“ I-I’m sorry,” Elena said.


    “...”


    “. Excuse me… for a moment…” she said.


    “Are you okay?” I asked.


    “Elena,” Lee Ji-Hye said.


    “I-I’m fine. H-Hold on… Ji-Hye. ” she mumbled.


    I stared at Elena’s back, who ran to the bathroom while covering her mouth.


    Lee Ji-Hye seemed a bit surprised by the sight. It appeared that she wasn’t expecting to witness such a horrible sight.


    “I feel kind of bad. I had no idea that things would turn out this way. I thought she was just going to frown,” Lee Ji-Hye said, looking dumbfounded as she stared at the regurgitated food on the floor.


    “You’re right,” I commented.


    “Anyway, she showed us what we wanted to see. It''s not that great, but… we can’t use cliches and say that he’s warm-hearted or something. I think Mr. Yoo Hyo-Yeol was born to be a thug,” Lee Ji-Hye remarked.


    “But… Elena’s opinion is involved, so maybe there’s a little bit of hope…” I said.


    “Well, whether he’s a thug or not isn’t important. The problem is whether we can use him or not. People can be changed. If the request is about stabilizing Rohen, then whether there’s an issue with his personality or not doesn’t really matter…” Lee Ji-Hye pointed out.


    “That’s true. I think entering that continent is going to be similar to , and if there are limits, then things are going to be harder,” I told her. Sёar?h the n??el Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    “You’re talking about our stats getting nerfed, right?” Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    Whenever transcendent beings were summoned, they wouldn''t be able to use their full power. If Kim Hyun-Sung were to go to Rohen, he''d only be able to use one-third of his might. Actually, it was highly likely that he wouldn''t be able to use even a third of his strength.


    We could increase our power to an extent through a sacrifice or just be prepared to take the penalty, but Rohen wasn’t in a position to tolerate that much bloodshed. More importantly, there was no way the administrators there would allow us to make a sacrifice.


    “...”


    Ultimately, the solution was…


    “I think helping Yoo Hyo-Yeol grow stronger is the most reasonable method, noona. If they have a few more good ones there, we can just forget about him… but picking the one with the best combat prowess is the most reasonable choice to make here,” I told her. ＲaΝ??Ε?


    “He doesn’t seem like the type that we can train. It’s better to let guys like him run wild. If you put a leash on him, he’ll just chew on it because people like him don''t like leashes. He’s not like Kim Hyun-Sung, who whines but will still follow you around, asking you to grab his leash,” Lee Ji-Hye argued.


    “...”


    “ Is that not true anymore?” Lee Ji-Hye questioned.


    “Who knew that a dog capable of looking only at his owner would become so stubborn? I guess he was a wolf, not a dog,” Lee Ji-Hye added.


    “...”


    “Anyway, try to get Kim Hyun-Sung to calm down. He’s always free, and we need to send him to Rohen no matter what. It’s better to ask for his cooperation rather than forcing him to go. Don’t let your pride get in the way; just talk to him,” Lee Ji-Hye requested.


    “...”


    “Although I compared him to a wolf as a joke, Kim Hyun-Sung is only human. He’s one of the few people you trust and rely on, and Kim Hyun-Sung relies on you the most as well. Have you considered the possibility that maybe you two simply aren''t talking enough?” Lee Ji-Hye questioned.


    “Where did that come from?” I asked.


    “Not giving him any information or attention is probably comfortable for you, but at this point, you two need to talk. I guarantee it’ll help with your mental illness… I’m sure it won’t change overnight, but your relationships with others are pretty abnormal.


    "If I were to give you a useless piece of advice, I''d say you have an obsession with being superior in your relationships. Will the world end if you lose once in a while? Are you scared of getting abandoned?” Lee Ji-Hye asked.


    “...”


    “I don’t know if you had this trauma back on Earth or if it’s something you got after arriving here, but if you don’t do anything about it, that obsession of yours will stay with you forever,” Lee Ji-Hye added.


    “What’s wrong with you, noona? Are you going to open a psychiatric clinic or something? Stop saying strange things,” I complained.


    “Avoiding the issue isn’t going to help either,” Lee Ji-Hye retorted.


    “Avoiding the issue, my ass. You worry about your own problems,” I told her.


    “You act mature sometimes, but sometimes, you''re pretty childish. Anyway, turn Kim Hyun-Sung back to normal before you start working. I really feel like beating his ass these days,” Lee Ji-Hye said.


    “...”


    “I’m going to go check up on Elena,” she told me.


    She was having fun—no, it was more like she was pretending that she was having fun.


    As I watched Ji-Hye noona leave the cafe while supporting Elena, I had no choice but to think about Kim Hyun-Sung''s actions again.


    Kim Hyun-Sung was like a child who didn''t want to play with the other children because he was upset. His actions didn''t fit an adult man at all. He was acting like a child who was showing off that he had a lot of friends and that he could live happily without me.


    His actions were pushing my buttons, and I was getting annoyed.


    He was the king of learning. I was not sure about anything else, but it looked like his parents had taught him how to study properly.


    When I opened my hand mirror, I saw him taking pictures with unimportant people.


    He took pictures with the kids he suddenly started hanging out with yesterday, the next commanders of the continent, geniuses from somewhere, powerful adventurers from certain regions, undiscovered talents, and perhaps even my successors.


    There were many of them. I was sure the self-proclaimed elite group, which was made up of three males and three females, had to have heard about me by now. The commander, strategist, administrator, supply officer, and all those working had a history of participating in the Mole Saint’s Cozy Sanctuary.


    The God of Sunset had invited them to Laves to eat together and talk. I was sure that alone would help them with their resume, as that gathering was being held under the name of the Blue Guild’s workshop or whatever.


    The problem was that his actions were causing a problem.


    There were rumors about how I was about to retire as well as rumors about how I had decided to leave the Blue Guild.


    The Blue Guild was trying to recruit many talented adventurers. Thanks to that, Colonel Smith in charge of public relations couldn’t enjoy his vacation and had to go back to work. Of course, that was what he wanted, but it was a sad incident for many reasons.


    [We discussed the future of the continent while eating with the Guild Master of the Blue Guild. It was tiring. I got upset, I argued, I laughed, and I had serious debates with talented and competent adventurers. It was a really fun time.


    [It was also a time when I realized many things. Why were we summoned here? How should we accept and live on this continent as the ones who were summoned? It’s something I would like to ask all of you. Omitted…]


    However, they had many followers on Benigoa Net, as the post''s "Likes" were going up in real-time.


    I could find them easily in Laves, after all.


    “I see. In that case…”


    “I noticed that some changes need to be made in the tactical manual. The capabilities and the importance of the powerful adventurers are increasing as we speak, so we now—”


    “You’re saying that we need a specialized training institution, right?”


    “That’s right. A few major cities are already building one. For example…”


    “I think we still lack institutions. There are actually many people suffering from dungeon raid commissions and quests. Administrative staffers are considered weak in society. It’s changing, but as their representative, I need to work hard to give them power.”


    They were just up-and-coming adventurers, so what were they talking about? I was sure Ji-Hye noona wouldn''t want to see this. They were sitting on the terrace and getting heated up in a meaningless discussion.


    Moreover, Kim Hyun-Sung hadn''t said a word so far.


    “The treatment of the production workers…”


    “The Craftsman Guild is protecting them, but our administrative staff…”


    “Now that I think about it, I remember the battle in Zone 13. I was there.”


    “, I’ve read about it in books.”


    “I can''t believe the death toll… was only 20 twenty percent... It’s a phenomenal figure.”


    “It was just a small battle, after all.”


    “But it was really amazing.”


    I felt like reality had finally struck Kim Hyun-Sung. He seemed to be questioning who he was and what he was doing here. When he saw me, he looked happy and started being kind to the group. Despite not saying a word up until now, he was playing along with them. It was honestly such an absurd and ridiculous act, but…


    I couldn''t say that it was the right decision.


    I had great connections as well, but I wasn’t going to play along with Kim Hyun-Sung.


    I glanced over at him with a slightly sad expression and then walked away alone by myself. I tried to look as lonely as possible. I had to look like an outcast.


    Laves was a vast, lively, and bright city, but Laves wasn’t the place for me right now.


    No one talked to me or looked for me.


    I looked like I had been betrayed in the cruelest way by the person I trusted the most.


    And just like that, I walked down the streets by myself. The sun was setting, and I slowly climbed up the stairs. Naturally, I looked at the sun that was setting slowly, and although it was a sight I used to watch with someone, I was now watching it by myself.


    I was pretty sure Kim Hyun-Sung could see that my empty gaze was filled with so many emotions to the point that tears were about to burst out of my eyes. He could definitely feel the awful betrayal and sadness churning within me even without using the Regressor Instruction Manual.


    The short moment felt like an eternity.


    While I was spacing out, tears started falling down my face. The sunset I was watching alone… was depressing rather than beautiful.


    I was so sad that I was worried about collapsing right there and then.


    I could no longer hide my feelings.


    And just like that, I started collapsing…