ETVC C17

Chapter 17

Ryu Jisoo repeated once more the information she already knew. Then, perhaps feeling sorry for having been suspicious, she bowed her head deeply and mumbled, “I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. Then can I assume that you’ll be joining the guild I’m creating?”

“Yes. That’s what we talked about. I will be truly loyal.”

Ryu Jisoo lifted her head again, and her eyes sparkled. In the story, she had only leaned toward the evil side because she fell into a bad situation, but she was actually a good older sister and a loyal person. Although she used some underhanded methods, having such a reliable ally made me quite satisfied.

“That’s quite a light kind of loyalty.”

That was until Kang Gwonhoo interrupted the conversation.

“Yes?”

Ryu Jisoo asked back, filled with bewilderment at the sudden quarrel.

“Do you swear loyalty just because you got one necessary item? I worry that if another guild offers you what you want, you’d react the same way. As your guildmate, that worries me.”

He spoke well, even though he himself might betray me even if someone else didn’t. Ryu Jisoo’s face flushed, seemingly insulted.

“I don’t act like this toward just anyone.”

“That’s something you can’t know.”

Why did Kang Gwonhoo pick a fight with a complete stranger? He clearly had the ability to easily win others over, so I didn’t understand why he acted like this.

‘Should I try to mediate?’

That thought came to mind for a brief moment. At that moment, a loud vibration sound cut through the atmosphere.

“Just a moment.”

I was desperate to leave this place, so I welcomed the call that came just then. Trying not to show how happy I was, I stood up from my seat.

The caller was Kim Jun.

“Hello.”

• Hyung, it’s Kim Jun. Is now a good time to call?

His tone was like a child just learning phone etiquette.

“Yes, it’s fine.”

• I’ve really thought this through carefully and am making a serious decision, so please trust me. I really want to join your guild. If my strength is lacking, I’ll train hard until you accept me.

Since this was how it had turned out, I decided to finish my first quest today without hesitation—strike while the iron is hot. The guild was uneasy with bombs and all, but if it got too dangerous, I could just remove Kim Jun quickly.

“Then I’ll send you the address, so will you come? If you can’t make it today, it’s okay not to come.”

• No! I’ll definitely come. Please wait for me, hyung!

Even when I sent the message to Kim Jun and came back, the subtle tension between Ryu Jisoo and Kang Gwonhoo had not eased.

“If you’re really who I think you are, you’re quite famous, so why are you coming to a small guild that’s just now forming?”

“I don’t know.”

While I was there, Kang Gwonhoo, who was teasing Ryu Jisoo fiercely, now showed no interest in her at all. I couldn’t understand why he had come if he was just going to act indifferent. Both of them had sharp personalities, and from a distance, it was an interesting sight, but neither was clueless enough to say something like that.

‘Come to think of it, Kang Gwonhoo used to be a character interested in Ryu Jisoo, but now he isn’t at all. If he’s acting this way because he hasn’t yet grasped her abilities, he might regret it later. Ryu Jisoo grows into such a powerhouse that even the formidable Kang Gwonhoo wouldn’t want to let her go.’

Pretending I hadn’t heard their conversation, I returned to my seat and hastily raised a new topic.

“If you have time, I’m planning to complete the guild registration today. Would that be okay? One more person is expected to come.”

“That’s quick.”

“I’m fine with it too.”

Ryu Jisoo seemed eager to quickly deliver potions to her younger sibling but didn’t want to lose to Kang Gwonhoo, so she answered competitively.

“Let’s go to the nearest guild registration office.”

About 10 minutes after we arrived at the registration office, Kim Jun arrived sweating. Ryu Jisoo looked quite surprised to see the youthful student. She knew there were many young hunters, but since she had lived as a civilian for a long time, she found it hard to accept.

‘Kim Jun just manifested, so he can take a month off school.’

It was an adaptation period after manifestation. Many people quit school after that and directly become hunters.

“Are you four here to register a new guild?”

The registration officer asked our loosely gathered group.

“Yes.”

“Then please fill out these forms. Press your fingerprint with ink beside your name.”

The forms required simple information.

Guild Registration Form
Guild Name: Chronos
Guild Master: Baek Woojin
Guild Members: Kang Gwonhoo, Kim Jun, Ryu Jisoo
Guild Location:

• If there is no specific address, please designate the guild master’s residence.

Since there wasn’t a dedicated space for the guild, I was about to write my home address but paused.

‘I’m not living alone, is it really okay?’

One of the guild members was even someone my housemate disliked very much. Ryu Jisoo, who was watching me fill out the form, added a comment.

“By the way, why is the guild named like that?”

“I just looked it up in a book yesterday and wrote down what I’d thought of. Don’t you like it?”

“It sounds like something a bit pretentious a teenager would come up with.”

Ryu Jisoo’s bluntness shocked me mentally. Until now, she had criticized Baek Woojin as having an emo phase, but I wondered if that sensitivity had somehow seeped into me after I entered this body.

“Sorry for deciding the guild name on my own, even though it’s a guild for everyone. It closes at 4:30 here, so I didn’t have time to think more.”

There was not enough time to come up with a new guild name that wouldn’t overlap with other guilds in the area.

“Alright. On second thought, it might be okay.”

She was obviously saying that to comfort me. Ryu Jisoo was someone who really couldn’t lie.

“I think it’s a really cool name, hyung!”

Kim Jun supported me, but getting praise from an active student made me feel even sadder, as if the name Chronos was indeed pretentious.

“The name doesn’t really matter. If it’s difficult to decide the guild location, it’s okay to use my place. We can always change it later, so if Woojin wants, I’ll lend it out as he pleases.”

Surprisingly, Kang Gwonhoo didn’t seem to care much about the guild name and generously offered his residence.

‘Does he really think I have an incredible secret?’

I’m just someone who entered this game world wanting to survive and live a normal life, but he might be disappointed if he finds out the truth later.

‘I might really die then.’

Firmly deciding to keep my identity hidden from him, I slid the application form toward him.

“I’d appreciate it if you could do that.”

Kang Gwonhoo took the pen from me, completed the form, and submitted it. At the same time, a notification arrived in my guide window saying the quest was successful.

“Shall we call it a day? I’ll take Jun home.”

While receiving the temporary guild certificates, I asked the three of them. Ryu Jisoo nodded eagerly, clearly wanting to meet her younger sibling soon, and Kang Gwonhoo glanced at his watch before agreeing.

It had been a long day.

After dropping Kim Jun off and arriving home, I was completely exhausted. Dragging my limp body across the floor, I opened the front door. The cat that I had put in the room was already out somewhere, waiting for me.

“Did you open the door and come out?”

Meow.

Its thick tail stood straight up toward me, but its body faced the opposite way, not looking at me. It seemed upset because I had been away from home for so long.

“Want to eat something?”

Upon hearing the word “food,” the cat glanced at me briefly and then walked ahead toward the kitchen. Its quick steps suggested it was feeling a bit better.

‘Ah, the fridge wasn’t well-stocked. Should I have bought something?’

I opened the fridge with worry, but unlike yesterday, it was crammed full of side dishes and ingredients. Excited by the sight of food, I was about to take some out when I stopped myself.

“Wait. Who stocked the fridge?”

I hadn’t bought the food, and only one other person lived in the house. There was no need to think further—the one who stocked the fridge was Baek Soohyuk. But it wasn’t right to eat someone else’s food without permission.

‘Could the food I’ve been eating so far also have been bought by Baek Soohyuk?’

My head started pounding again. How ridiculous it must have been that the guy who always says harsh things shamelessly took others’ food.

‘And he put up with it all.’

He probably didn’t want to deal with it, but if it were me, I would have said something. He really was a saint.

“Meow, let’s order something to eat.”

The cat, expecting food immediately, started crying alone in the kitchen when I came out empty-handed. Growing anxious, I ordered a fish-included meal from a delivery app and specifically requested no salt.

“Just wait a bit. Delicious food will arrive soon.”

After crying for a long time, the cat gave up and lay down beside me on the sofa. It was still mumbling cries, clearly quite upset.