66 - Item Farming (3)
Knock knock.
No matter how hard she knocked... the gray-haired man beyond the glass wall paid her no mind, leisurely sipping his coffee. He'd clearly seen the business card emblazoned with the Crow Pay emblem just moments ago. Any cadet at the academy would know that name. One of the empire's famed seven major guilds, led by none other than Regillus—the former captain of the imperial first knight order, no less. And here she was, showing interest first.
"Rookie, huh... Did he think I was joking?"
Tch. Sera dropped the cigarette she'd barely lit between her lips and crushed it under her heel. Then she strode into the café.
Today's target: the man named Lev Denek.
Plop.
Even as she took the seat across from him, Lev showed no interest in Sera.
Knock knock.
"Excuse me."
"..."
"Can't you hear me?"
"..."
Only after she tapped the table and called out right in front of him did the man finally meet her gaze. She'd thought so from outside, but up close, he was even more handsome than expected. Maybe on par with Raykan, the vice master back at the guild.
'Heard he's quite the troublemaker.'
Of course, Sera had done her homework on this guy. He'd stirred up trouble during entrance exams, didn't have the best reputation among the female cadets, and now he was tangled in some unusual commotion. Dueling Kaeran? No one in their right mind would do that.
"You saw my card just now, right?"
"Yeah."
His response was so curt it left her flustered. Normally, other cadets would come running, eager for attention. But this one seemed utterly disinterested. Well, it was a pattern she'd seen occasionally before. High self-esteem, playing hard to get to drive up his own value. The Denek family had produced a decent mage or two, from what she knew. But this guy was currently disowned. Most would grovel to the family head and get forgiven eventually... but not him, apparently.
With that level of pride, this reaction was predictable.
Sera pinched the card between two fingers and flicked it lightly. "So, are you taking the card or not?"
For the first time, he gave a longer reply.
"That's not it, is it?"
"Huh?"
"'Please take my card'? Something like that?"
"...Hah."
His boldness drew an involuntary laugh from Sera. Nobles gonna noble. Once they joined the guild, they'd be subordinates for years, yet here he was, strutting.
"Why should I?"
Lev answered her question slowly, as if he'd expected it.
"First off, you don't seem to like me much, Scout."
"..."
"But you went out of your way to stub out that cigarette and come over, so you're separating personal feelings from business, right?"
"..."
"Which means it's not you—it's your superiors who are interested in me."
"..."
Impressively intuitive for his age.
"That captain of yours has a temper. Don't blame me if he bites your head off."
"..."
Shff.
With that, he stood up. Sera had no choice but to concede.
"Wait."
Her earlier rudeness. She couldn't fathom why Regillus would take interest in a guy like this, and she'd assumed a B-rank cadet wouldn't turn down Crow Pay's offer.
'How much trust did I build up to get here...!'
Sera rose decisively.
"First, let me apologize for my approach."
"Oh?"
"As you said, the higher-ups are directly interested in you. So, will you take my card?"
She held it out politely, right hand gripping the card, left supporting her wrist—the most formal version of her usual pitch. She'd always made deals that profited her without loss.
And the fresh reply came.
"Nah."
"Stepped in shit..."
Leaving Sera in the café, I quickened my pace outside. If I could, I'd sprinkle salt behind me. Crow Pay might look prestigious on the surface, but it was a rotten villain guild at heart. Squeeze you dry until they couldn't anymore, then discard you like yesterday's trash—perfectly fitting the idiom "rabbit dies, dog gets cooked."
In the fanfic's mid-to-late game, as the demon race's advance intensified, the guilds gained more sway than the imperial family. Regillus, chasing ambition, sided outright with the demons. When his ugly past of framing war heroes came to light, making him the imperial family's archenemy, Kaeran betrayed and crushed the guild to earn the empire's trust. That trust led to the fanfic's absurd finale...
Even now, I knew Crow Pay was padding its ranks with shady dealings. The place I was headed? Probably one of their ventures. A gambling den, after all.
In my past life, I wasn't into gambling. Too much risk.
But with Kaeran infected by the parasite now? Different story.
Most academy cadets probably wouldn't notice his changes. At worst, they'd think he was off his game. No way they'd imagine him losing to a C-rank.
Couldn't pass up this jackpot.
The downside? Academy betting used restricted campus gems, only valid internally. So, off-campus it was—the mercenaries' private bets in the old town.
"What is this place...?"
Aria, tailing me to keep watch, shot a suspicious glare. Drunken uncle voices mixed with sultry high tones every few steps. Just a short walk from the academy, and the underworld stench was thick. The academy's mage tower was still visible, yet here darkness hid under the lamp.
The empire handled academy security top-tier, but villages stayed in perpetual wartime mode.
Click! Click!
Sunset bled into red-lit backs, absorbing the glow like sponges. The red-light district. Aria's eyes chilled as realization dawned, but I blurted casually,
"Aria, be my master just for today."
"......"
"...Y-You should have explained first!"
"Sorry."
"This is the last time. I only followed because I didn't know...! Cadets caught here get demerits, you know?!"
"...Yeah."
It took a while to clear the misunderstanding. Aria walked a step ahead, face still beet red.
'Zero immunity to this stuff...'
Simple reason for the temporary master-servant bond: Cadets can't join these bets. Disguised her as the lady and myself as her servant. The rest? Stuff cash in, like the original game.
"Act the part from here on."
"...Not thrilled, but fine."
We entered the tavern doubling as a betting den.
"Cheers!"
"Where'd you bet this round?"
"Number 13!"
True to rank matches, cadets' fights streamed in seedy spots for bets. Kinda the opposite of Roman gladiators—funny twist.
"Ah, welcome!"
A freckled waitress greeted us.
"What brings you to such a humble place...?"
Aria's blue robe, embroidered luxuriously, clashed with the dingy den's vibrancy. And her looks? Top-tier, naturally. Adopted or not, noble blood shone. Eyes swarmed us. Fine by me.
I flipped back my shabby robe hood and stepped forward. "The lady was curious what it'd feel like."
Clink.
I pulled two gold coins. The waitress's eyes widened. I whispered in her freckled ear,
"Quietest seat. And the cleanest food."
"Ah... y-yes..."
In a curtained booth—decent spread before her—Aria sat blankly alone. Just unfamiliarity; she nailed the clueless noble lady vibe.
"Here."
I slipped Betty the waitress another gold. Quick on the uptake, she got it.
"Keep it from the mistress?"
"Yeah. Not her thing."
No way Aria'd approve gambling. Had to hide it.
Jingle!
I handed over my gold pouch. "Day 7 schedule. On Edwin Gwynz."
"Ah... whaaat?!"
Betty peeked inside, eyes bulging anew.
"All of this?!?!?"
"Yeah, 277 gold."
My full cut from the jet-black armor raid. Roughly, 1 gold ≈ 100,000 won here. Old town prices beat Korea's; one gold bought 90+ beers.
"Odds?"
"At least 8x! But... no one's bet this big..."
8x—not bad, but meh. Reverse bets for life-changers must be popular.
"Fine. Place it."
"Yes, then...!"
Betty hugged the pouch tight and waddled upstairs to a rough-looking guy. Mid-level Crow Pay manager, probably.
Merc talk drifted over.
-Fees spiked since the guild changed, right?
-Yeah. They won't outright steal, but...
-Raids too. Can't survive if they hog it all. Tyranny.
Crow Pay gossip. Not illegal, but they ran this den.
Betty scurried back, worried. "Um, too late now, but... big bets like this? Fees are huge even if you win."
"Yeah?"
"Risky to say, but everyone's griping about the new management guild."
Maybe service for the gold. Betty was chattier than expected.
"New auction rules stirred trouble too."
"New auction rules?"
"Yes."
Her rundown: Raids were 20+ player parties. Loot sold at quarterly imperial auctions, profits split by contribution.
But Crow Pay's low-tier raids? Pre-auction among the 20—highest bidder wins. And the shill? Pre-planned Crow Pay plant.
"Sub-guilds have no bidding rights, mercs can't compete cash-wise."
Passion pay, basically. Crow Pay snagged items just above merc/sub budgets, gutting raid shares vs. imperial sales. Then flipped at auction for max profit.
'No wonder Kaeran pulled full gear from Crow Pay...'
Low raids ignored by big guilds, oversupplied with low-tier mercs—perfect exploitation.
I muttered low. "Makes me wanna bleach 'em."
"Huh? Bleach? D-Do I smell...??"
"No."
Something about their gross cartel turned my stomach. Felt like wrecking the joint...
Then—flash.
'Wait... no way...'
I asked Betty. "Any Crow Pay raids this week?"
"Uh? Check the guild labor office, but... guests said around next week."
Hit a key plot point vibe.
[Memorize: Impression's Ring]
Regillus got that plain-looking ring at an imperial auction, for sure... Could nose-rub this without lifting a finger?