Chapter 66

EP.66 Fire's Judgment (2)

"Ah, hello, Gang Juyeon Holder."

Shinyuna bowed her head at Gang Juyeon's sudden appearance.

Gang Juyeon looked at her with a somewhat unfriendly gaze and replied.

"...Yes, nice to see you. Shinyuna Holder."

"Where have you been? I haven't seen you all day."

I had heard that Gang Juyeon was also assigned to the Hunting Team 5 with me.

So, to get the introduction to the clan tower that I didn't finish yesterday, I planned to come to work with her...

But she didn't show up all morning.

Gang Juyeon turned her head to me in response to my question.

"...I had to talk to the Master about the upcoming deployment of the Hunting Team 5."

"Deployment? I thought there was a meeting about it tomorrow."

"That's an internal planning meeting. The selection for the deployment has already been completed."

The deployment of the Hunting Team 5.

And a deployment that required selection of personnel.

Considering the scale of <Fire's Judgment>, it was highly likely to be a dungeon raid.

I asked her with a slightly hopeful expression.

"By any chance..."

"Yes. The discussion about your issue took a long time. Deploying an intern clan member to a mission is quite unusual."

Yes!

I cheered inwardly, trying my best not to show it.

It would be a rookie move to ask, "So, am I in?" after hearing this much.

If the discussion had reached this point, there was a high probability that I was included in the raid deployment.

Clan life was already making me sick after just one day, but now I had an escape route to a mission before even a full day had passed.

'This is why you call her Gang Juyeon, Gang Juyeon...'

Gang Juyeon has a cold and rigid personality, but she doesn't hesitate to support those she considers to be on the same wavelength.

Once she takes an interest in you, things progress smoothly.

Being a clan intern and being deployed to a mission right away...

It seemed that timing was crucial.

"...But were you with Shinyuna Holder all this time?"

Suddenly, Gang Juyeon looked back and forth between me and Shinyuna.

I could sense a chill in her voice, but...

Was it just my imagination?

I tilted my head and nodded in response to her question.

"Yeah. We were connected as temporary mentors for the orientation. I heard you agreed to this arrangement?"

"Although I may not have done a perfect job, I provided the most accurate education about the clan and Hunting Team 5..."

Shinyuna answered with a respectful attitude.

That level of respect was almost like the attitude of the first-floor guards on the first day.

I'm a classmate of Gang Juyeon, but...

From Shinyuna's perspective, she is the daughter of the clan's highest authority and a potential successor.

She couldn't help but show respect.

Gang Juyeon seemed familiar with the attitude of new clan members.

However, her expression was peculiar after hearing our answers.

She slightly turned her gaze and muttered in a voice that no one could hear.

"...I didn't say anything about eating together."

...Huh?

I thought I might have misheard and asked her to repeat.

"What did you say?"

"It's nothing."

It wasn't nothing.

She definitely said something...

I felt quite uneasy, but I didn't press the issue.

With a strangely cold atmosphere lingering,

Gang Juyeon adjusted her bag and said,

"...Let's go. I'll continue the introduction to the clan tower."

"Is the first stop today the cafeteria?"

"Yeah."

We had been chatting, and quite some time had passed since the Hunting Team 5 members left.

By now, we should be able to arrive at the cafeteria and have our meal without waiting.

Gang Juyeon, myself, and Shinyuna, who was fidgeting, thinking she might have done something wrong, headed to the cafeteria.

* * *

Clan Tower 11th Floor.

Clan cafeteria.

We found a quiet spot in the cafeteria and sat down.

Looking at the luxurious food in front of us...

I let out a surprised voice.

"Wow... wagyu?"

A large plate with beautifully arranged red beef.

Next to it, various vegetables including spinach.

Various sauces and high-quality side dishes arranged around it.

And a small grill in the center of the table.

Charcoal piled up inside the grill.

A clean iron plate on top.

It was a perfect setup for cooking wagyu.

"...We often have this."

Gang Juyeon said matter-of-factly.

My face was filled with disbelief at her words.

What?

Wagyu for lunch at the clan cafeteria.

Is this a large, wealthy clan with a generous budget?

Or is it a nod to the name <Fire's Judgment>, featuring dishes that use fire?

But Shinyuna seemed quite familiar with this scene.

She naturally picked up her tongs and started grilling the meat.

Then, with a look that seemed to understand my thoughts, she said,

"You don't have to be so surprised. I was surprised at first too, but considering the Holders' income, it's quite normal."

"Income?"

"Yeah. Even the basic annual salary is around 10 billion, and Holders who work in the field like the hunting teams have significant additional income. With such high income, the menu at the clan cafeteria is naturally quite luxurious."

If the cafeteria menu was bad, clan members wouldn't need to come here.

With plenty of money, they could just eat out.

So, the clan provides such high-quality food as an additional benefit... that was Shinyuna's explanation.

Now it makes sense.

Indeed.

The "wagyu at the cafeteria" was quite shocking, but for C-rank and above Holders who earn a lot, it wasn't particularly expensive.

I nodded and took the tongs from Shinyuna.

"I'll grill it."

"Huh? No, our clan doesn't have that culture..."

"I'm good at grilling."

The meat would be delicious no matter how it was cooked, but if it was grilled to taste, it would be even better.

The domain of [Cooking] was surprisingly broad.

Sizzle...

Sizzle...

After lightly spreading butter in a circle,

I started placing the thick slices of beef on the iron plate.

There were already plenty of sauces on the table to marinate the meat, but I sprinkled a little salt and pepper to season it in advance.

For the first taste, I wanted to bring out the natural flavor of the meat.

Without sauce, just the grilled meat...

My own roasting style.

Shinyuna, who had insisted on grilling it herself, saying there was no old guard culture in the clan, was now silent, watching my skilled cooking.

Then, she cautiously spoke to me.

"Um, Joonhyeon..."

"Huh?"

"I... prefer medium-well..."

"Got it."

Gang Juyeon didn't say anything, but she would probably prefer medium-rare.

I knew her style from our previous dinner together.

As the meat started to cook properly,

Gang Juyeon brought up the topic she had mentioned earlier.

"The mission that Hunting Team 5 will be deployed to... will likely be a dungeon that the clan hasn't cleared yet."

The content of the mission was, as expected, a dungeon raid.

Specifically, it seemed to be an unexplored dungeon owned by the clan that hadn't been cleared yet.

The importance of my first mission was greater than I had anticipated.

I asked while flipping the meat.

"Can you tell me already?"

"Yeah. It will be announced at the mission meeting tomorrow. Joonhyeon and Shinyuna Holder will also be deployed to this mission."

Shinyuna was surprised and asked,

"Me too...?"

"Yes."

Why are you so surprised?

You're the same rank as me.

According to the morning training for Shinyuna, the members of Hunting Team 5 are divided into B-rank and C-rank.

It's probably to balance the Holders' ranks and hunting efficiency.

Among them, Shinyuna and I are C-rank.

It was natural that we would be deployed to the same mission.

"...But the party will be a B-rank party."

"B-rank party?"

"Yeah. The monsters in the dungeon we're planning to raid are mainly B-rank, with occasional A-rank monsters. The dungeon boss is also expected to be A-rank, so the party, excluding you and Shinyuna Holder, will be composed entirely of B-rank members."

This was unexpected.

While it's common for A-rank Holders to lead B-rank parties, it's rare for C-rank Holders to be selected as party members.

The gap between C-rank and B-rank is significant.

Yet, as promising members, Shinyuna and I, both C-rank, are being included in a B-rank party...

This is quite unusual.

Perhaps this is why Gang Juyeon's morning work was delayed today.

"But is it okay to have me and Shinyuna? Even if we are skilled, we're not at the level to join a B-rank party..."

"It's fine. Holder Kwon Ohjun will participate as the party leader and a warrior class."

"Oh!!"

Shinyuna, who had been listening quietly, clapped her hands.

"That's why we were deployed!"

"Yes. This mission not only aims to clear the dungeon but also focuses on the growth of Shinyuna Holder. With Kwon Ohjun Holder's promotion to A-rank and his new role as team leader... the B-rank warrior class position became vacant."

"I see... I'll do my best!!"

Shinyuna clasped her hands and said, and Gang Juyeon, looking somewhat uncomfortable, turned her gaze to the meat I was grilling.

From what I could gather, Kwon Ohjun's promotion to team leader left the B-rank warrior class position vacant in Hunting Team 5.

So, they requested additional personnel, and temporarily, Gang Juyeon and I were assigned.

Now I understood why Team Leader Kwon Ohjun was hesitant yesterday.

When asked for B-rank members, he was given C-rank interns... for two months.

It was indeed a frustrating personnel decision from his perspective.

"Prepare in advance for the mission meeting tomorrow and the deployment the day after."

"Okay."

"Understood!!"

Deployment to a dungeon three days after joining <Fire's Judgment>.

After sharing this exciting news,

Gang Juyeon picked up her chopsticks again.

The resumption of the meal that had been briefly delayed.

Sizzle...

The beef sizzling on the iron plate.

I cut the meat into bite-sized pieces with a knife and neatly placed them on a plate.

Good food should look good too.

Decoration is one of my cooking principles.

The beautifully arranged wagyu on a pretty plate.

It looked satisfying.

And as soon as the meat was placed on the plate...

Gang Juyeon and Shinyuna's chopsticks moved at the speed of light.

Was it a speed technique?

Their movements were so fast and precise that I had such thoughts.

As a result, there was not a single piece of meat left on the plate.

"......"

I stared at the scene in a daze.

Did...

Did they not even offer some to the person who grilled it...?