Level Up Machine

Chapter 73 “I Accept Your Proposal (1)”

“……Ah, it’s nothing.”

Tiria, who had called out to Yeong-sik as he turned away, shook her head with a hesitant expression. Yeong-sik looked at her, tilting his head in confusion.

“What is it?”

“Um, it’s nothing, really. I’ll tell you later.”

Tiria spoke, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Yeong-sik, still puzzled, looked at her before turning away. There were too many things he had to do right now to satisfy his curiosity.

“See you later then.”

“Yes.”

After saying that, Yeong-sik used his boost to fly toward the Salvator Guild members. It seemed that the battle with the monsters was nearly over, as there were hardly any monsters left alive.

Tiria watched Yeong-sik’s receding figure and sighed deeply. A whirlwind of complicated emotions swirled in her chest.

“Why am I like this…?”

With a trembling expression, Tiria placed a hand on her pounding chest and continued to gaze at Yeong-sik’s distant figure.

‘This is no time for this.’

She shook her head, trying to clear her mind, as she remembered Yeong-sik’s request to secure the black cube from the boss monster in advance.

Tiria descended to the devastated plaza of Talion, which had been completely destroyed by Yeong-sik’s attack and Lekras’s breath. The angelic wings on her back fluttered beautifully.

The sight of the plaza, where a fierce battle had taken place, was ghastly. The buildings were all smashed to pieces, and the once neatly paved roads were all turned over. The area where the breath had swept through was so scorched that it had turned into glowing lava.

Fortunately, the indigenous people living in the fortress had been evacuated to another city before the war began. Otherwise, the human casualties would have been enormous. Even without casualties, the city, which had been almost completely destroyed, was now a disaster for the residents who had lived there.

Tiria, who had descended to the ground, approached the corpse of Lekras, who had died after unleashing his breath. She retrieved the black cube from the mangled body of Lekras and tucked it into her bosom.

Normally, tampering with the corpse of a monster that had been hunted by a group was considered a form of theft.

However, the black cube was treated as a much less valuable item compared to the blood, bones, and leather from the monster’s corpse, so taking it on the sly did not cause any major issues.

At that moment, Kang Ha-rin approached Tiria, who had descended to the ground.

“You… Who are you?”

She asked the question that she hadn’t been able to earlier due to dealing with Lekras. She had never heard of such a high-ranking person existing on the eastern continent.

“My name is Sophia. I am the guild master of the Iclozion Guild.”

Tiria introduced herself calmly, not flustered by the sudden question. Hearing her words, Kang Ha-rin narrowed her eyes.

“Iclozion Guild? That’s a guild name I’ve never heard before…”

“I’ve been active in the southern part of another continent until recently, and it’s not long since I moved to the east.”

“You were active in the south?”

Kang Ha-rin furrowed her brows and tilted her head in confusion. From what she knew, the natives in the south were so powerful that it was rare for summoners to form guilds there.

Tiria nodded calmly and replied.

“Yes. Just as we were about to settle down, this incident occurred, so I volunteered to help with the subjugation.”

“Hmm… Are you a native?”

Kang Ha-rin asked sharply. All the people who came to this continent as summoners were Koreans.

However, Tiria’s appearance was too Western to be considered Korean, prompting the question.

“Yes, I am.”

“But you’re a guild master?”

“Yes. I became acquainted with summoners who were summoned to the Arnan Empire, and it led to this.”

Tiria voiced the excuse she had prepared.

“Hmm.”

Kang Ha-rin swallowed and looked at her. Although it was extremely rare for a native to be a guild master, it wasn’t unprecedented.

Even on the eastern continent, the Salvator Guild’s former leader had been a native.

‘Wait a minute.’

Thinking about the Salvator Guild sharpened Kang Ha-rin’s gaze. She didn’t have any particular connection with the Salvator Guild, but she remembered seeing its guild master at a major guild meeting held on the eastern continent.

‘She looks somewhat similar…’

Kang Ha-rin stared intently at Tiria’s face, tilting her head. From her memory, the guild master of the Salvator Guild, Tiria, had brilliant golden hair, as if it were made from melted gold.

“I’ll return to my guild members now.”

“Ah, wait…”

Kang Ha-rin grabbed Tiria’s arm as she turned to leave.

“What is it?”

“I just wanted to thank you for saving my life. I wanted to express my gratitude somehow…”

“It’s fine. The monsters invading the kingdom had to be dealt with for the sake of the helpless citizens.”

Tiria said this and tried to move again. Kang Ha-rin, with a desperate expression, tightened her grip on Tiria’s arm.

“Wait a minute…”

“What is it, Ha-rin? Have you taken care of the boss monster?”

At that moment, Park Si-a appeared, having finished dealing with the monster troops to help Kang Ha-rin. Tiria’s expression hardened slightly at the sight of Park Si-a.

“Ah, Si-a unnie. This person was a huge help in taking down the boss monster. In fact, there was another mysterious person in a black suit, but they disappeared somewhere.”

“Hmm. Really? I was wondering how the boss monster was taken down so quickly; it seems you received some help.”

Park Si-a nodded and extended her hand to Tiria.

“Hello. I am Park Si-a, the guild master of the Leviathan Guild.”

“I am Sophia, the guild master of the Iclozion Guild.”

Park Si-a, shaking Tiria’s hand, fell silent. Kang Ha-rin spoke up in her characteristic bright voice.

“They were active in the south, but they’ve recently expanded to the east.”

“Ho, the south…”

Park Si-a narrowed her eyes as she looked at Tiria. Tiria avoided her gaze with a troubled expression.

At the end of her gaze, Yeong-sik was seen approaching with the Salvator Guild members.

“Then, I’ll be going now since my guild members have arrived.”

Tiria released Park Si-a’s hand and turned to leave.

Park Si-a watched her back and spoke softly.

“So, you’ve decided to keep your identity hidden and run away from the kingdom’s eyes, Tiria?”

“Huh? What do you mean all of a sudden, Si-a unnie?”

At Park Si-a’s words, Tiria’s body trembled slightly. Kang Ha-rin tilted her head, still not fully grasping the situation.

A heavy silence descended. At that moment, Yeong-sik arrived, bringing the Salvator Guild members.

Seeing Tiria’s hardened expression, Yeong-sik guessed that something had happened.

Park Si-a’s voice, cold as ice, continued.

“I’m not planning to reveal your identity or act as the kingdom’s pawn just because I know who you are. I, too, am sick of the Elnote Kingdom, though perhaps not as much as you are.”

“I don’t quite understand what you’re talking about. We are from the Iclozion Guild, not the Salvator…”

“You don’t really think anyone would believe such an obvious lie, do you?”

The first to react to Park Si-a’s chilly words was Kang Ha-rin.

“Uh…”

With a bewildered expression, she turned her head stiffly, like a malfunctioning wooden doll.

“Ha, haha! Yeah, right! You didn’t think anyone would actually believe such a thing, did you, Tiria! We knew your identity from the beginning!”

Kang Ha-rin shouted in a panicked voice, forcing a laugh. It was like a clumsy excuse made when watching a mystery movie with friends and failing to guess the culprit.

“Ha-rin.”

“Huh? Why, why, Si-a unnie?”

“Shut your mouth because you’re noisy.”

Under Park Si-a’s disdainful gaze, Kang Ha-rin clamped her mouth shut and slumped her shoulders.

Seeing them, Chae-rin narrowed her eyes and grabbed Yu-na’s collar.

“Hey, Yu-na unnie.”

“What?”

In the heavy atmosphere, Yu-na answered cautiously as Chae-rin spoke to her.

“This is serious. It looks like your position is going to be taken.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“There’s another loud and brainless girl besides you… Aaaah!”

Chae-rin screamed as Yu-na pinched her side.

Chae-rin couldn’t finish her sentence and let out a scream. Yu-na, pressing her temple with her fist, spoke up.

“This kid doesn’t know when to stop talking. What are you saying…?!”

“But your character overlaps too much! At this rate, your impression will be weakened… Ow! Stop it! It hurts, Yu-na unnie!”

“How am I anything like that stupid-looking girl?!”

Yu-na shouted, pointing her finger at Kang Ha-rin. Enraged by her outburst, Kang Ha-rin stepped forward.

“What? Stupid? Do you even know who I am to say such nonsense…!”

Sparks flew between Kang Ha-rin and Yu-na. They closed the distance as if they were about to start a fight.

Park Si-a and Tiria glared at the two with stern expressions.

“Ha-rin, didn’t I tell you to stay quiet?”

“Yu-na, I wish you could read the room a bit better.”

Defeated by the icy remarks of the two women, Kang Ha-rin and Yu-na retreated with sulky expressions.

“Sigh. I’m sorry.”

“No, we apologize for causing unnecessary commotion.”

Park Si-a sighed deeply and continued.

“Tiria, I did not intend to cause trouble for you by speaking up. So, please, don’t be so wary.”

“I swear on the name of the Leviathan Guild. I will make sure that the name of the Salvator Guild does not leak out. So, please listen to what I have to say.”

At Park Si-a’s words, Tiria’s expression hardened.

She glanced over at Yeong-sik.

Yeong-sik sighed deeply and nodded as if he had no choice. There was no undoing what had already been revealed.

“So, what is it you want to talk about…?”

“You’ve heard about the new dungeon we discovered, right? We need your help with that.”

“…A dungeon?”

Tiria tilted her head, puzzled by Park Si-a’s abrupt words.

“Ah… Come to think of it, the Salvator Guild Master is said to possess the power of an angel!”

Listening quietly, Kang Ha-rin clapped her hands and her eyes sparkled. Park Si-a glared at her sharply.

Swallowing nervously, Kang Ha-rin stepped back.

“We are currently struggling to conquer this newly discovered dungeon. To reach the deepest part of the dungeon, we need someone with the power of an angel.”

“…So you’re asking for my help with the dungeon exploration?”

“Precisely, the help of the entire Salvator Guild. If you assist us, we’ll offer 300,000 gold and five A-rank equipment items. Of course, we’ll also share the rewards obtained from the dungeon with the Salvator Guild.”

Though there is a difference in guild scale, so a 50-50 split is difficult, added Park Si-a.

Her words stirred up the members of the Salvator Guild.

300,000 gold.

It was an unimaginably vast amount.

For the Salvator Guild, which was trying to regain its former glory, it was a desperately needed sum.

Although they had obtained a lot of wealth from Han Cheol-ho’s warehouse, the amount was trivial compared to the astronomical figure of 300,000 gold.

“T-that’s…”

Even Tiria stammered, astonished by the staggering amount. She trailed off, her expression flustered.

At that moment, Yeong-sik, who had been listening quietly, stepped forward.

“The reward seems a bit insufficient.”

Everyone’s attention turned to Yeong-sik.