Chapter 81
Chapter 81
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Everyone Sees Their Levels
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After that day when a single person smashed over a hundred men in a historic display of overwhelming power.
The creation of the Monster Hunting Corps proceeded without a hitch.
They had already laid out a step-by-step plan from the start, with only personnel recruitment left to handle, so there were no issues remaining.
The only minor change was Sion accepting every single applicant into the hunting corps.
Of course, not all became official members right away. To prepare for future expansion, they decided to take in those who would normally be rejected as reserve members.
Since it was Sion's decision, Yonas and the ministers couldn't dare raise objections, but rumors spread that sighs never stopped echoing in the Three-Headed Eagle Castle offices for a while.
In the end, the Monster Hunting Corps became a fairly large unit of 150 members, unlike the original plan.
It was an independent force blending veteran mercenaries who ranked in the top 5%, the Dukedom's regular troops who had long honed their coordination, and elf rangers who were the ultimate experts in pursuits, searches, and ambushes—not to mention human combat.
It was a powerhouse that even minor territories couldn't breathe in front of, and mid-to-large mercenary bands boasting some skill had to lower their gaze.
* * *
"Wow, damn! You guys are so lucky!"
"Bye, you bastards! It'd be even better if you all got crushed on the way!"
"Heh heh! Go grind your dicks hard! We're off!"
"Let's go! Let's go! Uhahaha!"
As their old comrades, now Monster Hunting Corps members, showered them with envious curses(?), the Black Eagle Legion soldiers flipped them the bird and waved, sending off heartfelt camaraderie in their farewell.
Rumble, rumble.
The Black Eagle Legion's garrison was in the midst of a large-scale relocation.
The legion, tasked with defending the capital Shionia, had decided to move to a plot owned by the ducal family behind the Three-Headed Eagle Castle. Though not far, staying separated from the capital continuously was inefficient in many ways.
And this place, now the former Black Eagle Legion garrison, was designated for the Monster Hunting Corps.
Originally housing over five hundred men, it felt too spacious for just 150, with empty spots everywhere, but Sion didn't mind.
It was obvious the numbers would more than double here within six months at the shortest or two years at the longest anyway.
"Ah, maybe I shouldn't have applied? Then I could've lived comfy in Shionia."
"Yeah, tell me about it."
Some corps members watched the departing legion soldiers with envious eyes.
Overhearing as they passed by, the Iron Mountain Dwarves assigned for construction work clicked their tongues.
"Tsk tsk. You guys know one thing but not the other."
"Huh? What're you talking about?"
Unlike the elves who rarely ventured out from their habitats, the corps members were more familiar with the active dwarves, another non-human race living in the Dukedom, and treated them casually.
"Why do you think we're here?"
"To make weapons and gear for you guys, duh."
True to dwarf form, the two with flushed cheeks around their noses from already downing beer bantered like a comedy duo.
"Yeah, we know that. But so what?"
"Listen, old timer, we're making gear for hundreds, not one or two. You think the forges, workshops, and sites will be small-scale?"
"Plus, all the monster byproducts you smashers haul in? Gotta build big warehouses to store that crap, right?"
"Hmm. Yeah, makes sense."
"And that's not all? You're gonna sell gear made from monster bits to other towns later, yeah? So more warehouses for that stuff. Once goods pile up, what's next?"
"You need tons of laborers for all the odd jobs. Where do those laborers eat and sleep? The corps ain't covering that, so barracks. But folks working all day don't just eat and crash, do they?"
"Nope! They drink, gamble a bit, then look for women. See? A village to handle everything springs up naturally."
"Right on! That's the gist."
The dwarf comedy duo high-fived and burst into laughter.
Enchanted by their spiel, corps members crowding around soon whispered to each other.
"So a village is gonna pop up near the garrison?"
"Listening to these guys, it sounds like it."
"Hoo! Not as good as Shionia, but this place might turn out pretty nice?"
Just then, Smirnov—the head of the Monster Hunting Corps' top civilian partner (facilities and equipment primary contractor)—approached, leading the dwarves, and grabbed the comedy duo by the ears.
"Heh heh! Drunk on the first day of work? Rare sight for you runts."
"Ow! Aaaah!"
"Mine Foreman comrade! Ears, a! Ears!"
"These comrades need some wholesome labor starting from the quarry. Drag 'em away."
He turned into the timid, pitiful dwarf nicknamed Vodka when facing Sion.
But Smirnov's original moniker was vividly eerie and specific: 'The Devil's Maw that Crawled Up from 1.5 Kilometers Underground (the deepest shaft dug by Iron Mountain Dwarves).'
It wasn't for nothing he could dismantle Yonas's ironclad budget defenses at the Three-Headed Eagle (Demon King) Castle with his maw alone.
Even lines like 'Did you snag that spot with your trap?'—which would sting anyone—bounced right off him.
Because it was true, after all.
Anyway, the representative of the red shovel-and-hammer banner, who mercilessly sentenced the boozed-up duo to labor reeducation, turned to the corps members with a kindly smile.
"Those comrades spouted nonsense in their cups, but it's all true. A decent-sized village will form around this corps in a few months. At least a town, at most a county."
Ooooh...!
"Merchants from everywhere will flock here, so all sorts of entertainment spots will pop up, top-quality too."
"Merchants? Won't that make everything pricey?"
A sharp-eyed corps member raised his hand with a question, and Smirnov's smile grew even warmer.
"You all are heroes risking your lives for us—for Sion!—smashing monsters in the Dukedom, right? So Monster Hunting Corps members get half-off rates."
Woooaaah!
The corps members erupted in cheers without exception.
"Hahaha! We'll head off to start work then. You heroes take care!"
Thanks!
We'll definitely swing by on payday!
Smirnov waved back at their cheers and thanks as he walked away.
Then, about ten meters out, the kindly smile vanished from his face, turning gaunt in an instant.
'If that many use everything at half price, losses will be huge short-term. But what can ya do? It's what His Excellency Sion ordered.'
Warehouses and workshops were necessary anyway, so the Iron Mountain Dwarves had to build those.
But the entertainment facilities near the corps? That was another story.
Still, the pitiful dwarf couldn't refuse the immortal old monster's command.
He'd already been forgiven for half-stepping into high treason by bringing in outside forces—enough to bow a hundred times over.
'Besides, losses can be made up elsewhere. It's actually a huge opportunity.'
Smirnov recalled his recent talk with Sion.
—All rights to monster byproducts belong to the ducal family. But we could let Iron Mountain Dwarves buy them to make weapons, gear, accessories, etc.—if the Mine Foreman proves loyal and diligent.
—Your Excellency! Give me a shot! I'll stake my life on it!
—Alright? Give it a go then. But like I said before, you build and run all the entertainment spots near the corps. Half-price for our boys.
It seemed like a potential big loss at a glance.
Plus, this was an Iron Mountain-wide venture; even as Mine Foreman, Smirnov couldn't decide alone.
But when he relayed Sion's words—that they could build a whole new village and sell all monster byproduct goods from there—the executives decided instantly.
—The Paloma nobles and elites got wiped out in this rebellion mess, right? So Paloma's trade routes shifted big-time to Shionia.
—Yeah. Outside merchants might gripe, but oh well? And gear from monster bits? Our Iron Mountain clan's stuff will obviously be the best.
—Let's take the ducal family's offer!
When you're thirsty, you go to the well yourself—what choice is there?
As Sion said, if monsters surged worldwide, byproduct gear tougher and stronger than existing stuff, with special treatments to amplify damage against specific beasts, would sell out endlessly.
Not just Obla Kingdom merchants, but traders from nations around the Eltis Inland Sea would swarm here.
Sion had said:
—Just selling byproduct goods is amateur hour. Everything they eat, drink, sleep here. Plus the manpower to haul goods from here to Shionia Port or Paloma Harbor, and that manpower's spending power. If Iron Mountain Dwarves handle all that under their lead...?
Smirnov had shuddered at the thought.
Even after mining over fifty years, Iron Mountain's gold veins weren't dry yet—but Sion seemed to radiate a more dazzling golden halo.
—Profits split fifty-fifty. You know how massive this'll be, so no whining about investment costs, Vodka.
Smirnov already owed Sion his life twice—once as a kid, once now.
The executives might gripe about being dragged around by the ducal family and 'Sir Seilun.'
But those insolent comrades (reactionaries) would surely chant for their 'beloved Mine Foreman Comrade' to lead Iron Mountain forever after seeing next year's sales.
Of course, the beloved Mine Foreman Comrade of all Iron Mountain was just a dwarf puppet of one ageless, deathless old monster.
* * *
Leaving the former Black Eagle Legion garrison's reconstruction to Smirnov and the Iron Mountain Dwarves, Sion took the hunting corps members to North Mountain.
He didn't know the principle, but currently, the only place in the Dukedom where people with certain talents could check 'levels' was North Mountain.
Maybe in time other spots too, or perhaps levels were already visible elsewhere in the Dukedom—but right now, the only place Sion had confirmed personally was North Mountain.
Not just Sion—the serene North Mountain instantly bustled with the arrival of 150-plus people.
The North Mountain side had been notified and prepared, so no chaos ensued.
Sion divided the corps into five groups of thirty, personally leading each to the level-viewing spot one by one.
And shortly after.
"Wh-what? Wh-what the hell is this!?"
Pandemonium broke out.
The entire first group could see their levels.