The Mercenary Test

I never lay hands on innocent people. A bright roadside tavern, ill-suited to villains. Inside, a ruthless mercenary band ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was enjoying a daytime feast.

"Eat up, you fools! This job's a big one!"

The Elaud Mercenary Group. A paramilitary organization from the Elaud region with over a century of history. Originally, they had contracts with twelve lords and provided military support—an organization so powerful it could be called ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a private knight order. But everything changed when the twenty-seventh leader, Derom Belhast, allied himself with the war-loving Second Prince. They slaughtered all twelve lords they had once contracted with, branding them as supporters of the First Prince. That wasn't enough. After a brutal internal purge, they became an organization that handled dirty work.

Their downfall comes in Episode 4. Gabea, Eres's senior who lost her parents to Derom Belhast, reveals her thirst for revenge and goes to fight, only to be captured. Eres, who had received help from her since the beginning, draws the magic sword and annihilates them. If they don't fight then, they appear as enemies when the Second Prince is confronted later. And if they avoid that fight too… well, the world is doomed anyway, so they would have died on their own.

"Listen up! If we win this siege… huh? Who the hell are you?"

"Luke Colwen."

This is six years before the main story.

"I've come to run a test."

If I can overwhelm the Derom Belhast of his prime, I'll know my training methods are effective.

"Luke Colwen?"

"Leader, that's the brat. The one who's been picking fights with strong people everywhere."

"Ho. The whelp who got beaten by old Bill? He doesn't look as young as the rumors say."

The once-lively tavern fell silent. The quicker-witted mercenaries set down their drinks and reached for their weapons. Some tried to quietly block the exits, but Derom stopped them with a gesture.

"Hey, noble brat. If you're here to test drinking capacity, you'd better ask your parents. Mercenaries are rough folk—we won't be much help."

"Don't play dumb. You know exactly why I'm here."

"Puhaha! You want to take us on? So the rumor that you only target people with grudges was bullshit after all."

Derom picked up the cup from his table and approached me. As far as I knew, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his weapons were the twin swords at his waist. For a dual-wielder to seal one hand wasn't simply halving his combat power—it reduced it even further. He could afford to do it because he didn't see me as a real threat.

"Listen, kid. We're the Elaud Mercen—"

"Too long."

Crack!

My kick shattered the wooden cup, splashing fragments and liquor over Derom's head. Was there any reason to talk to this man? I wouldn't kill him for the sake of the original story, but he was human trash who had murdered Gabea's parents and tormented them. He had committed every filthy act imaginable, lived comfortably under the prince's protection, and even mocked the victim, Gabea. The memory still burned.

"Derom Belhast. I never gave you a choice. The others aren't worth testing."

"My subordinates aren't worth anything?"

"That's right. Obviously—"

Thud!

Before I could finish, someone struck me from behind. Two attackers had moved in perfect sync. The Elaud Mercenary Group lived up to its reputation—their coordination was flawless. Judging by who struck first, these two were probably among the group's elite.

But—

"I definitely cut him with my sword…!"

"It broke—"

I didn't know their names. I'd remember boss mobs. I might remember major characters. But these were just mobs. In the game Endless Fantasia, mobs don't even get names.

"If you struggle against mobs, that's not a control issue."

"Control? What the hell—"

"This is what I mean."

Crunch!

Despite the soft, yielding sensation against my fist, the sound confirmed I'd shattered bone.

"H-how…"

The mercenary who took the surprise blow from the front rolled his eyes back and collapsed. In Endless Fantasia, the ways to grow stronger are leveling up, equipment, and skill acquisition. Since I'd abandoned equipment, I had to surpass that limit.

"I wouldn't have come here to test you if I were weak enough to struggle against you lot."

Stats. HP, MP, Strength, Defense, Agility, Magic Power. In Endless Fantasia, every stat increases the more you use it. The stats built this way become resources usable anywhere. Since I couldn't teach Eres swordsmanship, my top priority was securing a method to rapidly grow stats in a way that fit this world.

"This brat!"

"What are you doing?! Everyone, charge and kill him! Are you going to let the leader handle this arrogant punk himself?!"

I had trained my fists. I had trained my kicks. They say iron is forged by hammering. Whether my skin tore or my bones broke, I never stopped. With the power gained this way, I abused my own body to build endurance. When the power of a single strike reached its limit, I trained in rapid combinations and gained speed. Speed made the power stronger, and I slammed that power back into my body.

"Why… why won't blades work?! You're completely unarmed!"

As my body grew tougher, I could wield greater strength. And the stronger my strength became, the faster my speed grew.

"You aren't worth using skills on."

That was how, with nothing but my fists, I could overwhelm even those who had once defeated me and barely let me escape with my life.

"Old man Bill… so his information stops there?"

"This brat…!"

"I made the old man like this too before I came here."

In the second round, even he had struggled against a single straight punch from me. That was a good thing. Learning martial arts skills would be useless for teaching Eres, who was a swordsman. I only needed to secure stats.

No one in this place had died yet. Maybe being a mob wasn't all bad—since they were nameless, faceless, I could control my strength calmly.

"Derom Belhast. Why aren't you moving? Half your subordinates are already down. You can't even think of stopping me?"

"Kgh…!"

"The strongest man in Elaud is afraid of a whelp. I must have misjudged you. You weren't worth testing after all."

"…What? What is this 'test'?! Count Colwen wouldn't do something like this. Who sent ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you?! Whose orders are you following while causing this mess?!"

Of course, it was to test my own power. No one's orders—just finding people I disliked and felt no guilt about beating. People who deserved it.

"Crazy bastard…"

Strangely, whenever I said that, everyone looked at me like I was insane. They lived wrong and wondered why I came to beat them. People who are fine with shooting guns should be prepared to get shot… but there are no guns here, are there? And even though I never touched civilians, I somehow got treated like some indiscriminate thug. Whenever I showed up, everyone ran. Even the village guards ran. Isn't that what they shouldn't be doing?

Even back at the Colwen estate, I could feel the maids and butlers avoiding me. It had been a long time since I'd stopped showing my face to my parents and just packed my things to leave.

"Attack me with everything you've got. If you don't, I'll kill that son of yours trembling over there."

Why? I really didn't understand. Of course, the son I mentioned wasn't a civilian either. In the original story, he was Derom's right-hand man and successor—Crom Belhast. In the main story, he entered the Academy as a classmate, hid his identity, and became a villain who investigated and reported students with negative views toward the Second Prince. Since he's the same age as me now… twelve years old?

"You demon! The honor of House Colwen is in the dirt! No matter how mad you are for fighting, you're trying to kill a child?!"

"We're the same age."

"Bullshit! With that face, how is twelve years old possible?!"

This bastard. Well, thanks to intense training, my hormones had been pumping and I'd shot up in height. The time when I looked like a cute child ended quickly. I didn't look like an uncle yet. At worst, I looked like a middle schooler—maybe a high schooler at most? At this level, I shouldn't even be able to buy alcohol or cigarettes—

"If dying is what you want, I'll grant it!"

Provoked by the threat to his son, Derom drew his twin swords and charged. Good. This was it. His stance, his spirit when gripping the swords—it was completely different from the mobs. The trajectory of the blade swung at the shortest distance. No defense, no evasion. Only speed and power. Derom's swords crossed like scissors, aiming to take my neck between them.

I knew this move. In the original story, it was Derom's finishing pattern that dealt near-instant death damage even if blocked. He used a high-performance charging skill to close distances instantly, earning infamy among beginners as a "newbie cutter" that killed people mid-potion. Of course, with sufficient defense, HP, and equipment, you could tank it—but this wasn't a game. Even though it was a game world, realistic elements like dismemberment and vital points applied to humans too. No matter how high your defense, a vital point ended it. Stats were meaningless unless you trained the specific body part directly.

Well, he probably didn't know that.

"Y-you—"

He never expected someone who had trained even their neck to grow stronger.

"You monster… you've abandoned being human!!"

"I'll take that as a compliment, mercenary leader!!"

Derom's finishing move. I endured it. Extreme defense. And the strength and speed that defense supported.

"How… with just one hit…"

The strongest man in Elaud, a powerhouse even the Second Prince's elite knights couldn't push back—Derom Belhast knelt before my iron fist.

"The test is over. This proves it."

I could do it. With my current strength, I could make Eres a powerhouse without issue. The special skill was a new power even my knowledge hadn't contained. There was only one acquisition condition: applying your own stats to your entire body. If anything, it might be easier to teach Eres now, while she's still weak.

"Thanks for the cooperation, Derom. Keep striving from now on."

"You… monster…! What did we even do?! We've fought our whole lives for Elaud!"

"Ask that to your own heart."

Nothing wrong? Slaughtering the lords you had contracts with—was that for Elaud? Derom had offered all twelve territories to the prince, and the prince conscripted Elaud's people to wage war against his brothers.

"Father! Please come to your senses, Father!"

And he had raised his own son to be just like him. A sociopath who sold out people who considered him a friend, becoming a dog of power. As both a soldier and a father, he was trash.

I had only punished a bad person. They would commit evil again anyway. The only pity was that I couldn't stop it.

"Father! You said you'd retire after the Melapid battle, so why…!"

"Leader Derom~ The lord has something to discuss… What is this?! What happened here?!"

**

"Your Highness! It's an emergency!"

"What is it?"

"The Elaud Mercenary Group and Derom Belhast, whom Your Highness had your eye on, have been defeated by Luke Colwen!"

"You mean the man I planned to approach by pretending to be my brother's forces and striking from behind while they were weakened?"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Second Prince Ragrelt clicked his tongue and burned a document.

"He looked useful, so I was going to recruit him. The plan is scrapped. I can't keep the decoy props around forever."

"Understood! I'll dispose of them without anyone knowing! What about Luke Colwen?"

"Keep doing what you've been doing—make sure my sister and brother don't take interest. I'd like to bring him in, but with his poor reputation, recruiting him now would only invite attacks."

"Yes!"

The Elaud Mercenary Group. All survived due to non-participation in the Melapid battle!