Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: I'll Make You Be Born Again
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With only Lenis and me left behind, she planted both hands on her hips and asked,
"Hmph, whatever you're scheming, you think the elegant daughter of the Valentin Count family like me would get scared? Unlike you, Alvis, my mindset is that of a true noble—my dignity is on a whole different level!"
"You talk a big game for someone who's always bluffing and scrambling for achievements just to avoid being treated like a fake noble. Weren't you the one who stormed into Libertà trying to rack up merits and ended up causing a mess?"
"Wh-what?!"
"Don't screw up again while chasing glory this time. You're hiding your identity anyway, so even if you pull off some feat, no one will know it was you."
"Wh-what do you take me for?! Anyone hearing that would think I'm only obsessed with vanity projects! How insulting!"
"You're not?"
"I'm not!"
Like hell you're not. I know you inside and out.
Watching Lenis huff in anger, I jerked my chin toward the city.
"Come on. Time to work."
"Work?"
"Yeah. We'll be living rough on the road from here on out, so I need to beat that pampered noble lady vibe out of you first. I'll teach you how wild men survive. Oh, but keep your face covered like last time if you can. Pretty girls showing their faces never ends well."
Thinking I was flirting like back at the academy, Lenis kicked me square in the ass.
Lately, Ravi and Elfin's reactions had been getting a bit dull, so with someone this responsive joining the crew, I figured it'd be fun to watch. I led her straight to the mercenary rest house in the city.
As soon as Lenis realized where we'd arrived, she shot me a uneasy glance.
"Why are we here?"
"Why do you think? To work."
"Taking a commission? Then why not go to a proper quest office?"
"And reveal our identities? You know you have to register full details for everyone in the party at an official quest office, right?"
"Uh..."
"We can't go anywhere like that right now. Besides, compared to Ravi or Elfin, you lack real combat experience. Start as a day laborer here at the mercenary rest house and roll around in the dirt a bit. From now on, keep your face hidden and your mouth shut. Skinny build like yours plus being a woman? Trouble's guaranteed."
I grabbed Lenis's hand and pulled her through the doors into the mercenary rest house.
The first floor doubled as a tavern, packed with rough-looking mercenaries boozing, gambling, eating, and hollering even in broad daylight.
A few eyes flicked our way briefly, but they quickly lost interest and went back to their own fun.
Pushing through the crowds, I reached the counter and approached a burly man there.
The guy, wiping glasses with a dingy rag, glanced at us before turning back to his work with a gruff reply.
"You look like you were raised soft. Whatever you're after, this ain't the place for folks like you. Looking to join up? Try a knight order or mage tower."
"Nah, not joining up. I need work."
"Wrong address still. Quest office is two blocks down."
"Hey."
I rested an arm on the counter and said,
"I'm not some softie like you think, and I don't need safe jobs for bookworms. I'm here for commissions that pay real gold fast."
"Just leave. I'm saying this for your own good."
"Really? Too bad. I heard this place hooks up the risky, high-pay stuff... Guess not, huh."
I leaned back and shrugged.
"Looks like I got bad intel. This place doesn't take high-risk gigs for quick cash—just 'safe and guaranteed' basic crap? Sorry to bother you. I'll try another rest house—"
"Hey, hold up. Stop right there."
Not just the rag guy—even the mercenaries drinking and gambling at nearby tables glared at me with fire in their eyes.
Lenis, face covered, shrank against me in terror at the stares, while the bartender twitched and leaned forward, veins bulging on his forehead.
"Who the hell said we only handle 'safe and guaranteed' basic jobs, huh? You calling the Iron Wolf Mercenaries a joke? I told you to leave for your sake, but you push it this far? Fine, what do you want?"
"High pay, danger level irrelevant. Cash upfront."
The man rummaged through some commission sheets, pulled one out, and slapped it on the counter.
"Hazard level 6. Three lab rejects escaped from the nearby mage tower and holed up in the mountains northwest of here. Close to civilian areas, so they're terrorizing the locals. Seven subjugation attempts so far—all failed, all applicants dead. Pay's 5,000 gold. You in?"
I took the sheet and skimmed it.
[...These specimens possess robust physiques and magic resistance from enduring the mage tower's experiments. They also boast extreme regeneration and physical defense, making them highly dangerous. The mage tower strongly advises full preparation for any takers!]
"Looks good. Proof of subjugation?"
"Claw or tongue works—they can ID it on sight. Two of you?"
"Nah, she's my servant, so count it as one."
Crunch!
Fuming at the "servant" bit, Lenis stomped hard on my foot.
The man slid over a contract and pen, pointing to the bottom right.
"Sign here. Normal split on success is 8:2, but..."
He eyed me with a sleazy chuckle.
"You sound pretty cocky about your skills. So you don't need manpower or gear from our group, right? Go handle it solo with your servant. If you come back alive, we'll make this one 10:0, no cut for us."
The other mercenaries snickered, figuring I'd die for sure.
I signed after confirming the 10:0 split, then handed it back.
"Generous terms right off the bat—I like the big spending here. Don't regret it later. We'll be right back."
"Hey, don't die on us!"
"Crawl back with all limbs intact, and we'll clap for you!"
Ignoring the mocking laughter, I left the rest house and headed northwest into the mountains.
As the staffer said, the lab rejects' turf wasn't far from town.
I already knew the level range for local commissions—even the toughest here was manageable for me.
Especially now with my new Judgment skill.
But this wasn't just about cash.
Money mattered, but helping Lenis grow came first.
We hadn't wandered long in the suspected area when the specimen sensed us first and came lumbering out for dinner—no need to hunt it down.
A squat torso with one lion leg, one lizard leg, and a tail split into three lion tails.
The body was an unnatural mashup of lion and goat, wrapped in a snake body like a coil, with three heads: lion, goat, and snake.
"...Wasn't it three separate ones?"
"Eek... Th-they're all tangled up! It looks just like a hydra..."
"Escaped the tower, ate whatever, absorbed it—even fused with each other? Real hydra vibes. Alright, from now on, you're Chimera Hydra... Nah, syllable repeat kills the ring. Chimerahydra—"
"Quit babbling and get ready to fight!!!"
Water jets from the snake mouth, flames from the lion, lightning from the goat—we dodged in a hurry.
Fused together, the three made for serious power.
I activated Eye that Pierces Truth to check the chimera-or-hydra-whatever's status.
[Lv. 65 Fusion Body 2-AN-J1]
Monster formed when three lab animals, driven by hunger, tried to devour each other and fused. Each head wields fire, water, or lightning; tough body with high magic resistance. But hit the fusion joints on its back precisely for critical damage.
"Lenis! There's a joint on its back where the bodies connect—aim there precisely!"
"Eek? Why do I have to fight alone?!"
"'Cause I took this job to build your combat experience?"
"Grr...! You could've picked an easier one... Eek!"
As the beast's heads split attacks—some at me, some at her—Lenis yelped, dodged, and swung her staff.
A magic circle bloomed at the tip's arc, erupting into a massive fireball that engulfed the monster.
Boom!
True to Lenis's style, it was a grand, flashy explosion... but
"Grrrrowl!!!"
This thing was a fusion of lab-hardened beasts—mid-tier magic barely scratched it.
Plus, her spells favored wide blasts over precision, so the fusion took zero damage and counterattacked.
Lenis tried a few more, then switched to basic Mana Blade for pinpoint strikes. But she'd always skimped on fundamentals for showy spells, so power and accuracy sucked.
"Grr... Me, losing to some beast like this..."
Sensing things going south, Lenis sweated bullets, firing more Mana Blades. After nearly an hour, she finally nicked the weak spot joint.
But her basics were weak—the blade couldn't sever it. She burned through her mana, collapsed in exhaustion, legs giving out.
"A-Alvis! Help me!!"
"You got it!"
She'd pushed hard enough.
I drew Light Saber, wedged between her and the beast, blocking its claws.
"Lenis, fall back!"
Legs limp, she scrambled backward awkwardly. I gained some distance and raised my blade to the sky.
Time to test the new skill.
Massive mana drained from me in a flash. The sky above the fusion lit up white.
As it blinked at the sudden light,
I narrowed the range just past its size and unleashed.
Slamming Light Saber down triggered spears of light raining like judgment from above, piercing the fusion.
"KRAAAAA!!!"
It screamed in agony.
I'd memorized the exact weak joint spots earlier.
True to its name, the divine barrage pinned it in place. Light spears with physical punch orbital-struck the ground, kicking up dirt clouds instantly.
When the dust settled and light faded, the fusion lay dead—joints shredded beyond repair.
"Huff... huff... Mana drain's no joke. Can't do that twice."
"N-No way... It shrugged off everything I threw for an hour..."
Shocked that the monster she'd dodged for an hour dropped in one hit, Lenis looked stunned.
"Alvis... Alvis... To think I'm weaker than you... This can't be..."
"What, realizing it now?"
Tears welling from the blow, she glared daggers and pointed accusingly.
"Y-You think I'll just accept this?! Fine, you barely edged me out this time! But it's the last! Next time, I'll be way stronger! Get ready!"
"Heh, 'get ready'? Prove it with results first."
"Urgh... Grrr..."
I poked at her pride on purpose to fire her up.
In the game, Lenis felt crushing shame when her flaws showed—but turned demon-possessed to fix them.
The next two weeks until Ravi and Elfin returned would remake her from the ground up into a solid mage.