Level Up Machine

Chapter 39 The Power of the Black Cube (2)

Three days had passed since they decided to absorb the Light Shield Guild.

The Salvator Guild still hadn’t taken any direct action. Even though the guild had lost its central figure, Han Cheol-ho, the remaining forces were still formidable.

The Salvator Guild, following Bae Han-seong’s opinion, allowed some time for the confusion caused by Han Cheol-ho’s absence to grow.

However, Bae Han-seong was not merely waiting for them to fall into greater chaos. The main reason the Salvator Guild hadn’t acted hastily was that they were waiting for the return of their guild members who had gone on an expedition.

Currently, only four guild members had returned after hearing Tiria’s message. Though it might seem that the situation wouldn’t change much with just four more people, they were the elite party supporting the now fallen Salvator Guild.

Despite the guild’s downfall, incomparable to its former self due to internal strife, it still had one advantage. The remaining guild members were each strong enough to be treated as executives or even guild masters in other guilds.

Including Yeong-sik’s party, they only had a total of twelve members. Yet, they planned to swallow the entire Light Shield Guild, which had more than 100 members, thanks to this very advantage.

While preparing for the battle with the Light Shield Guild and reorganizing their ranks, the Salvator Guild did not feel the tension of a stormy night.

“Yeong-sik, ah? I…”

In the guild house’s living room, Yu-na called out. Yeong-sik, who had been in his room contemplating the new abilities he gained after unlocking security level 4, came out with a sullen expression.

“What’s the matter?”

“Come here for a moment.”

Yu-na said, sweeping her rough-looking red bob with one hand. Yeong-sik swallowed a sigh and approached her.

“Is it something important?”

“Of course! It’s very important!”

Yu-na nodded brightly with a smile. She lovingly stroked Yeong-sik’s right arm and continued.

“Can you do me a favor, Yeong-sik?”

She said in a low voice that sounded almost suggestive. Yeong-sik’s face twisted in horror.

“What do you think I am?”

“Well, an electric outlet… ahem, I think of you as a lovely rookie.”

Yu-na hastily cleared her throat and avoided Yeong-sik’s gaze. Yeong-sik glared at her with narrowed eyes.

“Anyway, come on! Hold out your arm!”

Yu-na said in a somewhat coercive tone, grabbing Yeong-sik’s right arm. She connected the plug of the electric massager to his arm and turned it on.

*Vrrrrrrr.*

“Ah. Modern technology is indeed wonderful, isn’t it?”

Placing the massager on her shoulder, Yu-na spoke in a blissful voice.

Yeong-sik let out a deep sigh.

“Is it really alright to be so relaxed?”

“Huh?”

“We’re about to fight the remaining forces of the Light Shield Guild soon.”

“Ah.”

At Yeong-sik’s words, Yu-na let out a small laugh.

“It’s fine. There’s no need to worry.”

“Hmm. Do you have a reason to be so calm?”

“Because Cheol-tae oppa is coming back soon.”

She spoke as if it was a matter of course.

Park Cheol-tae.

Yeong-sik had heard that name before. It was the name of the man leading the elite party of the Salvator Guild, who were currently on an expedition.

“Is he that powerful?”

Yeong-sik tilted his head, puzzled by the deep trust in her voice.

Yu-na nodded as she answered.

“Yes. Yoo Jin is the strongest as an individual, but Cheol-tae oppa’s party has exceptional synergy.”

She spoke with a voice full of pride.

Yeong-sik nodded with interest.

“Ah, but he’s not strong enough to pull off the kind of absurd feats you did in ‘that state.'”

She recalled the incredible strength Yeong-sik had displayed back then, which was nothing short of astonishing.

He had single-handedly crushed the elite force of the Light Shield Guild, consisting of summoners over level 50, and Han Cheol-ho, who possessed power rivaling a ranker.

Among the rankers she knew, only a handful had such an overwhelming power.

The fact that he couldn’t control that power at will made it even more remarkable.

Yu-na shrugged and continued.

“The remaining members of the Light Shield Guild we’re up against are just a ragtag bunch. The numbers are a bit problematic, but with Cheol-tae oppa, it’ll be much easier than we think.”

“I see.”

Yeong-sik nodded, understanding her relaxed expression. Yu-na grinned and continued.

“So, take this massager and…

Just as she was about to finish her sentence, the door of the guild house opened, and a giant figure, over two meters tall, stepped inside.

A man clad in dull-colored full plate mail, his face completely covered by a helm, and a greatsword as tall as a person strapped to his back.

“Cheol-tae oppa!”

“Wow! It’s really Cheol-tae oppa! Welcome back!”

At the sight of the man in full plate mail, both Chae-rin and Yu-na sprang to their feet and approached him.

Yeong-sik turned his head to look at the man. He exuded a similar aura to Han Cheol-ho.

“It’s been a while.”

A deep voice emerged from the helm covering his face. Cheol-tae raised his hand and patted Chae-rin’s head as she clung to him.

“Ah, hello Chae-rin. Yu-na. How have you been?”

A woman with neatly cut brown hair that reached her shoulders peeked out from behind Cheol-tae, speaking in a cautious voice. She seemed timid, her eyes darting around nervously.

“Sorim unni!”

Chae-rin beamed as she hugged the woman behind Cheol-tae. Sorim flinched at Chae-rin’s enthusiastic gesture but soon smiled gently, stroking her hair.

‘Is she really Jeong So-rim?’

Yeong-sik watched the woman embracing Chae-rin with a slightly puzzled expression. Though she carried a long spear on her back, she didn’t exude the aura of a warrior at all; instead, she seemed quite timid.

‘If that’s really Jeong So-rim…’

Yeong-sik frowned as he recalled what he had heard before.

Jeong So-rim.

A powerful summoner with a level of 97, known for her frenzied combat style, earning her the nickname “Witch of the Massacre.”

But the woman before him looked so timid that she seemed incapable of killing even a single insect on her own.

“Kkeol kkeol kkeol. How have you all been?”

Following Sorim, an old summoner with a gray beard reaching his chest entered the guild house. Despite his wrinkled face and unassuming appearance, he carried a longbow on his back.

“Ah, Grandpa Hwang-hyeon!”

“Yes, yes. You’re as lively as ever, Yu-na.”

The old man, called Hwang-hyeon, smiled warmly as he gently patted Yu-na’s shoulder.

Hwang-hyeon.

The oldest among the current Salvator Guild members, he was a ranger class summoner with an uncanny accuracy with his bow.

“Ugh… Lee Chae-rin.”

Finally, a young boy, who looked to be about a middle schooler like Chae-rin, closed the door behind him and walked in. With his black hair and handsome features, the boy frowned as if he had seen something disgusting, glaring at Chae-rin.

“Han Tae-yeong! What’s with that face?”

Chae-rin shouted, looking at the boy who contorted his face at her. Han Tae-yeong replied in a snappish voice.

“What else? Seeing you after so long just makes me sick.”

“You…! What did you say?!”

Incensed by Tae-yeong’s aggressive words, Chae-rin stormed over to him, yelling furiously.

“You half-baked healer!”

“Hmph! You’re just as bad, you ignorant mage!”

Tae-yeong and Chae-rin butted heads, growling at each other as if ready to fight at any moment.

Watching them with a peculiar expression, Yeong-sik was approached by Han-seong.

“Haha. Don’t worry. They’re always like that.”

“Hmm. They don’t seem to get along well.”

Yeong-sik said, looking at Tae-yeong and Chae-rin snarling at each other. Han-seong shrugged and responded to him.

“Well? Maybe they actually get along well.”

“There’s no way we do!”

At Han-seong’s quiet remark, Tae-yeong and Chae-rin shouted in unison. Yeong-sik watched them with an intrigued expression, letting out an impressed “Oh.”

“Sorry for calling you back from the expedition so suddenly.”

Tiria, who had come out due to the commotion, spoke with a gentle smile.

Seeing her, Park Cheol-tae bowed deeply and spoke.

“No need to apologize. It’s only natural to respond to the guild master’s call.”

Park Cheol-tae’s voice resonated with its characteristic deep tone. Tiria continued with a bitter smile.

“The reason I called you all back so urgently… you’re aware of it, aren’t you?”

A heavy silence fell over the guild house. It wasn’t the impending confrontation with the remnants of the Light Shield Guild that caused the tension. Rather, it was the heavy burden of the ‘plan’ that would follow the absorption of the guild’s assets.

“For the guild master, I wouldn’t hesitate to give my life.”

Park Cheol-tae knelt on one knee and spoke in a firm voice, his movements disciplined like those of a true knight.

“So, you’re the new recruits, I hear. Nice to meet you. I’m Hwang-hyeon.”

Hwang-hyeon approached Yeong-sik and his group, extending his hand. Yeong-sik, Gil-soo, and Ara shook his hand in turn, exchanging greetings.

“Cheol-tae’s behavior… it’s because you might not understand what we’ve been through and why we’re executing such a reckless plan.”

Hwang-hyeon continued in a gentle, understanding voice.

“But I believe that, even if you don’t understand now, you will come to realize it in time as you stay with us.”

He smiled softly as he spoke.

“Haha, to be honest, asking you to dedicate your lives to the guild is not much different from what I’m saying. It’s that dangerous.”

“It’s fine. We’re prepared for it.”

Yeong-sik replied in a calm voice. Hwang-hyeon grinned widely, his long gray beard trembling slightly.

“Thank you. I think we’ll get along well.”

Hwang-hyeon laughed heartily as he turned around.

Yeong-sik observed the gathered members of the Salvator Guild. There was no one he found particularly unpleasant. On the contrary, they seemed like genuinely good people.

‘Everyone’s here.’

Yeong-sik’s eyes glinted coldly. At that moment, the heartfelt reunion of the Salvator Guild members and their resolute determination for the ‘plan’ didn’t resonate deeply with him.

‘The Black Cube that Han Cheol-ho collected.’

A sly smile crept up on Yeong-sik’s lips. The Black Cube provided an overwhelming amount of experience points, far beyond what he could gain from analyzing the structure of machines he created.

‘First, I need to get my hands on the Black Cube.’

Yeong-sik thought, his eyes gleaming sharply.