Chapter 64

The expedition teams registered under the Atlantis Maritime Alliance—or rather, registered under Bermuda—did not require a set number of members to reach a certain Rank. As long as their fighting power was considered to live up to the standards of their Rank, it didn’t matter if they had one member or a hundred. Though of course, they would not be allowed to be classified as Rank A unless that one-member team consisted of someone who was at least a Class 9 mage or an expert in the Demigod Tier.

So, Frances estimated that if she wanted Aquamarine to become Rank A again, she would need about ten members at the minimum.

“We’ll need explorers who are at least Class 6 mages or experts in the Eighth Degree External Force Tier to succeed. It would be nice to recruit Masters, but the chance of that happening is very small,” she said.

The population of Atlantis City was upwards of several hundred thousand, and when counting the neighboring islands, it totaled over a million. However, the number of people considered Masters didn’t even reach twenty. Most of them were either leaders of major organizations like Jack Russell or key members of executive boards, so it was impossible to recruit them in the first place.

Suddenly, something occurred to Leonard. “Fran, who were the crew members who were on board with us when you brought me to Atlantis City? Are non-members also allowed to accompany us?”

“Oh, those people?” She shook her head. “They were just with us for a bit for the commission. Just because you find resources in the Fourth Sea District doesn’t mean the job is over. You have to dispatch surveyors and get their market price assessed. Only once you’ve returned are you finished. The crew members were basically surveyors sent by the commissioner,” she said, grumbling for a while. “After all, Marianne and I are the only members of Aquamarine, so it’s difficult to carry out commissions that require combat. We have to at least increase our performance record with non-combat missions, or else it will be difficult to even stay at Rank B.”

“So there’s a quota?”

“Yes. I don’t want outsiders on the

Aquamarine,

but there are some people who blabber about how they can’t trust our own reports.”

There were also those who made a big deal out of nothing to justify paying Aquamarine less.

After listening to her complaints, Leonard turned the conversation back to the original topic. “If you want a small but elite team, I suppose you would have to be even more careful about who you select. As important as talent is, if they have to make an enemy out of figures like the Council or Pablo, we have to consider how likely they are to betray us.”

“Yes, and there’s no way normal explorers will be willing to join Aquamarine when we’re already under the scrutiny of powerful people,” she added.

There was a reason they’d never received a single inquiry, let alone an actual application, even though Frances was always putting out recruitment notices at Bermuda: whether it was intentional or not, expedition teams such as Moby Dick pressured people to avoid them. Even the name Aquamarine inevitably made Bermuda uncomfortable when it came up.

Even if Aquamarine tried to recruit someone who didn’t know much about them, it wouldn’t take long for the person to run away, so their only option was to scout eccentrics who could be willing to join them despite Aquamarine’s reputation.

“I have a feeling that you already have some people in mind, Fran,” Leonard said.

“That’s right.” She pulled out a few pieces of parchment from her pocket. It was a list that was several pages long, written with small, cramped lettering. “Can you look through this? I’ve compiled brief descriptions of personal details and skills, but I haven’t figured out how to approach it yet.”

“I’ll take a look.”

The Atlantis Maritime Alliance’s language and script weren’t very different from the Arcadian Empire’s, so it wasn’t hard for him to skim it. He wondered if Frances had written it herself, as the handwriting was round but neat and easy to read.

It would be wise to rule out anyone with families and other close ties. Considering the amount of power Pablo and the Council have, it’s very possible that they would threaten or take friends and family hostage to make them betray us.

Every person had a scale in their hearts. When they were forced to choose between two options, they either chose whatever was more familiar and dear or whatever was safer. Aquamarine was neither.

Leonard crossed out close to half of the candidates on the list and picked out two names.

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

24. “One-Eye” Ninian

– Archer. Only takes Rank B solo commissions. Estimated to be Seventh Degree External Force Tier or higher. Details about her abilities are unknown.

– Eyewitnesses have said that she has ears longer than a human’s but shorter than an elf’s. Likely half- or quarter-elf.

– No history of being associated with an expedition team. She has been active in the Alliance for five years. Does not make friends or comrades, and devotes all her time to archery when not carrying out commissions. It is unknown why she is an explorer or why she needs money.

53. “Whaler” Galano

– Spearman. Only accepts Rank C and B commissions involving combat. Estimated to be Eighth Degree External Force Tier or higher. His spear is an artifact that was made to look like a harpoon. Can throw and retrieve a spear very fast, and is not only skilled in close-range combat but also mid-range combat.

– Only family is Dentuso, a deceased Rank A explorer who was formerly in Aquamarine.

– No history of joining or founding an expedition team. He goes around with a posse of people who greatly admire his strength, but they are not an organized or official group.

– Always rejects commissions that take place in the Fifth Sea District.

“Ninian and Galano look like good candidates,” Leonard concluded.

“What?!”

Frances’s and Marianne’s eyes widened. Since they’d already thought about who to choose, they were very familiar with the people he mentioned.

Ninian’s antisocial personality and belligerent tendency to attack first and ask questions later created a track record of inciting several bloody incidents in the very heart of the city itself. And Galano drifted between well-paying jobs, bars, and fights ever since he had lost it when his older brother, Dentuso, died.

“Neither of them seem very sociable, but they have never failed any part of a commission or broken a contract. If we can just figure out why Ninian is working as an explorer and make Galano come to his senses, they will be helpful,” Leonard explained.

“...”

“...”

Marianne was speechless for a moment. She carefully said, “Leonard, there is one thing you are forgetting.”

“What is it?” Leonard asked, looking quizzical.

“Both Ninian and Galano are powerful Rank B fighters. I can’t guarantee that I would win in a fight against them,” she said.

“There’s no need for you to fight them,” he said curtly.

Now it was their turn to look confused.

Leonard met their eyes and smiled. It was time to address the topic they’d all been silently avoiding.

“

I

will convince them to join us. The two of you can comfortably take a break while I do it.”

“Um, Leonard? What are you talking about all of a sudden?” Marianne asked.

“You’ve been suspecting it, haven’t you? I am a member of the Cardenas family.”

Both women froze, looking as if they’d just been stabbed.

Leonard grinned and said candidly, “Since you’ve shown me sincerity, Fran, I am doing the same. I can win against Ninian and Galano, even if I’m fighting both of them at the same time. Just leave it to me.”

“Even if you’re a Cardenas, don’t you think you’re a little

too

confident?” the bodyguard questioned, furrowing her eyebrows.

If Leonard felt that he could defeat Ninian and Galano, then he would naturally feel the same about her. Even if he was in the Third Degree External Force Tier and a member of the most powerful family of swordsmen in the Empire, he couldn’t be

that

arrogant.

Leonard didn’t look offended by her skepticism. He’d expected her reaction. “By now, three Eighth Degree External Force Tier fighters alone have died by my hand. And four in the Ninth Degree. They were knights from the Kurdish Kingdom’s secret forces who had ambushed a Cardenas training facility.”

“What?!”

“Apparently, they were planning to kidnap children of the Cardenas family in order to find the secret behind our bloodline. Anyway, I will guess that they’re being thoroughly punished by the Seven Orders at this very moment,” he added.

Frances and Marianne were shocked. They couldn’t find even a hint of a lie on his face. If all Third Degree External Force Tier knights were as powerful as him, they couldn’t even imagine how powerful the House of Cardenas’ true fighting force was.

“Oh, of course, not every family member in the Third Degree External Force Tier is as powerful as I am. I am a very special case... you can think of me as a genius among geniuses.”

“Don’t you think you’re a little too generous with the self-flattery?” Frances asked.

Leonard only shrugged. She wasn’t wrong that he was putting himself on a pedestal, but there was no other fifteen-year-old who could do what he could do, even within the House of Cardenas. Unless he was going to tell them everything about his past life, it was easiest to portray himself as a genius.

Frances relented. “Ugh! Fine. Even if I haven’t seen it for myself, you’re not the type of person to bluff. We’ll entrust you to recruit both Ninian and Galano.”

“I won’t disappoint you, Fran.”

Once they’d gone through everything and he had eased their problems, Leonard smiled when he saw their faces.

From the moment he’d joined them, there hadn’t been a single moment he hadn’t enjoyed. He loved it when the extremely weak stood against the extremely powerful as an opponent.

They say Galano hasn’t returned from his last job yet... so I suppose I’ll have to find Ninian first.

Even though she only had one eye, she was an archer, an occupation where visually estimating distance was very important. His body itched to dig up the secret behind it.

Frances clapped her hands together. “All right, no more boring stuff! Tell us how they treat you at the Magic Tower! It’s hard to become a level 4 guest, let alone level 5! Do they give you free artifacts and stuff?”

“It’s not free, but something like that.”

They temporarily put away the topic of recruitment. As the three of them ate, they caught up on the things they hadn’t had a chance to talk about. After all, their lives would only get harder and busier. They wanted at least this moment to push aside such thoughts, before new members joined.

And so, unbeknownst to anyone else, Aquamarine resolved to make a new beginning.

***

The abilities and authorities Bermuda had were immeasurable. Every single explorer and expedition team was required to become a member, no exceptions. Anyone who carried out jobs and commissions that weren’t approved by them was punished for breaking the rules.

However, if Bermuda was an organization that only placed strict restrictions on explorers, they never would have been able to grow and maintain their size. Unlike the Alliance and the Magic Tower, Bermuda was run by explorers. Sure, there were times when Bermuda showed bias based on Rank, but with their lack of status and other sources of assistance, explorers could only lean on Bermuda.

“As much as Bermuda disgusts me, I can’t even imagine how badly explorers would be treated if we didn’t have those guys.”

“As long as we increase our Rank, we get access to training facilities and lodgings for free, you know? It’s so nice how they only judge us based on skill.”

“Because of how strict Bermuda is, we don’t have to worry about employers scamming us and running off with our money. But their fees suck.”

Ninian, who had been a Rank B explorer for five years now, was one of the people who took advantage of Bermuda’s training facilities and lodgings because she wanted to save as much money as possible.

Boom!

An arrow shot out as she let go of her bowstring, and it pierced into the target like a cannonball. It had flown so fast that it caused a sonic boom. Her Eighth Degree External Force Tier physical capabilities combined with her use of an Aura made her bow stronger than a ballista, even though she didn’t use any technical skills. Her arrow even had more force than a blow from a swordsman in the same Tier.

But the way she handled a bow was almost primitive, and her technique was too crude and unrefined for her to be called an archer.

“Wind,” she whispered, her voice so low that it was only audible to her bow and arrow. Then she drew the bow.

Swish!

The arrow shot out in a straight line, but it followed a zigzagging path before hitting the target.

It was an astonishing sight.

“Your technique is terrible. You call that archery?” a voice said from behind her.

“Who is it?!”

She whipped around to the sound of the voice, reflexively drawing her bow. Her arrow was pointing at a young boy with golden hair and scarlet eyes. Since her aesthetic sense was closer to an elf’s, she couldn’t help but find his youthful physique and boyish face handsome.

“I was looking forward to our meeting because I heard you were a one-eyed archer, but I’m a little disappointed,” he said after catching a glimpse of her archery technique.

He picked up one of the bows hanging on the wall and fastened the bowstring.

In his past life, Yeon Mu-Hyuk had been a descendant of the Yeon clan. His forefather was Yeon Gaesomun, the finest and most powerful retainer of Goguryeo, a kingdom that had fallen over a hundred years before his birth. In other words, he was the descendant of the strongest martial artist of a kingdom that had been famed for its archery skills ever since its founding.

Yeon Mu-Hyuk wasn’t just

good

at archery.

Boom!

When his arrow shot forward, it pulled in the air around it and propelled itself by its spiraling spin. It seemed to have several times more force than Ninian’s arrow, and when it hit the target, the arrow exploded and crumbled to dust. He hadn’t used any tricks like she had; it was pure skill.

His single shot shook Ninian. As her eye widened, he said, “My name is Leonard, and I come from the Rank B expedition team Aquamarine. I have come to invite you to join us. Would you be willing to consider it?”

“I can hear you out.” She nodded, enchanted. The archery he’d shown her was so fascinating. If she could only learn how to shoot like that, she could possibly be promoted from Rank B to Rank A and earn more money.

It’s just as I predicted. Though, she’s a little different from what I expected.

Leonard was sure of their first recruit. Ninian had a reason that would make her join Aquamarine.