Chapter 20
The atmosphere turned cold in an instant. Even the cat that had been sitting quietly on my lap bristled and hissed at Kang Kwon-hoo. Everyone except him was seized by the fear that someone might actually be imprisoned in this house.
“It’s a joke. Please laugh.”
He said it calmly, as if our tension amused him. But the joke sounded so plausible that not a single person could laugh. I could only hope there wasn’t a captive—or a corpse—hidden somewhere inside this house.
But if I think about it, there’s no way he’d do something like that in his own home. Manipulating others into doing the dirty work, maybe—but not personally.
I forced my thoughts back to the original topic.
“Anyway, we’re all joining the event, right? Joon, why did you agree without saying anything? It could be dangerous.”
“I just want to help you, hyung!”
“Thanks.”
Considering his age, Kim Joon was remarkably gentle. Compared to other boys his age, who usually swore and acted tough, he was practically a miracle.
“So… what’s our guild’s objective in this event?”
Ryu Jisoo raised her hand like a diligent student.
“Just surviving. Enduring without getting absorbed or destroyed—that’s the goal.”
A soft snort made me glance over with narrowed eyes. Of course, it was Kang Kwon-hoo.
“Your cautious nature is both cute and funny.”
Not every villain lives like a terrifying monster like you, I wanted to say.
Small-time scoundrels like Baek Woojin are what make the game fun. If everyone were like you, it’d be hopelessly unbalanced and no one would play.
I defended Baek Woojin in my head, but the words stayed unspoken and felt hollow.
“So, no plans to absorb other guilds? You just want to counterattack and break those who attack us, right?”
“Right. I’m not really interested in expanding the guild.”
Recruiting one or two more members might be fine, but I hated the idea of dragging in a whole crowd. Absorbing other guilds only to lose control would be the worst outcome.
“That’s a really good idea, hyung.”
Because Kim Joon agreed with everything I said, his reliability suffered. He didn’t seem like the flattering type, but he clearly nodded at anything said by someone he liked.
“Since we’re not famous, maybe few guilds will bother with us?”
Ryu Jisoo offered a hopeful thought.
“Well… even if you’re not famous now, by tomorrow you probably will be.”
Shameless as it sounded, Kang Kwon-hoo was right. Both of them looked at us, waiting for an explanation.
“Because I’m here.”
Kang Kwon-hoo felt no shame at all.
“Jisoo seems to have figured it out, but he’s a pretty well-known hunter. I’d like the two of you to at least be able to protect yourselves. Until things get a little safer, it’d be best if we stuck together during the guild war. After 18:00 no one can attack other guild members, so would it be okay if we stayed from morning until evening for a while?”
I figured not many would dare intrude on Kang Kwon-hoo’s house—and if anyone did, he certainly wouldn’t let them go unpunished.
“If you want, that’s fine. Woojin, you can even stay overnight.”
Then, as if suddenly remembering the others, he added casually,
“There’s only one guest room, so the rest of you will need to head home when it gets late.”
There was no way a house this huge had just one guest room. The favoritism was obvious. Fortunately, neither Ryu Jisoo nor Kim Joon seemed to mind.
“Good, we have a safe place. Next, the two of you should learn to handle your skills. Do you have a space big enough to train?”
“There’s a training room, of course.”
The training room Kang Kwon-hoo showed us was in the basement. Its walls were all stark white, the kind of space that could drive someone mad if they stayed too long.
“Everything’s reinforced, so there’s no need to worry about it collapsing,” he explained kindly.
“Have either of you used your skills before?”
“Hyung, actually, I already know how to use mine a bit,” Kim Joon whispered, as if sharing a secret. It had been a few days since his skill manifested. Unless it was something tricky like Jisoo’s, it made sense he’d learn fast.
“My first manifested skill is poison. I can infect an opponent with poison through bodily fluids.”
His ability seemed heavily influenced by Rezhen. The scientific link between one’s environment and skill manifestation was unproven, but things like this happened often.
Kang Kwon-hoo’s eyes sharpened slightly at Joon’s words before returning to normal.
I don’t know what level Joon’s skill is yet, but a poison ability is versatile. No wonder it caught his interest—especially for someone who loves plotting in the shadows.
“Don’t share your skill details with others,” Kang Kwon-hoo warned.
“I’m only telling you because you’re hyung.”
It would’ve been better to whisper so only I could hear. Too late now—the villain behind us had heard everything.
“Is he your younger brother?” Ryu Jisoo suddenly asked.
“No, we only met recently.”
It wasn’t even a funny answer, but Kang Kwon-hoo laughed aloud—a clear, bright laugh I’d never heard even in the game.
“Woojin, you really have a knack for winning people over.”
If only that knack worked on Baek Sohyuk too…
Embarrassed by the compliment, I rubbed my hair with my fingers.
“Sorry I didn’t thank you sooner. Thanks to your potion, my younger brother recovered completely,” Ryu Jisoo said, her steady gaze meeting mine. They reminded me of Baek Sohyuk’s eyes, but with something different shining in them.
“I want to train hard if becoming stronger will help you.”
Ryu Jisoo was someone who sought the good. Unlike me—just scraping by, grabbing whatever was in reach—she was strong.
“Actually, Jisoo, I heard this from someone with a similar skill: if your ability is strength-based, you can’t control it by holding back. You’ll never master it that way.”
Despite the abrupt change in topic, she focused on my words.
“You need to find out how far your power can go, then break it down into levels. First discover the maximum, then gradually learn to adjust.”
This was knowledge I’d picked up in the game about her “Heir of the Giant” skill. The best method would be to find another giant-race user and learn directly, but all I could offer now was advice.
“I see. That explains why I haven’t been able to control it.”
Her careful movements betrayed a fear of her own strength—avoiding contact with people, touching objects only with her fingertips, like a giant afraid of harming a child. If she worked through this process, she wouldn’t need to hold back anymore.
“Then I think it’s best if Jisoo stays here to train.”
If she was going to unleash her strength, it was safer for us to give her space. We returned to the first floor and stood around awkwardly.
“So, what should we do?”
The enormous house was so spotless it clearly didn’t need cleaning.
“You should find out what kinds of poison you can produce and how well you can detoxify,” Kang Kwon-hoo advised Joon for once. Was he secretly trying to recruit him into his own guild? I watched closely.
“Go in there and research by yourself.”
To my surprise, he simply handed Joon a pencil and paper and led him to an empty room. Joon entered without complaint and stayed quietly inside, not even peeking out into the living room. In the end, it was just me and Kang Kwon-hoo again.
“Sit anywhere you like. If you want, I can lend you a bedroom.”
“I’m fine.”
I quickly sat on the sofa before he could bring up the bedroom again. This time he sat down right next to me.
“Once we clear this quest, I already have a question I want to ask.”
So that’s why he sent Joon to that room—he wanted to talk privately. His thoroughness left me speechless.
“Are you joining this guild war because you received a quest for it?”
