“Su, Nambul, Serengeti, Artemis, and the others… It’s been nearly ten years since the Southern Free Union settled in Koran. That’s quite a stretch of time, so it’s safe to say these places have outgrown being just small towns.”
Her voice was a low mezzo-soprano, carrying a sensual, slightly humid timbre that filled the room.
“As you know, Lord, the western cities were completely wiped out by a surprise attack from the Western Continent’s Vagabond Alliance. There are survivors, but the disbandment process is already underway…”
“So.”
The smoothly flowing explanation was abruptly cut off.
A hoarse, gravelly voice, heavy with weight, interjected.
“…Halo, Dorothy, and Beth. These three cities are now vacant, and both the East and South are eyeing them hungrily.”
After a brief pause in the darkness, the familiar gentle voice resumed.
“The golden lion that once ruled Barbara has fallen. The powerless North has retreated to postwar reconstruction support.”
The soft rustle of turning paper followed.
“The latest intel from the central administration came in yesterday… Ah, the small towns have already been assigned. Dorothy will carry on the Western legacy, Beth will go to the East. So naturally, the remaining ordinary cities should fall to the South…”
“…”
“But the East didn’t stop there—they reached out to claim Halo as well, using the Hamil Clan as their front.”
“…”
Throughout the explanation, the voice remained calm and composed.
It conveyed only facts, as if who was right or wrong didn’t matter in the slightest.
The man’s tone was the same.
The East’s justification: since they led the tug-of-war and the war against the Golden Lion, it’s only natural they claim the cities.
The South’s desperate struggle to prevent monopolization and rise above the current state.
The political intrigue born from these opposing views was irrelevant.
Only the content of the contract mattered.
That was how Salem Lord lived in the Whole Plain.
A woman exhaled sharply, brushing her eyes lightly.
Then she spoke.
“They want us to warn the mercenary clan… apparently.”
“Mercenaries? They belong to the South, don’t they? Under Istanbul Row?”
Salem Lord finally spoke at length.
The reporting woman smiled slyly.
“Not exactly. They’re freelance mercenaries.”
“Freelance… Han So-young accepted that well, huh? So?”
“You know about the incident in the Wailing Plains recently?”
“The alliance hired some street thugs, right?”
“They were all killed. They didn’t even get close to the Hamil Clan’s leader.”
“I know. That was Yeonju’s doing.”
“Yes. Somehow, the mercenaries moved first. Also, the Hamil leader and the mercenary lord are blood relatives.”
“Really?”
Once the contract topic came up, the previously sluggish conversation picked up speed.
The indifferent, bored tone gradually shifted to one of interest.
“Hmm… So they want revenge for the ruined plan?”
“Well, the mercenaries are also on the shortlist for the Halo representative… so, you could say it’s a two-birds-one-stone situation.”
She raised her voice slightly as she pulled several orbs from her pocket.
Lining them up neatly, she gently placed her index finger on the leftmost orb.
Light burst forth, illuminating the previously dark wall with a white screen.
A shadow of a slender forearm, tied stylishly with a ribbon, and hair swaying like a horse’s tail flickered faintly at the edge of the frame.
“This is the data the alliance sent.”
Her ash-gray eyes pierced the screen.
The recorded footage focused on a man weaving through a crowded street.
“That guy…”
“Yes. That user is Mercenary Lord Kim Soo-hyun.”
At that moment, Kim Soo-hyun’s pace slowed, and he slowly glanced back.
“Oh my, quite handsome too. Our Yeonju really hit the jackpot, huh?”
The woman giggled like a schoolgirl, hand on her cheek, charmed by the sultry voice.
When Go Yeon-ju’s name came up, the man who had been wearing a ghostly expression cracked a faint smile.
Then—
In a split second—
“!”
Salem Lord clearly saw it.
The cold eyes staring directly at the screen.
The slight upward curl of the lips.
The middle-aged, wrinkled eyes narrowing further.
“…Look at that?”
“Huh?”
The question implied he hadn’t noticed.
In truth, it was such a fleeting, subtle moment that Salem Lord himself was unsure.
But after replaying it once more, he was certain.
Kim Soo-hyun had looked straight at the screen.
A long silence followed.
He stared blankly at the footage.
Salem Lord didn’t move a muscle.
“Lord?”
The woman spoke cautiously, breaking the silence.
“Neul Seol-yeong.”
“Yes.”
Her voice sharpened suddenly, and Neul Seol-yeong straightened her posture.
“What’s the mercenaries’ main force?”
“Hmm. Aside from Mercenary Lord and the Shadow Queen, it’s mostly the Silent Executors.”
“Even Heo Jun-young? There must be more than just those three.”
“There are plenty of Secret and Rare class members, but that’s about it. The rest are just insignificant rookies.”
Most of the elite mercenary clan members were dismissed as insignificant rookies.
Yet her tone was far from arrogant—still calm, almost devoid of confidence.
As if stating the obvious.
“Hmm…”
But something seemed to bother her.
The decision-maker only groaned, unable to give a clear answer.
For a user like Salem Lord, such hesitation was rare.
It was intriguing.
A few years ago, Go Yeon-ju had tried to leave Salem on her own.
In trying to stop her, five subordinates were killed.
How could Lord forget that incident?
“Just hypothetically.”
After a long pause, Salem Lord finally spoke.
“If this user Kim Soo-hyun is even better than Yeonju…”
“Huh?”
A doubtful retort, but he continued quietly.
“Assuming that, what do you think the success rate of this contract would be?”
“Impossible. Even if he was active in the war, he’s only been around for a year…”
“Enough. Just answer.”
“Well… even if Yeonju took the lead and I assisted, we might hold our ground… but if there’s another Yeonju there…”
She shrugged lightly, as if it was obvious.
“Honestly… instead of worrying about success, shouldn’t we be worried about being completely wiped out? Of course, we.”
“Probably.”
Salem Lord nodded in agreement.
Neul Seol-yeong, who had been quietly observing, suddenly smiled softly.
“Lord? Don’t worry so much.”
She began to soothe him gently.
“The alliance only wants a warning. Not an all-out war.”
That was true.
Salem was made up entirely of assassins.
And assassins have their own ways.
“There are… oh, so many methods.”
Meaning, there’s no need to confront Kim Soo-hyun directly.
Salem Lord nodded thoughtfully.
“Since you say that… I guess you have a solid plan.”
“Of course. A perfect opportunity has come up. Maybe one that won’t come again.”
Neul Seol-yeong eagerly pulled out a new orb and activated it.
“Hm?”
After a moment, Salem Lord sighed lightly as he watched the new footage on the wall.
Then he turned to the woman with a wry smile.
“Geez. So that’s why you’re so eager to take this contract… It’s because of that guy. Another two-birds-one-stone, huh?”
“Heh. Think whatever you want.”
She laughed slyly, and Salem Lord let out a long breath.
Then, eyes back on the screen, he said:
“Neul Seol-yeong. The target is the mercenaries.”
“I know.”
“That guy is a means to an end. Killing him is unnecessary.”
“Of course. I’ll do whatever you say, Lord.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. Absolutely.”
Her clear, confident reply.
Then, from the woman’s face hidden in shadow, a flash of white teeth appeared in a sly grin.
“As long as we don’t kill him, right?”
Her voice was sweet, dripping with a sticky charm.
A famous economist once said: There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
Survival, simply put, is about making a living.
To make a living, you need money.
To earn money, you have to pay some price, one way or another.
I chose to become a mercenary in this world called the Whole Plain as a means of survival.
I take contracts and carry them out for financial reward.
It sounds simple, but as the saying goes: the world doesn’t always move the way you expect.
Since the war, the mercenary clan’s reputation has skyrocketed.
Postwar reconstruction has begun, and now that things have stabilized somewhat, it’s natural that contracts are flooding in.
Having a lot of work isn’t a bad thing.
Beyond the pay, a variety of contracts are perfect for rookies just shedding their chick feathers to gain experience.
This new contract I just signed is no different.
The work isn’t particularly difficult, but the pay is surprisingly high.
Suspiciously so.
But no matter how many times I read it, I find nothing strange.
By the way, the clan’s name is kind of funny.
Golden Hyena.
Definitely someone who’s read a lot of martial arts novels in the modern era.
“Hmm…”
“What are you looking at?”
At that moment, a figure suddenly rose from the shadow cast on the floor.
This wasn’t the first time—it barely surprised me anymore.
As I slid the contract I was holding to the side, I felt it snatched away abruptly.
“Huh?”
Before a second had passed, an exclamation came.
Go Yeon-ju, who had somehow perched herself on the edge of the desk, was staring wide-eyed.
“Is this a familiar place?”
“Just… somewhere from a long time ago.”
Her words trailed off uncharacteristically.
I almost asked if it had anything to do with Salmun, but I swallowed the question just in time.
Go Yeon-ju didn’t like talking about her past.
“What kind of clan was it?”
“A bad one.”
“Go Yeon-ju?”
“No, it’s true.”
Her explanation that followed was a bit lengthy.
From what I gathered, it was a clan that had quietly committed misdeeds in the shadows back in the day.
What stood out most was that the clan leader was a notorious pervert who even resorted to kidnapping to satisfy his desires.
However, after the war, they had cleaned up their act on the night streets and now operated like any other merchant clan.
Having a shady past in the underworld or night streets wasn’t unusual.
Many clans put on a respectable front but still engaged in vagrant behavior where no one was watching.
“Are you planning to work against mercenaries or something?”
“Ah, I’m not that stupid. I’m here, after all. The clan leader knows better than to mess with me.”
“Then?”
“I think they’re trying to build a line by taking on continuous requests like this. They used to grovel to the Golden Lion, but now it seems they’ve switched their target to us.”
Her tone was dripping with sarcasm.
Given what Go Yeon-ju said, it made sense why the contract terms were unusually generous.
I could just take the job and keep my mouth shut, but—
“Anyway, there’s nothing wrong with the mission itself. How about just taking the request and keeping quiet?”
“Any other peculiarities? About this clan?”
“Nope. The only thing is they recently took in a new member.”
“……”
Why did I still feel uneasy?
I wanted to call An Sol to test our luck, but I decided against it.
A sudden memory flashed—how ignoring my instincts in the past had led to trouble.
Call it paranoia if you want.
But this time, it’s better to trust my gut.
Sending only Shin Jae-ryong and the others felt too risky.
The mission starts in two days.
There’s enough time to amend the contract.
It would be best if I went along, but I already had another job lined up.
So, I put Go Yeon-ju’s name on the revised contract.
“Whoa.”
I heard a sound of disbelief, but I also added Heo Jun-young and removed Lee Yoo-jung from the list, given her tendency for unpredictable behavior.
Yeah, that made my restless heart feel a lot lighter.
“Take care of the kids.”
I handed over the record with the changes and said.
“You worry too much.”
Go Yeon-ju pouted her lower lip but accepted it without protest.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Kain Maxwell / The omnibus featuring Go Yeon-ju will be told from multiple perspectives. You’ll see Go Yeon-ju’s point of view as well as Kim Soo-hyun’s first-person narration.
Ikwe / NTR? Haha… ^^; The heroine will never be the one who gets betrayed. Rest assured.
Shatien / Currently, Memorize is undergoing major revisions. I’m reworking the part where Yoo Hyun-ah is killed, and it’s been quite a challenge. DDDD
rudejr4614 / Maru will appear occasionally in side stories, and An Sol has a separate omnibus story planned. :)
Optolove / I struggled a lot trying to find the conditions to unlock the hidden story. I even whined on the brand’s site, but everyone just teased me (!) and wouldn’t tell me. Eventually, the chief developer personally contacted me and revealed it. ㅜ.ㅠ
archuleta / This time, it’s not just a simple power imbalance… Look forward to what happens with Salmun. :D
P.S. I’ve sent all the stickers.
If you have trouble checking on mobile (some have mentioned it’s difficult), please access the website to confirm.
And if anyone hasn’t received theirs, please be sure to let me know.
Sorry for the trouble, but I’d really appreciate it. (__)