LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 17
Gladiators, knights, guards, mages.
I’ve seen people of various professions since coming to this world.
But deep down, I haven’t seen the flower of fantasy—the adventurer.
I heard that among mercenaries, those who focus on exploration are called adventurers.
I wondered if I could see one, so I entered the building with curiosity.
Ding-a-ling—
The inside of the building was bustling with the sound of a bright bell.
Even in broad daylight, mercenaries with swords at their waists were seen drinking at tables inside.
Do they run a simple tavern too? Just as I thought.
As I walked in, I smelled a faint metallic scent and the strong aroma of spices.
At the counter sat a bored-looking man, and next to him was what seemed to be a request board.
I went over and skimmed through the tasks.
The request sheets, written in simple letters and pictures, were mostly about hunting or gathering.
It seems most requests come from the Magic Tower or workshops in the capital.
Well, it’s the capital, so there’s no need for extermination requests, right?
Moreover, the Adel Kingdom’s capital is right next to a mountain range.
They probably go to the mountains to hunt monsters and bring back fresh materials or gather herbs.
Thinking about it, the monsters I captured during my Coliseum days were also from the mountain range.
But more importantly…
[Orc Shaman’s tusk, Troll’s liver.]
Can mercenaries really bring these?
The materials seem extremely tough.
Even if I were asked to get them, I’d shake my head.
I glanced around at the mercenaries here.
They don’t seem that high-level… Maybe the key figures aren’t around because it’s daytime.
But if I had to pick the most competent ones here…
“Wahahahaha!!”
“Drink more!”
“Let’s just drink and die!”
Those guys drinking at the tavern in the guild must be them.
There are quite a few of them.
About fifteen?
They’ve taken over the center of the tavern, drinking as if they own the place.
“So, back then, with that girl—”
“Hey, Hans! We’re talking about your girlfriend!”
“What the hell, man?!”
They laugh, chatter, and grab each other by the collars.
Crash!
“You broke a plate!”
“Oops!”
Plates were broken, and chaos ensued.
Looking around, other mercenaries seem bothered by the scene.
But given their numbers and tough looks, everyone just lets it slide.
Well, are they just flexing their muscles now?
I was thinking of figuring out exactly how strong they were when…
“Let’s take on a request!”
“Yeah! I’ll bring it back, and we can bet on drinks!”
Staggering.
One of the burly guys from the table comes over.
He must have business at the request board where I am.
But.
He must have drunk a lot.
The big guy stumbles, hitting tables and breaking plates, causing a scene.
And then he reaches me.
“Move.”
He tries to push me aside with a shove.
But.
Thud.
No way I’d be moved by that.
“Huh?”
Seeing that I didn’t budge, the big guy’s expression changes.
“What’s this?”
Normally, I’d ignore it and move, but this time I was curious.
Staring.
I just looked down at him.
He’s a bit bulky, but I’m a head taller.
So the big guy flinches.
He seems to be sizing me up.
Mercenaries who live by the sword are quick to catch on.
“Hey, if you hit someone, you should apologize first.”
Poke.
Before he chickens out, I poke his head with my finger and speak.
Then.
Gulp.
A vein pops on the big guy’s forehead.
“You little punk.”
Thud! Thud thud!
He punches my chest quite hard.
“You wanna fight now?!”
Ignoring the big guy’s anger, I glance at the group of mercenaries watching us with amusement.
Hmm, who’s the leader?
I heard that mercenary groups with many members usually have a boss.
Ah, is it him?
At the far end of the long table.
A middle-aged man with a rough look sits there, exuding an intimidating presence.
His aura is unusual.
“Hey, you deaf?”
Whoosh.
Meanwhile, the big guy tries to slap my cheek, but I turn my head to dodge.
“Huh?”
Angered by my action, he reaches out to grab my collar, but…
Crack!
“Argh!”
I grab his wrist and twist it, making him kneel on the floor.
Let’s see.
I glance at the big guy’s waist.
There’s a silver badge with crossed swords and a shield.
Is that the mark of a silver-ranked warrior mercenary?
Silver rank is the third-highest among mercenary ranks.
This guy must have been quite the fighter.
Well, he’s kneeling now, drunk.
“You punk!”
“What the hell!”
Rumble—!
As I subdue the big guy, the mercenaries watching us all stand up.
The one who doesn’t stand is, indeed, the boss.
Thud!
“Argh!”
I kick the big guy I had pinned to the floor.
Then I head towards the table.
“This guy!”
Thump!
I grab the face of the first mercenary who charges at me.
Bang!
I slam him to the ground.
“What.”
“What just…”
The mercenaries flinch.
Step, step.
Ignoring the frozen mercenaries, I walk to the front of the table.
Tap, crack.
I step on a chair and climb onto the long table.
“What’s this guy?”
“Huh?”
My sudden action surprises everyone around.
Crack, crack.
I walk straight across the table, stepping on dishes.
I’ll have to compensate for the broken dishes later.
I’ll leave the cleanup to these mercenaries.
“This punk!”
One mercenary, unable to stand being ignored, reaches out, but…
Whoosh—crack!
I dodge lightly and stomp on his hand.
“Argh!”
“Hans!”
“You bastard!”
Seeing this, the mercenaries all try to climb onto the table.
“Everyone, stop!”
The middle-aged boss sitting across the table shouts and stands up.
“What do you want?”
“Your lackey picked a fight with me.”
“So what?”
“He needs to take responsibility.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
The mercenary boss looks baffled.
“Are you just going to sit there?”
Thud! Crash!
I kick a glass towards the boss, and it shatters.
That seems to be the trigger.
“You’ll regret this.”
The boss rolls up his sleeves and climbs onto the table.
“Boss!”
“Are you really going to fight him yourself!”
The surrounding mercenaries stare at the boss in shock.
They seem to have a lot of faith in him.
“Hey, there’s a fight.”
“…Jeven is fighting?”
“Who’s that kid?”
By now, other mercenaries have gathered, hearing the commotion.
Jeven? That must be his name.
I glance at his waist.
Gold rank?
Even though he’s the boss of silver-ranked adventurers, he has a gold badge.
“Come at me.”
Let’s see what you’ve got.
At my arrogant words, the boss named Jeven takes a stance.
“You seem pretty skilled, but…”
He seems slightly surprised by the aura I’m emitting.
‘Aura?’
He’s using aura, albeit faintly.
…Is aura really that common now?
Knights use it, sure, but even mercenaries?
“Let’s see if you can handle my Fleet.”
“Fleet?”
He knows Fleet too?
Wait.
Judging by the amount of aura, he’s just starting out—lower than my level back in the Coliseum days.
Unless he’s hiding his aura like Lowell.
Whoosh!
The boss throws a surprise punch at me.
Whoosh!
It’s fast, but not fast enough to hit me…
“He dodged it!”
“He dodged Jeven’s Fleet!”
The mercenaries are in an uproar, and the boss looks shocked.
“…Fleet?”
This?
Sure, he’s using aura to speed up, but it’s not that impressive.
“But Jeven’s known for his combos! Jeven the Combo King!”
As one of the talkative mercenaries says…
“My combo Fleet!”
A barrage of punches comes at me.
This isn’t Fleet. It’s just the speed of someone using aura.
“Huh.”
So this is what ordinary people think.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
Crash!
Well, no need to see more.
I easily dodge the punches and kick him like I did the big guy.
The boss rolls off the table.
“He’s faster than Jeven!”
“Who is he?!”
Ignoring the mercenaries’ murmurs…
Tap, tap.
I walk down the table and approach the boss.
“You’re pretty good, you punk…”
Thud!
I punch the guy who’s trying to get up.
“Ugh…”
I grab his collar and throw him to the ground.
“Boss!!”
“This guy!”
Seeing this, the mercenaries charge at me.
“Overwhelm him with numbers!”
“You bastard! I’ll break something of yours!”
I smile slightly at the sight.
At least these mercenaries have some loyalty.
**
A while later.
“Ugh…”
“Ugh… What a monster…”
The tavern is a complete mess, with mercenaries beaten to a pulp by me.
The other mercenaries who were watching have long fled, and the staff are trembling, waiting for something.
They probably called the guards.
Well, if the guards come, I’ll just show them the Void Family’s seal.
That’s what it’s for, right?
I doubt I’ll end up in jail for something like this.
Anyway,
“Hey, you’re the boss, right?”
“Ugh, y-yes…”
Thud, thud.
I step on the face of the boss named Jeven, who’s lying on the ground, and he answers very politely.
Yeah, the mercenary boss.
I didn’t need to go this far, but…
Seeing these mercenaries gave me a good idea.
“Come back here at the same time three days from now.”
“Huh…?”
“If you don’t, I’ll come find you.”
A mercenary as famous as him should be easy to find.
This is fate.
I might find him useful later.
After that,
“Clean this up.”
I leave the cleanup to the mercenaries I beat up.
“Y-you are…”
I compensate the guild staff with a handful of silver coins.
Then I subtly show them the Void Family’s seal, and they don’t dare say a word.
“We heard a report and came!”
“…Go back.”
“Huh? But this mess…”
“I’ll explain everything later, but for now, you can go.”
The guards who arrived later quickly leave after hearing the guild staff’s words.
Then I return to the Void Family mansion.
It was a fruitful walk for my first time out.