How To Use Regressors

28 – Negotiation

It has been three months since I received education. A graduation ceremony was scheduled to take place in the auditorium where we first listened to speeches, in seven days.

As the graduation ceremony was seven days away, we had been discussing with our party members about what to do after the ceremony. But today was the day we would definitively decide our future plans through discussion.

After Ha Yoori’s last, raggedy-looking lecture, when I returned to the dormitory, everyone except Seo Yooju was gathered.

Kang Iseo opened his mouth.

“So, what do we do now? We should start thinking about which clan to join.”

“I don’t know. Since we’ve all received offers from different clans, we should discuss it for sure today.”

“Are you okay?”

“What?”

It was probably about the clan offers. I had only received an offer from the Myth Clan so far.

I once suggested to Seo Yooju that we should all join the Myth Clan together, but she seemed to have no intention of joining the Myth Clan.

“…I have a feeling that there might be trouble with the Myth Clan later. It’s not just that she dislikes Yoon Yeon, but her reaction makes it seem like the Myth Clan is going to fall.”

“No matter how I think about it, whether it’s based on Yoon Yeon’s abilities or her personality, she doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would cause a clan to fall. What happened during the first round?”

“Hey.”

“…”

“Hey! Are you sure you’re okay? Why aren’t you answering?”

“What?”

“Are you okay? Apart from receiving an offer from the Myth Clan, we don’t have anything else, right? Should we just join the Myth Clan?”

It seemed like Kang Iseo was worried that I might distance myself from them.

“Yoonseong oppa, maybe it’s better if we join the Myth Clan…”

Perhaps it was because of what I had been thinking about just now, but Yurim seemed to be having the same misconception as Kang Iseo.

“No, I understand why you’re concerned about me, but it’s not what you’re thinking, so don’t worry.”

Not everyone seemed to believe my words.

“Darn it… Why don’t they believe me? I didn’t really think about that because of that…”

I was worried because of the conversation I had with Seo Yooju about the Myth Clan the other day. Judging by Seo Yooju’s reaction, it seemed like Yoon Yeon would eventually meet his demise or fall for some reason.

In reality, I had no worries about joining the clan. Seo Yooju had assured me that she would take care of the clan matter.

The reason we were waiting for Seo Yooju right now was precisely that.

******

I was on my way to find Kang Seongjun because of our party members’ clan registration. With the graduation ceremony approaching and my desire to go with Yoonseong and the new party members, I had decided to make my move.

A while back, when I talked to Yoonseong, he had asked me how I felt about all of us joining the Myth Clan, which had startled me.

“Well, the Myth Clan is a pretty good clan, too.”

The current Myth Clan was by no means inferior to the Three Great Clans. I might not particularly like Yoon Yeon, but I had to acknowledge her abilities and power.

Actually, for some reason, after the fall of the three major clans some time later, the Myth Clan is destined to establish itself as one of the new three major clans in the future.

…But the problem comes after that.

In the first round, according to what I heard from Yoon Sung, Yoon Sung had joined the Myth Clan early on.

The problem is, I don’t know the details, but about a year later, the master of the Myth Clan died for some reason, and the Myth Clan split.

During the first round, I became close to Yoon Sung much later.

Of course, we had worked together in the tutorial, but we weren’t very close then, and I was too busy finding my own way at that time, so there was no time to become friends.

Above all, the tutorial in the first round had an atmosphere where it was difficult for us to become familiar with each other.

In the second round, we became much closer, like comrades, but in the first round, it was a hellish situation where we couldn’t trust each other.

‘… Jo Chan-ho, I didn’t know that bastard was like that back then. Maybe… it was Jo Byeong-ok at that time.’

Killing Jo Chan-ho early in this round is a really significant achievement.

Anyway, skipping the story about Jo Chan-ho, when I met Yoon Sung in the first round, he had already suffered a lot.

‘… I heard that Yoo Rim and Yoo Hyun died before that.’

When I met Yoon Sung again, he had lost the clan master and even Yoo Rim and Yoo Hyun.

We had shared love, but every time I saw him, I was always anxious. Something… seemed to be constantly missing from his heart.

‘… He was like a pine tree without roots.’

Honestly, I was quite surprised when I met Yoon Sung-ee in this chapter. It was because he appeared much brighter than I remembered.

“I never knew he could look so cheerful.”

Because of that, I wanted to protect that smile even more. That was one of the reasons I had come back.

When I met Yoon Sung-ee again during the first round, I had already become the Clan Master of the fallen Hwachin Clan, and Yoon Sung-ee was a member of our clan.

“When I think back to that time, I don’t know how we became friends. In many ways… Yoon Sung-ee helped me a lot.”

The help I received from him.

Yes, help.

Sacrifice.

When he died while protecting me, it felt like the world was collapsing.

“…”

Whenever I think of that time, cold sweat forms, and I feel a headache in my mind. It was a memory I didn’t want to recall.

“Calm down. It’s different from the first round… I won’t let it happen again.”

In reality, the second round is going perfectly. I’ve eliminated Jo Chan-ho, met Yoon Sung-ee early, and found good party members.

Looking at the current party members, most of them are people I hadn’t seen during the first round.

Except for Yoo Rim and Yoo Hyun, it’s likely that everyone else died during the tutorial in the first round.

“…Or maybe I died after my education years.”

Anyway, after negotiating well with Kang Sung-joon, I will enter the Hwasin Clan, and after the rest of us die on a large-scale expedition, I will inherit the clan as it is.

“…Anyway, they won’t listen even if I try to dissuade them.”

There is no way to save them. No one will listen to a newcomer.

Lost in thought, I arrived in front of Kang Sung-joon’s office. I knocked on the door, giving off a sense of presence.

Knock. Knock.

“…I am Seo Yoo-joo, a student. Can we talk about the Clan offer? Is it okay, Commander?”

Click.

As soon as I spoke, Kang Sung-joon opened the door and welcomed me.

“Haha… Welcome, Seo Yoo-joo. Please have a seat here.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

The master of the Hwasin Clan, Kang Sung-joon. No, Mr. Sung-joon.

This man will die within the next six months. Not just him, but most of the people in the Hwasin Clan.

Due to an implicit rule that they cannot be taken on a large-scale expedition before reaching 1-2 years of experience, only me and my party members will survive.

“…He is a good person, but unfortunately, it can’t be helped.”

He is undoubtedly one of the strongest in the continent’s top tier, yet he remains humble and honest. Honestly, people like him are extremely rare. As a human, he truly belongs to the good side.

… However, just because this continent is kind does not mean one can survive for long.

“So, you came to my office to… does that mean you think positively of my proposal?”

“Yes. That’s why I came.”

“It’s a wise choice. I promise to treat you with the utmost generosity. Perhaps after about a year, with your remarkable talent, you will be appointed to an important position.”

“…..”

“We will also support you without hesitation. As soon as you join, you will be provided with hero-grade equipment and armor, and you will be allowed to participate in small-scale expeditions in cooperation with other clans, following the curriculum for new clan members. We will assist you in gaining experience.”

“… The benefits are more than enough. Honestly… it seems too generous.”

“Haha! No, it’s not. Compared to the talent of the students from the Seoyuju region, this level of investment is not a waste at all. But, by any chance, what about the others…?”

“Are you referring to Seo Seo, Ho Won, Yu Hyun and Yu Rim, and Haeun?”

“… Yes. Actually, I thought they would all come if Yooju is coming.”

“You offered them positions as well?”

“Yes, that’s correct. I offered them positions because they all have talents. And I thought Yooju would be more comfortable coming with people she knows rather than alone.”

“In relation to that, there’s actually something I’d like to ask you.”

“……”

Mr. Sungjun seemed to sense that I was about to make a significant request, and he asked me with a serious expression,

“… May I know what the request is?”

“Benefits for me… Honestly, you can reduce them if you want. Instead, I would appreciate it if you could accept all 9 party members, including me.”

“……..”

Mr. Sungjun began to tap the table with his finger, looking very contemplative.

Tap.

Tap.

“… Honestly, it’s a difficult request.”

I expected that. In fact, even from the perspective of a large clan, recruiting 6 new members is quite a burden. The cost and time involved in nurturing a proper clan member are immense.

So, some clans prefer to only recruit experienced players with several years of experience.

“Accepting 6 members into the clan is something our clan can consider. Of course, we want to bring in talented individuals, but… the numbers are different between 6 and 9.”

“… Hyunjin is average. He’s not exceptionally talented, but he works hard. Taewoo and Yunseong…”

Kang Sungjun nodded as he spoke.

“I understand. If Yooju herself demands the enrollment of Cha Hyunjin as a trainee, I was already considering accepting him. Even if he’s not exceptionally talented, he’s an average individual.”

“Ah…”

“However, the students Ahn Tae-woo and Lee Yoon-sung are different. I apologize to both of them, but if we were to accept them, there will undoubtedly be rumors within our clan.”

“….. I hope that when you see Yoon-sung, you don’t just focus on his talent. Yoon-sung is an incredibly capable person. In our party, I am simply skilled in combat, but Yoon-sung always made the right judgments. Tae-woo also always did his best.”

“……. “

“Yoon-sung… in a way, he is the core of our party. If Yoon-sung is not here… I apologize, but including myself, others won’t join the Hwashin Clan. This is not a threat or anything like that. I am just stating the truth.”

“Hmm…”

Suddenly, Kang Sung-jun remembered what Yoon-yeon had said during the meeting.

‘… Yoon-sung is the center of that party, right?’

Come to think of it, he had heard that Yoon-yeon had made an offer to Yoon-sung not even two days ago.

‘… Does Yoon-sung know something that I don’t?’

While Kang Sung-jun was contemplating, Seo Yoo-joo made a bold suggestion.

“The implicit contract period for newcomers is a maximum of two years, right? If you accept all of our party members… I am willing to have an indefinite contract with the Hwashin Clan.”

Kang Sung-jun was greatly surprised by Seo Yoo-joo’s words. The implicit rule of a maximum two-year contract for newcomers was in place to prevent the clan from indefinitely using and taking advantage of newcomers who are still unfamiliar with everything.

Not only was he amazed at how she knew about this implicit contract period, but also that she proposed an indefinite contract.

In other words, Seo Yoo-joo’s words meant that she would be subservient to the clan for life.

Kang Sung-jun’s heart was swayed by Seo Yoo-joo’s bold suggestion.

“…. Very well. We will accept all nine of you. However, we won’t reduce the benefits going to Miss Seo Yooju. But the benefits going to Ahn Taeu and Lee Yoonseong, the trainees, will certainly be different from Miss Seo Yooju or others.”

“…. Yes. Thank you, Clan Master.”

“Welcome, Seo Yooju, as a member of the clan.”