NOVEL NEXT Chapter 50
Chapter 50. Reunion (2)
Yoo Ji-han, having exited the Hero Department Seoul Branch, did not head straight home but instead made his way to the bustling downtown area.
Upon arriving at the crowded street, the eyes of those around him turned towards him.
“Is that a sword?”
“Is he a hero?”
“Is he a famous person?”
Most were staring at the sword at his waist, immediately recognizing him as a hero.
“Wow, that guy’s walking around in jeans with a sword.”
“It really suits him well, doesn’t it?”
“That’s just because he’s got a good figure. If you were holding it, you’d look like a fat otaku.”
“…….”
Sometimes, there are people who flaunt their hero status every single day for no reason, not even hunting.
On the internet, they casually refer to them as attention seekers.
Yoo Ji-han felt momentarily like one of those attention seekers.
He had been so focused on dealing with the knife that he hadn’t thought about it when coming to the Hero Department, but the stares he received in this youth-packed downtown area felt more burdensome than in the quieter subway.
‘Did I bring it for no reason?’
This was something he had never felt while hiding in Kim Hyun-tae’s party.
One day, he would have to get used to this kind of attention.
He pushed through the uncomfortable gazes and arrived at the bank he usually used.
He was there to issue a card for the Sweet Fun Guild.
‘I said I didn’t need it.’
Since Kim Si-hu already had a guild card, Yoo Ji-han didn’t feel a real need for one.
But he had reluctantly agreed to Kim Si-hu’s suggestion that all expenses moving forward should be paid with guild funds only.
This was due to Kim Si-hu’s reluctance to use personal money even when buying snacks at the office.
Since the welfare for guild members was quite lacking, it seemed they wanted to allow that little bit of money to be spent freely.
‘Why is the process so complicated?’
To issue more than one unlimited guild card, additional verification was required for the actual user, which meant he had to visit the bank in person.
It was a bit of a hassle, but Yoo Ji-han accepted it, knowing that Kim Si-hu was just trying to look out for him.
“Please come this way.”
As soon as he entered the bank, a staff member rushed over to him.
The staff member politely led him to the innermost reception desk, away from those sitting in chairs waiting for their turn.
Thanks to heroes always being treated as VIPs at the bank, he had immediate access to the services.
“You’re here for the issuance of a guild card, correct?”
“Yes.”
Yoo Ji-han signed several documents as directed by the bank staff.
In the midst of this, he heard:
“Yoo Ji-han, you have some unclaimed money at the bank!”
“Excuse me?”
“Hero’s Contribution Subsidy. Have you heard of it?”
“I’m not quite sure what that is.”
Yoo Ji-han tilted his head at the unfamiliar term.
The bank staff smiled kindly and explained.
“The Hero’s Contribution Subsidy is a national program to support heroes in forming stable assets by providing monthly grants. It can only be applied for when a new hero, who has never been part of a guild, joins a guild with less than 50 members. It seems that your guild applied for it on your behalf when you first joined.”
“Oh… really? But that guild has already surpassed 50 members.”
“Even if the number of guild members exceeds 50, the heroes who applied before that can continue to receive support.”
“In that case, please deposit that money into another account.”
“Understood. However, to receive the maximum grant, you need to have contributed for ten years continuously, so since you left the guild early, the scheduled amount will be halved. Please keep that in mind.”
“……”
Guild Master Park Joong-seob of Keroes hadn’t even mentioned this to Yoo Ji-han.
Listening to the bank staff’s explanation brought to mind the moment he was expelled from the guild.
“The total is 48 million won.”
“Oh.”
It was quite sweet to receive such a lump sum unexpectedly.
*
After finishing his business at the bank, Yoo Ji-han stopped by a cafe.
[Snowball Cafe]
It was a franchise cafe operated by the Snowball Guild.
True to its name, it was well-known for its iced coffee and smoothies made with cold ice.
“Order received!”
As soon as he ordered a coffee, the employees sprang into action with speedy movements.
The coffee machine they used was infused with magic, as expected from a guild-run cafe.
Whirring—
The machine operated on both electricity and magic stones charged with magical power, and within just three seconds, aromatic coffee was produced.
The ice in the cup was shaped like the dazzling snowflakes that symbolized the Snowball Guild.
In this way, guilds often tried to branch out into various industries by leveraging their fame and magical power.
One notable example was Yoon Do-ha’s Dice Guild, which had been pursuing the establishment of a casino using magic for quite some time and was expected to receive formal approval soon.
‘If Sweet Fun grows later, it’d be nice to venture into business too.’
While sipping his coffee, Yoo Ji-han considered potential businesses for the guild to explore.
With the magically knowledgeable Kim Si-hu around, if they had an idea, it could be possible to hire people to create innovative business items.
‘Of course, the performance of the party is more important than starting a business right now.’
The greatest value for a guild comes from the performance of its associated parties.
If a famous party undertakes a new business under a guild, people usually flock to it.
Also, some guilds don’t manage businesses directly and only lend their brand name, like Keroes did in partnership with a company.
‘I heard something about a Kim Hyun-tae speaker coming out soon.’
Keroes had partnered with a company that manufactured electronic devices and lent the brand name of Kim Hyun-tae’s party.
Yoo Ji-han had also heard that Kim Hyun-tae’s name would be printed on the newly released speaker.
If that sold well, it was reasonable to expect that in the future, they might even see laptops by Lim Si-yeon or air conditioners by Lee Mi-a.
“……”
After meeting Kazimir for the first time in a while and hearing news related to Keroes at the bank, thoughts regarding them kept popping into Yoo Ji-han’s mind.
‘I have no lingering attachments to Keroes.’
Having already left the guild, he felt no longing for it.
The time he spent with Sweet Fun was much more enjoyable and meaningful than the times spent hiding his existence.
In particular, meeting Kim Si-hu, the Guild Master of Sweet Fun, could be called a turning point in Yoo Ji-han’s life.
He had formed a contract with the sylph that had been asleep in Kim Si-hu’s staff and was able to use magic, something he had only watched his whole life.
Slurping—
As Yoo Ji-han stepped out of the cafe, he sipped the remaining coffee through his straw.
“Just relaxing brings up all sorts of thoughts.”
Being comfortable led various random thoughts to pop into his mind.
Indeed, it suited his personality more to at least be at the guild office or conducting personal training, even when on break.
However, the Hero Department encouraged heroes to take sufficient breaks away from the guild periodically.
‘Everything feels way too peaceful.’
The street Yoo Ji-han walked on felt like a peaceful place with no sense of danger whatsoever.
It felt almost fake compared to the chaos he had been running around in at the golf course the other day.
But he would soon return to the Monster Area once his equipment was complete.
Truly a realm of extremes.
If the sense of disparity between the two spaces intensified any further, it might lead to mental health issues down the line.
‘I need to be careful.’
The mental health of heroes belonging to Keroes was managed by the management department.
The department head, Lee Hyun-jae, emphasized the importance of mental health as well as physical health, securing the department’s budget from the indifferent guild master, Park Joong-seob.
Thanks to this, Keroes had seen no mental health issues among its rapidly growing members.
‘Someday, I need to establish a management department.’
Although Keroes had turned their back on Yoo Ji-han, there were things to learn from that rapidly growing guild.
Taking in what could be taken and discarding what should be discarded seemed to be the right direction for Sweet Fun right now.
Especially the management department that Lee Hyun-jae supervised would be comparably robust against existing large guilds.
‘I should contact Hyun-jae soon.’
After receiving a letter of recommendation through Lee Hyun-jae’s help during the first MA entry review process, he had yet to properly thank him aside from casual contact.
It seemed a good choice to express overdue gratitude along with learning about the structure of the management department.
It was definitely worth the investment.
……It was at that moment Yoo Ji-han was deep in thought.
“No, customer! You have to pay for that!!”
A sharp shout from a middle-aged woman sounded from a short distance away.
The heads of Yoo Ji-han and those nearby turned instinctively in her direction.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Payment! Payment! Don’t just eat it without paying!”
The source of the voice was a vegetable shop displaying a variety of vegetables on the ground.
The woman, seeming like the shop owner, looked incredibly angry, with her hands on her hips, arguing with a man.
Munch, munch!
The man bit into a green cucumber.
The sound was so loud and mouthwatering it could almost make the listeners feel hungry.
After munching down the cucumber he had bitten into, he said,
“So, you’re telling me to pay?”
“Exactly! You need to pay first before eating any produce!”
“But I don’t have any money.”
“……Look at this shameless guy?!”
The man had apparently taken the cucumber on display without paying.
People were quietly watching the dispute unfold between them.
‘Should I help a little?’
Yoo Ji-han approached the shop, intending to intervene in case the customer tried to run away without paying.
He could easily overpower a typical thug or petty thief.
“Huh?”
However, as he got closer, he began to feel something was off.
The man being scolded by the shop owner had a rather strange demeanor.
His hair was sparse, a deep brown to the very ends, and his clothing wasn’t exactly ordinary civilian attire but also wasn’t heroic gear.
“……What the hell.”
In an instant, every hair on Yoo Ji-han’s body stood on end.
His right hand automatically moved towards the grip of his sword.
“Making quite a noise with just one of those, huh?”
“What did you say?”
Crunch!
The man bit down on the shop owner’s lips with his sharp teeth.
It was a situation that unfolded in the blink of an eye.
“G-grah, g-grak…!!”
The woman, held by the man’s grip, stretched her limbs down and trembled all over.
Blood streamed from her mouth that had been completely torn apart, exposing her teeth and jaw bone beneath.
“Ahaha!! This is way sweeter and tastier!”
“……?”
“……?”
The man uttered a pleased sound while chewing on the human lips like they were jelly.
It was an utterly unfamiliar and chilling scene, too alien to fit in a peaceful street.
Those unable to comprehend the horrifying sight before them stood frozen in place.
Then, Yoo Ji-han shouted loudly to those around.
“Run, you fools——!!”
Or else, you all die!