The Scent of the Herbivore Guild

“Are you really not going to take the test?”

“No, I’m not.”

“It’s free anyway, just give it a try. Who knows? You might be an Awakened. You’re quite sensitive, so there’s a good chance.”

Seo Dowoon turned his head away, a clear sign of his annoyance.

“Yoon Changwoo-nim.”

“Yes! That’s me, Yoon Changwoo!”

Yoon Changwoo, who had been on the verge of further persuasion, sprang to his feet and rushed over when the test administrator called his name. He seemed to be brimming with anticipation, though Yoon Changwoo hardly struck Seo Dowoon as someone destined to awaken.

Undoubtedly, he would emerge later, shoulders slumped, clutching a result slip declaring him a civilian, then whine about being too disheartened to return to the dorm. While Seo Dowoon had no intention of indulging his complaints, they had been around each other long enough to grow accustomed to it, so he was willing to buy him a chicken.

As he sat in the waiting room chair, awaiting Yoon Changwoo, the ringing in Seo Dowoon’s ears intensified, giving way to a throbbing headache. At such times, there was no remedy but to simply close his eyes and wait for the clamor to subside.

‘……Han Gureum.’

As the headache slowly receded, Han Gureum suddenly came to mind. The tinnitus had vanished the moment their hands touched, and Seo Dowoon longed to experience that again. Feeling somewhat better, he casually turned his head, and an unfamiliar yet familiar character caught his eye on the bulletin board. Upon closer inspection, it was a promotional poster for a Herbivore Guild lecture.

“‘With Kio,’ huh.”

Kio, the green dinosaur, was the Herbivore Guild’s emblem. Whoever designed it, the poster was certainly vibrant and eye-catching.

“A lecture…”

He had no particular interest in attending lectures. He simply wanted to meet Han Gureum.

Back at his home, the scent of Han Gureum had long since faded from the robe. Han Gureum had lingered in Seo Dowoon’s thoughts for so long that he even considered using the robe as an excuse to go see him.

This marked a distinct departure from his past, when he would make decisions without a second thought.

He wasn’t sure why.

His test seemingly finished, Yoon Changwoo approached, shoulders slumped. Even without asking, the outcome was written plainly on his face.

“Let’s go. I’ll buy you chicken.”

“Consomme…”

“I don’t like that.”

“…”

Yoon Changwoo pouted his lips and blinked rapidly, trying to look pitiful. He gazed at Seo Dowoon as if asking, ‘Are you still not going to buy it for me even after seeing this?’ Yoon Changwoo hastily grabbed Seo Dowoon, who was about to turn and leave.

“Ah, alright. One Consomme, one Fried. Deal?”

“Eat all the Consomme. I’m not touching it.”

“It’s delicious, why don’t you eat it? This time, why don’t you try… Ah, okay, okay. I’ll eat it all, I won’t leave any.”

Seo Dowoon nodded, agreeing, just to avoid that pleading gaze any longer. Yoon Changwoo immediately perked up, as if he hadn’t been dejected at all, and straightened his shoulders.

“What were you looking at? Oh, the Herbivore Guild is holding a lecture too?”

When their eyes met, Yoon Changwoo enthusiastically shared information that hadn’t even been requested.

“This is a monthly lecture; they invite a guild once a month to give a talk. Well, it’s mostly about their experiences or answering questions from attendees. Honestly, I’d really like to hear a lecture from a ranked guild. I want to see them in person, too.”

Yoon Changwoo showed immense interest in Awakened individuals. Whether it was because he hoped to become one someday, or simply worshipped heroes, Seo Dowoon had acquired quite a lot of information he hadn’t even been curious about, all thanks to Yoon Changwoo.

Yoon Changwoo, who had been looking at the poster, turned to Seo Dowoon as if something had just occurred to him.

“The Herbivore Guild, that’s the guild that saved you during the rift, right?”

When Seo Dowoon nodded, the corners of Yoon Changwoo’s lips curved upward ominously. Seo Dowoon, preoccupied with ordering chicken through a delivery app, failed to notice.

“Let’s sign up for this.”

“You do it. I’ve ordered chicken. Let’s go.”

Yoon Changwoo, insisting that chicken shouldn’t get cold, hurried after Seo Dowoon out of the center. Before leaving, he accessed the application page via the QR code on the poster and entered his own name, Seo Dowoon’s name, and their phone numbers. ‘Maybe we’ll get lucky,’ he thought, completing the application with a light heart.

****

A few days later, a message arrived with an announcement for the Herbivore Guild lecture, along with a seating chart.

“This is your doing, isn’t it?”

Seo Dowoon checked the message on his phone, his voice laced with irritation.

Yoon Changwoo, who had been sitting right next to him, thought, ‘I’m going to die if I stay here,’ and quickly got up, moving behind Lee Jongho. Even Yoon Changwoo understood the value of his own life. Lee Jongho, attempting to escape being caught between them, found his shoulder firmly pressed down by Yoon Changwoo, who demanded to know where he was going. Thus, Lee Jongho was forced to endure, as if seated on a bed of thorns.

“What did I do? You were staring at it so intently, I thought you wanted to go, so I signed us up. Hey, you should be grateful if you can go, what’s with that look? It’s like you’re about to kill me!”

“It’s not ‘like’ I’m about to kill you, it *is* a look that says I’m going to kill you.”

Yoon Changwoo quickly shook his head at Lee Jongho’s accurate assessment.

“I’m too young to die! If you don’t want to go, then don’t!”

“My name and number have already been submitted. If I don’t go, what will they think of me? I’ll be the guy who signed up and then bailed. If you hadn’t signed up in the first place, none of this would have happened, right?”

“Why are you taking it so far…?”

At Seo Dowoon’s outburst, Yoon Changwoo, feeling awkward, clicked his tongue. He felt a pang of guilt seeing Seo Dowoon’s serious face as he looked at his phone. Yet, to be disheartened or bow his head—that wouldn’t be Yoon Changwoo either.

“Since it’s come to this, we can just buy some snacks and go say thank you.”

Seo Dowoon shot him an extremely dry look, and Yoon Changwoo flinched but continued speaking.

“While you’re at it, return the robe. I heard those guild robes are really expensive.”

He had seen the Herbivore Guild robe on Seo Dowoon’s bed when he’d visited for chicken last time. He didn’t know why someone as neat as Seo Dowoon would leave a robe on his bed, but it had certainly been an interesting sight.

It was his first time seeing one in person, and he’d wanted to touch it, but Seo Dowoon hadn’t allowed it. It wasn’t even his, how petty.

Just as Yoon Changwoo seemed to remember something, pouted his lips, and was about to speak, the professor entered and took his seat. Still not giving up, Yoon Changwoo leaned close to Seo Dowoon and whispered.

“The competition for this was insane. Can’t you tell, since I didn’t get in but you did? Since it’s like this, just go. The venue isn’t far, and the date is soon.”

“…”

“If I had won, I would have been dancing for joy! You lucky dog! It’d be even better if you could get an autograph while you’re there.”

In truth, Yoon Changwoo was likely the one who wanted to go the most, but he didn’t show any jealousy or envy. He simply urged Seo Dowoon for days to go, since he had been the one to win.

****

Seo Dowoon pulled his black hat low and put on a mask. He was covering his face so that no one would recognize him as the person they had met in the dungeon. He wanted to meet Han Gureum, but he was still deliberating how to go about it. Then, having won a ticket to the lecture that Yoon Changwoo had arbitrarily signed him up for, he decided to attend.

It wasn’t certain whether Han Gureum would even be here today. The announcement only mentioned the ‘Herbivore Guild,’ not who would be attending. Yet, he came anyway, driven by the slim chance that Han Gureum might appear.

He wasn’t here to thank them, as Yoon Changwoo had suggested. He simply wanted to confirm if that scent was still present, if what he had felt was indeed real.

‘It’s packed.’

The lecture hall, located inside the center, was completely full; not a single empty seat was visible. Most of the people who had won tickets seemed to have come. Seo Dowoon checked the seating chart and made his way to the front. He could have watched from afar, but his assigned seat was, unfortunately, right in front.

It was the center of the third row, a line often called the ‘royal seats,’ offering a close view of the Herbivore Guild members. He detested crowded places, and the seats in the auditorium were crammed together, leaving him feeling uneasy.

‘Should I just leave?’

Still, since he had come all this way, he decided to wait patiently, just to see if Han Gureum would appear. Before long, Baek Heeseong, clad in a Herbivore Guild robe, emerged and took the microphone at the center of the stage.

“Hello, everyone. I am Baek Heeseong, the Guild Master of the Herbivore Guild. First, before the lecture, I’d like to introduce the guild members who have come with me.”

As soon as Baek Heeseong finished speaking, three people, also wearing Herbivore Guild robes, entered as if on cue. Seo Dowoon knew the guild had about ten members, but only four had come to the lecture. To wear their guild robes even at such an event—it was truly remarkable.

Han Gureum and Kim Ajun. And the Esper standing beside them was Choi Seongsu, famous as the Earth Esper.

‘……Crazy.’

Seo Dowoon involuntarily raised a hand to cover his mouth. He had been uncertain, but the faint scent, discernible even from a distance, was no mere figment of his imagination.

‘…Han Gureum, what exactly is he?’

Why did he carry such a scent? How could it be so distinctly palpable even in such a crowded place? He didn’t understand, but one thing had become clear from this recent encounter.

Seo Dowoon had indeed wanted to see Han Gureum. And that, too, up close.