Field War (4)

The surrounding area was cleared as I cut off the last shrine maiden’s breath.

Although it was a place where a war had ended, there weren’t many corpses.

Unless in special environments, users’ corpses disappear within a minute.

The field damaged by the battle was gradually returning to its original state.

The Venom guild retreated, and as Soolbbang chased after them, today’s battle came to an end.

Thanks to this, the field where I had intruded became a quiet place as if nothing had happened.

As I was gulping down a tasteless recovery potion – I suddenly felt a bit unpleasant.

[Whisper from Gyocha]

– I heard the news.

– They say you’ve joined Kkambang’s side as a mercenary this time.

– Venom guild has suffered significant damage. I’m a bit disappointed.

A total of five guilds had applied to participate in the Ancient Kingdom Territory siege warfare.

They were guilds more famous for the name ‘Crusaders’ than their individual guild names.

Cross, Venice, Ministry of Defense. The alliance centered on these three guilds earned them that name.

Though the name sounds silly, they were once beasts that dominated the siege scene.

Before the current two-power structure was established, they had even controlled three-tenths of the continent.

The nickname ‘Gyocha’ belongs to the guild master of Cross among them.

He’s the de facto leader within the alliance.

He was also a client who consistently used my services.

Although the frequency has clearly decreased now, it means there was a time when he was a so-called ‘big spender’.

So he should know well.

What this current behavior means to me.

Leaning against a tree, I took out a dagger and played with it between my fingers.

“Venom’s side didn’t say much. I met Immae earlier.”

– I didn’t particularly blame you either. I just expressed a bit of regret. You didn’t often get involved in sieges, right?

“That depends on my situation. It’s not like we made a promise, right? I’ve even been on your side before, Gyocha-nim.”

– That was quite a long time ago. I wish you could have been with us this time too, if possible. Why now of all times? It’s hard to shake off that thought.

Ah, it’s clear now.

Gyocha is threatening me.

To stay out of this war.

The first to hear about my participation would have been the guild master of Venom, to which ‘Immaemangrang’ belongs.

They must have shared the information with the alliance, and it reached Gyocha’s ears.

The important thing is that no one from other guilds contacted me separately.

That’s because of etiquette.

I’m participating as a mercenary after all.

It wasn’t for nothing that Immaemangrang asked if I had ‘settled down’ first.

There’s no need to excessively provoke someone who could be an ally next time.

He was gauging how to treat me.

“As you know, I tend to do jobs that pay well.”

– You won’t receive the success bonus. Then it’s not a paying job, is it?

“Hm. You seem confident.”

– Isn’t it so from an objective point of view? Step back from this one. We’ll cover the penalty fee, and we’ll turn a blind eye to today’s events.

The words.

And the way he speaks is a bit irritating.

“You’ll turn a blind eye?”

– Yes. I believe it wasn’t Gawol-nim’s intention.

“What exactly wasn’t supposed to be intentional?”

– Your words seem to have an edge. Gawol-nim, you advocate neutrality, don’t you? Is there any need to be at odds with us?

“Well, I was planning to be unaffiliated again as soon as the next siege warfare ends.”

– This one is important to us. I don’t want to say unpleasant things.

Gyocha is coming on quite strong.

Although he’s speaking nicely, it means that if I don’t do as he says, we’ll have a hostile relationship in the future.

More explicitly, it means he’ll issue an order to kill me.

Let’s think carefully. Gyocha is not an incompetent person.

Even when I was treated as a sniper in the community, he was someone who recognized my value and didn’t spare money.

He knew my skills well even before I won the Arena.

“Hmm……”

Should I set aside my wounded pride for a moment?

Although his words are presumptuous, it’s an issue affecting my long-term income.

I needed to coldly run the numbers.

What I can gain by insisting on this war is income as a mercenary.

And what I’ll lose is as much as losing one long-time regular customer.

There’s still plenty of time until the siege warfare, so even if I back out, it shouldn’t damage my credibility.

Rationally thinking, it seems like a choice worth considering to say goodbye to Soolbbang.

But I can’t.

This is not a choice I can make.

– I’ll wait for your wise decision.

“No, there’s no need to wait.”

– Is that so? Then, about the penalty fee right now…

“That’s not necessary either.”

Was he in a hurry?

If he really wanted me to back down, he shouldn’t have approached me like this.

If it were another mercenary, they might have backed down even if they felt bad.

No. If it were a year ago, I might have backed off too.

The pressure from a large guild is indeed burdensome.

Well, they would have shown their ‘sincerity’ later to appease me.

It’s painful for them too to be on bad terms with a skilled mercenary.

Anyway, the Gyocha of the past had that kind of power.

But I’m different.

My name value has grown, while Gyocha has become smaller than before.

If it becomes known that I tucked my tail because of this level of pressure – my value as a mercenary would be damaged.

There’s no guarantee that a mercenary who bowed once won’t bow again.

In short, Gyocha’s power was insufficient to push me around.

If he corners me, he’ll just become a mouse that bites the cat.

“You seem to be misunderstanding something, but I’m not weak enough to tremble before mere Crusaders. Even Iris doesn’t treat me this rudely.”

– Sigh… I understand. It’s regrettable. I’ll visit you soon.

“Yes, please do.”

With this, the water has been spilled.

This war. If not the others, at least the Cross guild needs to be thoroughly crushed.

* * *

It ended up being a clear declaration of war, but… I didn’t intend to do anything right away.

War is not fought alone.

While I can have a big impact, it’s impossible to completely determine the outcome with just one individual’s power.

If such a thing were possible, I would have created a siege guild and monopolized the rights.

Anyway, objectively speaking, it’s true that our side’s forces are at a disadvantage.

No matter how hard I harass their rear, the disadvantage at the front won’t just disappear somewhere.

They’ll be thoroughly prepared for me as much as they know me.

So for now, let’s do what I want to do.

Strengthening our forces is something Soolbbang needs to work hard on, and I’m scheduled to be deployed after adjusting my condition.

I was given rest until tomorrow morning when I have rehabilitation training.

《 Incredible, Traveler! It was evaluated that Luche showed tremendous growth in the last Arena, but it’s like you’re saying, “That goes for me too!” right? 》

Just then, the opening match between Luche and Traveler was held in the pro league.

I watched the game while eating the snacks I had prepared.

It was vanilla ice cream in a paper cup.

Arena prize money plus the Cradle of Delusion distribution.

And on top of that, the gold coins plundered from the new continent!

Han Da-eun now has a thicker wallet than ever before.

This level of luxury?

I can fully enjoy it.

《 We’ve seen an extraordinary game right from the opening match. Q Prime is leading 1-0. Sigma’s next choice is… Camellia player is entering! 》

《 Speaking of Camellia, didn’t she show an outstanding performance in the second division? Let’s all watch together to see if that innate physicality will work in the first division as well. 》

Camellia is an opponent I’ve recently fought against.

The one who brought out a warrior during the second preliminaries and got badly beaten.

Should I say she lacked experience for someone with good skills?

I had a strong feeling that she couldn’t show everything she had.

《 Actually, there’s quite an interesting anecdote about Camellia. She received a lot of criticism when she was eliminated in the Arena preliminaries, right? 》

《 There were even comments saying it would have been better if she hadn’t participated at all. 》

《 Yes. But when Gawol, her opponent, ended up winning… There was a re-evaluation among fans. 》

《 It was indeed an unexpected result. Still, she must have felt unfair. I hope she can fully showcase her capabilities this time. 》

Wow, this is embarrassing.

Still, Gawol mentioned by the commentators always had a sweet resonance.

Camellia, shown on camera, seemed full of fighting spirit in her expression.

It reminds me of the old days. I think I was like that too when I did kendo.

Tsk. I guess I had unnecessary thoughts.

Before the mood could turn sour, I took a bite of ice cream.

The soft and sweet taste spread in my mouth.

In this aspect, having a woman’s body wasn’t all bad.

I couldn’t feel this level of satisfaction from one bite of ice cream before.

The happiness gained from ‘taste’ was incomparably greater than before.

Even now, a languid pleasure was spreading in my chest.

At least it’s not ramen, so anything tastes good.

It’s not that I dislike ramen, but I’ve eaten too much of it anyway.

《 Alright, both teams are ready. 》

《 The next battlefield is, coincidentally, the Duel Corridor. It’s a winner-stays-on battlefield where 1:1 duels continue until one team is completely wiped out. 》

《 It must feel like being thrown onto a test bench for Camellia. As I speak, Camellia has been decided as Sigma’s vanguard! 》

《 The first test instructor is… Sparrow player’s assassin. 》

The moment both teams finished their decisions and confirmed their opponents.

White warrior. Camellia’s teeth gritted ominously.

Hmm… It seems there’s quite a grudge.

Did something bad happen between them?

I hope it gets resolved amicably.