LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 13 - Fixer Clan (1)
“Doesn’t it feel uncomfortable walking like that?”
Kim Baram asked Ko Joo-yeon, who was walking beside him with a bow slung over her back and hugging her crossbody bag tightly with both hands.
Ko Joo-yeon nodded slightly in response to his question.
As it turned out, Ko Joo-yeon and Kim Baram decided to have lunch together.
When he mentioned that he had a prior engagement to eat with Ko Joo-yeon, she insisted on joining them.
Honestly, he couldn’t refuse when she held onto his sleeve tightly and looked up at him with an expectant expression like a lost rabbit.
They made it safely to the cafeteria, and Ko Joo-yeon and Kim Baram decided to choose their menu first. Joo Jin-Yong would probably find them once he saw them sitting down.
“What are you going to eat?”
Looking down at Ko Joo-yeon, he saw her intensely focused on the menu at the automated ordering machine.
Just like with the macarons, she seemed quite serious about her food.
‘Better not disturb her. I should just order mine.’
He left Ko Joo-yeon to her menu selection and quickly started browsing through the menu options on the screen with his finger.
Oh. That looks tasty.
He decided to order the Yukhoe Bibimbap for lunch.
[Please bring your smart watch closer.]
Beep!
[Your order has been completed. An alert will be sent to your smartwatch when your dish is ready. Please pick up your order when the alert goes off.]
After placing his order, he saw that Ko Joo-yeon had finished her selection as well. He looked around and spotted an empty table for four, then went ahead to sit there.
Creak!
‘Hmm?’
Ko Joo-yeon followed Kim Baram, and instead of sitting across from him, she sat right next to him.
He looked at her with a questioning expression, and she tilted her head as if wondering what the problem was.
After about three seconds of awkwardness, he turned his head away, feeling a bit embarrassed, and hurriedly thought of another topic of conversation.
“Oh, by the way, have you joined a clan yet? Like one related to archery?”
Ko Joo-yeon shook her head.
In the story, Ko Joo-yeon had joined various clans just like Han Suyeon.
Sometimes she joined the same clans as Han Suyeon, and in regressions where they had no contact, she typically joined clans focused on archery.
“So do you have any clan in mind?”
After a moment of consideration, Ko Joo-yeon looked straight at him and answered,
“I want to join your clan.”
“What a crazy world.”
Following Ko Joo-yeon’s response, a voice filled with anger echoed from the front.
Kim Baram turned his gaze toward the voice. He saw Joo Jin-Yong standing there with his face crumpled like a sheet of paper.
“Some people are getting bullied in their class, while others are already having lunch with a girl on the second day of school. I might as well die.”
Joo Jin-Yong muttered to himself as he glared at them.
He had no idea why Joo Jin-Yong was acting like that, but it seemed best to stay quiet for now.
***
Once Joo Jin-Yong had calmed down a bit, three of them brought their finished dishes and sat down at the table.
It appeared like Joo Jin-Yong had ordered a similar type of dumpling as yesterday because there were several dumplings in the bamboo steamer he brought.
‘Ko Joo-yeon went for Korean food.’
The plastic tray brought by Ko Joo-yeon had steaming rice, delicious-looking soy sauce bulgogi, doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), and several side dishes.
As they began their meal, he started talking to Joo Jin-Yong and Ko Joo-yeon about the clan to visit today.
“Anyway, the clan we’re going to check out today is called the Fixer Clan.”
“Fixer Clan? I looked around at the clans promoting themselves yesterday and today, but I haven’t heard of that one.”
Although he didn’t know why he had been angry earlier, Joo Jin-Yong seemed in a better mood now. He responded while picking up a dumpling with his right hand.
“They probably don’t promote themselves outside. Instead, if you go to the first post on the Academy Clan Bulletin Board on your smartwatch, you’ll find their advertisement.”
Kim Baram operated his smartwatch to show the promotional post for the Fixer Clan to Ko Joo-yeon and Joo Jin-Yong. The holographic display of the Fixer Clan’s post was very short and straightforward.
– If you want to join, come to Building Z.
Joo Jin-Yong looked at the post and commented with a look of disbelief.
“Is that supposed to be an advertisement? How would anyone want to join with that?”
‘Well, that’s us, Jin-Yong.’
***
Fixer Clan.
This clan had a unique approach compared to other clans. As the name suggested, it was a sort of mercenary clan that took on requests and solved them.
For some unknown reason, they had always advertised in that minimalistic style since their inception.
Besides the lackluster advertisement, the Fixer Clan required an interview to join, making it neither easy to find nor easy to enter.
Due to these strict conditions, the number of members in the clan was quite small.
However, because of these rigorous requirements, all the clan members possessed unique or exceptional abilities.
There were quite a few rounds where the protagonist, Han Suyeon, joined this clan.
‘If Han Suyeon hasn’t become the disciple of ‘that person’ in this round, she’ll probably join the Fixer Clan. If it’s a later round, she’ll likely join ‘that clan’ to create a connection with ‘that person.’
Depending on which clan Han Suyeon joined, he’d be able to estimate the regression number.
For now, he set aside thoughts about Han Suyeon. The real issue was whether they could pass the interview to join the Fixer Clan.
Despite this, there were compelling reasons to join the Fixer Clan.
Firstly, there was the VP.
Since Kim Baram had never joined the Fixer Clan, joining and participating in their activities could earn a significant amount of VP.
Secondly, there was money.
As a mercenary clan, successful missions meant that the request fees were divided among the members, which was a substantial way for a student like him to earn money.
Additionally, connections with Fixer Clan alumni, potential elixirs, gear, and artifacts they could acquire from missions also attracted him.
‘First, let’s focus on the interview. Ko Joo-yeon has always passed the interview in every round, so she should be fine. The problem is with me and Joo Jin-Yong…’
Actually, considering Joo Jin-Yong’s unique ability, he should have no problem passing the interview.
Additionally, although he hid it, his physical stats were at a level similar to Majin Seok at this point.
‘The real problem is me. This isn’t the time to worry about others.’
As he thought about his own miserable specs as the side character Kim Baram, he let out a small sigh.
He felt a loss of appetite just thinking about his pathetic stats. He poked at his yukhoe bibimbap with a spoon instead of eating it.
Noticing his behavior, Ko Joo-yeon quietly asked,
“Is it not good?”
“Hmm? No, I just don’t have an appetite.”
“Do you want to try mine?”
With that, Ko Joo-yeon picked up a piece of her soy sauce bulgogi with her chopsticks and placed it on his spoon.
“This is good.”
“Damn it! Seriously.”
Watching this unfold, Joo Jin-Yong’s expression suddenly crumpled again, and he started muttering angrily.
***
After finishing their meal, the three of them headed straight to Building Z to visit the Fixer Clan.
Glancing back on the way, Kim Baram saw Joo Jin-Yong following them at a distance for some reason.
When Kim Baram asked why he wasn’t walking with them, he mumbled something about wanting to be left alone, so Kim Baram decided to let him be.
‘He’s still following us, so I guess I don’t need to worry. He probably had a rough time in class. Maybe Shin Hae-seong gave him a hard time again.’
In this unique lineup, they eventually arrived at Building Z.
Unlike the sleek, modern buildings around, the exterior of Building Z looked old and shabby and exuded a spooky atmosphere.
“Is this really Building Z? Are we sure we’re in the right place?”
“The map says this is the right spot.”
Having approached them by now, Joo Jin-Yong questioned Kim Baram in disbelief.
He checked his smartwatch again and compared it to the description in the story.
This was indeed Building Z.
“Let’s go inside.”
Creak!
As he opened the main door, the interior before them was just as the novel described. It was different from other rooms or buildings.
It was dimly lit with several round tables surrounded by chairs, and a bulletin board with various papers stuck on it on one wall. There was a bar counter on the right, and a staircase leading to the second floor at the back.
The whole place had the feel of a tavern straight out of a fantasy novel.
Behind the counter, a male student with fierce eyes despite the layer of spec was typing away on a laptop.
“What the…?”
Noticing the door open, the student looked at them with a mix of surprise and disbelief.
“You actually came after reading that ridiculous promo? And there are three of you?”
‘Excuse me? That’s your lousy ad.’
The student kept staring at them in disbelief before snapping out of it. Then, he yelled towards the second floor.
“Senior! New students are here!”
Bang!
A door on the second floor burst open violently. Emerging was a massive figure, even larger than Majin Seok. He had a huge broadsword slung over his back.
“What?! New students? They really came after seeing that? Impressive. Haha!”
The senior, who had been called, laughed heartily, then jumped down from the second-floor railing to the first floor.
Crash!
Did the floor just break?
It seemed Kim Baram’s guess was right. The fierce-eyed student shook his head and spoke.
“Senior, you’ll have to pay for those repairs. I’m innocent. If you get scolded, you’re on your own.”
“Huh? Haha! You’re quite the joker now. A comrade’s mistake is everyone’s burden! Our Fixer Clan doesn’t accept members who abandon their teammates!”
“That’s ridiculous…”
“Oh! Three new recruits! Honestly, I thought we’d be lucky if even one person showed up after that ad. This is a great day, a great day indeed!”
He definitely ignored that on purpose.
The enormous senior pulled his leg out of the broken floor and walked over to them confidently, and scanned each of them.
“Welcome, new recruits! Thanks for coming, but to join our clan, you need to pass an interview. Just show us a ‘special ability’ that sets you apart from others. Don’t worry! If you made it this far, you’re probably not normal anyway, so you’ll likely pass. Hahaha!”
The loud voice of the massive male student reverberated through Building Z, making Kim Baram’s ears ring.
Joo Jin-Yong tapped his back, then brought his hand to his mouth and whispered anxiously.
“Is this a normal clan?”
“Of course! There’s no clan more fun and enjoyable than this, I guarantee it! Especially for you, you get to be the first to interview!”
It wasn’t Kim Baram who answered Joo Jin-Yong’s whisper but the massive senior. His hearing was incredibly sharp, just as suspected when he ignored them earlier.
The massive senior approached Joo Jin-Yong, grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, and lifted him effortlessly, carrying him upstairs for the interview.
Joo Jin-Yong looked back at Kim Baram with pleading eyes, but he turned away, unable to meet his gaze.
‘Sorry, Jin-Yong. See you if we both survive.’
Bang!
The door to the room upstairs closed with a thundering sound as the massive senior and the helplessly manhandled Joo Jin-Yong entered, leaving the first floor in a brief silence.
“Haa…”
The fierce-eyed senior sighed deeply, scratched his head, and then addressed them.
“Just sit down somewhere. It looks like you’ll be called for interviews one by one, so just wait your turn.”
He then walked over to the broken floor and examined it briefly before clutching his head in despair.
“Ugh! Damn it! He actually broke it! Why does he always jump off the railing instead of using the perfectly fine stairs? We really need to install CCTV in here. They’ll probably dock my pay again, saying it’s partly my fault. Damn it! That lousy senior.”
For some reason, Kim Baram started feeling sorry for the fierce-eyed senior.
Meanwhile, Ko Joo-yeon appeared uninterested in his despair, tugged at Kim Baram’s sleeve, and signaled for him to sit down quickly with her persistent gaze.
The typical behavior of Ko Joo-yeon; she was consistent as always.
Click!
After waiting for about ten minutes, Joo Jin-Yong came down from the second floor and slowly walked towards them.
“Next, they want you to go up.”
He looked at Ko Joo-yeon and spoke in a slightly tired voice. She nodded slightly and then turned to Kim Baram.
“I’ll be back.”
“Uh… Sure. Good luck.”
Satisfied with his response, Ko Joo-yeon gave a barely noticeable smile before heading up the stairs.
Joo Jin-Yong slumped into the chair next to Kim Baram. He was about to ask him about the interview when a message window suddenly appeared in front of him.
Ding!
[Skill
[Joo Jin-Yong’s smartwatch is on his left hand. He should be left-handed.]
‘What the heck? Is this passive?’
The skill had activated on its own, and the message it gave was quite odd.
Should be left-handed?
It was as if someone was speaking.
Besides, it was wrong.
During lunch, Joo Jin-Yong had used his right hand to eat dumplings, clearly showing he was right-handed.
‘Why did this activate now? Joo Jin-Yong doesn’t seem suspicious… Oh.’
As Kim Baram puzzled over the sudden activation of the skill, a realization hit him, and he recalled details from the novel. He maintained his smile and looked straight at Joo Jin-Yong.
“Nice to meet you, Clan Leader.”
The moment he finished speaking, Joo Jin-Yong’s demeanor shifted sharply.
In an instant, he grabbed Kim Baram by the neck with his right hand and lifted him off the ground. He glared at Kim Baram with a mix of disbelief and curiosity.
“How did you figure it out?”
Ke… Kehek…
‘Let go of my neck so I can explain…’
Translator’s Note: Due to some circumstances, I wasn’t able to release chapters in the past week. I apologize for that. The normal release schedule will continue but expect slow updates for one or two weeks. Thanks you for your understanding and patience.