Chapter 130: Collision (5)

Kai found it relatively easy to obtain Seol Eun-Yeong’s message address, as several scouting messages from the Cheonhwa guild had already arrived in his community account.

I never would have thought the person who donated thirty million won was Seol Eun-Yeong.

It was quite a shock. He had assumed it was a retired elderly man in his sixties quietly cheering him on from the sidelines!

Well, this might be for the better.

The conversation they needed to have wouldn’t be possible unless Cheonhwa had an interest in him.

Ding!

A few minutes after Kai sent the message, someone entered the chat room.

[Seol Eun-Yeong entered the chat.]

It was Seol Eun-Yeong.

[Unknown: Hey.]

[Seol Eun-Yeong: Hello.]

Kai didn’t beat around the bush and got straight to the point.

[Unknown: I reached out to you because I have a proposal regarding the recent incident.]

[Seol Eun-Yeong: Recent incident? Are you talking about Black Bee?]

[Unknown: Yes. A guild like Cheonhwa would surely be interested in this incident, no?]

She seemed to be thinking for a moment, as it took about ten seconds for her reply to come through.

[Seol Eun-Yeong: We are keeping watch, yes, but that’s all we plan to do.]

“

Hm

?” Kai blinked in surprise as he read the message.

But why...? A guild like Cheonhwa could definitely challenge Black Bee...

Instead of silently wondering, Kai directly asked in the chatroom.

[Unknown: That’s unexpected. I thought Cheonhwa would be more than capable of competing with Black Bee.]

[Seol Eun-Yeong: Cheonhwa is strong. But... Black Bee is also strong.]

That was true. Regardless of their reputation or image, Black Bee was a guild filled with Wizard rankers, including Sting.

[Seol Eun-Yeong: Now is the perfect time to set Black Bee straight. That is, if we had someone who could decisively crush them on behalf of the guild.]

“So it’s a lack of talent,

huh

,” Kai nodded unconsciously.

The Cheonhwa guild had always insisted on having the best. Naturally, most of the guild members had high levels and considerable skills.

But considerable can become ambiguous depending on the situation.

In the end, skill in the game was relative. Although the level of Cheonhwa’s guild members was not low, they were slightly lacking compared to the Wizards of Black Bee, one of the top ten guilds.

Alright, it’s time to place my bet.

Kai’s eyes shined as he quickly typed on the virtual keyboard.

[Unknown: I see. Well, my proposal is actually related to that.]

[Seol Eun-Yeong: Mercenary work?]

Quick-witted as always, she immediately understood Kai’s purpose.

Of course, Seol Eun-Yeong... or maybe it’s because of Yoo Ha-Rin’s precedent.

The idea of becoming Cheonhwa’s mercenary to crush Black Bee came to mind thanks to Yoo Ha-Rin.

She became a mercenary for Cheonhwa and defeated Veghas.

After the raid, Yoo Ha-Rin and Cheonhwa cleanly parted ways. And that was the aspect that appealed to him since he wasn’t interested in anything annoying or persistent.

[Unknown: Yes, it’s a mercenary proposal.]

[Seol Eun-Yeong: For how long?]

[Unknown: Until Black Bee is no longer one of the top ten guilds.]

She was silent for a moment before cautiously asking.

[Seol Eun-Yeong: I would welcome such a proposal anytime, but... I’m curious about your reasons. Why go this far?]

[Unknown: Isn’t it well-known that Black Bee and I don’t get along?]

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

[Seol Eun-Yeong: If you’re talking about the Orc Lord incident, to be honest, Black Bee wouldn’t care much about it.]

She wasn’t wrong. In fact, from Black Bee's perspective, no matter how much they invested in rookies, the annihilation of a level 80 party was just a minor incident.

That’s probably why they haven’t issued a full-fledged kill order on me.

To Black Bee, he was just someone to be killed if encountered in a hunting ground. That was likely how they saw him.

Ultimately, he was an individual, and they were a collective, which meant a significant gap existed.

But why is she telling me this?

Kai suddenly looked at the chat log with a puzzled expression.

From Seol Eun-Yeong’s perspective, she could have just accepted his proposal without saying anything. That would have been an easier way to handle the situation.

Kai’s fingers quickly moved over the virtual keyboard.

[Unknown: Personal reasons. I don’t like the crap the Black Bee’s are pulling. But isn’t it a loss for you to tell me this?]

[Seol Eun-Yeong: If I make a mercenary contract and you back out later, I would be in trouble. I only work with people who are committed from start to finish.]

“Interesting,” Kai showed a slight look of admiration for her decisive attitude.

She’s impressive. There’s a reason she’s called a queen.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Kai nodded.

[Unknown: Let’s make a deal.]

***

The deal Kai made with the Cheonhwa guild was quite simple.

1. The contract terminates when Black Bee is no longer one of the top ten guilds.

2. Unknown will fight against Black Bee under Cheonhwa’s name until Black Bee is no longer one of the top ten guilds.

3. Cheonhwa will pay Unknown 5 gold per Black Bee guild member he defeats.

4. Unknown will retain full ownership of any equipment dropped by the Black Bee guild members he defeats.

5. Unknown will receive an advance payment of 1,500 gold, and if Cheonhwa becomes one of the top ten guilds, he will receive an additional 1,000 gold bonus.

The contract terms were highly motivating for Kai.

Personal revenge and a potential 2,500 gold if everything goes well!

Excluding the reward for each defeated enemy, that was 2,500 gold. At current rates, this contract was worth at least two-hundred fifty million won!

This makes me realize just how much my value has increased.

Kai was absolutely confident that if he had made the contract before the battle with Aosa, he wouldn’t have been able to secure even a fraction of these terms.

Seol Eun-Yeong went to Whitehall that day and came up empty-handed.

Moreover, they confirmed the imposing figure of Aosa, which had exuded dignity even in death. So naturally, their interest in the one who had defeated it solo had to increase.

Alright, my life is on track.

As soon as the verbal agreement with Seol Eun-Yeong was finished, Cheonhwa swiftly bribed famous game journalists, and they started to publish headlines about Unknown joining Cheonhwa as if they had discovered an exclusive scoop.

[Exclusive! Unknown Joins Cheonhwa as a Mercenary.]

[Black Bee, Watch Out! Cheonhwa's Flower Chases Black Bee to the Brink.]

[After Yoo Harin, Now Unknown. How Far Will Cheonhwa’s Recruitment Go?]

[Black Bee in Panic Over Unknown’s Mercenary Contract. How Will They Respond?]

[Cheonhwa Seriously Challenges the Top Ten Guilds. What Is Their True Strength?]

The community went into an uproar once again, but Kai closed the internet browser without checking the reactions, as a guest had arrived at the meeting place.

“Are we late?”

“No. There are still five minutes left until the meeting time.”

Seol Eun-Yeong approached with long strides as if she were walking a runway. Although her expression was as aloof as usual, anyone close to her could easily tell how excited she was.

There was one person present who could easily see through her current state.

“You seem to be in a good mood today, Milady.”

He looked at Kai and beamed, as if he had met a celebrity on the street.

“Wow, it’s really Unknown! Can I get an autograph later?”

Kai quietly observed the owner of the voice.

Boyd.

Boyd was ranked fourteenth among Wizards and a representative figure of Cheonhwa. While not quite an ace, Cheonhwa wouldn’t be where it was today without him.

Kai slowly nodded, “I don’t actually have an autograph, but if you want, sure.”

“Yes, awesome!”

“Be quiet,” Seol Eun-Yeong shot a glance at Boyd before turning to look at Unknown and pulling something out of her inventory. “Give it a check.”

“Then, one moment please.”

She handed Kai two items. One was a pouch containing the advance payment of 1,500 gold, and the other was an emblem of the Cheonhwa guild, meant to be attached to his armor.

“Just to confirm, if I attach this once...”

“You can easily remove it at any blacksmith in any city or village, so don’t worry.”

“That’s good to know.”

As Kai reaffirmed that this was just for the duration of the contract, Seol Eun-Yeong looked sulky, but that was only for a moment.

When Kai attached the emblem to his left chest, her lips curled into a smile, looking almost touched.

Then, she raised her hand to stop Kai for a moment. “Hold on. Let me take a screenshot...”

After happily taking the photos, Seol Eun-Yeong still wore a smile as she said, “It looks good.”

“Pardon?”

“It suits you.”

“Oh, sure...” Kai nodded, unable to easily respond to her compliment.

“Now it’s my turn! Please sign here!”

Harassed by the pair who were driving him crazy, Kai hastily prepared to leave after giving Boyd an autograph.

“So when should I start?”

“The contract takes effect as soon as the advance payment is made. So, you’re good to go whenever you wish.”

“Nice.”

There was nothing more comfortable than being able to work whenever he wanted.

“Then, I’ll get going.”

As Kai turned to leave, Boyd called out to him, “Wait. I have something to say.”

When Kai turned around to look at him, Boyd smiled brightly and began to say, “Have you ever faced an Archmage from Black Bee?”

“... Once, yes.”

In fact, it was twice. Once during the Orc Lord raid, and the second time just a few hours ago, as Cleric Kai.

“Oh, it was with Claude, right? He definitely had potential. That’s why Black Bee decided to back him up as a rookie. But... I was asking if you’ve faced an Archmage, not just a Wizard.”

An Archmage was a title that any Wizard over level 200 universally attained.

“What are you trying to say?”

“It seems you dislike dragging conversations, so I’ll be direct. I’m interested in you.”

Kai felt goosebumps all over his body and quickly took a few steps back.

Even Seol Eun-Yeong, standing beside Boyd, looked at him with a contemptuous expression.

“

Huh

? What’s with the mood?” Boyd, taken aback by the suddenly awkward atmosphere, waved his hands in denial and said, “No, what are you guys thinking?! I mean I’m interested in you as a fellow Wizard!”

“...I don’t follow.”

“It means, as a Wizard and the head of Cheonhwa’s Wizard unit, I’d like to spar with you.”

Suddenly, Boyd’s eyes turned serious. In short, he wanted to test his own skills against Kai’s.

... Well, it’s not that I can’t understand.

Anyone who got a new sword would want to swing it.

It seemed Seol Eun-Yeong felt the same, as she didn’t stop Boyd’s impolite request.

“Well, this wasn’t part of the contract, but...” Kai arrogantly nodded. “Sure, let’s do it.”

“Great!” Boyd’s eyes shone as he casually began casting different spells with both hands. “Then, here I come.”

***

The duel between Boyd and Kai took place without any prior notice.

Of course, that was from Kai’s perspective.

Boyd had intended to request a duel from the moment he arrived, so he couldn’t understand the current situation.

“...

Ugh

.”

How can this be the result when he faced me, the fourteenth-ranked Archmage, without any preparation...?

The result was an overwhelming victory for Unknown. From the beginning to the end of the duel, Boyd didn’t land a single critical hit. He was even shocked that his spells, when they luckily hit, didn’t deal significant damage.

He has an extreme advantage against Wizards. Just how high is his magic resistance?

Getting up and dusting off the dirt, Boyd looked at Unknown, who was leaving.

Then, he turned to Seol Eun-Yeong and asked, “Milady, how long did it take?”

“Four minutes.”

“...Fourteen minutes?”

“Four minutes.”

“Oh! Are you saying the duel was so intense that it felt shorter, like just four minutes?”

“No, it was just four minutes.”

It took only four minutes for the fourteenth-ranked Archmage to suffer a one-sided defeat!

Boyd felt a sense of despair but soon began to chuckle.

At the sight, Seol Eun-Yeong asked, “Have you gone mad?”

“No.”

“Then why are you laughing? You lost. What’s there to be happy about?”

“Because I’m looking forward to it.” Boyd ran his hand through his hair and grinned. “Those Black Bee guys. I can’t wait to see the look on their faces.”