Chapter 379: Side Story, Dream Flower (1)
… enemy’s… do…
I… think… can…
That… life … he…
But… for… leave…
She… or… want…
An incomprehensible noise echoed in Rachel’s ears. It was almost as if it was overlapping each other. Was it
someone scratching the blackboard? Or was the broken TV babbling uncontrollably?
Whatever it was, it was annoying, and she didn’t want to hear it. No matter how much she twisted and turned, it
wouldn’t go away, though.
She opened her eyes
It wasn’t easy, but they opened after some effort. As soon as her shaking eyelids rose, the world became quiet. The
sunlight streaming through the window pierced through her pupils.
At the same time, Rachel realized that she had fallen asleep on her chair.
Not long after, she noticed the figure of a certain man despite her hazy vision. He sat in the middle of a wide, empty space.
“… I’ll do it!” He answered vigorously, looking at her. She glanced at the document on the desk, then turned her gaze away.
Interviewers from the British Royal Guild were lined up before the man.
Dake, the head of the human resources team and one of the interviewers, said, “That’s great. However, even if you pass
the interview immediately, you’ll still have to take the entrance exam. Have you prepared for it?”
Entrance exam. Rachel tilted her head briefly.
‘An entrance exam…? What am I doing here? I know I’m in the interview room, but. Ah. The job interview for the British
Royal Guild
She was worried about the lack of talented people.
“Yes. I have a talent I’ve developed to become the shield of the British Royal Guild. Allow me to demonstrate!” The man
roared.
Rachel looked deeply into the documents on the desk, finding the interviewee’s identity and specifications.
[James Finley]
Body: 179 cm, 75 kg.
Age: 22 years old, male.
Nationality: British Commonwealth
Talents: Barrier Formation, Magic Rage
Role: Warrior
Biography: Graduated as the 27th placer of ‘La guild-Lumière’ in 2029, under six months of probation. Received six months
of training in Penzberg, Germany.
Special Note: Upon joining the guild, His appointment as a hero will be finalized.
–
–
The top 27th of France’s best guild, La guild-Lumière.
If he had achieved that rank in Cube, he would have been appointed a hero upon graduation. However, since he attained it in Lumière, he could only gain that position after graduating and accumulating specs through an entire year of voluntary
work
That duration was also because of his academic background. If he placed below 50th in any other guild, he’d have to look
for an agent or mercenary position, far from a hero.
“… I see. Thank you.”
Even so, James Finley was the most likely candidate to be admitted to the British Royal Guild despite his background
being enough to hear people say, ‘Why did someone from Lumière apply to the Royal Guild?’
Such was their organization’s reality, the name of which was the best in England.
“Thank you as well!” Finley said brightly before leaving.
With his presence gone, the room itself seemed to have become empty. The medieval-style auditorium, needlessly wide,
high, and splendid, felt like it had no substance today.
“Now, everyone, thank you for coming. Vice-Captain?” Dake called out.
Rachel stood up and nodded in response. The nine interviewers followed her lead.
Still having a lot of work to do, she went up to her office, and the interviewers walked down the aisle talking about the
talented candidates who came today.
“I’m surprised this many talented heroes applied for this recruitment.”
“I know. This is all thanks to Vice-Captain Rachel…”
Their words sounded hollow.
Returning to the office, Rachel sat at the desk and turned on her desktop.
There was still a lot on her plate. She had to deal with exams and interviews since all guilds were busy recruiting, clearing up dungeons that appeared in England, and, most importantly, coordinating the ‘Hall.’
She felt as if she was sinking deeper into the mud the more she worked.
One hundred three talented people applied during the public recruitment period in January, of which she felt the power from only less than ten people. All the applicants were ‘aspirants who could only be appointed as heroes by joining the
guild.
Of course, she could raise those who had strong vocations, but the British Royal Guild would just be a ‘stepping stone
guild’ for candidates like those.
A deep sigh escaped her lips.
She put her life and effort into her work, but nothing came of it. These days, nothing but skepticism filled her.
Was the goal she set up a mirage impossible to achieve from the beginning? Was there really no answer for this guild?
Starting to feel herself floundering in the abyss, she devoted herself to paperwork to forget the frustration and barren
reality
All the documents spoke of the gloom of England, but since they were just words, she felt a bit distant from them. At least, it was nothing compared to the humiliation the royal guild suffered.
She ceaselessly worked on their plans. It wasn’t until four in the morning that she opened the Internet for a short break.
[HERO COMMUNITY]
Hero Community. It wasn’t the Violet Banquet or Dark Web, but a private information exchange site that only those who
graduated from the academy could access and join.
Since she could sometimes get unexpected information or tips while scrolling through it, she made it a habit to scour its
pages about 20-30 minutes a day.
While looking for newly uploaded useful information, a post caught her eye.
It didn’t have that great of a title, but it managed to magnetize her attention nonetheless.
Bulletin board: Various Guilds Around the World
[Is the UK still in bad condition?]
Young Radish Kimchi 2030.12.30 | 22:49:36
Are they still failing to make any progress? Around three years have passed since Rachel, the 3rd placer on the Cube, went there, but it doesn’t seem like things are working out that well over there. Her rivals, such as Chae Nayun and Yoo Yeonha, went to the Confederacy and are doing pretty well.
[Comments)
– Yep. The situation in the UK is so bad these days that everything’s just going downhill. Rachel is only in her third year, so
she’s still a promising individual in terms of youth and abilities, but she’s still just the vice-leader. How weak can she be? mean, look at China. Yoo Jinwoong’s daughter started from the bottom and yet has already managed to become a team
leader.
– France and Germany currently dominate Europe. It used to be UK/France Germany, but now the UK can’t even be put in
the same league as the other two. Britain is just right next to Spain and Italy
Switzerland is rising at a faster rate than them lately, right? Sehit, Varga, Vals, Tilma, and Maritz. That Golden Line of
theirs is thriving. Three of the prospects that entered the Cube this time also came from there
Right, I forgot about Switzerland. All five of them are so patriotic that their country’s future is looking quite bright right
now. Regardless, England is still in such a bad state.
– I recommend going to them if you need to become a hero since the royal name still carries a lot of weight. It’ll be
beneficial for you once you transfer to a different guild later.
Tap!
Rachel closed the site off, moving the mouse a bit harshly. She wasn’t that upset, though. The Hero community
badmouthed even the Creator’s Sacred Grace.
“… Recommend going to us if they need to become a hero?”
Thud.
With her hand clenched tightly, she lightly punched her desk.
The more she thought about it, the more annoying it sounded. Even if that were the case, it was too much for them to post
it, knowing full well the British Royal Guild’s members could be watching. In the first place, they shouldn’t be treated as a
stepping stone.
“Young Radish Kimchi, Young Radish Kimchi…”
She opened the Hero Community site again and searched for a list of posts made by the ID ‘Young Radish Kimchi,’
thinking they might be a guild part-timer. However, upon a quick background check, she found out they were just an
ordinary academy graduate looking for a guild to join
As she closed it again silently, she remembered her schedule for tomorrow.
[Noon – Teacher Shin Yeohwa’s class]
..Oh.”
Master Shin Yeohwa’s spiritual class, which was held every two weeks.
She involuntarily became sullen.
Shin Yeohwa was the world’s best elemental swordsman. It was such an undoubtedly great opportunity for Rachel to learn
spiritual powers from her that it wouldn’t even have mattered if her teaching methods were more brutal than she thought.
The problem was the cost
The fee for a single class with her was £1.5 million. It was initially only £500,000, but it only took two years for her asking
price to triple.
*£36 million of the total annual government tax income is used to pay for Rachel’s education.’
She recalled a critically oriented article she had once read.
Fifty billion Korean Won was spent on her just so she could learn from the world’s best elemental swordsman.
Rachel thought deeply about the reason behind it.
The prime minister said her strength was the pride of the UK and that she should continue taking the class. However, even
if she became strong, she wouldn’t be enough to resolve the entire British problem. They’d need the entire guild to grow for
that.
Besides, though she had no intention of questioning her teacher’s qualities, she felt like Shin Yeohwa had been spending
more time on chatters and corporal punishment than actual lessons lately.
Rachel, trembling in exhaustion, looked at the picture frame on the other side of the office.
Cube’s graduation pictures.
“… What are you up to right now?”
She led an excruciatingly busy and boring daily life, but someone often came to mind to bring a bit of excitement to it. He
appeared with so much intensity and disappeared with so much mystery.
In the group pictures of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades, he could only be seen in the 1st-grade pictures, having suddenly dropped out after finishing his first year. What puzzled everyone even more was that he still left despite his significant rise in ranking and the many guilds’ attention he had attracted.
… Kim Hajin.
The events she went through with him were still as distant and unreal as a dream.
Rachel looked into the frame and recalled her days at Cube.
Competition and responsibility certainly did crush her during her three years of stay in it. Looking back now, however, it
was the most precious and unique time of her life since it allowed her to refine and train in the purest way.
She thought she was already an adult back then, but she was, in truth, just a mere child. Even now, she was still in the
process of becoming an adult.
‘Does this mean I’m suffering from the pains of growth right now?’
Rachel sighed and leaned against the backrest of her chair. Faint moonlight streamed through the cracks in the window
along with a cool breeze that enveloped her body
It had already been three years since she graduated from Cube.
There were many things she wanted to do, but there was so much more she needed to attend to. That forced her to keep
everything hidden deep within her.
Regardless, it didn’t seem to matter how hard she tried. She couldn’t do what she had to do anyway, resulting in a growing
pile of tasks she had to redo.
Just thinking about it drained her out.
Her impoverished will and determination to refuse to give up and her sapped patriotism and responsibility for being born
and raised as a princess of a country were all that kept her together.
Rachel closed her eyes silently, allowing the darkness to embrace her vision. Her neck and head found a comfortable
position on her office chair.
Light breaths soon passed through her lips. It was like listening to a child sleeping.
The British Royal Guild’s youngest vice-captain fell asleep.
Side Story, Dream Flower (2)
The next day, an emergency occurred at four in the morning.
According to the report Rachel received, a group of Yupi had appeared in the airspace of Essex, and golems had risen through the earth’s veins in Dagenham. Eleven other monsters also emerged in other provinces. Fortunately, the
heroes of the Base Guild were able to stop them.
As soon as she got the call, she grabbed Gallatin and called Windy the wind spirit, making her create updrafts. Following
the coordinates in her smartwatch, she flew like a hawk through the gusts.
She soon arrived in Dagenham, London, taking no more than three minutes to do so. However, that was long enough for
the giant golems to start digging up houses and roads.
RAT-A-TAT-A-TAT-A-TATAT
The resident troops fired magic bullets at them through their automatic rifles, but the golems were tricky monsters to deal
with because of their ability to recover and regenerate. They’d have to directly penetrate their cores if they desired to cause
them lasting and critical damage.
Rachel pulled out Gallatin, awakening the spirit of fire that resided in it.
-Gra!
Sensing the embers of her mana, her opponents turned their gaze towards her. She sprinted across the ground and
jumped right into the fray.
A golem swung its long arms against her, but her speed easily overwhelmed it.
Swoosh!
A single flash of light penetrated its heart. Gallatin’s silver flame burned it asunder.
-Gush…
With its core destroyed, it crumbled down like sand. Rachel jumped even higher, using the wreckage it left behind as a
stepping stone.
The Vision confirmed eight golems in total, which meant there were still many left for her to deal with. Nevertheless, all
her wake left of them were their remains scattered all over the place.
Crumbs of mud, sand, cement, and iron littered her vicinity, making it seem like a typhoon had swept through it. In the
middle of it all, Rachel wiped away the dust that had clung to her clothes.
“… British Royal Guild Vice-captain!”
The resident troops ran over to her and saluted. She nodded in return, showing no signs of fatigue.
“Provide me with a damage assessment report.”
Off-duty heroes arrived one by one as soon as she said that. Glancing at them, she altered her order.
“Report to them instead.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Rachel left immediately afterward, charging as fast as she could to Essex. It would still take her ten minutes to reach it even at her maximum speed, but she thought it shouldn’t be a problem. There was a high probability they wouldn’t evolve
even after 30 minutes anyway.
Just as she was about to summon Windy again, she received a strange report through her smartwatch.
[Essex’s Yupi group suppression completed.]
She tilted her head in confusion and soon called the person in charge of Essex. She didn’t stop heading towards it either,
thinking it might be an error.
When they answered the call, Rachel immediately asked, “Have they evolved?”
-Oh, no. We’ve taken care of them. It looks like you don’t have to come here anymore.
On the other end of the call was Sivert of the Layton Guild, a stronghold in southeastern England. His condescending tone
was certainly unpleasant.
Still skeptical about this entire ordeal, she continued pressing for answers.
“How can you subdue a group of Yupi in 10 minutes,”
-Haha, don’t worry about it.
Yupis were low-middle-class flying monsters.
A distant relative of the harpies, they looked like ordinary eagles but had a reputation for being difficult to deal with since
they were larger and more ferocious than most adult males. Besides, according to the report she received, an entire flock
appeared in Essex, which meant there had to be at least twelve of them.
The Layton Guild wasn’t capable of subduing them in an instant.
“Can I trust you?”
-Of course. We’ve suppressed them all, Princess. You should learn to believe in us more.
Rachel bit her lower lip.
“I’m pretty sure I’ve told you to correct the way you call me.”
-Oh- that’s right. I’m sorry. It’s been so long since I’ve had a suppression this quick, so I’m in a good mood. I’ll be more careful next time, British Royal Guild “Vice-Captain’!
“… Just send me the situation over there.”
-Sure. I’ll send it right now!
Sivert sent a video.
Indeed, as he said, Yupi corpses piled up on the footpath.
But their condition was strange. Their bodies and wings were pierced with so many holes they looked like honeycombs,
and white steam seemed to rise over their scars.
Her eyes narrowed at the video, but no matter how hard she looked at it, she couldn’t understand how it was possible.
Did they condense mana like a bullet and pour it out?
No, there was no way the Layton Guild had someone with that much talent.
Even if there were one, they’d still have no reason to launch such an ignorant and ineffective offensive. They didn’t have to
mash up the monsters completely. They could’ve just pierced their hearts.
Rachel murmured in a complaining manner as she watched.
“… How much is it all?”
Yupi feathers and claws were quite expensive, so they were priced at 3-4 million per corpse.
Among them, if they were in good condition or had horns, which bosses did, they could soar up to 1.5 billion won.
Their bodies didn’t have that many areas that could be used for leather since they all had holes in them, but upon
closer inspection, she noticed a huge Yupi among the bodies.
It was horned.
Rachel tapped on it, zooming in on its unique body part. With another tap, its market value appeared
One billion.
The twelve corpses alone were worth at least 200 million.
In the middle of the video, Sivert stood with a smirk and his thumbs up.
Since golems were almost of no value, she couldn’t help but feel envious.
“That’s not how that should be done!”
Shin Yeohwa’s screeching voice resounded sharply. At the same time, a sharp gust of wind scratched the back of Rachel’s
hand. Closing her eyes tightly, she endured the pain.
“Why don’t you keep doing it the way I tell you?!”
Her teacher frantically waved her hands as she yelled at her.
“Are you using me for your amusement now since you’ve grown a bit, huh?! Am I?!”
‘Move as you’re told.’
If she didn’t, that would mean she had violated the move.
The only mistakes she made were to stretch out her hand a little more than intended and move her feet a bit faster
than required while handling her spiritual energy
However, the moment Shin Yeohwa noticed it, she became as furious as a beast.
“I’m sorry.”
That was all Rachel could say. The back of her hand, slapped by Shin Yeohwa’s spiritual energy, felt hot.
Grinding her teeth, her teacher shouted. “I accepted you as a student even though you didn’t have any genealogy! Being
on the media doesn’t mean you have any worth!”
She bowed her head, choosing to keep her silence. Based on past experiences, whatever she said, she would consider it
an excuse
“Tsk. You need to know your place. I mean, girl. Don’t you know? Wherever I go, talking about you is embarrassing-“
Shin Yeowha pressed Rachel’s forehead with her finger. It pushed her back, but she countered it by moving in her
direction. She pushed her forehead again.
“Think about it- How can I boast that you, a vice guild leader of a shitty guild of a shitty country, is my disciple?”
Rachel bit down on her lower lip. Her heart was pounding. Shitty country, shitty guild. Those words dug up her roots.
“I-I mean because of you,” Yeohwa stuttered, noticing her reaction. “I have no face to show to my master. Master
Changwoon has a good relationship with the Korean president, and I used to be on the same level of status and reputation too… Sigh. Why did the spirits choose someone like you? Oh, that reminds me. You’re not doing that bullshit anymore, are
you?”
Clearly, by bullshit, she meant the concept of spirit swordsmanship.’
Rachel thought that spirits and swordsmanship could harmonize, but Shin Yeohwa emphasized only the purity of the spirits, preventing her from even attempting to incorporate them into swordsmanship.
“… Yes.”
“Tsk. I doubt it, but I can’t monitor you… Anyway, just keep repeating what you’ve been doing so you’ll be expelled faster. You do know that if that happens, you won’t be able to set foot in Korea anymore, right?”
Rachel remained quiet. Her teacher looked at her fiercely, then let out a long sigh.
“I don’t know what to do with you anymore. Anyway, I’ll cut today’s class here. Your attitude is so bad that I don’t even want
to continue. Do your homework. No, it doesn’t really matter to me if you don’t.”
That was all. Shin Yeohwa turned around, and Rachel took a deep breath without showing her face.
After her teacher left, she stayed in the hall for quite some time.
Her stomach hurt. Her bowels were rumbling. Raising her hand, she wiped her eyes as small teardrops came out of them.
Drip, drip, drip.
Blood dripped from the back of her hand, leaving red marks on the ground.
“Let me heal your wounds.”
An old butler came into her view.
He wrapped her right hand with a potion-soaked bandage. Her wound healed soon after, generating new flesh and skin on
At that moment, the door to the spirit room opened violently. An attendant swiftly entered afterward, calling out to them in
urgency
“This is terrible!”
“What’s going on?” When the butler asked worriedly, the attendant held out a paper the size of a leaflet. He handed it to
Rachel
[Do you remember that day 15 years ago, royal family? Or have you forgotten my name already…]
It was from Lancaster.