Ch.28The City of Opportunity, Cambria (4)

It was around the time when Dieta couldn’t understand what was going on. Passion whispered softly in Dieta’s ear, as the knight had noticed something.

“Those three people have broken fingers. Their knees and ankles are also broken. They’ve been precisely shattered just enough so they can limp on one leg.”

Passion muttered in a surprised voice.

“This isn’t the work of someone who’s done it once or twice.”

Dieta swallowed hard.

Although she had bet on four days with Passion, even that was quite an optimistic estimate. Those three wanted criminals were from the back alleys, giving even bounty hunters trouble.

But to do it in just one night?

It was an unbelievable achievement. Though she knew she had to acknowledge the boy’s successful completion of the request and pay him his reward, Dieta couldn’t immediately speak.

“Ah, and also.”

While she was still in shock.

“Could you check these?”

Najin placed a leather pouch on the desk. Passion, standing beside Dieta, checked that there was nothing dangerous inside the pouch, then emptied its contents onto the desk.

What spilled out were gold coins and forged ledgers.

Along with various expensive ornaments and gold bars.

These were the money and items the three criminals had earned by playing tricks on Dieta’s company, along with things they had sold for cash. Najin had found and brought everything. When she realized this, Dieta couldn’t help but laugh.

“How did you manage all this?”

Najin was about to answer that he was quite skilled in this area, but then closed his mouth. There was no need to explain what his former occupation had been.

“There are ways to make people talk.”

If you break a few fingers, they’ll tell you everything, Najin added silently.

-I’d like to know too. Really.

Merlin’s voice echoed in Najin’s ear, sounding dumbfounded. Even though he had witnessed Najin’s work up close, Merlin couldn’t accept the process.

Fragments of information obtained through torture, breaking fingers.

After briefly pondering those fragments, Najin immediately found the location of the hidden safe. Merlin couldn’t understand how such conclusions could be drawn from those fragments.

Watching from the side, it felt like Najin was performing magic.

Najin just smiled at Merlin’s voice and Dieta’s incredulous gaze. Those two might not know, but Najin had originally been both an executioner and a debt collector for his organization.

‘The hiding places are obvious.’

The way these guys hide money was predictable, and with just a bit of information, finding the safe wasn’t difficult.

“Ah…”

A smile formed on Dieta’s lips, which had been silent.

The corners of her mouth turned upward. Her narrowed eyes sparkled. Najin flinched at those bright yellow eyes, which seemed even more intense than yesterday.

“This is beyond my expectations.”

Dieta smiled brightly.

She took out a piece of paper from a pile in the corner of her office and quickly wrote something with a quill pen. After stamping it with her seal as the company head, she handed it to Najin.

“This is your reward for the request. Show it at the transaction counter on the first floor, and they’ll exchange it right away. Our company also serves as a bank, so you can leave it with the vault keepers for safekeeping if you’d like.”

“…This has one more zero than the reward you mentioned yesterday.”

“Because I’m extremely satisfied with your work.”

And then.

Dieta stood up. She removed her snow-white gloves and extended her hand to Najin.

“Since we’ll likely be seeing each other often, shall we introduce ourselves properly? I don’t think I asked your name yesterday.”

As I mentioned yesterday, my name is Dieta.

What’s your name?

The girl asked with a charming smile.

And Najin…

3.

A moment after the boy left the office.

Dieta stared blankly at her hand still extended in the air. Her slender, snow-white fingers exposed by removing her gloves. Taking off her gloves to reveal her fingers was her own kind of signal.

I like you.

Let’s see each other often… that kind of signal.

Dieta was quite confident in her appearance. Before running away from her family, she had received numerous marriage proposals and almost been sold off like seasonal goods. After all, she was considered the most beautiful among the daughters of the Albania family.

Such a beautiful woman smiling prettily and offering an ungloved hand for a handshake. Wouldn’t any man feel at least somewhat attracted to such a scene?

‘Surely they would…’

But the boy didn’t take her extended hand. Saying he didn’t have a name worth giving yet, he simply left the office.

It felt like being rejected without even confessing.

Feeling quite peculiar, Dieta clenched her hand in the air several times. Though she could have felt bad, she smiled instead. Well, it wouldn’t be fun if he were so easily caught.

“He was amazing, wasn’t he? That boy from earlier.”

Dieta said, sitting back down and putting her gloves back on. Passion, standing beside her, nodded.

“Indeed, beyond expectations.”

“I think so too. I wonder who he really is.”

Dieta had seen countless adventurers and mercenaries in this city. That’s why she knew. Even professional bounty hunters couldn’t handle jobs as cleanly and quickly as that boy did.

Just who was that boy?

Dieta rested her chin on her hand, pondering the conversation she had with the nameless boy. His skills seemed too extraordinary for someone without any background.

‘Cleaner work than professional bounty hunters.’

Perhaps he had worked in this field before?

As far as she knew, only Rangers showed such exceptional skills in this area. People optimized for covert operations, ambushes, and pursuit.

…Could he really be a former Ranger?

Of course, the boy seemed too young to be a Ranger. If he were a Ranger, he would have been the youngest one, but she had never heard such rumors.

‘Then perhaps a Ranger trainee?’

But ordinary trainees wouldn’t be this skilled.

“Ah.”

At that moment, a piece of information flashed through Dieta’s mind. The Rangers of the Tetzel Mountains, considered the best among Rangers. That place, where only the elite gathered, was rumored to have trainees of a completely different caliber.

Candidates who learned from a very young age how to kill people, set traps, ambush, pursue, and torture.

These candidates, once complete, spend their entire lives intercepting enemies at the Tetzel Mountains near the border, knowing nothing of the outside world. Dieta knew that only a select few graduated from that hellish place to be called “Rangers of the Tetzel Mountains.”

How could she not know? One of the most famous mercenaries in this city was a Ranger from the Tetzel Mountains.

‘Could that boy also be…?’

It might just be speculation.

But at that moment, what flashed through Dieta’s mind was the conversation she had with the boy.

“Perhaps you’ve been training deep in the mountains? This is something close to common sense.”

A question she had asked the boy who seemed to lack common sense. To her casual question, the boy had answered, “Something like that.”

“Huh!”

Dieta gasped.

She slapped the table with her palm and turned her head. Looking at Passion standing beside her, she made a fuss.

“I told you this would be profitable!”

For the price of a meal, she had made a connection with a Tetzel Mountain Ranger trainee (presumably). A situation worthy of being called an investment genius. Even Passion couldn’t deny it this time. Even to him, a high-level knight, the boy was extraordinary.

Dieta smiled brightly as she calculated in her head.

Ah, she could smell it.

The smell of gold coins.

The Snake that Swallows the Gold Coins had caught the scent of gold.

She had left a good impression on the boy and established a relationship. Now she just needed to gradually draw the boy to her side.

Dieta knew there was no more efficient business than investing in talent that would soon achieve greatness. A connection with outstanding talent would elevate the company’s standing.

“This is good. Very good.”

A boy settling in this city.

She didn’t yet know how much the boy was worth in gold coins, or how much that value would increase in the future. Since she didn’t know, she would have to find out gradually.

Dieta’s eyes shone even more yellow than usual as she pondered what proposals and requests she should make to gain the boy’s favor.

Ahem. A short cough.

Someone interrupted Dieta’s concentration. She lowered her gaze to look at the three bound criminals in front of her. The moment she looked at them, Dieta’s eyes turned cold.

They had no value whatsoever.

Worthless trash that might spit out one gold coin at most if squeezed. Dieta had no interest in such trash. She ordered her secretary in a cold voice.

“Take them out and dispose of them. Sell off any parts that are worth money.”

4.

His wallet suddenly became heavy.

Najin secured lodging and paid the monthly rent in full. Despite paying rent and food expenses all at once, he still had plenty of money left.

‘This is where I’ll be staying.’

A window that let in sunlight and a soft bed.

Moreover, he could even have meals downstairs on the first floor, making it perfect. Though it was a common inn in this city, it was uncommon for Najin.

“At least I won’t have to go hungry or sleep on the floor for a while.”

-That’s good. So you’ve got the basics covered now?

Najin nodded.

He had successfully secured basic funds. He had found a place to stay, solved the meal issue, and successfully obtained an identification plate. Najin took out the plate from his pocket.

The plate, still just a piece of metal.

The employee who issued the plate explained that it would only become effective as identification after completing several requests and being verified by the guild. This plate was merely proof that he had become a member of the city, not proof of his identity.

So from now on, he would have to prove himself.

“This really does seem like the optimal stage for me.”

Najin smiled.

“A city where I can start from scratch and suitable for building skills. With achievements, I can create means to prove myself.”

Najin rolled the plate in his hand. Though it was just a piece of metal now, with achievements and improved skills, it would become an ID proving his existence.

-Speaking of which.

Merlin grinned.

-You heard the rank explanation earlier, right?

Starting from Black and going up to White.

The brighter the color, the higher the rank, allowing access to higher-level requests and facilities. A simple rule where anyone with skill could rise.

-The path you walk is the royal road.

Merlin said.

-You must leave records wherever you walk, and you must climb to the highest point wherever you set foot. That’s the path of kings, the path of heroes.

Just as Arthur did, you too must do the same.

Set records that no one can approach and climb upward. That’s what Merlin was saying.

-I don’t need to tell you what your target should be, right?

Najin nodded.

“Of course, the White rank.”

White rank. White Horn.

The highest rank and the pinnacle of this city.

Currently, only five people in this city held the White rank. Two of them were swordsmen, and Najin had seen their level on the guild’s bulletin board.

Sword Seeker.

The first goal he should aim for.

-Let’s set it at 2 years for now?

Two years. Najin knew what that meant.

It was the time it took Arthur to rise from Expert to Seeker. Najin had learned since coming to this city just how ridiculous that timeframe was.

‘From Expert to Seeker.’

If a talented Expert received proper support, it would typically take about 15 years to reach Seeker.

If geniuses received support, it would take 10 years.

And it took 7 years for Charon, the Star of Sword and master of the Sword Order, called an unprecedented genius, to rise from Expert to Sword Seeker.

Knowing this information, Najin understood how absurd Merlin’s demand of 2 years was. Despite knowing this, Najin smiled. With a smile, he opened his mouth to express his ambition.

“Two years? No way.”

Najin curled up the corners of his mouth.

“One year is enough.”

Breaking records, renewing every “youngest” title, and aiming for the highest place. And of course, the records Najin had to break included Arthur’s as well.

Not just following, but surpassing.

No matter what anyone said, the boy’s goal was to reach higher than King Arthur.