Two men and a woman. The person who entered right behind Kasugano Yuno had to be one of the Yozora Guild members from Japan. Naturally, I used Mind’s Eye to check their stats.

‘Suzumiya Ibuki.’

The name of her job was Twilight Assassin and she was a strong player in charge of Celia after the late Ito Sota. I had heard about her from Kasugano Yuno. It had been three years since she arrived, and she was one of the talented members of the Yozora Guild. Overall, her stats were balanced, but her agility definitely caught my attention. Since both her job and attribute were legendary-rank, I thought she could be a seatholder of the Eight Seats.

‘She’s strong...’

She had to have stood out even in Kim Hyun-Sung’s past when Ito Sota was still probably alive because Kim Hyun-Sung nodded when he saw her. I guess she was famous in that life, too. Her nature wasn’t bad and her unique habit was ordinary, and even though she seemed a bit timid, she was definitely skilled.

The people who entered next were a man and a woman.

‘Taiwanese…’

They were guild masters of the large guilds that represented the Free City of Dawan.

‘Cheon Kwan-Wi.’

He was tall with a staff, I didn’t even need to say what kind of job he had.

‘A mage?’

To be exact, his job was a legendary-ranked Mist Summoner. After reading the description, I had an idea about what kind of magic he could use. Even though he didn’t own any legendary-ranked item, his magic stat was 96, so I instantly knew just how much time he invested in magic. Considering the fact that there weren’t that many competent mages on this continent, his achievement was pretty incredible. Still…

‘He’s weaker than Ha-Yan…’

Of course, he wasn’t so weak I could look down on him. When it came to experience, skills, and the number of spells they could use, it would be pretty difficult to determine the better mage. However, when I thought about the monster-like growth Jung Ha-Yan had been showing me, I couldn’t imagine her suffering a defeat. However, I was sure he also had a few tricks up his sleeve.

The person who walked in next was a woman with her hair tied to one side.

‘Yu Ran.’

She was a typical archer, but I had a strong feeling that she was a powerful person who was true to her feelings. Her job was an epic-ranked Long-Range Sniper. She had good stats, but her legendary-ranked attribute, Perfect Marksmanship, was what caught my attention the most. It was pretty self-explanatory, and the interesting part was that the equipment and accessories the woman was wearing were pretty expensive as well. I was wearing the same brand of clothes as her, so I instantly recognized them.

‘They’re a good pair.’

Everyone was strong, but I felt like I shouldn’t look down on the synergy those two had. I could already imagine the Mist Summoner blinding the enemy and the Long-Range Sniper shooting an arrow toward the enemy’s head. If I got the chance to use them on the battlefield, I would pair them up no matter what, and I was sure those two knew that they had good synergy.

‘That’s probably why those two were able to rise to the top.’

Kim Hyun-Sung’s reaction wasn’t that bad so I guess it was a good thing. When I saw that he was greeting them with a smile, I guess no one here was a psychopathic killer like Jung Jin-Ho or a demon worshiper like Ito Sota.

‘Not bad.’

I had no idea about the standards for selecting the seatholders of the Eight Seats, and everyone here was qualified, but if I had to pick one…

‘Maybe I’m the biggest troll.’[1]

Anyway, Kasugano Yuno slightly nodded toward me and I returned the gesture in kind. She must have realized that she had to act normally in places like this because even though she still had her eyes closed, her outfit was neat. I was kind of surprised because even after she went to her seat, she continued looking at me. However, she may have read my expression because she immediately turned her head away.

“I’m Suzumiya Ibuki.”

“We’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Cheon Kwan-Wi.”

“Ah, I’m Lee Ki-Young.”

“Yu Ran. I’m from Dawan.”

“Nice to meet you.”

It was an awkward self-introduction. Unlike the powerful players who already knew each other, Kim Hyun-Sung and I were new here, so we only sat down after shaking hands with the others. I wasn’t really nervous, but the atmosphere felt tense.

‘Maybe it’s supposed to be tense…’

Those gathered here were people who had arrived and settled on this continent a long time ago and had gained both power and fame through their own methods. As such, the atmosphere would naturally be tense.

The one who broke the ice was the Mist Summoner, Cheon Kwan-Wi. I noticed his sour expression when he first entered, so I was assuming he didn’t like the people who were chosen. He didn’t speak aggressively, but he was expressing his opinion.

“Four people, two, two…”

“Unsatisfied?”

“It’s nothing, Miss Cha-Hee Ra. It’s not that I’m unsatisfied, but it’s more like the selection seems… to have been biased to one side,” he replied.

“So, you’re unsatisfied,” she commented.

“Of course, I acknowledge the fact that the skills of the new members from Lindel are remarkable, however… I just feel that it’s a pity, so don’t mind what I just said. There are a lot of talented people in Dawan as well…” he said.

“I think you just said that so that we’ll worry about it.” Cha Hee-Ra pointed out.

“You really don’t have to worry about it,” he told her.

“How could I not worry about it after hearing you say that? Do you have any complaints?” she asked.

“It’s nothing you need to worry about, Miss Cha Hee-Ra,” he repeated.

“Woah, look at you. You look like you’re about to hit me. You’re funny. It seemed like yesterday when you couldn’t even look straight at me,” she said.

“That was a long time ago…” Cheon Kwan-Wi mumbled.

“You weren’t like this when you knelt before me asking me to spare you,” she added.

“Miss Cha Hee-Ra…”

I guess he was trying to set the mood by muddying the water, but he didn’t seem like a bad guy. Something I wasn’t aware of had to have happened in the past. I was able to quickly assume that he had some sort of conflict with Cha Hee-Ra back then. He must have felt embarrassed that his embarrassing past was revealed in front of the new members because he hurriedly tried to fix the situation, but there was no way he could control Cha Hee-Ra. She spoke while looking at his flustered face.

“Kwan-Wi, don’t take this the wrong way. The empire was being considerate of you, not us. Lindel could’ve taken another seat, but we didn’t want you guys to feel bad, so we decided to be considerate. Understand?”

“No way…” Cheon Kwan-Wi mumbled.

“You think I’m lying?” she asked.

When Cha Hee-Ra looked over at Jung Ha-Yan, Cheon Kwan-Wi’s face turned pale. It was like he was asking, ‘how come I haven’t noticed her until now?’

I thought they would recognize each other since they were both mages.

“Our second girlfriend… It has been over a year since you arrived, right?” Cha Hee-Ra asked.

“No… way…” he muttered again.

“What do you mean? My darling and his guild master, Kim Hyun-Sung, are here. And Jung Ha-Yan, that girl over there, was the player who cleared the tutorial dungeon the fastest. I already knew they were going to be successful, but I had never imagined they would become this successful. Well… they’re lucky and skilled… anyway, that’s that,” she explained.

“Huh…”

“There’s one more person, but they’re still a bit lacking to join us. Still, they’re pretty useful,” she added.

“How unfair,” he commented.

“I sometimes feel that way as well. What do you think? I want to hear it from the empire’s most famous mage…” she requested.

“No comment,” he replied.

Jung Ha-Yan watched the situation as if it had nothing to do with her, but when Cha Hee-Ra mentioned her, everyone focused on her. Yu Ran, the archer, was especially staring at her.

“Lindel really has a lot of talented people. We have two new seatholders of the Eight Seats despite the fact that they’ve only been here for a year. I didn’t think you owned such a talented mage… Before I saw you with my own eyes, I did think that the empire was giving Lindel an excessive amount of privilege, but now, I see that you’re different,” Yu Ran explained.

“I’m flattered,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

“No, I’m just saying how I see it, Guild Master of the Blue Guild. I don’t think I have to check to know that you’re strong… I can’t really say much about the other new member since he’s a non-combatant, but I’m sure he had received a lot of points because he owns a dragon,” Yu Ran continued.

‘She’s right.’

However, she was pretty straightforward. Kim Hyun-Sung smiled and spoke.

“He’s a very talented alchemist.”

“I know because I have been using the potion being distributed in Dawan. Thanks to that, the players’ survival rate has improved a lot. It’s a bit expensive, but I believe it’s only right for me to express my gratitude. Ah, are you planning on selling the item you have in your pocket?” she asked.

She had to be referring to the Dragon Breath Potion I brought with me. As an archer, I knew her eyes were sharp, but it was sharper than I had imagined.

“I’d like to if I get the chance, but it’s an item that can’t be mass-produced. Since it’s a legendary-ranked potion, it costs a lot just to craft one,” I replied.

“That’s unfortunate. Anyway, it’s nice meeting you all. For the others, I believe this is our first time meeting after that incident… I’m relieved that the Guild Master of the Red Mercenary and the Yozora Guild are doing well,” she said.

“The way you talk hasn’t changed,” Cha Hee-Ra commented.

“There you go again. You still have a foul mouth, Miss Cha Hee-Ra. I understand that Kwan-Wi has put you in a bad mood, but I hope you don’t take it out on me. Don’t you think he said that for Dawan? Even though we work together, I have never been dissatisfied with this selection. Really. Ah! This is a different topic, but… the new member has a good eye,” Yu Ran complimented.

“What are you talking about?” Cha Hee-Ra asked.

She had to be referring to me because we were wearing clothes from the same brand. After looking at me dumbfoundedly, Cha Hee-Ra suddenly sighed and shook her head, so I guess she understood why Yu Ran had said that.

“Since fate has let us gather like this, how about we go out to eat? Miss Kasugano Yuno and… Ah, um…” she paused.

“It’s Suzumiya Ibuki.”

“Ah, what about you, Miss Ibuki?” she asked.

“I’m okay. If… I had the time,” she stopped.

“I’m sure she’ll be busy attending the party they’re hosting,” Cha Hee-Ra said.

“You’re right. Oh my. Now that I think about it, I haven’t prepared a dress…” Yu Ran muttered.

The atmosphere was more peaceful than I thought. After Ito Sota died, our relationship with Celia had improved so I thought there wouldn’t be any other issues. The people from Taiwan were pretty brazen, but it was probably because Cha Hee-Ra had scolded them back then. However, the reason didn’t really matter.

‘It could also be because it feels like we’re all part of the same group…’

Our opinions may be different, but Lindel, Celia, and Dawan were all part of the Holy Empire Benigoa. Basically, we shared the same fate. As long as no one was crazy like Ito Sota, I was sure this scene was pretty normal.

“By the way, don’t you think that the Holy Empire is being ridiculous? All this time, they had never thought about doing this, but when the Republic announced the Republic’s General or whatever, they created the Eight Seats… Once this is announced, I think the Republic may end up announcing the Ten Zone or something,” Yu Ran started.

“It would be scary if that really happened…”

“The atmosphere seems really tense lately… I hope war doesn’t break out. I wonder if our shaman can see anything.”

“The atmosphere seems tense?” Kasugano Yuno asked.

“The Chinese and our members don’t like each other from the start, but it seems like they are being franker about it recently. Lindel may not know about it since you’re in the center, but since Dawan is adjacent to the Republic, we can see what’s going on,” Yu Ran explained.

“...”

“There have been a few fights,” she added.

“You guys fight every day, anyway,” Kwan-Wi commented.

“As I said before, I’m certain the atmosphere has changed compared to before,” Yu Ran repeated.

When I saw how serious they were while talking about it, I guess it wasn’t just based on some hearsay.

‘A war out of nowhere?’

Obviously, I was curious whether a war had really broken out around this time or not, but Kim Hyun-Sung seemed calm for now…

“Can you tell me the details?”

I confirmed that we weren’t exactly safe when I saw Kim Hyun-Sung asking with such a serious look. I had no idea what was going to happen, but war might break out. And it was then that a thought popped into my head.

‘Hyun-Sung hyung will protect me, right?’

I was sure I would still be safe in the arms of our lovely regressor.

1. In the gaming community, a troll is someone who deliberately tries to disrupt, annoy, or otherwise cause problems for other gamers, so he's saying maybe he's the problem because he considers himself the weakest. ☜