NOVEL NEXT Chapter 173
Chapter 173: The New Member
As I opened the door and stepped into the Yangji Guild Office, the guild members stood up as usual to greet Si-hyun.
However, they soon noticed the girl next to Si-hyun and exchanged curious looks.
“Hello, uncles!”
Before Si-hyun could say a word, To-ya waved and greeted them first.
The guild members received her greeting with slightly awkward expressions.
Since they were unsure of her relationship with Si-hyun, they didn’t know how to respond.
“Who… is she?”
Dong-il scratched the back of his head, representing the guild members as he asked.
“Say hi. This is our new guild member, To-ya.”
“Eh…?”
The guild members’ eyes widened in disbelief. She seemed far too young to be participating in guild activities.
Si-hyun understood their reactions; he was still unsure if this was the right thing to do himself.
“…Um, Section Chief.”
Mujik raised his hand.
“Yeah, what is it?”
“How old is she…?”
Mujik asked with an uncertain expression.
Not all Awakened Beings automatically qualified to participate in guild activities.
In South Korea, the legal working age is 15 years old.
The guild wasn’t any different. In fact, since it involved dangerous tasks, stricter standards had to be upheld.
Yet, the girl Si-hyun had brought along clearly did not look at least 15 years old.
“12 years old.”
To-ya answered.
Hearing her response, the guild members looked at Si-hyun with expressions that screamed “I knew it!”
“At 12 years old… you can’t even get a work permit….”
Mujik trailed off with a troubled expression.
After the scandal with the ex-convict, only three ordinary guild members remained.
So, it was easy to understand Si-hyun’s eagerness to recruit new members.
Mujik himself would have tried to grab any opportunity that came his way.
However, hiring a minor while breaking the law could easily tarnish the hard-won image they had barely salvaged.
“I get why you’re worried, but just relax. I don’t plan to officially make To-ya a guild member, and naturally, I won’t let her participate in raids either. We’ll just consider her a member in spirit.”
Si-hyun said nonchalantly, as if there were nothing to fret about.
“…”
A member in spirit? The guild members stared at him, dumbfounded.
“Anyway, she isn’t an official member, but To-ya will be supporting the guild members in various ways from behind the scenes.”
“Nice to meet you!”
To-ya bowed her head and, perhaps feeling tired, approached the sofa and sat down next to a rather fierce-looking guild member without hesitation.
The guild member flinched a bit and shifted slightly to the left.
The atmosphere was still a bit awkward.
While they thought Si-hyun must have brought her for a good reason, her age left them doubtful.
“Um… she is an Awakened Being, right, Section Chief?”
Dong-il asked, glancing at To-ya.
“A-Class.”
To-ya announced proudly, lifting her chin.
But instead of coming off as arrogant, it simply appeared cute.
“A…?”
Hearing her claim, the guild members looked at Si-hyun with skeptical expressions as if seeking confirmation.
Si-hyun chuckled and nodded.
“Whoa…?”
“…She really is A-Class?”
“Wow….”
Everyone stared at To-ya in awe.
Such reactions were expected.
A-Class members were hard to come by, even on a guild level.
Yet here was Si-hyun, casually bringing one in.
“Not to mention, she’s a Sage too.”
Si-hyun added as an afterthought.
“…A Sage?”
“Wow, I’ve never seen one in person.”
The guild members were taken aback, looking at To-ya with renewed respect.
It was common knowledge among seasoned hunters that Sages were an incredibly rare profession.
Rumors spread that even the most powerful countries were eager to find one, with fewer than ten Sages known worldwide.
They were on a whole different level compared to regular professions.
To-ya seemed to enjoy the attention, clearing her throat and shrugging her shoulders.
“I’ve got to work now.”
Seeming to have felt the wind hit her, she stood up from the sofa and started wandering around the office.
Occasionally, she’d stop and glance around, as if checking something out.
Si-hyun and the guild members watched her with curious eyes, equally clueless about her abilities.
Thud.
Suddenly, she flung open the Guild Leader’s room door.
The Guild Leader, Cheol-hyung, was currently out for an external meeting.
To-ya examined the room, and after a moment, nodded as if she’d found the perfect spot.
“This place will do.”
“What will?”
Si-hyun, who had approached without realizing it, asked.
Other guild members had gathered behind him, looking equally curious.
“I’m going to draw a magic circle.”
To-ya replied, pulling out chalk from her pocket.
“A magic circle? What kind?”
“A teleportation magic circle.”
“Teleport…?”
It hit Si-hyun then that both William and To-ya had teleported to Daeijakdo and then off again.
“But isn’t that a one-time use?”
Si-hyun questioned, puzzled.
“I’ll draw a semi-permanent magic circle, not a one-time use.”
“Can you really do that?”
“Of course. All you need is a Magic Stone.”
To-ya shrugged casually.
“Teleportation, huh….”
“Wow….”
The guild members behind them gasped in awe.
Teleportation was a dream magic, nearly unattainable for average hunters.
Only Great Sorcerers of E-Class or higher could wield such magic, making it all the more special.
The idea that ordinary hunters would ever raid with an S-Class Great Sorcerer seemed impossible.
And now, here was To-ya, about to set up a teleportation magic circle, leaving everyone amazed once more.
“Please hand me a Magic Stone, Guard.”
To-ya extended her hand.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Is it… hot in here?”
One guild member scratched his cheek and spoke up discreetly.
They were all watching.
To-ya, who was sweating buckets while drawing the magic circle.
As she bent over with chalk, sweat dripped onto the floor.
“Hey, what are you doing? Turn on the air conditioning already!”
Dong-il prompted impatiently.
Hearing this, the youngest guild member dashed to turn on the air conditioning in the Guild Leader’s room.
“Uh… it’s time to refill the water cooler.”
One guild member glanced toward the water cooler and stood up.
They couldn’t just sit idly by while such a young girl was laboring under the heat, which felt somewhat embarrassing.
To-ya was emitting a lot of energy in her tireless effort.
“….”
Si-hyun, watching from behind, didn’t speak to her.
It was clear that interrupting would be inappropriate.
‘So this is how it’s done.’
The untapped Magic Stones of the guild were amidst the magic circle.
If a one-time magic circle uses the caster’s magic power, then a semi-permanent magic circle seemingly relies on the power contained within Magic Stones.
Therefore, as long as the Magic Stones were replaced properly, it appeared they could be used indefinitely.
So, Si-hyun thoughtfully handed To-ya a high-quality Magic Stone.
The more magic power a stone contained, the longer its effects would last.
“It’s done….”
After a brief moment, To-ya wiped the sweat from her brow and spoke wearily.
“Ooh!”
“Great job!”
“Now, please take a good rest!”
The guild members applauded and cheered for To-ya.
They couldn’t bring themselves to speak casually to her.
They had overheard Si-hyun sometimes refer to her as Sage-nim.
Besides, the aura of an A-Class Sage made them reluctant to engage casually.
“Here’s some water.”
Si-hyun handed To-ya a cool glass of water that he had prepared without them noticing.
“Thanks.”
To-ya drank the cold water thirstily.
“But where does this lead to, Sage-nim?”
Si-hyun finally asked the question he had been wanting to since earlier but held back out of concern for interrupting her work.
“To the Guard’s house.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s go. Grab the Magic Stones.”
“What do you mean?”
“If we only create one here, it will only work in one direction. To construct a bidirectional teleportation magic circle, we need to create the same thing at the other end too.”
“Then wouldn’t it have been better to make it at home first?”
“I didn’t know the exact coordinates of where to draw the magic circle here at that time. Plus, we didn’t have the Magic Stones.”
“Oh, right.”
“Then let’s go right away, Guard. Stand on here. The activation word is just GO. In English, GO.”
◈ ◈ ◈
“Oh, you’re here!”
One guild member shouted upon seeing the teleportation circle start to shimmer.
As predicted, Si-hyun and To-ya appeared from the magic circle.
“Wow!”
“That’s impressive!”
“Congratulations!”
Clap, clap, clap!
The guild members showered them with applause.
To-ya’s head was raised high, almost unavoidably.
She seemed very satisfied.
“This is truly amazing.”
Si-hyun remarked.
In fact, the word “amazing” didn’t quite capture it.
Now, if anything happened in the guild, Si-hyun could instantly teleport back within seconds.
Conversely, if something occurred on Ganghwa Island where Si-hyun was, the guild members could arrive in an instant.
They were leaping over the constraints of space and time.
Just the fact that they wouldn’t have to hassle with driving to the guild on weekends felt overwhelmingly pleasant.
“So, using this, can we teleport to your house, Section Chief?”
Dong-il asked, still in disbelief.
“That’s right. If you step on here and just shout GO, you’ll end up in our living room.”
“Wow, that’s amazing.”
Dong-il exclaimed in admiration.
Overnight, a teleportation magic circle had appeared that didn’t even exist in any major guilds.
If this had happened a few months ago, while they were desperately trying to recruit new guild members, it could have been the perfect advertisement.
“Let’s keep this a secret between us.”
Si-hyun said.
In a sense, this could be the Yangji Guild’s hidden passage and emergency strategy.
While unlikely to happen, if the guild found themselves in a life-threatening situation, they could escape to Ganghwa Island through this means.
The reverse applied as well.
If he found himself in danger near his home, he could instantly retreat to the guild.
Unless the enemy knew the activation word, it was pointless for them to chase.
“Um, Sage-nim.”
Mujik suddenly spoke up towards To-ya.
“What is it, uncle?”
“How far can you teleport with that magic circle? Can it reach foreign countries?”
All eyes filled with curiosity turned towards To-ya.
“Foreign countries? Of course. I can even teleport to Antarctica.”
“Huh…”
“What? Antarctica?!”
Everyone was taken aback.
They had assumed there would be a limit to the distance, but this was not the case.
If she could teleport to Antarctica, it meant she could go anywhere on Earth.
The idea of leaving the country without a plane was hard to believe.
“Isn’t that impressive? William said that only a handful of people can draw teleportation magic circles, even among Great Sorcerers.”
To-ya shrugged her shoulders adorably, seemingly pleased with the recognition.
Having spent most of her time with William, she most likely hadn’t had a chance to feel this way before.
She continued, “Why? Where do you want to go? Just say it, and I’ll draw it for you.”
“No… that’s not what I meant. I was just curious….”
“Let’s go on an overseas trip, just for fun.”
Dong-il chimed in.
Mujik looked at him with a strange expression.
“Hey, what kind of trouble are you going to get into doing that?”
Only a very select few could use teleportation, so there were no related laws in some countries.
Even if there were laws, it would be evident that the one using it would be an S-Class Great Sorcerer, making it nearly impossible to enforce any penalties.
However, if a bunch of average guild members were caught using teleportation without going through immigration, no nation would let it slide.
“Haha, I was just joking.”
Dong-il laughed and added.
“Anyway, we genuinely welcome you, Sage-nim, as a guild member.”
In less than a day, she had already become ‘our Sage-nim.’
The other guild members seemed to share this sentiment, cheering as well.
To-ya shyly turned her gaze upward, slightly embarrassed.
“Since it’s been a while since one of our guild members was added, let’s have a sweet and sour pork party!”
Dong-il raised his hand high, excitedly.
The other guild members cheered and laughed in agreement.
“…Sweet and sour pork? Is it delicious?”
To-ya’s eyes widened in curiosity, not knowing what it was.
“It’s delicious.”
Dong-il gave her a thumbs up.
Si-hyun watched his guild members with a small smile.
He had worried about the age gap, but luckily, it seemed like they would get along just fine.
His heart felt at ease.
“Since we’re at it, let’s head to my house.”
At Si-hyun’s suggestion, the guild members cheered out loud.
“Oh, Section Chief!”
“Finally, we get to have a housewarming party at the Section Chief’s place?”
“That’s awesome, Section Chief!”
“Let’s go, let’s go.”
With a smile on his face, Si-hyun moved toward the spot where the magic circle was located.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Delicious, sweet and sour pork.”
To-ya sprawled across the living room floor, rubbing her full belly.
Si-hyun looked at her with a proud uncle smile.
“Sage-nim, you really do eat anything well.”
“Eating is the happiest thing.”
To-ya stretched as she spoke.
“I’ll cover the meal again tomorrow.”
“Um, sure.”
“I need to set up a barrier.”
“Huh?”
“If I cast a barrier, I can block just about any attack magic.”
“…We’re not at a front line of a battlefield, you know? We don’t need that.”
Si-hyun responded with an incredulous look.
“….”
“….”
“….”
“….”
“…Just do it already, whatever.”
“Okay, I will. Right here too.”
To-ya pointed at Si-hyun’s house, declaring her intentions.