Chapter 30
Meredith came down the stairs and headed for a corner.
First, she called an Employee who shared the same office at the Association.
“This is Max’s Mercenary Office in District 27. I need a Tier Measurement Device, please.”
Relieved by the response that they would come immediately without asking for further details, Meredith called the Chairman.
She was permitted to use the Direct Line regarding the Designated Request managed by the Association President.
Ring── ring──.
After two rings, the Association President answered the phone.
“Association President. It’s Meredith.”
─ yes. What is it?
“There has been a setback in negotiating the Request Reward with the Mercenary Max.”
─ hmm, is the reward too low? No, you’re a pro at that, so you wouldn’t be calling about it.
“The Mercenary Max has risen to the 4th-tier.”
─ …What?
“To be exact, he said he reached the 4th-tier after using the Diamond Spike he received yesterday. Ellen Clements guaranteed it was certain, and I have currently requested a Measuring Device.”
A brief silence followed.
The Association President, having quickly grasped the situation, burst into laughter.
─ Hahaha!!! He’s quite the tiger cub!
“What should I do?”
─ we’ll have to change the request. There are other personnel who can replace Max for the request we were about to give him, aren’t there?
“Then what request should I guide him to?”
─ let’s add Max and cut off the District 41 route. Another Employee will contact Usagi and Bivol, so you will negotiate with Max for two days from now.
“Understood.”
─ set the reward at the 4th-tier upper limit without haggling. And make sure to keep the Association employees quiet so that surrounding associations or ambiguous families don’t needlessly covet him.
“I will keep that in mind.”
Meredith neatly organized the Association President’s instructions in her notebook.
The Request Data had already arrived on her Smartphone.
─ hah, 4th-tier already… If Layton Steiger finds out, he’ll feel like his intestines are being torn apart.
With the Association President’s muttering as the final word, the call disconnected.
“Phew.”
Exhaling, Meredith read the received data and engraved it into her mind.
After neatening her attire, she quickly went up to the 2nd-floor office.
“I apologize for stepping away during an important conversation.”
“Not at all. I’m thinking I should have contacted you yesterday when my tier went up, even if it was late.”
Meredith sat facing Max.
She glanced at Ellen, who was spinning around in the computer chair, and resumed the negotiation.
“Another Employee from the Association is on his or her way with a Measuring Device.”
“Sounds good.”
“This procedure is not being executed because we do not believe Ellen Clements’s words. Please keep in mind that the data registered with the Association needs to be updated as quickly as possible.”
Her eyes were looking at Max as she spoke, but the words were asking for Ellen’s understanding.
Slumped in the chair, Ellen didn’t miss a beat and gave Meredith the answer she wanted.
“I don’t care. Do whatever is comfortable for you, Meredith.”
“Thank you.”
They waited briefly, discussing how the reward would be adjusted and a different request would be asked of him once the tier confirmation was finished.
A man knocked on the office door, panting.
Recognizing him as an Association Employee, Meredith went out and received the item. She immediately set it up on the table.
“I will begin the measurement.”
“Do I just do it the same as last time?”
“Yes. Please.”
Max placed his hand on the metal plate and moved his magic power.
Checking the results, Meredith clenched her teeth to avoid showing her surprise.
“…The measurement is complete. Thank you for your cooperation, sir Max.”
The definite information that Max had reached the 4th-tier would be relayed to the Association President.
Meredith packed up the equipment and handed it over to the Employee waiting outside.
And then she sat back down on the sofa.
It was time for the main point.
“As I mentioned, I will change the request to one allocated for the 4th-tier. It is a Short-term Request, and the Request Commencement is in two days.”
“Has the reward changed?”
“The Request Reward is 1.3 billion credits, the upper limit for the 4th-tier.”
“Oh, it’s more than doubled.”
“That is because a single tier holds that much difference and value. Of course, as the tier goes up, haggling becomes fierce, so upper limit requests themselves are not common. But the average Request Reward goes up significantly.”
It meant that calling one 4th-tier was more certain than calling two 3rd-tiers. It wasn’t a wrong statement either.
Because there was a high probability that a 4th-tier would Handle two 3rd-tiers lightly.
“I apologize as this is Unrelated to the request, but what is the upper limit for a 5th-Tier Mercenary set by the Association?”
“If you are talking about the reward, the Short-term Request upper limit for a 5th-Tier Mercenary is 300 million credits.”
It jumped by more than double again.
As the class went up, the commission fees taken were enormous, and if one were to get hurt even once, the higher the tier, the more money was needed for treatment, but the total sum involved was still an awe-inspiring amount.
‘Even a usable prosthetic arm easily surpasses a hundred million. If it gets smashed, it might be a deficit… In the first place, there probably aren’t many 5th-tiers among mercenaries.’
As good as their abilities were, requests fitting their class wouldn’t be common, so they wouldn’t be raking in 300 million every single day.
If they didn’t get involved with a Corporation or a specific Family, it would become hard to find requests with the right pay, so the existence of the Association was even more necessary for a Mercenary.
“Returning to the Request Details, there are two people you will be acting with this time. They are 4th-tier mercenaries like you, sir Max. They are veterans with at least five years of experience as Association mercenaries.”
“It will be good to be able to learn in various ways.”
“And you should slowly equip yourself with gear to cover your face. It would be best to wear at least a mask.”
“I suppose I have been stirring things up here and there, so I understand.”
“Of course, there is the point that there’s nothing good about showing your face in various regions, but it’s also because the speed at which your tier is rising is abnormal…”
Meredith trailed off and showed the data on her tablet. Max listened closely to the explanation.
Meredith finished her best explanation and requested from Max.
“I ask for your Condition Management and Data Familiarization until the Request Commencement day. The data will soon arrive as documents, so please burn them once you are finished familiarizing yourself with them.”
“Of course.”
Since the request he promised to consider as a priority had come in, it was a rule to push other requests back.
While he emptied the office, he just had to ask Ellen to watch it for a bit and take down the contact info and details if any customers came during that time.
“I will be heading back now.”
Meredith gave a polite greeting to Max and Ellen and left the office.
In Max’s mind, survival rose to the very top, crushing any desire for fame.
“Ellen. Let’s take tomorrow off. Since it’s a sudden day off, I’ll give you your three hours' pay.”
“To do your Condition Management?”
“Right. I have to prepare this and that too. Two days from now, watch the office for a bit. You just need to be here for about three hours like usual.”
“Three hours by myself? Ah~ it’s gonna be boring.”
Ellen spun the chair around with a face that already showed her distaste.
“I’ll come back as quickly as possible, so please do.”
“Quickly or whatever, just don’t die, Max.”
“I don’t die that easily. According to the Association President, my life is Extremely Resilient.”
Having reassured her with appropriate words, Max gestured outside with his chin, suggesting they head out to change the subject.
“Why? Where are we going?”
“You said you wanted to eat meat earlier. Let’s go.”
“Really?! You said no earlier. Was that playing hard to get?!”
“Playing hard to get, my foot… It’s just because I can’t take any customers right now anyway. But after receiving the documents from the Association, ah! It’s perfect timing.”
Not long after Meredith had left, the male Employee who had brought the Measuring Device earlier brought the data in document form.
His exhausted face was pitiful, but there was nothing to say to him.
“Just a moment.”
Max hid the documents in his Personal Space and headed to the Meat Restaurant with Ellen.
After filling her stomach, Ellen finished her hours and clocked out, just like always.
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The next morning.
Max’s Mercenary Office’s day off.
Max hurried to get ready to go out as soon as he woke up.
“Today… should I go buy clothes first before restocking on candy?”
Listening to the Request Details from Meredith, he slowly felt that he needed a proper outfit.
Now, it was hard to endure with just a body enhanced by Gold Nectar.
Even if he had a knack for Close Combat, his roots were as a mage. Just recently, he almost got his waist sliced in half by the 3rd-tier ren-ya.
‘It’s crazy to skimp on money for gear that will protect my life.’
In Haze, there were plenty of brands that made and sold clothing like suits or everyday wear out of special materials.
Even if the performance was lower compared to gear that gave up on appearance and focused on defense, everyday wear styles were unobtrusive and comfortable for a mage.
“If I had been wearing even one proper piece of clothing, the Cell Proliferation Therapy cost from the Gaia Food request would have come out lower.”
Checking his balance, Max left the office.
He went straight to the station and boarded the subway.
[This stop is District 14.]
He got off the subway and came outside.
Max stood still, immersed in a strange sensation.
‘I’m here again.’
District 14, where Max had arrived, was the location of the Grand Lunatic Hotel, where he had come at his father’s request on the third day of his regression.
It was the district where he met Flora and even ran into the Association President, who was enjoying his Hobby as a Diviner.
“…”
Slowly chewing over the past, Max walked to find the brand he had in mind.