‘I should do it.’

It was the right thing to do objectively, and I had already decided to do it. However, it wasn’t because of the five priority negotiation rights. Naturally, the priority negotiation rights would help us recruit attack parties faster than other guilds, and even if that wasn’t the case, I actually wanted to ask Cha Hee-Ra if I could examine the recruits carefully. Knowing those with talent and those without was very advantageous for me if I was the first one who could look into them, as I could basically go on a treasure hunt. However, I was surprised by the people the Red Mercenary Guild had picked.

"Regardless of their parties, the new recruits are going to receive training. Of course, we’ll focus more on the people our guild is recruiting, but that’s all,” Cha Hee-Ra said.

"Are you saying you’re not going to give special treatment? Is that okay? Then what’s the point of having the priority negotiation rights, noona?” I asked.

"You’re talking to the Cha Hee-Ra, darling. Do you really think it’s okay to give special treatments just to impress the new recruits that had just recently arrived? They should be the ones who should do their best to impress us, not the other way around," she replied.

"I guess you’re right…" I agreed.

"During the last tutorial dungeon, your party was a special case, and since the Blue Guild was in a hurry, Lee Sang-Hee gave you guys special treatment. However, Guilds usually don’t do that. Whether they’re an attack group or a survival group, they all look like babies to me, and of course, it’s better to train them before sending them off. I don’t want people to say that we had done a horrible job at training the new recruits this year…" she explained.

"I didn’t think you cared about that," I remarked.

"You know how much people cursed the Blue Guild last year, right?" she asked.

"What?" I asked.

"Since they were really busy trying to recruit your party, they did a poor job in training the new recruits… Naturally, they received more training once they went to their guilds and clans, but it was a mess overall. Since the new recruits didn’t listen, they just went into the forest, which led to a high death rate, and the city became a laughingstock of the other cities. We don’t want that to happen again now, do we?" she answered.

"Aaaah…"

"The Red Mercenary Guild has to be perfect all the time. That’s the reason why I invited your girlfriend and Sun Hee-Young over…" she added.

"What? Really?" I asked.

"Since we’re collaborating, we might as well go all out…"

After recalling the conversation we had a few days ago, I nodded. It was really just like Cha Hee-Ra to have even the attack team train together. Since I hadn’t seen the attack team yet, I didn’t know how strong they were, but seeing that the Red Mercenary Guild wasn’t preparing for recruitment, I guess they weren’t that talented. The guild was probably giving them benefits discreetly, but seeing them move without haste was definitely amusing.

‘They’re totally different from the Blue Guild from last year…’

They were completely different from Lee Sang-Hee, who had approached us desperately, but considering the situation at the time, I understood why she had acted that way. Moreover, Cha Hee-Ra’s current attitude was so different from back then that she was like a different person.

The most surprising part was that she had invited Jung Ha-Yan and Sun Hee-Young as instructors. I knew the mages and priests in the Red Mercenary Guild weren’t that strong, but that didn’t mean their squad was weak.

‘They have members like Ahn Ki-Mo…’

Despite having skilled mages and priests, the fact that the guild had invited Jung Ha-Yan and Sun Hee-Young meant that they wanted to end this tutorial dungeon training by collaborating with the Blue Guild. Thanks to that, both Jung Ha-Yan and Sun Hee-Young were smiling. I guess they were enjoying it, not because they were with me, but because being an instructor was more enjoyable than they had thought. The training camp had just opened a few days ago, and since they were in charge of the main subject, Jung Ha-Yan and Sun Hee-Young had already completed the first lesson.

It was natural for them to be curious about what happened to me, as I had been stuck since I took care of the incident. I felt happy seeing Jung Ha-Yan enjoy her food. The fact that she had found something she could focus on was good news for me. Sun Hee-Young had always enjoyed working, but the faint smile on her face showed that she was happy she accepted this job.

“You look like you’re in a really good mood, Miss Hee-Young.” I pointed out.

“Really? I just recalled something from long ago…” Sun Hee-Young replied.

“What?”

“I used to be a teacher, although it was just temporary…” she answered.

“Really?”

“Yes. I had to quit due to personal reasons, but doing something similar again feels refreshing,” she replied.

‘It suits her.’

I had just obtained a brand new piece of information about her, but for some reason, the profession really did suit her, and I automatically nodded at her answer. Of course, she was also suitable as a social worker or a volunteer with UNICEF, but the sight of her standing on a podium wearing glasses seemed to be even more suitable for her.

“When I was in elementary school, my dream was to be a teacher too, Oppa!” Jung Ha-Yan suddenly burst out.

“Really?” I asked.

‘It doesn’t really suit her…’

I just couldn’t imagine Jung Ha-Yan being a teacher no matter how hard I tried.

“I’m sure… you would’ve done well…” I commented.

“You think so?” she asked.

“Of course. How was your class?” I asked.

“It was better than I thought, Oppa. Hehe…” she replied.

“Oh yeah?” I asked.

“Yeah. I’m not sure why people are confused, but many of them were trying their best,” she answered.

“They were confused?” I questioned.

“Yes. No matter how much I explained it, they couldn’t understand it. I tried to explain it as simply as I could, but it seemed like they were the ones who just couldn’t understand. The majority of them were nice, though,” she explained.

“How did you explain it to them?” I asked.

“I just told them to do this and that… Even when I told them to try to feel their mana, they couldn’t do it,” she replied.

I couldn’t help but think that this wasn’t going to work out. After all, there was a vast difference between how an ordinary person viewed the world and how Jung Ha-Yan viewed the world. No matter how hard they tried in class, I wasn’t sure if even one percent of the class could understand her explanation. I felt relieved that Jung Ha-Yan wasn’t the only magic instructor.

“Was it the same for you, Miss Hee-Young?” I asked.

“Yes, but it was expected. The attack team did manage to change to their first job, but there were many people in the survival team that hadn’t changed to their first job yet. As such, it’s only natural that they couldn’t feel their mana or holy power,” Sun Hee-Young explained.

“Hm…”

“Right now, we’re not giving an in-depth lesson. It’s more about learning the priest and mage jobs. Those that have potential will possibly change jobs during this process, and I think it’s good that they’ll be able to decide on their job path. That’s probably the reason why the Red Mercenary Guild hasn’t divided the classes just yet,” she continued.

“So you’re just giving them a taste,” I said.

“That’s right. Think of them as children and that we’re just sending them to a piano school, taekwondo school, and English school so that they can give them a try. By the way, was today your first lesson?” she asked.

“Yes, but due to the nature of the job, I don’t have that many lessons,” I replied.

“Let’s go together, Oppa! I have class, too. Hehe,” Jung Ha-Yan suggested.

“Okay, let’s do that. What about you, Miss Hee-Young?” I asked her.

“I don’t have any more classes today. I’ll see you after you’re done, Mr. Ki-Young and Miss Ha-Yan,” she answered.

“Okay.”

Honestly, I wasn’t that interested in the class because there was probably no one who could understand alchemy. I was sure they would receive proper lessons once the in-depth process started, but it was more important to search for slaves that would work hard for the Blue Guild. After spending time explaining what non-combatants and production alchemists were, all I had to do was explain the basics of Ramus Tucker's Introduction to Alchemy to those that had changed their jobs to Mage.

After looking at the time, I noticed that it was almost my turn, so I had no choice but to push aside my disappointment and stand up. After finishing my meal, I immediately started walking. The way I held Ramus Tucker’s Introduction to Alchemy on one hand actually made me look like a legitimate instructor, and I thought I could finally understand why Jung Ha-Yan was excited to go to class.

“Which classroom are you in, Oppa?” Jung Ha-Yan asked.

“Room C,” I replied.

“Ah. I was in that class yesterday, and the kids there were really nice. The average age of that class is pretty young as well,” she said to me.

“Oh yeah?” I asked.

“Yeah, but the ratio of aspiring mages is pretty high, so everyone is pretty motivated. Now that I think about it, there were more girls in that class… tsk,” she commented.

“Oh, but don’t we look like a teacher couple, Ha-Yan?” I asked.

“Y-You’re right! Hehehe… I think so, too! Hehe…” Jung Ha-Yan agreed.

‘She’s in a better mood than I thought.’

The situation had almost turned dangerous, but it went way better than I thought.

This was my first time entering the training camp, and naturally, I saw people training in the practice room. Since the instructors training outside had greeted me lightly, I nodded back lightly because I wasn’t planning on staying here for long. I continued to look around, but nothing really caught my attention.

“I’m going this way, Oppa,” she told me.

“Okay, I’ll see you later,” I said.

“Okay!”

I guess Jung Ha-Yan was in charge of Class B, and as soon as she entered the quiet classroom, I heard a loud noise.

“Hello, instructor!” the students greeted.

“Hello, everyone. Let’s start class,” Jung Ha-Yan greeted back.

That voice wasn’t very Jung Ha-Yan-like. I couldn’t help but laugh when I heard her confident voice.

After some time had passed since the training camp’s opening, the new recruits seemed to have adjusted well while hearing various explanations during the regulation process.

‘The new recruits this year don't seem that bad.’

Unlike the Blue Guild, the Red Mercenary Guild had provided an organized system, so I already knew how things worked around here, and naturally, I had some expectations.

I passed by Class B and entered Class C.

“Don’t you think Miss Sun Hee-Young is really pretty?” a player asked.

“Uh, I think Miss Jung Ha-Yan is prettier…” another commented.

“Ah, she is pretty… she’s cute, too. It’s my only joy in life here,” they said.

“What’s the point? I heard Miss Jung Ha-Yan has a boyfriend.”

I heard voices from inside the classroom and what was kind of shocking was that even after I entered the classroom, the two male recruits were still talking. Of course, they sat down after seeing me, but I could no longer hear the loud voices from Jung Ha-Yan’s classroom.

‘Huh?’

It had been a while since I entered this room, but despite that, the atmosphere was still pretty loud, so I guess they hadn’t gotten the memo on who I was. My way of thinking was old-fashioned, but I couldn’t help but think that way. Some were lying down, while some were even smiling at me. It was ridiculous, but I was certain that they despised me. I felt like I could understand the sadness of an instructor responsible for teaching a minor subject, but of course, the emotions I was feeling were worse than that. It was because those babies looked at me as if they were different from me.

‘Huh…’

I wanted to compliment them for already being able to distinguish between combat-type jobs and production-type jobs, but…

‘They’re messing with the wrong person…’

They said that when the situation became truly ridiculous, you wouldn’t be able to speak. When I looked at them blankly, I heard a voice at the end of the classroom.

“Aren’t you going to start the class? It’s been five minutes. Do we just call you the non-combatant instructor?”

They were being rude to me.