Chapter 7
“Good. One annoying task down.”
Max visited Bohemian, the largest Mercenary Association in Haze, and finished registering as a 2nd-Tier Mage.
Given its massive size, it also had the most expensive entrance fee among the dozens of Mercenary associations.
“Aside from the money going out every month, they also take a cut from the requests… Well, I expected as much.”
Registering with the Association meant spending money here and there, starting with the entrance fee, but he remembered it was worth the cost.
Not only did they arrange work for an Unnamed Mercenary.
A Mercenary recognized by the Association would also be protected if some half-baked group tried to lay a hand on him or her.
‘I have to use the Association’s Backing until I gain enough power.’
The Mercenary’s Request List was mostly filled with jobs that blatantly made enemies, like New Product Damage for a small and medium-sized enterprises, assassinations, and Sabotage.
Of course, corporations also had plenty of dirty secrets, so it was rare for them to blame a Mercenary and track him or her down to the bitter end.
Unless they were a Giant Corporation with their own soldiers, they were ultimately in a position where they had to hire a Mercenary themselves to pursue profit.
However, since there were occasionally anomalous corporations that ignored practical benefits and chose revenge out of desperation, it was good to have a Safeguard like the Association if one felt one’s abilities were lacking.
‘Birds of a feather flock together… Let’s find an office first.’
He had agreed to vacate the Studio apartment located on the outskirts by the end of this month.
Max’s mind was solely focused on quickly finding an office and moving in. He would eat and sleep in the office.
The future wouldn’t be easy. Things wouldn’t go as he wanted, and he would see a lot of ugly sights.
Even so, the reason Max chose to be a Mercenary was simple.
“I need my own reputation.”
To resolve the questions in his head, he would have to poke around various places from now on.
He needed proven authority, not to mention martial prowess.
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Max began to inspect the empty office.
This was the fourth Licensed Real Estate Agent.
“The location here is good, the deposit is only Ten Million Credits, and the monthly rent is on the cheaper side at 1.7 million credits.”
“How much did you say the Commercial Building we saw earlier was?”
“A deposit of 30 million with a monthly rent of 2.5 million.”
“Hmm.”
He went into the restroom to check if the water ran, and looked around at things like the number and location of the outlets.
As Max walked around trying to find flaws, the Licensed Real Estate Agent continued to mention properties.
“It does go a bit over the budget you mentioned, Customer, but there is a vacant 1st-floor Commercial Building with a deposit of 50 million and a monthly rent of 3.5 million. If you plan on doing business, you might want to consider the 1st floor──.”
“I plan to run a Mercenary Office, so the 2nd floor is perfect. There’s a reason I set those conditions.”
“Ah…!”
The Licensed Real Estate Agent’s expression instantly stiffened.
Conversely, Max raised the corners of his mouth.
‘He said he just started as a Licensed Real Estate Agent, but he’s definitely slow on the uptake.’
A Mercenary Office was a necessary evil.
Its mere existence caused a phenomenon similar to NIMBY.
Something people desperately sought out when in a hurry, but absolutely hated having near their own homes.
Therefore, if one wanted to open a Mercenary Office in a Residential Area, it was an unwritten rule for one to hide in the most secluded alley possible.
‘I wouldn’t need to follow such annoying rules below District 40, though.’
District 27 was the place Max was currently looking around.
It was a district populated by people whose incomes were too high to be called Middle Class, yet who weren’t economically free.
Since he had to follow the unwritten rule to set up close to a Residential Area, Max was looking at a Commercial Building in the Commercial District.
Because the Commercial District was less glaring to a Mercenary.
“If you’re going to run a Mercenary Office… there is a cheaper and more spacious office.”
“Where is it?”
“But the 1st floor is a bit of a noisy shop, you see. It’s been vacant for over three months.”
“That doesn’t matter. Show it to me first.”
It wasn’t hard to deduce why the Licensed Real Estate Agent was walking on eggshells.
In the common sense of Haze citizens, the location of a Mercenary Office was usually fixed.
If there were a Gambling Arcade like a Screen Horse Racing Track or pachinko, or a Gambling House on the 1st floor, a Mercenary Office would naturally be situated on the 2nd floor.
‘There’s probably also the perception that they take money to watch their backs.’
The place they arrived at after following the Licensed Real Estate Agent wasn’t too far from the Commercial District.
‘The location isn’t bad?’
The 1st floor was a Gambling Arcade that looked like it would explode with the smell of cigarettes if you opened the door. He could see it was packed with slot machines.
Everyone was sitting in front of the machines with crazed eyes.
It was the expected picture.
“It certainly is noisy. Plus, is the 3rd floor a bar?”
He started by highlighting the flaws first.
It was the setup to lowball the price.
“Ah, but it’s quiet once you go up to the 2nd floor. Let’s take a look first!”
“Hmm… Let’s go in first.”
The agent went up the narrow stairs and opened the 2nd-floor door.
Max immediately inspected the interior. There were no major flaws to point out.
‘The size is decent. The soundproofing isn’t bad either.’
There were a separate room usable as a Personal Space, and a sink as well.
Honestly, he liked it. But showing that he wanted it would only be to his detriment.
“So how much is this place?”
“A deposit of five million credits and a monthly rent of 800,000 credits.”
“The deposit is cheap, but the monthly rent is expensive… No matter if it’s a Mercenary Office, it’s troublesome to be sandwiched between these kinds of shops above and below.”
“Not at all! The 3rd floor is a Cocktail Bar. It will be much quieter than a regular bar.”
“I’d only know that after living here. A drunkard is a drunkard. If it’s noisy, are you going to compensate me?”
When Responsibility was brought up, an agent was bound to shut his or her mouth.
Max steered the conversation with an indifferent voice.
“What kind of Person is the Building Owner here?”
“The Owner is a flexible and easygoing Person! However, he is currently hospitalized, so his son is managing it in his stead.”
The opponent was a Licensed Real Estate Agent lacking experience.
It was a detail worth gambling on.
“Then negotiating the monthly rent would be impossible. Let’s look at another office.”
“Oh my, no! I will give him a call first! He did mention it was troublesome that the maintenance fees kept piling up.”
The agent stepped away to make the call.
Max browsed the Commercial Building information on his Smartphone. He needed to check the market price to see if the mentioned amount was accurate.
“Customer! Would you like to take the phone for a moment?”
“Hand it over.”
After the conversation continued like that, Max emerged victorious.
He finished the contract with a monthly rent of 500,000 credits by attaching specific conditions.
‘It’s a waste of money to call movers just to transfer the luggage from the Studio apartment… Should I rent a vehicle and move it myself?’
Heading outside, he notified the Bohemian Mercenary Association of the address and requested a signboard.
He was able to purchase a signboard bearing the Association’s Certification Mark at a low price.
‘I just need to buy a Refrigerator, a sofa, and a desk first. I won’t need a separate Employee.’
By the time he brought his belongings from the Studio apartment and shoved them into the room, it was already evening.
Max informed Flora of his new location, and a reply came in less than 10 minutes.
[Flora Crimsonhowl: Would two days from now be all right?]
Of course it was alright. And he understood.
Since she was attending Minerva Academy, it would be hard for her to make time unless it was the weekend.
The moment he sent a reply saying as much.
A knock echoed from the door of the unopened office.
“Who is it?”
When Max kept his distance and opened the door with Psychokinesis, a woman in a suit was standing there.
The woman confidently walked in and spoke up.
“I am from the Bohemian Mercenary Association. Congratulations on your opening.”
“…Thank you. I should offer you a drink, but as you can see, I haven’t brought my things in yet.”
“It is fine. Are you busy by any chance?”
“No. Not particularly.”
It was a desolate office without even a place to sit.
The woman who said she was from the Association pulled out a business card first and handed it to Max.
As if she had finished the necessary procedures, she immediately got to the point.
“Do you have any intention of taking a request right now?”
“I don’t mind, as long as the pay is good.”
“The compensation is right here.”
The number the woman showed was 8 million credits.
It was not a small amount.
“What kind of request is it? Let’s hear the details first.”
“Before I mention it, this is a job that causes damage to a Corporation. Since you lack credit with the Association, Mister Mage, you cannot back out once you hear the details.”
“A Corporation, huh…”
“The Client is anonymous, but they are a trustworthy Person, so you don’t need to worry about the money.”
It was an obvious story.
The probability that a Client messing with a Corporation was a rival Company from somewhere was overwhelmingly high.
“Alright. You sought me out because it’s a suitable job for a 2nd-Tier Mage, didn’t you.”
The woman nodded and showed the tablet she was holding in her arms.
“Excluding you, Mister Mage, there are five more 1st-tier mercenaries and two 2nd-tier mercenaries.”
“The details?”
“A truck loaded with Ghost Logic’s products is in a garage. You just need to blow it up in the garage before it departs. Here are the detailed time and location.”
Max memorized the information written on the tablet at once.
“Do we have an estimate on the mercenaries Ghost Logic uses as guards?”
“They are affiliated with the Hammer Mercenary Association, and we estimate a large number of 1st-tiers and four 2nd-tiers.”
Max stroked his chin, lost in thought.
Silence hung in the office.
‘Ghost Logic… was that the small Corporation in the Districts in the 70-range? It’s a good request for using magic.’
It wasn’t bad for a First Request.
“And this is a request the Client is personally asking of you, Mister Mage.”
As she swiped the tablet screen, a rat with a flashing body appeared.
Having worked at Cheonmyeong Jegyak, Max knew what that was.
“Neon Shade.”
A mutant is created when small animals like stray cats or rats were exposed to Discarded Drugs.
A Monster that they had somehow tried to eradicate since its appearance was judged Impossible to Eradicate due to its incredible reproductive rate.
Once fully grown, it emitted a pulse that paralyzed electronic devices and reproduced while gnawing on wires, making it a troublesome pest that would brick servers if not dealt with on sight.
“We would like you to release the rat shown here inside Ghost Logic. You just need to release it at this location shown on the map.”
It was nothing difficult if he used Psychokinesis.
“The extra pay?”
“3 million credits.”
“Deal.”
Two days remained until the day Flora would visit.
It was the perfect request to kill time.