Chapter 106: Chapter 105: The Next Phase Part IV
Alpha and his comrades led me to a large meeting room, where we sat around an equally large table.
-Why…are they all staring at me like that?-
I could tell that they were wary of me the moment I entered the building. It wasn’t that strange since it is the first time I’d met them and it was normal for them to be on their guard, but this was overdoing it.
One of the women, who introduced herself as Lim Gina, flinched when my eyes met hers and quickly looked away. She was acting like a teen caught stealing.
“Now then, what brings you all the way here, Mr. Lee?” asked Alpha.
“I want to find someone discreetly.”
“Then you’ve come to the right place. Finding people is our specialty.”
Obviously. That was why I came here!
“Do you know anything specific about the person you’re looking for?”
“The man’s name is Lee Kangchan. He was around his late 20s or early 30s before he became a deva. His height should be around 180 cm. I don’t think he’s part of any large guilds, but he does have some authority. That’s all I have on him. Is that enough?” I should have found out more about him before I jumped into the Sea of Reset, but the thought had never crossed my mind. I was too focused on trying to get out of that shitty situation.
“That is more than enough. All we need now is some time.”
“As long as you find him, I don’t mind how long it’ll take.”
“Not to worry. We’ll get started right away.”
“How much will it cost?”
“We usually take half first as a deposit and receive the rest after we finish, but since you’re quite the figure, we’ll be more than happy to take the payment after we find your man. Of course, we have no intention to shaft you. We do not wish to do anything stupid like that to you.”
“Thank you.”
After a few more words, I left the building.
—
After Lee Jiwon left, the five heads of the Gnosis Guild conversed about what to do.
“Lee Kangchang… he has to be talking about those guys, right?”
“Yeah. It adds up with his description.” They all knew who Lee Kangchan was, but acted as if they did not in front of Lee Jiwon.
“He definitely has it out for him, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah. Lee Jiwon definitely does not like Lee Kangchan. That’s probably why he wanted to find him discreetly.”
“Did you see his eyes when he said his name? Man, he was scary.”
“Lee Jiwon and Lee Kangchan, eh…?” Alpha said to himself quietly.
“We already have the information on Lee Kangchan ,but it’s not like we can just hand it over right now. How long should we wait?” Lim Gina asked. The others nodded in agreement.
“All right. Find more about Lee Kangchan and his associates. Find out about his cousins and in-laws if you have to. Collect anything you find that connects the two.”
“Sounds good.”
“Looks like we’re going to be busy again.”
“As X found out, Lee Jiwon is powerful. We won’t be able to blackmail him with what happened with Duck Duck and the Yung Gong Guild.”
“He destroyed the San Tuan Guild; what can the Yung Gong Guild do, anyway?”
“True, that. He’ll probably brush it off and laugh at us.”
“It’s all the more reason to do our best with this job, enough so that we’ll at least remain in his good graces. And, as I’m sure you are all aware, we must not let him know that we’re purposefully withholding information from him right now.”
“That’s obvious enough.”
“Hey, we’re not amateurs here.”
“I’m just saying to be careful out there. Make sure our members all know this as well.”
The rest nodded at Alpha’s final words and left the meeting room.
——
I put my hat and sunglasses back on as I left the building and slowly walked down the street.
-The Sunbin Guild, huh…?-
As I walked, I noticed that almost everyone was talking about something concerning the Sunbin Guild. I could also see the 97-story tall building that was the guild’s headquarters. I couldn’t help but think about them even, though I had pushed them far out of my mind.
I should have turned down their offer, but I didn’t and ended helping them. That wasn’t going to change. I had already shown them the light while they were stuck in that dark, dark tunnel, and with my help they became one of the strongest guilds out there.
The reason why I also didn’t go to them after waking up after four years was simple; I was weak. I may have had one hell of a head start from learning Unrivaled at level 0 ,but that didn’t matter; I was behind everyone else. They had already done so much for me by taking care of me for four years straight. It was why I never went back after I was kicked out.
But the important part here was that the Sunbin Guild hadn’t looked for me, either. Honestly, they had every reason to since I disappeared all of a sudden. And yet, no one came looking for me. It wasn’t like they couldn’t; a guild as powerful as them had the resources to find me in an instant. It just meant that they were purposefully not looking for me. They probably felt that they had done enough after looking after me for four years.
I wasn’t really sad about it. They had every reason to think that way.
-Honestly, that just makes it more awkward. At least say bye or something.-
If they didn’t hate me, then we could have at least remained friends or allies. If they did hate, then… well, it’s like we had to be enemies. But our relationship just ended without closure.
-But…I don’t really have a reason to go meet them like a jilted lover.-
“Meh. Let’s not complicate things. What’s done is done. It’s not like we owe each other anything more, anyway. I should just keep focusing on myself.”
——
“Hmm…” Song Daechul was seated as his desk, deep in thought. On the other side of his desk, stood Uno of the Intelligence Division. “Ha…”
Uno didn’t say anything while his guild master sat there for an hour, thinking. His sole role was to answer any of Song Daechul’s questions, not speak his opinion.
“Did I make the wrong decision? No, I definitely did. I should own up to my mistakes, shouldn’t I?”
“It’s my fault, sir. Our intel was insufficient.”
“No, no. You all did your jobs properly. I had forgotten about Lee Jiwon’s abilities. It just proves that my mind is aging while my body stays the same. It was a stupid decision.”
The Sunbin Guild had become powerful while Lee Jiwon slept. That was probably why Song Daechul had forgotten that it was Lee Jiwon who made it all possible.
“Lee Jiwon seemed… as if he was prepared for everything. He did not tremble in fear of the unknown, like us. Everything he did oozed with confidence. I felt like I could depend on that young man.”
“…” Uno didn’t say anything. He knew what his guild master meant.
“I became too conceited. I was blinded by all of our success. I had my chance, even before he left for Egypt. I should have gone to him.” Song Daechul stood from his seat and walked over to the large window. “I was an idiot. He displayed so much power after waking up and still, I ignored him. I really was an idiot.”
“That’s not true, sir,” Uno said.
Song Daechul didn’t reply and continued to look out his window. After awhile, he spoke again. “Is it pointless to contact him now, even though we ignored him all this time? Lee Jiwon must know by now that we purposefully didn’t look for him. But to come to him now, after he had made a name for himself? If that wasn’t the case, then it would be fine, but now…I wouldn’t hate him if he insulted me to my face.” Song Daechul was full of regret. He should have done better.
“Is Haein doing well in Siberia?”
“Ye,s sir.”
The Sunbin Guild had control of a high-grade dungeon in Siberia, but constantly needed to maintain the surrounding areas that were infested with ice trolls.
“Has the boss ice troll still not been defeated yet?”
“No sir. It’s quite powerful, and never comes out on its own.”
“Tsk.”
Song Daechul had wanted to pair Lee Jiwon with his granddaughter at first. The young man was that dependable. But as the years passed, he had changed his mind. He stopped paying attention to Lee Jiwon for the sake of his guild.
‘Grandfather, why aren’t we looking for Jiwon oppa? You know he’s the reason we’ve come this far.’
‘He’s in Egypt! I’ll go if I have to! I’ll go see him and bring him back!’
‘We can help oppa if it’s only the San Tuan Guild!’
Every time Song Haein brought up Lee Jiwon, Song Daechul always shut her down and sent her off to Siberia.
“You know, these days, I have no idea what I’m doing. I sent my only granddaughter away and ignored the one man who helped me.” He had believed that he had to be cruel for the sake of his guild, but as his guild grew stronger, that belief disappeared and was replaced with regret.
“I was afraid; afraid that I would lose control of this beast that was growing in my hands.”
“Sir, you know that’s not true.”
“No, I understand now.” He believed that he had to create a monster to get ahead of everyone else. He got his wish, and was now paying for it.
“Bring Haein back, as naturally as possible.”
“What should I do about Siberia?”
“Send General Han in her stead.”
“Yes, sir.”
As Uno disappeared from the office, Song Daechul continued to stare out the window.
