NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9
Chapter 9: Comedy
A few days after the Sweet Fun Guild began training.
Kim Si-hu received a message from the Hero Department while resting with Yoo Ji-han.
It was a message stating that the review for the MA entry he had applied for was complete.
[You have passed the review.]
Of course, the result was a pass.
With the party’s numbers increasing and a recommendation letter submitted, there was no way it could have been rejected.
“Finally!”
Seeing the message on his mobile phone, Kim Si-hu covered his mouth with one hand in awe.
It had already been over two months since he knocked on the door of the MA after establishing the guild by himself, but he had always faced rejection each time.
Recently, heroes were saying it was a “threshold cut.”
He was thrown out before he even got to step over the threshold.
But that was not the case anymore.
Once you pass the review, the party is not subject to restrictions on MA entry as long as it doesn’t exceed the rank.
“This message, I’m going to keep it forever!”
Kim Si-hu saved the message from the Hero Department in his storage.
He thought that if he saw this message in the future, he could reminisce about the overwhelming feelings he had as a newbie.
“Oh, what should we do? Should I pack a lunch before going to MA?”
“Are you planning to go for a walk?”
“When I was at the academy, I packed gimbap.”
Yoo Ji-han made a genuinely bewildered expression.
“You ate there?”
“It was delicious. A real sweet taste.”
“……”
Recalling the gimbap he had eaten back then, Kim Si-hu smacked his lips.
Yoo Ji-han thought of him as a child excited before going to an amusement park or taking a stroll.
Someone who was looking forward to the MA filled with monsters, blood, and guts.
Anyone overhearing would be astonished.
‘Well, I guess he has a reason for it.’
Thinking about the stress Kim Si-hu must have felt due to the review, Yoo Ji-han understood him.
“This is all thanks to you, brother!”
“It’s more because of my previous guild mates. I should thank them separately.”
“If you plan to visit them later, please take me along. … So, when are we going to enter MA?”
Kim Si-hu’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Yoo Ji-han.
A strong desire shone in his gaze.
He looked as though he would grab his gear and rush to MA even if he had to go alone.
Yoo Ji-han chuckled and said, “When do you want to go?”
“I want to go right this second!”
“Then there’s no reason to delay. Pack your equipment!”
“Yes!”
*
Dressed in personal equipment, Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu headed to the Rank 5 MA in Bucheon.
However, just before departure, they faced one problem.
The lack of transportation.
“I don’t have a car.”
“I don’t even have a license.”
“……”
“……”
The two stared at each other with blank expressions.
Since Yoo Ji-han had always taken the guild-provided cars while at Keroes, he had no personal vehicle.
But Sweet Fun, who had not yet gained entry to the MA, had no such cars ready.
Moreover, Kim Si-hu had never even bothered to get a license.
Faced with this unexpected issue, Yoo Ji-han scratched his head and said, “Well, then we have to use public transport.”
“That’s the benefit of Korea.”
“We’ll have to send the monster carcasses to an external place for a while.”
Eventually, they boarded the subway, wearing their combat gear.
Weapons that were too large or imposing, like axes, could make it difficult to use public transport, but that wasn’t an issue for them, wielding only a sword and a small staff.
During their trip, some people recognized them as heroes from their outfits, which were quite different from regular clothing.
‘Are those guys heroes?’
‘They are going to earn a lot, but they’re taking the subway.’
‘What cheapskates!’
‘I should secretly take a picture and post it online.’
However, since they were unknown heroes, no one approached to talk to them.
Except for well-known heroes, it was rare for strangers to rush over excitedly.
‘It’s nice to be quiet.’
Not wanting the surrounding area to become crowded, Yoo Ji-han felt relieved.
After arriving at Bucheon Station, they hailed a taxi.
As they relayed their destination to the taxi driver, he pressed the accelerator and said,
“You must be heroes, right?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Those monsters look really scary, but you do great work.”
“Haha… Thank you.”
As the taxi driver engaged in conversation, they soon arrived near the MA.
People in suits were visible, controlling the area.
The Taegeuk badge on their chests and the sky blue badge symbolized the government and the Hero Department, respectively.
‘Still struggling, huh.’
The MA was set wider than the actual area where monsters were found.
Monsters might be lurking somewhere hard to find.
Controlling such a large area required a considerable number of personnel.
Moreover, since all shops, offices, and homes in the MA could not be used during the control period, the Hero Department was responsible for all damage management.
‘I heard the Hero Department’s work is incredibly tough.’
Knowing the effort involved, even those who held grievances about the strict rules and reviews the Hero Department required of heroes wouldn’t treat them poorly.
After getting out of the taxi, they approached the area where people were being controlled.
“Please stop for a moment! Are you heroes?”
“We’re from the Sweet Fun Guild.”
“Please wait a moment.”
A man in a suit quickly tapped on his mobile phone screen.
The application used on-site had a feature that allowed for quick access to guild information registered with the Hero Department.
“Guild Master and Party Leader Kim Si-hu, and party member Yoo Ji-han, is that correct?”
“Yes.”
The man’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked down at his phone.
The MA entry record for Sweet Fun was entirely empty.
“According to the records… Is this your first entry into the MA?”
“That’s correct.”
“Please be careful, and good luck.”
After completing all verification procedures, the man stepped aside to let them pass.
Yoo Ji-han nodded slightly to him and moved forward.
Kim Si-hu whispered from beside him, “I thought we were going to get denied entry.”
“You have nothing to be scared of now. Stand tall.”
[Restricted Area]
[Heroes Only: No Entry]
Upon entering, they saw posters with warnings and small groups of people.
All of them were heroes wearing combat gear, not casual clothing.
Some were having serious discussions with their party members, while others were smiling brightly and joking with those nearby.
As each party pursued a different atmosphere, they could see a variety of scenes.
“Ohhh…!”
Seeing the expected MA scene, Kim Si-hu let out a small exclamation.
Yoo Ji-han stopped in his tracks and looked around.
There was already a party resting nearby after their hunt.
The opaque bundles placed at their feet held the carcasses of the monsters they had hunted.
When folded, they became quite compact, so Yoo Ji-han had a few himself.
‘As expected, everyone has a lot of members.’
Typically, hero parties operated with the minimum number of members possible to maximize synergy among them, and in larger battles, two or more parties often collaborated.
Just as the saying goes, “Too many cooks spoil the broth,” concentrating too many members in one party can lead to confusion in battle.
In reality, high-ranking parties usually maintained around 4-5 members at most.
However, things were a bit different for a Rank 5 party like theirs.
For inexperienced heroes, it was not uncommon to cram a considerable number of members into a single party for safety.
In Yoo Ji-han’s view, the visible party had a minimum of five members and even up to twelve in some cases.
‘We are the smallest.’
With only two members, the Sweet Fun Guild was the party with the fewest members there.
Moreover, there was something that bothered him.
‘These Rank 5 heroes are well-equipped.’
He gazed at a young male hero clad in shiny silver armor.
It was pristine armor with not a single scratch or smudge on it.
Judging by the logo emblazoned on the back, it was undoubtedly from “Raiku,” a recognized brand among manufacturers of hero equipment in Japan.
It seemed quite expensive for a Rank 5 hero, suggesting that he likely received support from a pretty good guild.
‘Compared to that…’
Yoo Ji-han looked at his own light armor.
Made from the hide of a certain monster, the armor was old and worn, with noticeable nicks and scratches.
He had bought it from an old workshop long ago, and it had a good cost-performance ratio.
He had returned all the equipment he used that had been purchased with Keroes’s budget when he resigned.
Before coming to the MA, he could have bought other personal equipment, but within his tight budget, not much surpassed this tattered light armor.
‘Sihyu is similar to me.’
Kim Si-hu’s mage gear had no visible tears, but it was also a cheap item.
He owned a staff artifact that exceeded standard weapons, but even the staff looked plain.
In summary, they looked like a small guild that clearly had a lack of funds.
The slightly stinging gazes they felt were likely due to that.
“Let’s get inside.”
“Yes.”
Yoo Ji-han hurried his steps along with Kim Si-hu.
Standing still was just going to make them a spectacle.
But just then.
“Hey, you two!”
“……?”
Hearing a shout from somewhere, Yoo Ji-han stopped in his tracks.
If someone were calling “you two,” it could only mean one particular party.
Turning his head towards the source of the voice, he saw a man with a sword walking toward him.
He looked to be in his thirties or forties and was smiling, but to Yoo Ji-han, it looked more like a sneer.
As he approached, he directed his words towards the most vulnerable-looking Kim Si-hu.
“What are you guys? Is your party just two people?”
“Yes. It’s two of us.”
“You’re only two trying to enter the MA?”
“……So? Is that a problem?”
“There isn’t a rule against it, but isn’t it a bit dangerous with just the two of you?”
The man shrugged his shoulders.
Behind the apparent party leader were about eight more members hanging back.
“I’m sure you know, but if a party that enters the MA goes missing or dies, the other parties on site have to go look for them. It’s quite a nuisance.”
“We won’t die, so don’t worry.”
“No one can guarantee that.”
As the man scanned Kim Si-hu and Yoo Ji-han from top to bottom, Kim Si-hu furrowed his brow.
It really bothered him that a stranger was talking about death nonchalantly.
Although it was somewhat common for Rank 5 parties to die during the MA, dismissing them just based on numbers was ridiculous.
“Why not just pick up a few more party members and come back?”
“No thanks.”
“You’ll regret it later! I’m telling you not to venture too deep!”
The man laughed and returned to his party.
Kim Si-hu turned abruptly, feeling irritated, and walked alongside Yoo Ji-han again.
“What a nosey guy.”
“Cough. It feels like those types tend to die early.”
Yoo Ji-han’s lips twitched again.
He was trying hard to suppress the laughter bubbling up.
‘Who is giving advice to whom?’
No matter how you look at it, Yoo Ji-han was a hero who had participated in a Rank 2 MA.
And yet, he was receiving advice from a hero who had been stuck in Rank 5 for over thirty years…
If people who understood the situation heard this, it would be quite the comedy.