Regressor Instruction Manual - Chapter 437. Re: Starting Life in Another World From Zero (6)

“The Black Swan? Blue Guild? Red Mercenary Guild? Or another guild? It’s definitely a large guild. They’re above a mid-sized guild, right? Do people still do that? It seems that even a large guild doesn’t lack shitty men,” Gook Minji asked.

“I don’t understand what you’re asking…” I[1] said.

“I know everything, so stop playing dumb.”

“What are you asking exactly?”

“Who sponsored you?” she asked.

‘What the hell is she talking about?’

The situation was ridiculous, and obviously, I immediately thought about Cha Hee-Ra, the leader of the Red Mercenary Guild. It was true that Lee Ki-Young grew because Cha Hee-Ra sponsored him, but that wasn’t the case for Lee Ki-Yeon.

‘Did I do something strange?’

Obviously, I was curious why she suddenly brought up the whole issue about sponsors because I hadn’t really done anything that would make her suspicious of that.

I acted very carefully so that they wouldn’t find out that I was actually Lee Ki-Young. I never even talked about the large guilds.

I made sure that they wouldn’t find a connection between me, the Blue Guild, Red Mercenary Guild, and the Black Swan Guild.

‘Is it because I handed my bag over? Is she being wary of me because I’m in her territory? What the hell does she want me to do when I’m exhausted?’

If it had been bearable, I would have carried it all the way, but it really felt like my shoulders were going to break. The body of the high-class Light Ki-Young couldn’t handle manual labor like this.

At this point, I couldn’t help but think that this was her way of defending her territory. I immediately accepted my assumptions to be true, and I started applauding the corrupted beings of Lindel.

‘Why not recruit a friend of yours if you didn’t want an outsider? Why are you giving me this crap after accepting me? The dungeon culture here sure is crappy. Are you guys members of a gang or something?’

I had heard about things like this happening. A group would be forced to accept new members due to lack of manpower, but the old members would look down on the new ones.

It didn’t make sense, but the original members would either gang up on the new member or otherwise put the new member at a disadvantage. Even worse, they could also come up with a scheme that would favor them more when it came to the reward distribution.

It wasn’t against the laws of the Sacred Democratic Country, but such actions were frowned upon by the general public. I couldn’t help but feel a headache coming when I thought about the possibility that this woman was that kind of person.

‘No, the guys are too cooperative for me to say that they’re all like that…’

‘Wait, they’re too kind for me to say that they’re like those people…’

I couldn’t help but think that Gook Minji was a bit ignorant about the workings of the world, and even though she didn’t say it out loud, she was basically suspecting me of being a mage sponsored by a large guild who had only joined this expedition for fun.

I had a suspicious look when I first saw the temporary contract, and it was also difficult for a mage with three years experience to reach epic unless they were being sponsored.

If a high-rank mage wasn’t a member of a large or mid-sized guild, then the answer could easily be deduced.

‘The mage received donations, and she has been supporting herself through that.’

To be honest, I wasn’t really happy about the issue, because Lee Ki-Yeon had to join an expedition party for survival. She wasn’t really receiving any donations. However, what kind of excuse should I give?

While I was organizing my thoughts, Gook Minji started talking again. “Ha. Look at her, pretending like she doesn’t know. Why are you pretending like you’re innocent? It’s written all over your face, Miss Ki-Yeon.”

‘Let’s deny it for now.’

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about. What do you mean by donation?” I asked.

“Donation? Yeah, you can consider that as a donation. A donation you receive by selling your pride. That’s what sponsors are. Don’t you agree?” she asked.

‘What the hell is she talking about?’

“I really don’t understand…”

“I know everything. I’ve been in Lindel for a long time. It’s been four years since I got here, so I know how everything works. How did you obtain an epic-ranked job in three years? How are you able to afford a luxury brand when you said you had nothing? You also lack basic knowledge about expeditions…

“Setting that aside, I can already see what you’re trying to do here. There’s this popular saying about how a thief would always be a thief. Do you really want to act that way here as well?”

‘What’s wrong with you? What did I do?’

“I think I know what you’re up to, and if you’re doing this to start a new life, just stop. Is it fun to laugh at others while flirting and giving compliments to someone else? You should be ashamed of yourself,” she added.

“…”

“Stop tempting our innocent oppas. You must’ve heard from someone that the Friendship Clan has a promising future. You deliberately targeted our clan, right? It’s really scary how you approached us with that kind of intention,” Gook Minji warned.

‘What kind of bullshit is this? I’ve never heard of the Friendship Clan—love clan or whatever. Your assumptions are scarier.’

“People like you are the reasons why people are looking down on us, real adventurers. Is it Chul-Woo oppa? Or Tae-Geon oppa? Just give up on your plan to start a new life by getting them involved. Chul-Woo oppa isn’t interested in people like you.”

She frowned.

”I didn’t want to say anything, but it was getting uncomfortable seeing you prance around. You shouldn’t act like this during an expedition. Miss Ki-Yeon, this is a warning.”

“Warning?” I repeated.

“Yes, a warning. We’ll be working together until the end of the expedition, so I’m warning you not to do anything that’ll catch my attention. If you’re determined to start a new life, then show me your skills. Stop being ridiculous by showing off your chest and moaning, do you understand?” she asked.

”You better heed my warning. Otherwise, I have enough connections to contact, and they will help me bury you here, get it?”

‘You’re going to contact everyone you know?’

“Stop focusing on useless things and focus on clearing the dungeon. Remove your make-up as well,” Gook Minji added.

“I didn’t—”

“Are you serious?!” she yelled.

“…”

“…”

Man! Just what could I do with her? I would have been less dejected if what she was saying were true. Unfortunately, it was the opposite. I had never intentionally smiled or flirted with anyone, and I had no idea what she meant by showing off my chest.

I was sure that I had never done anything that would make me come off as that kind of woman. It would have been better if her assumption stopped at me being sponsored by an executive of a large guild.

I was wearing simple clothes, and even though I was holding a Chanelia Hermes bag, my equipment was average at best.

‘I’m really prim and proper…! Prim and proper!’

I was the definition of a wise mother and a good wife. The queen of decorum, but despite the effort, the public’s reaction was cold. It would be strange for me not to feel surprised.

Before I could say anything to express how victimized I felt, Gook Minji started walking away, leaving one final comment.

“Don’t live like a prostitute.”

She walked away with confidence, so I was sure that she ripped that line off from a famous drama or something, but…

‘Isn’t your outfit worse than mine?’

My robe could cover my entire body, at the very least. Since she had a thief-related job, she was wearing tights that stuck tightly to her skin. I could clearly see her cleavage as well.

I also didn’t expect that there were still people who thought that defense was directly proportional to the amount of exposure.

Basically, her outfit didn’t shy away from showing her figure and curves. I wasn’t sure why she was judging me, but Lee Ki-Yeon was obviously the prim and proper one, while Gook Minji was the provocative one.

I looked at the mirror and observed my face. No matter which angle I used to look at myself, I was definitely prim and proper.

‘Is she jealous? Or is she really defending her property?’

I had no idea what was going on, but I thought about smashing her head with the mace of justice. Doing that would quickly end all this. Once I was done revealing my true identity as Lee Ki-Young, I could punish her with even more bad news.

Actually, I could completely erase small clans like the Friendship Clan from the continent with just an order from my end. Of course, I could also choose not to end their punishment there.

Well, it would be a bit harsh of a punishment for mere criticism, but I could turn them into demon followers. Unfortunately, I couldn’t deactivate this spell on my own. Of course, believing me would be up to them. However, it would be a bit of a pain to handle the aftermath of revealing myself here.

‘It’s boring..’

And it was honestly kind of annoying as well…

It hadn’t been that long since the party had left on this expedition, and I would feel better if I were to turn the tables here. However, the price I would have to pay would be repeating this process all over again, which was annoying.

In addition, screaming that I was an Honorary Cardinal would only make everyone think that I had gone mad.

‘I’m sure nothing will happen.’

If I were Light Ki-Young, it would be an insulting remark I couldn’t possibly endure. I wanted to backstab that enlightened denizen, but the patient, sage-like energy flowing in me wouldn’t allow me to do something drastic.

‘Let’s just stay low until this is over, Ki-Yeon.’

After I was done checking what I had to check, I could just punish her slowly. I wanted something from this party as well, so once I was done with that, everything would be resolved in a natural way.

I tried my best to remain calm as I started walking again.

I saw the party members waiting for me. The four women stood out with their pleased looks, while the men were still staring at me as if they were dumbfounded. I was sure Gook Minji had told the other women about her heroic deed just now.

‘She only did one thing, but she’s already this excited.’

Yeah, I was sure of it.

‘Yeah, enjoy it while you can. Laugh a lot. You guys look cute to me now, bitches.’

I had no idea why they considered Lee Ki-Yeon a prostitute, even though Lee Ki-Yeon was the kind of woman who could be called extremely prim and proper if she were in the Joseon Dynasty.

However, I was sure that the women were placated by Gook Minji’s actions just now. Still, their expressions changed when Lee Chul-Woo and Kim Tae-Geon approached me.

“Are you okay to leave?” Lee Chul-Woo asked.

“Oh, it looks like I made you wait. I’m sorry, Mr. Chul-Woo,” I apologized.

“It’s fine. We just got up as well,” he said.

“Thank you for being so considerate.”

“As I’ve said before, it’s only natural that I help out since we’re party members,” he said.

“You just need to enjoy your time with us, Miss Ki-Yeon. I’m sure the atmosphere is uncomfortable for you because you basically got dragged here without knowing anyone else, so we should take care of you as much as possible,” said Kim Tae-Geon. ”Isn’t that right, Chul-Woo?”

“Yeah, you’re right,” he replied.

“If you need help, don’t hesitate to ask. If it’s difficult for you to walk, we can carry you as well. Haha. I’m just joking, of course,” Lee Chul-Woo chuckled.

“Hehe. Your clan feels like it’s a nice place to be in,” I commented.

“If you’re not part of any clan, you can apply—I’m joking about this as well,” he said.

“Geez, Mr. Tae-Geon…” I said.

Even I thought this was a pretty friendly atmosphere. I noticed the onlookers slowly frowning while I was talking to these two men. I finally understood why Gook Minji suddenly came up to me and threatened me earlier.

‘Ah-ha.’

It wouldn’t take a genius to deduce based on the look on her face.

‘Wow, you really are jealous.’

I was sure she was jealous of how the two men looked like they were ready to lick my feet. I was sure that even if I didn’t do anything else, my prim and proper nature would automatically turn me into a queen bee.

‘I’m the queen bee!’

Gook Minji was convinced that I had taken them away from her, and Lee Chul-Woo’s expression definitely bothered her a lot because she revealed a grim look.

Gook Minji was making the same face Jung Ha-Yan often made back then, and the other women revealed the same expressions. The expressions of satisfaction they had earlier could no longer be seen.

Naturally, I thought about what I should do, but I decided to retreat for now.

I took a step back, and Gook Minji looked relieved.

‘I’m not interested in them either. Let’s just get along, okay?’

For the sake of the expedition, it was only right for me to maintain a distance between the two men. However, there was definitely something wrong with these two men because they had been approaching me all day.

They kept on trying to talk to me until we arrived at Rift Land.

‘What the hell? What’s wrong with them? Why are they being so clingy? Why?’

They seemed like they were sexually aroused.