The meeting was conducted under the leadership of Haehyuk and Laotian, with Kang Sihyun opening up about the detailed information on the dungeon when Haehyuk requested it. He revealed that the Irregular emerging from this dungeon was named Septimus and that the children of Gula could involve themselves in the mental realm, which made the Chinese guild understand the delayed departure. They wouldn't have wanted to lay bare their minds to the children of Gula either.
Aside from the occasional nuanced remarks and deliberate provocations from the Chinese guild, the dungeon strategy meeting ended smoothly, despite the awkward and dry atmosphere. It was difficult to speculate what situations might arise before actually entering the dungeon, so there wasn't much to discuss beyond sharing information about the dungeon, cautionary advice, and introducing each other's classes.
Kang Sihyun committed to memory the power dynamics of the Chinese guild.
Laotian, the guild leader of the Jincheng Guild, an S-grade with flame abilities.
Luo Yixiang, the deputy guild leader of the Jincheng Guild, an S-grade Explosion class awakener.
Wu Wozhen, a member of the Jincheng Guild, a near S-grade swordsman.
Song Zan, a member of the Jincheng Guild, an S-grade Assassin class awakener.
Each one was impressive, but Luo Yixiang was the most astonishing. He was an awakener with the Explosion class, a singular ability. Generally, it's challenging for single ability classes like amplification, explosion, or acceleration to reach above A-grade without flame powers, but he was an S-grade. It indicated that he knew how to utilize his explosion abilities to the extreme.
Without realizing, Kang Sihyun stared at him until Luo Yixiang, feeling his gaze, frowned. It was unclear if the guild leader and deputy guild leader were selected based on their intimidating appearances, but Luo Yixiang looked even more fierce than Laotian.
Just when Kang Sihyun blinked, perplexed by Luo Yixiang's expression that seemed fitting for holding a knife, a hand reached out and forcefully turned his head away.
“Why keep staring? Don’t start a quarrel over nothing.”
Lee Hamin glanced at Luo Yixiang and spoke tersely. He was still not over the remark made by the opponent, “Are all members of the Redem Guild just children?”
It was an understandably irritating comment. Despite being young, they were representatives of Korea and S-grade themselves. Hearing that comment, Kang Sihyun almost blurted out they should just leave without attempting the dungeon. Fortunately, Laotian cautioned Luo Yixiang first, but his casual attitude made it feel less like a serious warning.
Before Haehyuk or Kang Sihyun could speak up, the guild leader preemptively addressed it, preventing further reprimands.
It seemed just about that.
Whether true or not, feeling that way about the Jincheng Guild was reason enough to be wary. Following Lee Hamin’s advice, Kang Sihyun turned away, and just then, Haehyuk brought over Pia. He wanted to thank Eun for bringing her, but being busy with the association, Eun had already left.
“Pia, Pia!”
Greeted by a familiar cry, Pia flew into Kang Sihyun’s arms, causing him to stagger slightly under her weight.
She must be a little over 6kg now.
She had become significantly heavier than the last time he held her. Growing rapidly day by day, Pia had become as big as Kang Sihyun’s torso, making it somewhat ridiculous to carry her around.
Enduring the pain in his arms, he stroked her head, and Pia rubbed her horn against his cheek, showing affection. Wary of being pricked, he tilted his head slightly, and Ban Haru came over to cover Pia’s horn, allowing Kang Sihyun to pet and stroke her comfortably. Noticing the gazes focused on him and Pia for a moment, he looked at Haehyuk.
“Now that Pia is here, shall we go?”
“Is there anything else to prepare?”
“Shouldn’t be. Pia will take care of any mental attacks.”
Pia was notably quick-witted and intelligent among the Irregulars. Whether it was the time she lost Lee Hamin in the Shadow World or when she showed them Gula, she always appeared unexpectedly to lend her aid whenever needed. Haehyuk nodded, agreeing that just having her along should suffice.
“But she has grown a bit big, hasn’t she? I don’t remember her being this large before.”
“She’s been growing rapidly these days.”
“Hmm, won’t she stand out too much? To the other Irregulars?”
Haehyuk voiced his concern, and looking at Pia, who seemed to understand the entire conversation, she flapped her wings and reduced her size. Indeed,
she must have understood everything, recalling her actions in the Shadow World.
“She can even shrink her size.”
Lee Hamin chuckled and stroked Pia’s beak as she pecked his hand playfully before settling back on Kang Sihyun’s shoulder. She was the size she had been when they first met on the balcony during their first year.
“Is this size okay?”
“She can freely change her size?”
“It seems so.”
Even without a phantom species mother to learn from, Pia had instinctively figured out various things on her own. As Kang Sihyun was explaining how smart she was without needing teaching, a loud bang startled them. Pia fluttered into the air before landing again.
As everyone turned, they saw a large man fumbling with a fallen chair.
“Ah, my apologies. It was in the way as I walked.”
Laotian nonchalantly stood the chair up, clearly having kicked it intentionally to give a hint. He glanced at his wristwatch with a twinkle in his eye.
“With just one pet arriving, it’s gotten quite noisy. Aren’t we going?”
The man, donning black gloves, asked kindly. Though his tone was gentle, his gaze was not. Frustrated by the blatant rushing, Kang Sihyun barely held back his retort, especially since Haehyuk, the leader, remained silent.
“We’ve been talking amongst ourselves for a while; you must have been bored.”
As expected, Haehyuk stepped forward. He sarcastically suggested that if they were bored, they should have sat on the sofa. He also pointed out the high quality of the chairs, even after sitting for about an hour, indirectly criticizing the Jincheng Guild's unannounced tardiness.
Kang Sihyun admired Haehyuk’s ability to indirectly criticize. Watching Laotian’s eyebrows twitch in anger, he decided it was time to really get going.
“Let's truly get going now. As Laotian said, we are running late.”
The tension between the two guilds had been unnecessary from the start. Too much heat could only hinder their dungeon raid, so Kang Sihyun stepped in to mediate, for which Haehyuk signaled his gratitude. As the representative, it was crucial for Haehyuk not to start a conflict himself.
The cold war between the two guilds continued until they left the association building. Unlike in Russia, this time they could drive to the dungeon zone, splitting into the Korean and Chinese teams. As soon as Kang Sihyun and the others got into the car Haehyuk was driving, they sighed in relief.
“It’s so tense.”
Lee Hamin, sitting in the back, harshly criticized as he closed the car door. His sharp gaze penetrated the window and reached the Jincheng Guild members in another vehicle. Ban Haru rubbed his eyes as if tired.
“Their attitude is problematic, and they’ve kept us on edge the whole time. They definitely don’t seem trustworthy.”
“Really?”
“Yes. …They don’t give off a good impression.”
Given Ban Haru’s usual reticence about judging others, the Jincheng Guild's behavior must have been particularly uncomfortable. Kang Sihyun nodded in agreement, then turned to see Haehyuk still outside the car and opened the passenger door to look behind the vehicle. Haehyuk seemed to be checking something beneath the car and the trunk, which was peculiar.
“What are you doing?”
“It’ll be over soon, just wait.”
The answer was vague. After watching Haehyuk intently, Kang Sihyun sat back in the car. Soon, Haehyuk got into the driver’s seat and started the car. Kang Sihyun queried again with a look, and Haehyuk, now belted in, smiled softly.
“Just checking if they tampered with the car.”
“Ah.”
“Getting in without suspicion could have led to a flip-over.”
“…You speak as if you’ve experienced it.”
“Indeed.”
“…What?”
The conversation, half-jokingly started by Kang Sihyun, was taken seriously by Haehyuk. As both Kang Sihyun and Ban Haru widened their eyes in disbelief, Lee Hamin, more knowledgeable about the guild’s affairs, dryly added,
“Last year, the Jincheng Guild placed a bomb in a Redem Guild car. Even then, they claimed ignorance, but it was pretty clear to everyone in the guild that Jincheng was behind it.”
“Isn’t that a crime?”
“That’s why I’m telling you to be careful. Jincheng is closer to a criminal organization in China than an awakener guild.”
Haehyuk started the car nonchalantly as they headed towards the dungeon zone. Kang Sihyun, belting up belatedly, hugged Pia tightly, feeling a tad uneasy.
His eyes, watching ahead, harbored a sense of foreboding.
It seemed there wouldn’t be a moment’s peace in this dungeon.
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