"So… what now?"
Nayeon's voice broke the silence as the group walked through the dim city streets. Her expression was hazed the kind you'd have after a dream that moved too fast to follow. "It hasn't even been three days, and we already have enough members for an official guild. What's next?"
Jaehyuk tilted his head, eyes scanning the faint light of the hovering billboards above. "Ahh…" he murmured, almost to himself. "A guild needs a base to stay."
He paused, then added flatly, "Say, Nayeon, let's just be a poor, baseless guild."
"WHAAAT!?" she shouted, grabbing his shoulder in disbelief. "Are you hearing yourself right now? At this rate, we'll lose our members before our first weekly raid!"
Jaehyuk merely shrugged, checking the faint glow of his Aegis console. His balance flickered in front of him only a few thousand Soulmarks left.
"Hey, hey," he replied lazily, "our Soulmarks aren't enough to buy anything permanent. We need to keep earning."
"Th-then… what do we do now?" Nayeon asked, a hint of worry in her tone.
Jaehyuk's eyes suddenly froze. For a brief moment, the faint reflection of the city lights danced against his irises then he smirked.
"Heh… I think I know a place."
He led her out of the city limits, past the glowing signs and flickering barriers that marked Regime territory. The air grew colder as they entered the outer forest, where the world was quieter untouched by neon.
Finally, through the thick line of trees, a small house came into view. It stood crooked in the middle of a clearing, half-covered in vines. The old wooden fence had collapsed, and beside it sat what used to be a horse stable, now broken and mossed over.
Nayeon blinked, utterly confused. "Uhm… why are we here? Don't tell me we're raiding houses now. I didn't peg you to be that kind of person."
Jaehyuk sighed, then reached over and pushed her face gently away.
"What are you even spewing, pumpkin brain? This place is abandoned. I used to crash here back then slept here for weeks. It's practically my own house. No one even knows it exists anymore. It's long forgotten."
Nayeon's eyes widened with childlike excitement. "Reaaally!? Then… are you saying this is now our base!?"
"Well, yeah," Jaehyuk replied, smirking faintly. "You got better options?"
She grinned and ran past him toward the door, kicking it open with a loud creak. Dust exploded into the air like a mini sandstorm.
Inside, it was dark the kind of darkness that swallowed sound. Yet as sunlight filtered through the cracks in the roof, the faint outline of an old fireplace came into view.
"It's… perfect," Nayeon said softly, smiling despite the dust clinging to her hair.
Jaehyuk stepped in behind her, watching her expression and for the first time in a long while, the place didn't feel as empty as before.
> [Guild Base: Zero – Temporary Status Activated.]
[Mana Node Integrity: 8%. Reconstruction Available.]
[New Objective: Restore the Forgotten House.]
A small blue light shimmered from the Aegis console on his wrist.
Jaehyuk smiled faintly.
"Guess we've found home."
"By the way, Hyuk," Nayeon started, arms crossed, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "You keep saying we're complete and ready to register as an official guild, but… there's only five of us?"
Jaehyuk glanced at her, a sly grin tugging at his lips. "Huh? Oh, that? Don't worry, I've got it covered."
"You found someone, didn't you? Who is it?"
He chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. "Remember that guy who bumped into me when we were out recruiting? Turns out he wasn't just some random dude. He gave me his business card before leaving, so I gave him a call."
Nayeon blinked. "Wait you called him?"
"Yeah, and convinced him to join us," Jaehyuk said, pride creeping into his tone. "Apparently he's broke getting kicked out of his apartment if he doesn't pay rent soon. So I told him not to worry, that he'll earn Soulmarks faster if he joins us. He agreed right away. Of course, I also promised to provide for him as long as he's part of Zero."
Nayeon sighed, rubbing her temples. "Uhh… you do realize that's a lot of privilege for a new member, right?"
Jaehyuk shrugged. "We need his talent more than he needs ours. Better to sacrifice a little than let another guild snatch him up."
He gave a half-smirk and added, "Besides, all he really needs is a place to stay. And this base-" he gestured around at the old house surrounded by forest "-is basically home for everyone now, isn't it?"
Nayeon groaned but couldn't help the small smile tugging at her lips. "You're unbelievable sometimes."
"That's why you keep me around, pumpkin brain."