TRPM 403

chapter 403

Yu Won-hoon, laughing heartily while telling an absurd lie, revealed the real reason he had come to see me.

His purpose was simple.

He just wanted to gain authority over the guild system from me.

“Haha! I couldn’t wait any longer because I heard I could get access to that incredible system. So, I came here myself,” he said.

“……”

Is it really okay for the leader of the largest guild in South Korea to act like this?

“Wasn’t it already made clear that the guild system isn’t free? I don’t know what you intend to give, but I’m sure you were supposed to hand over the guild system’s authority only after completing all the contracts,” I said.

I didn’t say it out loud, but anyone competent in the Cheolhyeol Guild would have informed him of this.

“Oh, the contracts are right here.”

At my words, Yu Won-hoon eagerly showed me a stack of papers—the contract. It was a standard contract used when guilds make agreements with each other.

Skipping over the clauses about violations…

‘What I’m supposed to get from Yu Won-hoon in exchange for giving him authority over the guild system is… huh?!’

I was shocked by a certain part of the contract and looked at Yu Won-hoon.

“Is this correct?” I asked.

“Yes. Ah, is it too little?”

“No, it’s actually… too much.”

According to the contract, what I should receive from the Legiones Guild was a share of the guild itself.

… However, the share was far too large.

“Ten percent…?”

Ten percent of a guild as big as Legiones? Honestly, even five percent… no, three percent would have been plenty. This wasn’t just my opinion; even Ji-hyung agreed. Yet, Yu Won-hoon had willingly offered ten percent of his guild.

“Ah, actually, I was going to give 25%, but there was too much talk inside the guild,” he explained.

“Yeah… I feel like there would have been complaints even at ten percent,” I said.

He couldn’t have made this decision without prior meetings with his executives. That means after thorough discussion, they concluded to hand over ten percent of the guild.

“That’s true. But once I said a word, everyone went silent,” he said.

“?”

What on earth did he say…?

“If you keep this up, I’ll leave the Legiones Guild and move to Cheolhyeol Guild,” he said.

“……”

Ah, that explains it.

Legiones Guild has countless Awakened members, but only Yu Won-hoon has crossed the Wall. If he leaves, it would be disastrous—not just for the guild’s image, but also because there would be no Awakened member capable of responding in critical situations.

Until now, he probably dealt with dungeons that regular guild members couldn’t handle, but without him, they’d have to rely on other guilds. Naturally, this would lower their rank from second place in Korea.

‘So, the Legiones Guild had no choice but to accept Yu Won-hoon’s request.’

Still, I returned the contract to him.

“Contracts like this should be signed in the presence of a notary. Not now,” I said.

“Ah, I figured as much,” Yu Won-hoon replied. Though disappointed, he wasn’t surprised. How badly must he want to use the guild system…?

“So much paperwork?” I asked.

“Hmm… paperwork aside…”

He explained that it was more convenient for monitoring internal funds and preventing corruption.

“Since Legiones Guild is so large, it’s hard to watch for internal corruption. But with the guild system, at least some fraud, like embezzlement, can be reliably prevented.”

… I see. The bigger the organization, the greater the need for a guild system.

After agreeing to meet Yu Won-hoon later at the Cheolhyeol Guild, I returned home and sat in the living room, watching TV, glancing at Lee Ha-eun beside me.

Lee Ha-eun had come over after putting away her things at home and was now playing with the guild system. I had no choice but to grant her partial access since she insisted she wanted to be a guild member of the guild I created.

‘Looks like I’m surprisingly soft toward Ha-eun,’ I thought.

Is it because we grew up together as childhood friends? Or because I saw traces of her sacrificing for others in her previous life? Whatever the reason…

“Is it that fun?” I asked.

“Yeah! Playing a mobile game like this is really fun,” she said.

…Mobile game?

“Didn’t you know? The guild system can sync with smartphones too,” she said.

“Yes, I knew it syncs with smartphones,” I replied.

I thought it only allowed messages or call logs to be logged, but apparently, games installed on a smartphone can also be played through the guild system.

“Wait, it might sync with computers too,” she added.

I assumed it would only register files made on the computer, but if smartphone games work too, the possibilities might be even greater.

“…Oh, really? With this, we could probably play computer games through the system too,” I said.

“Really…” she replied.

Why had the Awakened System implemented such extensive features?

“You can even browse the internet. Couldn’t someone use this to cheat on exams?” she said.

“…True,” I said.

It could indeed be misused. Identifying someone using the Awakened System is extremely difficult. If an Awakened person’s gaze floats midair, one might suspect they’re using the system, but it cannot be confirmed. The guild system is the same.

‘Students probably won’t need it for now, but precautions are necessary,’ I thought. Restrictions could be applied during exams, for example.

“…We can discuss this with others later,” I said. Ji-hyung, Sophia, and Yeon Mirae should suffice. Or we could ask Director Shin Han-ji of the academy.

‘…So troublesome,’ I thought. I’m already busy with my own training to improve my skills, yet more bothersome tasks keep appearing.

Ding-dong~

Just then, the doorbell rang. I got up and checked the intercom.

“Who is it?”

“It’s your mom,” came the reply.

My mother, now no longer a regular office worker, leaves whenever she wants, though she still has tasks at Shinsegyo. I heard she works even more than before.

“Are you here?” I asked.

“My son~,” she replied cheerfully.

I opened the door and she entered, hugging me. She hadn’t been drinking.

“Why are you so cheerful today?” I asked.

“Well, seeing my son after two days, I could be happy,” she said.

…Even during school trips in elementary or middle school, she wasn’t this excited when I was gone.

“Did something good happen?” I asked.

“Yes. You know that guild system you made?”

Because the system signals other guild members if someone is in danger, I had granted her access.

“Thanks to it, I finished work that would normally take five hours in just two,” she said.

Ah… Yeon Mirae mentioned that the system could reduce 80% of usual paperwork.

“And also this,” she said, showing me packaged herbs.

These came from the herb cultivation area next to Shinsegyo. She explained that the herbs were now packaged for sale after quality inspection.

“Why?” I asked.

“The guild system even tells me about usage and defects of these herbs,” she said.

“…Wow.”

It even informs her about that? The system’s convenience is incredible.

“Also, it detected an industrial spy who tried to steal our cultivation techniques,” she added.

“…Steal techniques? All techniques used there are registered in the Awakened System’s database,” I said.

“I interrogated Sophia. They came to check if any special techniques were being used exclusively at our cultivation site,” she said.

…That makes sense. The area is protected by rituals and barriers cast by powerful mages. Though the data is in the system’s database, it’s still useful.

“Is there anyone else in Korea, besides you, who can perform these rituals?” she asked.

“…No,” I replied.

Indeed, the large-scale rituals couldn’t have been performed alone at my level. Only with the Grand Mage’s help could I manage them. Therefore, only Shinsegyo could have set up such a vast herb cultivation area with ritual protections. It’s no wonder a spy would investigate.

“Anyway, the guild system is amazing. Can we also add Shinsegyo staff as guild members?” she asked.

“…That’s up to you. I think you might have already done it before asking,” I said.

“Hmm… you noticed?”

It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. She must have added them first and came to apologize later. Otherwise, spotting industrial spies would have been difficult.

“Still, try not to accept non-staff as guild members,” I warned.

I didn’t forbid it completely, but I could tell my mother wanted to add her friends as members too.