Chapter 74

“There shouldn’t be any problems.”

Carson’s resourcefulness was genuine.

He would be able to prepare that amount of weaponry.

Of course, he wasn’t the only merchant capable of such a feat.

But there was a reason I specifically chose Carson.

It was all about secret transactions.

If you buy that amount of weaponry from a mainstream merchant, rumors are bound to spread.

It would inevitably attract unwanted attention.

However, Carson, the black market merchant, was different.

Transactions with him would not be exposed to the public eye.

Secret dealings were the norm.

If I received the goods and secretly transferred them to the hideout I was about to acquire using the subspace bag I had used before, there would be no way for outsiders to know.

***

Ting-a-ling.

The bell over the door jingled.

“Welcome.”

A young and beautiful clerk greeted me.

This was Café Monica.

A place brimming with the vitality of youth.

“An Americano, please.”

Americano exists in this world too.

It’s a menu item that appears in the game, so of course, it exists.

This is good news for me.

I often miss this familiar bitter taste.

“Right away, sir.”

Shortly after, the Americano was served.

I took the Americano and went upstairs.

I found a seat by the window with a good view of the central square.

Sip.

“Ah, hot!”

I carelessly took a big gulp and burned my tongue.

At times like this, I miss iced Americano.

I checked the time.

There was still some time left before the two hours were up.

Sometimes it’s not bad to relax and take it easy.

I sipped my coffee slowly, lost in thought.

Swoosh.

Dan cautiously handed me the contract.

“I’ve managed to make a contract, but…”

“Good work.”

I barely glanced at the contract before casually closing it.

“You’ve read it all already…?”

“I trust you did a good job.”

“But there’s something else.”

“Yes?”

“The swordsmanship you mentioned earlier.”

“Oh, that. But… it’s not really something grand enough to be called swordsmanship.”

Dan scratched his head.

“It’s not like there’s a specific set of moves or anything.”

“Ah, I think I get what you mean. But that doesn’t mean you can’t teach it, right?”

“Well, I suppose not…”

“Then let’s go.”

“Where to…?”

“The dogfighting arena.”

“What?”

“Isn’t that where you need to go for training?”

“How did you…?”

Dan looked surprised.

If someone knows a fact that they’ve never told anyone, it’s natural to react that way.

“There are ways to know.”

“So if you ever think of deceiving me, you might want to think again.”

“I never had such thoughts from the start.”

“Maybe you should leave out ‘from the start’? Why were you about to lose your wrist?”

“Uh.”

Dan blinked rapidly and wiped off his sweat.

“Of course, I meant after I agreed to serve you, my lord. Hahaha…”

I patted Dan’s shoulder.

“That’s the spirit. Work hard with that attitude.”

Then I pushed him along.

“Let’s get moving.”

And so, we headed to the dogfighting arena.

Bark bark bark.

Woof woof woof.

Grrr.

Growl.

The noisy barking of dogs pierced my ears from all directions.

Even those who can’t resist dogs would admit this noise is on the level of sound pollution.

It was that loud.

“Come this way, please.”

A staff member from the dogfighting arena guided us.

While the main income of the arena came from dogfight gambling, that wasn’t all.

Selling off dogs that were raised for fighting but failed for various reasons was also a source of income.

And the dogs here were those very dogs.

“These are all brave and agile creatures. If trained well, they could be even better than some mediocre bodyguards.”

The staff member explained enthusiastically.

He assumed we were naturally buying dogs for protection.

Since the dogs here all descended from fierce breeds, it was a reasonable assumption.

“Hmm, let’s take a look.”

I surveyed the dogs in the pen.

Each one looked feisty.

Normally, I would refuse such dogs out of fear.

But this time, I needed one.

The one I was looking for was among them.

“Shall I choose?”

Dan offered.

It would be reasonable to leave it to an expert like him.

But there was a specific dog I wanted.

“I’ll do it.”

I began searching for the dog I wanted.

And after a while, I found it.

A white dog sitting in the pen with sleepy eyes.

Its expression of disinterest in worldly affairs was exactly what I was looking for.

“This one seems good.”

I pointed to the white dog.

“That one? Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend…”

The staff member replied with a troubled look.

“It bites first and asks questions later, regardless of who the owner is.”

I knew.

Even the fiercest dogs wag their tails for the person who feeds them.

But this one didn’t.

It would just bite anyone who approached, without any apparent hostility.

It just bit as if it was doing its job, with an indifferent expression.

A truly chic dog.

Such a dog couldn’t be raised for fighting.

That’s why it was here.

But for me, it was perfect.

To master Dan’s illusionary swordsmanship, I needed to learn natural movements and the hidden changes within them.

And there was no better dog than this white one to help me train for that.

“It’s fine. I really like this one. Let’s go with this one.”

***

“How did you pick such a dog?”

On the way to the hideout, Dan asked with a look of amazement.

“Look at this face. The dog looks determined and proud. Don’t you feel the will in its eyes, the determination not to submit to humans?”

“It just looks like sleepy eyes to me.”

The look of someone who finds everything bothersome and sleepy.

It was exactly that kind of look.

Definitely a unique character.

“Anyway. From now on, this guy’s name is White.”

Because it’s a white dog, White.

It’s not because I was too lazy to think of a name.

When I played the game, I always called it White, so it’s a name with a long-standing tradition.

“White? Oh, okay.”

Dan made a face as if to say, what kind of name is that, but quickly erased it.

He probably hasn’t seen truly terrible names for pets.

“Anyway, it doesn’t even bark. Can it really protect the house from burglars?”

“It probably doesn’t want to waste energy barking unnecessarily. And don’t worry about burglars. I plan to invest in solid security.”

Money solves many things here too.

Security is no exception.

If you pay the Mage Tower, they’ll install an electric shock magic circle that just knocks people out as an on-site service.

There’s no need for multiple caretakers.

Moving Dolph, who’s staying at the inn, to use the hideout as a home should suffice.

“Here we are.”

After a while, Dan stopped.

A two-story building on a sizable plot of land was in front of us.

“It used to be a dormitory for the employees of a trading company called Cumin (TLN: you got to be kidding me xD). But after consecutive failures, the company went downhill and put it up for urgent sale. That’s what I’ve contracted.”

“The building is quite spacious since it was used as a dormitory. I like it.”

“There were bigger properties, but their maintenance was a bit off. So, I chose this one.”

“That’s the resourcefulness I wanted to see.”

I nodded in approval, indicating that he should show me inside.

“Then, let’s go inside.”

Dan opened the door and led me in.

As soon as we entered, the view of the building unfolded.

There was the spacious open lot I wanted.

It was perfect for practicing swordsmanship without attracting attention.

Our training with Dan would take place there.

“Is the size of the open lot okay?”

“It’s perfect.”

“Good to hear. The annex is over there. It was used as an auxiliary warehouse by the trading company, so it should be spacious enough.”

As Dan explained, there was a building separate from the main one.

It was clearly not small.

Supplies and such could be stored there.

“Looks good. Shall we take a look inside?”

Thus, I quickly surveyed the interior of the building, including the warehouse.

As expected of a building used as a dormitory, there were plenty of rooms.

It seemed like it could feed and house a mercenary group.

‘Suddenly.’

A thought crossed my mind.

Gwen and the residents of the underground.

If their power could be utilized on the surface, it would be a significant help in the upcoming bloody chaos.

However.

I didn’t know how to get them out of the underground.

But.

‘There must be a way.’

I was certain.

Most events end with a perfect resolution.

In this case, it would be the liberation of the residents.

The protagonist would become the hero of that liberation.

Thinking about it made me even more certain.

It fits the concept of the protagonist who must become a hero.

Perhaps clearing the underground event quickly is the key to seeing the game’s ending.

‘I’ll have to seriously consider it based on the situation.’

Anyway, the immediate task comes first.

“You’re in charge of maintenance. Make sure it’s clean and nothing is out of place.”

“Just me…?”

“No, there’s another guy named Dolph. You’ll meet him soon.”

“Understood.”

“Now, let’s see what you’ve got.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb. I’m talking about swordsmanship.”

“Ah, but… honestly, it’s a bit embarrassing…”

“What’s embarrassing?”

“It started as a skill I learned while pickpocketing…”

“Crime is bad, but skills are not to blame.”

“So, you’re saying I’m a bad guy.”

“Well, aren’t you a bad guy, not a good one? Who was it that tried to swindle me with tricks just a few hours ago?”

“I have nothing to say.”

“Then drop the unnecessary embarrassment and show me what you’ve got.”

“Alright.”

Dan reluctantly put down the dog leash he was holding.

White remained sleepy-eyed, indifferent to what the humans were doing.

“Swordsmanship, as you call it, is actually an advanced stage, and the core is just movement.”

“Movement?”

“Yes. Understand it as the movement of the entire body, not just one part. Humans have a sense of incongruity even if only one part moves unnaturally. Even ordinary people can feel it.”

“So, even to deceive ordinary people’s eyes, there can’t be any unnaturalness.”

“Well, not exactly. Many people have the sense but can’t use it properly. But the principle is correct.”

Dan emphasized.

“You never know who you’ll encounter. So, you must always strive for perfection.”

“That’s right.”

I nodded.

Especially in swordsmanship, clumsiness can directly lead to death.

That’s why it has to be perfect.

To deceive the opponent’s eyes.

“Then, let me show you a demonstration.”

“Go ahead.”

Dan approached.

Then, suddenly, he threw a punch at me.

A powerful hook.

But I was already focused on Dan’s movements, so this wasn’t a surprise.

Thump!

I easily deflected Dan’s fist with my left palm.

“You need to learn more about throwing punches.”

“And you need to learn more about keeping your belongings safe.”

Dan smiled, holding a heavy bag of gold coins in his left hand.

The item that had been in my pocket until just moments ago.

I hadn’t noticed it disappearing despite being aware.

“Indeed, you’re the real deal.”

I smiled, realizing I had been outsmarted.

Feeling it firsthand made it even clearer.

This was a skill I could use very effectively.

“Now that I’ve seen the demonstration, start teaching me properly.”