The battlefield I arrived at belatedly was more evenly matched than expected.
The bandits lacked both equipment and experience.
But the mercenaries, having been ambushed, were desperately short-handed.
There had been twelve when we set out, but barely half that number remained now.
The bandits, on the other hand, looked to number around fifteen or so.
There must have been some dead, but it didn't seem like that was all of them.
The number of corpses was fewer than expected.
A few of them had probably... pulled a Taren.
And then, suddenly, I realized.
Now, even looking at corpses didn't make me sick to my stomach like before.
Of course, intestines spilling out or faces smashed in were still hard to stomach.
Honestly, at first, I'd planned to run if things turned bad.
But at this level, it's worth a shot, right?
In that case, I'd better launch a surprise attack.
[Water Bullet]
I drew water from a canteen I'd picked up along the way.
Swish!
I fired it straight ahead. The target was the bandit shooting a bow.
Thwack!
A direct hit. Unfortunately, it wasn't his head or torso. It was the hand gripping the bow.
"Gah! What the hell is this... water?"
"Damn it, a mage!!!"
One bandit screamed, and those words spread in an instant.
"A mage? Damn, why is there a mage here?"
"Shouldn't we run?"
"No, it's a low-tier spell! It's weak!"
...I've been found out.
Water Bullet was certainly better than throwing a rock, but it wasn't exactly a threatening spell.
Still, it was too early for them to dismiss me.
Without losing momentum, I moved positions.
Once again, I formed a Water Bullet.
And carefully fired it once more.
Thud!
"Keurgh...!"
"Tran! Damn it, the assault leader is down!"
This time, I'd hit a bandit square in the head.
I'd picked one who looked relatively well-equipped; he must have been pretty high-ranking.
"It's real magic! He's on our side!"
"A mage is on our side?"
The mercenaries shouted.
Thanks to that, revitalized momentum swept across the battlefield.
The bandits didn't stand still.
They fired arrows wildly in my direction.
[Water Shield]
Thud! Thud!
Shhhhk—!
The incoming arrows struck the water and fell to the ground.
I scraped together my remaining mana and fired Water Bullets. As a result, three of them went down.
Considering I'd fired ten or so shots... it was a mediocre result at best.
"Damn it, why is a mage getting involved in something like this..."
The bandits flinched as they saw their fallen comrade.
Then, one by one, they began to fall back.
"Where do you bastards think you're running! Get back here!"
"Hey, don't go. The forest is their main base."
In the end, the bandits vanished into the forest. And so, the battle ended anticlimactically.
The smell of blood still lingered in the air, and corpses were strewn across the churned-up dirt.
"...It's over."
Someone muttered quietly.
I swallowed a mouthful of water and looked around.
Only six mercenaries remained.
Some had torn armor, and someone was barely standing, leaning on a sword.
The merchant caravan had suffered greatly as well. Wagons were destroyed, one horse was missing, and a burned wagon had been reduced to ashes.
Three caravan workers couldn't get up, and a few of the survivors were badly injured.
The caravan leader was silent, and the coachman couldn't release the reins with his trembling hands.
Then, one of the mercenaries approached me.
He coughed politely and asked cautiously.
"Forgive me for asking... but might you be a mage, sir?"
He was a man with short brown hair and a gentle, inoffensive face.
By the way, "Mage-nim"? What's with this awkward form of address?
I nodded.
"Yes, that's right."
He immediately bowed his head.
"Thank you so much. We survived thanks to you. We didn't know reinforcements had arrived."
"I'm not reinforcements. I was... traveling with the same merchant caravan."
He raised his head and lightly placed his fist over his chest.
"My apologies. I am Barrett, captain of the Barrett Mercenary Corps. Please forgive me for not greeting you sooner."
So he was the mercenary captain.
I'd seen him moving around busily up front, but hadn't had a chance to speak.
He wore a rough but sincere smile as he continued.
"W-We were able to win thanks to you."
He laughed awkwardly, took off his helmet, and spoke in a more respectful tone.
I didn't know what to say, so I just nodded slightly.
Everyone briefly shook off the aftereffects of battle and began cleaning up.
It felt awkward to just stand there alone, so I cautiously got up to help.
Among the bandits' corpses, the man I'd taken down caught my eye.
I believe they'd called him "Tran."
A short sword was sheathed at his waist.
Shlink—
It was a one-handed sword about the length of a forearm.
The sword looked very old, but it was well-maintained, its edge sharpened keenly.
I suppose one trophy would be fine.
I slowly picked up the sword.
"You may take that."
Someone spoke from behind. It was Barrett.
"That much reward is well within your right."
"...Thank you."
I strapped the sword to my waist.
It was still a heavy weapon for me, but perhaps I would get used to it soon.
"W-What about the head?"
Barrett asked cautiously.
"The h-head?"
"Yes. He's a wanted man... if you bring it in, there's a bounty, but—"
I firmly shook my head.
"Please handle it as you see fit."
He answered that he understood and withdrew.
...To think of carrying around a human head.
This was a culture I wasn't quite ready to adapt to.
"You really worked hard, Mage-nim."
It was an unfamiliar honorific, but I didn't bother correcting it.
The battlefield was quiet.
The dead were gathered in one place, and ownerless equipment was organized.
The mercenaries silently carried out the aftermath.
The caravan leader glanced at the fallen bandits with a stiff face, and the coachman trembled, gripping the wagon handle.
People endured the battle in their own ways.
I quietly moved alongside them.
Because I'd come this far with them.
***
The road leading to the city after that was fortunately quiet.
A small merchant caravan passed by from the opposite direction, but we simply nodded at each other as we went our separate ways.
Compared to the morning, when we had been tense at every sound, it was a much more peaceful journey.
There was only one problem.
Barrett, the mercenary captain, kept talking to me.
"Mage-nim, is this region perhaps your first time here?"
"...You could say that."
"Then you should be careful of the checkpoint at the city entrance. For outsiders who aren't mercenaries, the verification process is quite strict."
"Checkpoint?"
"Yes. Smugglers slipped in not long ago, so they've been conducting investigations rigorously for a while. The caravan leader already submitted a notice in advance, so there won't be any problems as long as you follow along."
It was annoying, but if I listened, he had quite a lot of useful information.
It seemed he hadn't become a Silver Badge mercenary captain for nothing.
"If you plan to stay somewhere, Mage-nim... the Kalrea Inn on the south side of the city is relatively quiet. Mercenaries causing a ruckus are rare, and the innkeeper doesn't bother you much, so it should be comfortable."
He was careful with every word and never explicitly crossed a line.
He was just a bit overly interested.
For someone like me, in the ambiguous position of being both a prisoner and an otherworlder, even that kind of attention was inevitably burdensome.
As we talked, the conversation turned to Taren.
"Taren? Ah, so it was him again."
Barrett's brow furrowed for a moment.
In that brief reaction, something like a complicated emotion flashed across his face.
"A-Again?" I asked back thoughtlessly.
Taren, that bastard, don't tell me?
"Yes. A similar thing happened once before. He disappeared suddenly, and we didn't see him again until much later."
He fell silent for a moment, then shrugged.
"Then why do you keep him around?"
When I asked, Barrett laughed incredulously.
"That's because... it's not easy to find someone who can shoot a bow."
"..."
"A decent archer is hard to come by. Especially for a low-rank mercenary corps like ours. The work is rough, the pay is poor, and death is common."
Hmm, a rather realistic reason.
He added, gazing into the distance.
"He's good at his work. He handles petty tasks quickly, and he's quick on the uptake. It's just..."
He trailed off, shook his head, and quietly closed his mouth.
I didn't bother asking what came next.
Because we both knew.
***
The city wasn't far now.
At first, seeing villages and fields, I thought we had arrived, but this was just the outer wall.
Before long, the silhouette of the city wall appeared beyond the end of the road.
"That is Mondark."
The captain said, pointing ahead.
Mondark. The hub of the central trade route.
Wagons pouring in from all directions filled the city entrance.
Porters moved through clouds of dust, and as always, armed guards stood at the entrance with sharp eyes.
The entry inspection was surprisingly simple.
The mercenary corps was a registered external force, so they passed without issue, and I too passed safely under the pretext of being an escort for a transport request.
Inside, the city was far noisier than outside.
Touts, porters, peddlers, pickpockets—all manner of human crowds thronged together.
It was unfamiliar and chaotic, but somehow it felt alive.
"We plan to rest at an inn around here first. Liv-nim... what are your plans?"
The captain asked cautiously.
"Well, I need to find lodging first."
I answered honestly. I didn't want to wander the streets anymore.
"Then, shall I tell you which inn we're staying at? You can stop by later."
He still maintained his manners.
I nodded. There was no need to draw a line for no reason.
Come to think of it, there's a reason they say, "Even a servant should work in a nobleman's household."
If I was going to mooch off someone anyway, it might as well be somewhere with better treatment.
"Then, let's just go together."
"Oh! I'll treat you."
The inn I entered following Barrett was on a different level from the one I'd stayed at in Garnian Village.
Back then, bugs crawled out from under the blanket, and the wind blew straight through the walls...
But here, it was warm.
The warmth of the indoor air hit me as soon as I opened the door.
There was even something like straw spread on the floor.
After putting away my things and coming down to sit, a meal came out.
Oat porridge, rye bread, and even a whole sausage.
Even though it was just one piece, my eyes widened.
When I took a bite, a spicy aroma, as if laden with spices, stung my nose.
I couldn't identify what it was, but it was strangely palatable.
...Had I already gotten used to the food here?
Just as I was enjoying my humble meal by placing the sausage between the rye bread, Barrett quietly approached and stood before my table.
"You're eating well."
"Ah... yes, it's delicious."
Come to think of it, he was there.
I'd been so focused on eating that I forgot.
I hoped I didn't have bread crumbs on my lips.
I roughly wiped my mouth and looked up.
Barrett was smiling. Literally, a smiling face.
How should I put it? It was too overbearing.
I straightened my back slightly and picked up the bread again with composure.
Right now, to these people, I looked like an "amazing mage."
There was no reason to ruin that image myself.
"Is eating well the secret to getting stronger? You made those bandits retreat all by yourself."
"I was just lucky. Magic, you see... if you surprise them, you've already half-won."
"Hoho, and humble at that. You are all the more remarkable."
It wasn't humility; it was the truth.
He seemed to think I'd used some amazing magic...
Well, if a flying water droplet had cracked someone's head open, I'd be surprised too.
Hmm, I guess it was somewhat amazing after all.
While I was restoring some self-esteem, Barrett naturally sat down across from me.
Does this guy have nothing to do? Why does he keep bothering me?
If it were at least a pretty woman, maybe, but the attention of a grimy man was hardly welcome.
Maybe this was why Drek told me to hide.
"May I ask what you plan to do now?"
"Hm."
So that was why.
Everything was written on his face before he even opened his mouth.
The next words were probably something like, "Wouldn't you like to work with us?"
"If it's alright, wouldn't you like to work with us?"
...It really is.
We’d only spent about a day together, but I could already read his patterns.
This man was terrible at hiding his expressions.
“So I’m thinking of taking on a major request, and since we’ll need people for it… all the better if they’re strong.”
“So you’re asking me to participate in the request?”
“Yes…”
To sum it up, he wanted us to pull off a job together.
Better than asking me to join the mercenary corps.
If I had to do something anyway, it was easier when someone reached out like this.
That said, I couldn’t accept too easily.
“I’ll have to hear the conditions and the reward first.”
“Of course! It could be dangerous, after all.”
He nodded with a small smile.
“We’re still working out the details. We’ll need to discuss it with the merchant company as well. But the reward will be… quite large. Truly.”
“Do I have some time to think about it?”
“Of course. We need to make preparations too.”
I quietly picked up another piece of bread.
“Ah, before you go, I heard you were supposed to receive payment from that bastard Taren.”
Oh, right. Things had gotten so complicated that I’d forgotten.
But… Taren had run off. Would I even be able to get it?
“I’ll take care of that separately for you. Excluding the lodging costs and the bounty, of course.”
“Pardon? You don’t have to go that far.”
“No, the merchant company paid us a little less than originally agreed, but with fewer people, it’s fine. Besides, we also have equipment we seized from the bandits, so for the moment, we’re actually rather well supplied.”
“…Then I’ll accept it gratefully.”
Refuse once, and any more than that would just be rude.
Once I got paid this time, I’d get equipment first.
This body was far too fragile to wander around relying on a single spell.
After finishing a hearty meal, I returned to my room and lay down on the bed.
A lot had happened today too.
If you called it productive, it was productive; if you called it overwhelming, it was overwhelming.
The eyes of that nameless bandit, still choking and gasping, remained in my mind.
Some might call me emotional,
but getting used to killing overnight was, at least for me, a difficult thing.
…Sigh. Maybe even worrying about this is a luxury.
I tried to distract myself with other thoughts.
Would Drek and Baldik be all right? Tomorrow, I really needed to buy some armor.
And Taren… I’d make sure to punch him at least once.
As I let those scattered thoughts drift by, my consciousness gradually grew distant.
***
‘What the hell, did I level up already just from catching some bandits?’
It was the dark space I had become all too familiar with.
At this point, it almost felt cozy.
[You have reached a branching point. Loading the list of skills available for enhancement.]
A voice rang in my ears. Just like always.
“…A branching point?”
I paused for a moment.
Didn’t it normally say, [You have reached a section.]?
Even the latter half was different. Enhancement? What was that supposed to mean?
I had no way of knowing what standard had caused the change.
But that wasn’t what mattered right now.
Pang—!
A sound effect that was familiar yet unfamiliar rang out, and as light scattered, four cards rose into view.
…Four?
Not three? What was going on today?
With a strange premonition, I hurriedly looked over the cards.
_______________________
[Blue Magic: Condensation] Enhancement
[Blue Magic: Water Current Shield] Enhancement
[Blue Magic: Water Bullet] Enhancement
[Passive Ability: Pain Tolerance]
_______________________
These cards were completely different from the ones I knew, from their names to their color.
For starters, all four cards were glowing red.
Among them, I first read the one card that stood out on its own.
[Passive Ability: Pain Tolerance]
Like its intuitive name, the explanation was simple.
[When you take damage, the pain you feel is reduced.]
Kind of ambiguous.
If I were a warrior, I might have chosen it.
It would be nice to have, but it wasn’t an option a mage should prioritize.
‘By the way, enhancement? This time I’m not choosing an ability, but enhancing a spell?’
The new system made my head complicated.
But my gaze naturally went to [Water Current Shield].
The spell I had used the most, and the most often. In a way, my survival up until now had been thanks to that shield.
Before choosing the card, I should read the explanation below.
[Enhances ‘Blue Magic: Water Current Shield.’]
One of the following items will be applied at random:
-Durability
-Casting Speed
-Number of Casts
-Mana Efficiency
-Range
-Additional Effect
“…This is random too?”
The sigh that escaped my lips carried a weight that was hard to tell as resignation or expectation.
Of course, nothing ever goes the way I want.
I skimmed through the other magic cards too.
[Water Bullet] had slightly different categories. Instead of “Durability,” it had “Power,” and [Condensation] had only four categories to begin with.
They were subtly different, but that subtlety was clearly an intentional design.
‘Since each spell has a different nature… does that mean the enhancement categories differ too?’
For example.
Since Water Bullet was an offensive spell, it centered on direct combat categories like “Power,” “Range,” “Casting Speed,” and “Control.”
Perhaps because Condensation served as the foundation for magic as a whole, its main categories weren’t power or range, but things like “Duration” and “Additional Effect.”
And Water Current Shield was clearly a spell with a defensive function, so “Durability” was the key.
‘Then depending on the direction of enhancement, my fighting style itself will change.’
Only then did it hit me.
This wasn’t a simple increase in numbers, but a branching point that would reshape the very way I survived.
If this were a game, a wrong choice could be fixed with one reset.
But right now, the coin in my hand was the only one I had.
If “Durability” was enhanced, the shield would last longer.
If “Number of Casts” increased, then shields unfolding two, three, or even more at a time would protect me from multiple angles.
“Additional Effect” seemed like it would add something special, but no explanation appeared for now.
‘…Don’t tell me it could get something like a reflection effect?’
The fact that all of this was random was truly annoying, and yet…
Somehow, I also felt that strange sense of anticipation you get when playing a gacha game.
After much deliberation, I chose [Water Current Shield].
Before the hesitation at my fingertips could vanish, I let out a small prayer.
Who was I supposed to pray to in this place? The name of the god Baldik believed in was… Urusa, was it?
“I don’t care who. Please, just this once. Seriously, seriously, give me something good.”