Chapter 1595. A New Normal (50)
Ji-Hye noona looked at me with the corner of her mouth raised. It looked like she was saying that she had been correct all along.
'This bastard... is he actually interested?' I thought as I stared at Commander Jin's face. At a glance, he looked like someone who got dragged into yet another troublesome situation, but it was still different from the expressions he usually wore.
If one looked closely, one could sense a faint excitement and anticipation hidden beneath the surface. It was a subtle change that no one else would notice, but it was one that both Ji-Hye noona and I could pick up on.
I felt like he didn't want anyone to discover that fact, as he was putting on an air of boredom and indifference, but it wasn't particularly convincing.
Ji-Hye noona looked at him and said, "If you're really busy and have a lot on your plate, you could sit this one out, Commander. You've already been working hard enough since the Hexagram Incident.
"You've got plenty of delayed projects piling up, haven't you? You could stay home and focus here. I heard you're busy building some Black Magic Tower or whatever down below, too," I suggested.
"It's nothing that requires much attention. I've already drawn up most of the plans, so as long as the people carrying them out don't do anything idiotic, there shouldn't be any major problems. Especially the matters down below.
"Ah, yes. Han Sora, was it? For someone working under you, she's surprisingly competent. Someone worthy of being entrusted with important tasks," he said.
'That's a ridiculously generous evaluation.'
I knew he had acknowledged Han Sora as more than just another monkey, but even so, his praise was much higher than I had expected.
"She's too talented to waste away as the Archmage's babysitter," he commented.
"Have you ever considered that being the Archmage's babysitter is the hardest job of all? Without Han Sora, everything would fall apart. The continent would have collapsed several times already had it not been for her," I argued.
"..."
"..."
"I know I was the one who brought it up first... but it won't really matter if you stay here. Even if Fiend Elder Mad White has already been dealt with, there could still be other Transcendents around, so we need someone here.
"Hee-Ra noona is probably going no matter what... and leaving Ha-Yan behind alone would be too much. On top of that, there are still people with Mob Rings causing trouble out there, so the burden gets a lot heavier. Of course..." I paused before continuing, "If you really want to go, I suppose we could bring you along..."
"Would you like me to include you?" I asked.
"..."
"..."
"To be honest... it would be a lie to say that I'm not interested," Commander Jin answered.
'This bastard really has a face made of iron.'
Just a moment ago, he was acting as if he had only agreed because it was my request. All of a sudden, he was personally interested. If I were him, I'd want to crawl into a hole and hide, but this guy looked completely oblivious to what the problem was.
"While you were holed up in here, I heard various stories from Star Swallower’s disciple. There are differences from the world we generally know, but on a larger scale, it appears to be quite similar.
"Of course, that has nothing to do with why I find the place interesting. I'm solely interested in..." He trailed off.
‘I feel like this guy actually just likes wuxia novels all along.'
"...the systems and resources of that dimension," he continued.
“...”
"Ah, I see..." I muttered.
"I'm not joking, so wipe that ridiculous expression off your face," Commander Jin said.
"..."
"Without making any major investments, we may be able to drastically resolve the food shortage that will eventually strike the continent," he said.
"..."
"..."
'So the real conclusion is that he misses the ingredients from his hometown...'
It was actually a fairly convincing reason. Of course, through magic, alchemy, and countless experiments, one could recreate something close to the original taste, but nothing could truly surpass the flavor of the ingredients themselves.
Commander Jin was surprisingly picky when it came to things like that, so the food he had been eating all this time probably hadn't been able to satisfy him. Resolving the continent's rapidly worsening food shortage at the same time was just a bonus.
"But how are you planning to bring them over here?" I asked.
"I'll handle that myself, so don’t worry. More importantly, we should discuss the roster," he suggested.
"I was actually talking about that with Ji-Hye noona. Apparently, anywhere from five to ten people can enter, but only if there are enough available slots. For now, Hyun-Sung, Hee-Ra noona, me, and you, Commander Jin, are confirmed. That's four," I told him.
"Who else?" he asked.
"I'm thinking of excluding most priests and mages if possible. It seems holy power doesn't exist over there, so it'd be better to fill the group with frontline fighters. Ah, you know we're going to transmigrate over there, right? Basically, I'm planning to fill the roster with people who have exceptional talent.
"With that in mind, the Holy Sword Hero is highly likely to be one of the candidates. If nothing else, Hyun-Sung himself had acknowledged his talent, and I agree with him," I replied.
"Any more?" he asked.
'I was thinking about it.'
There were plenty of people I wanted to bring. First was Yoo Ah-Young. Of course, that world didn't seem to have items, so I wasn't sure how effectively her abilities could be utilized there, but as support for the rest of the team, she was still valuable.
There was never any downside to having superior equipment. On top of that, she herself was an outstanding combat resource.
It would be strange not to want her along with us, but the problem was that her combat style probably did not suit that world very well. The enemies there weren't monsters but humans, and Yoo Ah-Young was a warrior who shone the brightest against monsters.
The next name that naturally came to mind alongside hers was Lee Chang-Ryeol. Naturally, I really wanted to bring him with me, as he was the very embodiment of competence and loyalty. Even in the first life, he had built both the Assassin Guild and the Information Guild almost entirely on his own.
Doubting his abilities would be ridiculous. If I were to bring him with me, I had no doubt that he would pull his weight and then some. The problem was that he had been showing signs of fatigue, and I couldn't help but be bothered by that.
'He's not invincible.'
Lee Chang-Ryeol looked like a machine, but he wasn't one. Spending such a long time alone in the first life had worn away at his mind more than anyone realized. In fact, he still felt a slight sense of distance from Yoo Ah-Young, as he was separated from her for so long.
It wasn't that he felt awkward around her or that he had stopped liking her, but...
'I can give him missions if necessary, but I don't really want to send him all the way over there.'
When I casually looked through the Telescope, I spotted him standing together with Yoo Ah-Young. It looked like they were receiving a briefing from Miss Kim Mi-Young at the guild, and his expression seemed much more relaxed than before.
Naturally, I also saw eager little chicks hanging out nearby—Alps and Belier.
'No, those two are out.'
Sorry, but neither of them was exceptionally talented. Belier still needed more time to grow, and Alps was only half as effective without Shiro. Unless Shiro could transmigrate alongside her, there was no point in bringing her with us.
I turned slightly and spotted the Elf Queen Elena and Sun Hee-Young. I hadn't seen them in quite some time.
'The priest class is out too, unfortunately.'
They were channeling holy power into the injured victims of the recent incident. It was a shame to give up that holy power, but naturally, neither of them seemed suitable candidates.
Sun Hee-Young had also spent an extremely long time in the first life, making me reluctant to include her in the roster.
Elena seemed to have some room to spare, but there was no way I could just drop someone who had spent nearly her entire life living in isolation among elves into the middle of the Central Plains by herself.
As Elena tied back her emerald-green hair and paused to catch her breath, two familiar figures appeared nearby—Park Deok-Gu and Hwang Jung-Yeon.
'The pig is hopeless when it comes to things like internal training techniques, so he's out, and Hwang Jung-Yeon is practically my equal...'
Wasn't she the only person in the guild who could challenge me in a contest of pure strength? In fact, I still held the advantage in arm wrestling with a record of two wins and one loss. Since she was more of a researcher than a frontline fighter, sending her into that world would be even more foolish than sending Elena.
"Oppa, if you need an assassin, what about Kim Ye-Ri? Her talent is definitely the real deal. She's one of the people Kim Hyun-Sung discovered right after he regressed, too," Lee Ji-Hye suggested.
"I've been thinking about Ye-Ri. It's been a long time since she got any real action,” I told her.
"There's also Park Lian, though I don't think talent is really her specialty... Of course, outside the Blue Guild, people would probably call her a once-in-a-generation genius," she suggested.
“Our resources are too limited..." I said.
Park Lian was working together with the three Outer Gods siblings, investigating the followers of Lukifer, so she was out. Her combat ability wasn't lacking at all, but as I had already told Ji-Hye noona, she wasn't quite enough to earn one of the ten slots.
Kim Ye-Ri, who was busy working alongside Ahn Ki-Mo, felt like a much better fit.
'I know that bastard Ahn Ki-Mo would be completely useless over there, but I still want to bring him... I really, really want to bring him with me. I absolutely don't want to see him sitting back and slacking off alone...'
"If we're talking purely about combat ability, the Spear Goddess would probably be the most suitable candidate," I said.
"Hye-Jin is out. She's still injured, isn't she?" she asked.
"No, noona. Hye-Jin is one of the candidates. Of course, recovery comes first for now..." I answered.
Looking over once more, I saw Jo Hye-Jin in a hospital bed. Most of her injuries seemed to have healed thanks to holy power, but since they had been inflicted by a Transcendent, there appeared to be some lingering aftereffects.
"You should just take Colonel Smith instead," she said.
'No, Colonel Smith is practically on death's doorstep. Damn, why is Noona so cold-hearted?'
There were plenty of other candidates as well. Kasugano Yuno, Cheon Kwan-Wi, and even Dialugia and Dialuria, who were staring helplessly at their destroyed nest. The fact that names like Max and Miss Kim Mi-Young hadn't even come up was strange enough on its own.
"What about that blonde brat?" I asked.
"Ah, you mean Rafael?" she asked.
“...”
"I don't know... I was so disappointed with him in the first life. He couldn't do a thing against Jung Jin-Ho. I even asked Hyun-Sung about him, and he said he expected as much. Apparently, Rafael's innate talent is below average," she answered.
"..."
"He's the type who bulldozes through everything with his overwhelming strength, mana, and aura because he was born with it. And the Gray Holy Sword doesn't exist over there, either.
"If he gets lucky and consumes an elixir or ends up possessing a body overflowing with internal energy, he might become useful, but if he ends up in the body of someone practicing a trash-tier technique. I have no idea how capable he can be," she explained.
“No, from what I've seen, that guy—"
"Do you know more about swordsmanship than Hyun-Sung does, Commander?" I said, interrupting Commander Jin.
"Not exactly..." Commander Jin answered.
"Then why are you arguing? If there's one thing you can trust, it's Hyun-Sung's eye for swordsmen. Sometimes, he's even more accurate than I am. Don't doubt it. If Hyun-Sung says no, then it's no," I scolded him.
"..."
"..."
'When you start nitpicking every single detail like this, it really does get complicated.'
Of course, I never once thought the Blue Guild members were lacking. Their talents weren't merely sufficient; they were actually overwhelming. Even if one searched the entire continent, there would only be a handful of people as gifted as they were.
However, I had no idea whether they could easily adapt to the system of the Central Plains Murim.
'Damn, I'd even like to bring Ryu Han if I could.'
The same went for people like Templar Gen. If possible, I'd even bring Jung Jin-Ho.
"Commander, is there anyone you'd recommend?" I asked.
"..."
'I swear, I should stop trying to talk to that socially dysfunctional idiot.'
Just as I let out a deep sigh, Belial suddenly burst out of the floor. Before anyone could even say anything, he said, "You’re here, Commander Jin. Perfect timing."
"Director Bel?"
"Get ready," Belial said.
"???"
"We need to depart by today at the latest," he informed me.
"..."
"T-Today?" I asked.
