Level Up Machine

Chapter 100 Business Preparations (3)

“Then, let’s start the guild meeting.”

The annex of the Leviathan Guild.

In the three-story building that the Salvator Guild was temporarily using, twelve summoners sat in a room. After completing the dungeon raid, the Salvator Guild had returned to the Elnote Kingdom.

“First, I have a few announcements before we begin the meeting.”

Han-seong, who was leading the meeting while looking at several documents, was a master of the guild’s finance and administration, guiding the meeting smoothly.

“While we were out raiding the dungeon, the civil war in the Elnote Kingdom has ended. As expected by Mr. Yeong-sik, it concluded with the victory of Prince Luan’s faction.”

Han-seong continued speaking in a low voice.

“And Prince Luan, even before his coronation, is moving to uncover the truth behind the Hendrik assassination incident.”

“Does that mean…?”

“Yes. Currently, the most likely suspect is the Salvator Guild. The kingdom has significantly increased the bounty on our guild and is requesting help from other guilds.”

At Han-seong’s words, the expressions of the guild members hardened.

Even though they had been prepared for this since the moment they killed Hendrik for Tiria’s revenge, hearing that an official investigation was underway still left them with heavy hearts.

“Prince Luan has announced that he will not hold his coronation until the full truth of the king’s assassination is revealed. This alone shows how focused the Elnote Kingdom is on uncovering the true culprit.”

After taking a sip of water, Han-seong continued.

“In that sense, all Salvator Guild members should refrain from going out. If you absolutely must go out, make sure to use disguise magic. Also, Yoo Jin and Yu-na, since your combat styles are unique, avoid getting involved in any fights.”

“…Understood.”

“Ugh… So does this mean we have to stay cooped up in the guild house from now on?”

At Han-seong’s words, Yu-na pouted and spoke in a dissatisfied tone.

Park Cheol-tae, who had been quietly listening, asked, “Does this mean we won’t be able to go on expeditions anymore?”

“It’s best to stay low for now.”

“But that will make it difficult to improve our skills. Yeong-sik might be fine, but isn’t Ara and Gil-soo lacking in experience?”

Even if one’s level reached its limit, one couldn’t afford to neglect battles with monsters.

The difference in levels ultimately represented a difference in class. As long as the gap wasn’t too overwhelming, it could be overcome with skill.

A five-year-old child, no matter how skilled, couldn’t defeat a heavyweight fighter, but a middleweight fighter with good skills could certainly beat a heavyweight fighter. Additionally, combat-related skills wouldn’t improve significantly without hunting monsters.

For the Salvator Guild, which had to maximize its power within a year, expeditions were a necessity, not an option.

“Well… I’ll discuss this with the guild master later and let you know.”

“At the very least, we should be able to go once a month. There’s a big difference between sparring and actual combat.”

Han-seong nodded and moved on to the next agenda item.

“The next topic is the distribution of dungeon rewards. The Twin Swords chosen by Yu-na are non-transferable, but the other two items are not.”

When the topic of rewards came up, the guild members’ eyes sparkled. The items obtained from the recent raid were SS-rank, possessing incredible power.

Even S-rank items were managed as national treasures, so there was no need to think about the value of items of an even higher rank.

“Have you figured out what those items are?”

“Yes. According to the Leviathan guild master, the Twin Swords chosen by Yu-na and the golden sword are the weapons of the Eight Heroes who perished in the ‘Great War.'”

“The weapons of the Eight Heroes…”

Yu-na stared blankly at the two swords hanging at her waist.

If one went by historical records, these were mighty warriors whose power was so great that it was hard to believe they were natives with lower average levels than summoners.

Thinking that she now inherited weapons used by such historical figures felt surreal.

“What about the ring?”

“The platinum ring is an item called ‘Seraphim’s Grace,’ passed down through the emperors of the Ingrim Empire.”

The guild members’ eyes shone with interest at Han-seong’s explanation.

“Didn’t we end up not finding the split cube?”

“Yes. No matter how much we searched after the battle, it couldn’t be found.”

“Oh, I have that.”

Yeong-sik pulled out the split Lacteon cube from his pocket. The guild members murmured in surprise at the sight of it.

“You took that cube, Yeong-sik?!”

“Yes.”

“Huh, I had no idea…”

The battle situation had been so urgent at the time that no one noticed he had taken the cube. Yu-na’s eyes sparkled as she asked Yeong-sik.

“What is that split cube? I can’t tell what kind of item it is just by looking at it.”

“Honestly, I’m not sure either. It’s still an incomplete item. However, its value won’t be any less than the legacy of the Eight Heroes.”

Yeong-sik brushed over the explanation of the cube without going into detail.

Explaining the core of Lacteon right now would mean discussing the suit he obtained and the memories that flooded into his mind when analyzing its structure.

Since even Yeong-sik didn’t fully understand it yet, talking about it would only lead to baseless speculation and confusion.

“Then… that means our guild took two of the four items from the altar.”

Tiria asked, looking back and forth between Yeong-sik and Yu-na.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then it’s settled, isn’t it? Two items each. It seems fair.”

Yu-na shrugged her shoulders and spoke with a nonchalant expression.

“…The problem is not that simple.”

Han-seong sighed and continued his explanation.

“According to the Leviathan guild master, the item ‘Seraphim’s Grace’ among the ones we obtained this time can only be used by those with the blood of the Ingrim Empire’s royal family.”

Han-seong’s gaze turned towards Tiria.

“In other words, no one but the guild master can use it.”

A heavy silence fell among the guild members at Han-seong’s words. Yeong-sik frowned and muttered.

“This has become troublesome.”

“Yes. In fact, in our current situation where even distributing the rewards equally can be contentious, if we end up taking most of the rewards…”

Even though the two guilds had completed the dungeon raid together, the Leviathan Guild was the central force behind the raid. They had discovered the dungeon’s location, planned the raid through detailed investigation, and executed it. The Salvator Guild was merely an assistant and could not be considered equal partners.

But here, the Salvator Guild was taking three out of the four items. This would never happen under normal circumstances.

It’s like you put in all the effort to cook ramen, and a friend who did nothing came and took most of it after asking for just one bite.

“Huh? What’s the problem? If only Sis can use it, then Sis should just keep it, right?”

“…It’s not that simple.”

“The Leviathan Guild is no pushover, and they won’t just sit back and let this happen.”

Han-seong took a deep breath and continued.

“So, I discussed this matter with the Leviathan guild master. The Leviathan side agreed to hand over the ring but with one condition.”

“What condition?”

Han-seong closed his eyes and spoke in a heavy voice.

“The Salvator Guild must unconditionally participate in the northern expedition that the Leviathan Guild is preparing.”

At his shocking words, the guild members’ faces turned to shock.

“The Leviathan Guild is preparing for a northern expedition?”

“Yes. Of course, not immediately. They are thinking about it in the next five years.”

“Huh…”

“We will follow the guild master’s opinion regarding this condition.”

The meaning of the condition ‘unconditional participation in the northern expedition’ was clear. It was asking for help to kill the creators of the monsters.

Tiria hesitated, her eyes filled with uncertainty.

Fighting against the creators of monsters.

That was an overwhelmingly colossal task, making the conflict with the Elnote Kingdom seem trivial.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the entire guild was annihilated in the process.

The despair she felt when Yeong-sik disappeared weighed heavily on her shoulders. The thought of experiencing such terrible despair again was daunting.

Yu-na wanted to say that they didn’t need the ring and that she was satisfied just living happily with her guild members.

‘But…’

Of course, she had no desire to return to the “Earth” that the summoners spoke of.

However, she was well aware of how desperately the summoners she had met so far wanted to return to Earth.

It was clear that among her current guild members, there were those who felt the same. One of them might even be Yeong-sik.

“The condition…”

All eyes were on Tiria. With a determined look in her eyes, she spoke.

“I’ll accept it. Whenever the northern expedition happens, the Salvator Guild will participate.”

“…Are you sure about this?”

Yeong-sik asked, his face set in a hard expression. Tiria nodded with a faint smile.

“Unless we kill the creators of these monsters, true peace will never come to the continent. It’s something we have to do eventually.”

“…I will inform the Leviathan guild master of your decision. I’ll explain the contract details later.”

As Han-seong quickly wrote something on paper, he looked down at the last document.

“Now, for the final agenda of the meeting. It’s about how we will strengthen the guild’s power over the next year.”

“Hmm. The most straightforward method would be to recruit talented novice summoners and train them…”

“That’s difficult. Taking in new recruits carries too much risk for us right now.”

“So, we train hard?”

“That’s important, but it won’t be enough on its own.”

A silence fell among the guild members.

“I have a good idea for this issue.”

Breaking the silence, Yeong-sik raised his hand. The guild members’ eyes turned towards him.

“We start a business.”

“…A business? Are you suggesting we make money?”

“Yes, I’m saying we should make money.”

“Aren’t we supposed to strengthen our combat power? Why are we suddenly talking about making money?”

Yu-na asked, looking puzzled. Han-seong’s eyes gleamed sharply.

“No, making money is indeed a good way to strengthen our power. Money itself is a formidable force.”

Vast wealth is a power in itself. This was true on both Earth and the Elnote continent.

“But… what kind of business are you thinking of?”

Han-seong asked, looking as if he couldn’t quite imagine it. Starting a business wasn’t something that could be done just because one wanted to.

Given the Salvator Guild’s current position, trying to start a half-baked business could easily ruin their recently stabilized finances.

Yeong-sik’s lips curled into a smirk.

“This.”

With that, Yeong-sik pulled an item out of his inventory and placed it on the table.