Chapter 17. Mercenary Guild

Gladiator, knight, security guard, magician woman.

I've seen various occupations since coming to this fantasy world.

But I haven't seen an adventurer, the 'flower' of fantasy, yet.

I heard that among mercenaries, those who primarily focus on exploration are called adventurers.

Driven by curiosity, wondering if I could see one, I entered the building.

*Clang-*

The inside of the building, which I entered with a bright chime, was bustling.

Even in broad daylight, I saw mercenaries with swords at their sides, drinking and pouring alcohol at the tables inside.

Are they running a simple tavern as well? Just as I thought.

I walked further inside, taking in the faint smell of iron and the strong scent of spices from the entrance.

At the counter sat a man with a bored expression, and next to him was what appeared to be a request board.

I went over and briefly looked over the missions.

The mission requests, written in simple letters and pictures, were mostly hunting or gathering quests.

Most of them seemed to be commissioned by the Magic Tower or crafting workshops in the Capital.

Well, it *is* the Capital, so subjugation requests aren't necessary, are they?

Moreover, the Adel Kingdom's Capital has a mountain range right next to it.

It seems like they go into the mountains to hunt monsters and bring back fresh ingredients, or gather herbs and the like.

Come to think of it, the monsters I captured back in the Colosseum days were all dragged in from the mountains.

More importantly….

[Orc Shaman's Molar, Troll's Liver.]

Can mercenaries *really* obtain these things?

The ingredients seem seriously 'fucking' difficult.

These are items that would make even *me* shake my head if I was asked to retrieve them.

I turned my head, observing the mercenaries here.

Their levels don't seem that high... Is it because it's daytime and the key figures aren't around?

However, if I were to pick out the ones who seem relatively high-level here...

"Wahahahaha!"

"Yeah, drink more!"

"Let's just drink and die!"

It would be those guys drinking at the tavern section of the guild.

There are quite a few of them.

Fifteen or so?

They occupy almost the entire center of the tavern, drinking and making a racket.

"So I told that bitch back then!"

"Hey Hans! You're talking about your girlfriend?"

"What the fuck, you bastard?!"

Laughing and chattering amongst themselves, grabbing each other by the collars.

*Crash!*

"You broke a plate!"

"Oh shit!"

Breaking plates, creating quite the scene.

Looking around, it seems that other mercenaries are bothered by them.

But since there are so many of them, and they look tough at a glance, they just keep quiet.

Well, are those guys the ones throwing their weight around here?

Just when I was thinking I wanted to know exactly what level they were.

"Let's take a request!"

"Yeah! I'll grab one, and we can bet drinks on it!"

*Stagger, stagger.*

One of the big guys at the table comes this way.

He probably has business at the request board where I am.

But.

He's so drunk.

A big guy like him staggering around is bumping into nearby tables, breaking plates, and causing chaos.

And then that big guy comes up to me and says,

"Move."

*Thud.*

He tries to shove my shoulder, intending to push me aside.

However.

*Nudge.*

Like I'd be moved by something like that.

"Huh?"

The big guy's expression changes as I stand firm.

"What?"

Normally, I would have ignored him and moved aside, but...

This time, I have something I'm curious about.

I stared.

I just stared down at the big guy.

He's a bit bulky, but I'm still a head taller than him.

So, the big guy flinches slightly.

He seems to be sizing me up.

As expected of those who live by the sword.

They're quick-witted in these situations.

"Hey, you should apologize after bumping into someone."

*Tap.*

Before he gets scared and backs down.

I pushed the big guy's head with my finger as I spoke.

Then.

*Throb.*

Blood vessels bulged on the big guy's forehead, and he said,

"You little shit."

*Thump! Thump, thump!*

He hits my chest quite hard.

"You wanna go right now?!"

Leaving aside the enraged big guy, I glanced at the group of mercenaries who were watching us with amusement.

Hmm, who's the leader?

I heard that large mercenary groups usually have a leader.

Ah, is it him?

At the very back of the long table, I see a middle-aged man with a harsh expression, clearly acting like the boss.

His aura is unusual too.

"Hey, you deaf?!"

*Swish.*

In the meantime, the big guy tries to slap me, so I turned my head to dodge it.

"Oh, really?"

Angered by my action, he reaches out to grab my collar.

*Crack!*

"Aaargh!"

I grabbed his wrist and twisted it, making him kneel on the floor, clutching his hand.

Let's see.

I checked the big guy's waist, now kneeling before me.

I see a silver badge that looks like a crossed sword and shield.

Was that the mark of a Silver-Rank Warrior mercenary?

Silver Rank is the third highest among mercenary ranks.

This guy must have been pretty good.

Well, he's kneeling like this, drunk as shit.

"You bastard!"

"What the hell!"

*Scrape-! *

As I subdued the big guy, the mercenaries who were sitting and watching us all stood up at once.

That guy who didn't stand up, he's definitely the leader.

*Wham!*

"Ugh!"

First, I kicked the big guy who was still on the ground, clutching his wrist.

And headed straight towards the table.

"This guy!"

*Grab!*

I grabbed the face of the first mercenary who rushed at me.

*Slam!*

And threw him to the ground.

"What the..."

"What the hell was that...."

The other mercenaries flinched slightly.

*Stomp, stomp.*

Ignoring the momentarily stunned mercenaries, I walked straight to the table.

*Crunch, squelch.*

I stepped right onto a chair and hopped up on the long table.

“What the fuck is this shit?”

“Huh?”

The surrounding mercenaries seemed startled by my sudden action.

*Squelch, squelch.*

I walked straight down the table, crushing dishes underfoot.

I'll have to compensate for the broken dishes… before I leave.

I can just make these mercenaries clean it up later.

“This motherfucker!”

One mercenary, unable to stand my blatant disregard as I strolled across the table, reached out for me.

*Swish—Crunch!*

I dodged easily, then stomped on his hand.

“GAAAH!”

“Hans!”

“You son of a bitch!”

At that, the mercenaries all tried to climb onto the table.

“Everyone, stop!”

The middle-aged man who looked to be their leader, sitting at the opposite end of the table I was walking on, shouted and stood up.

“What do you want?”

“Your lackey started shit with me.”

“So?”

“The head's gotta take responsibility.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

The mercenary leader gave me a bewildered look.

“You gonna keep sitting there?”

*Thud! Smash!*

I kicked a glass toward the mercenary leader. It flew through the air and shattered.

And that seemed to be the tipping point.

“You’ll regret this.”

The mercenary leader rolled up his sleeves and climbed onto the table.

“Boss!”

“You're going to fight him yourself?!”

The surrounding mercenaries gaped at their leader.

Judging by their expressions, they seemed to have a lot of faith in him.

“Hey, hey, there’s a fight!”

“...Jebeon-i’s fighting?”

“Who’s that kid?”

And now, having heard the commotion, other mercenaries started to gather.

Jebeon? Guess that's his name.

I glanced at his waist.

Gold, huh?

Guess he's wearing gold as befitting the leader of Silver-Rank Adventurers.

“Come on.”

Let’s see what you’ve got.

At my arrogant words, the mercenary leader called Jebeon took a stance.

“You seem pretty capable, but….”

Then, he seemed slightly surprised by the energy he felt.

‘Aura?’

It was faint, but he was using aura.

…Is everyone fucking using it these days?

Knights, of course, but now even mercenaries?

“Let’s see if you can stand up to my Fleet.”

“Fleet?”

He can use Fleet too?

No way.

Judging by the amount of aura, it’s less than what I had when I just awakened it, back in the Colosseum.

I wondered if he was skillfully hiding his aura like Lowell, but then…

*Whoosh!*

The mercenary leader threw a surprise punch.

*Hook!*

It was fast, but not fast enough that I couldn’t dodge it…

“He, he dodged it!”

“He dodged Jebeon’s Fleet!”

I heard the surrounding mercenaries’ clamor and saw the surprised look on the mercenary leader's face after his failed surprise attack.

“...Fleet?”

This?

Sure, it was fast because he used aura, but… it was nowhere near *that* level.

“B-But Jebeon is Continuous Fleet! He’s Yeongyeok’s Jebeon!”

But then, the words of the mercenary who'd been chattering earlier reached my ears, and at the same time…

“My Continuous Fleet!”

Punches rained down on me with incredible speed.

It wasn't a Fleet, not even close. Just the speed you'd expect from someone using aura.

“Huh.”

So this is how the average person perceives it.

*Wham!!*

“Ugh!!”

*Crash!*

Well, no need to see any more.

I easily dodged his fist and kicked him, just like I'd kicked the big guy earlier.

The mercenary leader tumbled across the table.

“He’s faster than Jebeon!”

“Who is he?!”

I ignored the mercenaries’ commotion.

*Crack, crack.*

I walked down the table and stood in front of the mercenary.

“You, you little shit, you're pretty…”

*Whack!*

I punched the guy in the face as he tried to get up.

“Urgh…”

I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and threw him to the floor.

“Boss!!”

“This bastard!”

The mercenaries rushed at me.

“Overwhelm him with numbers!”

“You fucking dog! I’ll break every bone in your body!”

I smirked at the sight.

Guess these mercenaries have some loyalty, at least.

***

A little while later.

“Ugh…”

“Groan… That monster…”

The tavern was a complete mess, with the mercenaries I’d beaten lying around like lumps of dough.

The other mercenaries who were watching had long since fled, and the staff were trembling, waiting for something.

Probably called the Security Squad.

Well, when they arrive, I’ll just show them the Void Family seal.

Isn’t that what it’s for?

I didn't think I'd go to jail for causing this much trouble.

Anyway,

“Hey, you’re the leader, right?”

“Ugh, uh… Y-yes…”

*Grind, grind.*

I ground my foot into the face of the mercenary leader called Jebeon. A very polite answer came back.

Right, the mercenary leader.

I didn’t really need to go this far, but…

Seeing these mercenaries gave me a good idea.

“Three days from now, same time, come back here.”

“E-excuse me?”

“If you don’t come, I’ll find you.”

He's a famous mercenary, his name is already spreading.

Finding him should be easy.

Consider this fate.

I’m sure I can put you to good use.

After that,

“You guys clean this up.”

I left the beaten mercenaries to clean up the mess.

“Y-you are…”

I went downstairs and paid the guild staff a hefty sum in Silver Coins for the damages.

Then I casually showed them the Void Family seal, and they shut right up.

"We received a report and came here!"

"...Go back."

"Excuse me? This place is a disaster...."

"I'll explain everything later. You can go back now."

I watched the Security Guards, who had arrived after hearing from the guild staff, promptly leave.

Then I returned to the Void Family mansion.

It was a productive walk for my first time out.