Yunael didn’t feel a huge sense of affection or loyalty toward Ho Lactea. In the first place, they had only enrolled there in a fit of anger. But they had to admit that Ho Lactea wasn’t a bad place to be; there were many advantages to being a member, and Yunael was able to rise in ranks faster than anybody else thanks to the environment the organization provided. Because of it, there was a time when Yunael was determined to become greater than anyone else while staying in Ho Lactea.
Yet, at some point, Yunael felt the limits of being tied to an organization like Ho Lactea. Whenever their name became known, the Ho Lactea’s fame jumped beyond that. No matter how well Yunael performed, Ho Lactea’s name seemed to follow them everywhere, and at this rate, it seemed they would never be able to run away from the shadow of Ho Lactea. It was during this time of great internal struggle that they committed a critical mistake. As a result, Yunael’s position inside the organization drastically diminished, and their reputation was tarnished.
The way Alice dealt with Yunael could be seen as generous from an outsider’s point of view, but Yunael didn’t think that. They had lost all authority to act independently, and from now on, they would be a puppet, following whatever orders Alice gave them. One would wonder if all these things even mattered at this point, but Yunael hoped to transfer to Seven Stars. They felt a greater desire to do this after hearing what the name ‘Seven Stars’ meant from Aida.
Ho Lactea was governed by a centralized system, while Seven Stars could be seen as a feudal system. Though it might look as if subordinates had to simply swear loyalty to their king, members could gain considerable authority and higher status through their work. This was evident with the first team’s leader, Ru Amuh, and the fact that the organization not only supported but encouraged Ru Amuh to act independently further highlighted this point. Of course, Yunael knew that rising from the bottom to the top wouldn’t be easy when entering a new organization, but they were confident that they could do it.
They wouldn’t be able to achieve the future they wanted in Ho Lactea. Yunael wanted to quickly transfer to Seven Stars if possible and use it as a foothold to make a comeback. Thus, they begged Aida for help, and that was how they came to this meeting place and confidently demonstrated their skills in front of members of Seven Stars.
Their reaction didn’t seem bad—at least that was the impression Yunael got. And Chi-Woo nodded after hearing what Yunael said. Chi-Woo had not even spared them a glance during the hero recruitment event; thus, Yunael supposed that Chi-Woo’s mind must have changed after seeing their skills in person, and they felt slightly relieved that their transfer seemed more likely than before.
“No,” At least that was how they felt before a man among the attendees intervened. “Boss, you can’t accept Yunael Tania.” With a solemn expression, Eval declared his opposition boldly. Yunael’s eyes widened.
“Why? I will drop out of the other place and come here!”
“That’s not so simple. You can’t just do that if you want to, especially since this can affect our relations.h.i.+p with Ho Lactea.”
“Ah, why can’t I just do that? Isn’t it all up to me?”
“Do you really not understand? Think about it, and you’ll get why,” Eval said a bit bitingly. “You leaving Ho Lactea would be like Ru Amuh leaving Seven Stars. And if Ru Amuh left Seven Stars and joined Ho Lactea, what do you think we would think?”
Yunael hesitated after hearing Eval’s explanation. If that happened, Seven Stars would think badly of Ho Lactea and a.s.sume they must have pulled some kind of trick.
“But my situation is different from that hero’s. Not long ago—” Yunael said.
“I know that too. That’s why it’s even more of a problem,” Eval continued with a frown on his face. “Not only did you act independently, you failed in your expedition and needed our help. In Ho Lactea’s perspective, you’ve committed a grave mistake.” It was so grave that Yunael would have no room for complaining even if they were kicked out of the organization. Yet all Yunael received as punishment was probation. In other words, it meant that Alice was planning to still keep Yunael as part of her group.
“The leader of Ho Lactea risked angering her group members to protect you even after you committed a huge mistake. Thus, what would she think if you throw all the grace she showed you and leave the organization? And the place you go to is Seven Stars?” In short, Ho Lactea might suspect that Seven Stars had done something behind the scenes to ensure that Yunael failed their expedition.
Yunael became pale. They hadn’t considered that at all.
“Don’t be ridiculous! I did my best on the expedition!”
“We know that too since it’s Seven Stars who went to help. But the problem is that regardless of the truth, there’s room for us to be framed in such a way.”
They couldn’t underestimate the imagination of busybodies. They would somehow exaggerate the story in their head and come to their own a.s.sumptions before blabbering their false theories all over the place.
“Anyways, I am dead set against it,” Eval said and turned to Chi-Woo. “Boss, I know that you treasure Ms. Aida, but you mustn’t accept Yunael into the group. Ho Lactea extended great favor toward us not long ago. If you make the wrong decision now, the relations.h.i.+p you had built up with them until now could crumble.”
“S-Seven Stars must be very afraid of Ho Lactea,” Yunael said in shock and looked worried that Chi-Woo’s expression had changed after hearing what Eval said.
“Of course, we fear them,” Eval responded carefreely to Yunael’s provocation. “Though we don’t really fear Ho Lactea, we are afraid of destroying the connection we’ve built with them.”
If they had to choose between Ho Lacte and Yunael Tania, they would certainly choose the former. There was no need to even think about it. Yunael’s face turned flushed. Though they felt angry, they couldn’t retort. Everything Eval said made sense, and Yunael stared at Chi-Woo pleadingly. Chi-Woo also stared back at Yunael blankly, but actually, he was looking at Yunael’s user information rather than paying attention to the conversation.
1. Name & Rank: Yunael Tania (☆☆☆)
2. s.e.x & Age: - & 20
3. Height & Weight: 168.6cm & 52.2kg
4. Denomination The Jade Emperor’s Admiral, The White Horse General
5. Tier: Silver I
6. Cla.s.s: Foot Soldier -> Infantry Officer -> Major
7. Heavenly t.i.tle: The General Who Possesses Courage from Head to Toe and the Might of the Tiger
8. Disposition: Neutral Good
Find the original at ReadNovelFull.com.
[Strength C]
[Durability C]
[Agility B]
[Stamina B]
[Mental Fort.i.tude B]
[Mana B]
1. [The Three Basic Skills of Spearmans.h.i.+p A+++]
2. [Straight Prune-Colored Streaks A]
1. [Mantra that Chases Away the Darkness C]
2. [Resistance Against External Magic C]
1. [Acc.u.mulated Bravery] – The ability to instinctively overcome fear. The user doesn’t become afraid, and even if they panic from fear, they know how to get themselves back up and push themselves forward. They would not bend even when facing death and would maintain their bravery. This ability would provide a great boost toward combat abilities and survival rate even when they are cornered.
Through their user information, Chi-Woo got that Yunael was outstanding. They were in silver rank, their physical attributes were high, and their list of abilities was impressive too. Yet Chi-Woo still felt unsure if Yunael should be one of his seven stars.
‘Their potential is three stars…’ Though there was no doubt that Yunael had great potential, he wondered if Yunael was really a hero he must hold onto and make a star at all costs. Of course, Chi-Woo knew that like Eshnunna and Emmanuel, the potential he simply saw with his eyes wasn’t everything. Just in case, Chi-Woo studied them using the ‘The Power to Rule the World’ and found two odd points.
[Yunael Tania- Page (1/1)]
1. ‘7 Ways to Become a Great and Respected Parent’: Reach at least 90% in trust (Incomplete)
2. Become acknowledged by ‘Byeok Ran-Eum’, the Celestial Realm’s examiner, and become her disciple (Incomplete)
3. Break the contract with the White Horse General and form a new contract with the G.o.ddess of Balance, La Bella (Incomplete)
4. Use at least 6 and at most 8 points of ‘Blessed Luck’ (Incomplete)
Through his experience using The Power to Rule the World, Chi-Woo had concluded a few rules such as that the conditions became harder to fulfill the higher a person’s potential was. Furthermore, the trust and blessed luck required would be higher as well. This was the point that surprised him. Though he couldn’t look down on three stars by any means, it was still lacking in comparison to four stars or five stars—which he hadn’t seen yet. However, even though Yunael’s potential was only three stars, their conditions required a percentage of trust one would expect to see for a four-star. Furthermore, the conditions required a higher number of Blessed Luck than they would for a four-star.
For Ru Amuh, the Blessed Luck required was 5 to 7, but Yunael’s condition required at least 6 and at most 8. This was the first time he had seen a requirement greater than 7. Though Chi-Woo didn’t intend to use The Power to Rule the World brashly, a part of him wondered what the deal with Yunael was that their conditions would be so stringent. And while Chi-Woo was wondering about this, he felt three pairs of eyes on him. Yunael especially looked very intently at him.
“There’s no choice…” Chi-Woo sighed to himself because he knew there was only one type of answer he could give right now and said, “It seems…your transfer to our group will be difficult.”
“Ah!” Yunael gasped.
“My Lord, can’t we do anything?” Aida sounded desperate for Yunael. “I can attest to Yunael’s skills. They will definitely be a hero who will help the Seven Stars.”
“No, this isn’t a problem of whether or not they will be of help,” Eval interjected, but Aida continued.
“Yunael is a close companion who I’ve known for over a decade. I understand Seven Stars’ situation, but I can’t look away when they are having such a difficult time. In consideration of me, can’t you…”
“Ah, he already said no. We already organized this meeting because you pleaded so hard. Are you going to keep insisting despite all that?”
“My Lord!” Aida cried out. Then Yunael gasped, because Aida had suddenly dropped to her knees.
“Ah, what are you doing! Quickly get up. Can’t you see that the boss is having a difficult time?” Eval yelled, but Aida stayed put. Yet Chi-Woo was looking away. He was simply touching the flower pot on his desk and looked far into the distance. Yunael was stunned because Chi-Woo acted exactly like someone they knew. What was the deal with these flower pots?
When Yunael saw Aida bowing her head, they felt their heart crack into thousands of pieces. Aida was a n.o.ble hero who should be treated with respect and care wherever she went. But because of them, she had to face such humiliation!
“Aida, stop.” Yunael immediately got up and wrapped their arms around Aida. Then they turned and said, “I understand Seven Stars’ perspective.” Yunael looked intently at Chi-Woo then glared and gritted their teeth as Eval continued on calmly.
“Well…we don’t really have any negative feelings about you either, but we also have our positions to consider—”
“I got it. I can come here after solving all the issues that could pose problems.”
“You should neither solve the issues nor come back. You can’t avoid problems in this situation,” Eval refused firmly, and Yunael gritted their teeth harder. “But if you insist on doing what you want, we will also reveal Seven Stars’ own stance about this matter. I am telling you this now so that you remember.”
With these words, the meeting ended.
***
Yunael’s face looked dazed as they returned to Ho Lactea’s headquarters. It felt as if they were struck by a hammer in the head, hard. They hadn’t dreamed of something like this happening. Yet even after all this, Yunael still had the intention to leave Ho Lactea. Yunael’s personality didn’t allow them to keep doing something that didn’t fit them.
But they really needed to do something about the problems that were brought to light in their meeting with Seven Stars. Though they had left the meeting talking big, Yunael didn’t know where to begin. At this rate, they would have no place to go even if they left Ho Lactea. But for now, Yunael received a call to meet Alice and went to see her when they arrived back at the headquarters.
“Could you explain this?” As soon as Yunael entered the room, Alice shared a long message. It was a message that explained what had happened at Seven Stars just now. It was obvious who it came from. Yunael was sure it was the gangster-looking guy named Ever Sever or whatever his name was. He had warned Yunael that they didn’t want unnecessary misunderstandings and would let their stance be known.
“Is the message true?” Alice asked, and Yunael clenched their eyes shut. They were screwed.
“Were you unable to accept your sentence?” Alice asked in a slightly angry voice. She was a hero who usually didn’t show many emotions. The fact that she even let a bit of her emotion known hinted that she was incredibly angry. Yunael wondered what they should do now, and after biting down their lower lip for some time, Yunael said in a weak voice.
“I am telling you beforehand, but I didn’t conspire with Seven Stars.”
“I know,” Alice said sharply. “Otherwise, Seven Stars wouldn’t have sent me that message. I also confirmed from several others that you have tried your best to succeed in the recent expedition. That’s why I had simply given you a light probation.” It seemed Alice had checked the same story with several people to confirm the truth. Though Yunael was happy that they were freed from one suspicion, that still didn’t solve the other problems, nor brought them closer to their goal of leaving Ho Lactea.
“I…” After some silence, Yunael had no choice but to speak up. “I just thought that there was no place for me to stand here.”
“…”
“And there’s the point that Aida is in Seven Stars too.”
“…”
“And…” Alice didn’t respond; it appeared that she couldn’t understand Yunael’s point at all.
“Honestly, I don’t really understand either.” In the end, Yunael thought they were lost as well and said, “I just like that place and want to go there. I had wanted to go there since I came to Liber and learned about all the organizations. I feel like that place would fit me the best and that I must go there. It’s like the string of destiny is connecting me to that place.” Yunael spoke nonstop and finally took a deep breath in. In the end, their true feelings were revealed.
When trying to solve a problem, it was important for one to show their genuineness, but that wasn’t the solution to everything. Alice didn’t respond for a while, and Yunael felt nervous waiting for a reply. Yunael also thought that it would be understandable if Alice was enraged by them. After all, Yunael had gone to join another compet.i.tor’s group after Alice overlooked their mistake. As someone who belonged to a high-status, renowned family, Alice must’ve felt insulted, and Yunael wouldn’t blame Alice even if she cursed at them. Yet Alice didn’t do that.
After a long silence, she asked, “…What about that child?”
“What?”
Alice cleared her throat and answered, “No, the leader of the group, Sir Chi-Woo. What did he say?”
“…He refused too.”
“Could you explain it in more detail? Without missing a thing.”
Yunael didn’t know why Alice was asking this, but they noticed Alice stroking her flower pot again. Alice’s gestures seemed rougher than usual as she touched the plant’s leaves. Yunael let out a humorless laugh. Chi-Woo and Alice were so similar. And Yunael decided to just do whatever the h.e.l.l they wanted at this point and ask the question they had always wanted to ask.
“Before I tell you that, can I ask a question?”
“?”
“What’s the deal with the flower pot?”
“…Why are you suddenly asking me that?” Alice asked warily while wrapping her hands around the flower pot.
“I was just curious,” Yunael shrugged. They really were just curious. “Well, to explain…it seems Seven Stars’ leader was quite pleased with me too and showed a positive response to me. But he was very worried about what Ho Lactea would think.”
“How so?”
“Hm…” Yunael tilted their head, “Even when Aida pleaded to him to accept me with her knees on the ground, he turned away. He said it would be difficult while fumbling around with his flower pot as you do.” Yunael explained the reason for their question while they were at it.
“…Oh my, really?”
Yunael’s eyes widened slightly because Alice’s tone seemed to significantly soften then. It wasn’t their imagination. The way she stroked her plant was becoming softer too.
‘What is the deal with the plant really?’ Yunael thought. Was it a plant that could effectively calm people’s moods? But it seemed Alice had no intention of answering Yunael’s question and remained quiet. It seemed she was contemplating the matter deeply.
As Yunael thought, Alice felt displeased after receiving Seven Star’s message. She knew Yunael’s personality, but there was a limit to how much she could overlook and forgive. And in this recent meeting Yunael had with the Seven Stars, Yunael had crossed the line. Since this organization was named Ho Lactea, this was a matter concerning her family’s honor, and she had no intention of forgiving Yunael...at least until she heard what Yunael said, and her thoughts changed slightly.
If Chi-Hyun had been Seven Star’s leader, he wouldn’t have considered her position at all. If he thought Yunael was useful, he would’ve recruited them immediately and one-sidedly reported the news to Ho Lactea. That was how the members of the Choi family usually acted toward the Ho Lacteas; Chi-Hyun was especially like this. Yet that wasn’t the case for Chi-Woo.
Yunael had potential that was rare to find among heroes. Their future looked bright, and that was the reason Alice had recruited them in the first place. If Chi-Woo had recognized Yunael’s potential, he probably would’ve wanted to take them in as well. Furthermore, he had the power to do so since Seven Star’s position was currently higher than Ho Lactea’s, and above all, they had the legend supporting them. If they really wanted to, they could’ve forcefully taken one or two heroes from even Ho Lactea. Yet that wasn’t what Chi-Woo did.
‘Even though he was tempted, he refused in the end in consideration of me,’ Alice thought. Yunael said he rejected them while stroking the flower pot she gifted him. This was a clear sign that the child thought of her as his older sister. There was no other explanation why a member of the Choi family would’ve backed away so easily; thinking this, Alice’s heart weakened. If this matter involved anyone else, Alice wouldn’t have felt this way at all; but it was different when it came to her precious younger brother. Furthermore, Chi-Woo was Elrich’s son and the youngest at that.
“That child is really…” An older sister couldn’t help but care for her younger brother like how an older brother couldn’t win over their younger sister. Eventually, Alice’s wavering heart made a firm decision.
“I called you here to talk about the message, but there’s another reason,” Alice said after a long pause. “I think we need to retract the probation I placed on you recently.”
“Sorry?”
“There are many who are displeased by your light sentence.”
Yunael’s eyes blinked fast. What did this mean all of a sudden?
“I tried to convince them, but it’s difficult,” Alice continued while stroking her flower pot. Yunael thought they even saw a slight smile on her face.
“Personally, I want to spend more time with you, but…even I can’t deal with all the opposition from the inside.” Alice finally took her hands off the flower pot and stared at Yunael with her fingers crossed. Then, she said, “So, very unfortunately, I will like you to leave Ho Lactea today.”
Yunael stared blankly as Alice talked and gradually, their mouth widened. This had to be a lie. Ho Lactea ran by a centralized power system, and Alice was basically a queen in this place. Who would dare to go against the queen’s opinions?
“My heart also doesn’t feel at ease to let this happen. But considering all the contributions you have made to the organization until now, I will acknowledge your owners.h.i.+p of the equipment you have right now.” There must only be one reason why she was acting this way. “Furthermore, I could write you a recommendation letter for any organization you want to go to. And I mean any.”
With this, the miraculous transfer from Ho Lactea to Seven Stars was made possible.