Towards S-Rank (1)

“The reason we’ve come here today is none other than to re-evaluate the strength of Elemental’s Awakeners and restructure the guild’s internal power structure.”

The guild’s power structure. In a way, that was a very blunt choice of words.

“…How will the power structure be restructured? And why now, of all times…?”

“Well, regarding the timing… it’s partly due to the recent turmoil in other guilds. The leadership of Elemental wishes to prevent such chaos by getting our own house in order beforehand.”

He gave me a slight smile.

“Furthermore, the Guild Master believes that our current… stagnant structure may be hindering Elemental’s own growth.”

“The Guild Master…”

“Yes. And as for how the power structure will be reformed… that is yet to be decided.”

“Excuse me?”

“‘The power structure of the future cannot be decided by those in power today.’ That was the Guild Master’s will. Of course, there was considerable opposition… but the Guild Master insisted on it.”

…This is practically a revolution.

Does the king usually lead a revolution to overthrow himself?

No, no…

I only ever thought about bailing as Lee Han-gyeol if things got weird. I never imagined the fallout would reach this far…

“I believe we should discuss the details upstairs. Do you have a moment?”

“Han-gyeol, have a good talk. I’m going to head out. Bye.”

*

In a conference room.

The secretary began to speak.

“To be direct, the objective of this reform is the removal of the current Vice Guild Master from power.”

“Removal from power?”

“Yes. The biggest controversy at Yua Dokjon right now is drugs. Our investigation has confirmed that the source of those drugs was Elemental—more precisely, they were produced under the Vice Guild Master’s orders.”

So the one backing Yoo Yi-jun’s operation was Elemental’s Vice Guild Master.

“…Why are you telling me this?”

“First, you are a suitable fit for the cause of ‘infusing new blood.’ But the specific reason I’ve singled you out, Han-gyeol, is because you are demonstrating growth that is far beyond merely being ‘young.’ It would be absurd to place someone in a high position simply because they are young. No one would accept that. How long has it been since you Awakened, Han-gyeol?”

“I think it’s been about two months now.”

“Exactly. That’s it. An unprecedented growth rate. From C-rank to A-rank in just two months. You wield dual elements and even command spirits of both attributes. With a growth rate like yours, everyone will be convinced.”

He stared intensely into my eyes.

…This is a lot of pressure.

“They’ll think, ‘Ah, here is an Awakener who will soon reach the pinnacle. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have him take on a high position a little early and run the guild from the perspective of the ‘new blood.’”

“Run the guild, you say?”

Suddenly, why was the conversation heading in that direction? Was he telling me to become the Guild Master or Vice Guild Master? Just like that?

Seeing my tense expression, the secretary said with a hint of a smile, “There’s no need to be so nervous. We won’t be giving you a major position from the start. You’ll likely join the leadership team.”

“Even if it’s a small position and not a major one, I’m still… I’m still not really…”

I stammered, at a loss for words.

“No one is good at it from the beginning. Besides, I’ve only told you the first reason. There is a second.”

“What is it?”

“To be frank, Han-gyeol… you’ve had some friction with the Vice Guild Master’s faction, haven’t you?”

“…You mean Jeong Ji-hoon.”

“Yes. I am truly sorry that we couldn’t prevent that… but there was no direct way to deal with that kind of tyranny. All I could do was suggest an indirect approach, having you gain experience through the ‘Expedition’ guild.”

The secretary was the one who had introduced me to Geun-tae and his team. Man, what a ridiculously overpowered team that was…

“Since Elemental is such a massive guild, we often lack flexibility in strange ways. I apologize once again.”

“Ah, it’s alright. It all worked out in the end.”

“Yes. Thank you. To conclude, since you’ve had friction with the Vice Guild Master’s faction, we can use your promotion to keep them in check. In the process, if we raise the issue of the drugs, we can induce the Vice Guild Master’s fall from power.”

“…Do we really have to do it that way? I mean, couldn’t the Guild Master and the other high-ranking Awakeners in Elemental keep the Vice Guild Master in check?”

“The others, you ask? For a start, the Guild Master is in the Spirit World. The Spirit World has been rather turbulent lately, so she has been spending quite a lot of time there. As for the others…”

The secretary crossed his arms. Then, as if glaring at something in the distance—

“The truth is, the current Vice Guild Master has a tendency to be overly… greedy for his position.”

“Greedy…?”

“Honestly, most S-rank Awakeners don’t really care much for things like power. Of course, some do, but… perhaps it’s a display of confidence? They aren’t very greedy for power they could seize whenever they wanted. The same goes for wealth. But in the Vice Guild Master’s case—”

“He’s excessively greedy?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right. Greed. Han-gyeol, we are Elemental. The number of gates we own is past double digits and approaching triple digits, and the resources we gain from them are abundant. Is there any need for us to be making drugs?”

“…That’s a good point.”

“Drugs, of all things… In any case, the current Vice Guild Master is an exceptionally greedy man. He took advantage of the other S-rank and high-ranking Awakeners’ lack of interest to worm his way in.”

“I… I’m not so sure. From what I’m hearing, it sounds like the others share some of the responsibility. The responsibility of not fulfilling the duties that come with their power. Even if he exploited the gap while everyone was focused on their own lives, couldn’t the other S-ranks just pressure him together now?”

The secretary sighed.

“…To be perfectly honest, the other high-ranking Awakeners aren’t particularly negative about the drugs.”

“What?”

“To be precise, there is one who is completely uninterested, two who are not against it, and one who is only slightly against it.”

A massive guild is a massive guild, I guess. Including the Vice Guild Master, they had five S-ranks.

For reference, the Guild Master was in a separate category as an SS-rank.

“The reason they don’t see it negatively… is likely because the money from the drug sales flows into Elemental. I don’t know what percentage of the profits it is, but a considerable amount of funding comes in nonetheless.”

…So how much is it?

Just how much money would it take… for S-ranks to not see drugs as a negative thing?

I couldn’t bring myself to ask.

As if reading my mind, the secretary sighed and said, “The look of disappointment on the Guild Master’s face when she found out was truly…”

Another sigh.

“Regardless of the Guild Master’s disappointment, the Vice Guild Master’s removal or expulsion must happen. The fallout from the Yua Dokjon succession battle could spread to Elemental through the drug connection.”

“What do you mean by… fallout?”

“Either the eldest son’s side, or the second and third sons’ side, could attack the drug organization. The eldest son, to deny his involvement, and the second and third sons, because they are the victims.”

Another sigh. He was sighing a lot today.

“Whichever side investigates the drug organization, they will eventually trace it back to Elemental. In that case, Elemental could get dragged into the succession battle. Deeply.”

“…The eldest son’s side would be more desperate, I assume?”

“Yes. The second and third sons, having pushed the eldest to this point, wouldn’t want anyone else to interfere. The eldest son, on the other hand, must sever his ties to the drug organization if he wants to overcome this situation.”

“Then the eldest son’s side is the bigger problem.”

The second and third sons are already in the palm of my hand.

I just need to screw over the eldest son, then.

“Technically, yes… but the priority is the expulsion of the Vice Guild Master. If we cut ties from our end first, they won’t be able to say much. We are a massive guild in our own right, after all…”

“So, what I have to do is… get into the leadership, keep the Vice Guild Master in check, and then oust him by raising issues about the drugs?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

That’s fucking hard…

“On top of that, I have to take care of the eldest son’s side, too.”

“What? No, that’s not it. The connection to us hasn’t been revealed yet, and even if it is, it’s not something you need to worry about, Han-gyeol.”

“Ah, I got confused.”

The thought of taking care of the eldest son as Seo A-gyeol just slipped out.

Still, it’s fucking hard either way…

“Of course, I know it’s a difficult task.”

If you know it’s difficult—

“Therefore, we have prepared a reward that takes that into consideration.”

A reward?

“From now on, after receiving the acknowledgment of Elemental’s S-rank Awakeners, you, Han-gyeol, will be treated as an S-rank, at least within the guild.”