PAID

On the way to the meeting venue.

Using a teleportation device would have been quicker, but Lina insisted on taking her private plane and traveling at a leisurely pace.

Not that it was inconvenient—her plane was loaded with magical engineering and boasted top-notch stability and speed.

The journey was expected to take about two hours.

I sat in my seat and began reaching out to my party members. We had left in such a hurry that there hadn’t been time to meet with them beforehand.@@novelbin@@

【NotGukbap】 – Jin Yu-ha, you're not at home? Where did you go?

【Sword Fiend】 – Ah, sorry. Lina Chairwoman dragged me along to an unofficial summit. I’ll be back soon, though.

【Fire Fist】 – Hmm, so no “Yellow Dog” today... Oh well, I’ll have to train alone.

【Sword Fiend】 – Yeah, let’s train together when I get back, haha.

【MyDiscipleJinYu-ha】 – Hmm, an unofficial summit? Off to meet those unpleasant folks again, aren’t you?

【Sword Fiend】 – Oh, you know about it, Master?

【MyDiscipleJinYu-ha】 – Of course... Tch, I do. Whatever they say to you, don’t take it to heart.

【Sword Fiend】 – Don’t worry, I won’t. 😊

【WarmAutumnWeather】 – Hey, junior! Did you see this article? It just came out today!

[Link: “About the Squinty Strategist Im Ga-eul – Have We Been Misjudging Her All This Time?”]

【✿ Flower】 – An unofficial summit... Something about this smells fishy. Shall I look into it?

【Sword Fiend】 – No rush. It can wait until later. Let’s put it on hold for now.

【✿ Flower】 – Understood, Jin Yu-ha.

【WarmAutumnWeather】 – Eh, it’s not exactly groundbreaking, just... kind of interesting? Maybe worth a read? Haha.

【Ichika】 – Benefactor, should I remove the shadow link?

【Sword Fiend】 – No, Ichika. It might still be useful. Keep it in place for now.

【Ichika】 – Okay, got it.

【WarmAutumnWeather】 – Junior?

【LiveByTheSwordDieByTheSword】 – Instructor, please take care and have a safe trip.

【Sword Fiend】 – Thanks, Alice. Keep up the training, okay? 😊

【LiveByTheSwordDieByTheSword】 – Yes! 😊 (Bear swinging a sword emoji)

【WarmAutumnWeather】 – Oh, right, everyone here is technically my junior. No wonder I mixed things up. My bad! I meant you, Yu-ha!

【CliffBlossom】 – Jin Yu-haaa 🥺 Why didn’t you take me with you? I swear I could hide so well no one would notice!

【Sword Fiend】 – Sophia, do you think you could evade Lina Chairwoman’s eyes? Haha, if you can, I might even give you the main DPS spot.

【CliffBlossom】 – Ahhh... Yeah, maybe not, haha.

【WarmAutumnWeather】 – Yu-ha?

As always, teasing Autumn senior never got old.

With the whole party now sharing a group chat, things had become quite lively.

Though it wasn’t used too often, it was great for staying connected during times like this.