-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"You… you coward…! Don't run away! Fight me!"
There was a brief commotion as Go Yoonseo suddenly burst out in a fit and charged forward, but it was quickly dealt with.
Why act up when you can't even land a single hit?
In truth, if I hadn't saved Lee Yuri, I would have had nothing to say, no matter how much resentment they harbored. But well, I did save her, didn't I?
Honestly, I was in a hurry earlier and spoke a bit carelessly, and I made them do the absurdly tedious work of sticking Neiki leather onto their clothes, but that was unavoidable.
'Lee Yuri seems quite close with these party members…'
So much so that I wondered if they were the driving force that allowed her to endure her academy life, even while drinking tap water and munching on convenience store triangle kimbap every day.
With the academy departure imminent, I didn't want to burden Lee Yuri with such a heavy heart.
I immediately handed Lee Yuri, whom I had been carrying on my back, over to Go Yoonseo.
After that, it was scolding time.
"Go Yoonseo, you. What were you thinking! Trying to go in there!?"
"…And what were you thinking, Gukbap!? Do you think we'd be grateful if you─."
"Quiet. So we should all just die? My sister is in this party, too; were you trying to drag her into it? A vice-leader worth her salt should understand with a glance. You should have taken it as me entrusting my sister to you!"
When I used Yuna as leverage, Go Yoonseo's mouth snapped shut as if she'd been struck speechless.
"Mr. Jin Yuha isn't wrong at all. In an emergency, the team leader's command is absolute. And you even defied that."
"…"
"Ha, Sister Soyeon, this is truly shocking. I expected it from Yoonseo, but I didn't think you'd do it too."
"…"
"Lee Yuna, you are banned from hunting for one year starting now."
"...!"
At those words, Yuna made a face like she'd lost the world, but still, the atmosphere on the way back wasn't bad.
Because Lee Yuri had returned.
On the way back, Choi Soyeon and I took the lead, clearing out the goblins.
Of course, there wasn't really a scene for the healer to shine.
* * *
6:00 PM.
Surprisingly, we were able to exit the gate exactly on schedule.
I had thought we couldn't avoid a gate fine for being late due to the various incidents, but that wasn't the case.
We hadn't spent much time fighting the Blood Goblin.
And on the way back, I had taken the lead in dealing with the Neiki and goblins, so the remaining members mostly just ran.
"Ugh! Blech—!"
Go Yoonseo, especially, who had carried Lee Yuri on her back, dry heaved with a deathly pale face.
After barely making it out of the gate, we immediately headed to the settlement office near the gate.
The settlement office had a modern and clean interior, with various facilities lined up to measure by-products.
And there.
"…You conducted an unexplored area reconnaissance?"
When Lee Yuri submitted her report, the female employee who received it said with a skeptical look.
"Yes."
Lee Yuri nodded with an exhausted face.
The employee turned her gaze back to the report, then her eyes went wide.
"But, there, you subjugated a C-grade monster, a Blood Goblin…!?"
Yuna placed the item wrapped in a cloth on the table.
Thud—!
The impact of putting it down caused the cloth to unravel, revealing what was inside.
It was the head of a Blood Goblin.
"Here, it's proof."
"…My goodness."
The employee seemed truly surprised, examining the head several times.
Then her expression quickly hardened.
"…And you said there were countless goblins there, right?"
"Yes. There were too many, so we couldn't subjugate them all."
"Then you discovered in advance that the Camelara Forest Gate was about to burst! Thank you so much! Thanks to you, immense damage was prevented!"
The employee sighed as if truly relieved.
Next, Yuna began to lay out various by-products and magic stones from her bag.
The employee, who had scrutinously scanned the by-products, quickly finished her calculations and spoke.
"First, the settlement amount is… 4.8 million won, but we'll round it up a bit and give you 5 million won."
At that, the party members nodded, as if they hadn't expected much.
It was an unavoidable amount since the valuable Neiki leather had been wasted by sticking it onto outer garments.
Still, by simple calculation, it was 1 million won per person, so it was something, even if it was a bit lacking.
However, the employee's words were not yet finished.
"However, this amount only accounts for the goblin fangs and magic stones. First, what are these?"
What the employee pointed to were three outer garments adorned with Neiki leather.
"…Uh, well."
Yuna bowed her head and said shyly.
"We heard Neiki's stealth was effective against goblins, so…"
"Huh… So, that's… Ah!"
The employee picked up the crude garments and exclaimed in admiration.
"You're truly amazing! I wondered how you managed to catch a Blood Goblin, which never appears among goblin hordes, but such an idea!!!"
At that, all the party members' expressions became awkward.
"First, these clothes made from Neiki leather. They are crude, but if I report this idea to my superiors, it will certainly be recognized for its value. I'd estimate around 5 million won?"
"Ah!"
Yuna let out a cry of joy.
She had thought what she'd done was a wasteful misuse of expensive leather, but it turned out it wasn't.
"Hmm, and I should also mention the settlement amount for the Blood Goblin's head. This is an additional 10 million won."
"!"
Everyone's eyes widened at the mention of 10 million won for a single head.
"And for the unexplored area reconnaissance that prevented the gate explosion, there will also be an additional achievement bonus of about 10 million won. Originally, it would be proper to give you more, considering the immense damage you prevented, but this is not something I can decide."
"…"
The party members, who had initially been surprised by the Neiki leather, were now utterly speechless.
It was an achievement beyond imagination.
The usual goblin subjugation amount: 5 million won.
Neiki leather clothes: 5 million won.
Blood Goblin head: 10 million won.
And unexplored area reconnaissance: 10 million won.
Totaling approximately 30 million won.
This was not an amount that could be earned from a single E-grade dungeon.
"We can give you 15 million won right now. Shall I deposit it into the team leader's account?"
"Yes, yes…"
Lee Yuri nodded with a dazed expression.
"Thank you once again. Thanks to you, we were able to prevent a gate explosion."
We left the settlement office, leaving the deeply bowing employee behind.
"…"
"…"
"…"
Even after exiting the settlement office, all the party members stood with their mouths agape and blank expressions.
Amidst this, Go Yoonseo trembled uncontrollably, then let out a joyful cheer.
"Kyaaaah! This is insane, truly!! How much is this!!!"
However, her fussing was soon stopped by Lee Yuri, who had her eyes closed.
"…Go Yoonseo. Be quiet for a moment."
"Yes, ma'am."
A moment later.
Lee Yuri opened her eyes.
And she looked around at the party members and said in a firm voice.
"First, today's dungeon subjugation has successfully concluded. The achievements were not bad. Everyone worked very hard."
Huu—
Lee Yuri took a short, deep breath and continued.
"However, I believe that today, these achievements are not entirely ours. Does anyone here have a differing opinion on this?"
"That's right."
"…Ah, well, that's true."
"Hmm, yes. We wouldn't have made it out alive without Yuha oppa."
Even though a large sum was clearly coming their way, Choi Soyeon, Go Yoonseo, and Yuna immediately agreed and nodded.
And Lee Yuri's eyes turned to me.
"However, Mr. Jin Yuha. I wish to ask for your understanding. It is also true that the other party members worked hard… I want to give them 1 million won each."
"Yes, that's fine."
When I readily nodded, Lee Yuri looked relieved.
"Then, the remaining amount will all go to Mr. Jin Yuha's…"
"Ah, wait a moment. I have an objection."
I interrupted her words and raised my hand.
"Speak."
Then, a slight disappointment, and then a flicker of acceptance appeared in her eyes.
The disappointment was probably because she couldn't ensure the party members got their share, and the acceptance was likely that it made sense.
However, the objection I wanted to raise was not that.
"How much are you taking, Team Leader?"
*Flinch*—
Lee Yuri trembled.
"I, I… won't take any…"
"That's why I'm objecting. Everyone else is taking a little, so why aren't you, Team Leader?"
I had seen through Lee Yuri's intention from the start: to give everything to me without taking any for herself.
Money?
It's good to have a lot.
But now that I'm going to live in a dormitory, there won't be many places to spend it for a while, once I have a certain amount.
Later, when needed, I can form a proper party and clear dungeons, earning millions as if it were nothing.
And it's not like Jin Yuha, this guy, has debts like Lee Yuri.
Of course, I'm not saying I won't take the share for my own efforts. But it was unacceptable that Lee Yuri was getting 'nothing' when everyone else was, let alone if she had tried to give it all to me from the very beginning.
Lee Yuri's eyes trembled with confusion.
"Then, shall we go through it one by one? First, the Blood Goblin. Didn't Team Leader Lee Yuri and I catch him 'together'?"
"Th-that's ridiculous…"
"Didn't we coordinate there?"
"…"
"Team Leader Lee Yuri pushed the Blood Goblin, and I sliced him up."
Lee Yuri put on a serious face.
"Don't talk nonsense, Mr. Jin Yuha. No one here doesn't know that you could have caught that guy alone."
"Oh, really? Then what about Go Yoonseo?"
"…Huh? Suddenly? Me?"
Go Yoonseo, suddenly mentioned, pointed at her face with a finger and spoke in a bewildered voice.
"You're saying, Team Leader, that 'since I'm skilled enough to handle that guy alone, it's right for me to take it all alone,' aren't you?"
"That's right…"
"Then, Team Leader, you're much more skilled than Ms. Go Yoonseo, so why are you giving her a share? No, not just Ms. Go Yoonseo, but Ms. Choi Soyeon and Yuna too. Does the strength of party members have to be equal?"
When I subtly nodded.
Choi Soyeon understood perfectly and joined in.
She clearly knew that Lee Yuri would take nothing for herself if things continued this way.
"Honestly, we didn't see the fight, so we don't know. Team Leader, why did you run out of mana?"
"Oh? Yeah, Gukbap, why did you run out of mana?"
Go Yoonseo, realizing the meaning belatedly, added.
"Team Leader, you handed the Blood Goblin over to me as a shield."
"Really…?"
"Whoa. Then it makes sense that you'd be exhausted."
As the three of them pressured Lee Yuri in unison, she bit her lip and trembled, then suddenly shrieked.
"Th-then! What about my life's worth!!!"
Pathetic, Gukbap.
"Oh, come on. So, Team Leader, are you going to demand money from Ms. Go Yoonseo and Ms. Choi Soyeon for saving their lives? You ran out there alone to save everyone. How much are you going to demand?"
"Yeah, Gu-Gukbap… How much do I owe you…?"
"Team Leader. First, my entire fortune is about this much…"
"…"
"Do we charge money here for saving a party member in crisis?"
Then, as if she could no longer hold out.
Lee Yuri bowed her head deeply and said in a creeping voice.
"…0.5 : 9.5"
"3:7"
"…1:9"
"3:7"
It was a peculiar standoff.
I was trying to give Lee Yuri money, and Lee Yuri was stubbornly resisting taking it.
I knew my own worth, so I understood I should take 7.
I stood firm, as unyielding as a rock, saying 3:7.
However, Lee Yuri's stubbornness was considerable, so the negotiation ultimately settled at 2:8.
It was a bit disappointing, but it was a relief that Lee Yuri could take at least that much.
"For the unexplored area reconnaissance and the Neiki leather clothes, they should still all go to Mr. Jin Yuha…"
"I won't deny that I did a lot of work on those. Let's go with 1:9. And, for the Neiki leather clothes, Yuna worked hard, getting glue all over her hands. Are you going to take your sister's achievements and offer them to a man?"
"T-take them and offer them to a man…! Ah, alright! Instead! I'll use what I get to give more to the other party members!"
Lee Yuri snorted, as if she absolutely wouldn't compromise on this point.
"Well, do as you please with that."
In the end, we defeated a criminal who was trying to shortchange the party without any business ethics, through a righteous negotiation.
Seriously, this kid.
How dare a pretty girl like you act up in front of a former Velvet Sura player?
Just accept the sponsorship quietly.
Hehehe.