The next morning.
Before the sun had even risen, my eyes opened on their own.
Maybe my body had gotten used to it, or maybe I was still tense.
Either way, it was an awkward time to lie back down.
I had been given lodging for yesterday’s request, but only for one day.
Now I had to look for a place to stay.
Before that, I should fill my stomach.
I left the room and headed to the kitchen.
As I hurriedly ladled out a bowl of soup and began shoveling it down, someone spoke to me.
“You’re new, aren’t you?”
“…Pardon?”
“If you want to grab good requests, you have to move early in the morning.”
Leaving only those words behind, he opened the door and walked out. He was probably a mercenary.
Seeing that, I quickly emptied the rest of my soup and ran to the guild.
The mercenary guild was already packed with people.
So many had gathered that the line stretched all the way outside the door.
“There are way too many…”
Since I had nothing else to do anyway, I decided to get in line first.
While I waited, I could hear the people ahead of me talking.
“Did you hear? Henry’s group went to the ruins this time and still hasn’t come back.”
“What? I heard they got all their equipment newly fitted before going. I thought they’d be the ones to make it big.”
The ruins… They were probably talking about the abandoned castle site in the forest.
Ruins made me think of Drek. I wonder if he’s doing well.
“No idea how many of them died. Isn’t that place seriously dangerous?”
“Still, they say mana stones come out of there. That’s what everyone’s betting on when they go in.”
Mana stones.
I could roughly guess what they were, but I needed to learn more.
As I quietly eavesdropped on their conversation, I found myself arriving in front of the board.
But it seemed I was too late.
All the good requests had already been torn away, and the ones left were either dangerous or paid terribly.
There was only one that caught my eye.
「Western Forest Road Day Patrol. Ten copper coins. Anyone may accept.」
…Suspicious.
Ten copper coins was a fairly decent amount. But “anyone may accept”?
The murmuring from behind me turned my suspicion into certainty.
“Someone took that again, huh? You know what they say about the western forest. Bandit bastards hiding out there.”
“They’re basically going to die. They’re being thrown out as bait.”
Just as I thought.
It was a bait request meant to confirm a dangerous area where bandits appeared.
Or perhaps it was a trap set up by someone in the village colluding with the bandits.
Maybe I had gotten my hopes up for nothing.
Forget good requests—there were only traps.
After glancing over the request sheets, I headed to the reception desk.
Since I was here anyway, I decided to formally register as a mercenary.
“How may I help you?”
“How do I register as a mercenary?”
“Registration, is it? What is your name?”
“It’s Liv.”
“…Liv? By any chance, did you accept a request yesterday?”
“Yes, I went on the waterway maintenance request yesterday.”
I held out the request sheet I had received yesterday.
The receptionist compared it with another document, then nodded.
“You’re already registered. It seems you simply haven’t received your mercenary badge yet. Please wait and I’ll bring it to you.”
“Ah, thank you.”
I was already registered?
Did that woman yesterday take care of it for me?
Judging by her way of speaking and attitude, she might have held a fairly high position.
“Would you like me to explain how to use the mercenary guild?”
“Uh, yes. I’d appreciate that.”
The receptionist nodded as if she was used to this, then took out a small piece of paper from a drawer and handed it to me.
On the palm-sized paper, a simple explanation had been summarized.
“First, mercenaries operate on a rank system. Newcomer, regular, experienced, elite, and anything above that requires a separate evaluation. Since you’ve just registered, you are at the newcomer rank.”
“What can I do as a newcomer?”
“You can accept low-difficulty requests and use the guild’s basic facilities. You can also receive one free meal per day.”
Oh, the meal was a pretty good benefit.
Even if it was just soup, free food was something to be grateful for.
“How do I raise my rank?”
“You are automatically reviewed based on the number of completed requests and your reputation score. What kind of requests you completed, and how well you completed them, are what matter.”
It was more systematic than I had expected.
I nodded along, and the receptionist continued her explanation.
“Ah, and requests are generally divided into three types.”
The receptionist raised her fingers as she explained.
“First, general requests. These are things that are posted regularly, like village patrols, transporting supplies, or subjugating monsters. Second, emergency requests. These are one-time requests posted immediately when an incident or accident occurs. Third, special requests. These are high-level missions directly posted by the guild, nobles, or merchant companies. They are dangerous, but the pay is high, and they greatly affect your reputation.”
“…When would I be able to accept those kinds of requests?”
“You need to reach at least the regular rank. As for special requests, you can usually participate starting from the experienced rank.”
After finishing her explanation, the receptionist placed something in front of me.
It was a small bronze-colored badge, a mercenary badge engraved with my name.
It seemed mercenary ranks were distinguished by the color of the badge.
“Here. Please keep this with you. You’ll need to present it when accepting requests or passing through the outskirts of the village.”
“Understood.”
The badge in my hand was small and cold.
But for now, this was my identity.
“Is there anything else you’re curious about?”
“…Um, what exactly is a mana stone?”
“Ah, mana stones? Simply put, they’re ore formed from mana that has condensed and hardened.”
The receptionist drew a circle in the air with her finger as she continued explaining.
“They slowly form in places naturally rich in mana, such as old ruins or bedrock deep in forests. The conditions for their formation are strict, and they say it takes several decades at least.”
“Are they that valuable?”
“Yes, extremely. They’re widely used in making magical tools, alchemy, and even magical research. Their price also varies greatly depending on quality.”
For a moment, I recalled the story about the ruins in the forest that I had heard yesterday.
I could understand, at least a little, why people headed there prepared to die.
“That’s why everyone jumps into places where mana stones might appear, no matter what dangers there are. They can make money, build fame, and if they’re lucky, their entire life can change.”
There was a strangely realistic feeling mixed into those words.
If it really was enough to change one’s life… just how much were they worth?
I was curious, but I held it in, afraid I might look too obsessed with money.
It would be a bit much to show what I was after from the very first meeting.
“…Thank you. I understand now.”
“Anytime. Please be careful in your work from now on.”
Leaving the receptionist’s farewell behind, I gripped the mercenary badge in my hand and stepped out of the guild.
Since I was out, maybe I should go buy some shoes.
My shoes had long since ceased to serve their purpose.
The left heel and the sole of the right shoe were split open, with holes forming.
In a secluded alley in the northern part of the village stood a small workshop with a shabby sign hanging outside.
The door opened with a creak.
“Could I look at some shoes?”
Inside, the craftsman lifted his head.
A low wooden workbench, dusty window frames, a straw-woven mat.
And shoes hanging quietly on the wall.
They seemed to be made of good leather, glossy and quite sturdy.
The craftsman looked down at my feet.
Even without me saying anything, he must have seen everything.
“Looking to buy the same kind? That’ll cost at least one silver coin.”
“…Um, new shoes are too much for me. By any chance, could you repair them instead…”
One silver coin? These were expensive shoes?
No wonder Baldik had looked at my shoes like that.
I carefully opened my pouch.
Five coins.
Not gold, not silver.
Just five common, insignificant copper coins.
The craftsman took my worn shoes and examined them for a long while.
The crumpled leather, the torn laces.
“Hmm… The laces need replacing, and all the stitching has to be redone. Still, I can make them wearable for now. Come back tomorrow.”
“The price…”
“Five copper coins.”
I hesitated for a moment.
He quietly studied my face, then looked away and said,
“…Four coins is fine too. I haven’t had much work lately either, so I’ll think of it as something to do.”
At those words, I bowed my head deeply.
***
I had left the lodging, but with nowhere to go, my feet eventually led me back to the mercenary guild.
As always, a few adventurers were leaning near the entrance, chatting, and when I stepped inside, the heavy smell of sweat struck my nose.
“You’re here again.”
The woman sitting behind the reception desk said, scratching her head.
It was the same person who had asked my name yesterday.
It wasn’t as if I was displeased, but I felt somehow embarrassed and turned my head.
“I just… wanted to see if anything had been posted on the board.”
“Well, I doubt there’s anything you can do. Requests were taken unusually quickly today.”
Whether she said that or not.
I walked over to the board with familiar steps.
Only four or five request sheets remained there, fluttering in the breeze.
All of them were unpleasant, or seemed like traps.
Well, it wasn’t as if a miraculous opportunity would appear in a place like this.
Just as I lowered my head, someone beside me spoke.
“Aren’t you the kid I saw this morning?”
Who is it? I looked to the side.
A large man with close-cropped white hair was staring intently at me.
It was the man I had seen in the morning.
“…Yes. That’s right.”
“Ha, I could tell at a glance. Looked like you’d fail to get a request and come back empty-handed.”
He chuckled and folded his arms.
The leather armor visible beneath the edge of his cloak was quite worn, but because of that, he looked like someone who had been rolling around this field for a long time.
“My name’s Taren. Silver-badge mercenary.”
“…I’m Liv. Bronze… badge.”
The moment Taren heard me, he let out a snort of laughter.
“Bronze or silver, it’s all the same. In the end, mercenaries are people who put their lives on the line for two copper coins.”
At those words, a laugh slipped out of me without my realizing it.
Had I already become a mercenary through and through?
After we exchanged a few more words, Taren cautiously made a suggestion.
“If you’ve got that much free time, want to come along on a request leaving tomorrow? There probably won’t be any fighting, and it’s just simple transport. I heard the pay’s decent too.”
“Really?”
“Really. Going alone is a bit much anyway, and I’d feel less burdened if someone came with me.”
It was an opportunity thrown at me out of nowhere.
I had to be cautious of kindness without reason, but I had no other options right now.
This was… something I might have to bite at.
“…Thank you. I definitely want to go with you.”
Taren nodded and lightly tapped my shoulder.
“Good. Let’s meet here tomorrow before sunrise. If you’re late, I’m not taking you.”
“Yes!”
***
The morning air was damp and cold.
Of course, there was no room to be found for a single copper coin.
I had asked the price once at an inn at the end of an alley, only to receive the landlady’s laughter as a bonus before leaving.
In the end, there was only one choice.
After pleading desperately with an old woman I couldn’t even communicate with, I had no choice but to lie down in one corner of a barn on the outskirts of the village.
I had slept on a pile of straw, let alone with a blanket, and my back ached.
I sat up and rolled my shoulders once.
Just before the sun poked its face over the horizon, we gathered at the cargo yard outside the city center.
Six wagons. The goods seemed to be mostly grain and dyes, with some expensive fabrics mixed in as well.
The merchant group in charge of the transport had hired a small mercenary band of twelve for protection, and Taren was one of them.
“You awake, Liv?”
Taren called out to me. Already wearing a cloak over his leather armor, he was chewing on hardtack beside a wagon.
“Eat this. You’ll have to walk a lot today.”
“Thank you.”
I bowed my head as I received the hardtack he tossed me. When I bit through the hard shell, I could barely smell grain from inside.
Mm. It filled my stomach well enough.
“Six wagons, huh. With a scale like this, trouble’s bound to happen at least once along the way.”
“Is it that dangerous?”
“Yeah. If the world were safe, why would mercenaries like us be needed?”
Taren muttered as he deftly maintained his bow.
At those words, I found myself smiling bitterly.
And so, I set out on the transport route with twelve mercenaries.
The sight of six wagons departing in a line was more impressive than I had expected. The rattling of wagon wheels, the sound of horses’ hooves, even the clanging of metal equipment striking together. It made me wonder if this was what real adventure felt like.
“You’re a rookie, right?”
One of the mercenaries approached. His name was Hamil. He was a huge man with a thick beard, frightening to look at but surprisingly kind.
“Yes. I’m Liv.”
“Did Taren bring you along?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Haha, that bastard doesn’t even have money, so how’s he planning to split the pay?”
And so the joking banter continued, while Taren quietly watched me from behind.
As we walked, the mercenaries’ conversations were fairly free and easy.
Some went on about battles, while others traded jokes with the coachman.
I couldn’t join in those conversations, but just listening from the side put me a little at ease.
But that peace did not last long.
A little past noon.
A sudden shout erupted from the front.
“Stop! Something’s wrong!”
In an instant, the wagon procession came to a halt, the sounds of footsteps and horses’ cries tangling together.
At that moment, with a shweck, an arrow came flying in and pierced the lead mercenary’s shoulder.
“Bandits!! Defensive formation!!”
Groups dressed in black burst out from the bushes on both sides.
Their movements were trained in their own way, their charge without hesitation. They didn’t seem like ordinary bandits.
“Liv! Fall back!”
Taren shouted as he drew his bow and began shooting. A sharp arrow pierced one bandit’s leg, and while I moved to avoid the chaos, Taren stood beside me.
“This… isn’t a simple ambush. Someone leaked information.”
“H-how do you know?”
“They’re attacking everything except the wagons carrying potions. That’s too precise to be coincidence.”
And then, an even greater crisis approached.
“Enemies spotted in the rear too! More are coming out of the brush!!”
Another group of bandits burst out. There looked to be twice as many—no, maybe three times as many.
And in the midst of it all, Taren’s eyes wavered.
“Damn it… we’re going to be wiped out.”
“What?”
“Liv.”
He turned his head toward me and said,
“If you want to live, run. If not now, you won’t get another chance.”
“What are you talking about? We should all—”
“Not everyone can survive. Someone has to, don’t you think?”
The moment he said that, Taren sprinted toward the forest.
His movements were precise, without a single wasted motion, and after slipping past one bandit, he vanished from sight in an instant.
“Taren! Let’s go together!”
I shouted, but he did not look back.
As if he had intended to run away alone from the very beginning.
“Taren, that son of a bitch…”
The curse slipped out on its own.
Was this why he brought me along?
Even as I thought that couldn’t be true, the suspicion did not easily fade.
“Damn it, they’re heading for the potion wagon! Stop them!”
Someone screamed from behind, and soon after, one of the wagons went bang! and was engulfed in flames.
Watching the wagon be swallowed by fire in an instant, my legs instinctively moved into the gaps between the wagons.
‘You said this was a beginner’s request, you bastard Taren.’
The scenes collapsing before my eyes grew more and more real.
“Hamil… Where did Hamil go?”
I turned my head to look for him, but
a familiar silhouette lying collapsed on the ground entered my sight.
Hamil was no longer moving.
“……”
I clenched my teeth and, holding my breath, crouched down again.
Curling up as if folding my body in on itself, I crawled into the gap beneath a wagon.
With trembling hands pressed to the ground, I repeated inwardly.
‘This… is my first request?’
The arrows fired by the bandits flew in from every direction.
My shirt, drenched in sweat, clung tightly to my back. It felt like I’d be hit if I took even a single step out.
Then—
“There you are.”
A voice came from behind me.
A chill ran down my spine.
Beside the wagon, a man wearing a dark hood was looking down at me.
A face covered in pitted scars, thick forearms. The look in his eyes was not one that would end with a mild threat.
“You look perfectly terrified. But I can see you, you know?”
“…”
My mouth was still there, but no voice came out.
My fingertips trembled. The dagger… wh-where is it?
I groped at my waist.
With shaking hands, I gripped the dagger, drew in a deep breath, and slipped out from behind the wagon.
“What are you planning to do with that?”
He raised his blade and slowly approached.
I breathed in deeply and pulled out the dagger.
Just stab him. Stab first and think later.
I swung my arm.
Whoosh—
Thanks to my pathetic swordsmanship, the blade only cut through empty air.
He dodged with just a slight tilt of his head and let out a mocking laugh.
“Your spirit was worth seeing, at least. Is that all?”
A kick came flying.
With a thud, my jaw snapped to the side, and I slammed back-first into the wagon.
The breath was knocked out of me. My body wouldn’t move.
‘At this rate, I’ll die.’
For the first time, the thought that I really might die felt like reality.
At that moment, my fingertips felt something wet.
The track left by a wagon wheel—a puddle of water collected in a sunken rut—was touching my fingertips.
‘If I use magic here…’
But first, I had to survive.
There was no helping it.
I raised my hand and barely managed to open my mouth.
[Waterflow Shield]
Water burst upward with a splash and rose like a shield.
The opponent’s blade struck that shield head-on.
Clang!
“What the hell, just now…!”
He frowned in shock.
I seized the opening and rolled away.
Close combat was hopeless.
Panting, I ran.
But he came after me again.
There was only one spell I had to use now.
I gathered water at my fingertips and thrust my hand forward.
[Water Bullet]
Small and fast.
A droplet of water shot out like an arrow and struck the bandit square in the solar plexus.
Thud—!
“Guh…!”
He toppled over.
As if he couldn’t breathe, he wheezed and clawed at the ground.
Unable even to lift himself up, the instinct to survive was clear in his eyes as he struggled.
I approached him where he had fallen, raised my dagger, and hesitated for a moment.
After wavering, I finally opened my mouth.
“…I’m sorry.”
Thuck.
Shaking off the guilt, I planted my hand on the ground, stood up, and turned away.
My arm stung where it had been scraped by a stone, and my clothes were torn, but for now, I had survived.
‘…I’m screwed.’
I had used magic.
Did someone see? Was I found out?
Then again, everyone was about to die, so what meaning was there in hiding it now?
Taren had run away, Hamil lay collapsed, and the wagons were burning.
What mattered was that I got out of the middle of that chaos.