Chapter 17
Ryu Jisoo listened again as I repeated information she likely already knew. Maybe she felt bad for doubting me, because she lowered her head and mumbled, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. Then can I take it that you’ll join the guild I’m forming?”
“Yes. That’s what we discussed. I’ll truly give it my all.”
When she lifted her head again, her eyes sparkled. In the story, she only ended up leaning to the wrong side because of bad circumstances—at heart, she was a good sister and a loyal person. Even if she’d used underhanded methods, I was pleased to gain such a reliable ally.
“That sounds like pretty light loyalty.”
Until Kang Kwon-hoo cut in.
“…What?”
Ryu Jisoo blinked at the sudden jab.
“You’re pledging full loyalty just because you got one thing you wanted? If another guild approached you with something else you liked, would you react the same way? As a fellow member, that worries me.”
He sure talked a good game for someone who could betray me himself. Ryu Jisoo flushed, clearly feeling insulted.
“I don’t do this with just anyone.”
“You never know.”
Why was Kang Kwon-hoo picking a fight with someone he’d just met? He had the charm to win anyone over easily, so I couldn’t understand why he’d act like this.
Should I step in?
I hesitated for a moment, then a loud vibration broke the tension.
“Excuse me.”
Grateful for the excuse to step away, I tried not to show my relief as I stood to answer the call. It was Kim Jun.
“Hello?”
— Hyung, it’s Kim Jun. Is now a good time to call?
His careful tone, like a kid who’d just learned phone etiquette, was endearing.
“Sure, it’s fine.”
— I’ve really thought this through, so please trust me. I really want to join your guild. If I’m not strong enough yet, I’ll train hard until you’ll accept me.
I couldn’t help laughing at his rush of words.
“Alright, I understand.”
Since things were moving, I decided to strike while the iron was hot and finish today’s first quest. Our guild might be a ticking time bomb, but if it became risky, I could always let Kim Jun leave quickly.
“I’ll send you the address. Want to come now? If you’re busy, it’s fine to wait.”
— No! I’ll be there—please wait for me, hyung!
By the time I texted him the address and came back, Ryu Jisoo and Kang Kwon-hoo were still locked in subtle tension.
“If you’re the person I think you are, you’re fairly famous. So why join a tiny guild that’s just starting out?”
“Who knows.”
Kang Kwon-hoo, who had been provoking Ryu Jisoo while I was around, now acted like he didn’t care at all. Why even bother coming, then? The two of them were striking enough that they looked picturesque from afar, but I wasn’t clueless enough to say that out loud.
Come to think of it, didn’t Kang Kwon-hoo seem interested in her before? Now he’s not at all. Maybe he hasn’t realized she has the Descendant of Giants skill? He might regret it later—Ryu Jisoo will grow into a player too valuable to throw away, even for someone like him.
I pretended not to notice their conversation and quickly threw out a new topic.
“If you both have time, I’d like to finish the guild registration today. Another member is on the way.”
“Fast is good,” Kang Kwon-hoo said.
“I’m fine with that too,” Ryu Jisoo replied.
She looked eager to get a potion to her younger sibling, but maybe didn’t want to lose to Kang Kwon-hoo, so she answered as if in competition.
“Let’s head to the nearest guild office, then.”
About ten minutes after we arrived, Kim Jun showed up sweating. Ryu Jisoo looked startled to see such a young student. There were plenty of young hunters, but she’d lived as an ordinary civilian long enough that it still felt odd to her.
Since Kim Jun just awakened, he can probably take a month off school.
That was the adaptation period. Many people finished it and then dropped out to become hunters full-time.
“Are the four of you registering a new guild together?” the clerk asked, seeing us gathered.
“Yes.”
“Then please fill out this form and stamp your fingerprint next to your name.”
The form was simple:
Guild Registration
Guild Name: Chronos
Guild Leader: Baek Woo-jin
Members: Kang Kwon-hoo, Kim Jun, Ryu Jisoo
Guild Location:
If there’s no specific address, use the guild leader’s residence.
Naturally, we had no dedicated space yet, so I started to write my home address—then paused.
Is it okay, when I don’t live alone?
One of the guild members was someone my housemate absolutely disliked. Watching me fill out the form, Ryu Jisoo spoke up.
“Why that guild name?”
“I just found it while flipping through a book yesterday. Don’t like it?”
“It sounds a bit like something a pretentious teenager would pick.”
Her bluntness hit me hard. I’d always mocked Baek Woo-jin for having a middle-schooler’s taste, but maybe I’d picked up that vibe myself.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have decided on my own. They close at 4:30, so I didn’t have much time to think.”
Coming up with a unique name not already taken in this area would’ve taken too long.
“Well… now that I think about it, it’s not bad,” she said, clearly just trying to comfort me. Ryu Jisoo wasn’t good at lying.
“I think it’s a really cool name, hyung!” Kim Jun added.
But being praised by a current student only made “Chronos” feel more like a showy choice.
“It doesn’t really matter what it’s called. If setting a location is hard, you can use my address. You can change it anytime, so if you like, I’ll lend it to you,” Kang Kwon-hoo offered, surprisingly unconcerned about the name.
Does he think I’m hiding some enormous secret?
I only wanted to survive and live a normal life in this game-like world. He might be disappointed when he finds out the truth.
He might even kill me when that day comes.
Resolving again to keep my identity hidden, I slid the form to him.
“Thanks. That would help.”
He took the pen, finished the paperwork, and submitted it. At the same time, my interface chimed with a notification of quest success.
“Shall we call it a day? I’ll take Jun home,” I said as we received our temporary guild certificates.
Ryu Jisoo, eager to see her sibling, nodded right away. Kang Kwon-hoo glanced at his watch and agreed.
It had been a long day.
After dropping Kim Jun off, I finally got home completely drained. When I opened the door, the cat I’d left in the room was somehow waiting for me at the entrance.
“Did you open the door yourself?”
Meow.
His thick tail stood stiff toward me while his body faced away—clearly miffed I’d been out so long.
“Shall we eat?”
At the word “eat,” the cat turned his head to give me a look, then trotted off toward the kitchen, his quick steps betraying his softening mood.
Ugh, there’s not much food in the fridge. I should’ve bought something.
Worried, I opened the fridge—and stopped. Unlike yesterday, it was packed with side dishes and ingredients. Delighted, I was about to start taking things out when I froze.
Wait. Who stocked the fridge?
I hadn’t bought anything, and there was only one other person living here. Of course—it was Baek So-hyuk. But eating food someone else bought without asking didn’t feel right.
…Could everything I’ve eaten so far have been his?
A headache throbbed at the thought. He must have been speechless that I’d been eating food he bought while tossing sharp words at him.
And he still put up with it.
Probably just because he didn’t want to argue. If it were me, I would’ve said something—what a saint.
“Hey kitty, let’s order delivery.”
Expecting food to appear immediately, the cat meowed plaintively when I emerged empty-handed. Feeling guilty, I ordered a fish-inclusive lunchbox on the app, adding a note to hold the salt.
“Just wait a little. Something tasty’s coming soon.”
After a while the cat gave up crying and lay down beside me on the sofa, still muttering softly, clearly not entirely appeased.
