Ch.88. Mercenary Corps

Early in the morning, Rex headed to the village chief’s house with Gert.

“It’s all my responsibility.”

The village chief bowed his head, biting his lip tightly.

It had already been fifteen days since he sent someone to hire mercenaries.

Though the city was somewhat distant, they should have arrived long ago—unless they had met with some accident along the way.

“I thought I chose carefully. I made a mistake.”

It was a barbaric era in many ways. Venturing outside the village where one had lived all their life meant risking one’s life. Natural disasters, bandits, beasts—threats to human life were abundant.

Nevertheless, someone had to take on the role of messenger. This duty typically fell to swift-footed men.

“Chief, please calm down. Why don’t we trust Peter and wait? No matter how I think about it, that fellow isn’t the type to betray the village and run away. He doesn’t have it in him.”

Tom cautiously spoke up. The fact everyone had been trying to cover up was now exposed: desertion.

To commission mercenaries, an advance payment was required, and people secretly suspected that Peter had taken the money and disappeared.

Although Peter had successfully completed similar tasks going back and forth outside the village several times, hearts could change as quickly as turning over one’s palm.

The fee for dungeon subjugation was particularly substantial, making suspicions even stronger.

None of those gathered here could claim they wouldn’t be tempted by a large sum of money.

The village chief spoke with a resigned face.

“No. Even if Peter returns soon, we can’t delay any longer. Recently, goblins have been moving in pairs or threes in the forest. If we leave them unchecked, the village’s location could be discovered in no time. If it comes to that, it’s truly over. Livestock slaughtered, children kidnapped. Terrible.”

At these grim words, the older adults’ expressions darkened, as if recalling something.

Gradually, the atmosphere shifted toward directly subjugating the goblin cave.

Rather than relying on uncertain possibilities, the chief’s opinion was to prepare for the worst and take the risk. Rex silently agreed with this thinking.

He recalled the warning the giant Kaordix had given him in a dream two weeks ago.

[A trial is coming to you at just the right time.]

He suspected this might be what the giant meant. Rex fingered the dagger tucked inside his clothes. The cool sensation of the metal gradually calmed his anxiety.

“Since we’re all gathered, let’s prepare and depart right away. It’s rather urgent, but better than dragging it out.”

The chief surveyed those assembled with solemn eyes.

He pointed at Rex, Gert, Joan, youth leader Tom, and several of Tom’s subordinates. He excluded village elders who had no connection to fighting. They obviously wouldn’t be of any help.

“We’ll go with these nine.”

Rather than recklessly sending in many people, deploying a small elite force was more efficient.

The notion that goblins were weak only applied in open plains. They were nimble, relatively intelligent, and knew how to use traps and terrain to their advantage.

Caves were narrow, dark, and full of obstacles. A careless swing of a weapon could injure allies. Nine people was just right.

“Is there anyone who wants to back out? Speak now, don’t make excuses later.”

“No, sir!”

Everyone except Gert shouted as soon as the chief finished speaking. In truth, it wasn’t easy to be the only one to honestly say you didn’t want to go in this situation.

“Then we’ll meet again at the forest entrance at noon.”

The chief dismissed them with a satisfied expression.

Rex returned home with Gert.

But now that they were actually going into a goblin cave, he hesitated about what to bring.

He had plenty of hunting experience following his father, but was that the same kind of preparation needed here? It didn’t seem quite right.

“Catch.”

Turning at the voice behind him, Rex caught the bag Gert tossed. Looking inside, he found bandages, rations, and various herbs.

Gert, apparently finished with his preparations, was sitting in a chair chewing on jerky. A familiar pouch on the table caught Rex’s eye.

‘Isn’t that mine?’

He thought he had hidden it well, but Gert had managed to find it. When Rex stared at him in dismay, Gert boldly pocketed the pouch and said:

“Bring the axe too. And the sickle.”

Unable to ask for his pouch back, Rex trudged outside. When he returned with the weapons, Gert held out his hand.

“The sickle.”

“What about the axe?”

“You use it.”

Gert wrapped the sickle in rope and hung it on his back, then attached a crossbow to his belt.

Rex had nowhere suitable to put the axe, so he just held it in his hand. Still, from chopping firewood every day, it felt comfortable in his grip.

Though with its short reach, he wasn’t confident about fighting properly with it.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

They needed to move quickly to reach the forest entrance by noon.

“Hey!”

As Rex followed Gert out of the house, Anna suddenly poked her face through the door crack. Wondering what she wanted, he looked back to see her pouting as she called out:

“Be careful! Don’t get hurt showing off! Father, come back safely. Mom and I will be waiting.”

“Take care.”

Their mother also came out to see them off, waving her hand. Gert walked ahead without looking back, as indifferent as ever.

Rex scratched his cheek with a sullen expression, gave a slight nod, and then turned away.

‘Was I imagining it?’

Strangely, his steps felt a little lighter.

***

“Good, you’re here on time. Over here.”

As the forest came into view, the village chief signaled from a distance, raising his arm. The father and son were the last to arrive; everyone else was already there.

“If the subjugation seems too difficult, abandon it without hesitation. Just reducing their numbers will give us some breathing room. Try to return before nightfall.”

“Understood.”

Tom stepped forward as representative to speak with the chief. The chief patted each young man’s shoulder once and continued:

“Rolling in a field of dung is better than dying. Remember that, all of you. And Gert, with your experience, please lead these fellows well. I’m counting on you.”

“I will.”

Gert responded with a stoic face. For a brief moment, their gazes met, and the chief quietly nodded.

“Now, set off. I pray no one gets hurt.”

At those words, Gert strode into the forest.

“Follow me.”

Having tracked the goblins’ traces and located their nest, Gert led the way as the young men followed without question.

Gert was the village’s best hunter and also skilled in combat. Officially, Tom led the people, but everyone knew the truth: Gert was the real leader.

The dungeon was some distance away. At first, they walked in silence, but soon the young men began chatting with each other.

Gert didn’t stop them. It was better than being tense and stiff.

“Rex. Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”

As Rex walked alone with his mouth shut, Tom approached and spoke to him.

“Feel free to call me ‘hyung.’ Okay?”

“Yes, hyung.”

Rex nodded lightly. Seeing this, Tom smiled kindly and walked over to someone else.

As befitting the youth leader, he seemed to be comforting everyone.

Shortly after Tom left, Joan glanced around cautiously and nudged Rex’s side.

“Hey, it’s been a while. What have you been up to? Haven’t seen you since we met at the chief’s house.”

“Been living well.”

“Are you serious?”

Joan let out a hollow laugh and grumbled.

“Have you thought about joining the youth group?”

“Still thinking about it.”

“Why are your answers so short? Am I bothering you?”

At those words, Rex stared at Joan.

“How did you know?”

“You punk, I already joined a while ago. Now we just need you to join.”

“I’ll handle it myself, so mind your own business. Don’t you dislike me?”

Rex asked sincerely.

It was strange how Joan kept pestering him now, when he had charged at Rex so viciously during the coming-of-age ceremony. It felt like being caught by an annoying girl.

“Well, I did at first. But that was a misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding?”

“I hate weaklings. If you’re born a man, you should put in some effort to build muscle and learn to fight. But pathetic guys just gossip like girls behind others’ backs.”

“That’s how I looked to you?”

“That’s why I said it was a misunderstanding. You’re short and… not exactly well-built.”

Rex shook his head with an incredulous expression.

“Ugh, forget it.”

“When I faced you in the finals, I wondered how someone like you took all the first places. I thought you must have cheated. That made me even more resentful. Well, it was all my misunderstanding.”

Joan scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed face.

“Anyway, I was wrong. Let’s be friends.”

“Fine, just be quiet now. You’re distracting.”

“You’ll join the youth group, right?”

“I said be quiet.”

Rex widened his stride, leaving Joan behind. Joan hurriedly caught up and pulled something from his waist.

“Want a snack?”

“…Yeah.”

As Rex was dissolving the ration Joan had given him with his saliva, Gert stopped walking.

“We’ve arrived. Get ready.”

At those words, the chatter among the young men abruptly ceased.

With the sudden silence, the surroundings seemed eerily empty. Then, as if on cue, the sounds of the forest reached them.

Birds chirping, insects buzzing, leaves rustling in the wind… though it was clearly a peaceful scene, it somehow felt chilling.

Everyone gripped their weapons tightly. Relaxed minds became taut. They all sensed it: they couldn’t afford to be careless now.

Looking carefully at the slightly distant undergrowth, they could see a large rock standing in front of a sloping hill, with a hole behind it just big enough for one adult to pass through.

“Rex.”

“Yes.”

While the other young men were strategizing, Gert walked over to Rex.

With an expressionless face, Gert said:

“Don’t try to stand out. Stay hidden.”

When Rex hesitated to answer, Gert’s eyes narrowed.

“Answer.”

“…Yes.”

After reluctantly nodding with a disgruntled expression, Gert looked Rex over once and returned to his position.

“Ready?”

“Yes.”

Tom looked around and whispered in a low voice:

“We’re going in.”

Without hesitation, Gert stepped into the cave.

The young men immediately followed. The dense darkness swallowed them.

***

On an isolated mountainside stood a small hut. The roof was full of holes, and the pillars were cracked and crooked, looking as if they might collapse at any moment. It had clearly been abandoned for a long time.

“Ughh…”

Inside the hut lay a man, groaning in pain. His condition was terrible.

Blood seeped from a gaping hole in his abdomen.

There were many other wounds as well. His arms and legs were slashed as if cut by blades, his nose was smashed flat, and his mouth was empty of teeth behind swollen lips.

At this point, even with treatment, there was no hope of survival. Unaware of this fact, the man kept mumbling:

“H-help me… Help me… Please…”

When no answer came, the man dropped his head in despair. A moment later, sensing movement in the distance, he gathered what little strength he had left and shouted:

“Help me!”

The wooden door that had been closed all along burst open, and rough-looking men rushed in. One of them picked at his ear and complained:

“Doesn’t this bastard ever sleep? So damn noisy.”

“Idiot. Look at him. Does he look like he could sleep?”

“Ah, you’re right. Heh heh.”

Despite their mockery, the bloodied man persistently repeated his plea:

“Don’t do this…”

“What did we do, huh? Someone might think we tortured you or something.”

At this obvious taunt, what little hope the man had been clinging to was extinguished. Tears rolled down his cheeks.

‘I got mixed up with the wrong people.’

The man’s name was Peter, the young man who had left Oakbrook Village to hire mercenaries in the city. He had arrived in the city as planned, but things went wrong after that.

He went to the guild and was introduced to a mercenary group with a good reputation, but he had been completely deceived. The guide was in on it too.

His first mistake was naively following them when they suggested going to their hideout. He drank the alcohol they offered without thinking and lost consciousness, only to wake up here.

It was a stupid thing to do, in retrospect.

Of course, he resisted at first, but was immediately met with fists. Seeing how they used violence without the slightest hesitation terrified him into inaction.

The way they playfully pulled out his teeth was horrifying.

He had lost his sense of time and could no longer tell how many days had passed.

The advance payment he had brought was long gone.

“Hey, he’s not dead yet?”

When Peter slumped to the floor, a mercenary approached and slapped his cheek.

“Handle him gently. The boss said to keep him alive until he gives the order to dispose of him.”

“I know.”

Another mercenary clicked his tongue in reproach. Peter trembled. The mercenaries torturing him from within the pitch-black shadows seemed like evil spirits.

Creak.

The door opened, and cold air seeped inside.

Thud, thud. The mercenaries fell silent as if struck dumb. Amid the sound of footsteps, Peter’s hair was roughly grabbed and yanked upward.

Peter struggled to open his eyes. A torch pushed back the shadows, illuminating the hut.

A man with a long scar running horizontally across his eye spoke, his lips splitting into a grin:

“So, how much did you find out?”

“H-help me…”

“Right. Such jokes aren’t funny. Hmm, how about this?”

The man smiled brightly as he gently stroked Peter’s cheek, then suddenly turned serious.

“Village name, location, population, how much there is to plunder. Oh! And what the situation is. Answer as specifically as possible.”

“Help me… Please…”

“No, no. That’s not the answer I want. You know that. Try again. Or shall we continue our intimate time together?”

The man gazed at Peter with seemingly genuine regret.

Peter trembled at the murderous look in the eyes of a man who must have killed countless people. His trouser legs slowly became wet.

Peter swallowed hard and opened his mouth.

“O-Oakbrook Village. Northeast from the city… About a hundred and thirty men…”

“And their wealth? Do they live comfortably?”

“Y-yes…”

“And?”

“A goblin dungeon appeared…”

“See, you can do it. You should have said so earlier. Then neither of us would have had to suffer like this. Anyway, well done.”

The man cut Peter off mid-sentence and stood up. Peter quickly tried to grab the man’s clothes, but froze when the man looked down at him with dry eyes.

It was a look of complete disinterest, as if he had obtained all the information he needed.

The man brushed off the part of his clothes Peter had touched and coldly muttered:

“Kill him.”

“W-wait… Help me. Help me! AAAAARGH!”

The man, the mercenary captain, hummed a tune as he listened to Peter’s screams.

“Well, we’ll have to flee to a distant region again.”

A subordinate smiled obsequiously and said:

“Still, nothing’s as sweet as raiding a village, is it, sir?”

“We do what we must to survive. Troublesome as it is.”

“Hehe, that’s right.”

“Clean up properly.”

“Yes, sir.”

Not long after, the mercenaries emerged from the hut.

“It’s done, sir.”

“Let’s go.”

The mercenary captain flung a torch through the door crack. Flames immediately rose, completely engulfing the hut.

The mercenary captain and his subordinates disappeared into the darkness, leaving behind the rising smoke.

This happened one week before Rex entered the goblin cave.