The Assassination Contract
“You want me to kill this guy?”
“Sharp as ever. Have you done this kind of work before?”
“Something similar, yeah.”
The documents the dark elf woman brought weren’t some complicated contract. Just a single portrait of a man and a few pages of information that looked like they’d been pulled straight from an adventurer’s guild file.
Whoa. So even in this world, personal information leaks exist. People really are the same everywhere.
“Let’s see… Name’s Horeyu. S-rank adventurer and a mage. With a face like that, he looks exactly like one of those arrogant scholar-types. Bet his physiognomy screams ‘I’m great at magic.’”
“I agree. The client put a very high price on this bastard’s head. A full hundred gold.”
A hundred gold? That’s enough to repair the Solaris and still have plenty left over for ten ten-pulls on the gacha. Holy shit. If I wanted to make serious money in a short time, coming to the underworld was definitely the right call.
Morals? Ethics? Who gives a damn. This is a fantasy world overflowing with barbarism and destruction. All those modern concepts are nothing but illusions here.
“Just how much of an asshole do you have to be for someone to slap that kind of bounty on your head?”
“He lives like he’s god’s gift to the world, so he’s made enemies everywhere. Looks down on adventurers weaker than him, throws his weight around with the guild… If I started listing everything, we’d be here all night.”
“So he’s a narcissist. Got it.”
“Exactly. You’re surprisingly sharp for someone who looks like a crazy brute. I thought you were just strong and insane.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
If the guy’s a narcissist, it’s no surprise someone put a hit out on him. The way he acts makes him completely hateable. Even if he died tomorrow, no one would shed a tear. There’s a saying back home, right? “The only reason you’re still alive is because of the Korean legal system.” But this is a fantasy world. People dropping dead is an everyday occurrence. The Nazi elves next door are snatching up adventurers right this second, calling them useless and forcing them into their army. They throw the women to goblins and only drag the men away. Every time I think about it, I get pissed off all over again.
“So I kill this guy and get a hundred gold, right? Better not be any taxes or commissions. That would ruin the fun.”
“Do you take the Nero Colpo gang for cheapskates, human? It’s the opposite. Bring us his head and we’ll throw in a bonus.”
“Still, if it’s this big a job, couldn’t the gang handle it themselves? Why outsource to someone like me?”
“I take back what I said about you being smart. The target is an S-rank adventurer. If we could kill him ourselves, we would have done it already!”
Ah, so that’s it. S-rank means he’s insanely strong. And according to Ulk, becoming an S-rank adventurer is like passing the highest-level civil service exam back in modern society. The competition is brutal, and the path to get there is full of hardship and adversity. In short, his skill and power are guaranteed. No wonder the gang’s low-level thugs couldn’t handle a narcissist like him. That’s why they’re hiring me.
“Sigh… Never mind. I’ve been in this business a long time, but I’ve never seen anyone quite like you. It actually makes me trust you a little. And that tall lady next to you looks pretty formidable too.”
“You mean me, orc?”
“Yeah, the lady. Thanks for not killing my boys, by the way.”
“I just gave them a light beating as post-dinner exercise.”
“When you’ve been in this life long enough, you develop an eye for people. But with you and that lady… I can’t read you at all. You’re clearly not adventurers, but the smell of blood on you says you’re mercenaries.”
Tirga and I unconsciously sniffed at our clothes. Ulk slapped his forehead and burst out laughing again. Is this orc a liberal arts major? The way he uses metaphors, I really thought he meant we literally smelled.
“You’ve got a great sense of humor too. By the way, why is that cute rabbit girl hanging around with lunatics like you?”
“Curious cats die young, orc.”
“Cold as ice. Fine, whatever. Business is done. How about we drink like men?”
“Sounds good. Tirga, take Lati and eat in the hall. The boss here is treating us generously.”
Tirga’s eyes lit up at the mention of free booze. She grabbed Lati and headed out. The moment they left, two dark elf women in revealing, low-cut dresses slid up beside me and started pouring drinks into crystal glasses.
Is this whiskey? Man, fantasy worlds are the best. I get to drink luxury liquor I’d never even see back on Earth.
I swirled the glass a few times, then held it out to the dark elf beside me.
“Here, you first.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you. I wanted to give a pretty lady the first drink.”
“Hehe, thank you.”
The dark elf drank without hesitation. Her seductive lips touched the rim, and the liquor slid down her long, smooth throat. If I were a painter, I’d want to capture this exact moment on canvas. Dark elves had a completely different kind of sex appeal than regular elves. That healthy, bronze skin radiating pure sensuality. And she was every bit as beautiful as any elf. She drained the glass without spilling a drop, then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
Doesn’t look like there’s poison in the bottle or glass, but better safe than sorry. Let’s test it one more time.
“As an apology for my rudeness, let me offer a drink to our handsome boss.”
“It’s an honor.”
I poured for Ulk. He emptied the glass in one manly gulp. Only then did I relax. I grabbed the whole bottle and started chugging. It made me look like a cheap drunk, but who cares? My image was already ruined anyway, and the guy across from me wasn’t some noble I needed to impress. Plus, this way no one could tamper with my drink. I still didn’t fully trust this orc boss or his gang.
“Khaaa! Drinking that expensive stuff straight from the bottle? Do you know how much that costs? Poor commoners can’t even look at it.”
“Real good liquor tastes best when you drink it straight from the bottle.”
The way it assaulted my taste buds, the burning sensation sliding down my throat… yeah, this was definitely the expensive stuff. It was on a completely different level from anything I’d had before.
The alcohol started hitting me. I was getting tired. Time to lie down. But first, I needed to take a good piss. Today had been way too eventful. Driving, fighting a war… the sun was probably already setting. I should find a decent inn and crash.
It’s true my stamina had improved dramatically since coming to this world, but I still wasn’t some invincible cheat who never got tired.
“Thanks for the drink. I’m gonna go take a nice piss and then sleep.”
“Heading off to rest? There’s a hotel near here that our gang manages. The facilities are excellent. You’ll like it.”
Ulk called for someone. Instead of a human, a goblin wearing a perfectly tailored suit walked in. In this world, goblins seemed to be treated more like a civilized race than lowly monsters. That goblin who was working with the elves to rape adventurers, or maybe this gang was just a racially integrated organization?
“Escort our honored guest to the hotel.”
“Yes, boss. Human sir, please follow me.”
When I stepped into the hall with the goblin, a dark elf woman in a striking red dress was performing on stage. She had long, flowing platinum-blonde hair and mysterious golden eyes. The song sounded like classic 1920s American pop—no, jazz. It had that old-school, nostalgic vibe.
Is this really a fantasy world? Jazz instead of medieval lute music? The atmosphere was weird, but damn was it hot. A femme fatale dark elf straight out of a hardboiled noir film. My lower half was already reacting.
“Want to stay and watch? She’s our bar’s star attraction, Kathleen.”
“Kathleen, huh…”
Even Tirga and Lati—both women—were completely mesmerized by her. Kathleen had an almost demonic charm. I wanted to hold her. I wanted to wrap my arms around that slender waist. I wanted to bury my face in the cleavage revealed by that daring dress. The alcohol was amplifying everything. I was seriously considering storming the stage and kidnapping her.
“Goblin buddy, what do I have to do to spend a night with that lady?”
“Excuse me? Miss Kathleen is not a prostitute. I can introduce you to other ladies.”
“Dense, aren’t you? Who said anything about cheap whores? Your staff training is absolute garbage. Should I call your boss?”
“S-sorry! But that’s not within my authority…”
Well, of course a lowly grunt couldn’t do anything. Then a brilliant idea hit me. After I cut off that annoying narcissist’s head, I’d demand a night with the singer as part of my reward. Even an orc like Ulk would have a hard time refusing a deal like that. Sure, I could take her by force, but power isn’t always the answer. Money and the right amount of brains—that’s the real solution.
The performance soon ended. Kathleen left the stage with a seductive wink. The audience burst into applause, and I couldn’t help but clap along.
“Master, you’re back.”
“We’ve got a job, Tirga. Let’s rest well tonight and move out tomorrow. It’s getting late.”
“Understood, Master.”
“The boss here recommended a place for us to stay. Let’s go.”
“I hope the bed is big enough…”
Tirga gave me a sultry look. You perverted summon.
These gangsters must be filthy rich. Managing a luxury hotel like this? And the goblin friend even paid for our stay, so it was completely free. That damn orc boss—is he trying to buy me with money? Still, it was too good an offer to refuse. Ten gold per night! That’s enough for an entire ten-pull. No way I was turning that down.
The quality was easily on par with the rooms on the Solaris. I could honestly live here long-term.
“Master, the bed is so soft and fluffy. Come lie down with me.”
“We should bathe first. Come on, strip and let’s go.”
“W-wait, Boss… are we all bathing together?”
“Of course we are. Isn’t that obvious?”
Lati’s face turned bright red and she fidgeted in embarrassment. We’d already seen everything there was to see—why act shy now? Bathing together naked is what close men and women do. They even had mixed bathing during the Goryeo dynasty, so this is a noble tradition with deep historical roots.