NOVEL NEXT Chapter 77
Chapter 77 – Hero Academy (2)
Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu clocked in to the office the next day without fail.
Their work was not much different from yesterday.
Since the treatment of Goene was left to Mongdang, they were solely focused on finding an office for the guild.
“Is this Maeber Real Estate? We are the guild called Sweet Fun…”
“…No matter how formally registered it is, entry to the building is difficult. Yes, I understand.”
They had been directly contacting real estate for four continuous hours in search of a place.
Still, they hadn’t found any suitable office yet.
“Should we just buy some land and build a building?”
“That would be the most ideal.”
With no end in sight to the answers about the difficulties of moving in, Yoo Ji-han was even contemplating building an office himself.
If he got a loan, it wasn’t entirely impossible, so there was room for serious consideration.
“Hmm…”
However, there was a question of whether it was necessary to build a whole structure given the guild’s current small scale.
They had no idea how large the guild would grow in the future, and thus it was hard to determine the size of the building.
Building would also take quite a bit of time.
In the end, the two found themselves back at square one, looking for an office.
Could they find something if they compromised on the location?
If not, using a large warehouse-like building as an office could be a solution.
Doo-ru-ru—
“Yes. This is Kim Si-hu.”
Kim Si-hu leaned comfortably back in his chair as he answered the call.
And then, just as he was casually responding to a stranger’s words…
“…Yes? Really?”
Hearing news related to the Hero Academy, he sprang up from his chair.
After hanging up, he shared the news of passing the document screening with Yoo Ji-han.
Yoo Ji-han’s expression turned to disbelief.
“Why did they choose us?”
“I don’t know! But I’m happy!”
The Yoo Ji-han party barely met the qualification requirements for applying to the Hero Academy.
They had no idea why they managed to pass the document review.
“When’s the interview?”
“In two days.”
“That’s really quick.”
The document screening was finished in a day, and the interview was scheduled for the day after next.
That was quite a tight schedule.
‘If we really get in…’
If they indeed got into the Hero Academy, they wouldn’t have to worry about offices for a while.
After thinking for a moment, Yoo Ji-han called his younger sister, Min Yu-ri, who was resting at home.
“Ji-han?”
“Yu-ri! If you’re not busy right now, can you come to our office for a bit?”
“Okay.”
Min Yu-ri, who had been visiting their younger sibling at the hospital, soon arrived at Sweet Fun’s office.
“What’s going on?”
“Do you know about the Hero Academy?”
“Of course. There are people around me who applied.”
“What did they say happened to them?”
“Since I haven’t heard anything, I think they probably didn’t pass.”
Among Min Yu-ri’s acquaintances, there was a Rank 4 party that had applied to the Hero Academy since last year.
But again this year, it seemed they had fallen short at the document stage.
“But we passed the screening.”
“Really?!”
“I submitted it without much expectation before the document deadline…”
It was said that many parties were filtered out right from the documents.
So it shocked Min Yu-ri to hear that Yoo Ji-han’s party managed to get through easily.
“Should I congratulate you?”
“You’re part of it too, Yu-ri.”
“Oh right! I forgot that.”
“I’m sorry for applying to the Hero Academy without your consent.”
“Why are you apologizing? If we pass, it’s a good thing for me too.”
Though the process was still ongoing, Min Yu-ri was already a hero joining Sweet Fun.
If they got accepted into the Hero Academy, she would enjoy the same benefits.
“By the way… I hope you can also come to the interview in two days with us.”
“Is it okay for me to participate when the Snowflake Guild hasn’t settled yet?”
“I consulted about it, and they actually welcomed that.”
Before Min Yu-ri arrived at the office, Yoo Ji-han had contacted Red Hole.
The Hero Academy representatives were keen on having Min Yu-ri come to the interview.
“What about the interview preparation?”
“That’s what we’re grappling with too.”
Yoo Ji-han searched for reviews from heroes who had interviewed at the Hero Academy.
The common consensus was that the interviewers asked very tough questions.
The only comforting thing was that everyone here were heroes who had gone through similar Rank 4 promotion interviews.
“What kind of questions will they ask?”
“They’re likely to ask about your past experiences.”
Entering the Hero Academy as a Rank 4 party that had a few experiences in the field would feel a bit like how career professionals are asked about their experience during job changes.
At the Hero Academy, the focus would probably also be on their past career.
‘Excluding my experience from Keroes…’
Yoo Ji-han recalled the activities of his party.
They had hunted animal-type monsters like Giant Monsters, as well as plant-type monsters like Giant Dandelion Monsters.
And insects, categorized as animal-type, though feeling a bit different.
Though it wasn’t a long span of time, he could say they had a fruitful hunting period.
“I only have Giant Cat Monsters.”
“You know a lot about Giant Cats, don’t you?”
“That’s true.”
Min Yu-ri was incredibly knowledgeable about Giant Cats, almost at a doctorate level.
It was a bit regrettable that her few years of experience were solely focused on hunting Giant Cats.
But there was a valid reason for that, and her basic skills were exceptional enough that Yoo Ji-han could vouch for her, so it wasn’t a big problem.
“Plus, recently you supplied a Giant Cat to the Seoul Monster Museum. That could be a bonus point.”
“Really? That connects well.”
“Honestly, that’s just luck.”
The opening of the Seoul Monster Museum had been pushed back due to the attack of Goiram Squirrels.
Fortunately, the mottled Giant Cat Min Yu-ri supplied had come through unscathed, making it easy to prove the supply.
‘The synergy of the party is better than expected.’
Teamwork.
It’s not just about the individual power of heroes; how well they fit together as a party is a critical evaluation factor.
In that regard, the synergy among the three was strong enough to surpass the length of time they had known each other.
How well they could convey that during the interview was another question…
‘It seems like it should work out well?’
As Yoo Ji-han considered the evaluation factors one by one, he started to feel a little more confident.
*
On the day of the Hero Academy interview.
Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu decided to ride in the car driven by Min Yu-ri.
“Oh.”
“Wow.”
The vehicle Min Yu-ri brought to Sweet Fun’s office was a large truck resembling a camper.
According to her, it was specially modified to transport Chilla.
“……”
Chilla, visible through the small window, was staring intently at Yoo Ji-han.
That little guy was also slated to join them for today’s interview.
Min Yu-ri, stepping out from the driver’s seat, greeted the two.
“I’m so sorry about this.”
“Driving is familiar to me, so it’s fine.”
Yoo Ji-han felt guilty about entrusting driving to someone who still hadn’t officially joined the company.
But she didn’t seem to mind at all.
“Do you drive often?”
“I usually deal with monsters directly.”
Min Yu-ri regularly handled Giant Cats herself instead of leaving it to another company.
Plus, she was an excellent driver with four years of accident-free driving.
While Kim Si-hu admired the modified vehicle, he asked her,
“How old did you say you were?”
“I’m 26.”
“Is it okay if I call you ‘noona’?”
“I’m fine with it, but…”
The three of them set off to the Hero Academy interview site.
They arrived at a building owned by Red Hole.
A representative from the Hero Academy, who had been contacted beforehand, awaited them in front of the building.
“Right this way, please.”
Following the guide, the Yoo Ji-han party parked and moved into the building.
‘It’s quite nice.’
As Yoo Ji-han walked, he surveyed the interior of the building.
This space was also used as an office for the entrants of the Hero Academy.
The building was spacious, with high ceilings, and a very wide entrance, making it no problem for Chilla to move around.
If feasible, it would be the best location for an office.
“This is the waiting room.”
The Yoo Ji-han party entered a waiting room to wait briefly before their interview.
Crossing the door, heroes in similar situations turned their gaze toward the new arrivals.
There were some glances that swept over Chilla.
Surely, among them, there had to be someone who recognized Min Yu-ri, known even among Rank 4 heroes.
“Oh? What the?!”
As someone spotted Chilla, they jumped up from their seat.
“Yu-ri?!”
“Ju-yong?!”
He was the one who had always hoped for Min Yu-ri to join his guild.
Hero of the Nice Guild, Min Ju-yong.
“Why is Yu-ri here?!”
“Uh, well…”
His joy at seeing Min Yu-ri was mixed with confusion about why she was there.
His feelings grew complex as Min Ju-yong ran up to her.
“Did you also apply to the Hero Academy?”
“It just happened that way.”
“But I thought the Hero Academy required at least two or more party members…?”
Min Ju-yong glanced at Kim Si-hu and Yoo Ji-han who entered alongside Min Yu-ri.
Yoo Ji-han stepped forward and spoke.
“Yu-ri has no issues with applying to the Hero Academy.”
“Huh! Why are you the one saying that instead of Yu-ri?!”
Min Ju-yong replied somewhat sharply.
He didn’t like that Yoo Ji-han was occupying the spot next to Min Yu-ri.
And alongside that, an uneasy feeling stirred within him.
Noticing this, Yoo Ji-han smiled, raising one corner of his mouth.
“Why do you think that is?”
“……”
“Because Yu-ri joined our guild.”
“What?!”
With wide eyes, Min Ju-yong turned his head sharply toward Min Yu-ri.
She joined a different guild instead of his Nice Guild!
“It turned out this way. I’m sorry, Ju-yong.”
Min Yu-ri looked quite apologetic towards him, who had always expressed his desire for her to join.
“Why…? Why not the Nice Guild and those guys instead…?”
“Not ‘those guys.’ It’s Sweet Fun.”
“……!”
Min Yu-ri took a stance as if she were representing Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu.
Min Ju-yong looked shocked at her response.
As Yoo Ji-han waited for a moment, he punctuated the situation.
“Since things have turned out like this, I hope you can refrain from trying to take Yu-ri, who is now a member of Sweet Fun and part of my party.”
“Th-that’s…”
“I believe you, as a fellow hero, would understand this basic etiquette.”
Having said his piece, Yoo Ji-han turned and started walking away.
Min Ju-yong’s cold attitude towards him left Min Yu-ri feeling a bit flustered.
But she soon followed behind Yoo Ji-han.
Since she had already decided to join another guild, it was somewhat necessary to draw a line with the Nice Guild, which had proposed taking in Snowflake.
On the other hand, she also felt relieved to have concluded the conflict with Min Ju-yong.
‘T-this doesn’t make any sense!’
Min Ju-yong looked helplessly at Min Yu-ri’s back.
Why had she not chosen him?
‘There must be some underlying reason…!’
Perhaps she had been cornered with threats about harming her family or had some untold weakness…
He was certain there had to be hidden circumstances at play, and Min Ju-yong’s doubt towards Sweet Fun deepened.