I’m In Trouble Because The Darkened Heroes Are Obsessed With Me

The next morning, Elsez stood in front of the guild, just like the previous day.Of course, remembering her encounter with Cassian the day before, she made sure to stand a little farther from the guild entrance this time.Looking up at the guild sign, Elsez recalled what had happened.“Join our guild.”It wasn’t every day that the guild master himself extended a recruitment offer.When the guild master personally recruited someone, it meant better standing and conditions within the guild.Ordinarily, this would be a cause for celebration. But for Elsez, it was difficult to feel purely happy about it.“I told him I’d think about it…”Cassian had said she could take her time to decide, but Elsez needed money urgently. Joining a guild—any guild—as soon as possible was in her best interest.As she agonized over the decision, Reti suddenly poked its face out of her inner pocket.“Why are you just standing here, human?”“I’m thinking. Very seriously.”“Thinking?”“You wouldn’t understand—”She was about to dismiss Reti’s curiosity but stopped mid-sentence.Wait, we’re kind of one and the same now, aren’t we?Deciding to hear Reti’s opinion, Elsez asked,“Reti, what would you do in my position?”“What do you mean?”“If I join the guild, we can earn candy faster—and more of it. But if your powers are discovered, Cassian might kill us. What would you do?”“What kind of simple question is that?”Without hesitation, Reti replied,“I’d kill him, join the guild, and eat lots of candy!”“……”“Although it’d be a little tough with my current strength, one guy shouldn’t be a problem.”Elsez sighed deeply at Reti’s “solution.”Why did I even bother asking?Ignoring Reti’s earnest answer, Elsez thought for a moment longer before finally making up her mind. She took a deep breath, steeling herself.Just then, someone lightly tapped her on the back.“Elsez!”“Ah! You scared me!”She jumped and turned around to see Jack and Perse waving at her.“Why’re you just standing out here? Something inside?”“Oh, no. Let’s go in.”With that, Elsez entered the guild alongside them.There were a few guild members already there to collect quests, but it was much quieter than it was in the evening.Elsez nervously scanned the guild, looking for Cassian. Thankfully, he was nowhere to be seen.Gathering her resolve, she called out to Jack.“Jack, I have something to say.”“What is it?”“I’m sorry for keeping you waiting and dragging things out, but I think I need more time to decide.”Jack frowned briefly before seeming to figure out the reason on his own.“Is this ‘cause of those bastards you took down the other day? Don’t worry ‘bout it. Those Ones guys ain’t gonna say a word anymore.”“Well, that’s a relief, but…”Elsez trailed off, unsure how to explain that she was trying to avoid Cassian without outright saying it.Jack, however, jumped to another conclusion.“Or is it the terms? You don’t like them?”“Huh?”“If that’s it, I can lower the commission rate for you. How’s that?”Apparently, Jack thought she was hesitating because she wasn’t satisfied with the guild’s offer.Elsez quickly waved her hands in protest.“No, it’s not that. But… can you really just lower the commission like that?”“Our leader’s all about recruiting talented people. Age, gender—none of that matters. He saw your potential, so the terms are flexible.”“My potential? Where did he see that?”“When you clocked that idiot in the face the other day, obviously! Man, I was impressed!”Perse, who hadn’t been present during the incident, looked at Jack in confusion, while Jack gave a thumbs-up to emphasize his admiration.“I mean, you can’t just judge someone’s ability based on that… I’m not exactly some amazing fighter or anything.”“No one’s great right out the gate. Our guild doesn’t look at where someone’s at now—we look at their potential. It’s not about how skilled you are today but how much better you can become.”That’s exactly the kind of recruitment philosophy Cassian would have, Elsez thought, her expression conflicted.Elsez wasn’t sure whether to feel flattered or overwhelmed by how impressed Jack seemed about yesterday’s events.“So, if I lower the commission, will you stay with us?”“I told you, it’s not about the money!”Does he think money solves everything? I’ve got bigger concerns than money here!But Jack seemed utterly uninterested in Elsez’ protests. Leaning closer, he spoke in a low voice.“Five percent commission.”“For the last time, that’s not the—”“Three percent.”Elsez fell silent.Jack, as if sensing victory, adopted a determined expression.“Three percent, plus ten quests a month with no commission at all.”The offer was so exceptional that no other guild member could ever dream of receiving it. Hearing it, Elsez lowered her gaze, letting out a sigh. Then she lifted her head, her golden eyes glinting brighter than ever, like molten gold.She firmly grabbed Jack’s hand.“I’ll devote my life to this guild. ‘Eternal,’ forever.”In the end, money really did solve everything. ***** “Here, sign this,” Jack said, handing Elsez the guild registration form.The form was straightforward:1. The guild will assign Guild Member _____ a minimum of 30 quests per month, deducting 3% of the rewards as a fee to Guild Eternal.

2. Guild Member _____ must not cause harm to civilians under any circumstances while completing quests.

2-1. If Guild Member _____ violates Clause 2, the Guild Master may expel the member. In such cases, tracking magic may be activated as needed. (This clause also allows the guild member to track the Guild Master.)

3. This contract is valid for one year from the date of signing and will automatically renew in 6-month increments. If either party wishes to terminate the contract, they must notify the other party one month in advance.

4. This contract is bound by standard magic and cannot be canceled without mutual agreement before the expiration date.‘That second term… was very Cassian.’After skimming the form, Elsez signed in the blank space.As soon as her name was written, the paper burst into flames, and the resulting ashes merged into her hand, forming a glowing magic circle that quickly faded into her skin.She stared at her hand as the contract finalized.Jack and Perse reached out their hands to her.“Welcome to the family, Ace!” Jack exclaimed.“Welcome aboard,” Perse added with a nod.“Looking forward to working with you,” Elsez replied, shaking their hands.“I’ll head off to clear the quest about the magic beast now,” Elsez said, stepping away.“Hm, but if those guys didn’t assign that quest to their guild members and gave it to you, doesn’t that mean it’s dangerous?” Jack asked.“If it seems risky, I’ll go with you,” Perse offered.“No worries. I’m Ace, remember?”Elsez gave them a confident thumbs-up, her grin radiating determination.Jack roared with laughter, and Perse nodded approvingly.Waving to them, Elsez stepped out of the guild.“See you later!”Once outside, she reached into her pocket for the quest scroll she had received the day before. But as her gaze fell on the magic circle now etched into her hand, she paused.There was no going back—she was officially a member of Eternal.Cassian may be the guild master, but how often would he even have time to deal with someone like me? He’s probably too busy anyway.Elsez reassured herself. Despite being shadowed by Cassian just yesterday…Besides, this guild offers the best chance to gather information on the Mage Tower. I need to resolve this before Reti’s power grows too much.Determined, she pulled out the quest scroll from her pocket.Along with it, Reti popped out as well.“Where are we going now?”“To find a very big piece of candy.”Elsez opened the scroll as she spoke.Quest: Defeat Mamaroong and retrieve its core.

Location: Deep in the Isolid Forest.

Reward: 50 Lukes.

Progress: Mamaroong Core: 0/1.Mamaroong, despite its cute-sounding name, was a massive slime classified as a low-tier magical beast. Typically, it required a full party to take it down.But for Elsez, who carried the power of a demon, it was a task she could handle solo.Which meant…Fifty Lukes, all mine!Her golden eyes gleamed with excitement.One Luke was worth about 50,000 won ($50). While a party would usually split the reward, leaving each member with about 10 Lukes, Elses could pocket the entire 50 Lukes—about 2.5 million won ($2,500)—in a single day.“Alright, to Isolid Forest…”Fired up, Elsez took her first step toward the forest, only to feel a large hand snatch the quest scroll from her grasp.“Red line?”It was Cassian.Elsez stared at him, bewildered by his sudden appearance.Correction. He is a man with too much free time.Note: Reti is Leti