Ch.387382 – Praise Behind One’s Back

Large clans provide various training programs for employee development through collaborations with external organizations.

Intern Shin Jin-ho joined the Raon Clan training program alongside junior mages and associate seniors.

“Didn’t you say you’re Shin Yeon-ho’s younger brother? How’s Yeon-ho doing these days? I haven’t heard from him in ages.”

“I’m sure my brother is doing fine. No news is good news, so we haven’t really been in touch, haha.”

“Huh? Did he go abroad or something?”

“He enlisted in the military right after finishing the first semester.”

“Oh right, right. That’s when everyone went to the military. Now that I remember, I should send him my regards.”

A young woman hummed as she looked for Shin Yeon-ho’s contact information.

“Kim Yu-ri, aren’t you being too obvious? I heard Shin Yeon-ho already has a girlfriend.”

“Associate, this is all part of reputation management. If you want to score points with future juniors, you need to start caring for them early.”

“Did you hear that, Jin-ho? When you enter the workforce, you really need to watch out for these fox-like people. They pretend to be nice, then suddenly stab you in the back!”

“Oh stop it! I never betray handsome men. Jin-ho passes the test, so he doesn’t need to worry.”

“What about me?”

“You should probably watch your back at night.”

The employees set up their virtual reality avatars while exchanging playful banter.

Since they were going to learn swordsmanship, they created avatars that closely resembled their actual appearances.

“Sword training taught by the National Exchange Competition champion! I’ve always wanted to learn swordsmanship. Jin-ho, do you know how to handle a sword?”

“I only did a bit of kendo when I was younger.”

“There aren’t many places that teach it in Korea. This should be fun—let’s learn together!”

“They’ve designed this open world quite nicely. Is that church in Baroque style?”

Everyone dispersed to explore different maps until the appointed time.

Jin-ho browsed through various channels, admiring the natural scenery in the open world.

While most mages were lingering near the stream walkway, Jin-ho spotted a cabin on top of a hill.

‘I’m bored, maybe I’ll check that place out.’

He climbed the uphill path with effort and knocked on the cabin door.

Knock knock knock-

“Who is it?”

A woman with a beautiful voice opened the door abruptly to greet him.

Jin-ho was stunned when he saw her face.

Her beautiful blonde hair sparkled like a wheat field bathed in warm sunlight.

Her small face and fairy-tale-like features seemed almost surreal.

Her blazing golden eyes slowly scanned left and right before meeting Jin-ho’s gaze.

Seeing Jin-ho standing there awkwardly, the woman smiled calmly.

“The training will begin once Katsuhata is ready. Please wait a little longer.”

“Are you from the Lingering Snow Clan…?”

Jin-ho asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Ah, well… yes? Don’t you recognize me?”

A meaningful answer flowed from the woman’s lips.

Jin-ho’s mind became confused.

Her Korean pronunciation was too fluent for her to be a foreigner.

“You’re… Korean, right?”

“Haha, yes, I’m Korean. My avatar must have confused you.”

‘So it’s a custom avatar, that makes sense.’

It was a reasonable explanation, as her beauty was too unrealistic to exist in reality.

“You can wait inside the cabin, Jin-ho.”

“How do you know my name?”

“It’s written right there on your nametag. Intern Shin Jin-ho.”

The woman pointed at Jin-ho’s chest nonchalantly.

Jin-ho nodded briefly and entered the cabin.

The woman had a sword with a beautiful handle attached to her waist.

She was most likely an assistant helping with the training program.

The woman took out a teapot from her inventory and poured tea into white cups.

She placed one cup in front of Jin-ho.

“It’s been a while since we last met. Is Shin Yeon-ho still doing well?”

The woman asked about his brother who had enlisted in the military.

“Ah, we don’t really keep in touch. But I’m sure he’s doing fine.”

Jin-ho hastily answered.

He quickly gulped down the tea and took in every movement the woman made.

‘Who is she? She must be someone I know.’

He felt too awkward to ask directly to her face.

If she were truly a close acquaintance, she might be disappointed that he didn’t recognize her.

Besides, it seemed like she was deliberately not introducing herself, as if challenging him to guess who she was.

He felt a strange sense of competitiveness.

“Are both brothers planning to join the Raon Clan?”

“I don’t really want to go abroad. My brother and I think alike on this.”

“True, living in a foreign land can be tough.”

“Do you have experience living abroad?”

“Me? Plenty. I’ve been everywhere.”

This narrowed down the possibilities, but there were still many suspects.

‘Wait, she said earlier she’s from the Raon Clan… Could it be?’

A lightbulb went off in Jin-ho’s head.

“You’re Ban So-wol, right?”

Shin Yeon-ho’s girlfriend.

The woman smiled gently.

Jin-ho let out a sigh of relief.

“I’ve been wondering who you were this whole time. But how did you decide to join this clan? It’s a completely new one.”

“The Lingering Snow Clan promised to find a way to fix my eyes.”

“NoName said that?”

“Yes.”

“You’re amazing for joining based on just a child’s promise. Though NoName is certainly no ordinary kid.”

Given everything NoName had accomplished, nothing she did would be surprising anymore.

“In what way is she extraordinary?”

“She’s incredibly smart, but what’s fascinating is how un-childlike she is.”

“Hmm.”

“I briefly met her during the Academy Competition, and she showed strong responsibility. As you know from participating in multiple competitions, most students are just desperate to win for their own grade. But she gave up her sleep to take care of other kids, which was admirable.”

“Hmph. Anything else?”

“It’s amazing how many things she wants to do at that age, and even more impressive that she has the ability to accomplish them. Whenever I see geniuses like my brother, you, or NoName, I feel like I need to work harder.”

“What else?”

“Well, when I see her in advertisements, she looks appropriately cute and childlike. She’s a bit short, but her face has that child actor quality. Though her height might be an issue if she wanted to be an actress.”

THUD-

The woman slammed her teacup forcefully on the table.

“That’s enough. Let’s stop there. By the way, how did the Raon Clan end up coming here for training?”

“I’m just an intern so I don’t know the details, but there’s an internal rumor that Raon Clan is working on some project with the Katsuhata school.”

“Really?”

“Yes. So it’s partly to get acquainted with their heir and partly for team building among clan members. That seems to be the intention.”

“Oh, so not everyone applied because they wanted to learn swordsmanship… That’s a bit… disappointing…”

She clicked her tongue regretfully.

“But since they’re people eager to learn, they’ll work hard when taught.”

“What about you, Jin-ho?”

“Me? I plan to work hard since I’m here. I heard the Imperial Palace Swordsmanship has 496 techniques, so to get my money’s worth, I should learn at least 50, right? By the way, So-wol, are you participating as an assistant in today’s training? Since when did you know how to handle a sword?”

Ban So-wol was known for her signature bare-handed combat.

As Jin-ho tilted his head in confusion, the cabin door suddenly burst open.

“Clan Leader. Katsuhata just logged in. When should we start?”

The visitor was none other than the real Ban So-wol.

“PFFT!”

Jin-ho spat out his tea and looked back and forth between the woman in front of him and Ban So-wol.

“*cough cough*! W-wait! Ban So-wol?”

“Oh? Jin-ho, hello. So you’re interning at the Raon Clan too.”

“Then who is this person…?”

Jin-ho had completely forgotten.

Ban So-wol’s way of speaking was even more dry than he remembered, and often came across as rude.

The foreign woman sitting across from Jin-ho stood up.

She habitually touched the hilt of her Schiavona sword.

Her shoulders shook up and down as she couldn’t hold back her laughter.

“I’ve heard your ambitions, Student Council President. You’re staying today until you learn all 50 techniques. You promised.”

[▶Custom 1 – Deactivate]

[▶Main Custom – Activate]

The blonde woman vanished, and a girl with twin tails appeared in her place.

“No way, NoName!”

“A true teacher finds fulfillment in teaching even if there’s only one student in class. I’m so happy that Jin-ho is participating with such enthusiasm!”

Jin-ho was shocked at having been completely fooled by NoName.

He knew NoName often showed un-childlike qualities.

But he never imagined he would be tricked just because she changed her avatar.

NoName transformed back into the adult woman avatar.

“I apologize for the deception. In return, Emika and I will work extra hard to correct your form. They say this is time you couldn’t buy with all the money in the world, right?”

“But I—!”

Day 1 of the Raon Clan Swordsmanship Training Program.

While other clan members left at 5 PM, Jin-ho couldn’t even eat dinner and only emerged from his capsule at 11 PM.

Suffering from body aches, Intern Shin Jin-ho had no choice but to use a vacation day the next day.