Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Invasion (3)
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"Underground Sewer! Grade 3!"
A messenger dashed up to the command post and handed a document to one of the waiting staff members.
It was a low-urgency report, but the staffer had been instructed to relay any news from the Underground Sewer straight to the Vice Guild Master without delay. He hurried over and passed it along.
"Report from the Underground Sewer."
"From Chris?"
"Yes."
It was the report from Chris, whom they'd sent to check out the sewers.
The Mercenary Guild's Vice Guild Master, Kael, looked up and asked,
"What does it say?"
"No problems. The enemy offensive is steadily decreasing."
"Haa."
Well, if things had gone south, he would've come running here demanding every reserve unit be sent down immediately.
Given how quiet it'd been for a while, Kael had figured the situation wasn't bad.
With the biggest worry—the sewers—wrapped up...
That about covers what needed attention, for now.
Right on cue, reports started rolling in from the fronts where fighting had wrapped up.
A bunch of messengers arrived at once, delivering updates from each sector. Summarized briefings piled up in front of the Vice Guild Master in no time.
-West Sector 1: Enemy offensive completely eliminated.
-East Sector 4: Offensive decreasing.
-...
Reports kept coming in that the endless monster assaults were gradually tapering off.
As always, that meant one thing.
"Frontline observation outpost confirms: Monster appearances from the Labyrinth have stopped."
That was the final update from the staffer giving the situation briefing.
Kael looked up and scanned the command post crew.
"It's over, right?"
Everyone who'd checked the reports nodded.
"All sectors have entered stable status."
"Lower the alert level. Send the request to central command."
"Yes, sir."
Invasion concluded.
The short message, bearing Kael's signature, headed south to central command.
Once that reached them, the alarms would lift, and this interminable battle would finally be laid to rest.
Kael flopped into the chair he hadn't used once since the fighting started.
A strange silence hung over the once-bustling command post.
With the battle winding down, incoming intel was thinning out—a brief lull.
As the endless hordes of monsters beyond the walls began to dwindle, the mercenaries' movements grew even busier.
The mercs had all instinctively realized that this year's invasion was over.
No more monsters swarming in meant it was time to rack up as many kills as possible from the stragglers.
From here on, it'd be a scramble among them to claim the remaining prey.
The monsters still out there? The mercs would handle them just fine on their own.
Kael let out a weary sigh.
They'd safely repelled this year's invasion, but the real heavy lifting was just getting started.
His short break barely begun, tallies of casualties and injuries started landing on the Vice Guild Master's desk.
He could shove about half of it onto the Guild Master.
The rest? That was his burden.
It wasn't hyperbole to say monster invasions accounted for half the Mercenary Guild's yearly workload.
He'd be pulling all-nighters on cleanup for the next month straight.
Here we go again this year, too.
Ignoring the growing stack of reports, Kael sighed again.
Temporary command post at the rear of the Underground Sewer.
Messengers kept streaming toward the spot where Ian was posted.
In the labyrinthine sewers, there was no way to know what was happening up front, so they had to keep shuttling soldiers back and forth for updates.
"D-1 outpost routine report: No monster appearances."
"D-1 confirmed."
Each frontline update from the soldiers updated Ian's situation board.
No monsters at report time meant the offensive had been wiped out.
Each time, a marker for a monster pack was removed from the map.
Now, only a handful of small groups remained on the board.
"It's over."
One of the officers commanding the sewer defense force here muttered it as he peered at the board beside Ian.
"Yeah. Best to go in and mop up the rest ourselves."
"We'll handle that."
Ian nodded at the officer's suggestion.
The wave stragglers inside the sewers would need hands-on cleanup.
Patrolling the tangled passages with just the three from Ian Mercenary Corps would take forever.
"We'll leave the central passage to you, then. We'll sweep this side."
"Sounds good. Sending in 1st Company."
The officer overseeing the sewer defense this time around—Captain Leona—stared hard at the situation board Ian had set up.
The main defense force was holding the final line at the sewer rear, but not a single monster had reached them.
With zero monsters in sight, the NCOs from the line would occasionally drop by with serious faces, asking if something had gone wrong...
Leona could only send them back with a wry smile each time.
Captain Leona pulled her eyes from the map and looked at Ian.
"I've worked with plenty of folks over the years, but... this was the most impressive operation across all my battles. Ian."
"Thank you."
It wasn't empty flattery.
Sure, the Underground Sewer's monsters were weaker than those on the surface.
But wrapping it up without a single injury? That was a first.
Credit went to Ian's innovative defense plan.
There had been a few experimental attempts at this kind of setup before, but most ended in failure.
Ian's plan, though... You could tell just by looking it had a polish all its own.
It was the pinnacle of global player experience and research—the most efficient layout for stopping monsters cold.
For people here, who had to protect the city at all costs, running experiments and gambles like that to build theory was impossible.
Ian himself had lost track of how many cities he'd trashed grinding out the know-how through trial and error.
The officer regarded Ian with a neat, orderly smile.
"They were whining about no talent these days, but I didn't expect the Guild to have nurtured someone like you. Looking forward to working together."
"I'm not with the Guild. Just a mercenary."
"Ha!"
Captain Leona's eyes sparkled.
This wasn't the polite smile from before—it was genuine delight.
"Just a mercenary?"
She'd assumed he was Guild staff, so she'd kept things polite to avoid stirring trouble.
But a free agent? That changed everything.
"Ever thought about enlisting?"
Leona made the pitch with a warm, kindly smile.
"You're D-rank, right? The pay's a bit modest... but I'll sponsor you up to C-rank, then you take my recommendation letter and commission straight as an officer..."
"If you keep poaching our mercenaries like that, it'll be a problem."
Someone butted in out of nowhere, cutting Leona off.
She turned and grinned at the sight of Chris.
"Haha. The Mercenary Guild must be pretty worried about you. Complaining about manpower shortages, then sending reinforcements like this."
Leona lowered her voice a touch, winked, and slipped a small coin into Ian's hand.
Not just any coin—it was stamped on both sides with the military seal and her house crest.
A sort of calling card around here.
"If you're interested, come find me."
Chris looked displeased but waited quietly for their chat to wrap.
It was a solid offer for a mercenary.
If you only cared about gold, merc life was better.
But for someone chasing fame, power... or maybe reclaiming lost honor? It could be tempting.
Ian wasn't Guild-bound, so Chris couldn't just block it outright.
"Well, you two chat. I've got to wrap things up here myself."
Business done, Leona headed off toward her soldiers.
Chris stepped up beside Ian and eyed the situation board.
No need for him to add anything—the situation was already resolved.
"You held it well."
"Yeah. Went off without a hitch, luckily."
Chris hadn't seen the action firsthand, so the board only told him it'd ended smoothly.
The officers' bright faces suggested the regulars had taken minimal losses, nothing more.
Ian glanced at Chris, who was reviewing the messenger logs.
"Aren't you busy up top? That okay?"
"Fighting's basically done there too."
Of course, the surface was still busier.
If not for the Vice Guild Master, Chris would've been helping wrap up there.
"Looks like you were more worried about down here, though. Anyway, no need for me to babysit at this point."
Chris had a rough idea why the Vice Guild Master sent him.
Bail out any trouble, lend a hand if needed.
But things looked handled. They'd mop up fine without him.
Chris glanced around casually.
Officers and soldiers were bustling with end-of-op tasks.
Perfect chaos for a discreet chat.
"Earlier, I saw one of your crew. Tanya, was it?"
"...Oh. Where'd you...?"
Chris waved off Ian as he reached for a pouch that looked suspiciously familiar.
"Forget it. I get the situation. Not gonna say a word."
Of course, even tacit approval had limits.
Catching it red-handed like just now? That was non-negotiable...
But with Ian pulling major weight this invasion...
Verbal report to the Vice Guild Master, sure—but they'd look the other way.
"Save that for the Vice Guild Master instead."
Chris handed back the pouch Tanya had given him earlier.
"If you're eyeing more Guild business like this, buttering him up will help more than me."
"Ah, yeah. Already gave some to him and the others."
"......"
When?
Chris shot Ian—a picture of nonchalance—a look of utter defeat.
"Camilla wouldn't take cash, though?"
"Figured she wouldn't... so I got her a coffee set and a lavender plant."
Chris recalled the slightly pricey tea set and a few new pots that had appeared in Camilla's office.
Stuff she wouldn't buy herself, given her personality. It had stuck with him.
Suddenly, he thought of those "casual finds with no one to give them to" that Ian occasionally gifted.
Leather dagger sheaths, handkerchiefs, field maintenance kits...
Not blatant bribes or luxuries—just high-quality consumables and knickknacks tailored to tastes.
Too frivolous to buy yourself, but once gifted? They hit just right, and you keep reaching for them...
"......"
Ian had just memorized the key NPCs' preferred gifts.
Chris, reminiscing over presents that felt like they'd peered into his soul, backed away with a suddenly stiff expression.