Chapter 283: The Mercenary Finds His Place
“Ugh, ugh!”
“Please, don’t force yourself to vomit. It’s not good for you.”
“Ugh, ugh, ugh!”
“Ah, Miss Ansol, please stop…”
Despite Shin Sang-yong’s attempts to dissuade her, Ansol’s finger continued to probe her throat relentlessly. But the potion had long since made its way down her esophagus. A message had already appeared in her vision: “2 points have been added to your Magic (Exclusive) Remaining Points.”
“Oh no…”
After several futile attempts to retch, Ansol straightened up, her eyes brimming with tears. Shin Sang-yong scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, then spoke in a gentle, soothing voice.
“As you probably know, it’s not a good idea to use those points right away. It’s best to save them until your growth stagnates in about two years… Oh!”
“Waah!”
But all he got in return was Ansol’s sudden outburst of tears and a headbutt delivered with all her might. Clutching his stomach, Shin Sang-yong doubled over, while Ansol ran up the stairs, sobbing. Soon, a voice calling “Brother!” could be heard from the second floor, indicating she was going to tattle to Kim Su-hyun.
“Haha, well…”
Though the headbutt had been forceful, it didn’t seem to hurt much. Shin Sang-yong rubbed his belly with an awkward smile.
Im Hanna had witnessed the entire scene unfold. Her expression was a mix of surprise and intrigue as she looked at Shin Sang-yong. After a moment of silent observation, she slowly spoke.
“Are you okay?”
“What? Oh, yes. I’m fine…”
“Still, it was a gift from the Mercenary Lord himself. You must be upset~.”
“Yes, well, I’d be upset too. I’m just sorry, that’s all. So, I’m thinking of making a quick escape.”
Despite his playful words, there wasn’t a hint of regret in Shin Sang-yong’s demeanor. In fact, he seemed relieved.
“Aren’t you disappointed? Ansol is still in her early years and has room to grow, but you don’t.”
“I’m a user too. Of course, I’m a bit disappointed.”
“Then why…?”
“Since joining the leader, I’ve received so much. The leader kept his promises. Now it’s my turn to keep mine.”
“A promise?”
Im Hanna tilted her head in curiosity, and a smile spread across Shin Sang-yong’s face. His eyes grew distant as if recalling something, and he continued in a calm voice.
“I once studied alchemy. Even though I’m fundamentally a mage, I couldn’t resist my curiosity and learned alchemy—a completely useless skill.”
”…”
“I was as good as dead. If things had gone as they were, I’d have disappeared without a trace somewhere in Mule. But by some stroke of luck, the Mercenary Lord saved my life. The leader is truly an extraordinary person, not just as a user. At least, that’s what I believe.”
Im Hanna tapped her fingers together thoughtfully. Shin Sang-yong, perhaps feeling awkward after speaking at length, swallowed hard and continued.
“That’s not all. The leader returned all my equipment without any conditions, granted my unreasonable request to learn from a master, and even gave me a rare class later on. Thanks to him, I was able to break through the barriers that had been holding me back. When I think about those times, my heart still swells with emotion.”
“Ah, so you owe him your life. But if you use the potion to enhance your skills and contribute to future plans, wouldn’t that be a win-win?”
“I swore to do my utmost for the group when I joined. But humans are fickle creatures. When kindness is continuous, we start to mistake it for a right. I want to hold onto the feelings I had back then. I feared that accepting the magic potion would make me lose my initial resolve. I don’t want to repay kindness with ingratitude.”
Shin Sang-yong finished speaking in one breath. Then, as if surprised by his own fluency, he widened his eyes and glanced at the stairs with a sheepish smile.
“Oh dear. It seems the Lord is coming down. I’ll have to ask for forgiveness later and make my escape for now. I’ve exhausted myself arguing for nearly an hour about whether to accept it or not.”
“Go left. I’ll tell them you went right.”
“Thank you. I’ll be off then…”
Tired of the conversation with Kim Su-hyun, Shin Sang-yong hurriedly made his way out the door.
Watching him disappear to the left, Im Hanna crossed her arms, causing her ample chest to press together prominently.
“Hmm. I’m envious.”
With a curious gaze at the stairs, she licked her lips slightly.
“Absolutely, we must secure him.”
In the reception room of the Istantel Low Clan House, Park Dayeon’s voice echoed as she spoke to the guests. The lavishly decorated room held three people. Park Dayeon and Yeon Hye-rim sat facing each other across a polished table, while Han So-young sat at the head, her face expressionless.
“Ugh, when is he coming? We sent a message to the temple yesterday, and he’s still not here?”
“Hye-rim, we just got word that he’s on his way. Be patient. And whatever you do, don’t say things like that in front of the Mercenary Lord.”
“It’s fine. We’re close. We built a rapport at the academy. Haha. But seriously, didn’t you not like him much before?”
“That was because So-young did something ridiculous. But things are different now.”
Yeon Hye-rim gave a knowing smile, then leaned forward, reaching out to touch Park Dayeon. “What’s different?” she asked, her hand gently exploring.
Park Dayeon swatted her hand away with practiced ease, glaring as she growled.
“The situation has changed. The Mercenary’s stock is skyrocketing. We need to stake our claim before others do.”
“I know that much. Wasn’t that the plan all along?”
“It’s about proof. Honestly, the records from Mule seemed too promotional to be sure. But the Mercenary successfully completed the Hallucination Canyon expedition and rescued users.”
“So what’s different now compared to before?”
“Ugh, seriously! Why do you think the Mercenary took on the request instead of settling down? They’re showcasing their skills. They’re saying, ‘This is what we can do! Our achievements in Mule weren’t just talk!’ And with this successful expedition, they’ll only get stronger. Do you still not get it?”
Finally, after Park Dayeon’s exasperated explanation, Yeon Hye-rim pouted and withdrew her wandering hand. Park Dayon snorted at her, then began to hum a tune, her shoulders swaying.
“Hmm hmm. I was already annoyed by the Consideration Clan boasting about their new clan from Princia. This is perfect. Hmm hmm.”
“Hamil? What’s Hamil?”
“Kim Yoo-hyun recently formed a clan. It’s called Hamil. It means ‘clear sky after rain.’”
“Kim Yoo-hyun? Oh, the Thunder Emperor?”
“Yes. Anyway, we need to secure the Mercenary…”
Though there were only three people in the room, and only two were speaking, the decibel level continued to rise.
In a way, it wasn’t unusual. Monica was a city with excellent security, so the events within or around it were often predictable. Perhaps that’s why the storm stirred by the Mercenary’s recent expedition was more than enough to captivate the users, who were starved for excitement.
The chatter in the room subsided when a messenger announced the arrival of the Mercenary Lord.
“Everyone, quiet.”
At Han So-young’s calm command, Park Dayeon and Yeon Hye-rim immediately fell silent.
A brief moment of silence passed, and then there was a knock at the door.
“Come in.”
It was Park Dayeon who responded, her voice now carrying a serene tone, a stark contrast to her earlier excitement. As Yeon Hye-rim looked on incredulously, the door slowly opened. A man in a coat-style plate armor, guided by an attendant, stepped inside.
He surveyed the room’s occupants and spoke in a low voice.
“Hello.”
“Welcome, Mercenary Lord. Please, have a seat here.”
“Thank you.”
After the attendant closed the door, the man—Kim Su-hyun—took a seat where Han So-young indicated.
Han So-young watched Kim Soo-hyun closely as he fidgeted with his teacup. He seemed different from the last time she saw him. His lips were tightly shut, and his eyes emitted a cold, steely gaze. Though his demeanor was still icy, today there was an unmistakable shadow of worry clouding his features.
“Are you alright?”
“What? Oh, yes. I’m fine. Just…”
He opened his mouth to speak but then closed it again. Han So-young tilted her head, puzzled. But soon, a thought crossed her mind. Given the success of their recent expedition and the wealth of achievements they brought back, he should be elated. Yet, his troubled expression suggested there might be issues within the clan. Most likely, there was a conflict over the distribution of equipment.
As someone who also represented a clan, Han So-young understood how sensitive such matters could be. With a soft sigh, she offered him some comfort.
“Stay strong. It’s times like these when the role of the clan leader is crucial.”
“What?”
Kim Soo-hyun blinked in surprise at her words.
In that moment, Han So-young instinctively realized she might have misjudged the situation. Quickly, she took a sip of her tea and deftly changed the subject.
“I heard about the expedition report through the temple. You did well, Mercenary Lord.”
Michael was one of the residents of Monica granted the authority to establish a clan. Lately, his irritation levels were skyrocketing.
With the constant influx of tasks like clan creation and performance recognition, his workload was overwhelming. To make matters worse, the noise around him was grating on his nerves. He had a rough idea why, but as someone who preferred working in silence, it was far from ideal.
“These idiots. They want this recognized as an achievement? Have they no shame?”
Michael scoffed, tossing aside the document he was reviewing. Just as he was about to rub his tired eyes and move on to the next record, someone burst into the room, panting.
“Michael!”
“Hen? What’s the rush?”
“The Queen of Shadows was here! The Queen of Shadows!”
“The Queen of Shadows? Oh, the Ten Strongest?”
Michael muttered nonchalantly, but Hen nodded urgently, thrusting a paper towards him.
“Yes, look at this. It’s the clan member update form she left.”
“Good grief, the Ten Strongest are the Ten Strongest. It’s not like it’s the first time. What’s all the fuss about? Let me see.”
Despite his irritation, Michael took the document from Hen. Knowing Hen shared a similar temperament, he figured there must be a reason for his excitement. He began to examine the document from the top. As Hen mentioned, it was labeled ‘Clan Update Form,’ and beside it, ‘Mercenary Clan’ was written in a rounded script.
“Mercenary? A total of ten members…”
“Just skip to the middle and check the member details. I can’t tell if my eyes are playing tricks on me or if there’s an error in the authority granted to me.”
“Hmm.”
Michael quickly scanned down to the middle. There, the names and classes of the clan members were neatly listed.
Kim Soo-hyun: Secret, Sword Specialist
Ahn Hyun: Rare, Energy Spearman
Ahn Sol: Normal, Normal Priest
Lee Yoo-jung: Rare, Gladiator Of the Dawn
Vivian La Clasidus: Rare, Chimera Alchemist
Jung Ha-yeon: Secret, Magician Of the Blue Moon
Shin Sang-yong: Rare, Chimera Alchemist
Go Yeon-joo: Secret, Queen Of Silhouette
Kim Han-byeol: Secret, Jewel Mage
Baek Han-gyeol: Secret, Aegis
As he read through the list, something caught Michael’s attention, and his eyebrows twitched in surprise.
“What the…? What is this?”
“What do you think?”
“Out of ten members, five have Secret classes? Four have Rare classes?”
“There’s one Normal class. Right?”
“What is this? Is it real?”
Michael looked up, bewildered. But Hen, with a sigh of relief, muttered, “Thank goodness. My authority hasn’t disappeared.”
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Hello, this is Ro Yujin.
I apologize, but I will be taking a break from the author’s note and replies today. (I will combine the replies with the next update.) I’ve had a lot going on… It’s hard to explain. I need to get back on track, but things have been off for two days in a row. Sigh… Time feels so precious. I need to pull myself together. I ask for your understanding. (__)
Thank you for always reading. I hope you have a peaceful night. :)