Chapter 43

# 43

User Manual for the Reincarnated 043

Crazy Woman (1)

It's a situation where I can't hide my sly smile.

The one extending her hand is a woman with strikingly red hair.

I'm not sure if she believes that exposure equals defense, but her rather bold attire caught my attention without me realizing it.

‘Ah…’

I realized it was a mistake in an instant.

Because of the presence of Jung Hae-yeon, who was staring intently at me and the woman named Cha Hee-ra.

I usually try to be careful about such things, but this was too irresistible for me to handle.

‘Well…’

Her outfit, which almost completely exposes her chest and abdomen, her confident appearance and figure, and her red hair and lips—whether dyed or due to some magical effect—give off a strangely sensual vibe.

She was attractive because of her alluring appearance.

I shook my head slightly and looked at her with the eyes of my mind, and various pieces of information immediately came into view.

[Checking the status window and latent abilities of Player Cha Hee-ra.]

[Name - Cha Hee-ra]

[Title - Bloodthirsty Madwoman, Red Mercenary, Red Madwoman of the Holy Empire]

[Age - 28]

[Tendency - Unpredictable Innovator]

[Occupation - Queen of Mercenaries - Legendary Rank]

[Occupation Effect - Acquire Basic Swordsmanship Knowledge]

[Occupation Effect - Acquire Intermediate Weapon Knowledge]

[Occupation Effect - Acquire Advanced Weapon Knowledge]

[Occupation Effect - Acquire Advanced Dual-Weapon Knowledge]

[Occupation Effect - Acquire Advanced Magic Manipulation Knowledge]

[Statistics]

[Strength - 97 / Growth Limit - Legendary and Above]

[Agility - 82 / Growth Limit - Hero and Below]

[Stamina - 85 / Growth Limit - Hero and Below]

[Intelligence - 67 / Growth Limit - Rare and Above]

[Endurance - 90 / Growth Limit - Hero and Above]

[Luck - 56 / Growth Limit - Rare and Above]

[Magic - 82 / Growth Limit - Hero and Below]

[Equipment - None]

[Special Trait - Bloodthirsty Madwoman - Hero Rank]

[Temporarily reduce Intelligence stat to increase attack power.]

[Overall Evaluation - She seems a bit dangerous to get close to. Be careful not to get torn to pieces.]

Her occupation is the Queen of Mercenaries at the Hero rank, and her title is Bloodthirsty Madwoman.

Of course, it doesn't give a good feeling. Her unpredictable innovator tendency is the most concerning.

‘What kind of stats…’

Her Strength stat of 97 and Endurance stat of 90 are impressive.

She is stronger than Yi Sang-hee.

However, seeing that she seems to be on par with her, I think they can be used as a benchmark for the upper level.

With stats in the 90s, a Hero-rank occupation and items, and various other conditions, this is probably the minimum requirement.

Her smile as she quietly extends her hand to shake is, frankly, charming.

But I can't show it.

Because Jung Hae-yeon seemed to be in a bad mood.

Of course, she's not openly showing it.

She clearly realizes that she can't do anything about this woman.

Perhaps she has matured a bit, but her hand gripping my arm tightly suggests that she doesn't want me to shake hands with that woman.

‘Still…’

She is a VIP of a large guild.

‘Let go of this… Hae-yeon…’

I can't embarrass her in this situation.

Although it was a bit difficult to move with Jung Hae-yeon's hand gripping my arm tightly, I gently shook her off and firmly shook Cha Hee-ra's hand.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Lee Gi-young."

"It's truly an honor to meet the stars of this round in person."

"Nice… to meet you. I'm Jung Hae-yeon…"

"The demonstration just now was really impressive."

"Th… thank you."

Her breathing seems to have become a bit rough.

When I slightly let go of her hand, she seemed to relax and gripped my arm tightly again.

"You two seem to have a really good relationship. Did you know each other before?"

"No, not at all. We first met in the tutorial dungeon and gradually got closer, forming a good bond."

"I'm really envious."

It's really hard to handle her gaze.

‘Is she not embarrassed?’

Of course, it seems that her confidence doesn't come from her appearance.

Wearing an outfit that exposes more than half of her chest might be her style, but the confidence behind such actions is likely that of the player Cha Hee-ra, the Queen of Mercenaries.

She is that strong.

The strongest I've seen so far.

I'm not just talking about her stats.

The fact that no one approaches her while we are talking to her is a clear indication.

"Ah… I should introduce myself again. I'm the leader of the Red Mercenary Guild. My occupation is the Queen of Mercenaries, Cha Hee-ra."

‘As expected.’

"Thank you for coming in person."

"Yes, I have a bit of interest in talented people. I heard that many talented individuals joined this time, and I happened to have some free time."

"Ah, I see. Thank you for your kind words."

"No, it's only natural."

"However, I'm not sure if it's appropriate to talk. I heard that the Blue Guild still has the negotiation rights…."

"Oh, negotiation? We're just having a conversation. Of course, I will talk about recruitment, but our Red Mercenary Guild respects the Blue Guild's negotiation rights. Think of us as advisors helping you make a rational choice."

"Ah, I see."

In other words, she's trying to blindfold and lead us.

This isn't about getting to the negotiation table yet.

She's just trying to see how far they can go.

It's not just us.

Park Deok-gu was talking to a man who approached him, and Kim Hyun-sung was surrounded by people.

The Blue Guild is just fuming.

They are showing what it means to be a weak guild.

If they had the power to control the VIPs, this wouldn't have happened.

Of course, I don't feel sympathy.

This is a story that doesn't concern me, and it's a more rational choice to build connections here.

"You probably don't know much. Guilds that have the first negotiation rights tend to control information about other guilds, so… about my Red Mercenary…."

"Yes, I haven't heard of it."

"Oh, I'll have to give a brief introduction. Our Red Mercenary is a guild made up of melee classes. As the name suggests, we have a mercenary inclination, taking on various requests, from dungeons and monster hunting to small-scale battles and wars. You can think of us as a guild that moves according to such requests."

"Ah, melee classes…."

"Yes, to be precise, a mercenary guild made up of melee classes."

"You mean you're pursuing changes."

"Yes. It's difficult to explain in detail, but there's a movement within the guild to train mages and priests and invest in support classes. It's a bit off-topic, but we are currently investing a lot of budget. Since we are a bit late compared to other guilds, our executives are urging us to invest more. In fact, the reason I'm here is because of our investors…."

"Ah, I see."

I think I understand what she's trying to say.

"I'm curious about how much you plan to invest."

"Would it be easier to explain in Korean currency?"

"Yes, for now…."

Cha Hee-ra smiled and continued.

"20 billion won."

‘What…’

"Excuse me?"

"20 billion won per person. We are also preparing additional budgets for unforeseen situations. Of course, we plan to continue investing. At least 5 billion won per year is needed to produce proper results, don't you think?"

Roughly translated, it's a 20 billion won signing bonus and a 5 billion won annual salary.

In this world, it's a 20,000 gold signing bonus and a 5,000 gold annual salary.

The fact that they are preparing additional budgets suggests that they are willing to negotiate further.

I was so surprised that I couldn't even speak.

‘20 billion?’

Compared to the amount the Blue Guild initially offered, the gap is so large that it's absurd.

I expected the price to rise, but it's 20 times higher than a rough estimate.

For the annual salary, it's 5 times higher.

At this point, I started to wonder if the Blue Guild had been treating us like fools.

I could understand why people who had cleared the dungeon together were splitting up.

With an offer like this, it's not unreasonable to be swayed.

20 billion won.

An amount that an average person can't earn in a lifetime.

I'm even considering it myself.

"However, it might be a bit difficult to invest in melee classes. We are also in a bit of a tight spot…."

"Ah."

"Our guild has many talented people. Of course, someone like Kim Hyun-sung is tempting, but we want to focus on one area."

This is not good.

"I see."

"Lee Gi-young and Jung Hae-yeon, I think you might be interested in our guild's current project. What do you think?"

It's a suggestion to abandon Kim Hyun-sung and Park Deok-gu and join her side.

Given that her guild is likely saturated with melee classes like warriors and tanks, it makes sense that she wouldn't invest in Park Deok-gu and Kim Hyun-sung.

I am the most perfect shield and sword.

If I were in her position, I would also lean towards Jung Hae-yeon.

"The project itself is very interesting, but I'm a bit worried about whether we can help. We've developed a bond with the friends we cleared the tutorial dungeon with, so it's hard to focus on one place…."

"Hmm… That's unexpected."

She looks a bit intrigued.

For some reason, I feel like a mouse in front of a cat.

"If we had the resources to invest in other areas, it would be great, but our guild is also struggling. It's a bit disappointing, but we don't try to hold onto people who want to leave. It's really disappointing, especially for Jung Hae-yeon, and… Lee Gi-young, you're a bit disappointing too…."

"What…"

"This is a gift."

As Cha Hee-ra moved closer, I felt her put something in my pocket. I couldn't confirm it properly, but it looked like an item.

‘Bribe?’

Probably not.

It feels more like a genuine gift.

I feel a bit better.

Given that it's a gift from the leader of a large guild, it's likely to be quite valuable.

"If you change your mind, you can always talk to me. Even if not, I want to maintain a good relationship. We are in the same empire, so we will have many opportunities to enter dungeons or fight on the front lines together. And… um… Hae-yeon?"

"…"

"Hae-yeon, you should also learn how to tone down your aura."

"Ah…"

Cha Hee-ra moved closer in an instant.

Before I could react, I felt a moist sensation on my lips.

‘What a crazy…’

Her sudden and unexpected action left me stunned.

I tried to push her away with my hands, but my weak body couldn't budge her with a Strength stat of 97.

I was so flustered by something entering my mouth that I couldn't even speak.

I looked at Jung Hae-yeon, but I didn't feel any magical flow or killing intent.

She looked like she had lost her soul.

Her mind had stopped due to the sudden situation.

"This is also a gift. See you next time."

‘Damn it.’

The sudden commotion drew the attention of everyone around.

Even Park Deok-gu looked shocked.

I couldn't understand why he looked like the sky was falling, but I had to deal with this immediately.

‘It's over.’