Chapter 13

The translation of the provided text is as follows:

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Minji leaned against the window, gazing at the distant mountains while deeply reflecting on yesterday's events.

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Xiaoming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

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As cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

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"This is a request that came in from the Cremgal Mercenary Office. They plan to retake a building and need a mage for firepower support."

"Is the high reward because of that?"

At Renok's question, Jenny nodded.

"The requests posted by Valits didn't discriminate by profession, so they consistently paid 50 million cells. However, it's customary to significantly increase the reward when specifically requesting a mage. There's always a high demand, but the supply is always short."

Jenny's sardonic smile made Renok sip his drink and fall into thought.

Mercenary office... I thought if I got involved again, it would be with the Antares office where Dylan is, but I didn't expect to work with another office so soon.

"I'd like to hear the details. Exactly which building are they planning to retake?"

"The Scavengers have occupied a shared office used for financial consulting and are using the power facilities without permission. The company couldn't even lower the barriers for fear of the transaction information being completely wiped out, and they were forced to evacuate. Cremgal has taken on the consulting company's request and will launch the reclamation operation."

"The mages hired by the consulting company want to hire me separately."

"Exactly. Cremgal is one of the better private offices in the area, and they usually have a couple of mages on hand. The fact that they're specifically looking for mage firepower suggests they have their own issues."

"Can you explain what you mean by 'firepower support'?"

Jenny shrugged.

"It's not a difficult task. Mages like you are quite helpful in urban combat. Just cast spells from behind the mercenaries. It's much easier than infiltrating a cosmetics factory and destroying it."

"Hmm..."

Renok had a thoughtful expression, but he had already made a decision after hearing her words.

From the way Jenny spoke, it was clear that the difficulty of the job didn't match the generous reward.

Moreover, if he could provide firepower support without directly engaging, it would be a great opportunity to test the auxiliary magic he had started researching.

Jenny, who had been watching Renok, calmly placed another file in front of him.

"If you don't want to get involved with mercenaries, there are other jobs. All of them are requests that specifically named you. The story of a mage who survived the Croken seems to have become a bit famous in this line of work?"

"......"

If it weren't for Ivelyn, I would have been as good as dead. What does that mean?

Jenny, who didn't notice Renok's calm eyes, continued cheerfully.

"You have plenty of time. You can take your time to decide. Personally, I think the Cremgal job is the best. Mercenaries are very sensitive about money, so they rarely cheat or run away from their promises."

"Does that happen a lot here?"

"Are there just a few scoundrels and trash in this line of work? How many people are there who just do their job and cut ties cleanly?"

"......"

"That's why people like us take a cut as a fee. We sell trust and safety. To both clients and freelancers."

Every time I meet her, I realize how smooth her words are.

Recruitment agency. Coldly speaking, she arranges jobs and takes a cut, but she doesn't seem at all intimidated or hesitant.

Renok chuckled and nodded.

"Cremgal. I'll do it. What's the date and location?"

"Zone 53. Tomorrow at 11 AM. I'll send you the exact location via communication."

Mercenary office

"It's time for them to arrive..."

Drey Cremgal, the head of the Cremgal Mercenary Office, anxiously checked his wristwatch and swallowed.

While they are called mercenaries, they are more accurately a private military company (PMC).

The service they provide is military force, and their methods can be quite aggressive.

Moreover, his own Cremgal Mercenary Office, unlike larger and more well-known offices like Antares or Plato, was just starting to establish itself.

Mercenary groups are notoriously avoided by mages, and with a small scale, the opportunities that come his way are limited.

Even if he manages to hire a couple of mages with great effort, they are often poached by other organizations or get tired of the difficult mercenary work and leave.

He had been trying to consistently hire at least two mages to minimize the gaps in magical power, but things went wrong right when he took on this request.

"I never thought the two mages I hired this quarter would team up and leave..."

Drey's sigh made the young man, Wayne, who was stretching nearby, chuckle.

"I told you not to push them too hard from the start, boss."

"I didn't give them difficult tasks. I took care of them from the beginning to the end and asked them to just get through this quarter, but to stab me in the back like this!"

"Maybe it was too harsh for the young ones."

"Right, let's not dwell on what's already happened!"

Kidel, a tall woman with a rifle and glasses, and Ike, a bald giant with thick arms, were among those surrounding Drey, chatting noisily.

Seeing the dozen or so mercenaries surrounding him, Drey chuckled weakly.

"Alright. Since I got a firm commitment from Jenny, I should be able to get a decent mage for this job. After it's done, I'll try to recruit some newbies again."

"Is the mage coming this time a good one?"

"He's a very skilled lightning mage. He'll be a great help for this operation. The stubborn woman insisted on 20 million cells, no matter what."

Elemental mage. Especially a lightning mage capable of area attacks is invaluable.

In a large-scale operation like this, where the reward and scale are significant, the stability they provide is unparalleled.

Drey decided to pay 20 million cells for that reason.

"He won't lack in ability... I'm not sure about his personality, though."

Drey had grown tired of the corrupt personalities and mischief of mages. Just as he thought this and looked up, someone slowly emerged from a side alley.

A young man with a calm demeanor, wearing a shirt, holding a sandwich in one hand, and slowly looking around.

"......"

The moment Drey and the young man's eyes met, the young man immediately changed his direction.

The mercenaries, who had been watching from behind, groaned.

"Surely not."

"Boss, no way, right?"

Before Drey could answer, the young man stopped in front of them.

Renok, munching on his sandwich, said, "Cremgal Mercenary Office?"

"......Mage Renok?"

"That's right."

Renok finished the remaining sandwich and put the plastic wrap in the bag he was carrying.

The bell pepper sandwich he had made for his health. Ironically, bell peppers were still bell peppers in this world.

Although the taste was bland and uninteresting, Renok was enduring many things for his health.

"Are you going to smoke before the operation?"

Kidel, seeing Renok take out a cigarette and put it in his mouth, snapped, but Renok replied without batting an eye.

"It's necessary."

He had no intention of making them understand why he was smoking.

In fact, he had already smoked one on the way to calm his nerves, but he was taking new medicine to be fully prepared.

Since the Cremgal Mercenary Office was offering a significant amount of money, Renok didn't plan to hold back.

Drey, who had been silently watching Renok, finally spoke.

"We paid 20 million cells just to hire you."

"......"

"I hope you don't become a liability during the operation."

"I'll do my best."

Despite the shocking first appearance, which seemed unbelievable for someone going into a mercenary operation, Drey nodded at Renok's calm response and turned around.

"Since the mage has arrived, let's start the final briefing."

He took out a laptop from a bag on the ground and opened it.

After pressing a few buttons, a bright blue light emitted from the lens on top of the laptop, forming a holographic image.

It was a layout of a three-story building.

Drey rotated the hologram to ensure everyone could see it clearly before starting his explanation.

"The Scavengers are currently occupying the rooftop of the third floor, where they are siphoning power from the facilities. The two routes to the rooftop, the elevator and the stairs, are guarded by armed forces from three Scavenger branches working together."

Considering that there is usually one Scavenger branch per district, it means that Scavengers from three districts are involved in this operation.

"These are units of Scavengers who possess a certain level of combat ability. They are not easy to deal with, but they are not to be underestimated."

Drey quickly displayed numbers on the hologram and continued his explanation.

"Although we don't know why these rats are siphoning power, our task remains the same. As previously discussed, the 3rd Squad will break through the first floor, the 1st Squad will enter through the second-floor windows, and the 2nd Squad will directly infiltrate the rooftop."

Renok stood to the side, listening to Drey's explanation with his arms crossed. His words were fast but clear and steady, making the listeners naturally calm.

If there is a term for a promising field commander,