By Zephyria Accidents are the protagonist’s destiny.
Mercenaries in Goryeo City are largely divided into two categories.
Those who receive mining-related requests from city-affiliated Companies.
Or those who choose various jobs from informally arranged request channels.
The former has a high level of difficulty, but the workload is ample and the pay is decent. However, the latter, who receive individual requests, have incomes and jobs that vary greatly depending on the situation.
Jin Mu-hae stood out early on and managed to get requests from the Company, but he was not satisfied with that and took on individual requests from time to time.
Now, with about seven years of experience, he was quite famous among mercenaries.
A skilled, sturdy, and money-crazed young bastard.
“Walk where I can see you.”
Experienced mercenaries could grasp a lot of information with just simple request details.
For example, the requester’s wallet situation, or whether their purpose was official or unofficial.
It was obvious whether the requester was in a position to be picky, and the fact that the meeting location was the east gate suggested that they were from the Taeul District.
A mission with ambiguous pay for the risk and two days wasted. Thus, Jin Mu-hae readily chose the request that had been neglected for two weeks.
The very next day, in the afternoon, Mu-hae lightly armed himself and went to the meeting place.
Joo-oh, with his hood pulled down, trotted along beside him.
‘Ah, damn. I misread the pay and contacted them. Well, I have time to spare, so it’s not like I can’t take the job.’
-Wait. Wait! Then, can we raise the commission a little more?
‘I don’t know. I’m not really inclined to do that… Hmm. Let’s do this. Buy me a drink with that money after we get back. It’s been a while since I enjoyed a drink in the inner city.’
The client, whom he met at the meeting place after a rough introduction two days ago, was unexpectedly a dying man.
His face, clearly showing signs of illness, was more black than pale.
He said that he had gone on a long journey for work just once, a dozen years ago, and left something important there.
What kind of precious item would make him risk such a dangerous path even after so much time had passed? Any mercenary sensitive to money-making opportunities would be curious.
Mu-hae didn’t bother to pry into the client’s personal affairs. Instead, he looked back at Joo-oh with a questioning expression.
Joo-oh, who met his expressionless face, nodded confidently. Without even knowing what he was being asked.
“I can find it.”
He added an unexpected word like a prophecy.
“Geez.”
He was just checking to see if he would do anything strange. Suddenly, he makes an irresponsible guarantee.
Mu-hae raised one eyebrow and turned his gaze back to the client.
“As I told you in advance, we will travel to the destination in a vehicle rented by you personally. After leaving the city, assume that you will never leave the car. We will stay in the car even when camping.”
“Th-the business…”
“A Class 3 long-distance Hover Car has a disposal device. Let’s not even think about defecating outside. I’ll add a hazard pay if you create a stench.”
The means of transportation chosen by the client was an outdoor vehicle, which was relatively cheaper than a new one.
Still, the rental fee for two days was roughly 700 Deal. It was understandable that the request fee was shabby. The man’s budget must have been around 1,000 Deal from the start.
‘It looks like an unplanned trip.’
As always with the lives of the city’s lower class, there was no such thing as savings, so even that must have been money he had hastily scraped together.
The client who met Mu-hae was lucky. Usually, such tasks are taken on by two or more mercenaries, so no one would respond to a commission with pay that couldn’t even be split.
Zhiuuuung- Click.
The inside of the van was a space where about eight people could sit snugly.
Mu-hae pushed Joo-oh into the passenger seat and activated the driving system. The route guidance that appeared on the car window was red in several places.
It meant a dangerous area. As a matter of fact, three or four places they would pass through to reach their destination were Beast-infested areas.
It was not a trip that an ordinary person would take for business, so the environment must have changed in various ways over time.
“We’re departing.”
As Jin Mu-hae operated his Watch to record and notify, the client nodded with a nervous face.
Joo-oh was just smiling. He was diligently looking at the map on the car window as if he was seeing something interesting.
Then, when his eyes met Mu-hae’s, joy bloomed on his clear face. Jin Mu-hae turned his head without realizing it at the sight of such clear emotion.
The journey that followed was, to be honest, more boring than dangerous.
The atmosphere would turn chilly whenever they heard something howling, but after Jin Mu-hae manipulated a few devices and examined the surroundings, it would be quiet again for a while.
Even when it was time to eat, he didn’t put any food in his mouth. He simply swallowed a few pills to replenish his nutrients with a small amount of water and gestured to the back seat.
“You can go over there and get some food.”
Joo-oh’s eyes lit up at those words, but soon his small head shook.
“I want to try this too.”
“This doesn’t taste like anything. It doesn’t fill you up either. I eat it instead of rice because I don’t like things getting in the way.”
“It’s okay.”
Well, it was none of Mu-hae’s business who starved or not.
Moreover, Joo-oh had even affirmed that everything was fine if he was okay with it.
No sooner had he handed over the pills than Joo-oh dumped them all into his mouth and swallowed them. Before he could even hand him the water. It was an amazing sight, but compared to eating meat with the bones, it was not surprising.
“We’re about halfway there now. We’ve passed through two Beast-infested areas, so even if there’s a battle from now on, it won’t be too dangerous.”
A sigh of relief was heard from the back seat at Mu-hae’s report. It didn’t necessarily mean it was safe, but it wouldn’t be bad if the client misunderstood on his own, so Mu-hae didn’t bother to correct his report.
At that moment, Joo-oh, who was sitting quietly in the passenger seat, whispered, moving his lips.
“It’s not.”
It was a small voice that could only be heard by the person next to him. Then, when Jin Mu-hae raised his eyebrows, he cautiously looked around.
“If you’re bored, just sleep.”
“…I’ve caught Beasts, but now it’s an Aberrant.”
“Don’t say unlucky things.”
He knew he wasn’t in his right mind, so he just let it go, but if there was another mercenary, he would have cursed.
Occupations that leave the Comfort zone are vulnerable to jinxes and superstitions because they earn money by risking their lives.
It seemed necessary to keep his mouth shut. Especially if he was going to keep him around like this from time to time.
When they first met, he didn’t say a word as if he was mute, but at some point, Joo-oh became very talkative.
“What are you looking at?”
Moreover, his gaze often lingered in the air. As if there was an invisible Hologram Window there.
Only after an unpleasant question was thrown at him did Joo-oh’s eyes turn back to Mu-hae. He had a face as if he had realized some great fact.
He looked like someone who had just learned that it was strange to stare at nothing like that.
“I’m looking at Jin Mu-hae.”
“Not now.”
“Then I didn’t look.”
As always, the conversation with Joo-oh was a conversation with no substance. Mu-hae clicked his tongue softly and closed his mouth.
The inside of the car, which was already free of bumps, quickly became quiet again.
‘If we can get through the next section safely like this, we can save some consumables.’
Mercenary work meant spending as much as you earned, and most of the expenses were for equipment purchases and repairs, or medical expenses. Avoiding battles that could be avoided, even by twisting his body, meant more money was saved.
Even if that wasn’t the case, the city’s bottom dwellers’ bodies were their assets. Mu-hae’s goal was not the 310 Deal commission, but a justified entry into the Taeul District, so he intended to complete the request as peacefully as possible.
When Mu-hae made up his mind like that, things usually ended smoothly.
Everyone in the industry knew how capable a veteran mercenary who had decided to spend money was.
Kieaaaaak-.
If only they hadn’t suddenly heard an unexpected, strange cry from around them.
It certainly would have.
Kieaaaaak-.
“……!”
A noise like a madman’s scream faintly echoed in succession from afar.
They had heard the cries of Beasts several times throughout the journey, but this one was a different sound from the roar of an animal.
The bodies of the two people in the front seat visibly flinched.
As Mu-hae hurriedly straightened his back, the pill bottle he had placed on the door trim rattled and fell.
However, he couldn’t even think of picking it up, and he was just frantically displaying the external situation on the glass.
“This… shouldn’t be happening.”
Mu-hae frowned, repeatedly checking the vehicle’s location and area information.
In the meantime, something began to be detected on the radar within a radius of several hundred meters.
Bleep- Bleep- Bleep-.
The Watch on his wrist emitted a warning sound.
Something that shouldn’t be seen in this section was following closely behind the running vehicle.
And it was slowly getting closer.
“W-what’s going on?”
Mu-hae ignored the client who asked in surprise and switched the Hover Car’s control to manual.
The round gauge indicating speed instantly filled up to the end.
“Heok! Did the Beast see us? Stray dogs? Wolves?”
“……”
“……It’s a Beast, right? It’s a Beast, right?”
“Shut up and fasten your seatbelt properly. It’s going to shake a little.”
A voice hiding his emotions was lowered between the warning sounds.
At the same time, the vehicle swerved sharply to the left.