Mercenaries from Kairon
Mu-hyuk opened his eyes and pressed one hand to his head.
"Ugh......"
It was a pounding headache from the hangover.
Ow, my head. My stomach's churning too.
He got out of bed and headed to the kitchen. He pulled a bottle of chilled water from the fridge and chugged it down. The icy cold sliding down his throat made him feel a bit better. But the headache lingered, so he scowled and glanced around. Instinctively, he was searching for hangover soup.
Creeeak.
Right on cue, the door to the master bedroom opened, and his mother emerged.
"You're awake?"
"Yeah."
"Stomach hurting? You drank a lot last night."
"Yeah, head hurts a little too."
"Wait there. I'll make you some nuk-eot-guk."
Mu-hyuk gave a faint smile at her words.
The nuk-eot-guk was ready in no time.
"Thanks for the meal."
He polished off a bowl in record time, and like magic, the stomachache and headache vanished.
"Whew, feels good to be alive."
"Why'd you drink so much?"
"Oh, you know Illusion's World?"
"Of course."
"Ended up talking with the PD from there."
"The PD?"
"Yeah, we're signing a contract."
His mother, Lee Hye-yeon, widened her eyes a bit.
"A contract?"
"Yeah, they want to film me playing the game."
"So you'll be on TV too?"
"Obviously."
He wasn't particularly attached to being on TV, but if it happened, it happened.
They chatted about the contract details, and before he knew it, quite some time had passed.
"Huh? Mom, sorry—I think I need to log in."
"Go ahead."
He jumped up from his chair and hurried to his room.
Welcome to a new world.
As soon as he logged in, nearby users' gazes converged on him.
"Oppa!"
"Hey, why're you so late?"
"Uh, sorry. Drank a bit last night."
"Huh? You drank, oppa?"
"Yeah, got a call from the Illusion's World PD."
"What? No way—a contract?"
Mu-hyuk nodded.
"Ooh, congrats."
"Congrats, oppa."
"Thanks. You guys waited long?"
At Mu-hyuk's question, Yerin lowered her voice.
"Actually, you're the last one. We waited about 10 minutes."
"Hmm."
Only then did he realize why the stares felt so prickly.
Of course, no one confronted him outright. They'd fought alongside him enough to know just how incredible he was.
In simple terms—a powerhouse.
In Illusion, strength was everything.
"Sorry."
He apologized anyway.
"Nah, whatever."
"It's fine."
Everyone accepted it without much fuss.
Just then, the knight shouted.
"Everyone's here—let's head out to reclaim the village!"
They moved from place to place reclaiming captured villages and small cities, and during breaks, Mu-hyuk enhanced his summons' gear bit by bit.
That evening.
Meeting Kim Min-ho PD again, Mu-hyuk signed the proper contract.
"Alright, filming starts tomorrow."
"Got it. I'm in Josef Small City right now, so come before 9 a.m."
"Of course."
The terms were good, and their intentions aligned with his, so he was looking forward to tomorrow's shoot.
"Oh, same MCs, right?"
"Yes, Yura and Sung-ho. Any issues...?"
"No, it's fine."
"See you tomorrow then."
After parting with Kim Min-ho PD, Mu-hyuk got in his car to head home. He hadn't rested enough the night before, so fatigue clung to him stubbornly.
Rest for real today.
On the way home, he spotted a sports massage shop in the neighborhood.
Hmm, maybe get a massage.
He'd come here with his family once before.
After a moment's hesitation, he parked and entered the building, heading up to the massage shop. It was busier than expected—mostly couples or families.
"Welcome."
"Uh, hi."
"Solo?"
"Yes."
"I'd recommend the sports massage."
"Hmm."
70,000 won for an hour.
100,000 for an hour and a half.
"I'll take that."
"Hour and a half sports massage—100,000 won."
He paid by card, and the staff led him to a room. He changed into the shop's clothes and lay down. Soon, the masseuse entered.
The massage began immediately.
"Ngh...!"
It hurt more than expected.
"Too painful?"
"Y-yeah."
"Your shoulders are really knotted—need to loosen them. Tell me if it's still too much."
"Okay."
She eased up a bit, but it still stung.
Ugh...!
But he could endure it.
About three minutes in.
Eh...?
The pain faded.
Oh, whoa.
A soothing coolness spread, bringing on drowsiness.
Especially his shoulders and neck felt refreshed.
"Better now?"
"Y-yeah."
After that, his memory blurred.
When he came to, the session was over.
An hour and a half?
He wondered if he'd really been massaged that long.
But the time checked out.
More importantly, his body felt incredibly light.
Feels amazing.
He couldn't help but smile.
He changed back, went home, showered, and rolled around on the bed. Normally, he'd need stretches for the stiffness, but not today.
So light...!
His body was in such perfect shape he didn't even need rest.
Time for enhancements.
In the end, he gave up resting and logged into Illusion. With most users logged out, the quiet space was perfect for enhancing his summons' gear.
Clang, clang!
Light burst with every hammer swing.
Enhancement succeeded.
One weapon reached +8 surprisingly easily. But the next kept failing, so he didn't finish until 1 a.m.
Two weapons today.
Not bad.
Log out.
Satisfied, Mu-hyuk finally went to sleep.
The next day.
Mu-hyuk's eyes snapped open, and he checked the time first.
7:20 a.m.
He got up and moved around.
Still light.
The massage's effects were impressive.
Should do this more often.
Thinking that, he ate breakfast and logged in. It was just past 8, so few were online. He continued enhancements like yesterday.
About 20 minutes later, Yerin logged in first.
"Oppa!"
"Hey."
"Enhancing?"
"Yeah."
"Oh, the filming crew's coming today, right?"
"Yeah, before 9."
Yerin's expression turned odd.
"So Yura's coming too?"
"Yep, she's the MC."
"I see."
Mu-hyuk ruffled her hair.
"Jealous?"
"Jealous? No!"
"Looks like jealousy."
"It's not!"
Mu-hyuk chuckled.
"Don't worry."
"I'm not. You're mine!"
"Obviously."
As they chatted, retching sounds came from nearby.
"Urp—blegh."
Sung Min-woo, who knew when he'd logged in, was fake-gagging with a disgusted face.
"You two always like this? Goosebumps, total goosebumps."
"Just say you're jealous."
"Not even a little!"
Bickering as usual, users started gathering one by one. Kang Ji-yeon logged in, and finally, the Illusion's World filming crew arrived on time to cover Mu-hyuk.
"Hello!"
Male users' eyes widened at Yura's entrance.
"Whoa, goddess...!"
"Holy... "
"Yura! Yura!"
"Daepak!"
Everyone went wild.
"Thanks for the warm welcome! We'll be filming here starting today. Nice to meet you all!"
"Totally welcome!"
"Ugh, so pretty!"
"She's an angel!"
"Hoho, thank you."
Yura's charm shone through.
The warlike atmosphere had been tense lately, but her presence alone lifted the fatigue.
"Alright, everyone—let's do our best!"
"Azaza!"
"Say my name once! Kim Cheol-min!"
"Cheol-min, fighting!"
"Wooo!"
The cheerful vibe lingered. Being a recorded broadcast, Yura mingled more, asking questions and chatting.
Mu-hyuk was the main focus, but with no battle yet, they had time to spare.
"Whoa, she's killer."
"Best mood ever today?"
Yura calmly won everyone over.
"Alright, time to head out?"
"Yeah."
The knight, who'd been watching, finally stepped up to lead the mercenaries.
*
First stop: a small village.
They reclaimed it easily, then moved on to the small city.
Thanks to Yura? The users gave their all, and Mu-hyuk displayed his overwhelming power as always.
During a break, a child suddenly emerged from a secluded building.
Mu-hyuk, who'd spotted the kid clearly, turned his head.
Sung Min-woo, Yerin, Kang Ji-yeon—even Yura—all wore expressions of clear recognition.
"Huh?"
But the boy darted back inside.
It wasn't voluntary.
A rough hand had shot out from the open door and yanked him in.
"NPC, right?"
"Yeah."
"Hiding there?"
"Let's go tell them to run now."
"Okay."
As Sung Min-woo casually stood to approach.
"Everyone, focus!"
The knight's voice boomed.
His hardened expression—he'd received word from a soldier ahead.
"Strangers approaching. Seems like Kairon Continent mercenaries."
Users gathered around the knight.
"What? You mean...?"
"They're coming to take this place."
Mu-hyuk and his group's faces stiffened.
Anxious eyes.
"What now?"
"Block them from that building first."
Having spotted the NPC inside, they had to protect them.
"Fight them away from here?"
"Yeah."
"Whew, we have to win this one no matter what."
"Damn right."
Everyone steeled their resolve.
More than usual.
"Battle stations, everyone!"
Not far off.
A group emerged from the forest.
More numerous than expected.
About twice the Forma Continent users defending the small city.
"Execute Plan 3!"
Mercenaries took positions at the knight's command. Some blocked the city entrance. As enemy users closed in, ranged attackers unleashed hell.
Kaboom!
The incoming enemies did the same.
Powers clashed in the sky.
——!
Bursting through the fierce storm, enemy users reached the entrance.
"Defend!"
Entrance defenders held the first line, but endless assaults made it impossible.
They fell back quickly; others stepped in. Gradually retreating, they yielded the entrance.
"Charge!"
"Inside!"
"Push!"
Kairon Continent mercenaries flooded into the city.
"Hup...!"
At that moment, they faced a hail of arrows from waiting archers and mounted archers.