Chapter 4 - {Mercenary} 2
{Mercenary} 2
Translator : Elizabeth
Chapter 4
Borgo, the 'One-Eyed' Captain of the Grey Wolf Mercenary Group, was a man who had grown tough in this field.
20 years of mercenary life.
He had seen countless types of guys.
Guys full of bluff, guys with skill but no guts, guys with guts but no skill.
But this kid in front of him right now didn't belong to any of those categories.
"……."
Borgo looked alternately at the shattered table and Kang Jin-ho's immaculate fingers.
Neither aura nor mana could be felt.
Just pure physical force.
And to think it was power that turned thick oak into powder with just a flick of a single finger.
'Is he a monster?'
There was only one thought in Borgo's mind.
This kid was not a vessel meant to stay in this cramped Barony.
'A noble hiding his identity? Or the disciple of a reclusive master?'
His identity was unknown.
But at the same time, greed squirmed.
Opportunities to exploit such overwhelming martial power at a bargain price were rare.
He wouldn't be able to use him for long, but he would be useful in many ways.
Above all, he thought it would be more dangerous to leave him be.
"You pass."
Borgo declared in a hoarse voice.
Then, cheers burst out from among the mercenaries who had been stiff.
"Wow! That's awesome?"
"It's the first time I've seen the Captain not charge for the table!"
"Hey, kid… no, rookie! What did you eat to be that strong?"
The gazes that were sneering just moments ago were nowhere to be found.
In the mercenary field where power is the law, Kang Jin-ho's martial power was the most certain proof of identity.
Kang Jin-ho smiled bitterly at their change of attitude and nodded.
"I look forward to working with you. I am Kang Jin-ho."
Like that, Kang Jin-ho's mercenary life began.
Borgo did not spare Kang Jin-ho.
No, to be precise, he tried to get his money's worth immediately.
"What should I do first now?"
"Are you talking about rookie training? There's no need for that crap. You are in actual combat immediately."
The day after joining, Kang Jin-ho was deployed straight into an actual mission.
The place he was assigned to was Team 3, which had eaten some 'jambab' (experience) even within the mercenary group.
The team leader was a young man with a good-natured impression named Hans.
"Nice to meet you, Jin-ho. Seeing that the Captain plugged you into our team, he must have high expectations."
Hans smiled and patted Kang Jin-ho's shoulder.
However, a subtle doubt lingered in his eyes along with curiosity.
There was no way he would be glad that a kid had joined. He seemed to think it would be fortunate if he wasn't just a burden.
But it didn't take even half a day for that doubt to turn into astonishment.
"Grrrrr!"
A pack of Orc Warriors popped out from the forest.
For ordinary mercenaries, they were opponents against whom they would have to tense up and form a formation.
But Kang Jin-ho yawned and stepped forward.
"Shall I take care of them?"
"Huh? Hey, it's dangerous! Step back!"
Hans shouted urgently.
An Orc Warrior's axe possessed the power to split even rock.
No matter how strong he was, charging in with a bare body without even wearing armor was no different from a suicidal act.
Vwoom—!
The Orc's axe fell towards Kang Jin-ho's head.
Hans tried to squeeze his eyes shut.
Imagining the terrible sight of blood spurting and a head splitting open.
But the result was different.
Swish—.
Kang Jin-ho's body swayed like a ghost.
A difference of a sheet of paper.
The axe blade passed by as if grazing Kang Jin-ho's nose bridge and cut through the empty air.
'If I don't get hit, that's it.'
Kang Jin-ho thought.
Actually, he didn't think it would hurt much even if he got hit, but he declined having the clothes he just bought get torn.
He lightly ducked his upper body and extended his fist toward the Orc's jaw.
Thwack—!
With a dull impact sound, the Orc's head snapped at a bizarre angle.
The massive body weighing over 100kg flew while doing a somersault and crashed into a tree.
"……."
Hans and the Team 3 members dropped their jaws.
That was only the beginning.
"Next!"
Kang Jin-ho moved as if dancing.
Weaving, Ducking, Slip.
The boxing steps learned on Earth were sufficient to toy with the monsters of another world.
The axes and clubs of the Orcs couldn't graze the hem of Kang Jin-ho's clothes even once.
On the other hand, every time Kang Jin-ho's fist touched them, the Orcs burst like watermelons.
"Hey… is that human?"
"The Captain brought a monster."
That day, the mission ended within the shortest time in history.
0 injured.
It was a result of Kang Jin-ho sweeping everything alone.
The after-party once the mission ended.
Kang Jin-ho instantly became the idol of Team 3.
"Here, our youngest! Eat a lot!"
"Wow, you were really amazing. Where did you learn those steps?"
The team members vied to push meat toward Kang Jin-ho.
Kang Jin-ho, bewildered, accepted and ate the meat.
At first, he thought of the mercenary group merely as a means to make money, but after rubbing shoulders and living with them, it wasn't bad.
They were rough and foul-mouthed, but they were people who didn't hold grudges.
As alcohol went in, they began to confess their personal circumstances one by one.
"Haa, if I save money this time, I'm really retiring. My daughter back in my hometown is already five years old."
Bern, a middle-aged man with a bushy beard, took out an old pendant to show it and grinned foolishly.
Inside it was a portrait of a cute little child.
"Brother, you always say that. Isn't it already the 3rd year?"
"Shut up, rascal! This time it's for real. Once I gather a lump sum, I'm going straight back to farm."
At Bern's words, everyone giggled.
Another team member next to him, Tom, also emptied his beer mug and chimed in.
"Me too. I'm sick of this crap too. Chasing after monster assholes has its limits too. I'm going to save money and open a bakery or something. You know my dream was to be a baker, right?"
"Bread made by you would be like rocks and break everyone's teeth!"
"What? You bastard!"
In the boisterous atmosphere, Kang Jin-ho smiled faintly.
'Everyone is the same.'
Although they wore the grand title of mercenary, in the end, they were all ordinary citizens walking on a knife's edge day by day to make a living, for their families, and for their future.
"What about you, Jin-ho?"
Team Leader Hans asked abruptly.
He poured juice into Kang Jin-ho's cup and smiled gently.
"What will you do when you save money?"
"Me? Um…."
Kang Jin-ho pondered for a moment.
His goal was to survive until the original story started 10 years later, but he didn't have a concrete dream.
"Well. For now, I want to earn a lot of money and live comfortably. Eat delicious food to my heart's content, and sleep in a nice house."
"Haha, it's good because it's simple. Yeah, that's the best."
Hans nodded and put his arm around Kang Jin-ho's shoulder.
"What is there for guys like us? Earning money and living like a human being, that's everything. Isn't that right?"
"That's correct."
"Right, Team 3 is lucky this time. Since a lucky charm like you rolled in. Let's all pull off one big heist together and leave this field. Got it?"
At Hans's words, the team members raised their glasses high.
"For Grey Wolf Team 3!"
"For us!"
Clink—!
The sound of glasses clinking rang out cheerfully.
Kang Jin-ho also felt good along with them and emptied his juice glass.
'It smells like people here.'
Ultimately, this was also a place where people lived.
The purpose of coming here was first to create a stable identity as a mercenary.
However, looking at how things were now, the thought occurred that it might be okay to enjoy it a little more.
A few days later.
Captain Borgo summoned Team 3.
A tension different from usual hung in his office.
"It's a big job."
Borgo spread an old map on the table.
It was the abandoned mine area north of the Barony of Kales.
"The client is a noble who hasn't revealed their identity. The content is to find the 'Secret Safe of a Fallen Noble' deep inside the abandoned mine."
"A secret safe, does that mean there is treasure?"
Hans's eyes sparkled.
Borgo nodded.
"Yeah. What the client wants is only the single 'Family Seal' inside the safe. The condition is that you guys can have all the rest of the treasure."
"A-All of it?"
"All of it. Of course, don't forget that you have to offer a portion to me as tribute."
The breathing of the team members became rough.
If it was a noble family's safe, the treasure inside would be beyond imagination.
Even if they offered a portion to Borgo, it was certain that the remaining amount alone would be tremendous.
It was an opportunity to touch a large sum of money at once that they couldn't touch even if they worked their whole lives.
Bern swallowed dry saliva thinking of his daughter's face, and Tom thinking of his bakery.
"However, it is dangerous."
Borgo warned.
"That place is known to be guarded by ancient golems and powerful demonic beasts. Countless mercenaries have challenged it in the meantime, but almost no one returned in one piece."
At those words, the atmosphere sank as if cold water had been poured over it.
It was a gamble with their lives.
But Borgo's gaze was directed toward Kang Jin-ho.
"But we have Jin-ho."
All gazes focused on Kang Jin-ho.
That overwhelming martial power that handled Orcs like toys.
If it was him, it might be possible.
"How about it, can you do it?"
At Borgo's question, Kang Jin-ho scanned the map.
Golems or demonic beasts were not fearful.
Rather, he was enticed by the words that he could earn a huge amount of money.
"Let's go. We can just smash them, whatever."
At Kang Jin-ho's refreshing answer, Hans clenched his fist tightly.
"Good! We're going! If we succeed just this once, we all retire!"
"Wooooow!"
Watching their cheering figures, Kang Jin-ho felt a slight tinge of regret.
'If this request ends, everyone in Team 3 will retire.'
It was regrettable, but it couldn't be helped.
Everyone had dreams; he couldn't tell them to continue this dangerous mercenary work.
'I should also prepare my identity first when I earn some money this time.'