A messenger had arrived from the office handling clan establishment applications, summoning me for an immediate interview. Honestly, it was surprising. The residents in charge of granting clan establishment permissions were notoriously strict, second to none in their pickiness. I had expected the document review to take days, but this was practically a same-day approval.
I tilted my head for a moment but found it wasn't entirely incomprehensible. In just three months, we had excavated three ruins—essentially one per month. It was an unprecedented feat, so it seemed they'd granted us some preferential treatment. If I had to consider another possibility, it might be the pressure Yeon-Joo exerted when she applied for her status change. In any case, the expedited process was far from a bad thing. With a glad heart, I followed the messenger.
Upon arriving at the clan establishment office, I was greeted by a potbellied resident. He was the one who would conduct the interview, and I couldn't help but inwardly cheer upon seeing him. Why? Because I recognized him from my memories.
His opening line—"So you're the year 0 player who excavated three ruins. Kim Su-Hyeon, was it? Sit down."—delivered in a curt, informal tone, didn't sit well with me. But these residents, granted such authority, were known for their immense pride. Given their ability to influence Settings, it wouldn't do any good to antagonize him. Flattering him just enough and buttering him up would likely prove beneficial in the long run.
"When the Shadow Queen visited, I was quite surprised. Oh, tea. I'm Conrad Douglas. You may not know, but I'm one of the few residents granted authority by them. Shall we skip the introductions and get to the point?"
Conrad Douglas stroked his protruding belly and scruffy beard as he spoke. Compared to my first-life days when I founded the Vagrant Hunter clan, his attitude was noticeably better. I could feel the weight of a Top 10 player's presence. I responded politely and listened attentively.
The toughest hurdle was the evaluation of achievements. As a key part of the Settings, not just anyone could establish a clan. But I wasn't worried about that. While we had only submitted an exploration report for the Cave Of Wailing, the other two ruins alone were more than enough to meet the required achievements. There was, however, one potential snag.
"It all sounds good, but frankly, it's hard to believe. I'm not doubting the Shadow Queen, mind you, but I can't find any record of her participation in the temporary certificate I received. Even if I give you the benefit of the doubt for defeating the beast, killing a high-ranking demon as a year 0 player? That's tough to swallow. And with the temple still investigating, it feels a bit… ambiguous."
"May I address that point?" I asked.
"Go ahead," Douglas replied.
Suppressing my irritation at his grating tone, I spoke calmly.
Everything was already detailed in the report-based certificate. His skepticism suggested some underlying dissatisfaction. Trying to resolve that directly would be futile—he'd just nitpick and circle around, likely leading to a deferral. Instead, I needed to redirect his discontent elsewhere.
I didn't say much. I mentioned the barrier at the Ruined Laboratory and presented the evidence, then swiftly shifted the blame to the temple. I emphasized how I'd requested prompt handling, only for them to complain about the difficulty and offload the task to the newly appointed representative clan, washing their hands of it. I positioned myself as a victim.
As expected, Douglas reacted strongly to my words.
"What? Is that true? They said it was too hard, dumped it on the representative clan, and didn't even follow through properly?"
"That's why I got a temporary certificate. They asked for understanding, but would I have needed a temporary certificate for a one- or two-day trip otherwise?"
"That's no way for an authorized resident to act! I'm embarrassed for them. Tsk, tsk."
There weren't many residents granted authority. The two most prominent Settings were the temple and clan establishment, and the two groups didn't get along well. More accurately, the clan establishment residents unilaterally disliked the temple residents, a rivalry stemming from differing perceptions of their authority.
Douglas seized the opportunity to vent his frustrations about the temple residents. He rambled about their lack of responsibility despite their privileged access to them, and how he'd always found them distasteful. I occasionally nodded along, egging him on to fuel his indignation.
"Moreover, achievements are critical to clan establishment. Even if our authorities are separate, we're supposed to be equals. I can't help but be disappointed by their sloppy handling."
"Ahem! Ahem! I'd rather you not generalize so hastily. We may share equal authority, but this is entirely due to their incompetence. I understand your frustration, though. Waiting three weeks without them even forming a proper investigation team? I'm at a loss for words."
He responded in a solemn tone, nodding his head. After a few exaggerated coughs, he turned his attention back to the achievement certificate. His expression was stern, but I could tell it was a facade—a bit of posturing.
I could have taken a harder stance, pointing out that my achievements were more than sufficient, telling him not to nitpick, or mentioning that the Shadow Queen was a prospective clan member. But that approach would have been inefficient. It risked a deferral decision, and even if approved, it would mean making an enemy of the residents with clan establishment authority.
Instead, exploiting the subtle rift between the residents was far more effective. By laying the groundwork and giving them room to prove their superiority, I'd set the stage. Now, all I had to do was sit back and watch how they'd take the bait.
Conrad Douglas was making a show of re-examining the documents, as if to give the impression of thoroughness. After muttering a few meaningless "Hmm, hmm" sounds, he turned to me and spoke.
"On second look, there's nothing to fault. The temporary certificate is a slight concern, but given the circumstances, it can't be helped. You're aware, I presume, that if any falsehood is found in the follow-up investigation…"
"I'm aware of the penalties. In severe cases, the clan could be forcibly disbanded, and we'd be barred from establishing another for a period. Even after that, I've heard re-establishment comes with significant hurdles."
"You've done your homework, I see. Good. If you're willing to accept those risks, no one will object."
I looked at him with a surprised expression—purely for show, of course. When I sent him a glance that said, 'Wow, you're different from those temple folks,' a smug smile spread across Douglas's face.
"You know the initial fee is one thousand gold, right? Why don't you settle that now?"
"…You mean?"
"What's with the 'you mean'? As I've been saying, we're not like those temple fools. We adhere strictly to the principles bestowed upon us by them. If you meet those standards, what's there to hold you back? This is the attitude of a chosen resident."
His bold assurances put me at ease. I thanked Douglas, and he waved it off, insisting it was his duty. I handed over the prepared one thousand gold, then reached into my pocket again. I pulled out another pouch, not as heavy as the first but still substantial.
"…What's this?"
Douglas, who had been weighing the first pouch on a large scale, glanced up at the second one. I responded calmly.
"It's not much. About 200 gold."
"Hey, now, what do you take me for? Chosen residents handle matters justly without such things. Take it back!"
Despite his words, his eyes kept darting to the pouch. He clearly wanted it but was hesitant because of his earlier grandstanding. All it needed was a pretext. Smiling inwardly, I shook my head with a nonchalant expression. To maximize the clan's early promotional impact, it was worth greasing the wheels a bit, especially since these residents held significant influence. With nearly 100,000 gold at my disposal, 200 gold was no loss.
"It's not what you think. This is a donation."
"A donation? You mean for city development? That goes to the temple."
"True, but to be honest, I'd rather donate here than to the temple."
I paused after saying this, subtly observing Douglas's reaction. His face was blank, but the corners of his mouth twitched upward. Confirming his response, I added one more comment.
"We plan to leave Mule soon after establishing the clan. Since our achievements came from Mule, it feels right to give back, even if it's a small amount."
It wasn't exactly a small amount, but he wouldn't miss the point. A flicker of hesitation crossed his face, but soon he cleared his throat and took the pouch. Seeing this, I allowed myself a triumphant smile inwardly.
"Well, if you put it that way, I understand. You've been wronged, so it's natural to distrust them. But I hope you don't think all authorized residents are like that."
"Of course not. I'll take my leave now. Please handle the clan establishment promptly."
"Don't worry. I'll dispel your doubts completely and show you what proper handling looks like. You won't be going far, I presume?"
"Hahaha."
We both burst into hearty laughter.
After exchanging pleasantries, I finally left the office. The thought that all I had to do now was wait lifted my spirits considerably.
*
A day had passed since applying for the clan establishment. After rejecting Yoo Hyun-Ah the previous day, I'd been on edge, wondering what schemes she might concoct. But with the status change already requested and the clan applied for as a free mercenary group, no regulation could hinder us.
I'd expected the process to take at least a week, but thanks to this, we'd saved a lot of time. With Douglas's bold promises, we might even get results by tomorrow.
"Well, that's mostly settled… I should probably visit the old man before we leave. But with Han-Byeol's situation uncertain, it's better to wait and see how things unfold."
I muttered to myself, though no one was around. On the records before me, I crossed out Recruit Lee Man-Seong and wrote On Hold beside it. As I skimmed my to-do list and opened a drawer to store the records, I noticed a dirty cloth tucked in one corner. It was an item I'd stored without distributing, capable of granting succession to the rare class Twilight Priestess. Come to think of it, I hadn't checked its details yet.
I pushed the records aside and picked up the pouch.
"Hmm?"
Untying the opening, I found a single gem inside, glowing with a deep indigo-red hue. I quickly activated my Third Eye. Setting messages were popping up, but I first wanted to read the basic information with my Third Eye.
"Oh, it's for archers. That's a bit unexpected."
After skimming the details, I found it mildly surprising. I'd assumed Priestess implied a mage class, but it was a rare archer class. Not that I was disappointed—on the contrary, it felt like a stroke of luck. I'd been planning to recruit an archer player, and since we already had the Bow of Exorcism, this could make a great pairing.
Next, I turned my attention to the setting messages floating in the air.
.
.
.
.
You can read advance chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.
pat reon.com/GreenBlue17
100 Power Stones for 1 extra chapter.
5 New reviews for 1 extra chapter.
Goal refresh every week.