***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 rcenaries 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 rcenaries.Most possessed mana, and even those who didn’t emit any mana had unusually sharp eyes.And among them were so familiar faces. Vice Captain Kim Mansoo and the scarred man who had overseen his test, Man Seokcheol.“Ah, our amazing Newcor 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 rcenary. Rough and wild.With his rugged body, wild, unkempt beard, and dark fur coat, even if Yeomyeong had t him back in his janitor days, he would have still recognized him as a rcenary.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.Soone 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 getting carried away—I haven’t even introduced myself. You must be seeing for the first ti, right, Newcor?”He spoke with a fake hearty laughter. The other rcenaries chuckled along, but no one else spoke.“I am Kwon Mongjoo, Captain of the Sonjuk rcenary Group. You can just call ‘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 beco 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 rcenaries 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 rcenary group has received is the other half.”'Our rcenary group'—the Captain made his intentions clear.These guys are all the sa—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, so rcenaries’ 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 rcenary 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 imdiately but simply stared at Yeomyeong.Following the Captain, everyone turned their gazes to Yeomyeong, who had raised his hand indifferently from the corner seat.“Newcor, 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 sothing. During the probation period, all acquisitions made by a rcenary belong to the rcenary group.”“…”“I know it seems disappointing, but that’s just how the rcenary industry works. However, you don’t need to worry too much. Do you really think we would shortchange the exceptional Newcor of our rcenary group? The best elixir will be yours. I promise that with my na 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 rcenaries.Most seed indifferent, while Kim Mansoo and Tian Lin were unable to et his eyes.The bitterness was palpable. Yeomyeong remained silent, contemplating what to do.The first thought that ca to mind was ‘kill’.If he could kill all the rcenaries 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 co to Manchuria to gain fa, 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 ca to mind was negotiation.However, this ti, the Captain’s words were the stumbling block. Hadn’t he boldly declared that all acquisitions during the probation period belonged to the rcenary 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 ti.It would have been different if he had more ti, but he only had about six months before he could enter the academy. And that amount of ti was barely sufficient for him to focus solely on gaining fa.He didn’t want to waste his valuable ti wrestling with the rcenary 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 ti with the Sonjuk rcenary Group and could also eliminate the other fools aiming for the rib bones.Although it was a sha 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 rcenaries at the table to change their expressions.So looked at Yeomyeong with interest, while others frowned.“Newcor, it seems you might have misunderstood sothing. Even if you leave the group, the ownership of the rib bones will remain with our rcenary group…”“No, that’s fine. The Sonjuk rcenary 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 ti.”Yeomyeong turned around; he had already erased all thoughts related to the rib bones from his mind.And just as he was preparing a ntal list of other rcenary groups and wanted posters…“Wait a mont.”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 sothing, but the Captain raised his hand and pointed to the door with a resolute look.The rcenaries, 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.
***“…What is it?”
When Yeomyeong spoke, the aura around the Captain changed.He threw off the mask of the boisterous rcenary he had been wearing just monts ago and scanned Yeomyeong with a cold expression.And the next mont, the Captain suddenly bowed his head.“I apologize. I apologize for my earlier rudeness.”“…”“When you’re a rcenary, 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 soone approaching them.Step.Soone 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 statent, 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 ?”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 conglorate located next to the Chicago Dinsional 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, soone who holds quite a high position there.”“…Dune family? A chaebol1?”This ti, 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 docunts on the table.“Captain Kwon Mongjoo, may I do the honors?”The Captain stepped back without a word, adopting a deanor like that of a subordinate. Seeing that, Yeomyeong suddenly recalled what Tian Lin had said.They did say that so investors were here.Was this dwarf chaebol one of the investors of the rcenary group? While Yeomyeong more or less arrived at a conclusion, the dwarf pulled out a docunt 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 docunt the dwarf held up, Yeomyeong realized what it was.It was the job application Seti had manipulated.“It’s hard to easily trust soone who has hidden their abilities and entered the rcenary group with a fabricated application.”Seeing the dwarf speak while waving the docunt 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 rcenary group.”“…Then?”“In short, I want to assign you a commission.”A commission? What did he an 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 rcenary Group have been searching for a certain treasure hidden in Manchuria for a very long ti.”“…”“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 soone 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 soone like you appeared before us at this mont.”“…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 . 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 eting 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-lifeti 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, ans "money faction" or "wealth clan." In South Korean culture, chaebols are dynasties responsible for an extre portion of the South Korean economy. They also have played a significant role in South Korean politics.
A chaebol often consists of multiple diversified affiliates controlled by a person or group. Only several dozen large South Korean family-controlled corporate groups fall under this definition. For example: Samsung, Hyundai, LG, Hanjin, etc2. Gun is a formal way of addressing younger male by an older speaker.
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