Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Investing Through the Status Window.

Episode 16: Big Water (3).

Having safely overcome an attack by a band of bandits, Allen and Aiden arrived safely at the trading city, Reubala.

The bustling crowd was just as impressive as before, unchanged. With the war on top of that, people were flowing in and out like a tide. War is a tragedy for some, but for others, it’s an opportunity. And Allen was the latter.

The Eastern war was especially an unavoidable topic whenever two or more gathered. Even the porters traveling to and from the East were able to get away with not paying for their drinks at the tavern. From their mouths, rumors mixed with truth and exaggeration flowed incessantly. Now, unless one goes to see for themselves, it was hard to distinguish what was true and what was false.

In addition, the war made prices skyrocket to the heavens. Prices had more than doubled compared to before, so much so that even the shoddy meals at cheap taverns had shifted from copper to silver coins.

Rumors were rife about the various families participating in this territorial war. Among those names, many were familiar to Allen, but one in particular had a deep connection with Aiden.

The Herera family of the Romelon Mountainsㅡ

A family that Aiden had once briefly dipped his toes into as a mercenary.

“Do you have any plans for the future? It seems there isn’t much to do with the war in full swing.”

Allen chewed on his food and smiled oddly. After finishing his chewing and swallowing, he replied.

“I’m going to the eastern regions.”

“…Pardon? The eastern regions…you say?”

“If war is the major current, then we must conform to it. As a mercenary group, it’s an unavoidable choice for us.”

Aiden seemed not to have anticipated that this rookie leader would boldly declare participation in the eastern territory war.

“War is different from the missions we’ve had so far. …You know that, right?”

“Of course, I know. Does the captain not know me? I’m not rushing in without understanding, so don’t worry.”

Still, Aiden’s worries did not seem to dissipate easily. However, he too had not experienced war, so he had no more advice to offer. Being bound by contract, all he could do was trust and leave it to the group leader.

Glancing at his subordinate, Allen spoke in a more solemn tone than before.

“Choosing jobs is for knight orders, not mercenary groups. If there’s a job for mercenaries, they go and do it. That’s all there is to it.”

It was a bold and gutsy statement. At the same time, it was also fitting for the leader of a mercenary group.

“…Understood. Well, I just have to follow the leader’s decision.”

“That’s right… Don’t worry too much. I’ll choose good people. I know how to cherish my life too.”

After the meal, the two entered their lodging room to relieve the fatigue accumulated from their long journey.

As Allen lay on the soft bed, a groan of comfort escaped him. He thought he would fall asleep as soon as he closed his eyes, but strangely, his mind was very alert.

‘War-.’

It was the fastest way to gain money and fame. Of course, it meant taking on more risks as well.

Even in such circumstances, it was not easy for the mercenary group to avoid war and find other work. At best, escorting caravans was all they could hope for, but if they were just going to do such menial tasks, they wouldn’t have bothered mentioning the empire and leaving Berge.

In fact, this eastern war was the beginning of a massive tide that would sweep over the continent. Even if the flames of war were temporarily quelled, the embers smoldering beneath the ashes would inevitably engulf the continent.

It was an unavoidable fate. If one cannot fight against it, it would be natural to surrender oneself to it.

‘…I’ve done this many times before. There’s no need to be too nervous. I’ve faced demon hounds and bandits. Now, it’s time to face war. This is just one of the processes that I must go through.’

Of course, games and reality are different, but still, he was as rich in theory as anyone else.

And above all,

Allen could see the status window of his opponents, and moreover, there were far better mercenaries here than in Verheer.

That means, in this war, he held a weapon more powerful than anyone else—.

The right timing, a crucial opportunity, and the best weapon….

From Allen’s perspective, this was something he absolutely couldn’t miss.

…If he avoided it, that would truly make him a coward.

In the trading city of Reubala, a considerable number of mercenaries had gathered. The reason they gathered was, of course, money. After all, the price of mercenaries skyrockets during war.

Of course, with many mercenaries gathered, there was no shortage of riff-raff. There were also many swindlers who inflated their experience to make a quick buck.

In that regard, Allen’s ability to see the status window was truly a surefire victory.

‘If only I had more money, I would have been able to splurge without hesitation…!’

Perhaps it was because he had dealt with too many who were less than D-grade, but now that he sees some decent mercenaries, Allen’s desire to recruit them surged uncontrollably.

However, since the capital he currently had wasn’t that much, he had no choice but to reluctantly lower his standards… Still, it was better than Berge.

There was especially one person who stood out among them.

[Attributes]

Strength: 31

Agility: 24

Stamina: 30

Intelligence: 9

Magic: 3

[Traits]

♦ Talented

♦ Extreme Survival

♦ Affectionate

♦ Hatred

♦ Frail

[Notes]

– His right shoulder feels stiff.

– His left side is prickling.

– His right thigh is sore.

He was a middle-aged mercenary with sparse gray hair. He seemed to be over 40. The trait [Frail] often starts to appear around the age of 40….

What’s interesting was that despite having the [Frail] trait, his stats were quite impressive. Given that he also had the [Talented] trait, he must have been quite the figure in his youth.

“Am I not to your liking?”

The middle-aged mercenary seemed to have been rejected several times already due to his age. So, when Allen remained silent for quite some time, he must have taken it as a polite refusal.

“No, it’s not that…, I was just wondering what your story might be.”

“Well, it’s not common for someone my age to be a mercenary. But, what’s there to hide? I had a child late in life, and to provide for them, this was the only thing I could do. Plus, a job that pays well turned up….”

A very realistic answer. Sometimes, retired mercenaries return to this field in this manner. Having lived as a mercenary for half their life, with their nature already too damaged, they can’t stand to live a decent life tilling the land.

Of course, most mercenary groups did not welcome such mercenaries. Their skills wouldn’t be as good as before since their career had a break, and they were hard to control because they became too arrogant.

In fact, Allen didn’t particularly prefer such cases, but this time was different. Not only the stats but also the traits were very good. Since falling into this Guild Master world, it was among the top three traits he had seen.

[Talented] is rare indeed, but [Extreme Survival] is undeniably a tier 1 trait. While the [Will] trait that Aiden currently possesses is also good, considering it’s tier 3, [Extreme Survival] was literally the pinnacle among traits related to will.

Of course, having the [Affectionate] trait might make it slightly difficult to remove him from the roster later, but since he’s quite old, there’s a high chance he’ll step down voluntarily if they suggest retirement naturally. It’s about acknowledging the difficulty in performing and stepping down on his own.

However, even setting aside such scenarios, it was undeniable that he was a talent not easily found. Although there was a slight flaw, a gem is still a gem.

“Let’s make a contract. Long-term is fine if you want.”

It wasn’t just a short-term contract but mentioning a long-term one made the other party somewhat suspicious. Of course, he couldn’t say he had seen your status window, so Allen came up with a plausible excuse.

“Currently, our mercenary group needs someone like you. Someone experienced and seasoned, a focal point, so to speak. I believe you can do it…, or perhaps not? I’ll leave it to your conscience, thinking of your child.”

For the middle-aged man who had been rejected everywhere he went, and even insulted, it was an incredibly welcome gesture. …In fact, he had been quite worried about what he would do if he continued to be turned away everywhere.

“I can do it. It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but I was quite famous in my youth. I will not disappoint you.”

“Then that’s good. Let’s do it.”

And so, the middle-aged mercenary, Kalisman Rowner, and Allen signed a one-year contract. Fifteen gold coins per month.

Currently, Allen’s mercenary group has a total of eight members. Two long-term and six short-term.

Now that they had recruited members, it was time to leave.

Walking side by side through the guild house’s corridor to return to their lodging, Aiden, who was with Allen, asked if there was a place in mind in the eastern region.

“…Yes. A place you know well.”

“Me, sir?”

Just then, as they were passing by a large bulletin board set up in the corridor, Allen stopped in front of it and pointed at a recruitment notice with his finger.

“Here.”

Aiden’s gaze followed Allen’s finger. No, more precisely, the paper that the finger was pointing at.

“Ah—”

The place that the group leader had mentioned, the one he ‘knew well’.

“The Herera family…”

Allen smiled charmingly.

“Yes, there.”