Episode 18

The courtyard was like a marketplace.

‘Are these people all mana users?’

There were enough mana users in this place that there was probably one out of 100 people.

“Three superiors of the same rank! Full moon!”

“It’s a 10-day round trip! Looking for 5 intermediate level players!”

“Two silver plates! Only catch trolls.”

At a glance, hundreds of people walked around shouting like merchants bargaining for goods.

It may look messy at first glance, but it was Erita’s own way refined over 100 years.

I listened to the sounds around me and walked through the crowd.

It was a time when I was watching people and grasping the atmosphere.

Three women in light armor suddenly appeared and blocked my way.

“Hello. Can I talk to you for a minute?”

The person who asked for a conversation was a plain-looking woman in her mid-twenties.

‘why? What’s going on?’

Having been plagued by strange guys since the morning, her vigilance has grown.

“What are you doing?”

“Don’t get me wrong. It’s not like we’re chasing after you. I saw earlier that you’re with Vice-Captain Eva Bowin. Are you from the Bowin sister’s mercenary corps?”

I raised my eyebrows at the unexpected question.

‘No. Wouldn’t it be better?’

The more my acquaintance with Eva became known, the more I decided that it would benefit me, so I answered right away.

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“I’m not an official member yet, and I decided to join after a probationary period of about three months.”

“Ah… that’s right.”

The woman looked somewhat disappointed.

“But what are you doing?”

“That’s nothing else, we really want to join the Bowin sisters’ mercenary corps. They kept looking around, so they said they were looking to recruit new members.”

As expected, there was a purpose that stopped me.

I silently nodded my head, letting out an atmosphere telling me to go now.

However, the woman continued the conversation as if she had no intention of going.

“Oh yes! My name is Talia. This is Alana. And this is Kate.”

Talia introduced the party in turn.

‘commons. Among them, he seems to be from a poor family.’

For a poor commoner, what one’s last name is is not so important.

Etiquette is like a habit.

Even in the introduction of a name, the person’s life was buried.

“Ian Frost.”

When I finished eye to eye with Talia’s group, Talia continued.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Ian. So, are you looking around to find a colleague?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Ah… Then, I’m sorry to keep asking questions, but what is your level and rank, Mr. Ian? All three of us are at the top of the third rank.

In addition to 100 Mission Points, you need 300 Merit Points to reach the Bronze Medal.

The women in front of him were players who had sliced at least 100 Orcs at a time.

“I’m a beginner in the three ranks.”

“Ah. As expected, you look young, but your skills are amazing. Then, since this is a fate, how about joining us?”

“well.”

“Why? It would be nice if you went out with us and you wouldn’t be bored.”

Talia said something nonsensical, perhaps because she wanted to grab me.

“I’m just starting out as a mercenary, so I don’t have enough experience and I might not be of much help, so why are you suggesting that to me?”

“Ah. To be honest, level is important. Grades have nothing to do with peers. If you don’t know something, we’ll let you know. If it’s okay with Ian-ssi, I’d like to go with you. You guys do too, don’t you?”

To Talia’s question, Alana and Kate expressed their affirmation.

“hmm…”

The thing to be most wary of outside the border is human beings, especially colleagues.

Even if you can see and avoid an arrow flying from afar, there is no way to block a knife stabbing from behind.

Of course, those who commit acts of violence or more for their own gain are only a minority compared to the whole.

But what if the price of the actions of those few is my own death?

Of course, it was always appropriate to be vigilant and prepared.

To others, I may seem like a suspicious person.

However, since it is a life-and-death matter, I thought that it was not enough to act as if I had a mental illness rather than a suspicious illness.

‘What should I do?’

He would have suggested joining because he wanted something from me.

I couldn’t guess what its purpose was.

Although I had received unreasonable favors from Sister Eva a little while ago, my theory is that there is no real favor without reason.

After all, Eva’s favor was for her own psychological satisfaction.

‘I don’t know anyone anyway, so it doesn’t matter who becomes a colleague.’

Originally, my plan was to join a group of at least 20 people.

Most of those who do not belong to the mercenary corps go around in groups of threes and fives.

In order to build an expedition of more than 20 people, several groups must gather.

In this way, a structure that naturally checks each other is formed, and the possibility of betrayal is reduced.

It was a plan made because he was confident that he would be able to escape even if dozens of introductory warriors rushed at him, unless he died without being able to use his hands for a moment.

‘Should I just join and gather more people?’

If you join Thalia, it will be easier to find allies than if you were alone.

As I looked worried, Talia quickly added her words.

“Mr. Ian. You said it was a probationary period, but if you want to become a full-time member, isn’t the higher the Merit Points the better? You might be able to rise to the top.”

Talia is a Bronze Prize.

The next level, Silver Plaque Beginner, can only be achieved by reaching Mastery, regardless of Merit Points.

In other words, Talia and her party didn’t need any more merit points other than the 100 mission points to receive their basic pay.

In fact, even an introductory warrior has a way to be promoted to a silver plate.

However, it was almost impossible in reality because the promotion condition was to win against a skilled warrior.

I could pass right away if I wanted to, but as the saying goes, a protruding nail gets hit by a hammer, so I planned to promote slowly for safety.

“It’s a pretty tempting story.”

It wasn’t a bad suggestion.

A total of 400 points are required for mission and merit points to reach the same rank.

It usually takes 3 to 6 months for a mercenary of the same rank to collect 100 points, so it took at least a year to collect 400 points.

I don’t know how much Talia can help, but it was an opportunity to shorten the time by at least nine months.

“So you’re saying you want to join us?”

“There’s nothing wrong with me under those conditions. But why are you doing this to me…”

Talia cautiously opened her mouth as I paused.

“Actually, I have one request. If you meet the vice-captain later, I want you to talk to us well. It’s not easy for women to join because the standard for joining the team is higher than that for men.

Mr. Lee seems to be very close to the vice-captain. It’s the first time I’ve seen the vice-captain talk so comfortably while smiling. If Mr. Ian speaks well, I might have a chance.

We also think that this is the last time and we are taking on the challenge. If you fail again, you have to join a suitable mercenary group. I’ve received several offers before, but I turned them all down because I wanted to join the Bowen Sisters’ Mercenary Corps.”

‘Is that the purpose? If it’s give-and-take, I’m comfortable too.’

After hearing the story, it seemed that there would be no reckless backstabbing even because of sister Eva.

Wouldn’t it be rather speculation that I put so much effort into trying to do something?

I decided to trust Talia.

“Okay. I’ll do that. But there’s something I need to point out first. I’m going to tell Eva-nu nothing more or less, just what I’ve seen and felt. And just because I’m talking about it, I can’t guarantee that you guys can join. It’s okay though. How are you?”

It’s not difficult to do Talia’s request.

Since I think I’ll be seeing Eva more often in the future, I’ll have to talk about it while looking at the situation at that time.

“Sister? Oh my, oh my. You must be really close with the vice-captain. Are the two of you by any chance?”

Sometimes it’s best not to answer.

I let Talia let her imagination run wild.

As I stared at Talia in silence, she spoke first.

“I asked such a stupid question. I didn’t mean to get an answer.”

“That doesn’t really matter. So what are you going to do?”

Instead of answering, Thalia held out her hand with a bright smile.

I held Talia’s hand and smiled brightly as well.

“Wow. But just looking at your smiling face makes your eyes light up. Ian-ssi is really handsome.”

“Thank you. Talia-san is also beautiful.”

After discussing small details in a friendly atmosphere, we set out to find other colleagues.

It wasn’t difficult to find a new colleague.

It is because the men approached first, like bees flying to flowers.

There were a total of 5 men, all of whom were 3rd rank warriors in the same rank.

The captain’s name was Wilmot Nunez, a man in his mid-thirties with a very good-looking smile despite a large scar on his face.

Thalia spoke with Wilmot on our behalf.

Listening to what he said, the two had come and gone and had known each other.

I’m a newbie among newbies who just became a mercenary.

I had no place to intervene in their conversation.

I stood a few steps behind Thalia.

It was noisy everywhere, but thanks to my sensitive ears, I could easily hear Talia and Wilmot’s conversation.

As the conversation continued, Wilmot’s gaze turned to me.

“Then, everyone is said to be a three-ranked samurai and a peer superior. Only that friend is a beginner of the same rank. But before, there were only three of us. Since when did you start working with that friend?”

“Ian and I decided to be together from today.”

Wilmot crossed his arms and raised his head slightly to look at me.

“Hmm. Talia-san knows, but it’s your skills. Even so, if you’re carrying a new chick like that, you could get into an accident. If we’re meeting today, I think it’d be better to leave that friend alone and go alone. Above all else, isn’t safety the top priority? ?”

“I’m sorry, but you can’t. If you have to, you won’t be able to join us.”

“Why is that? Have you known each other before?”

“It’s our business whether we know it or not. Anyway, Mr. Ian is our colleague, so don’t think without it.”

Even though there was no need to do so, Talia was sensible and hid her relationship with Eva.

“Is it really that much?”

“Yes. That’s really about it.”

Wilmot hesitated a little, then shook his head.

He seemed to have given up on being appeased by Thalia’s determined attitude.

“Okay. I’ll concede as if I’m helping my little friend. Can I talk to him for a moment?”

“Do whatever you feel comfortable with. Mr. Ian isn’t even my subordinate, so I can’t tell him what to do.”

At Thalia’s words, Wilmot raised his eyebrows once and walked towards me.

The corners of his mouth were drawn with curves that I couldn’t tell if it was a smile or a sneer.

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