Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: One Step Closer to Senior Karin (2)
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Within the same squad, we had a senior-junior relationship where we clicked pretty well, but she never gave an inch beyond that.
And now, she was showing personal interest in me for the first time.
I thought I'd made the right call not following the Squad Leader, and at the same time, a smug sense of satisfaction welled up inside me.
But wasn't this the classic blunder those lifelong virgins back in Korea always made—overreacting to a woman's tiniest bit of attention and completely killing the vibe?
I couldn't squander this rare chance like that, so I took a deep inward breath and responded.
"Yes, I appreciate the Squad Leader's gesture. But like I said, I'm not interested in prostitutes."
Just as I'd said, my goal was to climb the ranks, gather women who truly loved me, and build a harem—not to wildly screw around with pretty-faced, great-bodied whores.
Any prostitute would have been with more men before me than fingers and toes could count, and after me, she'd be with countless more...
The thought alone triggered an instinctive revulsion.
"The guy who said back at that first tavern he wanted to rise up and build a harem now claims he's not into that? Doesn't add up. You're not turning it down just because that girl Natalia might be ugly, are you?"
Karin fixed me with a piercing stare from her green eyes.
"No. I'm really not interested."
As I answered, she snorted derisively.
"Never met a mercenary who talked like that and actually hated pretty whores. You're saying it now, but give it time—you'll end up just like Squad Leader Pior."
I had zero interest whatsoever in whoever this Natalia was—the woman who apparently could take my virginity and give me wild sex right away if I tagged along with the Squad Leader. I hadn't even seen her face or met her.
But if I phrased this wrong, I could blow my shot at building something good with Karin.
What to do? Play it roundabout to sound a bit more refined? Or go full manly honesty for maximum impact?
After a brief internal debate, I reached a decision.
Even if it came off as hickish, brutal honesty would have more pull on a cool-headed woman like Karin—melting her icy exterior.
"I'll be straight with you. It's a little embarrassing, but... my fantasy is being with a woman who only has eyes for me and loves me alone. That's why I became a mercenary."
I could see the ice on her frozen face thawing, just a little.
No smile yet, but my unexpected answer seemed to convey my sincerity. She was staring at me now, looking genuinely intrigued.
If I pushed just a bit further, she might start dismantling those mental walls she'd built against me.
"That's why, no matter how pretty or alluring the prostitutes are, I just don't want to get physical with them. Sure, I get that on this godforsaken continent, they do what they have to in order to survive... but I have zero intention of sleeping with them just for my own kicks."
This era had no real concept of hygiene to begin with, and the prostitutes tagging along with camp merchants definitely couldn't wash up properly on the regular.
I hadn't slept with them or even chatted them up personally, but there were precious few whores and a filthy ton of mercenaries standing at attention 24/7.
Insane demand, low supply—one woman handling 7 to 15 guys a day, and scrounging water to wash after each? No way that was easy...
Fuck, the more I thought about it, the more horrifying it got. Better quit while I'm ahead.
Anyway, a woman passed around like that was way beyond my limits.
Lost in those thoughts, I noticed Karin's lips twitch upward into a smile.
Did she find me corny? Or just amusing? Maybe both.
But the fact that she—a woman who almost never smiled—was doing so had to be a positive sign, right?
"Rookie—or Martin, was it? I pegged you as unusual from the first glance, but you're even more than I imagined."
"Is that so?"
Karin scooted a little closer to me as she spoke.
"Still, I like that mindset of yours. Doesn't seem like any other mercenaries think that way. I do too."
She blushed faintly, then whispered cautiously in a soft voice.
"Sex... it's something you do with the person you love. Just doing it for the pleasure, giving in to lust and sleeping with anyone... that's kinda off-putting..."
Wasn't a man and woman having this kind of talk proof that the barrier between us—the assumption that 'all male mercenaries are lowlifes'—had crumbled?
So now I could get a bit more forward, but still, I had to tread carefully, like walking on thin ice.
One slip from fully relaxing and pulling some desperate-virgin stunt, and this opportunity could crash and burn without warning.
This time, Karin's voice carried a hint of annoyance.
"I'll admit tastes vary on that stuff. But still, try not to go blabbing about it everywhere. Male mercenaries supposedly have nothing but smut in their heads, so they'd love dirty talk... but not me."
From the moment I first laid eyes on her, I'd burned with the desire to make her mine alone.
But up until now, surrounded by the other mercenaries, I'd felt the walls she kept up—always cold and distant.
Now, hearing her honest expressions and voice directed at me... just that alone stirred a creeping sense of superiority and accomplishment.
Still, I had to hold back. Rushing it would be like spilling ashes on a perfectly cooked meal.
"I feel the same. Honestly, I'm only saying this because it's you, Senior Karin..."
Her ears—distinctly elven—perked up sharply, a sign she was hooked on whatever I had to say.
"I'm grateful Squad Leader Pior looks out for me, but I wasn't into it, and it was a real hassle when he invited me along earlier. Didn't he just tell me to go screw the whore?"
"Yeah, he did. I was shocked when that cheapskate tried buying you beer and Natalia at Schweinehaxen just to impress you. Guy's so selfish, even the other Squad Leaders rag on him for being a stingy bastard."
This was that golden moment when the advice to bond with new coworkers by trash-talking the boss first actually worked.
True to her usual cool demeanor, she wasn't giggling like some girls with haha's and hoho's—but anyone could see she was smiling, looking genuinely pleased.
Chatting like this with me would steadily close the psychological gap between us.
"Really? I thought that was normal."
Karin waved her hand lightly at my words.
"Rookies—even up to two years in—blow their pay on a couple beers, armor, weapons, and it's gone. And if you can't eat or drink properly, you know from fighting wars: body and mind wear down, hard to keep going. So what do you do?"
Even back in Korea during military service, after brutal labor details, the platoon leader or company clerk would treat the guys to frozen PX grub or something.
How much more here, where swords and spears flew and lives hung by a thread? Even broke rookies needed good food and drink after battle to muster the strength to endure.
A Squad Leader ought to dip into his own pocket during wartime, buy eats and drinks, and go, 'Fuck it, let's do better tomorrow.'
The realization was so absurd a sigh escaped my lips.
"Ha, fuck... A Squad Leader pulls in way more pay than a rookie like me. Shouldn't he at least occasionally treat the squad to perk them up? Like today. That's how it's supposed to work, right?"
Karin let out a sympathetic sigh.
"Exactly. But our esteemed Squad Leader Pior? He's all about dumping cash on his favorite whores and saving for retirement—barely ever buys us jack properly. That's why me and Miller are the senior mercenaries in this squad."
"Yeah, that's right."
"So we two pooled our money to treat the rookies. Otherwise, they'd never hold out... Honestly, isn't Pior going too far? Dumping his responsibilities on us seniors."
I nodded quietly in agreement, and Karin—as the only female elf in our squad—was inevitably isolated from the rest.
She seemed thrilled to finally find someone she could really talk to.
She started unpacking all the gripes she'd bottled up, trash-talking Pior left and right.
Each time, I'd chime in with agreement: 'Really?', 'That's not right at all.'
I had no choice—it lined up perfectly with everything I'd been thinking.
As she spilled story after story, it looked like she was gradually tearing down the mental walls she'd built toward me.
The vibe was perfect to start prying into her personal life, but regrettably, someone tapped my back and spoke up.
"Rookie, sorry to interrupt your fun chat. Mind if I borrow Karin?"
I nodded, but Karin spoke up unwillingly.
"Recon Leader Jackson. I'm not going back to recon."
Jackson scratched his head, gave me a long look, and said,
"I'd love for you to come back too, but Adolf—that loser—got his ass handed to him by this rookie, but he still had some pull with the men. Sigh, fuck... it's tough because of your bad blood with that dog-shit bastard."
"Then why call me at all?"
"Wilson and Wheeler croaked in yesterday's fight, so recon's short-handed. Grab you and some other guy, temp team up, quick night recon to check enemy numbers. In return, no night watch for a week and 1 gold. Fair deal, right?"
1 gold plus a week off night watch sounded solid on paper, but Karin's face radiated pure irritation.
She glanced back and forth between me and Jackson, then said,
"Fine, then I'll take Martin on recon. But give us both 1 gold each, a week off night watch, and permission to sleep through tomorrow's duty."
Jackson sighed at that.
"Ugh, Karin. Can't you skip this one?"
"You know the recon team hates my guts. Might as well take Martin."
The two locked eyes in a silent standoff for a moment before Jackson's voice softened in defeat.
"Fine. But if you come back empty-handed, you're done."
With that, Jackson walked off, and Karin flashed a faint smile.
And just like that, Karin and I headed straight out for recon on the enemy lines.