Whooosh-

Before long, a refreshing breeze began to blow from the Air Circulator.

Phil Kruger watched the device and nodded as though he understood.

“It’s a device that collects mana floating in the air, uses circuits to imbue it with purifying properties, and then releases it back outside. Mana with purifying properties is temporarily floating in the air!”

“You figured that out just by looking? That’s impressive.”

Freud stared at Phil Kruger with a look of wonder.

Phil Kruger’s eyes sparkled.

“The person who designed this mana circuit is truly remarkable. They must be an incredible expert, beyond comparison with the likes of me.”

Understanding how it worked didn’t mean one could replicate it. After all, advanced mana circuits were integrated within the product.

The circuits were encrypted so that even dismantling the product wouldn’t reveal their secrets, ensuring confidentiality no matter how many units were sold.

Unlike the thoroughly excited Phil Kruger, Freud—who had no eye for such things—simply nodded with vague understanding.

He was more curious about what kind of performance the Air Circulator could deliver.

Sniff-

“The air does seem cleaner… what do you think, Mr. Faction Leader?”

“The pig manure-like smell is definitely fading. I can finally breathe comfortably again!”

Phil Kruger looked happier than ever before.

‘Pig manure-like smell…?’

Wondering if it might be his own scent, Freud brought his arm to his nose, but his olfactory senses detected nothing.

Regardless, seeing his mentor regain his spirits left Freud feeling a warm sense of satisfaction.

“The new player who recently joined sent over this Air Circulator, obtained from a private battlefield.”

“Wow— really?”

A Cheongma brand product would fetch a considerable price, yet to send it as a gift without so much as a word of notice…

They had assumed he was merely a name on the roster…

Deeply moved, the two resolved to support both players with everything they had.

But such a thing was impossible for Arrow of the Blue Sky in its current state.

Freud adopted a serious demeanor.

“I think it’s time we seriously expanded the faction.”

Was there any other faction that had achieved this much in such a short span?

Position makes the man, as they say.

Once the rankings updated, membership inquiries would pour in on a scale incomparable to before.

Now was the perfect time to expand the faction.

The one concern was a shortage of executive staff to manage the members.

He couldn’t entrust such matters to the naive Phil Kruger, and even Freud had his limits handling everything alone.

Ultimately, they needed mid-level management to take in new members.

Finding such talent wouldn’t be easy…

Knock-!

Just then, the sound of knocking came from the office door.

Had the installation technician left something behind?

Creak-

“Who is it?”

Opening the door revealed an unfamiliar face.

‘A guest for Mr. Faction Leader?’

Glancing at Phil Kruger, he found the elf standing in front of the Air Circulator with his mouth hanging open, blissfully oblivious.

Swish-

Freud shifted position slightly, blocking the line of sight from the entrance so Phil Kruger wouldn’t be visible. It was a sight too embarrassing for outsiders to see.

“Pleasure to meet you.”

Slicked-back hair, neatly groomed. Sharp, narrow eyes. Pale skin so white it seemed almost bloodless.

The man exuded a cold aura, dressed in an expensive suit, his expression radiating confidence.

“Is this Arrow of the Blue Sky?”

“Yes, what brings you here?”

Freud had long shouldered the faction’s affairs in place of Phil Kruger, the faction leader.

Through that experience, he had developed what he considered a reliable eye for people, and he could tell at a glance that this man was no ordinary visitor.

The man, observing this, offered a cynical smile and said.

“I’ll get straight to the point. I’m here because I’d like to join your faction.”

Wanting to join Arrow of the Blue Sky? Had their faction already grown that famous?

“Please, come in for now.”

Freud, brimming with excitement, welcomed their very first prospective recruit.

He couldn’t very well leave the man standing outside, so he ushered him in.

The man surveyed his surroundings with cool, analytical eyes, taking in the office interior.

“Hmm?”

One thing in particular caught his attention: a state-of-the-art magic engineering product that stood out glaringly against the shabby furniture.

“Ahh—”

Teiz studied the man standing before it with his mouth hanging open stupidly, and organized his thoughts.

‘Is that Phil Kruger, the faction leader of this place?’

He had heard the elf possessed remarkable abilities, but appearances suggested he was no different from an ordinary human.

In any case, the one handling faction operations was Vice faction leader Freud. There seemed no need to concern himself with that man for now.

“Please, have a seat.”

Freud guided him to a seat.

They sat facing each other, exchanging glances.

Teiz was confident.

He had done thorough research and come fully prepared to persuade this man named Freud.

“Then…”

Teiz was about to speak when—

Swish-

Freud beat him to the punch, sliding a sheet of paper across the desk.

‘What’s this?’

Teiz took the paper and examined it closely.

At the top, the words “Contract” were written.

“Haha— it’s been a while since we’ve had a proper recruit.”

The corners of his mouth were turned up—seemed like he had something up his sleeve…

What was he thinking?

“Now then, please sign here!

“… …”

After reviewing the contract, Teiz could see it was an ordinary agreement with no toxic clauses whatsoever.

No, it went beyond that—it was drafted overwhelmingly in his favor.

So much so that depending on interpretation, it could easily be exploited.

In Trivik, contracts didn’t carry particularly strong legal weight.

However, they still served as justification for actions, so contracts always had to be drafted carefully. Left as it was, this one would clearly lead to being taken advantage of sooner or later.

Feeling a tightness in his chest, Teiz took it upon himself to revise the contract.

Swish- swish-

“I’ll make a few adjustments to this section.”

“What? Why?”

Leaving a bewildered Freud behind, he continued revising the contract’s contents.

Removing clauses that could be interpreted to his disadvantage. Making it fair for both parties…

Clack-

“Now, please review it again.”

In less than three minutes, the revised contract was complete, and Freud marveled inwardly.

‘A talent walked right through our door. I need to lock this down!’

Through the bitter experience of watching members he had painstakingly cultivated walk out one after another, he had learned that something was wrong with their contracts.

But he had never been able to identify exactly what. And now, the man before him had solved the problem in three minutes.

Having endured so much hardship building the faction alongside a mentor who couldn’t even read, Freud was overwhelmed with emotion.

‘Finally, someone who knows how to use their head has joined our faction.’

What’s more, even after discovering the problems in the contract, he had honestly revised them rather than exploiting them.

They hadn’t even exchanged proper introductions yet, but Freud already liked the man before him.

Freud made a bold bet.

“This would put you at too much of a disadvantage. Instead, I’d like to offer you the position of Vice faction leader. The same rank as mine.”

They couldn’t run the faction by the seat of their pants forever.

Recruiting talent to establish proper structure was more important than ever, and the man before him seemed perfectly suited for the executive role he had so desperately wanted.

It was a choice born of Freud’s own sense of reaching his limits, but Teiz seemed to interpret it somewhat differently.

Teiz’s guard went up at Freud’s offer.

‘I haven’t even revealed that I’m a player, yet he’s offering me the Vice faction leader position… Could he have already figured out who I am?’

Of course, Freud wasn’t thinking that deeply.

He had already taken in two players of unknown origin, so as long as someone had ability, it didn’t matter who they were.

If the person proved problematic, Phil Kruger as faction leader would step in and refuse first.

The fact that Phil Kruger remained silent meant the person posed no immediate concern.

His eye for people had never been wrong, not even once.

Unaware of these facts, Teiz had no choice but to wrestle with his own doubts.

‘His negotiation skills are quite something. Not an easy opponent.’

His ability to think strategically was impressive, wasn’t it?

Teiz’s assessment of Arrow of the Blue Sky rose by a notch.

Before signing the contract, Teiz surveyed the office interior one more time.

It was a space as shabby as they come. But—

A faction leader of the Forest Race, a Vice faction leader with impressive negotiation skills.

Plus two players with remarkable abilities that this place otherwise lacked.

It was a group of only four, but wasn’t that the very definition of a small elite force?

This seemed like the right place to pursue his ambitions.

Having made up his mind, Teiz acted decisively.

“Very well. Let’s proceed with the contract.”

He left his signature—”Teiz”—on the contract in elegant handwriting.

Freud’s face lit up as he extended his hand.

“Then I look forward to working with you, Vice faction leader Teiz.”

Clap- clap- clap-!

The contract was settled in one smooth flow, and faction leader Phil Kruger welcomed the new recruit with applause.

That was when it happened.

“It seems you two have returned.”

Phil Kruger had sensed footsteps from afar and spoken quietly. Teiz tensed as well.

If two people were coming here, they had to be the two players he had seen at the Paradise Private battlefield.

Creak-

The door opened, and a pair—a man and woman wearing masks—entered the office.

The man paused briefly upon seeing Teiz, then spoke quietly. It was the first time Teiz had heard his voice.

***

“A new recruit?”

Having finished the second private battlefield, I had nowhere to put the Air Circulator obtained as a bonus reward, so I sent it to the Arrow of the Blue Sky headquarters for now.

It was too cumbersome to keep in my quarters, and once installed, it couldn’t be easily moved.

I dropped by the office with Chasey to confirm the Air Circulator had been installed properly, and that was where I encountered a new face.

He was a man with an overall sharp impression.

He was watching us with a tense expression.

His face was somewhat familiar, but…

I couldn’t place it immediately.

Just then, Freud stepped forward to explain the situation.

“This is Teiz, who recently joined Arrow of the Blue Sky. He demonstrated exceptional ability with contracts, so I offered him the Vice faction leader position.”

Teiz…

I remembered.

“We crossed paths at the Paradise Private battlefield, didn’t we?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Teiz replied evenly.

Freud’s face registered astonishment.

“You were a player?”

He had recruited him simply for his sharp mind, completely unaware that he was a player.

“…?”

Teiz stared at Freud with an incredulous look.

Their gazes crossed briefly.

Watching the exchange, I spoke again.

“What brought you to Arrow of the Blue Sky?”

I had no interest in faction management, so I didn’t care who joined. But I was a little curious about what had brought Teiz here.

After two private battlefields, I could tell that Teiz was the most capable among the participants.

Someone of Teiz’s caliber could have joined a higher-ranked faction. What reason could have brought him to a place like this?

I had asked out of pure curiosity.

But Teiz interpreted it as an interrogation and broke into a cold sweat.

Perhaps deciding he shouldn’t hide his intentions, Teiz spoke honestly.

“I believe Arrow of the Blue Sky has limitless potential. I judged that it possesses the growth capacity to one day threaten Garos’s faction and seize dominance over Trivik. I will dedicate myself fully to supporting that process.”

Hearing those words, Freud stood beside them with his jaw hanging open.

He had never imagined their new recruit harbored ambitions of that magnitude.

Freud gazed at Teiz with moved eyes.

“Hmm…”

I had a pretty good idea what he was thinking…

But I had absolutely no desire to challenge for dominance over Trivik. I didn’t have much sense of belonging to Arrow of the Blue Sky in the first place.

‘Well, if he works hard, that’s fine by me.’

Still, if it helped raise the faction ranking, it would make participating in future private battlefields easier, so there was no need to stop him.

To earn more rewards, I would need to participate in private battlefields with rating restrictions.

“Suit yourself.”

Running the faction was the responsibility of faction leader Phil Kruger and Vice faction leader Freud, after all.