Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Assembling the Team
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“What? Dangerous? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“War mercenaries? Then count me in!”
“Eong? You’re joking, right? Come on, no way! I said that myself!”
In the face of Uncle Thompson’s relentless demands, I finally threw up both hands.
“……Fine. We’ll go together. Enough with the puppy eyes.”
The one silver lining.
-We’re good. We know we don’t have the chops to head there yet.
-We’ve got that much self-awareness.
-……I hate to admit it, but yeah, we need more training.
Was that the rest of the group hadn’t pushed to join.
And honestly, bringing Uncle Thompson along wasn’t a bad call.
Uncle Thompson could wield some solid earth magic.
At the very least, he wouldn’t be in danger on the front lines.
He’d even proven his talent by picking up light magic back in Aldeon.
More than anything, he could train his body and get combat feedback from Barundel during hunts, leaving tons of room to grow.
Without all that, no way I’d have caved, no matter how much he begged.
“Alright, alright! Demon hunting……! My hands are shaking already!”
“…….”
But why did it feel so deflating?
Unable to shake off that nagging doubt, I turned back to the situation at hand.
‘A four-man party, huh.’
Kayla, Barundel, me, and Uncle Thompson.
What was supposed to be a two-person party had somehow ballooned into four.
Still, it wasn’t bad. The lineup was solid.
No, pretty damn good.
‘Two tanks, one utility, one glass cannon DPS.’
Sure, three mages was a bit of a joke…… but whatever.
The balance was decent for demon hunting.
I ran a few quick battle sims in my head, nailed down the plan, then addressed the party.
“We’ve already scouted the route into District 7. Now we just need to stock up on supplies.”
“Supplies? You mean potions?”
“Potions, yeah—and gear. Nothing fancy, but enough to keep us alive.”
“…….”
Mention of losing lives cast a brief pall over the mood.
I didn’t bother lightening it up.
Tension was called for in a spot like this.
“So how do we score the gear? We got cash?”
“Good question. Let’s handle that first.”
“Handle it? How?”
“I’ve got it covered.”
As I spoke, one woman came to mind.
The one who occasionally flashed a devilish side.
She was the richest person I knew.
***
At that moment, inside the Athis Request Office.
“That guy really said that?”
“He’s gotten cocky now that he’s a bit stronger. Bet he’d hide like a rat if he actually ran into them.”
“Hah hah hah! Yeah, that sounds just like him.”
Unlike the gloom of a few months back, the office buzzed with lively chatter even in broad daylight.
There was one reason for the turnaround.
“Phew…… anyway, life’s been so much better without that black-haired mage kid around.”
“Tell me about it. He’s not coming back anytime soon, right?”
“No way. With all the requests he cleared? We’re set for months.”
It was because that guy—who snatched up every decent-paying job the moment it dropped—was gone.
Back then, the office regulars had been scraping by on barely enough to eat.
“Hey, Lena. Be honest—we’re pissed. Sure, the kid’s skilled, but handing us all the good gigs like that?”
“……Felix, rules are rules. Higher clear rates get first dibs on the good stuff. Perks come with the territory.”
“……Yeah, but still! What are we supposed to live on?!”
“You think I’m your babysitter? Huh? No money? Go get a legit job! With those healthy bodies of yours…… argh, you idiots drive me nuts!”
“……Urk.”
Felix sighed deeply, cowed by Lena’s fire.
But he perked right up, realizing he wouldn’t have to anymore, and chugged his beer.
“Uahaha! Who cares! We’re golden from here on out!”
“Damn right! We’re a perfect request office now!”
“……Bunch of pathetic money-grubbers.”
“Guys, drinks on me!”
“Wooo-!”
Clink.
They clinked glasses in high spirits—right then.
Knock knock knock.
A knock came suddenly at the back door.
The regulars froze, faces hardening with dread.
“……Who the hell’s knocking?”
Only one guy ever knocked to get in here.
“……No way. No friggin’ way, right?”
“Son of a…… that’s impossible.”
They knew the truth but prayed anyway.
Please, not him.
Lord, don’t take our daily bread. Please……
But the gods were cruel.
Why were bad feelings always spot on?
“Long time no see.”
The devilish mage had returned.
With a pack of unknown friends in tow.
***
“What……?”
Lena scanned the four who’d entered with Yoo Han.
‘I let ’em in since they were here, but……’
The combo was weird.
A scrawny girl with a hulking dwarf beside her.
A human guy matching that dwarf’s bulk.
A woman with captivating red eyes.
And Yoo Han.
What made it even funnier was what Yoo Han had said.
Lena retraced her steps and asked again to confirm.
“So…… you’re saying you wanna take on requests with these folks?”
“If possible. I’ll vouch for their skills. We’ll do tests, of course.”
“Well…… if they pass the tests, there’s no rule against it, but……”
Lena pondered briefly, then decided to lay out the deal.
“Can’t just bring randos in blind. This place is invite-only. Only me, the boss upstairs—Rior—or higher-ups get that privilege.”
“Didn’t realize. Sorry. Won’t happen again.”
Yoo Han’s sincere apology got a quick nod from Lena.
She was straightforward like that—easy enough to understand.
“Fine, I’ll let it slide this once. Now, to business…… what kinda requests are you after?”
“Any bounty ones come in since I asked last time?”
“Oh, the bounties? Yeah, I grabbed every decent one that popped. Probably about ten stacked up.”
“Let’s test ’em with those first.”
Lena gave him a puzzled look.
“Those are the ones no one could clear—picked ’em special for you.”
Yoo Han just grinned.
“The tougher, the better. Means better pay, right?”
Lena felt a twinge of regret but went along with it.
Had she messed up?
Handing over the test requests, she soon second-guessed herself.
“Hope they’re okay…… told ’em not to overdo it.”
Even the strong ones struggled as civilians playing bounty hunter.
That’s why tests were lenient—just bring back intel.
Especially that red-eyed woman—she worried her most.
So petite, she looked even frailer than Lena.
“A mage, maybe?”
Lena waved it off.
“……Nah, no way.”
Mages weren’t that common.
Especially not in an illegal outfit like this.
Heck, meeting Yoo Han was a miracle in itself.
Why would a mage slum it here?
They had endless ways to make bank.
“So…… probably just fit civilians. Ugh, shoulda held back. If they get nabbed, it could lead back to the office.”
Lena muttered, kicking herself for jumping the gun.
‘This place is Athis’s legacy—we gotta nurture it.’
But maybe she worried for nothing.
Knock knock knock.
Less than two hours later, someone showed at the office.
‘A knock!’
Lena sighed in relief at the sound.
“Phew, they bailed. Good.”
Then she opened the door.
“Come out! Come out! Come out!”
The red-eyed woman yelled urgently from outside.
And.
The big bronze-skinned guy from before hauled in fainted men one by one.
“Hup!”
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Four men dumped in a flash.
“All done.”
“…….”
Lena stood stunned, then pieced it together late.
Every fainted guy matched the wanted posters.
“These guys…….”
“Yup, the bounties. Test over, right?”
“……Wait, hold up.”
Lena couldn’t process it.
‘……Already caught ’em?’
This defied logic.
A dwarf? Sure, tough and strong.
But the rest?
How do civilians wrap this up in no time flat?
On top of that, targets everyone else had ditched?
Lena realized her mistake.
‘They’re no civilians.’
With that conviction, she asked cautiously.
The bronze-skinned guy first.
“What’s your…… line of work?”
He boomed a laugh.
“Hahat! Don’t let the looks fool ya—I’m a mage.”
“……A mage? With that build……?”
“Hahahah! You flatter me.”
“…….”
Mind blown.
Lena pointed at one fainted bounty.
“This one—you do him?”
That guy was a serial killer on the run, skills rivaling pro assassins.
‘……Word was, even the Assassins’ Guild scouted him.’
In short, a murderer even Yoo Han might struggle with.
But.
‘……He’s charred black?’
The mage hadn’t fried him like Yoo Han usually did, so yeah—the bronze guy.
Made sense if he was really a mage.
Then.
“That was me.”
The woman behind him stepped up, hand raised.
The red-eyed one Lena had fretted over.
“……You?”
Lena eyed her, baffled.
But her gaze was pure confidence, no bluff.
Lena swallowed hard.
“What do you…… do?”
“Mage. Fire affinity.”
Whoosh!
Intense flames bloomed in her palm.
No denying magic right in her face.
“…….”
Lena relearned her lesson: don’t judge by looks.
And.
She grabbed Yoo Han’s shoulder.
“Thanks.”
“For what?”
“For being our golden goose…….”
“……What’re you on about?”
It was one of the happiest days of Lena’s life.
One office, three mages.
‘……Athis.’
Athis Request Office was primed for takeoff.
Sky-high, out of reach for rivals.