"B Rank!"
"s.h.i.t, did they really say B rank?"
The mercenaries grinned widely.
If you received a decent, useful B rank talisman, it was possible to buy a small house on the outskirts.
If it was a B rank talisman with a good ability, you would be able to afford a bigger house.
Normally, 5 lower level talismans were equal to one higher leveled one, so it was no different from receiving 5 C rank talismans.
Afterwards, when they escaped the trial with broad smiles, the manager looked puzzled.
"O-ho! Did you break the trial?"
"We were lucky."
"No. It was because your skills are outstanding. Hmm…. Can you explain the situation inside in detail?"
The manager seemed quite interested in this part.
Why was he?
The manager seemed to have some sort of position within the Sun Guild.
However, he personally recruited mercenaries and tried to listen to their stories to learn more about this trial.
It wouldn"t have been simply for entertainment.
"What should I do?"
In order to explain, it was inevitable that the man from the Command Clan would be revealed.
The manager could change his att.i.tude when he realized the man had unusual power and was from the Command Clan.
However, since it was true that they did receive help, the words didn"t easily fall from their lips.
"I"ll explain that. Hehe."
At that moment, a mercenary soldier came out.
"Really? Give it a try."
"So. It was the trial called the Room of the Flesh Hound. That guy Kim Taehwan did a great job there. Let me tell you in detail……"
The mercenary appropriately mingled the truth with lies and concealed the man"s ident.i.ty.
With a little more time, Kim Taehwan realized the man"s intentions.
"Aaah".
It meant he would continue to have team-play with the man.
For them, the man seemed to be a rookie that was just strong, and unknowing of the ways of the world.
"Since I got a B-rank talisman, I"ll take this guy with me and reap more benefits." These were his thoughts.
"I want to know a little more too."
Kim Taehwan condoned it.
He also wanted to learn more about the man"s ident.i.ty.
"….And that was how we were able to get out of there safely. All thanks to Kim Taehwan"s help. Haha!"
"That"s impressive."
The manager"s eyes lingered on Kim Taehwan.
"I was lucky."
"Luck. Luck, you say. In that case, I would like to give you more work…. What do you think?"
"By work, you mean…?"
"Recently, similar things continue to happen in the Great City. Our Sun Guild intends to fix this problem. Perhaps the Luminescent Guild will concur on this part."
"I understand. I"m willing to take care of it."
Kim Taehwan nodded his head.
If this work was important, he wanted to move from the centre and have his skills recognized.
Since the Sun Guild was managing the problem on their own, it surely would be inconsequential.
It was worth getting directly involved.
The man was capable of breaking through the hard trials on his own.
Thanks to him, the work was incredibly easy and the mercenaries who were with him were almost sitting on gold cushions.
"This is really insane. If this keeps going well, I can retire."
"Exactly. I would also be able to get a small store in the centre!"
"That black warrior is a perfect lucky charm."
The soldiers looked at the man in full armor that they called the "black warrior".
They had dealt with five trials.
It had only been a month.
During that time, they had received huge rewards and were agonizing over how to use them.
Of course, through that their guard increased.
There were people who would attack them seeking to steal their compensation.
There were signs that they were trying not to be too close to each other.
This job, it was unusual. The Sun Guild was using mercenaries even though they have the manpower to handle it without being disadvantaged.
However, Kim Taehwan hardened his expression.
They had already completed five trials but everyone wasn"t happy.
First, there were lots of chimera type monsters in all of the trials.
They were similar in goals in that the trial ended when the "nucleus" was destroyed.
Like a Box of Trial, someone seemed to have made these trials on purpose.
Such suspicions arose.
"When I return from this one, I"ll look for a woman first."
"I want to soak my body in hot water."
Their last trial took place on the outskirts of the Great City.
They were returning to the Great City after finishing the trial.
Just imagining things after returning seemed to relieve fatigue.
But there were people who blocked them.
"…….Who are you?"
Kim Taehwan went ahead and spoke.
They were dressed in orthodox costumes and wore animal bone helmets.
They were exactly ten in number.
"You were too c.o.c.ky. The Death G.o.d is angry. You must pay with your life. I, under the name of Hyungbish."
An awkward way of speaking.
A man who looked like their leader raised a small dagger.
Then, he drew the dagger across his wrists. There were countless stab wounds on his wrist.
Chwaak!
When the blood gushed out, it sprayed onto the ground.
Rumble!
A short moment later, the blood swelled up beneath the earth and level 5 monsters burst out.
"Jiangshi [1]……! The Command Clan!"
All of the five spirit monsters were jiangshi.
They also were very dark in colour.
Kim Taehwan immediately recognized that they were Command Clan elites.
"So you have something to do with this!"
It was a gut feeling, but he was almost certain.
The fact that the Sun Guild was moving all its troops was related to the Command Clan!
"It"s the black jiangshi. The birth of the Great One. They are the followers who will become the foundation."
The man, Hyungbish was confident.
If it was five black jiangshi, they were strong enough to defeat the mercenaries and be unharmed.
Even Kim Taehwan knew that.
He"d never personally dealt with a black jiangshi, but he knew what he"d heard when people spoke about the Command Clan.
―If you see the Command Clan"s black jiangshi, don"t look back and run away! No matter who it was.
It was said to be that strong.
"Everyone, draw your weapons!"
Kim Taehwan shouted urgently.
Snap.
The thread was broken.
"Muyoung, why do you do that?"
Muyoung turned his head.
An elegant girl.
She was dressed in an all-white dress and was sitting on top of the castle while drinking tea.
Muyoung shook his head.
"You"re as taciturn as ever. Indeed, you probably hate having a conversation with someone like me……."
The girl grew sulky.
Pat.
Muyoung put his hand on the girl"s head.
"It won"t be good to stay with me. Are you really okay? Right now the guild is in a total emergency. Because Alexandro went missing."
Muyoung nodded.
The girl smiled.
This place was the Sun Guild"s main castle.
The girl was Alexandro"s seventh daughter.
She had no power or strength, but she was the perfect girl to use as a shield if something was to happen.
"Thank you. If anything happens I"ll at least protect you. If my marriage is successful…..it will definitely be possible."
The girl sighed.
Muyoung removed his hand.
The girl showed slight disappointment, but it couldn"t be helped.
After this he looked down from the castle.
"The clone"s senses have been cut off and finally the informant has appeared."
Right now he was concerned about other things than the girl.
The clone burst. And the clone"s memories came into his mind in detail.
"The Command Clan."
The corner of Muyoung"s mouth twitched.
The ones who interfered with the work this time.
The clone he"d dispatched after earning Hamel"s Rune Ring for more gains finally had them by the tail.
[1] TL/Editor"s Note: Jiangshi is a kind of Chinese hopping zombie…