Chapter 205: The Value of a Single Junk Item (3)

‘Our guild really is… lacking anyone with a sense of reality.’

Hyun thought through the members of the Shade Guild one by one. They were all people who seemed to have a screw loose somewhere. He was especially aware that both he and Ain were significantly deficient when it came to real-world pragmatism.

‘Even with the business in Demonia Canyon—if Jini had been there, she might have found a better solution.’

Jini was a completely different breed of human than him. She was someone who possessed the talent to manifest her abilities in reality just as effectively as she did in the game. If Asrian was going to be intertwined with the real world, someone like her was absolutely necessary.

“Yeah, there’s nothing to lose by accepting Jini into the guild.”

After much deliberation, Hyun made his decision. A pouting voice reached him in the very next instant.

“Accepting who~? No way, absolutely not!”

“Whoa, Ain? When did you get here?”

“School finished early! But Hyun, the moment I’m gone, you’re trying to recruit another girl.”

Hyun realized there was one more hurdle left. How could he persuade Ain? He had already noticed to some extent that Ain was reluctant to have female users in the guild. Normally, he might have just let it slide under Ain’s sharp gaze.

But Jini was different from users like Salon, who were nice to have but not essential. She was a necessary presence to reach the top of Asrian. If he had to recruit a user with a sense of reality, Jini was far more trustworthy than a total stranger.

In other words, this was one time Hyun had no intention of backing down.

“Ain, listen to me carefully… It’s not for the reason you’re imagining.”

“Hmm? Imagining what? I’m not imagining anything.”

“No… honestly, you are!”

To persuade Ain, he relayed the stories he had heard from Jini: the invention of firearms, the shifting prices of magic materials, the movements of corporations, and so on. As expected, Ain was even more ignorant of real-world changes than he was.

“Fine. Anyway, you’re saying it’s not that woman you need, but her ability.”

“Exactly.”

“Then if I just learn all that from now on, it’ll be fine, right?!”

Ain spoke with a confident expression, showing just how lightly she viewed real-world complexities.

“You’re going to learn it?”

“What’s so hard about it?”

She answered with such a dignified voice that Hyun momentarily wondered if Ain was an unexpected genius or elite, unlike himself. He needed to verify if she truly had the capacity to replace everything Jini offered.

“Ain… what are your school grades like?”

“Why the sudden question about grades…?”

“Just trying to see if there’s even a one-in-a-million chance.”

Ain’s eyes shook strangely before she answered.

“Um… average?”

“Average…?”

“Of course, sometimes I’m a bit below average.”

The moment he heard that, Hyun nodded contentedly. It was hopeless. He had confirmed that Ain was exactly the same kind of person as him.

“We definitely need to recruit her.”

“What! You ask about my grades and then say that?!”

“No, calm down and listen. This isn’t our territory. Logically speaking, do you think it’s possible for us to create things like guns?!”

Hyun tried to persuade Ain with logical reasons, but her sulky expression didn’t soften.

“Our goal is to become the best in Asrian, right?”

Realizing this approach wasn’t working, Hyun decided to change his tactic. After glancing around the Private Room to ensure no one was listening, he spoke.

“I’m only saying this because it’s just the two of us, but the guild members, including Jini, are nothing more than subjects! We’re the only ones who become royalty!”

“Royalty?”

“Fine, let’s say you’re the Queen.”

“King? Queen…?”

Hyun took pride in the fact that he was slowly learning how to handle Ain. To persuade her, showing her a “carrot” in the distant future was much more effective.

‘I knew this would work!’

Seeing Ain’s expression soften as she chewed over the word “Queen,” Hyun gained confidence. If he pushed a little further now, he might seal the deal. Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed in his mind. This would surely convince her in one shot.

“Alright, since recruiting Jini is unavoidable, I’ll give you a gift you’ll like instead.”

“What kind of gift…?”

“Nothing grand.”

As Ain gulped in anticipation, Hyun recalled a past event. While hunting with Ain, he had once switched to Rest Mode for a sudden errand and returned later. He remembered his clothes being quite disheveled for some reason.

“One of these days, I’ll switch to Rest Mode and come back after about 30 minutes.”

“Wh- No! What are you talking about!”

Immediately after he said that, Ain began to act out. It was a reaction slightly different from what Hyun had expected. Based on what he had felt through Assimilation in the past, he thought she would definitely like it… Perhaps a woman’s heart really was difficult to understand?

Regardless, the persuasion was ultimately a success, so Hyun decided to be satisfied with that.

After obtaining Ain’s consent, everything moved swiftly.

“Is it true?”

“Yes, I persuaded Ain successfully.”

“That’s a relief…”

Jini let out a sigh of relief over the receiver. From there, they discussed future plans. The primary goal was, of course, becoming the King of Asrian. However, Jini said that before becoming a King, they would naturally become nobles. Simply put, it meant making a profit through the first-mover advantage.

The amount Jini mentioned as if it were nothing left Hyun stunned. The figures were in a different league than YouTube or movie contracts! Was that truly just “extra income”? As the conversation continued, Hyun often felt like he was losing his sense of reality.

Inevitably, the most important question came up.

“Let’s say Jini really does generate that much profit.”

“It’s not a hypothesis, it’s a certainty.”

“Right, let’s say that certain profit is made. Then… what do I have to give you in return?”

Hyun remembered Jini using the word “hire.” She had come to him with the resolve to dedicate her life, not just for a game. In other words, this recruitment was more of a “contract” than just joining a guild. As long as massive profits were involved, the distribution had to be discussed beforehand.

“Oh, that.”

Jini answered as if she had already anticipated the question. It was an answer she had contemplated for a very long time before meeting Hyun.

“That isn’t important right now.”

“What…?”

“First, I’ll show you that I wasn’t just talking.”

Jini’s answer, which seemed to ignore profit, might have looked foolish or reckless to others. But at the same time, it was an answer designed to gain the most significant thing: trust. What Jini looked toward was not just a few months away, but years! It was a conclusion reached by comprehensively judging Hyun’s personality, talent, and character.

“We can settle the accounts later.”

“But still…”

“I didn’t come to you to run a charity, either. Let’s decide my value later.”

[New guild member ‘Jini’ has joined ‘Shade’!]

After the new member joined, Hyun introduced Jini to Tartarus and Salon. Surprisingly, Salon already knew her name before meeting her. It was proof that the name “Stardust” was famous even overseas.

“I’m planning to completely quit my current company in three months.”

“What?! You don’t have to go that far…?”

“I don’t intend to do this half-heartedly as a side job. Those three months are also to build a foundation in this industry.”

The things coming out of Jini’s mouth had far exceeded Hyun’s understanding since the first day.

“First, I plan to create a gun identical to that one. If you help me, Hyun, we can have research power greater than most corporations. If possible, we can even file for patents.”

“Patents? In a game…?”

“Related laws have been enacted recently. That’s why we have to hurry.”

“Hmm…”

Most of it was incomprehensible, but Jini told him he didn’t need to know everything. She said that while climbing the rough path to the pinnacle of users, he couldn’t afford to worry about every little detail. Everyone has a role suited to their talent. There was no need to sweat over things outside one’s field.

“First, I’ll try to make a perfect gun with the materials I received from you today. When you have the time, Hyun, please obtain the materials on this list.”

Jini sent a message listing the new materials she needed. Some items were not available on the market. Half of them were things he already possessed, but the other half had to be gathered.

‘Hmm… why does she need stuff like this?’

The list included several items that were incredibly difficult to obtain but had negligible market value.

‘It’s not impossible to get them, though.’

Even if the materials were impossible for current users to obtain, they weren’t impossible for him. Furthermore, he knew where to find most of them without even checking the Interloop.

‘One more reason to go to Labyrinth.’

The Main Quest to find Louise and the crafting of a Legendary item. Additionally, most of the materials Jini needed could be found in the Labyrinth.

‘I have to prepare more thoroughly than ever!’

While multiple events occasionally intertwined in the game, it was rare for so many critical matters to be linked at once. It was a task that had to succeed—a task where failure was not an option! Hyun began to prepare for the Labyrinth with the mindset of a strategist before a war.

“Hey, Hyun, can’t you take me along?!”

Having finally grown bored of playing a movie star, Salon shouted as soon as he heard the news about going to the Labyrinth. Hyun thought for a moment before shaking his head.

“Not this time.”

“Gah, why!”

“Because you’ll be in the way.”

Complex and dangerous terrain. Traps lurking everywhere. Named monsters that had to be dealt with through ambushes. No matter how he thought about it, the maze was not a place where a Combo Thief could shine. Instead, to keep Salon from being bored, Hyun tossed him a quest.

“If you have nothing to do, go to the ‘Plains of the Blue Dead’ and get these materials. About 10 of them.”

“Huh…?”

“It’s a perfect hunting ground for a Combo Thief… though the recommended level is 270, so it might be a bit tough for you.”

“What are you saying! With my control, I can overcome that level gap and then some!”

Salon, at Level 180, already preferred hunting grounds in the mid-200s, so he immediately retorted.

“Oh, and the sunset there is amazing, so if you film a video, it might look pretty good.”

“Heh, perfect. A swordsman of the sunset fighting a lonely battle… that would make for a great video.”

It was only a moment later that Salon, nodding to himself, realized there was no reward for the quest he had received.

“Wait a minute. What materials did you say to get?”

Tsk. If he had played it right, he could have made him do volunteer work. Clicking his tongue in regret, Hyun reluctantly muttered what he had prepared.

“These. If you bring 10, I’ll set you up with a pair of weapons.”

“Weapons…?”

“Yes. A pair of Private Artifacts for Salon that can’t be found anywhere else.”

“Hmm, not bad. Hey, Tartarus, we have work to do.”

“Me too?”

“Kid, you haven’t been hunting lately, have you? Heh, take the power-leveling while your big brother is offering!”

After Salon disappeared with a satisfied expression and Tartarus followed with a bewildered look, Ain asked.

“What’s a Private Artifact?”

“Just a dedicated weapon. Words like that work best on Salon.”

“Hmm….”

“Heh, isn’t this the virtue of a King—leadership?”

As all the guild members moved busily, Hyun and Ain teleported to the Labyrinth together. To save on teleportation costs, they used Assimilation and then put one person into Rest Mode.

When they arrived at the Labyrinth, Ain’s style had changed once again. The first thing that caught the eye was her hair tied in a single strand fluttering in the desert wind. With her hat pulled down slightly and a black jacket hiding her Lekart monster armor, Ain blended naturally among the numerous users.

It was an outfit purchased from the Cash Shop. Ain’s explanation was that one had to change styles frequently to avoid unnecessary trouble.

End of 205