Cognac

The owner of that booming voice was none other than Kim Gwanhyo, who had stormed out earlier in a huff.

I had hoped to avoid any further entanglements with him, but it seemed fate had other plans.

“A red gate appeared, and suddenly, people started collapsing from a debuff! I tried to hold out until the very end, but it was nothing a human could possibly endure!”

Kim Gwanhyo was reporting to a middle-aged man, standing rigidly at attention.

“It’s enough that you’re alright. We’ll discuss the details once we return to the guild. The situation here is far from ordinary.”

“Yes, Guild Master!”

The middle-aged man was, in fact, the Guild Master of the Baekje Guild.

No wonder he had seemed somewhat familiar to me.

In particular, his receding hairline felt oddly recognizable.

Since Baekje’s Guild Master was a fairly well-known ranker, the preliminary awakened individuals who had followed them out began to murmur amongst themselves.

“I’ve seen that person somewhere before…”

“It’s him! The Baekje Guild Master!”

“Ah! Iron Wall Choi Woosik!”

“A ranker? A ranker is here?”

“Unbelievable! I’m seeing a ranker in person…”

As more people emerged from the dungeon, the murmurs grew louder. In direct proportion, Kim Gwanhyo’s shoulders visibly puffed up with pride.

Given Kim Gwanhyo’s personality, he must have been utterly delighted.

He was, after all, having a private audience with a ranker whom everyone admired and yearned to be like.

“Wow… Ranker Choi Woosik came personally to pick up Kim Gwanhyo? Because he was worried?”

“Kim Gwanhyo must truly be talented if a ranker came rushing here for him.”

Indeed, upon receiving the report that something had happened to Kim Gwanhyo, the Baekje Guild’s heart must have plummeted.

Considering the immense investment they had made in him, imagine the catastrophic loss if he were to be injured or killed in an accident before even registering as a formal awakened.

Kim Gwanhyo, visibly in high spirits, subtly scanned his surroundings.

‘Whatever happens, I won’t be entangled with him any longer. Kim Gwanhyo can go to Cognac, or to Baekje, and live his own life, and I’ll do what I need to do.’

‘…But why does my life never go as planned?’

As Kim Gwanhyo savored the reactions around him, his gaze swept past Lee Heejin and me.

“Ah, Guild Master. There’s someone I’d like to introduce you to!”

“Hmm? An introduction?”

“Yes! She’s a friend I trained with, and I’m certain you’ll be impressed, Guild Master!”

That Kim Gwanhyo. When he was boasting to Lee Heejin, he claimed the Baekje Guild Master was practically his brother, sharing meals and even the privy with him. Yet, in reality, they didn’t seem quite that close.

Regardless, at that moment, I was subtly backing away.

Kim Gwanhyo had said, ‘someone I’d like to introduce.’

He hadn’t said ‘people,’ so he was likely referring to Lee Heejin. I figured it would be best to avoid getting tangled up by staying near and, at the same time, put some distance between myself and Lee Heejin.

‘The problem was that Lee Heejin seemed to have the same idea.’

We both retreated simultaneously, our eyes meeting in a moment of shared understanding.

We exchanged glances and quickly tried to melt into the crowd, but then—

“Hey! Lee Heejin! Heejin! Where are you going? Come here for a second!”

He called out so loudly with that booming voice that all eyes around us turned our way.

“Haa…”

Lee Heejin let out a deep, heartfelt sigh.

‘Oh, how pitiful.’

With a sympathetic heart, I naturally tried to slip away.

“Where are you going?”

“…”

“I asked where you’re going.”

“Oh? Me? I actually have a prior engagement…”

“…Wait a moment. Let me just deal with this, and then we can go together.”

“No…”

As I was held captive, Kim Gwanhyo, Choi Woosik, and several Baekje guild members who followed him finally reached us.

“Heejin, allow me to introduce you. This is Iron Wall Choi Woosik, a ranker within the top 200 in Korea and the Guild Master of the great Baekje Guild.”

I wasn’t sure when Baekje had become the ‘great’ Baekje Guild, but just inside the dungeon, Kim Gwanhyo had been told by Lee Heejin to shut up and his face had turned beet red. Now, he was utterly composed.

His pretense of closeness was so natural that no one would doubt it.

Lee Heejin’s tenacity was genuinely chilling.

Lee Heejin, subtly frowning, eventually turned and bowed her head to Guild Master Choi Woosik.

Lee Heejin, though always composed and somewhat direct, was not impolite or lacking in manners.

Even in a situation she clearly disliked, with Kim Gwanhyo acting as he was, and Choi Woosik being both a stranger and an elder, she couldn’t simply ignore them and walk away.

And as Choi Woosik watched Lee Heejin, his pupils visibly widened.

“So. Your name is Heejin?”

“It’s Lee Heejin.”

“Hahahahaha, what a remarkable beauty you are.”

Kim Gwanhyo interjected behind Choi Woosik’s hearty laughter.

“Guild Master, Heejin may seem delicate, but she possesses considerable talent. I, who trained alongside her, can vouch for that.”

At his words, Lee Heejin let out a short, almost inaudible chuckle that only I could hear.

No, it wasn’t so much a laugh as an involuntary reaction of sheer disbelief.

From Lee Heejin’s perspective, how utterly absurd it must have been. The very person who had collapsed first when the gates of hell appeared was now acting as if he were someone important.

However, Kim Gwanhyo’s words seemed to pique Choi Woosik’s interest even further.

“Oh-ho, is that so…”

Undisguised greed flickered in his eyes as he scrutinized Lee Heejin.

“Miss Heejin? Would you be interested in joining our Baekje guild?”

The surrounding crowd once again began to murmur upon hearing his offer.

“Is that a scout?”

“Who is that woman?”

How often in life does one witness a ranker directly scouting a preliminary awakened?

It was a rather rare sight, but knowing the full circumstances, I felt no particular emotion.

‘That man, his eyes are brimming with avarice.’

Choi Woosik’s desire for Lee Heejin was obvious.

Lee Heejin’s striking beauty stood out among so many people.

A guild gaining public support and increasing its recognition and ranking wasn’t simply achieved by recruiting powerful awakened individuals.

While ultimately one needed to gather powerful awakened, the priority was to promote the guild and cultivate a positive image.

And the best way to do that was undoubtedly to put forth awakened individuals of exceptional beauty.

People were easily drawn to attractive individuals, then as now.

What, after all, was the reason Baekje had invested so heavily in Kim Gwanhyo in the first place?

Was it not because he had awakened a good ability and possessed outstanding looks, making him the guild’s next promising prospect?

With Kim Gwanhyo and Lee Heejin standing face-to-face, the image was quite appealing.

Choi Woosik probably had similar thoughts.

A Baekje guild that had successfully transitioned generations.

A Baekje guild that would lead the future.

Regardless of what vision Choi Woosik had, if it were me, I would promote the guild in such a way.

Well, this was merely a fleeting fantasy in my mind. Whatever vision Choi Woosik might have, it seemed unlikely Lee Heejin would join Baekje.

“No, I appreciate the offer, but I’ve already committed to another guild.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll promise you things that can’t even compare to the treatment you were going to receive. Come to our guild.”

Despite Lee Heejin’s refusal, Choi Woosik persisted, unperturbed.

He exuded a certain confidence, as if he believed she would eventually join his guild.

After how many times had this conversation repeated itself?

Lee Heejin suddenly let out a small sigh and turned her gaze towards me.

This led to my eyes meeting hers, as I had been trying to figure out how to escape my awkward position. Consequently, Choi Woosik’s gaze also naturally shifted to me.

“Who’s next to you? Your boyfriend?”

“No. Just a friend, a friend.”

Despite my explanation, Choi Woosik began to weave some strange fantasy, launching into an absurd deduction.

“Hmm… So, that’s it. The reason Miss Heejin is hesitating to join our Baekje is because of this friend. Then let’s do this.”

He was exactly like Kim Gwanhyo, only saying what he wanted and not listening to a word anyone else said.

‘Is that a characteristic of the Baekje Guild?’

“I’ll make an exception and accept this friend into Baekje as well. There might be some opposition, but for a talented individual, wouldn’t I do at least that much?”

Choi Woosik uttered those terrible words, then burst into boisterous laughter.

He truly was a man with immense pride in his guild.

It was true that Baekje was a relatively well-known guild, but…

‘Hmm… Is it really that great?’

I forced a smile, pulling up the corners of my mouth I didn’t want to lift, and politely expressed my refusal.

“Haha… I truly appreciate the offer, but I’m quite alright as well.”

Choi Woosik’s laughter gradually died down, and a chilling silence descended.

“Young man, do you find our Baekje’s offer laughable?”

Choi Woosik’s voice deepened, sinking low.

His demeanor was a dramatic contrast to his boisterous laughter just moments before.

It seemed this ill-tempered old man was angry.

Lee Heejin had already rejected his offer several times, and there were many people watching.

Yet, driven by his determination to recruit Lee Heejin, he had patiently continued to make offers. Now, not only Lee Heejin but also some random guy next to her was refusing, and he couldn’t contain his anger any longer.

In short, he was taking out his frustration on me after being rejected by Lee Heejin.

I felt a sense of injustice, but what could I do?

Being weak was a sin.

“I don’t know how impressive you are to disregard Baekje in such a way. Kim Gwanhyo, you answer him.”

“…He’s a friend who couldn’t even identify the most basic traps during the final practical.”

‘That’s not true.’

‘I avoided the last three.’

“And still, you refuse my offer? Isn’t this an insult to our Baekje?”

“That’s right!”

“This is a challenge to us!”

I watched their antics in stunned silence, completely bewildered by the sudden turn of events.

Soon, I understood why Choi Woosik was reacting so excessively.

Choi Woosik’s gaze was fixed on me, but his attention was solely on Lee Heejin.

Seeing that Lee Heejin and I seemed to be friends, he intended to pressure me forcefully to put Lee Heejin in a difficult position.

He would do whatever it took to get Lee Heejin into his guild.

‘This is quite… unpleasant.’

Why did I have to be dragged into something that had nothing to do with me, suffering this indignity? What a pathetic display from a grown adult, trying to force someone who clearly didn’t want to go.

Annoyance flared within me, but no alternative solution came to mind.

After all, I couldn’t possibly fight a ranker.

Unless Lee Heejin revealed her power.

For now, I had to appease him. It would play right into Choi Woosik’s hands, but there was no other choice.

“It’s not that, it’s just that I also already have a guild I’m set to join…”

Just as I was about to cover it up with a lie, a luxurious black sedan, completely out of place in this atmosphere, unexpectedly appeared.

The black car smoothly glided along the unpaved dirt road, stopping nearby. A man leisurely stepped out.

Even the murmuring voices ceased for a moment, as everyone’s attention was drawn to him.

The man who emerged from the car was impeccably dressed.

Black sunglasses obscured his eyes.

A luxurious suit and polished shoes.

Most notably, the characters ‘火連’ were embroidered on one side of his jacket.

What they represented was enough to astonish everyone gathered there.

“Hwa, Hwaryeon?”

“Why is one of the Five Great Guilds here…?”

The five colossal guilds that wielded the greatest influence in Korea.

Among them, the third.

‘Hwa’ meaning fire, ‘Ryeon’ meaning to connect.

Connecting Fire, Hwaryeon.

The man, dressed in Hwaryeon’s attire, calmly accepted the gazes of the crowd and began to walk towards us, who stood at the center of the group.

He surveyed the scene with an air of composure, then folded his sunglasses, tucked them into his pocket, and spoke.

“Is Awakened Park Minhyuk present here?”

My name was called out unexpectedly.

“Yes, I am Park Minhyuk.”

“Ah, there you are. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Kim Taeheon from Hwaryeon’s Sales Department.”

Kim Taeheon offered a business card along with his greeting.

As I gazed at the luxurious golden background with the vibrant red characters ‘Fire Link’ emblazoned upon it, a forgotten memory suddenly resurfaced.

[I’ve already told the guild. A Hwaryeon Guild scout will come to pick you up on the day you complete your training.]

A text message from Han Areum on the day I went for awakened training.

So much had happened since then that I had completely forgotten about it.

And the name Kim Taeheon, who had handed me the business card, also felt familiar.

‘Hwaryeon’s headhunter…!’

He was known as someone exceptional at recruiting talented individuals.

He was the one who had personally brought Han Areum into Hwaryeon, which was why his name was etched in my memory.

“Ah, yes. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“If you don’t mind, perhaps we could move somewhere else to talk?”

Kim Taeheon gestured towards his car, speaking politely.

His actions and words were truly a stark contrast to someone else.

Choi Woosik, who had been pressuring me with his arrogant attitude, had now fallen silent, like a mute who had swallowed a bee, simply watching.

Baekje, guild rank 28?

That meager number was nothing but pitiful in front of a giant like Hwaryeon.

Even if it was a ranker.

I started to walk away naturally, guided by Kim Taeheon, but then remembered something I had forgotten and turned back.

Still, I had been in a conversation with Choi Woosik; I should at least say goodbye.

Choi Woosik and Kim Gwanhyo, their expressions stiff and frozen, came into view.

Their appearance was both amusing and a little endearing, so I didn’t bother to suppress the chuckles that kept trying to escape as I offered my farewell.

“So… what was the name… konjac? Was it? Anyway, well, I’m off then! Take care!”