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The guild members gathered for the Floor 55 conquest had been fiercely discussing and sharing information. It had already been two days since they started planning while sleeping in the rest rooms and getting by on delivery food for meals.
One side of the meeting room was occupied by a whiteboard packed with precautions.
– Movement skills prohibited (※except in emergencies!)
– 40-second maintenance time right before mid-boss!
– Watch your footing! (cliff!!)
Besides the Floor 55-specific things to be careful of, basic rules that must be followed during any conquest were meticulously written below. Reading phrases like “smash empty potion bottles into small pieces” and instructions about what word to shout if anyone deemed it necessary to abandon the conquest, Doun chuckled.
– Don’t forget! ★Conquest abandonment = Property division★ ← Must shout this very loudly
Unless you had eyes on the back of your head, blind spots were inevitable. Most conquest teams relied solely on their leader’s independent judgment. However, Yeoun had established that if any conquest team member shouted the phrase “property division,” Samin would immediately abandon the conquest upon hearing it. Remembering Samin’s words about still having plenty of inheritance left to receive, this was immediately understandable.
‘He really is a funny guy.’
If it were someone else, he might have thought they were crazy, but since it was Samin doing this, it just seemed like typical behavior for him and felt endearing.
When he turned his head, he could see the large monitor installed on the wall. A video of Yeoun Guild’s conquest team from when Doun wasn’t there, showing them reaching the Floor 55 floor boss, was playing.
The perspective was as always capricious and chaotic. Without even sound, it felt like watching an incomprehensible silent film where you couldn’t understand the director’s intent.
The video was currently showing Samin’s combat. It wasn’t the first time seeing his face focused on battle, but the Samin on screen seemed strangely unfamiliar, like someone he’d never seen before. Doun was looking at those large hands completely soaked in the flesh and blood of magical beasts when it happened.
“Hyung?”
A familiar voice was heard. Doun’s head turned toward the door.
“Everyone went to sleep, but what are you doing here alone? I looked for you for quite a while. You even left your phone in your room.”
“Just… I came to turn off that video.”
Doun gestured with his chin toward the monitor installed on the wall. Actually, coming to turn off the video was just an excuse. Doun had been pacing back and forth between the underground training room and meeting room with a complicated heart.
Tomorrow morning, the group would have to head to the tower to attempt the very delayed Floor 55 conquest.
“That troubled expression again.”
Samin pouted his lips and strode over, pulling Doun into a firm embrace. It was an unhesitant action. Since there seemed to be no one around, Doun didn’t refuse the embrace he’d grown accustomed to either. Rather, he smiled happily and wrapped his arms around that broad back.
“Does the troubled look show that much on my face?”
“Yes. It was a face that was only thinking things like ‘What if we can’t conquer it?’ and ‘What if I’m not helpful?’ Seriously, when you’re left alone, you only worry about strange things and it’s a big problem.”
Even at the hand lightly pinching his cheek, Doun just grinned broadly. Then he muttered in a somewhat interrogating tone.
“Be honest with me. You have something like mind-reading among your skills, don’t you? The kind that sees right through what someone’s thinking.”
“You found out? How did you know? Only hyung knows about this. This is a completely rare skill, you know.”
“This guy, whenever he opens his mouth, he’s lying…”
Doun was rolling his eyes when Samin deliberately made a “smooch” sound as he kissed his soft cheek.
“Won’t you be fooled just a little? Your boyfriend is working hard to be charming, but you’re always just rolling your eyes. And when hyung rolls your eyes like that, it’s not scary at all and looks like temptation asking to be devoured. Just what did you eat to become this cute…”
Before Samin could finish speaking like when he acted cute at home, a notification window appeared in his field of vision and no voice came out.
[Notification: ‘Slope’ has violated a promise registered in ‘Bond (S)’.]
[Currently registered promise: Prohibition of excessive fussing in front of people]
[Registered penalty will be executed.]
[Penalty currently applied to you: Observe silence for 1 hour]
[Time remaining: 59 minutes 59 seconds]
‘What’s this? Suddenly? There aren’t any people here, what’s going on?’
Horror spread across Doun’s face as he confirmed a similar notification window. It was the moment when the sweet atmosphere suddenly turned into a thriller.
“…!”
Samin, who had been trying to say something to Doun, still just moved his mouth soundlessly. It was certain that the penalty had begun.
‘That means someone’s here.’
With a flustered face, Samin gently pushed away Doun, who was still in his arms. Then he scanned the surroundings with a menacing gaze. Just as Doun belatedly grasped the situation and began to look around the spacious meeting room a bit.
There was a rustling sound from behind the sofa.
“…Haha.”
The owners of the awkward forced laughter that broke the silence rolled their eyes. It was Kim Siwon and Park Sangyeon. Kim Siwon was laughing awkwardly, but inside he was screaming.
‘I’m going crazy. I had no idea Doun-ssi was dating that guild master bastard… What the hell is going on!’
He had just been planning to spend some intimate time with Park Sangyeon in the meeting room while others went to sleep, then go to bed. But then he heard someone entering the meeting room again.
Somehow they ended up holding their breath without making any noise, but after Doun entered, Samin came in too and started kissing Doun and spouting nonsense.
Kim Siwon was scratching his thigh with his finger, wondering what to say, when it happened.
“We absolutely didn’t do anything naughty behind the sofa.”
Park Sangyeon suddenly spouted nonsense. Kim Siwon glared at him.
“Sangyeon-ah, what kind of bullshit are you suddenly talking!”
They had clearly been listening together to those two smooching and exchanging sweet words from behind the sofa, and now he suddenly says this. He couldn’t tell if he had sense or not. Kim Siwon was elbowing Park Sangyeon’s ribs to give him a hint when it happened.
“…How long have you two been behind the sofa?”
Instead of Samin, who had been forced to keep his mouth shut for an hour, Doun asked.
“Since before you two kissed…?”
Doun rubbed his face as if it was ruined. He thought it was an empty meeting room, but to be caught like this. This was all the fault of that troublemaking mutt who couldn’t consider time and place and spouted nonsense.
While Doun glared at Samin and pondered how to handle this, Samin grabbed his phone and moved his fingers. Then he held out the screen to Kim Siwon and Park Sangyeon.
[If you two spread rumors about us it won’t be fun]
Doun held his forehead at the threatening message, Kim Siwon was dumbfounded, and Park Sangyeon just looked back and forth between Samin and Doun with an expressionless face.
“No, why would we spread rumors… Guild Master-nim. But why aren’t you talking now and just opening and closing your mouth? Why are you using your phone? You were saying all sorts of things to Doun oppa just earlier.”
Doun hesitated for a moment. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Kim Siwon and Park Sangyeon, but hunters’ skill and artifact information was like property, so he couldn’t reveal it carelessly.
Only one effect of the artifact that Doun and Samin shared had been disclosed to the guild members. Namely, that they could take each other’s wounds. Even this had to be revealed because Samin ended up taking Doun’s wounds.
They hadn’t yet told them that mana sharing was also possible, or that they could impose penalties on each other by setting conditions. They didn’t feel the need to share such things.
Doun took Samin’s phone with the threat written on it, erased the text, and wrote a question.
[Can I tell them about how we can impose penalties on each other with our artifact?]
Tilting the screen so only Samin could see, Samin nodded. Only after making a circle with his thumb and index finger to show definite affirmation did Doun open his mouth.
“The artifact has a skill that lets me and Samin impose penalties on each other too. I set it up so that if he makes excessive fuss in front of people, he can’t speak for an hour, so that’s why he’s like this now.”
“Oh, really? Well, considering how much Guild Master-nim was spouting nonsense. So he can’t talk for a while? That chattering mouth?”
When Kim Siwon widened his eyes with interest, Samin stood with one leg cocked and scowled. He could roughly guess what he wanted to say, but since no voice came out, he could only threaten with his face.
“I know saying this might be meddling, but I’m worried so I’ll just say one thing.”
The atmosphere became chilly at Kim Siwon’s serious expression.
‘Ah… I really want to run away.’
Doun found this situation very awkward. It was a situation where intra-guild romance, and same-sex dating at that, had been discovered.
If it were before, he would have avoided it first without thinking about the consequences. But Samin was with him, and he was the one who made him unable to speak due to the skill’s effect. He had no choice but to stay in this space to handle the situation.
“Alright. What do you want to say?”
When Doun asked Kim Siwon back, Kim Siwon took a small breath. It was the moment when Doun’s expression was about to stiffen with tension.
“Never co-sign any loans or guarantees for Guild Master-nim.”
“…Huh?”
Doun looked a bit dazed, as if deflated by the unexpected words.
“The closer the relationship, the more thorough you should be about money matters. Guarantees, borrowed-name accounts, figurehead positions, reject everything.”
Wondering if he was joking, Kim Siwon’s face that he looked down at was very serious. He really seemed worried that Doun might stamp his seal on a promissory note taking responsibility for Samin’s debts or get involved in various troublesome incidents.
Watching this, Samin shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms with a scoffing expression. Park Sangyeon kept his mouth shut as usual, unreadable as to what he was thinking.
“Samin… not to co-sign guarantees?”
Doun muttered to confirm what he had heard was correct. Kim Siwon quickly nodded and urged an answer.
“Samin has a lot of money, so what would he need to ask you for guarantees for…”
“You never know what can happen to people! He might suddenly get business fever like those crazy guys from other guilds and meet investors to develop the guild, selling oppa’s name.”
It was a very specific example. Listening to this, Samin frowned even more.
‘He’s really saying all sorts of things to hyung. Hmm, but I am a bit curious how hyung will respond.’
It wasn’t that he didn’t understand his concern, but being treated like a hopeless person in front of Doun made him feel a bit hurt. He worried that this might make him look like someone who couldn’t earn the trust of guild members.
However, since he was more curious about how Doun would respond, he decided to watch a bit longer. Meanwhile, Doun, who glanced at Kim Siwon urging an answer, thought this while choosing his words for a moment.
‘Do I really look that much like a pushover?’
It was certain that this worry came from goodwill. Knowing that, rather than being unconditionally offended, he felt grateful. But it was also true that he thought it was unnecessary meddling.
‘Still, it feels bad that he’s badmouthing Samin in front of me.’
After organizing his thoughts well in his head, Doun slowly looked down into Kim Siwon’s eyes and spoke.
“I know you’re saying that thinking of me. Thank you, Siwon-ah. But…”
Doun deliberately paused once and smiled slightly instead of frowning.
“I’m not quite that much of a fool.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
