You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿ - Chapter 157

"Still, Iâm a bit worried."
Shin Ji-eum, who had been laughing uncontrollably, stopped and spoke seriously.

"Lee Un-kyul... that guy, heâs pretty persistent."
That sounded ominous.
And indeed, Shin Ji-eum's concern turned out to be correct.

The dungeon scheduled for exploration today required us to deal with a D-rank slime swarm.
Why are slimes considered D-rank despite their lack of intelligence? Itâs because, uniquely, they possess the ability to reflect magic.
Of course, any attack above a certain power level will destroy them, but their magical reflection ability itself is an unusual attribute.

Thus, the dungeon had a considerable number of people queuing up, all wanting to study how these slimes reflected attacks.
Just before the dungeon exploration began, Shin Ji-eum gave us instructions.
"Da-on, Iâd prefer if you didnât use magic for this dungeon. As you know, it reflects magical attacks."

"So, what should I do?"
"Today, letâs focus on physical training. This is the order from Guild Leader Han Jae-young."
... Should I rip this fairy's wings off to bring her to her senses?

Shin Ji-eum noticed my expression and giggled.
"I heard you really beat up Hunter Yoo Han-ul?"
"â¦Did Han Jae-young say that?"

"Guild Leader Han Jae-young said that if you had trained him more, you could have beaten him up even more. He regrets it."
"â¦"
Well, thatâs true.

For now, Iâm not in an adversarial relationship with Yoo Han-ul, but who knows what might happen in the future⦠and there could be chances to strike him again.
Suddenly, my motivation began to surge.
"Even if youâre a wizard, a hunter should have stamina, so today, Da-on, you should also wield a sword."
"...Alright."

"And Ippyeonghwa, instead of practicing how to fight others, think about how much strength to use when tackling monsters on your own."
"Efficiency?"
"Yes, right now, you're using too much strength."

I could feel that too.
For Ippyeonghwa, he could take down a monster with just 1% of his strength, but he tends to use 10% out of nervousness.
Up until now, weâve only been tackling lower-tier dungeons, but if we aim for higher-tier ones in the future, heâll definitely need to master energy management.

Especially, as Shin Ji-eum said, alone.
âSo thatâs why she brought me hereâto train Ippyeonghwa without my involvement.â
Until now, whenever I felt that Ippyeonghwa might be in danger while fighting monsters, I would step in and deal with the monster.

Iâd also cast enhancement magic on him, of course.
Not out of any ulterior motive, but simply because I didnât want him to get hurt while we were moving together. It would just become a hassle...
âBut I canât be with him forever.â

In truth, my interference might even hinder Ippyeonghwaâs growth as a real beginner.
While I was contemplating Shin Ji-eumâs approach...
"No, sorry, but⦠Ji-eum, I need to step in on this."

At that moment, Lee Un-kyul, who had been standing some distance away, suddenly interrupted the conversation.
Shin Ji-eum, who had been giving Ippyeonghwa some final instructions, frowned.
"What is it?"

"This doesnât make sense. Why are you telling Da-on to avoid using magic?"
"Well, it's because of the dungeon's specific propertiesâ¦"
"No, no. It's just a low-level slime. There's no way Da-on's magic wouldn't be able to handle it."

That wasnât wrong.
Even though the slimes reflect magic, itâs only D-rank. If I really went all out, theyâd melt away without any reflection.
"Besides, physical training? Thatâs absurd. If youâve brought an S-rank mage along, you should treat them accordingly."

"And what do you mean by 'treat them accordingly'?"
"Either support their research or take them to a higher-level dungeon that will actually help! This low-level dungeon isnât right for someone like Da-on."
Lee Un-kyul's voice was so loud that people around us started to pay attention.

"Donât interfere with HP Guild's policies. This is an overstep."
Shin Ji-eum quickly shut it down, but Lee Un-kyul wasnât backing down.
"Overstep? Iâm speaking as a senior in the same industry. Even if itâs a different guild, Da-on should understand that this situation is unreasonable. What does a twenty-year-old know?"

"Thatâs something Da-on Hunter would ignoreâ¦"
"No, honestly, itâs true."
Lee Un-kyul smiled. It was a fresh smile, but it felt ominous.

"To be honest, if you look at it from the outside, it just looks like a waste of S-rank talent's time in a low-level dungeon."
"...What do you mean by that? Our Guild Leader is also an S-rank Hunter, so thereâs nothing wrong with the training methods..."
"Yeah, but the fact that Guild Leader Jae-young is an S-rank is the bigger problem."

Lee Un-kyul immediately cut Shin Ji-eum off and spoke in a strong tone.
"Heâs been going through high-level dungeons since awakening, but youâre telling Da-on to only go through low-level onesâ¦"
He said it with a meaningful tone, and smiled brightly. The cheerfulness didnât match the meaning of his words.

"Anyone would think⦠Guild Leader Han Jae-young is deliberately suppressing the growth of this new S-rank talent."
The people around us gasped.
"No⦠isnât that a bit too sensitive?"

"Well, it does make sense, right?"
Someone muttered.

I raised an eyebrow in interest.

"Everyone knows Da-on Hunter is strong, but why does she keep running low-level dungeons?"
"True."
"Itâs odd for an S-rank Hunter to be doing nothing but low-level dungeons."

"Come to think of it, thereâve been sightings of her in low-level dungeons every day latelyâ¦"
"...It seems like people are misunderstanding something."
Shin Ji-eum cut off the murmuring crowd.

"If Guild Leader Han Jae-young were suppressing Da-on Hunter, he wouldnât take her on missions that could make headlines. Donât you know they were the ones who solved the low-level Hunter cases?"
"Thatâs why they might be even more suppressive."
Lee Un-kyul added with a grin.

"They needed Da-onâs strength for the work, but now that sheâs gaining recognition in the media, theyâre anxious about itâ¦"
"...Lee Un-kyul Hunter, can you take responsibility for that statement?"
"Oh, come on, whatâs the big deal? Iâm just saying this out of concern for my junior. Donât be so sensitive, Ji-eum."

Shin Ji-eum noticed Lee Un-kyul stepping back and relaxed her hand from her sword hilt.
"Just saying this because Iâm worried⦠but think about it, Da-on."
"â¦"

"If youâre facing difficulties, I said Iâd help. Contact me."
Lee Un-kyul smiled and stepped back, turning to the NLE Guildâs hunters. The murmuring crowd, now focused on the approaching raid time, scattered to prepare.
But honestly...

âDid Shin Ji-eum⦠lose?â
It seemed that Lee Un-kyul had achieved his goal.
His purpose was to plant the idea that I might be facing unjust suppression by Han Jae-young, whether in my mind or in the minds of others.

"...This guyâs really irritating."
Shin Ji-eum clicked her tongue quietly.
And I...

âNot bad thoughâ¦?â
I was honestly impressed by Lee Un-kyulâs skill.
He didnât just give up after being completely defeated by Ippyeonghwa earlier. He kept at it and actually accomplished something.

âIt feels like people were already primed to believe him?â
The way he played along and withdrew seemed deliberate. He had clearly prepared thoroughly to approach me.
At that moment, Ippyeonghwa nudged me with his elbow and whispered.

"Why are you impressed by such nonsense?"
"When did I?"
"Your expression gives you away. You, seriously, believe that crap?"

"â¦And you donât, huh? Whatâs your basis?"
"I told you. You can just tell when you see it."
Ippyeonghwa shook his head.

"Itâs not much of a comparison, but... I was a national fencer. When the higher-ups in the association tried to stir things up, they did exactly what heâs doing."
Oh, Ippyeonghwa had that kind of past.
This was interesting in its own way.

"How did they try to stir things up?"
"Obviously. To make the national team, it wasnât about skill, but about connections. They said your coach couldnât properly lead you⦠They were just trying to pull you onto their own team. Iâve seen people like that a lot."
It seemed he had a good understanding of the situation, probably because he had experienced it himself.

"And if that guy really cared about you, he wouldnât be saying things like that in front of everyone. Heâd pull you aside and give you advice. Instead, heâs playing the âgood guyâ in front of everyone."
"...You might really be a big deal."
He wasnât a fake twenty-year-old like me, and yet, he had a pretty sharp eye for people.

âAh, but from how he treats me, maybe thatâs not the case?â
If he really had an eye for people, he would have distanced himself from me by now.
No, maybe it's because I'm tricky myself.

Ippyeonghwa frowned even after I complimented him.
"Whatâs with the sudden praise?"
"So? How did you solve the situation back then?"

"Well, I reported a few people from the association who were taking bribes, it made a big stir, then we gathered signatures to lower the ratio of judges in the selection criteria for the national team."
"Did that work?"
"Yeah. After that, I beat out one of the higher-upsâ picks in the national trials with skill."

True to his nature, Ippyeonghwa handled it in a very methodical way.
He gathered public opinion and changed the unjust system.
"So if that guy keeps bothering you, letâs gather evidence and report him."

"Report him, huh."
But I can bet that someone like Lee Un-kyul wonât be caught with those straightforward methods.
Unless his parents are major power players.

There isnât even enough justification to report him.
I just half-heartedly shrugged it off to Ippyeonghwa.
"â¦Iâll think about it."

"Yeah, well, I guess itâll be fine for now. He got embarrassed today, so he wonât dare to push for a while."
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than .net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
But Ippyeonghwaâs optimistic view was mistaken.

The âcoincidenceâ that was supposed to end that day continued for a full month.
For nearly a month, every dungeon we went to clear, Lee Un-kyul and the NLE Guild members were there.

After being thoroughly beaten by Lee Un-kyul, Shin Ji-eum had kept ignoring him, but on the thirtieth day, she could no longer hold it in and got angry.

"If this keeps happening, Iâll report you."
"What are you going to report? Itâs all a coincidence. Itâs the same low-level hunters training at the same place."
"This is ridiculous!"

"Ah, of course, Ji-eumâs side doesnât need to train low-level hunters, but still wastes time here."
Lee Un-kyul kept smiling, looking like he was turning the crowd upside down.
Later that evening, I went to Guild Leader Han Jae-youngâs office to report the situation after work.

"Shin Ji-eum is pitiful."
"Such a thing..."
Han Jae-young frowned.

"Itâs a shame for Hunter Shin Ji-eum. Sheâs been suffering from things she shouldnât have heard."
"They say sheâll get beef from you."
"Ah, Hunter Shin Ji-eum eats a lot."

"Let her have that much. Ah, get Ippyeonghwa something too."
"Would Ippyeonghwa refuse to eat with me?"
"Whoâs asking for dinner? Just give him the card."

After some pointless bickering, Han Jae-young sighed with a subtle expression.
"I thought it would blow over, but it seems like Lee Un-kyul is really persistent."
"From our side, thatâs a good thing."

Thatâs the unvarnished truth.
"Weâve gained quite a lot from this."
"True."

The reason I hadnât intervened in Lee Un-kyulâs actions was, of course, because of the systemâs quest limitations...
But I had been planning with Han Jae-young to see how they would play things for a while.
"Are you sure the leak of information is confirmed?"

Han Jae-young smiled slyly.
A smile that looked very unpleasant.
"Yes, the Deputy Director of the Hunter Management Agency was the one who moved."

It made sense.
The reason Lee Un-kyul had been following us around wasnât a coincidence.
The HP Guild had submitted dungeon raid plans to the government, and that information was leaked to Lee Un-kyulâs side.

And Han Jae-young had been digging to find out who in the government was leaking the information.
But the leaker was none other than the Deputy Director of the Hunter Management Agency.
I hadnât expected someone so high up to be involved.

"Heâs probably promised a director position at NLE Guild after retiring from public office. Itâs a common occurrence. When the company youâve aligned with grows, thereâs more to gain."
"This is what you call a country thatâs really going well."
I thought to myself, the system should be fixing the human societyâs structure, not going after me.

Although, human nature has always been rotten.
In the end, no matter the world or era, creatures act based on their own desires.
"Right. Still, with this amount of information, weâve caught their weaknessâ¦"

Han Jae-young glanced at me.
"Seems like Da-on has another plan? You look pretty pissed."
"Yeah."

For Han Jae-young, itâs enough to block the government's moves against the HP Guild and deal with Lee Un-kyul. But for me, thereâs still something I need to investigate.
Is there any influence from Orbis in this plan?
"How are you going to find that out?"

"Iâve agreed to have dinner with Lee Un-kyul this weekend."
"Wow."
Han Jae-young was impressed.

"Knowing him, heâll probably be excited to come running. Where are you meeting?"
"He said he reserved a Michelin restaurant."
"At least a 3-hour course, huh?"

"Iâm going to make sure itâs more expensive than what Ippyeonghwa got."
"The wine selection there should be at least 5 million won, so itâs a good choice."
Itâs going to be an unpleasant time, but thinking back on my past life, itâs not unusual to have dinner for a few hours with someone I donât like.

"Hmm."
Han Jae-youngâs eyes narrowed.
"You really seem pissed."

"Donât jump to conclusions."
"Donât worry, after the weekend, if Lee Un-kyul goes missing, Iâll pretend I donât know."
Han Jae-young said it jokingly, but I furrowed my brows.

â¦Could it be that fairies really have prophetic powers?
At a restaurant in Cheongdam-dong, Lee Un-kyul said he would pick me up at my house, but I declined.
"This chef is really great. I hope you like it, Da-on."

Given the prices, I could see why he was so excited.
Lee Un-kyul asked with a very eager face.
"â¦By coming here, you must be considering my advice, right?"

"Well, yes."
I smiled gently at him.
Then I saw Lee Un-kyul gulping nervously.

The system warns the user, âJeong Da-onâ:
âGood deeds will bring blessings?â quest is ongoing.
 
Shut up, you stupid collective intelligence. Iâm trying to clean up your mess.