Chapter 203
Chapter 203
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 203
Chapter Title: The Mercenary King's Law
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The Mercenary King was a Hunter from England.
And the forces under him proudly called themselves mercenaries, naming their guild the Mercenary Guild to match.
They had now arrived in Belfast, close to Ireland where the Mercenary Guild was headquartered—the Mercenary King's own nation of England.
In front of a massive building that evoked the image of a castle.
Yong-un glanced at the War God and asked,
"This is the place, right?"
"You've already scanned it? No, the Mercenary King isn't usually here anyway."
The moment they arrived, he had spread his senses across the entire vast Mercenary King's castle.
But unable to detect anyone with an aura as powerful as the weight of their name deserved, he couldn't help but ask the War God.
"Then why come here?"
"It's been ages since I cut ties with the Mercenary King. So, I have no choice but to seek out someone who knows his whereabouts."
Among those who had reached Royal Class, the Mercenary King was special.
That was why the power of his name allowed his guild to construct an absurdly massive structure like this, letting him reign like a king.
Just looking at the building's grandeur revealed how formidable the Mercenary King truly was.
"Shall we head in, then?"
As if he'd been here many times before, the War God moved toward the castle gate without a hint of unease.
But Yong-un grabbed the War God's shoulder as he tried to step ahead.
"No need. They're already coming."
"Huh?"
The War God looked around with a puzzled expression.
He checked for intrusion-detection magic circles or the like, but found nothing.
"How'd they know we were coming?"
"He lives up to his name after all. One of the Mercenary King's competent underlings noticed me scanning the castle."
"What?"
The War God's face twisted in anger.
They hadn't been invited or given permission to enter.
Yet they'd scanned the castle with mana the moment they arrived.
Swoosh.
The War God unleashed his fighting spirit and turned toward the approaching powerful aura.
"Their intentions clearly aren't friendly. I can practically smell the hostility."
Yong-un, the War God, and even the Dancer sensed something drawing near.
In response, the Dancer quietly and stealthily activated her Shadow Assassination Technique, true to her killer nature.
And before long.
Screeeeech! Boom!!!
A group of people dropped down in front of Yong-un and the War God.
The ground trembled faintly from the height of their fall.
"We won't let you leave alive."
The sandstorm kicked up by their fierce landing cleared away.
Revealing over ten figures glaring daggers as they drew massive axes.
Just as the War God had said, radiating intense malice.
"Looks like talking it out isn't an option."
Yong-un glanced at the War God.
The War God sighed deeply in agreement, then explosively released the fighting spirit he'd gathered.
Whoosh.
"No helping it. We'll knock 'em down first, then talk."
The War God slammed his fists together at his chest.
Yellow fighting spirit sparked like lightning from the center of his chest.
"Seize them!"
With that, the misguided first encounter between the Mercenary King's Mercenary Guild and the War God and Yong-un began.
Boom!!
Charlie and Spello came to Ignito's house.
At the large table in the spacious home, Ignito propped his feet up.
"Yong-un stopped by."
"Didn't we say we'd back him? Why call us for something so minor?"
Charlie adjusted his suit as he sat, while Spello stood beside him with arms crossed.
And Ignito.
"The old man and I said we'd support him, but something felt off, so we were keeping tabs."
He looked at Spello.
Spello understood the implication, uncrossed his arms, and sat next to Charlie.
"So, what'd you see?"
"I saw it. That's why I sent him to the Mercenary King."
"To the Mercenary King?"
Spello gave a puzzled look.
Charlie frowned, sensing a conversation he wasn't privy to.
"Explain it plainly. What's going on?"
But Ignito and Spello only looked at each other, ignoring Charlie entirely as they continued.
"No wonder we couldn't find him. He's... a case like the Mercenary King."
Spello's eyebrow twitched.
"I confirmed he's Royal Class material. Old man, what's the plan now?"
Spello nodded silently.
Then he turned to Charlie.
"Vice Director."
"Yes."
"The 7th Royal Class will emerge soon. Prepare."
"This... soon?"
Charlie stood from his seat.
"Within a week. Judging by his state before awakening... the top spot might change hands."
"...?!"
Charlie's eyes widened in shock.
A master of composure and quick thinking, yet even he couldn't hide his surprise at Spello's words.
"The 1st Royal Class... could be dethroned? By that Yong-un guy?"
He had to ask.
Who was the 1st Royal Class?
The very first to achieve it—Light of the Sky.
The absolute powerhouse above all other Royal Classes, bearing the name that meant supremacy over the heavens.
The Light of the Sky that even Ignito, Spello, and the Mercenary King combined couldn't topple.
That was the 1st Royal Class.
How could he not be stunned?
That such a being might fall to someone on the verge of becoming the 7th Royal Class.
But Spello didn't answer Charlie's question.
He simply turned and vanished, letting his actions speak for him.
"S-Spello?"
With Spello gone.
Ignito chuckled, pushing aside his warm beer and replacing it with a fresh, cold one.
"Vice Director, Yong-un hasn't even awakened to Royal Class yet. And he already blocked a joint attack from me and the old man? So what happens when he does awaken? Use that sharp brain of yours."
The answer was obvious.
But as someone who had witnessed the 1st Royal Class's majesty firsthand, he was desperately denying it to himself.
"Even so..."
The spot where the warm beer had been now steamed with a fresh, frosty mug, white foam rising.
Ignito wiped the condensation from the new glass and smiled.
"Nothing's absolute. Even the 1st Royal Class can't hold that seat forever."
"This is too huge... I can't think straight."
Charlie shook his head and stood.
Since it was Spello speaking—not just anyone—Charlie soothed his racing mind and began outlining next steps.
"Then I'll be off. Looks like I've got a lot on my plate."
Charlie headed out.
Left alone again, Ignito watched him go and murmured softly,
"Nothing's absolute. Not the 1st Royal Class's throne... nor this peace..."
With a casual wave, Ignito engulfed the stale beer glass in flames, reducing it to ash in an instant.
In front of the Mercenary Guild's massive castle gate.
The ten guild members lay sprawled on the ground.
They had charged in boldly, but against such overwhelming foes—the intruders they suspected, Yong-un and the War God—they couldn't even scratch them before collapsing.
"What do you think?"
"Now I see who your guild was built to target."
They shared attack patterns strikingly similar to the Spanish War God's guild he'd seen at the San Marino Demons incident.
But the power gap was night and day.
"No wonder he's called Royal Class and reigns as king."
You could judge the lord by his retainers.
These guild members were already strong enough to serve as officers in any ordinary guild.
Yet they called themselves mercenaries and had no intention of leaving the Mercenary Guild's ranks.
That alone told Yong-un how the Mercenary Guild and its members viewed the Mercenary King and their guild.
"Well then, shall we head in?"
The War God, having knocked them out, strode confidently toward the gate.
Anyone could see that barging in would bring attacks from all sides.
But whether he knew or not, the War God chose to march right through.
"Why not just grab one executive quietly and ask?"
"Normally, yeah. But since it's been a while for me too, better to follow their code, don't you think?"
He hadn't expected a typical guild.
But apparently, they had their own code here too.
Not sneaking in quietly, but smashing through every visible foe—like the Heavenly Demon Cult's way.
"On any other day, maybe, but with you here, it feels doable."
Was he battle-mad? The War God could barely contain his surging fighting spirit as he stepped forward.
Yong-un turned away from the War God's path and said,
"Thanks for pointing me here. I'll handle it from now on."
"Wha... huh?"
The yellow fighting spirit coursing through the War God like electricity vanished in an instant.
"No time to play with you. You're on your own."
"W-Wait!!!"
The War God frantically reached for Yong-un.
Bang!
But with a gunshot-like stomp, Yong-un's figure vanished from the spot.
Rumble rumble rumble.
"Damn it."
Perfect timing too.
The moment Yong-un disappeared, a horde of guild members landed atop the massive gate.
Among them was the expert who had sensed the faint trace of Yong-un's ki scan across the castle.
"So, they finally started invading by our code, all cocky-like?"
"W-Wait!"
The War God raised his hands to halt them.
But the leading expert shouted first.
"Seize him!"
"Yong-un!!!! Damn it!!!!"
Facing the charging swarm of guild members.
In the end, the War God reignited his fighting spirit and clashed massively with the oncoming foes.
For the Mercenary Guild.
To uphold the Mercenary King's code.
A towering building at the heart of the massive castle.
The medieval-style structure, at least seven stories tall, had a long corridor on the top floor with rooms only at each end, flanking a central elevator.
And in those end rooms sat the Mercenary Guild's two vice guild masters.
A high-ranking guild member burst urgently into the room of Vice Guild Master Porter at the left end.
"Vice Guild Master Porter."
"Got a read?"
"Yes, it was the War God."
At the name, Porter paused his newspaper.
He looked at the guild member.
"The War God?"
"Yes. He's coming through, taking us down one by one per the code. Should we keep it going?"
The War God...
How long had it been since he'd heard that name?
Just hearing it brought a smile to Porter's lips.
"Tell them to stand down. I'll handle it myself."
"Understood. I'll relay the order."
Porter stood.
As he headed out, he asked the guild member,
"What about William? Does he know?"
"I believe he's already on his way."
"What? Someone moved faster than you?"
"No, Vice Guild Master William mobilized the members right before the code kicked in. He sensed something suspicious in the mana and got them moving."
Porter pondered briefly, then nodded.
"Got it. I'm heading out now—halt the code for the moment."
"Yes, sir."
At Porter's command, the guild member vanished in a puff of blue smoke.
A spatial teleport skill had activated.
With the member gone, Porter finished preparing to leave and hurried out.
That was when.
Swoosh.
"I've got some questions."
A voice came from right behind Porter as he reached for the door.
Goosebumps prickled across his skin.
But only for a moment.
True to his vice guild master status in the mercenaries, his judgment was swift.
Crack.
A strange sound echoed from his fist as his body spun like a top.
Boom!
The fierce punch, swung mid-spin...
Was halted dead in the air, defying all momentum.
After it stopped, the gale-force wind it generated showed just how powerful Porter's skill was.
"Who are you?"
No time to marvel at the perfect block—Porter unleashed his killing intent at the unfamiliar face.
Yong-un, taking the full brunt without flinching, asked calmly,
"Where's the Mercenary King right now?"
The Mercenary King's name was invoked.
Porter's aura intensified beyond before.
The faint killing intent solidified, enveloping his body.
Then, with a pop, the blue-smoke-like killing intent spread everywhere.
Clink.
As the blue smoke dissipated, Mercenary Guild mercenaries appeared one by one.
A skill akin to the Dancer's shadow teleport had summoned them through the smoke.
No need to sense presences.
Just as the Dancer called her shadow minions, Porter had brought the guild's mercenaries via the smoke.
Dozens of mercenaries surrounding them, with Porter in the center.
"Sixteen assassins have come sniffing for the leader's location so far. Ah, make that seventeen with you. Guess what happened to them?"
He gathered the blue smoke around him, glaring at Yong-un.
"You'll find out soon enough. Fire!"
At Porter's command.
Bang. Bang bang bang bang.
The mercenaries' guns blazed.