Ch-91
—
The guide shook his head firmly.
“I’m sorry. The Mountain of Trainees has been designated a *forbidden zone*, so… there are no mercenaries willing to go.”
“Forbidden? Why?”
“Recently, high-level monsters have been surging around that area, and one of the creatures believed to be part of the Black King’s main force has been discovered there.”
One of the Black King’s elite forces had been found?
The Mountain of Trainees was located in the south, if you looked at the continental map, but it was still outside the Black King’s domain.
Suddenly, the White King’s words came to mind.
*‘The Black King is expanding his territory.’*
But the Mountain of Trainees of all places?
Aside from the mountain itself, that region had nothing of value.
Even if someone conquered it, it would only be a waste of time.
No—conquering it was impossible to begin with.
It was a special zone, like the Tower.
And the Black King definitely knew that. So if he had sent one of his elite forces there, then something big must be happening.
*There must be another reason.*
Whatever it was, if it involved the Black King, then designating the area as forbidden was only natural.
Unless someone had ten lives to spare, no mercenary would head for the Mountain of Trainees.
“Sir. My apologies, but… would you like to take another request instead?”
“Who was the most recent guide-mercenary who headed toward the Mountain of Trainees?”
“That would be me.”
A man with a soot-black beard stood up beside us.
A flushed face.
Beer soaking his beard.
A textbook example of someone who didn’t inspire confidence—though the entrance to the mountain changed location regularly. At least once every month.
“I went fifteen days ago and almost died. Never going back.”
Fifteen days ago meant the entrance’s location wouldn’t have changed yet.
Judging by the silence of the other mercenaries, he wasn’t lying.
The man sighed.
“No matter how much you pay me, I’m not going there. It’s too damn dangerous.”
“Is that so?”
Clink!
I tossed a leather pouch onto the floor. Gold spilled out.
“H-how much is that?”
“Looks like at least ten thousand gold…”
“Where’d this rich young master come from?”
The mercenaries’ eyes changed instantly.
Mercenaries lived and died by money.
Ten thousand gold for a single guiding job!
Several times the normal rate.
“I already told you. I’m not going no matter how much you pay. If the place’s been designated forbidden, there’s a reason. Even if you succeed, you get penalty points for entering a forbidden zone, so who would ever take—”
Clang!
A gold bar worth *one hundred thousand* gold clattered onto the pouch.
“…..!”
“Holy— one hundred thousand gold?”
“Who the hell is he?”
Greed flooded the mercenaries’ eyes.
A hundred thousand gold was the kind of amount you could only touch after completing at least a hundred jobs.
And even then, only if you were a high-grade mercenary.
“I—I can’t sell my life for a hundred thousand gold.”
“Don’t misunderstand. That’s the advance payment.”
“……?”
“The success reward will be ten times that. And of course, I’ll cover the guild fees.”
One million gold.
With the guild fee covered, that meant a full, untouched one million gold would be paid.
Enough to buy a house in a decent city.
But the danger around the Mountain of Trainees multiplied by the day.
No matter how skilled the guide, at least one of the party was guaranteed to die.
And he wanted them to climb such a perilous route?
To a place designated forbidden?
Fail and you die; succeed and your reputation tanks.
The mercenaries of Cartel City followed rules strictly.
They moved as one.
That was their pride.
“……Welcome, client. I’ll serve you like a king.”
But this was far too much money to protect pride with.
*
*
Telling me to wait for a moment, the man disappeared—and returned a short while later, looking tidy and well-dressed.
With him were two more mercenaries.
“Client, you’ve come to the right place. I’m Joaquin, leader of the Furrfen Mercenary Group.”
“I’m Malibu, the archer.”
“Spirit-user Shaun.”
A three-person mercenary group.
Furrfen, huh.
“By Furrfen… do you mean the wyverns of Echo Valley?”
“……Oh? You know of Furrfen?”
Joaquin asked with surprise.
“I only know it as a legendary wyvern that may or may not exist.”
“Most people don’t. You’re quite knowledgeable, sir.”
Their attitude had changed drastically upon taking the request.
Well, that was part of why Cartel mercenaries were famous.
“Can you get to the Mountain of Trainees in three days?”
“If we don’t encounter monsters, we can get there in two.”
“And if you do?”
“The entrance changes location in about five days. If more than five days pass… we’ll have to find the path again.”
In other words, there was no guarantee.
All they could do was move while avoiding monsters as much as possible.
Joaquin patted his chest confidently.
“But don’t worry. We have Shaun the spirit-user. His spirits will guide us safely.”
Spirit-users were rare.
Mercenary groups with one were even rarer.
Now came the part where they dazzled the client.
“Yes, that’s right. You can rely on me. Show yourself, Runka!”
Spirit-user Shaun summoned his spirit.
But no matter how long they waited, nothing appeared.
Joaquin frowned in confusion.
“What’s wrong, Shaun?”
“W-what’s going on with her??”
“What is?”
“Runka… she’s afraid of something.”
A spirit refusing to appear?
Then he was no different from an ordinary person.
Joaquin rubbed the bridge of his nose and let out an awkward laugh.
“Haha… the spirit must be feeling shy. But he’s definitely a spirit-user, so rest assured, client.”
I shrugged.
I wasn’t worried.
Even without the spirit-user, the Furrfen mercenary group’s level was certainly high.
【Lv.8】
Joaquin was level 8.
The other two were level 7.
A solid mid–high-tier mercenary group.
More than enough.
You didn’t need anything stronger just to act as guides.
“Then, we’ll depart in an hour. Time is life, so please pack lightly.”
*
*
Crossing the warp, we stepped into the region where the Mountain of Trainees lay.
“As long as the area around the warp is safe, we’re already halfway successful.”
Joaquin let out a sigh of relief.
No dangerous monsters were in sight near the warp.
But it was too early to relax.
Once he confirmed the surroundings were truly safe, Joaquin finally loosened his tension.
“No tracks. It seems there are no monsters here.”
“Good.”
“I’ve been a guide for over ten years. You can trust me.”
“I do.”
“Haha. Good. Then to lighten the mood—got anything you’re curious about? I’ll even answer what color underwear I’m wearing.”
That, I wasn’t curious about.
“…I saw a lot of the Cartel mercenaries lazing around. Are there no requests these days?”
Joaquin’s face instantly stiffened.
The same went for the others.
Then Joaquin sighed deeply, furrowed his brow, and spoke with difficulty.
“Ah… yes. Requests have completely dried up lately. Thanks to that bastard Maxim.”
“You mean the Eight Heroes’ Maxim?”
“What other Maxim is there? After Maxim died, all his crimes were exposed. Now more than half the people who used to hire Cartel mercenaries refuse to do so.”
“Crimes?”
“Extorting request fees from mercenary groups, kidnapping clients, robbery, murder—you name it. He was a real piece of trash. Rumor says he was the first to run away during the Great Expedition.”
Maxim had been one of the top mercenaries in Cartel.
His mercenary group was the largest.
And yet he casually committed all sorts of illegal acts, which ruined the mercenaries’ reputation.
“That kind of bastard is not a Cartel mercenary.”
Even in death, his reputation was plummeting.
If even your longtime comrades cursed your name, that said it all.
I felt no sympathy.
He deserved every insult.
*
*
In the end, combat was unavoidable.
Four-legged beasts with the faces of gaping maws—monsters known as *Vile Beasts*.
“Damn it, of all things…!”
“Runka!”
“There’re too many!”
These vile beasts traveled in packs of dozens and were known for never letting prey escape once they spotted it.
“Wall of steel!”
Joaquin slammed his shield, raising a wall.
But the vile beasts pierced through the narrow gaps; he couldn’t block them all.
“Ghhk! Malibu! Hurry!”
But every attack targeted Joaquin.
A classic taunt-shield warrior.
Low-intelligence monsters attacked him until death.
“Does it hurt a lot~?”
“What the— ugh!”
“I’ll heal you~”
As Seia stretched out her hand, light flowed across Joaquin’s entire body.
Flesh stitched together in an instant, regeneration restoring him completely.
A miracle impossible even with top-tier potions or elixirs.
“……!!”
Joaquin’s eyes widened.
*Is this really possible?*
Such divine power and healing ability!
Just who was this woman with her face covered?
Seia smiled gently.
“Well then, please keep working hard~”
*
*
The battles continued much the same way.
Joaquin raised walls and drew aggro, Seia healed him, and the others finished off the monsters.
Joaquin’s mind was shredded, but thanks to that, they arrived sooner than expected.
“H-here… is the entrance. Hah… hah…”
Joaquin spoke with difficulty.
His body was fine, yet he felt utterly drained.
As if his entire body had been beaten like a rag.
No matter how many times he approached death, the woman healed him again and again.
It must have been to save him, but somehow… she felt like a gentle demon.
As if she laughed happily every time he got hurt.
When her gaze turned to him, Joaquin quickly bowed his head.
*Terrifying. That woman is terrifying!*
An experience he never wanted again.
Like a horrifying torture.
“Here is your success reward.”
“Ah…!”
A perfect one million gold.
A leather pouch containing ten gold bars landed in Joaquin’s hands, and he instantly broke into a bright smile—as if all his fear had evaporated.
“When you return alive, please visit the Furrfen Mercenary Group again. We’ll always treat you like a king.”
“If you wait here at the entrance until we descend, I’ll give you double.”
“…Pardon?”
“I’ll be staying around thirty days. Decide for yourself.”
“…Pardon?”
Joaquin was quite a useful mercenary.
He executed his tasks cleanly.
I had no doubt he would ensure a safe and swift return route.
And taunt-shield warriors were rare.
*If trained properly, he could become an excellent shield warrior.*
Joaquin. A promising talent in Cartel.
“T-the thing is…”
“If you are here waiting when we descend, I’ll take that as your acceptance.”
“But the entrance location will have changed by then…”
“That’s none of my concern.”
“…..”
Confusion filled Joaquin’s eyes.
This was a kind of test.
If he survived thirty days in this forest and greeted me upon return, he was worth nurturing.
But I wasn’t forcing him.
The decision was wholly Joaquin’s.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes~”
Leaving him with a choice, I stepped onto the warp that led to the entrance of the Mountain of Trainees.
In that moment—
《Entering “Mountain of Trainees.”》
《Entry requirements satisfied.》
《Those who ascend the Mountain of Trainees may set their own restrictions.》
《Depending on the restrictions, the rate of proficiency growth and other factors may change.》
《Tip: Excessive restrictions are a shortcut to death.》
…….
《All restrictions have been set to their maximum.》
《Achievement “Masochist” has been obtained.》
《Proficiency growth rate is additionally increased by 50%.》
《Due to the “Ba’al Helm” and the hidden trait “Dexterity,” proficiency growth rate is increased by 450%.》
《Achievement “King of Proficiency” has been obtained.》
《By achieving “All Restrictions at Maximum,” “Proficiency +400% or higher,” and “Possessing a weapon proficiency or skill at max level 25 or above,” you have discovered a hidden highest-tier hidden piece.》
《A “Hidden Quest” left behind by the ‘Master of the Mountain of Trainees’ is manifesting.》
《Hidden Quest: “Achieve Proficiency Level 25.”》
《Will you accept this challenge?》
《If you accept, you will not be able to descend the mountain until you reach proficiency level 25—or die.》
《If you decline, this quest will disappear.》
What is this?
Messages I’ve never seen before.
—
As expected of a wish fullfillment novel.