Chapter 129

〈 Chapter 130 〉 Chapter 129 – Clear Distinction Between Business and Personal *

The Guild Leader threw a dagger at me threateningly, putting me in a desperate situation.

But.

“Osoi!”

Was his strength that weak? The Guild Leader’s dagger was coming at me so slowly.

I dodged the dagger with ease and instead effortlessly caught it mid-air.

After all, everything had gone wrong, so I decided to just go for it.

“Grrr! Do you think you can get away with this!”

“Hehe. How amusing.”

As I juggled the dagger thrown by the Guild Leader, he grit his teeth and snarled at me.

“You won’t be able to join any guild!”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I’ll make sure of it!”

Hey.

That’s a line only Hyeji is allowed to use.

Suddenly, I had a question.

This Ear Goblin was definitely not in the Forest of Elves.

If he was, he wouldn’t have been able to come over because of the broken Gate.

But I was curious about how this Ear Goblin knew about the World Tree’s death.

“So where did you get this photo?”

“We have close relations with the Academy! When you came to the Academy, the Chairman handed this over!”

[So it was before you made the deposit.］

‘That old bastard really passed it on fast.’

Then the Guild Leader mocked me even more.

“So I put you on the blacklist!”

“No wonder I haven’t gotten any bites, damn it.”

I slowly approached the Guild Leader.

He trembled slightly as he saw me coming but confidently said,

“Hmph! What do you plan to do?”

“Even though you made such a pathetic surprise attack, I will forgive you.”

“That’s funny! Do you think just because you say you forgive me, I’ll remove you from the blacklist?”

I maintained a calm expression and plunged the dagger into the Guild Leader’s desk.

Then, I activated my Magical Power Tattoo to manifest my gauntlet.

“But will this guy forgive you?”

“St-stop!”

I firmly grabbed the Guild Leader’s lovely green hair.

“Ikuzo!!”

[……I thought this might happen.］

­ Thud!!!

“Kyak!!!!”

I tore it off with all my might.

Due to the excessive shock, the Guild Leader let out a cute scream and fainted.

Of course, his appearance didn’t match the scream due to his missing head.

Watching the Guild Leader fall slowly while unconscious, I delivered my final line.

“Ah, so slow. Even collapsing takes ages.”

[What on earth could have triggered such a mess!!］

‘After all, this is self-defense.’

The moment the Guild Leader threw the dagger at me, it was already an attempted murder.

Moreover, the fact that the World Tree had died wasn’t something to be gossiped about among Elves, so the chances of ordinary people finding out were very low.

They’d only know that I was on the blacklist.

Above all.

‘My future self will handle this!’

[What a reliable thought indeed!!!!］

It was something I did with strong conviction.

Before the Guild Leader regained consciousness, I rushed down to the first floor.

When the guide saw me come down unharmed, she looked surprised.

“Um, what happened?”

“Ah, don’t worry. Everything was resolved smoothly.”

“Is that so?”

Well, the Guild Leader’s head is missing.

I ignored the guide’s words and quickly activated the Gate to return to the Academy.

That’s when Piece spoke to me.

[So what will you do now?］

‘Well, first I’ll look around. You never know if someone’s willing to take me in.’

I activated the Gate again and started hopping guild to guild.

I looked like a faithful believer heading towards a holy site, and at the same time, like a hyena prowling the Serengeti searching for another meal.

*

While hopping through several guilds, I did have some outcomes.

Each time I visited a guild, I felt my tension rise as I saw Elves occasionally.

I couldn’t shake off my wariness since I had been attacked at the first guild.

Expecting them to be hostile, I cycled my Magical Power in preparation for a fight, but their reactions were slightly different from my expectations.

Except for the High Elf Guild Leader, the other Elves were those who had deep ties with other races.

In other words, they were foreign-marriage Elves.

They had been expelled from the Forest of Elves and were forced to live in another realm, so they too harbored a strong resentment towards the Forest.

At one guild, a muscular Elf, proud of his physique, laughed heartily when he heard my hero story and slung an arm around my shoulder.

“Heh! Hearing it in person makes it even cooler! From today, we are brothers!”

“Hyung! Then can I get some sponsorship from your guild?”

“I’m sorry, but that requires the Guild Leader’s approval.”

‘Geez, they’re really strict about business relationships.’

[Looks like there’s no going back.］

He quickly pulled his arm away and tried to shift his stance.

Every guild I visited gave me the same answer: it was impossible.

After all, being on the blacklist means they had no reason to risk it to be my sponsor.

[Later on, when you join, Hyeji and Elcia will come along, right?］

‘I’m not looking to go with that as my trump card.’

It’s highly likely those two would join the same guild as me.

However, it wasn’t worth using them as bait.

Their worth was not something to be wasted on trivial matters.

Additionally, some guilds pointed out my family ties as an issue.

Specifically, it was because I had a brother, Choco Hyung.

Of course, I vehemently protested each time.

“Are you saying my Choco Hyung looks like a dog?”

“Not a dog, but a dog bastard!!!!!!!”

“What’s the difference from a 100% animal gene beastman! This is racial discrimination!”

“D-don’t talk nonsense!!!! What do you mean communicating with a dog bastard!!!!”

“I’ve drunk with my Choco Hyung! We’ve grilled meat together! We’ve worked out! We’ve done everything! You dog bastard!”

I could tolerate being ignored, but I couldn’t stand my Choco Hyung being disrespected.

I didn’t want any guild that disrespected my Choco Hyung, so I left without looking back.

In the end, there were guilds that showed interest in me.

However, the lack of tangible public results I had achieved was a hindrance.

[In the end, you have no choice but to raise your own value.］

‘How annoying.’

Returning to the Academy without any achievements, I realized that darkness had started to creep in as the time rolled on.

At that moment, I saw someone drooling and sleeping near the Gate.

“Elcia?”

“Hmm….Oh! Husband! You’re here!”

Elcia clung to me without wiping the drool from her mouth.

“Wipe your drool first. You’re getting it on me.”

“Sigh. So, how was your day, Husband?”

“I messed up.”

“See, I told you to listen to me before you went…”

Still, I patted Elcia’s head since she waited for me at this late hour.

Elcia silently savored my touch.

When I withdrew my hand from her head, she suddenly spoke in a slightly somber tone.

“I feel sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Husband.”

At that moment, I felt tears welling up.

The Elcia I knew wasn’t this conscientious.

‘Sniff! This feels like watching a child grow up!*

[How touching! Finally, that Elf is showing some thought!］

“I feel like you’re having some impure thoughts.”

“……No.”

“Not at all? Just tell me.”

Unnecessarily getting all lovey-dovey, Elcia opened her fierce gaze and demanded an answer from me.

Desperate to dodge Elcia’s interrogation, I quickly changed the subject.

“By the way, what was your team planning to ask for if you won?”

“Hmph…that’s a secret!”

Then Elcia started to subtly stroke her lower abdomen while looking at me with a sultry gaze.

Somehow, that look felt ominous and frightening, so I shifted my gaze slightly.

“I’ll be getting something really good!”

“Right…do your best.”

“Yes!”

Elcia hugged me tightly, taking a deep breath and murmuring something.

“Not yet. Not here. Hold on. I must hold on.”

“……Elcia?”

“I’ll be going now!”

Then Elcia backed away from me and returned to the dormitory.

‘Why is she acting like that? It’s slightly scary.’

[I’m about to die from frustration!!! Just f*cking be a man and do it already!!!!］

Having nothing else to do, I ignored Piece’s screams and silently returned to my dormitory.

After a proper wash, I lay in bed to sort out my thoughts.

Public achievements.

The most visible accomplishment I could achieve right now is to get the best result in the tournament.

There might be some smaller things, but I seriously doubt anything else would grab people’s attention like that.

[If you’re doing it, aim for victory.]

‘I was planning on that anyway.’

The looks in Hyeji and Elcia’s eyes when they looked at me were slightly scary too.

And visiting the Beastman Kingdom filled with fur is a complete no-go.

I wiped away the rising thoughts and tried to sleep.

Then the next day.

The Academy was filled with tension that day.

Because they had to face the wrath of the god.

“Why the hell is our team out, you dog bastards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Right before the preliminary round of the tournament began, an unimaginable rage emanated from a small stature, making everyone tense.

That’s right.

It was Hyeji.

*