NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2
Chapter 2: Acceptance
“……?”
Yoo Ji-han blinked at the message that appeared before his eyes.
Then he rubbed his eyes and opened them wide to double-check the result as if he had misread it.
<99%>
Yet, the sampling number remained unchanged.
99%.
If Yoo Ji-han joined Sweet Fun Guild, the probability that the guild would become a large guild was indeed 99%.
“That’s ridiculous.”
His mouth dropped open.
The highest probability he’d seen from using skills until now was 98%.
That meant there was at least a 2% chance for the opposite result to occur.
Of course, a figure above 90% was already quite reliable.
But……. now laid before him was a 99%.
Except for minority parties, it was the closest probability to 100%!
The difference between 99% and 98% was a mere 1%, yet it was a completely different probability.
This could be seen as something bordering on premonition rather than just chance.
“Let’s try again!”
Using the sampling again, Yoo Ji-han repeated the same question.
However, the result did not change.
“It’s insane……!”
He crumpled the empty cola can in his hand.
Having anticipated a long life of unemployment, he couldn’t sit idle after getting such information.
“What kind of guild is this?”
He began investigating information about Sweet Fun Guild on a search site.
As it was a relatively recent establishment, the information floating around on the internet was quite scarce.
At least, it listed the data the guild was required to disclose.
“The guild has exactly one member. The guild master is named Kim Si-hu, and he hasn’t formed a proper party yet. There’s no activity history either.”
Even after several months since its founding, the guild consisted of only one person.
In this case, it was possible that he preferred to operate solo rather than joining a party with more people.
While one-person guilds aren’t the mainstream worldwide, a considerable number exist.
They face various restrictions due to their limited numbers but, at the same time, enjoy boundless freedom and can also avoid conflicts arising from interpersonal relationships within a guild.
Those who work as freelancers sometimes fight like mercenaries for other guilds in exchange for money.
“Is he not recruiting guild members?”
Yoo Ji-han desperately wanted to join Sweet Fun Guild.
Usually, guilds post regular recruitment announcements, but there was no news regarding recruitment for Sweet Fun.
In this case, the one in need would have to approach the other.
With no official contact number available, the only means of communication was through email.
He grumbled as he began to write the email.
*
After sending the carefully composed email, Yoo Ji-han received a reply the next day.
The response from Kim Si-hu, the representative and guild master of Sweet Fun, included a personal contact number and expressed a desire to meet and discuss in person.
As soon as Yoo Ji-han saw the reply, he texted him back and arranged to meet at the office the following day.
Hence, the next day, he arrived in front of Sweet Fun’s office.
“Brings back memories.”
An old building far removed from bustling crowds.
Notes scattered everywhere about office rentals.
It was a building likely utilized by those seeking affordable prices.
In the past, Yoo Ji-han had worked in such places before Keroes had grown significantly.
Knock knock.
He knocked on the door marked with the words Sweet Fun.
A moment later, he heard the sound of a lock disengaging from inside, and the door opened.
The person who opened the door was a man slightly shorter than Yoo Ji-han wearing a black beanie.
“Yoo Ji-han?”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Yoo Ji-han.”
“Hello! I’m Kim Si-hu. Come on in.”
Kim Si-hu, the guild master of Sweet Fun, welcomed him warmly.
‘He looks really young.’
Contrary to his expectations of meeting a seasoned hero, Kim Si-hu looked like a young adult who had just come of age.
Yoo Ji-han followed his lead into the small office filled with an inexpensive-looking table and two office desks.
Guiding him to a table, Kim Si-hu smiled awkwardly.
“This is a temporary space we’re using, so I hope you’ll excuse any inconvenience.”
“No, it’s fine. It’s better than where I used to be.”
At Yoo Ji-han’s response, Kim Si-hu tilted his head in confusion.
“Where you used to be, are you talking about Keroes?”
“Yes.”
“But Keroes is a huge guild, right?”
Keroes had established itself as a significant mid-tier guild, moving beyond the realm of small guilds.
Kim Si-hu couldn’t believe that someone from such a place would use such a small office.
“That’s a recent development; about 7 or 8 years ago, we were in an office smaller than this one.”
“Oh… So you must really be an early member.”
“Yeah, sort of.”
“Can I ask why you left the guild?”
As soon as they arrived at the office, it felt like an interview began.
After a moment’s hesitation, Yoo Ji-han informed Kim Si-hu about the unofficial party member system that existed only in Keroes.
At this, Kim Si-hu responded with disbelief.
“Goodness! I’ve never heard of such a thing, but isn’t that a bit harsh for someone you’ve been with for so long?”
“Well, that was the agreement I made… If the management says to do it, then I have to.”
“When I looked up news about Keroes’ Guild Master Park Joong-seob, it seemed like he cared a lot for his guild members… but I guess it’s all a lie.”
“That’s just an article paid for by friendly reporters.”
“Really? It’s so different from the rumors.”
Yoo Ji-han observed Kim Si-hu’s genuinely surprised reaction.
From their brief conversation, it seemed he didn’t know much about the internal affairs of typical guilds.
“How old are you, Guild Master?”
“I’m 22 this year.”
“You’re really young. It must have been hard at that age to get a guild establishment permit.”
A few years back, guild formation became a bit stricter after a guild formed by rookie heroes was wiped out in an accident.
If one lacked a proven track record like prior experience in other guilds, restrictions could be placed on establishing a new guild.
Thus, it was quite surprising that someone so young managed to create a new guild.
“I received a special privilege from the Hero Academy I attended.”
“A privilege?”
“They gave me an easy time getting a guild establishment permit because I graduated at the top of my class in magic.”
Hero training academies sort heroes based on their abilities, dividing them into classes.
Kim Si-hu had graduated with the highest grades in the magic category, hence the privileges.
“If you graduated at the top, you must have received plenty of recruitment offers from other guilds.”
“I’m a bit uncomfortable in guilds with many people… I intend to keep Sweet Fun as a small elite guild.”
“I see.”
“And since you’re here, there’s one more thing I have to tell you.”
“……?”
Kim Si-hu seemed a bit hesitant, as if he had something to say.
He soon resolved himself and took off the black beanie he was wearing.
Revealed from under the hat were his gray hair and two ears.
What was peculiar was that one ear had a pointed tip instead of being rounded.
Like an elf who had crossed over from another world to Earth.
“I’m not human; I’m a half-elf.”
“……Ah.”
“My late mother was an elf, and my father is human.”
With a somewhat tense explanation, Yoo Ji-han slowly nodded his head.
As incidents of other worlds invading Earth had increased, the existence of different races had been disclosed to the public, with elves being one of the representative races.
If they came as invaders intending to invade Earth, they were regarded as foes to be exterminated.
However, there were also those wishing for peace, joining human society.
If a union formed from love during that course, mixed-blood children from different races would be born.
‘Is this why he hasn’t joined another guild?’
Yoo Ji-han began to understand a bit why he hadn’t joined another guild.
In modern times, there exists racial discrimination, extending to species discrimination due to the emergence of other races.
Species discrimination became a significant social issue resulting from the presence of other races.
Many humans who had been killed by other races, including elves, had fostered hatred against them.
Joining a guild that mainly consisted of humans would mean enduring such discriminatory gazes, an ordeal not to be taken lightly.
“What do you think about other races?”
“I don’t have any particular negativity. As I’ve worked as a hero, I’ve seen they’re no different from ordinary people.”
“Phew… That’s a relief.”
Kim Si-hu sighed in relief.
He had encountered many people who held a strong aversion toward other races.
He wore hats long-term to conceal his ears for that very reason.
“By the way, Guild Master.”
“Yes?”
Yoo Ji-han’s gaze shifted toward the magic staff placed on the desk.
It was an object that had given off a strange vibe since the moment he entered the office.
“That staff, was it made from Florn?”
“Yes, it is. It’s my mother’s heirloom.”
“Oh! This is my first time seeing it in person.”
Florn, known for imbued magical powers, is one of the best materials for crafting artifacts related to magic.
It is said that Florn is a type of tree that originally didn’t exist on Earth and was brought over by a handful of elves when they crossed over to this world.
‘I want to touch it once.’
It was a precious tree with a limited supply and astronomical prices, managed secretly by the elves who settled on Earth.
Even Yoo Ji-han, who had acted as a hero for several years, had never seen it before.
“If it’s not too much trouble, may I touch it for a moment?”
“Of course.”
Kim Si-hu readily agreed to his request.
Yoo Ji-han carefully took the staff from him.
He didn’t want to mar such a precious item that was his mother’s heirloom.
‘It’s surprisingly heavy.’
The staff was thinner than his fingers.
It was only about 30 cm long, but it felt far from being just a simple wooden stick.
It had considerable heft, as if it were packed with a heavy rod inside.
Just swinging it without magic would likely deliver a strong blow to an enemy.
As Yoo Ji-han marveled at the staff, it happened.
Ploink!
Suddenly, a cute sound came from the tip of the staff, and something popped out.
“Huh?”
“Spirit?! Why are you suddenly…?”
A green, softly glowing orb floated up into the air.
Then, it began to spin above Yoo Ji-han’s head.
‘It hasn’t come out since my mother passed away…!’
Kim Si-hu couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
The spirit nestled in the staff had revealed itself for the first time in nearly six years.
But what followed was even harder to believe.
“……Huh? Huh?”
The green orb touched Yoo Ji-han’s forehead.
Even as he shook his head in surprise, the sylph stuck to him as if glued.
After 7 seconds in that state,
The sylph vanished as if it had melted into the air.
Kim Si-hu gasped, his eyes wide with shock, having realized what that action meant.
“You made a contract!!”
“A contract?”
“You just contracted with the sylph!”
Kim Si-hu excitedly snatched the staff from Yoo Ji-han’s hands.
He closed his eyes and focused all his attention on the tips of the fingers holding the staff.
“I—It really disappeared…”
Kim Si-hu’s hands began to tremble.
He couldn’t feel the spirit’s power inside the staff anymore.
The sylph, who had treated that artifact like its home since Kim Si-hu’s mother’s time, had left and abandoned it.
‘What kind of situation is this?’
Yoo Ji-han licked his dry lips.
Though unintentional, it felt as if he had made some huge mistake.
The atmosphere, which had been pleasant until just before, was now turning tense…….
If things went poorly, it might spiral in an undesirable direction.
“Um… Excuse me?”
“Accepted.”
“Pardon?”
“Accepted! You passed the interview! You’re now a member of my guild! Just try to go to another guild; I won’t let it go that easily……!”
Kim Si-hu glared at Yoo Ji-han with a wronged expression.
The meeting between the two had devolved into a strange situation where the one evaluating the applicant was the one declaring acceptance.