Mercenary Offer (2)
“Nice to meet you, Hellfire. I've seen you so much on broadcasts that I've always wanted to meet you in person.”
This is the living legend of Galaxy War, Hellfire!
Back when I was in high school, the legendary figure from my favorite game was none other than this man. The famous pro gamer known worldwide under the ID 'Hellfire'—not just in Korea, but everywhere. He'd even contributed massively to popularizing the gaming industry. Hell, he'd carried the Olympic torch in Italy and made the cover of Time magazine. That said it all.
The most famous pro gamer of all time! The guild master who founded Phoenix Guild and grew it into a powerhouse—that was the legacy he'd built.
“I heard that our vice guild master approached you with impure intentions not long ago. It happened without my knowledge, but let me take this opportunity to formally apologize once more.”
“It's fine. It all ended without any issues, didn't it? And thanks to Last Chance's kindness, I've already forgotten about it.”
Come to think of it, I figured Hidden Card would come along too, but he hadn't. Then again, holding onto the number one Holy Knight ranking meant nonstop hunting without a moment's rest.
“Thank you for saying that. I've heard a lot about you from Ra Chan. He says you're a super rookie who could turn the entire Tayen upside down. To be honest, I just thought you were an ordinary guy who got lucky with a divine sword.”
“Haha! Not wrong there. I'm just riding the coattails of how OP this divine sword is.”
“But looking back at your exploits, you're clearly no ordinary player. If we could recruit you into our guild, that'd be a dream come true... What do you say? Won't you join us?”
“I appreciate the high praise and the generous offer, but I'm sorry. I prefer going solo. Anyway, we're both busy people—shall we get to the point? You said you had something to discuss with me?”
“Just as straightforward as you seem on the broadcasts. The truth is, this siege war is a make-or-break moment for Phoenix Guild, so I wanted to meet and confirm one last thing.”
I'd watched Titan's performance on broadcasts, so I wondered why he'd worry, but his explanation made it clear enough.
Siege wars usually favored the defenders, who often had numerical disadvantages but got major advantages. These weren't uniform across castles; they varied to encourage different strategies per location. Some had moats, others didn't. Some sat in open plains, while others perched isolated on cliffs like fortresses.
For castles without terrain perks, powerful NPC knight orders or special NPCs like mages and priests aided the defense aggressively.
The castle I'd be joining for—Rozentas Castle—was perched atop a cliff, infamous for its massive terrain advantage. The only approach was a long steel bridge connecting to the cliff, making it ideal for focused defense.
But that alone wouldn't have made it so notorious. Four towering spires around the inner gate. Ever since Taeseong packed them with mages, no one had breached Rozentas's inner gate even once.
“That's why Rozentas is the easiest castle for Taeseong to defend. You might know this, but early after conquest, tons of guilds challenged it. Now? Zero attempts. Everyone's convinced breaching the inner gate is impossible for the foreseeable future.”
Taeseong's mage squads on those four spires—half shielding, half blasting AoE skills—meant no player could cross that bridge and reach the inner gate unscathed.
Sure, a massive air-mobile force could counter it, but that was months away at best.
These days, Taeseong's mages just chatted away during the one-hour sieges. Hellfire's request? Ambush and wipe them out.
“What I need confirmed from you, Sandro, is whether a stealth raid is truly feasible. Not doubting Titan's power, but the layout here... Sneaking into the inner keep undetected, then wiping four spires in short order? Even to me, that sounds like too much for one person.”
Defenders respawned at the main keep's point even if killed. Fail to wipe all four spires' personnel quickly, and they'd reform ranks despite post-resurrection slowdowns.
Titan could obviously clear one spire. But crossing to the other three within its short summon window? A whole different beast.
It was a valid risk to worry about.
“As you can see from the explanation, breaching the inner gate means we've taken Rozentas. It's so tough to crack that Taeseong barely stations anyone at the obelisk anymore. So your success basically decides the siege. Can you really pull it off?”
But I wouldn't have accepted without confidence. The day Last Chance proposed, I'd reviewed past Rozentas siege videos and felt sure enough to sign on.
“I can. You've probably guessed, but I have stealth that Perception can't detect. That's what let me hit Hong Dang Mu's mage squad during the Bernstein siege.”
“What? Stealth like that exists in Tayen? I pride myself on knowing pretty much everything here, but that's news to me.”
“And conveniently, I just tamed a flying pet, so hopping between spires won't be an issue.”
“Hm... Even with a flying pet, is it doable? Rozentas is crawling with mages and archers, even if the obelisk is lightly guarded. My real worry isn't mobility—it's whether Titan's summon time holds up.”
This guy... Acting casual, but he'd been subtly probing Titan's summon time and weaknesses the whole chat.
Honestly, confirming mission feasibility was an excuse; he was fishing for Titan intel. PC version or not, plenty differed, so wanting every scrap of info made sense.
Since I'd publicized Titan's power on broadcasts, Tayen was shifting fast. Whoever hoarded Titans quickest would dominate.
“But... why ask now? You offered the job calculating Titan could handle the spire mages, right? And my pet's special—no need to worry.”
“Sorry, not meant to offend. Apologies. Special, you say?”
“Yeah. Mine's unusually big and tough. You'll see tomorrow. Then you'll get why I'm so confident!”
* * *
“So? You're using Titan in this siege too, huh?”
“Yeah. Took the advance—can't back out now. No reason to, either.”
4 a.m. At the convenience store I'd hit so often with Hyunjung it felt like a second home, I recounted my meeting with Hellfire.
“Hellfire. Guy's got presence, alright. Sounds like he's basically locked in as Reverse's second king? Most pro gamers flop hard in Tayen, but not him.”
“Yeah. Even in-game, his aura's real. Every word feels loaded—makes you cautious. Total mega-guild master vibe.”
“Cutthroat game world. Twenty-plus years at the top? Experience like that stands out. But from his rep, he's not the backstabbing type, right?”
“True. If I were my old self, just the recruitment offer would've been a huge honor.”
Saying that left a weird taste. Was I really at the level to get treated like a big shot? Or just overpraised for lucking into the ultimate item?
I'd always downplayed lucky bastards before, but had Hellfire secretly thought the same?
Sipping my beer, lost in thought, Hyunjung picked up on it.
“Dude, why the mopey face? You feel unearned 'cause you haven't grinded steady? Nah, all those games you played built experience and skill—that's why you're getting this treatment now. Think anyone grabs a divine sword and pulls off what you do? Maybe a pro like me, but regular Joes? No shot!”
“Who said I was moping, you bullshitter? Just feels like I've stepped into another world lately.”
“Another world?”
“Yeah. Same game, but feels totally different. Money's on a scale I never knew. Meanwhile, my one-room and this conbini beer? Same old shit...”
“Jihwan. Hear me out. Every rags-to-riches story goes through exactly what you're feeling.”
“...”
“Think of Gary Field, playing barefoot 'cause no shoe money. When he hit that 80-billion salary, you think he never felt dazed like you? Or Baek Jun from RTO—hundreds of audition fails, now world-touring. He ever think this was his 'natural' spot?”
Hyunjung suddenly dead serious, dropping life advice like some elder. But damn if he wasn't spot on.
“'Opportunity favors the prepared.' You and them? Kept at it steady, grabbed the chance when it came, succeeded. Yours just happened to be games, so you looked like a shut-in otaku all this time! Heh!”
“Shut your trap, you fellow shut-in otaku. I get it, so drop it. Got it, you trash otaku borrowing a sword from a shut-in?”
“Too embarrassing to admit your bro's right? Anyway, how's the siege looking? Confident? Even with Titan, clearing four spires one by one'll take time.”
“Huh? Who said I'm using Titan at Rozentas? Not planning to.”
“What? You just said you'd use it this siege. Where then?”
Thanks to unexpectedly taming the red drake, I'd overhauled huge chunks of my plan. Including something only I could pull off in current Tayen.
“Kaljen Castle! Hyunjung, I'm solo-capturing a castle this siege. First ever in Tayen—by myself!”