for the betterment of Park Deokgu. The man was already feeling emotional.

“Anyway, is everything I ordered done?”

“Ahhh. Probably so. Actually, I’m not sure, but I don’t think that the person named Kim Mi-young, chosen by you, controls other tasks besides her own.”

“That’s a good thing.”

“Well, of course, you have to check it yourself… Hyung-nim didn’t seem to have any problems either.”

“Anything special?”

“Ah! I don’t think I told you this… Do you know that there is a new person here?”

“A new person?”

“It seems like Hyunsung-ssi brought him personally, but I think it’s been a while since he joined the Blue. He’s a kind man, and he’s also very strong. Ah! While he was away, he organized the guild, making him general manager of the administration… He hangs out every day with our Hyun-ssi. They get along really well.”

Against my will, I began to feel very nervous.

“And?”

“I am not sure what to say… It feels like he’s combining those things. He is smart and fights well.”

I knew someone would fill in for me, but I didn’t even think a new person would come. When Deokgu said that he was close to Kim Hyunsung, my heart squeezed.

‘Fuck… Hyunsung…’

It was natural for me to feel anxious. I knew Kim Hyunsung would be able to attract talent to our Guild, but this was earlier than I had expected.

As Kim Hyunsung’s closest friend, I felt a bit uneasy.

It was then that I could see the man himself from afar – what a joke of fate! He had a person right next to him. I could see Hyunsung smiling widely.

“Ah… It looks like Hyun-ssi came to meet you. Hyung-nim.” Park Deokgu eagerly told me, but I couldn’t focus on his words.

It was obvious why.

It was all because of Kim Hyunsung. Anyone could see that he was having such a pleasant conversation.

‘You never laughed like that with me, you bastard…