Level Up Machine

Chapter 74 “I accept that proposal (2)”

“……Who are you?”

“Not enough reward? Do you even know what 300,000 gold is?”

At Yeong-sik’s sudden appearance, Park Si-a and Kang Ha-rin frowned.

Yeong-sik took a step forward and continued in a calm voice.

“I understand that 300,000 gold is a very large sum. However, the reason why the Leviathan Guild readily offered such an amount is because the value of that dungeon exceeds 300,000 gold.”

At his words, Park Si-a closed her mouth firmly. She looked at Yeong-sik with a sharp gaze and continued.

“Yes, that’s right. The ‘value’ you’re thinking of is a bit different, but it’s a dungeon worth spending 300,000 gold on without regret. However, from the perspective of the Salvator Guild, 300,000 gold shouldn’t be considered an insufficient reward, right?”

“That’s just the opinion of the Leviathan Guild Master. What we need right now isn’t money.”

“Oh. Are you saying you want to negotiate?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Park Si-a’s eyes sparkled as she watched Yeong-sik speak naturally, without being intimidated at all, in front of the head of the mighty Leviathan Guild.

She turned her head towards Tiria and asked.

“By the way, what is this person’s rank within the guild?”

“Umm… our guild doesn’t have specific ranks.”

“Then when did he join the guild? I don’t recall seeing such a person among the former executives of the Salvator Guild.”

Park Si-a watched Yeong-sik, who casually intervened in the conversation between the guild leaders, and thought he must have been a founding member of the Salvator Guild.

“Mr. Yeong-sik joined the guild a few months ago.”

“What did you say?”

At her words, Park Si-a and Kang Ha-rin looked shocked. Cheon Tae-hwang, who had been quietly listening behind them, also looked at Yeong-sik with an intrigued expression.

“……Were you affiliated with another guild before?”

“No. I joined the Salvator Guild immediately after being summoned here.”

It was Yeong-sik who answered Park Si-a’s question.

He glanced at Cheon Tae-hwang and continued.

“I’m a summoner from the same round as the person behind you.”

“What? A rookie from the 61st round is now standing up to negotiate with Sister Si-a?”

“……It seems that the Salvator Guild has indeed fallen. To let a 61st round summoner dare to interrupt the guild master’s conversation.”

Hearing that Yeong-sik was a 61st round summoner, Kang Ha-rin and Park Si-a looked incredulous and spoke to Tiria.

Not only Tiria but the entire Salvator Guild had complicated expressions on their faces at her words.

“Hmm. Now that you mention it, that’s true.”

“Mr. Yeong-sik is somewhat special.”

The members of the Salvator Guild exchanged awkward smiles. They unconsciously acknowledged Yeong-sik as being on a similar level to the guild master, but from the perspective of other guilds, it was hard to understand.

“Please refrain from interfering with our guild any further. Yeong-sik is a guild member I trust, and if he says so, then I too want to propose a negotiation.”

Tiria spoke up in defense of Yeong-sik. At her words, Park Si-a frowned.

‘Is he acting as an advisor?’

That was the only thought that came to her mind immediately.

“……Well, if the Salvator Guild Master says so, there’s nothing I can do about it. So, what does the Salvator Guild want?”

“Protection and support for the Salvator Guild. Just for one year. If you completely protect the Salvator Guild from external forces for one year, we promise to give you an equivalent reward.”

“……Protection? From the Elnote Kingdom? Now that Hendrick is dead, that shouldn’t be much of a problem, right?”

Park Si-a frowned as she asked.

The main culprit who had brought down the Salvator Guild was King Hendrick.

With him dead due to Luan’s rebellion, there was no immediate need for the Salvator Guild to be protected.

Even though King Hendrick was dead, the bounty placed by the kingdom still remained. Hendrick had falsely accused the Salvator Guild of plotting rebellion against the royal family.

Everyone knew it was Hendrick’s lie to take over the Salvator Guild, but officially, the Salvator Guild was still considered a group of criminals.

However, with the kingdom turned into chaos by the civil war, they didn’t have the resources to pursue and capture the members of the Salvator Guild. And if Luan became king, the charges against them would likely be dropped.

“No, there is still a significant problem.”

“……What reason do you have?”

Park Si-a looked at Yeong-sik with a puzzled expression.

Yeong-sik, with a calm expression, responded indifferently to her question.

“It’s because we are the ones who killed King Hendrick.”

“Wha…

“Wait a moment, Yeong-sik?!”

At his words, Park Si-a’s face was filled with shock. She wasn’t the only one taken aback by Yeong-sik’s bombshell statement. Kang Ha-rin, Cheon Tae-hwang, Tiria, and the other Salvator Guild members looked at Yeong-sik in disbelief.

“It will be revealed anyway when Luan becomes king.”

“Even so…

Tiria looked at Yeong-sik with a bewildered expression. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what calculations he was making in his head right now.

“So, what do you think?”

“……Wait, give me a moment to think.”

Park Si-a, clutching her forehead as if she had a headache from Yeong-sik’s shocking remark, replied. She looked at Yeong-sik with a completely baffled expression.

‘What on earth is he thinking?’

The fact that the Salvator Guild had killed King Hendrick was too enormous to overlook.

To casually mention such a significant matter without even obtaining the guild master’s consent…

It was an explosive remark that could only be made by either a complete fool or a strategic genius who could foresee several steps ahead.

‘Protect the Salvator Guild for one year…

She thought about the condition Yeong-sik had set. In fact, the condition itself was not that unusual.

The Leviathan Guild wielded unparalleled influence within the Elnote Kingdom, and many guilds had established alliances under its protection. Adding another guild, like Salvator, with just over ten members, wasn’t a big deal.

‘But.’

Park Si-a’s eyes gleamed sharply. However, considering the current situation of the Salvator Guild, it wasn’t a condition to be taken lightly.

The Leviathan Guild possessed tremendous power, enough to face a nation without hesitation, but that didn’t mean they intended to fight a country.

They knew very well that if they exhausted their strength in such a battle, a monster invasion like the current one could lead to the annihilation of the entire kingdom and the guild.

If the Salvator Guild had indeed killed King Hendrick, as Yeong-sik said, protecting them would be like holding a massive bomb that could explode at any moment.

Conflict was written all over Park Si-a’s face. Rationally, there was no need to accept such a dangerous proposal. Protecting a guild branded as ‘traitors’ wasn’t something one would do if they were in their right mind.

‘But…

Park Si-a’s gaze shifted to Tiria. More precisely, it was drawn to the beautiful pendant around her neck.

‘We need the power of the angel.’

In fact, the Leviathan Guild had high expectations for the dungeon they discovered this time.

They weren’t expecting rare items exceeding S-rank, rare job manuals for hidden classes, or immense wealth that could buy anything in the world. What they sought was far more important and fundamental than such ‘trifles’.

‘What should I do…

Conflict was evident on Park Si-a’s face.

She was a summoner who had reached level 105 along with a hidden class that controlled the power of water. Even as the guild master leading one of the three major forces in the East, the Leviathan Guild, this was not an easy decision.

“Aren’t you being a bit arrogant?”

Kang Ha-rin’s irritated voice cut through her thoughts.

Everyone’s attention focused on her. Unfazed by their stares, Kang Ha-rin continued in a rough voice.

“You’re not even the guild master, just a rookie summoner from the 61st round. What makes you think you can act so high and mighty?”

“I have the consent of my guild master. Did you, Ms. Kang Ha-rin, get consent before speaking like that?”

“What did you say? You…

Kang Ha-rin frowned and reached for the longsword on her back.

“Ha-rin.”

Park Si-a’s cold voice stopped her. Kang Ha-rin looked at Park Si-a with a resentful expression.

“Mr. Yeong-sik, was it? To be honest, it’s not an easy proposal to accept.”

“You don’t need to think too hard about it. During that one year, we will also lay low and minimize our activities. And we don’t need the 300,000 gold you mentioned earlier. What we need right now is time.”

“Hm.”

At Yeong-sik’s continued words, Park Si-a swallowed her saliva and fell into deep thought again.

Certainly, the prospect of saving 300,000 gold was an attractive proposal.

Even for the Leviathan Guild, 300,000 gold was no small expenditure.

“…Ah!”

At that moment, Kang Ha-rin, who had been glaring at Yeong-sik with a disgruntled expression from behind Park Si-a, suddenly exclaimed as if a good idea had struck her.

“How about this?”

She stepped forward with a sly smile. Everyone’s attention shifted back to her.

She looked at Yeong-sik and began to speak.

“You said you’re a 61st round summoner, right? Our guild also has a 61st round summoner. How about this: if you can beat Tae-hwang in a match, we’ll accept your proposal. If you lose, we’ll help under the original conditions we set.”

Kang Ha-rin glanced between Yeong-sik and Cheon Tae-hwang.

“Hoo. Ha-rin, what is this now?”

Park Si-a sighed, feeling a headache coming on due to Kang Ha-rin’s sudden proposal.

“You know as well as I do that there’s no 61st round summoner who can beat Tae-hwang.”

“That’s why I’m suggesting a match! Huh? What do you say? Are you scared? Heh, our Tae-hwang does look pretty tough!”

Kang Ha-rin pulled the reluctant Cheon Tae-hwang closer, taunting Yeong-sik with cheap provocations.

Yeong-sik looked at Cheon Tae-hwang with deep, calm eyes.

“Sigh. I apologize. Please forget what Ha-rin said. I’ll give her a stern warning later…”

“I accept.”

“…What?”

Park Si-a looked at Yeong-sik with a bewildered expression.

Yeong-sik continued in a calm voice.

“I accept that proposal.”