Chapter 91

The guide shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but the Practitioner's Mountain is now designated as a 'forbidden area.' There are no mercenaries who can go there."

"Forbidden? Why?"

"Recently, the number of high-level monsters in the surrounding area has increased sharply, and a monster believed to be one of the main forces of the 'Black King' has been discovered."

One of the main forces under the Black King has been found?

While the Practitioner's Mountain is located in the south of the continent, it is still outside the Black King's territory.

Suddenly, I recalled what the White King had said.

"The Black King is expanding his territory."

But why the Practitioner's Mountain?

The Practitioner's Mountain is a place with no real value other than the mountain itself.

Conquering it would be a waste of time.

No, it's an impossible place to conquer.

It's a special area like a tower.

The Black King, who cannot be unaware of this, sending his main force means there must be something significant.

'There must be another reason.'

Whatever it is, if it's related to the Black King, it's natural for it to be designated as forbidden.

No mercenary would go to the Practitioner's Mountain unless they had ten lives.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but would you like to take on another commission...?"

"Who was the most recent guide to the Practitioner's Mountain?"

"It was me."

A man with a dark, scruffy beard stood up beside him.

His face was flushed, and his beard was stained with beer.

His appearance was typically untrustworthy, but the entrance to the mountain changes location every month.

"I went there 15 days ago and almost died. I won't go there again."

If it was 15 days ago, the entrance's location hasn't changed yet.

The other mercenaries' silence suggested he wasn't lying.

The man sighed.

"No matter how much money you offer, I won't go there. It's too dangerous."

"Is that so?"

*Clang!*

He threw a leather pouch to the ground, and gold coins spilled out.

"How much is that?"

"It looks like at least ten thousand gold."

"Are you some rich young master?"

The mercenaries' eyes changed instantly.

Mercenaries live and die for money.

Ten thousand gold for a single guide job!

Several times the usual rate.

"I clearly said I won't go no matter how much you pay. It's designated as forbidden for a reason. Even if you succeed, you'll be penalized for going to a forbidden area, so there's no way anyone would take it on..."

*Clank!*

A gold bar worth 100,000 gold was placed on top of the leather pouch.

"..."

"Crazy. One hundred thousand gold?"

"Who is that guy?"

Greed filled the mercenaries' eyes.

One hundred thousand gold is an amount that would take at least a hundred commissions to earn.

And only mercenaries of a certain level could earn such wealth.

"I can't sell my life for one hundred thousand gold."

"Don't misunderstand. This is just a down payment."

"..."

"I'll give you ten times that as a success fee. Of course, I'll cover the guild's commission as well."

One million gold!

If he covers the guild's commission, it means he'll give you a full one million gold.

Enough to buy a house in a decent city.

But the danger around the Practitioner's Mountain is increasing day by day.

Even the most skilled guide has a high chance of dying.

To ask someone to take that dangerous path?

Especially to a forbidden area?

Fail and you die, succeed and your reputation in the guild drops.

The mercenaries in the city of Cartel strictly follow the rules.

They move as one.

That's the pride of the mercenaries here.

"Welcome, sir. We'll treat you like a king."

But the money was too much to refuse while maintaining pride.

*

He disappeared for a moment, then reappeared looking neat.

With two other mercenaries.

"Sir, you've come at the perfect time. I'm Joaquin, the leader of the Purpen Mercenary Group."

"I'm Malibu, the archer."

"I'm Sean, the spirit mage."

A three-person mercenary group.

By the way, Purpen.

"Does Purpen refer to the Wyvern in Echo Valley?"

"..., Oh, you know Purpen?"

Joaquin asked, surprised.

"I only know that it's a legendary Wyvern that may or may not exist."

"Most people don't know, but you are well-informed, sir."

His attitude changed to the point of being burdensome after taking the commission.

After all, this is why Cartel's mercenaries are famous.

"Can we arrive at the Practitioner's Mountain within three days?"

"If we don't encounter any monsters, it's possible in two days."

"What if we do?"

"The entrance to the mountain changes every five days. If we go past five days, we'll have to find the path again."

In other words, there's no guarantee.

Except to avoid encounters as much as possible.

Joaquin patted his chest.

"But don't worry. We have Sean, the spirit mage. The spirits will show us a safe path."

Spirit mages are rare.

It's also rare for a mercenary group to have a spirit mage.

Now it's time to take the soul of the client.

"Yes, that's right. Trust me. Show yourself, Runka!"

The spirit mage Sean summoned a spirit.

But no matter how much time passed, the spirit didn't appear.

Since this had never happened before, Joaquin asked, puzzled.

"Why, Sean?"

"Why, why is this happening??"

"Why?"

"Runka is afraid of something."

A spirit mage who can't summon a spirit.

Isn't that no different from a regular person?

Joaquin scratched his nose and laughed awkwardly.

"Hehe. The spirit must be shy. But he's definitely a spirit mage, so don't worry, sir."

He shrugged.

He wasn't worried.

Even without the spirit mage, the Purpen Mercenary Group was clearly skilled.

【Lv.8】

Joaquin's level is 8.

The other two are level 7.

This is a mid-to-high-level mercenary group.

It's enough.

There's no need for a stronger guide.

"Then, we'll depart in an hour. Time is life, so please pack as lightly as possible."

*

We stepped into the area where the Practitioner's Mountain is located.

"Once we confirm the area around the warp is safe, we're halfway there."

Joaquin sighed in relief.

There were no threatening monsters around the warp.

But it's too early to relax.

Only after confirming the area was safe did Joaquin relax.

"From the lack of tracks, it seems there are no monsters here."

"Good."

"I have over ten years of experience as a guide. Trust me."

"I do."

"Hehe. Great. To ease the tension, do you have any questions? I'll even tell you the color of my underwear if you want."

I wasn't particularly interested in that.

"..., The mercenaries in Cartel seem to be idle. Are there no commissions?"

Joaquin's expression hardened instantly.

The other mercenaries were the same.

After a moment, Joaquin, frowning, spoke.

"Ah... Yes. Commissions have dried up recently. Thanks to that bastard Maxim."

"Maxim, one of the Eight Heroes?"

"Who else? After Maxim's death, his atrocities were exposed, and the number of people willing to commission in Cartel has dropped by more than half."

"Atrocities?"

"Extortion of commission fees, kidnapping of clients, robbery, murder, and so on. He was a real scumbag. According to rumors, he was the first to flee during the Great Expedition."

Maxim was one of the top mercenaries in Cartel.

His mercenary group was the largest.

Despite that, he engaged in all sorts of illegal activities, tarnishing the reputation of mercenaries.

"That guy isn't a Cartel mercenary."

Even his reputation after death was the worst.

If he was hated by his fellow mercenaries, it was a done deal.

Of course, I felt no sympathy.

He deserved it.

*

In the end, battle was unavoidable.

Four-legged beasts with gargoyle faces, known as 'Abominable Beasts.'

"Damn. Just had to be...!"

"Runka!"

"There are too many!"

These abominable beasts, known for traveling in groups of dozens, are also famous for never letting go of their prey.

"Wall of Steel!"

Joaquin struck his shield, and a wall rose.

But it couldn't block all the abominable beasts that slipped through the narrow gaps.

"Gah! Malibu! Take care of them quickly!"

However, all the attacks were directed at Joaquin.

A typical tank, drawing aggro.

The low-intelligence monsters only attacked Joaquin until he died.

"Does it hurt a lot~?"

"What are you... *cough*!"

"I'll heal you~"

As Seo-a extended her hand, light flowed from Joaquin's body.

Torn flesh instantly healed and regenerated, leaving no trace.

A miracle impossible even with the best potions or elixirs.

"..."

Joaquin's eyes widened.

'Is this really possible?'

This level of divine power and healing ability!

Who is this woman with the covered face?

Seo-a smiled softly.

"Keep going~"

*

The battles continued in the same pattern.

Joaquin would draw aggro and set up a wall, Seo-a would heal, and the other mercenaries would finish off the beasts.

Joaquin's spirit was worn thin, but they arrived sooner than expected.

"Here, this is the entrance. *pant* *pant*."

Joaquin said, exhausted.

His body was fine, but he felt tired and drained.

He felt like a rag.

Despite facing death several times, the woman had always healed him.

Though she was clearly saving his life, her smile felt strangely demonic.

It was as if she was happy to see him hurt.

When the woman's face turned toward him, Joaquin quickly bowed his head.

'I'm scared. She's too scary!'

An experience he never wanted to repeat.

It was like a terrifying torture.

"Here's your success fee."

"Ah...!"

A clean one million gold.

A leather pouch containing ten gold bars landed on his hand, and Joaquin broke into a broad smile.

"If you return alive, please visit us, the Purpen Mercenary Group. We'll always treat you like a king."

"If you wait for us to come down, I'll give you double."

"Really?"

"We'll stay for about 30 days. Make your decision."

"Really?"

Joaquin was a quite useful mercenary.

His ability to perform tasks cleanly was outstanding.

I believed the return trip would be as safe and swift as possible.

And a tank is very rare.

'If trained well, he could become an excellent tank.'

Joaquin. I found a good talent in Cartel.

"Um, about that..."

"We'll consider it an agreement if you're at the entrance when we come down."

"But the entrance will have changed by then."

"That's not my problem."

"..."

Confusion filled Joaquin's eyes.

This was a kind of test.

If he could survive in this forest for 30 days and meet me, he was worth training.

But I wouldn't force him.

The choice was entirely his.

"Let's go."

"Yes~"

Leaving the choice, I stepped into the warp created at the entrance of the Practitioner's Mountain.

At that moment.

['Entering the Practitioner's Mountain.']

['Conditions met.']

['Those who climb the Practitioner's Mountain can set their own constraints.']

['Constraints can affect the rate of skill proficiency increase.']

['Tip: Overly harsh constraints are a shortcut to death.']

...

['All constraints set to maximum.']

['Achievement 'Masochist' unlocked.']

['Skill proficiency increase rate boosted by 50%.']

['With the 'Baal Helmet' and hidden trait 'Handiness,' the skill proficiency increase rate is adjusted to 450%.']

['Achievement 'King of Proficiency' unlocked.']

['By achieving 'All constraints at maximum,' 'Skill proficiency 400% or higher,' and 'Possession of skill or weapon proficiency at max level 25 or higher,' a hidden top-tier piece has been discovered.']

['A hidden quest left by the 'Master of the Practitioner's Mountain' has been reached.']

['Hidden Quest: 'Achieve Skill Proficiency Level 25']

['Do you wish to accept?']

['If accepted, you cannot come down until you reach skill proficiency level 25 or die.']

['If not accepted, the quest will disappear.']

What is this?

Unfamiliar text.