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***The smoky haze of cigarettes greeted Yeomyeong as he entered the base camp.Beyond the thick smoke that made him frown involuntarily, there were about six to seven mercenaries seated at a long table made after arranging the several small tables available at the base camp.Each one was on a level far above ordinary mercenaries.Most possessed mana, and even those who didn’t emit any mana had unusually sharp eyes.And among them were some familiar faces. Vice Captain Kim Mansoo and the scarred man who had overseen his test, Man Seokcheol.“Ah, our amazing Newcomer has finally arrived.”However, only one person among those gathered was allowed to speak.That was the man sitting at the far end of the table, in the seat of honor.As expected, he had the typical appearance of a mercenary. Rough and wild.With his rugged body, wild, unkempt beard, and dark fur coat, even if Yeomyeong had met him back in his janitor days, he would have still recognized him as a mercenary.However, Yeomyeong was no longer a janitor, and he was more sensitive to mana than anyone else gathered here.He could sense the cold mana emanating from the opponent’s body. His mana was as cold and sharp as that of a surgeon preparing to perform an operation.Someone whose outer and inner appearances are completely different…It was the first impression that made Yeomyeong understand why Tian Lin had called him ‘tenacious.’“Oh, look at me getting carried away—I haven’t even introduced myself. You must be seeing me for the first time, right, Newcomer?”He spoke with a fake hearty laughter. The other mercenaries chuckled along, but no one else spoke.“I am Kwon Mongjoo, Captain of the Sonjuk Mercenary Group. You can just call me ‘Captain Kwon’.”“…”“You don’t need to be too nervous. Please sit comfortably.”The Captain pointed at a seat that was directly opposite him. The seat was the closest to the entrance and would become the center of attention.Yeomyeong took his seat quietly. Tian Lin, who had been watching from behind, also occupied an empty chair at the table.“Now that the person in question has arrived, let’s continue with the discussion we were having.”As the Captain cleared his throat, the mercenaries who had been smoking all extinguished their cigarettes and paid attention.“The first agenda is about distributing the dragon’s rib we obtained in last night’s battle.”Distribution? They began with this topic right away? Yeomyeong swallowed a wry laugh and watched the Captain.“The Saintess has laid claim to half of them, so what our mercenary group has received is the other half.”\'Our mercenary group\'—the Captain made his intentions clear.These guys are all the same—As the saying went, ‘Opportunity makes the thief.’Yeomyeong shook his head as the Captain continued speaking.“But no need to be disappointed. Even that amount is enormous. It can be used to make at least three swords and two sets of armor.”As soon as weapons and armor were brought up as a comparison, some mercenaries’ eyes lit up. Looking at them, the Captain chortled wildly.“But, we won’t be making weapons. After all, we’re not dwarves… Strengthening the mercenary group on the whole is our top priority. Got it?”“…”“And since elixir prices have dropped internationally, let’s recruit a few more Superhumans while we’re at it.”With those words, silence descended upon the table. However, the Captain didn’t continue speaking immediately but simply stared at Yeomyeong.Following the Captain, everyone turned their gazes to Yeomyeong, who had raised his hand indifferently from the corner seat.“Newcomer, do you have anything to add?”“What about my share of the ribs?”As if he had heard an absurd question, the Captain waved his finger with a smiling face.“Share, you say? You seem to be misunderstanding something. During the probation period, all acquisitions made by a mercenary belong to the mercenary group.”“…”“I know it seems disappointing, but that’s just how the mercenary industry works. However, you don’t need to worry too much. Do you really think we would shortchange the exceptional Newcomer of our mercenary group? The best elixir will be yours. I promise that with my name on the line.”With a confident smile and subtly raised eyebrows, he looked as if he was doing him a favor.Yeomyeong ignored him and turned his gaze to the other mercenaries.Most seemed indifferent, while Kim Mansoo and Tian Lin were unable to meet his eyes.The bitterness was palpable. Yeomyeong remained silent, contemplating what to do.The first thought that came to mind was ‘kill’.If he could kill all the mercenaries here, then sweep through Team 3 waiting outside, and then clean up afterwards……What am I even thinking?Yeomyeong chuckled at the absurdity of his own thoughts.Killing them was perhaps the worst option he had.After all, he had come to Manchuria to gain fame, not gain notoriety as a mass murderer.More importantly, if a mass murder were to occur in a military base, there was no way the military would remain idle.Putting aside their greed for the rib bones, it was a matter of honor. Naturally, an investigation would follow, and Yeomyeong would be at the top of the list.Murder is out of the question. So, the other option is…The next option that came to mind was negotiation.However, this time, the Captain’s words were the stumbling block. Hadn’t he boldly declared that all acquisitions during the probation period belonged to the mercenary group?It didn’t matter if his words were true or false… Ultimately, it would lead to a clash with the Captain, under the guise of a negotiation. It could last for a few days or even several months.…It would be a massive waste of time.It would have been different if he had more time, but he only had about six months before he could enter the academy. And that amount of time was barely sufficient for him to focus solely on gaining fame.He didn’t want to waste his valuable time wrestling with the mercenary group over the rib bones.…Having taken all this into consideration, only one choice remained.To surrender the rib bones.That way, he wouldn’t waste time with the Sonjuk Mercenary Group and could also eliminate the other fools aiming for the rib bones.Although it was a shame to give up on the rib bones, it was a minor issue. Letting go of them was a reasonable option if it interfered with his goal.Having made up his mind, Yeomyeong looked at the Captain and said,“Captain Kwon, I will be leaving the group.”The indifferent declaration caused the mercenaries at the table to change their expressions.Some looked at Yeomyeong with interest, while others frowned.“Newcomer, it seems you might have misunderstood something. Even if you leave the group, the ownership of the rib bones will remain with our mercenary group…”“No, that’s fine. The Sonjuk Mercenary Group can do whatever they want with the rib bones.”“…”“All I ask is for the Manchurian base to make it known that I no longer have a claim to the rib bones. That’s all.”The Captain’s eyebrows twitched as Yeomyeong answered him calmly.Kim Mansoo looked dismayed, while Tian Lin turned away. After saying that, Yeomyeong stood up.“I will submit the resignation letter at a later time.”Yeomyeong turned around; he had already erased all thoughts related to the rib bones from his mind.And just as he was preparing a mental list of other mercenary groups and wanted posters…“Wait a moment.”The Captain stopped him and scanned the base camp.“Everyone, get out.”“Captain?”“You too, Vice Captain. Leave.”Kim Mansoo frowned and was about to say something, but the Captain raised his hand and pointed to the door with a resolute look.The mercenaries, including Kim Mansoo and Tian Lin, did not refuse the Captain’s order. They all wore varying expressions and left the base camp in a group.Ironically, Yeomyeong, who was about to leave the camp first, was left alone with the Captain in the camp.When Yeomyeong spoke, the aura around the Captain changed.He threw off the mask of the boisterous mercenary he had been wearing just moments ago and scanned Yeomyeong with a cold expression.And the next moment, the Captain suddenly bowed his head.“I apologize. I apologize for my earlier rudeness.”“…”“When you’re a mercenary, it’s not easy to refuse the orders of the one paying you. I still have to go along with these petty tests even when I don\'t want to.”What was he trying to say? Yeomyeong furrowed his brow as he sensed someone approaching them.Step.Someone entered through the back door between the base camp and the lodging. Their footsteps were heavier than those of an ordinary person. However, that was only natural because the unexpected guest was not human.“Petty tests, you say? That’s quite a harsh statement, Captain Kwon Mongjoo.”Short and stout, bulging eyes, a bulbous nose, and a bushy beard that reached down to his belly—The one who had stepped in was a dwarf dressed in an elegant suit.“…Who are you?”“Huh? What? You don’t know me?”When Yeomyeong asked for his identity, the dwarf looked at him with a look of utter shock, as if to say, how could he not know him?“Oh, you really don’t know. Well then, do you know of Dungan Heavy Industries?”Dungan Heavy Industries was a multinational conglomerate located next to the Chicago Dimensional Portal. Because it was one of Korea’s direct competitors in the steel and shipbuilding industry, Yeomyeong had occasionally heard of the company in the news.“Ah, fortunately, you know about Dungan Heavy Industries. I am Darulma Dune, someone who holds quite a high position there.”“…Dune family? A chaebol¹?”This time, it was Yeomyeong\'s turn to be surprised.“We usually call ourselves a clan… but Koreans seem to like that particular term. Well, call it whatever you want.”The dwarf shrugged as if it was nothing, then walked towards the table and sat in the seat of honor where Captain Kwon had just been.“We’ll skip the rest of the self-introduction for now; let’s get to business.”He placed a stack of documents on the table.“Captain Kwon Mongjoo, may I do the honors?”The Captain stepped back without a word, adopting a demeanor like that of a subordinate. Seeing that, Yeomyeong suddenly recalled what Tian Lin had said.They did say that some investors were here.Was this dwarf chaebol one of the investors of the mercenary group? While Yeomyeong more or less arrived at a conclusion, the dwarf pulled out a document from the top of the stack.“Cheon Yeomyeong. Once again, I apologize for the petty test you just underwent. However, we needed to assess you.”As soon as he saw the document the dwarf held up, Yeomyeong realized what it was.It was the job application Seti had manipulated.“It’s hard to easily trust someone who has hidden their abilities and entered the mercenary group with a fabricated application.”Seeing the dwarf speak while waving the document back and forth, Yeomyeong raised an eyebrow.“…What exactly is your intention? I said I would leave the group.”“If you wish to leave, feel free to do so. What I want isn’t for you to stay in this mercenary group.”“…Then?”“In short, I want to assign you a commission.”A commission? What did he mean by that? Yeomyeong glanced alternated between the dwarf and the Captain.“I understand that it might feel out of the blue.”Said the dwarf as he stroked his beard.“Where should I start… Ah, I should start from there. The thing is, the Dungan Group and the Sonjuk Mercenary Group have been searching for a certain treasure hidden in Manchuria for a very long time.”“…”“After quite an extensive search, we have managed to roughly locate the treasure… but there was one problem. That location is guarded by a dragon.”Was there such a place in Manchuria? It sounded pretty absurd. Yeomyeong frowned and asked.“…If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be enough to use a helicopter to take down the dragon?”“A helicopter? Do you really think we’d want rumors about hunting a dragon to spread? You’ve experienced it yourself; you’ve seen how greedy the soldiers in Manchuria can be.”Yeomyeong unconsciously recalled the military\'s claim to the dragon’s rib bones. Indeed, they were pretty greedy.“We need a superhuman capable of taking down a dragon with the assistance of a small team. It would be even better if that someone could also cut through the dragon’s bones.”The dwarf scanned Yeomyeong’s face with eyes filled with greed and anticipation.“To be honest, I find it hard to believe that someone like you appeared before us at this moment.”“…Is that so?”“In such cases, there are two possibilities: either it’s the blessing of fate, or you’re a very formidable fraud.”“…”“But seeing you casually speak about quitting earlier, I’m convinced. You’re not a fraud targeting me. A fraud wouldn’t give up the dragon’s rib bones obediently.”Well, it wasn’t exactly obediently… However, Yeomyeong chose not to reveal that.“So, our meeting must be the blessing of fate.”Hearing his confident tone, Yeomyeong inwardly let out a wry smile. Nevertheless, the dwarf looked at him with fiery eyes.“So, Cheon Yeomyeong-gun². My offer is simple. Will you join us in hunting the dragon? Or will you… miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and regret it down the line?”The dwarf extended his hand towards him. It was a chaebol’s hand adorned with sparkling rings on each finger.

1. Chaebol 재벌, in literal translation, means "money faction" or "wealth clan." In South Korean culture, chaebols are dynasties responsible for an extreme portion of the South Korean economy. They also have played a significant role in South Korean politics.