Memorize Chapter 240

Following Ha-Yeong’s guidance, the next place we arrived at was, frankly, nothing special. Its location wasn’t bad, situated along the plaza’s street with other buildings. However, the plot was extremely small, and there was only one building—if you could even call it that. It didn’t particularly appeal to me. Sure, it was sufficient for nine people to live in, but the problem was the tightly packed shops on either side, making expansion completely impossible.

The moment I heard the price of the second location from Ha-Yeong, I felt my mind leaning one way. There’s a saying: “If the price is the same, go for the better option.” Even if the difference was only 10,000 or 20,000 gold, considering future growth, the first location was undeniably more appealing.

'The real question is whether to accept IstanTel Law’s offer or not.'

After visiting both places, I walked back with Ha-Yeong, just the two of us, lost in deep thought.

Ha-Yeong seemed to hope I’d accept the offer. Of course, if finances were an issue, we couldn’t afford to pass up this opportunity. But given my future plans, I wasn’t exactly strapped for cash. And as Vivienne pointed out, accepting the offer outright could undermine the free-spirited nature of our mercenary clan.

That wasn’t all. The Mercenary Clan, barely three months old, buying a clan house? If the details got out, it was obvious we’d attract unwanted attention. Unless there was a justifiable reason to accept the offer, it was hard to justify.

Weighing the pros and cons, the deal seemed to have more downsides than upsides. Feeling sorry for Han So-Young but resolving to reject the offer and buy at full price, I was interrupted by a clear voice ringing in my ear.

“Su-Hyeon, what’s got you so deep in thought?”

“Hm? Oh, I was thinking about IstanTel Law’s offer.”

“Hehe. Don’t get too caught up in work stuff—give your head a break. We’re already at Love House. I’m starving, so how about a late lunch? Madam Im’s cooking is pretty good, you know.”

“Is it? I’m looking forward to it.”

I nodded lightly. Following Ha-Yeong’s lead, I climbed the stairs of Love House, which we’d somehow already reached, and gently pushed open the tightly shut door.

As I stepped inside, I ran into An-Hyun coming down the stairs from the first floor. The moment he saw me, his eyes widened, and he greeted me enthusiastically.

“Hey, hyung! You’re here?”

“Yeah. Where’s everyone else?”

“They’re all busy wrapping up their tasks. Oh, but hyung, did something happen with Vivienne?”

“Vivienne? Why?”

I asked innocently, feigning ignorance, and heard Ha-Yeong stifling a laugh. An-Hyun scratched his cheek with a puzzled expression and answered.

“Well, she went out with you, right? But she came back alone, crying her eyes out…”

“Crying? That’s weird. Why was she crying?”

“No idea. Oh, she was limping up the stairs earlier. Do you think she’s hurt?”

'I did kick her pretty hard, like I was kicking a soccer ball. Was it too much?'

I’d only given her a few solid kicks because I enjoyed watching her hips wiggle, but I hadn’t expected her to run off bawling. Feeling a bit uneasy, I crossed my arms and sighed. Ha-Yeong, who’d been covering her mouth and giggling, finally spoke up–

“Pfft. Why’d you do that all of a sudden?”

“She kept shoving it in my face on purpose. Haven’t you ever felt that way, Ha-Yeong?”

“Well, I’ve noticed her doing it subtly. But you were a bit harsh. Maybe you should go cheer her up?”

“Hmm. It just happened in the moment. I’ll think about it.”

I put on a mock-serious expression, and Ha-Yeong finally burst into full-on laughter. Meanwhile, An-Hyun just blinked, completely clueless about what was going on.

*

After having a late lunch with Ha-Yeong, I decided to go find Vivienne. Part of it was to cheer her up, but the real reason was to help her solve a problem she was facing with her alchemy.

Holding a unicorn horn in my left hand, I knocked twice on Vivienne’s door.

“Vivienne.”

“Who’s there?!”

“It’s me. I’m coming in.”

“Don’t come in!”

A sharp response shot back immediately, but I ignored it and flung the door wide open. There was Vivienne, lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling and groaning. Her eyes were puffy from crying, and her cheeks were streaked with tear marks. Seeing her in such a pitiful state stirred a pang of sympathy, so I approached her and spoke in a gentle tone.

“You okay?”

“Do I look okay?”

“No, you look like you’re in a lot of pain.”

“Yeah, and whose fault do you think that is?”

“No idea.”

“What? You don’t know? Are you messing with me?”

“Yup.”

I answered with a straight face, and Vivienne practically foamed at the mouth. She started shrieking, her voice laced with sobs, making it hard to catch her words, but the vibe was clear: “I’m absolutely furious and feel so wronged.”

“Don’t get too mad. It’s bad for your mental health.”

“#$%^&*()_+”(Some bad words.)

“Alright, alright. I’ll rub it gently. Lift your hips.”

“What?! Are you crazy?! What do you think you’re doing?!”

I set the unicorn horn aside and reached for her hips. Vivienne flailed her arms in a panic, resisting fiercely. But I easily pushed through her protests, and the moment I grabbed her hips, she instinctively raised them, lifting her butt as if making it easier to strip. 

“…”

I stared at her, dumbfounded, and she quickly dropped her hips back down. Her face turned bright red, clearly mortified. Teasing her further would’ve been fun, but I decided to stop there. I’d already achieved my goal of lightening her mood (sort of). Now it was time to get to the real reason for my visit.

Letting go of her hips and picking up the unicorn horn again, I watched as Vivienne sat up abruptly, composing herself.

“Vivienne, about what you said at the meeting this morning…”

“…What?”

“You said your elixir alone couldn’t handle Belphegor’s Heart and Horrence’s Magic Stone, right? How about this?”

“What is that… Wait, oh yeah! The unicorn horn! That’s it!”

Her voice started off glum, but the moment I held up the unicorn horn, her eyes lit up.

“Wow! But can I really use this? It’s super rare. Mages would probably lose their minds over it.”

“As long as it works.”

At my words, Vivienne began examining the horn with a serious expression.

“Well, it’s true that nothing counters demons or Horrence’s magic like this… The issue is whether it can balance the magic stone. It’s not a 2:2 setup anymore—it’s more like 2:1:1… Kim Su-Hyeon!”

“Jeez, what? You startled me.”

“What if we just purify the heart and the magic stone a little? It’d be much safer that way.”

“Reducing their power would probably lower the results too.”

“Don’t worry. I can at least break even.”

Break even, huh? The two elixirs we were planning to use had stat boosts of +2 and +4 for vitality. Breaking even would mean aiming for a +6 boost. That was comparable to the Tears of Angel, no doubt. But it wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough. I shook my head slowly and said,

“Vivienne, just breaking even isn’t good enough.”

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry if this feels like pressure, but this elixir refinement is really important to me. The top priority is vitality—vitality above all else. Got it?”

“Y-Yeah.”

“I don’t need boosts to other stats. They’d be nice, but in my current state, they wouldn’t do much. Anyway, purifying them isn’t hard, but we can’t afford to weaken their power on purpose. Even if it’s complicated, think about incorporating the unicorn horn.”

Sensing the sincerity in my voice, Vivienne’s expression grew deadly serious. With that, another item was added to the refinement mix: two elixirs, Vivienne’s elixir, Belphegor’s Heart, Horrence’s Magic Stone, and now the unicorn horn. Excluding equipment, the cream of the crop from our expeditions was now in her hands.

As an alchemist, having the chance to work with such a dream lineup must’ve been thrilling, but Vivienne’s face was heavy with pressure. I felt a bit guilty for stressing her out, but my lack of vitality was a desperate issue for me.

“Didn’t you say the workshop construction cost 8,200 gold?”

“Yeah.”

“If you need anything else, let me know. Even if it costs double, I’ll back you.”

“N-No way! This is more than enough!”

“Alright then. I’m counting on you.”

I patted her shoulder a few times before slowly standing up. Vivienne gripped the unicorn horn tightly, letting out a long sigh. But soon, her eyes blazed with determination as she spoke.

“Fine. I’ll make it happen. Kim Su-Hyeon, don’t you dare forget our deal.”

“Oh, I definitely won’t.”

With that, Vivienne darted out of the room ahead of me, shouting at the top of her lungs.

“Shin Sang-Yong! Your master summons you! Get out here now!”

Hearing her voice boom through the door, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

*

The night had grown late. It felt like a lot had happened, yet it hadn’t even been a full day since we left Babara. For now, I’d tentatively decided on the clan house, and Vivienne’s research had entered a new phase. The tasks the clan members had been struggling to resolve were slowly moving toward completion.

But there was still one thing left.

I looked up and saw Go Yeon-Joo in front of me, her lips moving nonstop as she reported on Kim Yu-Hyeon’s movements and the western continent, as I’d requested earlier.

“Anyway, that’s everything about Player Kim Yu-Hyeon’s activities. Oh, I forgot to mention—there’s news that he recently uncovered a pyramid-shaped ancient ruin in the wilderness desert. The small southeastern city of Dana is buzzing about it.”

“I see. So he’s found the Tomb of the King…”

“Hm?”

“Oh, nothing. Any other news about Kim Yu-Hyeon? Anything at all is fine.”

I quickly changed the subject, and Go Yeon-Joo tilted her head curiously.

“Well, I’ve told you everything about his activities. As for personal details, he’s a second-year player with a secret mage-class called the Thunder Emperor.”

“A second-year player doesn’t sound like much.”

“Su-Hyeon, absolutely not. His achievements so far would make even veteran players take a step back. And while he hasn’t formed a clan yet, the players around him are all exceptional in their own right.”

“Is that so? Impressive. Haha.”

I nodded in agreement. Go Yeon-Joo gave me an odd look, but my main concern was whether hyung was safe or not. Hearing that he was doing well put my mind at ease.

I stretched widely, twisting my body as my joints popped rhythmically.

“Got it. Since the western continent is out of the Shadow’s reach, there’s not much we can do. I asked about Kim Yu-Hyeon out of personal interest. Thanks for your hard work.”

“Hmm. Now that you mention it, Kim Su-Hyeon and Kim Yu-Hyeon—your names are kind of similar. Are you related or something?”

“Heh, just personal interest.”

I brushed it off with a light laugh. Just as I was about to dismiss her so I could rest, a sudden thought struck me, and I spoke up again.

“Oh, Player Go Yeon-Joo, one more request.”

“It’s not a request—it’s an order, Clan Lord. I’m ready to follow any command.”

“It’s nothing big. Could you send a messenger to IstanTel Law tomorrow morning? Let them know I’ll visit in the afternoon.”

“You’re planning to visit IstanTel Law?”

“Yeah. Ha-Yeong told me they’ve been helping out a lot while I was gone. I have some personal matters to settle, but… I also want to pay my respects as a courtesy.”

Ha-Yeong had filled me in on the details. Not only had they helped with the clan house, but they’d also visited a few times. Sure, Han So-Young had her own motives, but as the representative clan of the city, a courtesy visit felt necessary.

“Got it. I’ll send a message first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Good. I’ll announce the details during breakfast tomorrow. You can go now—I want to rest tonight.”

“Hmm. I wonder if you’ll actually get any rest.”

“What?”

Go Yeon-Joo’s sudden, cryptic remark made me blink, and she flashed a sly smile. Just as she stood up, a knock came at the door.

“We’re done. Stop nagging—I’m coming out now.”

Judging by the way Go Yeon-Joo glanced at the door, it didn’t seem like she was talking to me. As the door creaked open, she waved at me with a reluctant expression.

“Sorry, I lost today, so I can’t stay with you.”

“Wait, what’s going on—”

Before I could ask if this was about work, I saw Ha-Yeong approaching us from the door. For some reason, my breath caught in my throat. Ha-Yeong locked eyes with me briefly before turning to Go Yeon-Joo with a clear, bright voice.

“Good timing. I thought you were dragging it out on purpose.”

“I lost fair and square today, but I won’t lose next time.”

“You cheated with your Shadow, didn’t you? Thought I wouldn’t notice?”

“Hmph, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Su-Hyeon, good night.”

Go Yeon-Joo stuck out her tongue playfully and darted out the door. I stood there, mouth agape, dumbfounded, as Ha-Yeong sat on the edge of my bed with a shy smile.

“Ha-Yeong, what’s all this—”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just…”

Ha-Yeong paused, slowly starting to slip off her clothes. Her pale, delicate shoulders emerged from under her robe, catching my gaze. In that moment, her clear voice continued to flow.

“While you were gone, Go Yeon-Joo and I had a lot of talks.”

“…”

“For the record, I won today. The game was rock-paper-scissors. Can you believe she tried to cheat with her Shadow?”

Ha-Yeong laughed prettily, clenching her fist for rock, extending two fingers for scissors, and spreading her hand for paper. Then, as she made a V-sign with her fingers, signaling her victory—

Gulp.

My heart sank.