Park Soo-bin, who was kind to everyone but especially kind and more cheerful in front of Yoon Seo, seemed more interested in Yoon Seo than the idle chatter around them.
"I've never been to a dungeon."
"Really? Most people go at least once to see if it's a good fit for them."
"It's obvious without going. I'm a coward."
"Yoon Seo, your skills are in the protection category, right? That's still combat-related. Don't you have any offensive skills?"
"None. What about you, Soo-bin?"
"I only have healing and defense skills. I'm a pure Healer."
"If you're a Healer, there must be plenty of places that want you. Why are you here, struggling?"
Park Soo-bin chuckled at Yoon Seo's words.
"Not all Healers are in high demand. C-rank Healers aren't that popular."
Park Soo-bin laughed and poured a drink into Yoon Seo's glass. Yoon Seo also filled Park Soo-bin's glass and used a skill.
Use the skill [Encyclopedia of People].
View the other person's system profile.
Soon, a semi-transparent window appeared, visible only to Yoon Seo.
The Encyclopedia of People: Park Soobin, 30 years old, male
Level: A
('Masquerade' is activated to disguise him as level C)
Trait: Healer
(Protected by the God of Light)
(Protected by the God of Love)
Skill: [Baptized by Light] S, [Shield of Light] B, [Touch of Light] A
Unique Skills: [Onward] A, [Bacteria] A
Other statuses can only be viewed in dungeons.
It was the same status window he had seen last year when Park Soo-bin was recruited. The 'Masquerade' was an A-rank item that allowed the user to change one category of their system profile, such as rank, traits, or skills, at will. However, it didn't work on Yoon Seo's [Encyclopedia of People]. Thanks to that, Yoon Seo saw a profile with no lies.
In fact, it was hard to keep a straight face when he first saw it. A-rank Hunters weren't easy to come by. There were only about a thousand of them worldwide. Yet, one of those top-tier Hunters had disguised themselves as a C-rank and joined a minor guild with almost no presence. When he subtly probed, even the Guild Master thought Soo-bin was a C-rank.
"Someone I know introduced him. He awakened as a C-rank Healer five years ago. We needed a healer, and he's a good person, so I brought him in right away."
Yoon Seo tried to find out who that acquaintance was, but it turned out that person was introduced by someone else, and that person by another, making the trail too long to follow.
"It's rare to find an Awakened with two patron gods, and one of his skills is S-rank."
The fact that someone like that had infiltrated a minor guild disguised as a C-rank could only mean they had some hidden agenda.
But why? What reason could an A-rank Hunter have to infiltrate such a boring place? At first, he thought it was out of curiosity, but if it were just curiosity, they wouldn't waste a year staying here. No matter how much Yoon Seo racked his brain, he couldn't guess the reason.
"Yoon Seo, what are you thinking about so deeply?"
Park Soo-bin tapped Yoon Seo's shoulder. Yoon Seo responded naturally.
"Nothing at all. More importantly, thank you for your hard work yesterday. I'm glad you returned safely."
The dungeon the team cleared yesterday was a B-rank Navy Dungeon that appeared in the mountains of Chungbuk.
Dungeons are classified by type, rank, and color.
First, there are explosion types and overflow types. The former explodes along with the surrounding area when the dungeon's timer runs out, while the latter releases the monsters inside like a collapsed dam.
Next, the rank refers to the grade of the Boss monster that appears in the dungeon, ranging from F-rank to S-rank.
The last classification is by color, which refers to the color of the portal that appears when the dungeon manifests. There are five levels: Red, Orange, Yellow, Navy, and Green. This classification indicates the danger level of the dungeon's terrain.
For example, if the portal color is Green, even an A-rank dungeon wouldn't be dangerous as long as you only deal with the Boss. Such dungeons are often called the "Herb Dungeons" because you can easily gather herbs, ores, and monster hides.
On the other hand, even an F-rank dungeon with a bright red portal could mean the Boss monster is just a giant rat, but the terrain is a lava field or sulphuric area. That's why people often refer to Red-grade dungeons as "Spicy Dungeons".
The B-rank Navy Dungeon they cleared this time was an explosive type. Three guilds, including Nakyup, collaborated on the raid, and it took a full day to clear. Considering most of the hunters were C-rank (with one actually being A-rank), it was a decent achievement for a minor guild party. Park Soo-bin must have helped out in subtle ways.
"I've been here for a year now. It's thanks to good teamwork."
"Everyone's nice, right?"
"Yes, I've been to various places since I Awakened but this is the first place where everyone is so kind."
Park Soo-bin smiled warmly. Yoon Seo seized the moment to use a skill.
Use the skill [Scales of Confidence].
Judge the other person's remarks.
80 confidence: 10 neutrality: 10 doubt.
80% sure?
Yoon Seo was a bit surprised. Even if Park Soo-bin had a skill defense item, the Scales of Confidence couldn't be fooled. No matter the grade of Park Soo-bin's defense item, it would be lower than Yoon Seo's skill grade. This meant Park Soo-bin's words just now were sincere.
"Yoon Seo, you're here because you like the people too, right?"
"It's more about the money. It's rare to find a small guild that offers this kind of salary."
At Yoon Seo's emotionless reply, Park Soo-bin's eyes crinkled with laughter.
"Yoon Seo, you're quite the smooth talker. The most money-averse person I've ever met lies without batting an eye."
"I do like money. I'm a firm believer in the power of gold."
"So, if someone offered you a higher salary, would you leave?"
"I'd seriously consider it. What about you, Soo-bin?"
"I prefer people over money."
As the conversation continued, Yoon Seo felt a bit uncomfortable and asked Park Soo-bin a question. Park Soo-bin answered with a charming smile. Yoon Seo scrutinized the man's dark brown irises for any hint of a scheme but found none.
"Let's just drink."
Yoon Seo clinked glasses with Soo-bin and downed his drink in one go. After emptying his glass, he immediately poured another. The alcohol served here was specifically for Awakened individuals. B-rank Hunters could get pleasantly tipsy from it. When his glass was about a third-full, Park Soo-bin took the soju bottle.
"Aren't you drinking too much?"
"We're just getting started. Don't be a lightweight."
"Take it easy today. The Guild Master said he has an important announcement."
"Don't worry. I won't get drunk before the Guild Master arrives."
Yoon Seo snatched the bottle and filled his glass to the brim. Park Soo-bin raised an eyebrow in mild disapproval, but just then, Go Hee-won started talking to Park Soo-bin, asking about the monsters that appeared in the dungeon. With others also eagerly listening, Park Soo-bin had no choice but to answer their questions.
Yoon Seo glanced at the A-rank Hunter who was smiling kindly.
Could he really have joined this guild just to work with good people?
In any case, as long as he didn't harm the Nakyup Guild, Yoon Seo didn't care.
"The Guild Master is here!"
"Finally!"
"Took him long enough."
By the time they had replaced the grill plates on each table three times, the Guild Master, Ki Sang-hyuk, arrived. Dressed unusually in a suit, Ki Sang-hyuk looked around the room and grimaced at the sight of the empty bottles.
"Why did you all drink so much?"
"It's been a while since we had alcohol specifically for Awakened. It tastes great, but we're not drunk."
"I can't believe this. Even though there are only twelve of us, we spend hundreds on drinks every time we have a gathering."
"Oh, come on. Are you going to nag us after arriving late?"
Go Hee-won glared at him. Ki Sang-hyuk shook his head and took a seat in the center, which Go Hee-won had prepared. The Guild Master first addressed the Dungeon Raid team.
"You cleared it yesterday, right? Good job, everyone. Did you get your injuries treated properly?"
"Yes, Soo-bin took care of everything."
"Thanks to you all, our guild can afford to have gatherings in such expensive places. I'm always grateful. Let's give a round of applause to our Dungeon Raid team."
The guild members clapped and cheered, while the raid team members looked both embarrassed and proud.
In truth, the Guild Master's words were far from accurate.
Typically, a guild's revenue comes 70–80% from dungeon activities and 20–30% from other operations like trap installations. However, Nakyup Guild's revenue was almost evenly split, with the Dungeon Raid team and the Public Support team contributing 55% and 45%, respectively. This was because their shield trap installation costs were cheaper and had a significantly lower failure rate compared to other guilds, thanks to Yoon Seo's efforts.
Nevertheless, the Guild Master always praised the Dungeon Raid team in front of all the guild members, giving them the recognition they deserved for risking their lives. In other small guilds, such favouritism would usually lead to jealousy and resentment, but Nakyup Guild was unique in that its members were exceptionally kind-hearted, and no one criticized this practice.
"But, Guild Master, why are you dressed like that? Did you go to meet your daughter's boyfriend?"
"No way. If the Guild Master were meeting his daughter's boyfriend, he'd be in his Hunter gear, with weapons at his waist, would have destroyed the table and threatened, 'If you make my princess cry, your spine will end up like this table'."
"Unfortunately, today I met someone even more important than my daughter's boyfriend."
"More important than Songhee's boyfriend?"
Everyone was taken aback, their eyes widening in surprise. Ki Sang-hyuk loosened his tie.
"I mentioned I had an important announcement today, right?"
"Yes, that's why we're all here. Even Yoon Seo showed up."
"Got it. Did you meet someone important related to today's announcement?"
"That's right."
Go Hee-won, dying of curiosity, urged him to speak quickly. Ki Sang-hyuk scanned the room. Everyone's eyes were sparkling with curiosity. His gaze passed over the smiling Park Soo-bin and settled on Yoon Seo, who, as usual, wore an indifferent expression. Ki Sang-hyuk cleared his throat.
"Actually, a while ago... The Seokyeong Guild reached out to us."
"....."
"They want to merge with our guild. And I just came back from signing the merger contract."