“Hey, come out.”
I extracted the spirit as usual.
A black mist surged from the Red Dragon’s body at my call, and then a black dragon shot out and flew upwards.
It was already incredibly useful to have Bishap, the Blue Dragon that breathed ice.
But now to gain a Red Dragon spirit, with an opposing attribute?
I was so delighted that my lips kept curving upwards.
I was just about to name the new spirit when—
“Wow, Dana, Dana is super, super powerful.”
Han Ji-bin’s pure exclamation of awe came from behind me.
Only then did I realize that my friends had been watching me extract the spirit the whole time.
It felt incredibly awkward, perhaps because I had never shown anyone, across both the previous world and this one, my spirit extraction.
Before my transmigration, there were countless people who feared and avoided me simply because I commanded spirits.
And now, to show them me extracting a spirit?
I didn’t even want to think about how much more troublesome they’d be, so I had never extracted a spirit in front of my teammates.
I would always send everyone away and then follow with my spirits.
“Really cool.”
“If Dana can command two dragons, isn’t she stronger than us?”
My ears burned as I heard Yeon Ha-yeon’s and Eun Ba-da’s reactions.
I couldn’t tell if my cheeks kept twitching upwards because I’d gained a good skill, or because I was hearing genuine admiration for my abilities.
Clap, clap, clap-
Ji Gang-han even clapped.
I’d rather they just exclaimed in awe, but hearing the clapping truly made me feel at a loss, so I hastily named the new spirit.
“Your name is Red.”
Normally, when extracting a spirit, I’d use a more solemn tone, saying, “Your name shall be [Name].”
But if I did that here, I felt like the reaction would be even worse.
I didn’t even have the presence of mind to give it a cool name like Shahin.
Only after naming it whatever came to mind did a hint of regret linger.
“Red?”
“Black Flame Dragon, that’s more like it. You have no naming sense.”
“I’ll name my own spirit however I want!”
[Thank you, Master.]
With Red’s greeting, the surrounding scenery gradually began to change.
The cafe we had been in before getting caught in the sudden gate reappeared, and all the people we had protected with shields had safely returned to the cafe.
Everyone shed tears of relief that they had returned without a single casualty and were busy thanking us.
Among them, one person stood out.
“Hey, what’s wrong with him?”
Ban Eun-hyeol nudged my arm, pointing at Chae Yu-hwan, who was trembling.
While others were simply happy to be alive, oddly, Chae Yu-hwan was shaking like a leaf, as if he had witnessed something terrifying.
“He must have been scared of the undead.”
I answered dismissively, not giving it much thought.
I wanted to properly get my revenge on Chae Yu-hwan for what he had done to me, but I didn’t want to do it when he was in such an unstable state.
And I had no hobby of pushing someone cornered off a cliff.
I decided to punish him when he was in his right mind, and it was while I was talking with Ban Eun-hyeol.
[Master, we personally punished the one who troubled you.]
As the gate closed, Shahin’s voice, now hidden, could be heard.
[Huh? What do you mean?]
[He’s the one who instigated your abduction, isn’t he?]
Shahin merely revealed a hand in the air, pointing at Chae Yu-hwan.
Having seen and heard things while hidden in my shadow, the spirits truly knew everything.
When I confirmed it, Shahin said with a proud voice,
[That guy wasn’t allowed to stay inside the shield with the others.]
[We threw him into the undead den.]
My eyes widened at Stone’s bombshell statement, which naturally followed Shahin’s words.
They threw Chae Yu-hwan, an unawakened person, into an undead den?
How on earth was he so unharmed?
He did look disheveled with torn clothes, unlike the others, but overall, he seemed perfectly fine without any major injuries.
[Oh, of course, we made sure he wouldn’t die. You still have a punishment to mete out, Master.]
How could they have done such a clever thing?
The spirits were so endearing for taking the initiative to torment Chae Yu-hwan without me even asking.
[Well done. But from now on, you shouldn’t do things I haven’t ordered.]
While praising them, I also gave a warning not to do so in the future.
Of course, I was pleased that Chae Yu-hwan had been tormented, but if I had only praised them for this incident and let it go, the spirits might cause trouble by doing things I hadn’t ordered.
Shahin and Stone readily agreed and then vanished.
I watched as the Dungeon Management Bureau transported the people who had been caught in the sudden gate to the hospital.
Just then, a man whose face I recognized from the news walked over.
Dressed in a neat black suit, he stopped directly in front of Ban Eun-hyeol and me.
He didn’t even glance at Ban Eun-hyeol, looking directly at me as he spoke.
“I heard that student Dana greatly contributed to eliminating the undead.”
It seemed that the people who had witnessed our battle had told Hwan.
Hwan, wearing his civil servant ID around his neck, made a calm proposal.
“I understand you’re looking for a guild to join. If you’re open to it, I hope you’ll consider a civil servant position at the Dungeon Management Bureau.”
It was a polite request.
However, I had no interest in being a civil servant and didn’t want to string him along by saying I’d think about it.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ve already decided on a guild to join.”
At my words, Yeon Ha-yeon and the Four Heavenly Kings looked at me with surprised and curious expressions.
Receiving their collective gaze, I cleanly turned my back and saw Hwan off as he departed.
After watching him drive away in his car, I turned around and took Yeon Ha-yeon’s hand.
“I want to join Blood Scent.”
Of course, I had seriously considered Do Yi-hyeon’s guild as well.
Since Do Yi-hyeon was the only person who knew I was ranked 0, I thought it might help conceal my identity.
However, after tackling the dungeon with Yeon Ha-yeon and the Four Heavenly Kings, I realized something.
Setting aside abilities, having a friend as the guild leader—someone I spent every day with at school and felt comfortable around—was a huge advantage.
While guilds unrelated to me, like Jizon, would need to consider conditions to recruit me, Blood Scent didn’t need to, because Yeon Ha-yeon was there.
It wasn’t really about weighing options or finding a better guild; it was more about joining one to escape suspicion of being ‘me.’
I’m also quite confident I can hide being the rank 0 ‘me’ on my own.
I hadn’t been caught by anyone except Do Yi-hyeon so far, and I’d be even more careful.
Beyond Do Yi-hyeon knowing I’m ‘me’ and potentially helping me hide my identity, there wasn’t a strong reason to join his guild.
Of course, I hadn’t explored a dungeon with him, so I wouldn’t know for sure.
But I couldn’t help feeling drawn to Yeon Ha-yeon, who genuinely found my necromancy cool, not feeling an ounce of discomfort or fear, and always stuck by my side.
At my decision, Yeon Ha-yeon happily grabbed my hand, bouncing with excitement.
“From now on, one of our guild’s yogurt refrigerators is all yours!”
I even received a pretty special benefit.
I remembered Yeon Hyeong-gwang mentioning Blood Scent Guild had two dedicated yogurt fridges last time, and now she was happily offering me one.
It was a cute proposal, and I smiled, feeling delighted.
The Four Heavenly Kings smiled, clapping to congratulate me, knowing I’d finally decided on a guild.
***
As soon as I got home, I told my parents I’d decided to join Blood Scent.
My parents’ faces briefly went pale when they belatedly heard I’d been caught in Korea’s first A-rank sudden gate.
But their complexions brightened as soon as they confirmed I was alright.
“Did you two work well together, exploring that dungeon?”
“We did, so I’m joining Blood Scent, aren’t I?”
“Ah, come on. I asked because I wanted to hear how it went.”
I quickly stopped my parents, who were getting along but then seemed ready to bicker again.
I briefly told them what happened in the dungeon.
I pretended it wasn’t very dangerous, not wanting to shock them if I explained how risky it really was.
My parents listened intently, hearing that thanks to the Four Heavenly Kings and Yeon Ha-yeon, I didn’t have much to do and safely finished the dungeon run.
Then, hearing about Yeon Ha-yeon’s performance, they clapped and each said something.
“That friend stepped up and handled all the dangerous stuff. She’s so dependable, I’d trust our daughter with her.”
“I really liked those Four Heavenly Kings friends too. Didn’t they organize the bookshelf so well last time? It’s a shame they’re not recruiting more members.”
Dad wore a satisfied smile, but Mom seemed subtly disappointed despite her joy.
It seemed Han Ji-bin and Eun Ba-da had made quite an impression when they came over to our house to help organize the bookshelf.
“That friend, Ba-da, was so proper and good. Looked exactly like a potential son-in-law for us.”
Mom subtly dropped the name of the friend she liked best, testing me.
Her gaze, asking if anything was going on with Ba-da, was incredibly burdensome.
“Oh, Ba-da’s just a friend. Hyeong-gwang worked hard too back then. Don’t you remember?”
“Of course I remember. That friend, he was a bit… unrefined.”
I had nothing more to say, so I shut my mouth.
Indeed, there was a big difference in atmosphere between Eun Ba-da, the epitome of a model student, and Yeon Hyeong-gwang, who was subtly a bit rough around the edges.
To my parents’ eyes, the model student Eun Ba-da would’ve seemed better.
“Still, he’s a really kind younger brother. I’m going to the Blood Scent Guild tomorrow.”
“Are you signing the contract?”
“Yes. Ha-yeon and I already made an appointment.”
“What are the conditions? Were they good?”
While Yeon Ha-yeon had proposed various conditions about what she’d do or give if I joined Blood Scent, I couldn’t carelessly mention anything uncertain.
After some thought, I told them one condition that was probably the most certain.
“Hmm… I’m supposed to get one of Blood Scent Guild’s yogurt refrigerators.”
“Huh?”
“What refrigerator?”
My parents, who’d been expecting conditions like a percentage of dungeon byproducts or a certain amount of money, were noticeably flustered.
Seeing their reaction made me burst out laughing.
“It’s an incredibly good condition. Much better than you two are thinking.”
Speaking with a smile, I felt a sense of calm.
Was it because I finally had a guild to belong to?
Since my transmigration, I felt isolated, not belonging anywhere, but now, at least, I felt like my feet were on solid ground.
“Well… if you like it, then it must be good.”
“To think an Awakened from our family would join a famous guild. This is truly something to be proud of.”
Dad immediately pulled out his phone and made a call somewhere.
Then he started boasting to everyone around him that I’d become a member of Blood Scent.
Seeing him, Mom quickly pulled out her phone too and started boasting about me over the phone.
And so dawned the morning of the day my parents were so proud of—the day I’d become a ‘Blood Scent Guild Member.’
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.