The Strongest Guild Kidnapped Me

The delinquent student, the large girl who had slapped Yoon Chae-rin earlier, returned unexpectedly.

Grrr.
Saebyeok bared her teeth at the girl, but I quickly raised a hand to cover her mouth.

It wasn’t that I was scared of the delinquent student. The problem was that I was an adventurer, and she was an ordinary high school student.

An adventurer fighting with a regular civilian girl? It was obvious who people would side with. She was still a minor, protected by society, after all.

Even if she were an adventurer, fighting would still be a last resort. It was always better to avoid conflict if possible.

“Um… excuse me…”

The girl mumbled, fidgeting with her fingers in front of us. With my hand no longer covering her, Saebyeok didn’t growl again but simply watched her warily.

“You’re…”

The girl’s eyes widened when she looked at me, her jaw dropping slightly. The unlit cigarette in her mouth fell to the ground.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one caught off guard by this encounter. She seemed just as surprised as I was. From her perspective, I had suddenly appeared in her space.

I hoped this unexpected development might let us walk away peacefully. But that hope was quickly dashed by the voices of her friends echoing down the alley.

“Damn it, nobody has a lighter?”

“Make Yoon Chae-rin go buy one.”

“She’s broke, though.”

“Ugh, I don’t want to break a bill for this.”

“Don’t you use cards?”

“A card? That leaves a record, dumbass.”

The mixed voices of boys and girls, accompanied by footsteps, grew louder. The first to appear was a boy, his face twisted in irritation.

“Hey, any of you got money?”

Not “you” specifically but “any of you.” His words were directed at everyone present—Yoon Chae-rin, the large girl, and possibly even us.

To avoid escalation, I decided to hand over all the money I had. If a few coins could resolve the situation without a fight, it was worth it.

Helping Yoon Chae-rin was another reason to step in.

“T-this is all I have…”

My total savings amounted to 2,700 won. The coins glinted as I held them out, and the boy’s eyes lit up. His nametag read Jo Yoo-chan.

“Oh, are you giving this to me?”

“Y-yes…”

“Thanks. I’ll put it to good use.”

Jo Yoo-chan reached out, grinning, but the large girl stopped him, her expression tinged with unease.

“Hey, wait a second.”

“What? They’re giving us money.”

“It’s just… something feels off…”

The girl glanced nervously around the alley. Meanwhile, Levinas whimpered softly beside me.

“My fish-shaped bread money…”

“I-I’m sorry… Let’s just buy some later, okay?”

We had planned to get some fish-shaped bread after the school visit, but resolving this situation took priority. I extended my hand, holding out the money, and Jo Yoo-chan plucked a 1,000-won bill from my palm.

“How much is a lighter again…”

“Hey! What are you all doing over there?!”

A booming voice cut through the tension. Despite the distance, it was deafening, making me instinctively cover my ears. Coins I couldn’t hold onto fell to the ground with a clatter.

“W-wow…”

What a loud voice. Trembling, I turned toward its source. The art teacher from earlier was approaching, his face flushed a deep red, almost demonic.

“You’re high school students, and you’re extorting money from kids?!”

“Ugh, it’s just a thousand won. What’s the big deal?”

Jo Yoo-chan waved his hand dismissively, a gesture far too insolent for addressing a teacher.

Unbelievable.
People often said modern kids were scary, but seeing it firsthand was something else.

Clearly infuriated, the teacher scowled deeply.

“Come here. Now.”

“Oh, come on…”

Jo Yoo-chan was dragged off begrudgingly, his feet scuffing the ground. We watched in stunned silence as they left. Despite the distance, my beastkin ears caught every word of their conversation.

“Yoo-chan, how long are you going to act like the world isn’t dangerous? You’re going to get into real trouble someday.”

“Me? Trouble?”

Jo Yoo-chan let out a derisive laugh, his confidence evident.

He must have someone backing him.
And not just anyone—a significant connection. He was someone best avoided.

“You’ll regret riding your father’s coattails, kid.”

“Ugh, just leave me alone. I’ve got this.”

“…You know what? Fine. Learn the hard way.”

The teacher sighed and turned to us, wiping his face with his hands as he approached.

“I think that’s enough of the school visit for today.”

“Y-yes…”

“I’m sorry you had to go through something so frightening.”

With the teacher’s intervention, the situation was resolved for the most part. I focused on comforting Levinas, who was still trembling.

“Levinas, we can still get fish-shaped bread later.”

“…Okay…”

Her little heart was still racing. Just as I reached to hug her tightly, a hesitant voice interrupted me.

“Um, excuse me…”

Yoon Chae-rin tapped me on the shoulder. Despite her swollen cheek, she managed an awkward smile.

“Sorry for dragging you into this. My family sells fish-shaped bread… Would you like some?”

“Fish-shaped bread?!”

Levinas’s ears perked up instantly, and even Saebyeok seemed intrigued.

With just a few words, Yoon Chae-rin had managed to lift their spirits. She was a kind soul.

“Are you sure? Isn’t this during class hours?”

“Y-yeah… I’ll just go home early and put some ointment on this.”

“Oh…”

So it wouldn’t be a potion but regular ointment. I nodded quietly.

“Would you like to come along?”

“Yes.”

Meeting kind people was always a good thing. We decided to follow her to get some fish-shaped bread.

***

Dawnbreak Guild Meeting Room.

Midsummer’s smartphone buzzed on the table during a meeting with her team members.

“Sang-ah?”

Calling during a meeting meant it was likely an emergency.

“Hello?”

• “Yeoreum! It’s—it's terrible!”

The urgency in Sang-ah’s voice made Midsummer pay full attention, even mid-meeting.

“What’s wrong?”

• “It’s Gyeoul and the kids! They had their money stolen at school!”

“What?”

What was she even hearing? They had specifically handed the school money to prevent situations like this. Midsummer unconsciously bit her lip in frustration.

• “And… a student who tried to help them got hurt.”

“Do you know where the kids are now?”

• “Yes. They went to the house of the student who helped them. It seems they were really shaken up.”

“Ah… Thank you. I’ll look into this immediately.”

As she ended the call, the other guild members, including Guild Master Kang Jin-ho, turned to her.

“What’s going on?”

“Well… it seems Gyeoul got her money taken at school.”

“…What?”

What are the teachers even doing?

The vein on Kang Jin-ho’s temple became visibly pronounced.

Everyone in the meeting room understood instantly. This meeting was over.

There was nothing more important to the Dawnbreak Guild than matters involving Gyeoul.@@novelbin@@

***

In a quiet alley stood a small, weathered food cart. Yoon Chae-rin blushed as she smiled awkwardly.

“It’s a bit old, isn’t it? But don’t worry, the inside is spotless. I clean it every day.”

“Hmm…”

It didn’t seem old at all. My tent had dozens of patched-up holes, so this was pristine by comparison. Levinas must have thought the same because she rushed inside the cart without a second thought.

“Fish-shaped bread!”

Inside the cart, an elderly woman with white hair was busy working. Her expression turned pale when she saw Yoon Chae-rin’s face.

“Oh my, Chae-rin, what happened to your face?”

“I got hit by a ball during gym class. You know I’m not very athletic.”

“Oh dear, you need to be more careful…”

Was she lying to keep her grandmother from worrying? Seeing her quick excuse, we decided to pretend we hadn’t noticed.

“Grandma, these kids helped me get home.”

“Really? Such good kids.”

The grandmother smiled warmly and handed each of us a piece of fish-shaped bread. Levinas’s round rabbit-like eyes widened as she stared at it.

“Why isn’t there a fish inside?!”

“Levinas, fish-shaped bread doesn’t actually have fish in it.”

“Really?!”

She looked utterly crestfallen, a reaction not suited for the kind woman who had just given her a treat.

“Were you disappointed there’s no fish?”

“Yeah… The king rabbits like fish…”

Ah, I see. She wanted to eat fish-shaped bread for our sake—mine and Saebyeok’s. Given our obsession with fish, finding out there wasn’t any must have been a letdown.

“It’s okay. Fish-shaped bread tastes good even without fish.”

“Really…?”

“Yup. Try it.”

At my encouragement, Levinas took a bite. As she chewed, her ears perked up, and her tail wagged enthusiastically.

“It’s delicious!”

She hopped around the narrow food cart in excitement, and even Saebyeok was wagging her tail energetically.

Fish-shaped bread really was tasty. But this cart sold more than just that.

Crunch—
I nibbled on my bread while browsing the other snacks when I heard footsteps approaching from outside the cart.

A customer?
With the bread still in my mouth, I turned to look. The vinyl flap of the cart opened, and in walked none other than Jo Yoo-chan.

“There you are.”

He smirked, his mischievous grin tugging at the corners of his lips. Was he blaming us for getting scolded by the teacher and here to seek revenge? His demeanor certainly suggested it.

“Are you friends with our Chae-rin?” the grandmother asked kindly.

“Yes, we’re friends. Friends,” Jo Yoo-chan said, waving dismissively at the grandmother, as if to brush her off. His rudeness was glaring, but the grandmother only smiled, happy to think Chae-rin had brought a friend.

“It’s the first time Chae-rin’s ever brought a friend over.”

“Well, Chae-rin doesn’t have many friends, does she?”

How could he say something like that in front of her? I couldn’t even eat the fish-shaped bread in my mouth, my eyes darting to Chae-rin. Her clenched fists trembled slightly.

And then, I felt it—a familiar presence far in the distance.

The guild master, Midsummer, Choi Jin-hyuk, Jung Yoo-na… quite a crowd.

Were they here to find us? But why weren’t they coming closer and just lingering out there?

Confused, I fiddled with the tail of the fish-shaped bread in my hand. The once-warm bread was starting to cool.