Chapter 39
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: First Guest
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Rin climbed the stairs, carrying the last piece of luggage that had been piled up on the first floor.
"Phew..."
After setting the luggage down in the room, Rin took a moment to look around the interior.
This wasn't the cramped inn room she was used to—it was an incredibly spacious lodging in their new base.
Last time she'd seen it, the place had been completely empty, but in just a few days, a bed and a few other pieces of furniture had been brought in.
It had been several days since they'd been introduced to this guild house, which was supposed to become the Ian Mercenary Corps' base, and Rin had spent every night wide awake wondering when they could finally move in.
Last night, they'd finally gotten the word that they could make the move, so the three of them had finished packing at dawn and started hauling their stuff over to the base.
"Is this everything...?"
The luggage Rin had carried up and down the stairs multiple times was now neatly stacked in one corner of the room.
Back at the inn, their personal belongings and gear had filled the space to the brim, leaving no room to spare.
She'd even thought they had too much stuff...
But now that they'd moved to this vast room, each person's belongings looked pathetically small in the corner.
The interior felt so empty that it was almost desolate.
As Ian had said, they'd only hurriedly brought in the essentials—the beds for each of them, wardrobes, nightstands, and the like.
...Even so, this was basic compared to an inn room, but it was already far better.
As Rin scanned the room, her gaze fixed on her own bed.
Aside from the room being bigger—and that was secondary—the biggest change was this bed.
"...Argh."
After staring at the bed for a moment, Rin launched herself onto it.
Doing this on an inn bed would've hurt like hell...
But the base's bed softly cushioned her body with a plush sensation.
Ian had said he was picking out the beds, and she'd just left it to him without thinking much of it.
Who knew beds came in different qualities?
Rin buried herself in the bed and grinned broadly.
"Rin! All the luggage moved?"
"Yeah! Coming down!"
Hearing Mika's voice calling from the stairs outside, Rin answered while still lying on the bed.
Man, having a big house makes it inconvenient just to find each other.
Rin chuckled as she got up.
Ian sorted through the mail that had arrived at the base, checking the contents one by one.
...Today's schedule is done.
After reviewing the delivery dates and confirming there was nothing left for today, Ian flopped onto the sofa in the first-floor lounge he'd set up.
Just a short while ago, the first floor had been completely empty, but now it featured a large lounge where members could relax and greet visitors.
It was a lounge Rin had requested.
She probably hadn't expected it to be this elaborate when she asked...
But since they were building it anyway, Ian had no intention of skimping with low-grade facilities and wasting the space.
The lounge was furnished with high-tier pieces loaded with effects like comfort, stress reduction, stamina recovery, and rest bonuses.
As a result, the first-floor lounge looked like the opulent parlor of a noble mansion—enough to overwhelm any first-time visitor.
"...They should be wrapping up soon."
Ian glanced at the time.
It was about time for the members out on their mission to return.
For the past few days, Ian hadn't gone with them, sending just the three to the Underground Sewer.
They'd all leveled up a lot since before, so the three of them should be fine without him.
If nothing unexpected happened, Ian would've joined them, but he had plenty to handle at the base.
'...How much longer?'
Ian rummaged through the mail on the table, looking for anything dated tomorrow. Two pieces.
The building contract was fully settled, but Ian's real work was just beginning.
Buying the structure was one thing—the crucial interior work was still ahead.
It'd be nice if he could just click to remodel rooms and drag furniture in like in the game.
But no, he had to order furniture piece by piece, hire laborers, and oversee the construction himself.
This wasn't a place with computers; even errands were handled by kids running around delivering mail on foot.
Because of these agonizingly slow paperwork processes, Ian had been stuck at the base, endlessly writing documents, submitting applications, and waiting.
He could hire a base manager and staff to handle it, but it was too soon for that...
For now, Ian had to do it all himself.
Still, thanks to his efforts, the once-empty base was gradually taking on a proper shape day by day.
"We're back!"
While Ian was taking a short break, the three returned from their mission.
"Good work."
Ian waved lazily at Rin from where he was sprawled on the sofa, giving her a quick glance.
He'd been a bit worried at first about sending just the three, but after confirming a few times that they came back fine as expected, he'd relaxed.
Rin gave a dissatisfied look as she replied to Ian's casual greeting.
"You don't even ask if we got hurt anymore?"
"No way you'd get hurt there."
Not just Rin—Mika and Tanya had been with them long enough now.
Especially after the monster wave that showered them with massive experience, their levels had risen significantly since joining.
The three had long surpassed the appropriate level for the Underground Sewer.
Even if monsters swarmed, they were at a point where injury wasn't a real concern.
"How much is left?"
"About half."
And the reason he kept sending them to such a place...
Was because they still had important business there.
Tanya set down the bag on her back and approached Ian.
"Today we cleared out everything left on shelf three."
"Good job. Take it to the basement."
They'd found the secret room and cleared the monster wave.
At their current levels, there was no need to go to the Underground Sewer anymore—but they still had unfinished business.
Moving the supplies hidden in the secret room back to the base.
Back then, they had no place to store so many supplies, so they'd left them there.
But now with the base, that wasn't necessary.
They had a separate underground space for a warehouse, plenty of storage room.
So Ian decided to bring all those supplies back.
Of course, they couldn't haul it all at once, and they had to do it discreetly without drawing attention.
The three pretended to patrol as usual, sneaking out a little each day.
Thanks to that, in this building that was still half-empty after just moving in, the warehouse alone was filling up with countless items.
"Oh. Furniture arrived for this room."
"Yeah. Today it's that one... and some second-floor fixtures."
As Mika looked around the first floor, she peeked into one of the rooms with an open door and commented.
Everyone's eyes lit up seeing the room that had been empty when they left that morning now changed.
After promising to set up whatever facilities they wanted on the first floor, the items they'd requested from Ian were arriving one by one for the lounge.
It deviated a bit from Ian's initial plan...
But facilities suited to mercenaries' tastes would stabilize their mental state and provide rest bonuses.
They'd help with future growth too.
...Definitely not because he caved to their rebellion.
It was the result of a rational, legitimate negotiation.
"...Huh?"
While everyone was chatting in the first-floor lounge, there was a knock at the door.
"Someone's here?"
"Nothing else scheduled for today?"
To check who this unscheduled guest was, Tanya went and opened the door.
"......Who are you?"
A figure in ragged robes pulled low over their face, hiding it completely.
Tanya narrowed her eyes warily at the person at the door.
Rin and Mika, spotting the guest, hardened their expressions and stayed on guard.
"A passing... wandering merchant."
The self-proclaimed merchant let out an unsettling chuckle.
Rin cautiously moved her hand toward the hilt of the sword at her waist, slowly approaching the entrance.
If they tried anything suspicious, she'd pull Tanya back and handle it herself.
"I've got some fine goods. Care to take a look?"
"No thanks. Please leave..."
"Wait, hold on."
Ian stood up, stopping Tanya from chasing away the suspicious figure.
While everyone was on edge about the shady character, Ian beckoned the merchant inside instead.
"It's fine, everyone. Come on in."
"Huh? Leader, someone this sketchy..."
"Keh heh. You won't be disappointed."
The robed, face-hidden suspicious figure entered the base, bundle in hand.
They stepped aside since Ian permitted it, but no one dropped their guard as they eyed the intruder.
Rin quietly moved to Ian's side, giving him a look that asked what he was thinking letting this guy in.
But Ian quietly assured her it was okay, calming her down.
This person looked shady... and was shady.
But he was someone Ian knew.
Once you acquire a base, events occasionally trigger where visitors drop by.
Who came was random based on the mercenary corps' fame and the player's tendencies, but there were a few fixed NPCs that always showed up.
"Kukuku..."
"......"
"......"
This guest was one that always came as the very first visitor after buying a base: the 'Suspicious Merchant' NPC.