How To Use Regressors

54 – Part 7 of “Suspicious Commission”

Ultimately, we accepted the commission. We believed that if Yoon Yeon were to participate directly, there would be a nearly 100% chance of clearing the dungeon.

We didn’t know what kind of person Baheun was, but considering Yoon Yeon’s capability to potentially crush Sharis in combat, it seemed unlikely that a weaker individual like Baheun could handle Yoon Yeon and the members of the Shinhwa Clan alone.

Seo Yooju seemed to share the same thoughts as me, as she immediately accepted the commission as soon as Yoon Yeon’s name was mentioned by Youngae.

“… It’s hard to believe that the Clan Master of the Myth Clan is coming personally.”

I spoke up, but Seo Yooju seemed distracted by something. She seemed to be murmuring something quietly.

“No… No, it can’t be… no matter what… he’s coming because of Yoon Sung…”

“…?”

“… What the hell is going on? No, even earlier, what was that succubus thing?…”

“Yooju-ssi?”

“Oh… yes, yes. Yoon Sung-ssi…”

“… Are you okay?”

“Haha… yes. I’m just thinking for a moment…”

“Are you worried about the dungeon?”

“No. Since the Clan Master of the Myth Clan is participating… to be honest, I think the strategy itself will be very easy.”

‘… I’m sure.’

I can guarantee that whatever happens, whether it’s Baheon or whatever, Yoon Yeon’s punches will fly. Her abilities were truly on a whole other level.

“Since I didn’t really care, you don’t have to worry about it. Yoon Sung-ssi, on the other hand…”

“Yes, please continue.”

Seo Yujoo’s complexion darkened as she asked me.

“….. By any chance, do you like Miss Tierra?”

“Cough! Cough…!”

I hadn’t expected such a question, so I stammered in surprise.

“What… What are you talking about?”

I asked Seo Yujoo, but Gang Iseo answered me with a disapproving look from the side.

“Well, damn, it’s because you’re fucking that girl, isn’t it?”

“What, what?”

“Hey, what’s pouring out of your mouth? Damn it… Can I try imitating it once?”

Suddenly, Gang Iseo started imitating my voice with a disgusting expression.

“Tierra Yeongae. You look beautiful today as well. The clothes suit you very well.”

“……”

“Your hands… are very cold. You might catch a cold like this. It’s a fact that warm hands lead to a healthy body.”

‘….Damn.’

“Oh, your personality is very delicate. Thank you for your consideration, Miss.”

“That’s enough…”

“…Damn, do you understand now? Do you realize how screwed we are?”

What really sucked was the fact that I felt a sense of self-loathing as I heard Kang Isu imitate that.

We didn’t have much time, so I quickly patted Tiara Youngae’s shoulder, which seemed to provoke some resentment among the party members.

“Wow… I’ve never been wrong about my judgment. I was right when I said she looked really hot when we first met… sigh…”

Judging by the reactions of the others, it seemed like I was on my own.

“Seriously, it’s unfair.”

She was the first to snap at me. I had merely given her the reaction she wanted. Of course, there was some selfish calculation involved, but it was unfair.

“What’s ridiculous is that… that woman, isn’t there a stark contrast in the atmosphere when we talk about her and when you talk about her? If she wasn’t a noble lady, I would have flipped this place upside down.”

“…Well, honestly, I have to admit that.”

To be honest, our party members felt uncomfortable with her attitude. There was definitely a temperature difference when discussing matters related to the commission and when having a conversation with the others. Even more so in the case of Seo Yooju and Kang Isu. I didn’t know why, but when Youngae engaged in conversation with the two of them, her tone felt remarkably distant.

“Yoon Sung, you haven’t answered my question yet.”

‘Ah…’

I wasn’t stupid enough not to know what answer to give in the current situation.

“…It’s a misconception. Tierra lady is not my style. I only catered to her preferences.”

“Is that so?”

“The more I talked with her, the more I agreed with Yujoo and Kangiseo’s words. She didn’t seem like a good person.”

Originally, even Nara-nim cursed at her from behind. Now, not in front of her, but it was possible to curse at her in every way.

“She… seemed quite promiscuous. Honestly, it was embarrassing to have a conversation with her.”

“…Is that right? Well, well… then, what is Yoonseong’s preferred style?”

“…Excuse me?”

‘My preferred style…’

To be honest, I don’t really know either. When I was on Earth… I was very busy, so I don’t really know. No, it’s just a relief to be busy… I was busy struggling to survive, so I still don’t really know my ideal type.

“…I don’t know either.”

“Come on, where’s the ‘I don’t know’?”

“Damn, isn’t saying ‘I don’t know’ just a bunch of crap, honestly?”

“Well… maybe it’s not the same as everyone else’s preferences. Well, as long as she’s pretty and has a good personality, it should be fine.”

Judging by their reactions, it didn’t seem like my answer was particularly well-received.

‘Damn… What can I do if I don’t know either?’

Haeun interrupted their awkward conversation by speaking up from the side.

“Uh, by the way, when are we starting the conquest?”

“We’ll probably start within three days. The people from the Myth Clan said they will arrive within two days.”

“Is that so…”

******

After two days, the members of the Myth Clan arrived at the mansion. It seemed like Yunyeon and a party had come.

“Well, with Yunyeon here, one party should be enough. Anything more would be excessive.”

One curious question was how Tiera Youngae managed to call the master of a large clan.

“…The mansion must be overflowing with money.”

The cost of calling her must not be cheap. Calling the master of a large clan would be quite expensive.

As Yunyeon and her subordinates entered the mansion, they came face to face with our party.

“Yoon Seong-kyung… no, you’re not a student anymore? And Seo Yujoo? Anyways, it’s been a while.”

“…Nice to meet you, Myth Clan Master.”

I greeted her. I didn’t expect to meet her again so soon, but it definitely felt different meeting outside of the training center.

“I heard the story. It was circulating as a rumor recently, you know? That you conquered a rare grade dungeon right after leaving the training center. And not only that, but you made great achievements.”

“… It’s not an exaggeration, is it?”

“Phew… You’re still as cautious as ever. Can’t you be a bit more confident? Inflating your own achievements isn’t good, but being excessively humble is also a problem.”

“… I’ll keep that in mind.”

When I met her outside the training center, I couldn’t help but feel the reality of her imposing presence and the fact that she was the leader of a clan. My body trembled.

“You’re too tense. Relax a bit. After all, we’re going to conquer the dungeon together.”

“… It’s not as easy as it sounds. It feels different from what I saw at the training center.”

“Ah, I understand. Anyway, how’s Seo Yoo-joo? I heard she’s been quite active lately. She just graduated from the training center, but she’s already making a name for herself.”

“Thank you for the compliment, Clan Master of the Shinwa Clan.”

“Anyway… I need to have a conversation with the client, so I’ll be going now.”

“Yes, Clan Master of the Shinwa Clan. Well then…”

It felt like a storm had passed.

“Phew…”

“Should we go to our rooms for now? Since the Shinwa Clan members are here today, we’ll probably set out for the dungeon tomorrow.”

“Yes, Yoo-joo. That sounds like a good idea.”

And so, a day passed, and everyone gathered in front of the mansion, fully prepared to embark on the dungeon expedition with the members of the Shinwa Clan.

Seo Yooju spoke to Yoon Yeon, “Then… shall we depart? As far as our party knows the location of the dungeon, we will lead and guide.”

“That’s right, Seo Yooju. We will follow from behind.”

Although Yoon Yeon is the master of a clan, we are members of a different clan, so we are under no obligation to follow her orders. We act as an independent party on this mission.

Of course, that’s just in theory. It’s better to respect her opinions as she has a lot of experience.

Yoon Yeon also did not insist that our party be respected.

If we were to understand her thoughts, it felt like she wanted to test how familiar we have become with this place, like little chicks.

As our achievements were written in the promotional journal, it seemed like she wanted to see how we lead the strategy.

After examining the status windows of her clan members, everyone seemed to be first-year newcomers except for one person. This was because the abilities of the first-year members of Hwasin Clan were similar.

Perhaps she accepted this mission to give the first-year clan members some experience.

While heading towards the dungeon, we encountered some undead beings, but they showed no movement towards our Shinwa Clan. It seemed like Yoon Yeon had already warned her clan members.

‘…Is she trying to give us some experience?’

Since they are first-year members, dealing with such low-level undead creatures would be of little help to them. Perhaps our party, being zero-year members, felt a sense of concession towards us.

“Mr. Howon! Please take care of the two creatures on the left!”

“Understood…!”

The strange thing was that there were more undead than the previous time.

Kang also noticed the oddity and spoke while shooting arrows.

“Hey, what’s going on? It feels like there are more of them than last time. Am I mistaken?”

“No, you’re right. It’s definitely more. They’re all ghouls, though…”

Soon after the battle ended, while everyone was regrouping, Yoon Yeon approached and asked.

“Hmm… This is a bit different from what I’ve heard. Were there usually this many undead? I heard that in the forest, they usually appear in pairs or threes.”

To her inquiry, Seo Yooju replied.

“No, it’s strange. Normally… the numbers were significantly fewer.”

“Is that so? Hm…”

“For now, let’s continue with the briefing.”

As they continued the briefing, more ghouls appeared. The frequency of their appearances was certainly higher than last time.

This time, there were so many of them that members of the Shinwa Clan also joined the fight.

Shout –

“Keeeeeeek!”

Thud!

Sounds of things being slashed and the activation of magic were heard here and there, and the battle was starting to wind down.

“… Compared to the first year of the Divine Clan, there’s almost no difference.”

There was hardly any difference compared to the three major clans of the Divine Clan. If anything, they felt even more agile.

“… The Myth Clan might not be one of the three major clans, but… at this level, it practically seems no different from them.”

Although to the eyes of a newcomer, how much could they really see? At least in my eyes, there seemed to be no significant difference between the three major clans and the Myth Clan.

Of course, I haven’t seen senior members of the Myth Clan, so I can’t be certain, but where the source is clear, there’s no reason the downstream shouldn’t be clear.

“Are they hiding their power?”

A reasonably plausible guess.

From what I observed of the Myth Clan, it seemed they lacked nothing in comparison to the other three major clans, yet their recognition didn’t seem as high as I had thought.

The general perception of the Myth Clan people seemed to be just about average among the major clans.

“That’s preposterous.”

If you were to witness their current battle and Yun Yeon’s abilities, it’s not something you could easily dismiss.

Lost in thought while moving, I found myself at the entrance to that cave I had discovered earlier.

The only difference from before was the increased number of those ominous decorations around the cave.

“…This is the place.”