novelraw Chapter 97 : Chapter 97
Chapter 97 : Chapter 97
Chapter 97 : Irreversible Change
Before Sal could even open his mouth, Vanessa hurriedly led him to a private room.
Following behind her, Sal looked around at the other people on the Credit Floor.
Many employees smiled at Sal, and Greg, who was inside the main counter, also waved with a delighted face.
'I only slipped them a little Q-Credits as a tip, but to get such a pleasant change...'
It was an investment that wasn't a waste at all.
Sal's father used to say that making people feel special was the secret to gaining loyalty.
Although it might be a bit grandiose to call Greg's behavior loyal, it was clearly a distinctly different attitude from when Sal first stepped onto the Credit Floor.
Vanessa, who was walking ahead, suddenly turned right and opened the door to a private room.
Seeing her open the door without even knocking, Sal wondered how she knew the room was empty.
Sal felt a momentary sense of unease at Vanessa's cold expression as she turned to hold the door.
Before he could even ask what was wrong, she closed the door behind him and let out a deep sigh.
Sitting on the edge of a soft leather chair, Sal looked at Vanessa cautiously and asked.
"Are you okay?"
The moment their eyes met, mixed emotions briefly flashed across Vanessa's face.
But soon, she put on her usual confident expression.
"Sal, I'm sorry for calling you out so urgently. A problem arose with the Reavers Guild side..."
Vanessa apologized sincerely, but Sal thought the worried expression she showed earlier seemed excessive.
If they were to work together in the future, he hoped there would be no secrets between them.
"What exactly are you hiding?"
Vanessa settled into the armchair opposite Sal and smiled.
"A few other guilds showed interest too, but I didn't tell you, Sal. Their offers weren't as attractive as the Reavers Guild, and one of them... was a guild I absolutely didn't want you to join. I was making guilds compete with each other to raise Mythos's value, but I didn't know one of them would bypass me and try to approach you directly."
Irritation seeped into Vanessa's voice.
She met Sal's eyes again and smiled bitterly.
"Be careful of a woman named Sakura. She will monitor you and report to Shade of the Delvers Guild. If the fact that Sal is Mythos is discovered, it will cause tremendous problems, so you must be careful not to get caught! And absolutely do not fall for her tricks. As a trained assassin, she will be skilled at grasping weaknesses and shaking you."
When Sal frowned slightly, Vanessa's right eyebrow shot up.
"Sakura has already seen through that I'm not a simple appraiser. I used Divinity's ability a few times at the Doom Society meetings. Besides, Sakura is a member of the strike team that recently collapsed a dungeon. I also saw her take down a commander-level variant."
Vanessa stared at Sal blankly for a moment, then revised her strategy.
"Okay, then new plan. Get close to that woman named Sakura! However, you must make her keep your secret and prevent her from reporting to the Delvers Guild. Shade is a headache, and he will do anything to monopolize the Mythos ability. So you must absolutely not catch his eye."
Sal stared intently at Vanessa as if he couldn't believe it and said.
"Didn't you clearly say earlier that Sakura is a scary and outstanding assassin? But suddenly telling me to get close to her. There's no way Sakura would trust me without suspicion."
Vanessa raised one finger and shook her head.
"Not necessarily. Sakura is hesitating about something. If what you say is true... why didn't she tell Shade? Maybe she's trying to protect you, or maybe she's holding it as a weapon. Anyway, right now she holds all the cards, but we haven't even entered the game yet. Do something for her and win her heart. Utilize Sal's charm to the fullest."
Vanessa waved her hand quickly, rapidly outlining the options given to Sal.
Sal couldn't tell if Vanessa believed in him implicitly or if she thought he had a natural talent for captivating people.
Sal nodded slowly and laughed.
"Okay, I understand. Get close to a beautiful third-year Savior, a trained assassin who can erase my essence with a single fingertip. Sounds easy enough."
Vanessa sighed, slid down from the armrest, and sat in the chair.
Resting her chin on her palms supported by her arms, she looked at Sal carefully.
"I know I'm making an unreasonable request. But all of this is to achieve a greater purpose, Sal. I tried to stay as neutral as possible, but Shade is real trash. He will bind you to a terrible contract and work you to the bone. Delvers has ruined all reliable auction houses over the past few years. Your father probably has a lot to say about him too, and I bet it won't be good stories."
Her words were right.
Sal remembered hearing his father often curse mentioning Shade's name whenever urgent appraisal requests came in.
Pietro always had to struggle to collect payments from them, and the conditions were also absurd.
Even on Sal's first day attending Quest Academy, Pietro brought work entrusted by Shade.
The gloves he appraised belonged to the Delvers Guild, and apparently, Shade only paid a portion of the appraisal fee.
Sal became confused seeing the hesitation flit across Vanessa's face.
"Do you have a personal problem with Delvers? We decided to work together. Please tell me honestly. If you don't want to, Vanessa, I won't work with them. Just trust me enough to tell me the reason."
Vanessa turned her gaze slightly with a somewhat cold expression.
Her usual warmth could not be found, and she simply explained the outline of the incident briefly.
"I graduated from the Controller Class and was scouted by the Delvers Guild. I joined the guild right away and got an opportunity for rapid promotion to an executive position. It was an excellent contract that met all my conditions, and I was really satisfied. Until... a high-ranking executive approached me."
Vanessa looked at Sal with a weary smile, as if it was a story she had repeated at least a thousand times.
"I ignored his advances and drew a line softly but firmly. I also clearly stated I wasn't interested. Then I was demoted to a support department and completely excluded from the training roster. Days of doing simple inventory management continued for weeks, months. To anyone's eyes, it was retaliation for rejecting that executive's proposal."
Vanessa shook her head in disbelief and let out a hollow laugh.
"I know what you're thinking, Sal. You might think there was some fault on my part too, or maybe there were other circumstances. But no. He openly told me that if I just accepted his proposal, training would return to normal and my future would be guaranteed... Anyway, that was the reality of the Delvers Guild."
Vanessa forced a smile and continued.
"Of course, not everyone in there is bad, Sal. I know it was just the deviant behavior of one executive. But when I reported it, the guild clearly took only one side. When I terminated the contract, Delvers attacked me, demanding a huge amount of compensation, talking about investment as if they had been waiting for it. They sold that debt to the Credit Floor. For the past few years, everyone thought I just couldn't endure guild life."
Vanessa finished speaking calmly and smiled faintly looking at Sal's surprised face.
"Don't mind it. It's already in the past, and it's a problem I have to handle myself. I only confessed because you asked me to be honest. Instead, please keep this to yourself, okay?"
Sal couldn't dare to answer, so he just nodded.
He couldn't believe Vanessa had gone through such a terrible thing.
Moreover, it was hard to believe she was from the Controller Class and had already graduated from the academy.
'Come to think of it, Upgrade mentioned once that Vanessa was wasting her talent on the Credit Floor.'
Only now did he seem to understand the meaning.
Sal wanted to help her, but just as he was about to speak, Vanessa raised her hand to stop him.
"You probably have a lot of questions, so I'll answer them all. Then let's move on to the next topic. First, I can't tell you that executive's name. Second, I can't tell you the amount of debt caused by the contract termination either. Third, my ability is Body Manipulation."
Sal burst into laughter seeing her pinpoint and answer exactly the three questions he was about to ask.
When she laughed along, Sal's smile disappeared.
She had been driven out of her career as a hero by the harassment of some monster.
Sal blinked, gaining a flash of realization.
"Wait, Vanessa saying she wants to join my guild... means you've already paid off all the penalty fees?"
Vanessa smiled and nodded.
"I paid it all off almost a year ago. I've been gathering resources and building relationships with other guilds during that time. Is that all for questions? We need to talk about more urgent matters now."
Sal fell into thought for a moment, then threw his last question.
"Body Manipulation ability is really rare! There's a kid in my class who can change my body to better suit Essence Refining. Can you do something like that too, Vanessa?"
Vanessa paused speaking and looked at Sal with suspicious eyes.
"A girl in the same class used her ability on your body?"
Sal nodded and pointed to his chest.
"She helped me feel my essence better during Skill class."
Vanessa shook her head and looked at Sal with a surprised expression.
"Oh my. You're quite popular, aren't you, Sal? Body Manipulation is a very sensitive ability. Entrusting your body to someone who can change it requires great trust and dedication. Is it perhaps that girl named Hannah who was sending messages and photos?"
Sal paused for a moment.
He didn't know Vanessa would remember the name Hannah.
Sal shook his head lightly and answered.
"No, it's a kid named Lucia Hernandez. She's also called by the name Nova, and she got really good results in the Cohort Battle. You should have seen her giant form... it was truly amazing!"
Vanessa tilted her head and laughed.
"You mean it was impressive? Would you have said that even if I were the giant?"
Sal felt a challenging aura in her voice, but he couldn't tell if it was sincere in the eyes facing him directly.
His face burned imagining Vanessa wearing a tight uniform and pressing down on him.
As that image floated in his mind, Sal realized he had entered dangerous territory and hurriedly changed the subject.
"So! You said Vila was waiting for an answer... what are the details?"
Sal looked around the room and asked in a quick and urgent voice.
Then Vanessa burst into clear and lively laughter.
Sal was grateful to Vanessa for confiding her dark past to him.
When Sal turned his gaze, their eyes met.
Vanessa's irises were silver like Sal's.
"Alright, Sal. Since you found out my secret ability... it's only fair that I tease you occasionally. How about it?"
She extended her hand, and Sal instinctively grabbed it.
Vanessa smiled broadly and added.
"Ah, it's so cute that your friend helps you with Essence Refining. Then, shall I show you the difference between a first year and an academy graduate?"
As Sal realized what was happening, Vanessa's smile deepened further.
He looked down at his hand with surprised eyes, but it was already too late.
Vanessa's essence wrapped around his arm and body like lightning, and Sal found it hard to even breathe properly.
Vanessa whispered, flowing her essence into his body with a mellifluous voice.
"There are so many minor inefficient parts. You really need to exercise, Sal."
Her voice held a playfulness as if piercing through his essence.
"Ah, so she temporarily expanded Sal's senses? It's a clever method in its own way... but I always thought this way was easier."
Sal barely managed to catch his breath and stared at Vanessa with a surprised face.
"What... solution?"
Vanessa leaned in close with a predatory smile.
Her whisper sounded like a threat.
"Pushing through with force."