Chapter 80

00080 New Face

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“Brother, there’s something I want to ask.”

“Hmm?”

“By any chance, are you waiting for those users right now?”

The moment Ahn Hyun finished speaking, everyone’s movements froze. Yujeong, who was about to kick Ahn Hyun’s shin, stopped. Vivian, who was sitting beside her trying to stop her, also froze. And Sol, who was quietly watching, froze as well. It was as if they were all under a spell, and only their breathing could be heard. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Ahn Hyun and me.

I looked at Ahn Hyun with a “Look at this guy” expression. His eyes were bright with a mix of respect and excitement.

In the past, the kids had once suggested going on an expedition prematurely and got a severe scolding from me. Since then, they had been tacitly keeping quiet about it. This time, Ahn Hyun was indirectly bringing it up. In other words, the essence of Ahn Hyun’s question to me was, “Are you still waiting for those users and not starting the next expedition?”

After giving Ahn Hyun and the kids a once-over with a deep gaze, I spoke in a calm voice.

“Yeah, I’m waiting for those two.”

“Ah….”

As Ahn Hyun let out a short exclamation, I observed the kids’ reactions. Ahn Hyun was nodding, Yujeong was just tilting her head in confusion, Sol’s expression was complex and subtle, and Vivian looked a bit gloomy.

“Are you planning to add more members to the group?”

In response to Yujeong’s question, I put down my spoon and interlocked my fingers. Resting my chin on them, I continued.

“I was planning to talk about this eventually, but it might be better to discuss it now.”

“Are you talking about accepting more members in the future?”

“Not only that, but also about the clan we’re going to form.”

I reached into my pocket and took out a cigarette. The surroundings were noisy. Users chattering loudly, users getting into arguments, users trying to grope Goyeonju’s butt and getting chased away, and users having serious discussions with their groups. After putting the cigarette in my mouth, I lit it.

“But will they really come? We’re still at the 0-year mark, and they seem to have some experience….”

Ansol trailed off, but most of the kids seemed to agree with her. Her point wasn’t wrong, but there was one thing they were overlooking: Vivian.

“Strictly speaking, we don’t really need a mage in our caravan right now.”

“Huh? Weren’t we the ones who lacked a mage the most?”

“Not anymore. We have Vivian.”

The kids’ gazes briefly turned to Vivian. And just as she was secretly slurping her noodles, she was caught and stopped mid-suck. A moment of silence passed, and a few strands of noodles dangled from her lips. After calming her down, I spoke.

“Vivian, you can eat. It’s fine. You guys can eat while listening.”

However, not a single one of the kids picked up their spoons. Vivian, looking even more embarrassed, quickly finished her noodles and put down her spoon. I reached out to clean the food from the corners of her mouth. Vivian made a slight gesture of resistance. As I heard Yujeong’s breathing become increasingly rough, I immediately withdrew my hand.

“You’ve seen Vivian’s skills before. Remember that female mage we saw in the square after our rite of passage? Her name was Yubin, right?”

“That girl who always followed Park Hyun-woo around?”

“Yeah. She’s a well-known mage in Babara, but even if two mages like her came, they wouldn’t be able to beat Vivian.”

Ahn Hyun and Ansol looked at Vivian with renewed interest. Vivian cleared her throat and straightened her back. Yujeong had a displeased look, but she didn’t say anything.

“Three melee fighters, one mage, one priest. The current ratio of our caravan might be just right. Still, I’m waiting for those two mages because they fit the criteria for the clan I’m thinking of forming.”

I paused, took a long drag on my cigarette, and exhaled. Watching the thin smoke disperse, I smiled contentedly. The kids were quietly waiting for me to continue.

“The clan I want to form has two characteristics. One is a small, elite group, and the other is a mercenary-like clan.”

“Small, elite group… and mercenaries?”

Ahn Hyun seemed confused, and the kids tilted their heads. Honestly, explaining a mercenary-style clan involves some complex concepts, and I wasn’t sure if I could make them understand. But I thought it would be better to explain it simply now.

“A small, elite group means exactly that. When forming a clan, we’ll have to accept new members. Instead of accepting just anyone, we’ll select the top-tier users or those with the potential to become top-tier users.”

This was something only I could do. Top-tier users can be identified by their reputation, but users with potential are hard to gauge without a third eye like mine. Of course, there are users who show promise from the start, but there are also many late bloomers. The key to gauging this is their stats. Additionally, I remember some of the promising new users who will join in the future. This gives me a significant advantage in the upcoming recruitment competition. However,

“To do this, our clan needs to have a reputation. If our clan looks like a simple small group, the chances of our recruitment offers being rejected are high. That’s why I want to form a clan with mercenary characteristics.”

Vivian and Sol were listening intently, but Ahn Hyun and Yujeong’s faces were starting to frown. They weren’t stupid, and their minds were relatively quick, but they seemed to be struggling to process this information. I took a drag on my cigarette to give them some time to think.

Yujeong, being the more impatient one, spoke first.

“Brother, I don’t understand. What does a mercenary-like clan have to do with building a reputation?”

“Mercenaries are people who take on commissions for money. Currently, there’s no clan like ours. Everyone is mainly doing the tasks assigned by Babara and the city. If a mercenary-like clan appears, it will naturally attract attention.”

“But… I don’t think it will go as planned. Won’t the established clans just laugh at us?”

I smiled lightly. When we leave Muel, I plan to reveal that I’m a swordsmanship expert and that Vivian is a Chimera alchemist. Additionally, we can create another Chimera alchemist, and if we’re lucky, we can make Ahn Hyun a Qi Gong Swordsman. Would anyone ignore a clan with one Secret Class and three Rare Classes?

The answer is definitely no. Of course, we’ll get fewer commissions at first, but on the other hand, many clans will try to merge with us. We plan to maintain our neutrality and gradually build our power.

After thinking about my words, Sol quietly raised her hand.

“Brother, are you thinking of becoming a free mercenary?”

“Exactly.”

As expected, the top student Ansol immediately understood what I was thinking. She smiled awkwardly and continued.

“I was wondering why you didn’t register as a citizen of the Northern Continent. But you were thinking of this. However, I heard that both the individual and the clan suffer disadvantages when registered as a free mercenary compared to regular citizens or clans.”

“It’s not really a disadvantage. It just means we won’t receive special privileges. We can maintain our current lifestyle. And those special privileges, when examined closely, are mostly useless. There’s no need to be attached to them.”

Registering as a free mercenary and forming a free mercenary clan means we won’t be bound by the Northern Continent or any city within it. Regular users have the obligation to be summoned in emergencies, but free mercenaries are free from such responsibilities. While they won’t receive the special privileges Sol mentioned, those privileges are often laughable when examined closely.

For example, a reduction in the cost of buying a personal house or a guild house, protection from vagrants, priority in large-scale expeditions, and support from the city if you suffer significant losses during an expedition. These might seem appealing at first, but they are mostly useless in the long run. Of course, there are more, but they are all trivial. Looking to the future, the freedom of being a free mercenary is far more valuable than these empty privileges.

That future is not far off. A month has passed since we arrived in Muel, and in two months, the Golden Lion Clan will lead the expedition to the Steel Mountains. Considering the civil wars that will follow, those privileges will be worthless. And that’s when the value of being a free mercenary will shine, providing us with a legitimate reason for our actions.

Being free from any continent or city, maintaining neutrality, and having the freedom to act boldly—this is the power and legitimacy we seek.

However, I couldn’t explain all this to them now. They still lacked the ability to judge what is right and wrong. They were just starting to understand combat, but that was it. Asking them to respond to the sensitive trends of the world was too much. But if we don’t ride these trends, we will eventually be eliminated.

The table fell silent for a moment. The noise around us had significantly decreased. I looked at Vivian, who had created an invisible barrier around us. She winked at me, indicating that she had judged the conversation to be important and had cast a barrier to prevent our words from leaking out. I smiled in response.

“Honestly, it was the same when we first left Babara. But you saw how it turned out. I succeeded. There’s still a lot you don’t know, but just trust me.”

Ahn Hyun took a deep breath and declared.

“Yeah. We still have time to think about it. I believe the day will come when the value of being a free mercenary will shine. I’m sure of it.”

Yujeong, who didn’t understand much, just nodded. It was unimaginable for Sol to rebel against me, and Vivian, having signed a contract, would follow my lead. Ahn Hyun, on the other hand, seemed slightly excited by the idea of a small, elite group.

“Hmm… So, you saw potential in that girl to become a top-tier user?”

“Exactly. That user, and you guys too.”

“Huh… But who is it? Shin Sang-yong, right? I don’t know much about him.”

Hearing Yujeong’s words, I immediately recalled the information about Shin Sang-yong I had seen before.

< User Information (Player Status) >

1. Name: Shin Sang-yong (2nd year)

2. Class: Normal Mage Expert

3. Affiliated Nation: Babara

4. Affiliated Clan: -

5. True Name · Nationality: Seeker of the Truth of Magic Arrays · Republic of Korea

6. Gender: Male (28)

7. Height · Weight: 183.7cm · 69.2kg

8. Alignment: Lawful · True

[Strength 40] [Endurance 42] [Agility 45] [Health 40] [Mana 85] [Luck 60]

To reiterate, a mage’s battle is a battle of mana. As long as Strength, Endurance, and Agility aren’t ridiculously low, the primary focus is on mana. That’s why I currently consider Jung Hyeon-yeon to be above Shin Sang-yong.

Of course, it would be ideal if a user had high mana and other high stats, but that’s practically a cheat. Like me.

Shin Sang-yong’s stats are decent for a 2nd-year user, and he shows the potential to become a top-tier user. However, I’m still reserving judgment. I’m using his true name as the final criterion for evaluating his ultimate value.

Seeker of the Truth of Magic Arrays. This is the first time I’ve seen such a true name, so I can’t easily judge. I regret not putting in more effort to see his special abilities and potential abilities at the time.

Then,

“Kim Su-hyun.”

Goyeonju’s low voice called my name, and I felt the inn door open behind me. Soon, familiar footsteps were detected.