Chapter 229
Chapter 229. Kallem (4)
It took less than 10 minutes for the Kallem Expeditionary Force to capture Mes, the leader of Mesper.
There was an overwhelming difference in power between them.
“Puh, puhh….”
Mes had received a beating that left no part of his face untouched.
His swollen cheeks and lips were evidence of the attacks he endured for several minutes.
But more terrifying than the pain in his body was the relaxed gaze of the heroes.
‘Where on earth did these guys come from…?’
Mes even realized that they hadn’t been fighting at full strength.
There were still plenty of them attacking bare-handed without pulling out their weapons.
‘Some of them are on a different level.’
With fearful eyes, Mes looked at the heroes, including Watanabe.
These heroes had overwhelming power that made it impossible to engage properly.
Among them, the one he found most frightening was Yoo Ji-han.
‘That guy knows exactly where to hit for maximum pain!’
An opponent that specifically targeted the most painful areas of the human body.
Mes was astonished enough to suspect Yoo Ji-han’s profession was that of a torturer.
His instincts as a retired mercenary, honed for survival, told him that fighting against these individuals was a very foolish decision.
“Brother!”
“I’ll save you right now!”
“Everyone, shut up!”
“……?!”
He yelled at his subordinates, who still didn’t grasp the situation and were trying to charge in.
Just because they had success in looting a few times, they all acted like they were invincible!
If they didn’t want to die right there, it would be best to throw themselves down flat as quickly as possible.
“I surrender.”
Mes raised both hands, declaring his surrender.
He judged that being imprisoned was better than dying.
Yoo Ji-han calmed the heroes around him who wanted to continue fighting.
Soon, the mountain bandits from Mesper were bound with thick ropes, and the situation was resolved.
“Wow, amazing…”
Alo from Yogo Guild gaped at the mountain bandits who couldn’t lift their heads.
Back when he said they would invade the bandits’ stronghold for a bounty, it sounded like madness!
But they certainly had the strength to achieve that and more.
“Please take care of these guys.”
“What if they try to escape?”
“You can kill them if they do.”
“Chilla! Just try to run away, you humans!”
Yoo Ji-han approached Alo after leaving the monitoring of the bandits to Min Yu-ri and Chilla.
“About how much bounty can we expect for these guys?”
“If it’s Mesper, then since they’ve recently become a significant problem, we should be able to receive about 100,000 coins. There are quite a few guilds that have put bounties on them.”
“What can you do with 100,000 coins?”
“It depends on the item you want, but typically a horse goes for about 3,000 coins.”
In Kallem, they used a currency called coins.
The price of a sturdy-looking horse was roughly 3,000 coins.
So, 100,000 coins would be enough to buy 30 horses and still have some money left over.
‘That’s quite a haul.’
Since they needed funds to operate in Kallem for a while, Yoo Ji-han was satisfied to hear about the income they would receive in just a few minutes.
*
“Let’s head to Rakuaid as scheduled. That’s where we can collect the bounty.”
“Understood.”
The companions, who would ultimately travel together, arrived at Rakuaid just as the sun set.
The guards at the entrance of Rakuaid, under the three moons, were greatly surprised to see the beaten bandits brought in late at night.
“Excuse me, who are you?”
“You can’t enter the city without proof of identity!”
They were not a formally registered mercenary group, but heroes with no affiliation at all.
It was understandable that they would be wary of their uniquely dressed group.
At that moment, Alo stepped forward.
“I guarantee that these individuals from Yogo Guild are not a problem.”
“Hmm…”
“Ahem! This is our little token of sincerity.”
Jing!
Alo placed a pouch of coins directly into the guard’s hand.
The guard cleared his throat and tucked the money bag inside his clothing.
Watanabe, recognizing it as a bribe, smiled and said, “We’re receiving help in various ways.”
“We’re the ones receiving great help.”
As the Kallem Expeditionary Force entered the city with Yogo Guild, citizens’ attention turned toward them.
Combine their attire with the number of them that far exceeded that of the guild, and they caught even more eyes.
“Are they mercenaries?”
“Mom, who are those people?”
“Come here! Don’t just stare at them!”
Parents covered their curious children’s eyes.
Since they couldn’t predict what kind of characters these strangers might be, some people became increasingly wary.
However, due to the busy movement of many people, their interest didn’t last long.
There were many different kinds of people in the world, after all.
“This guy! You finally got caught!”
“Damn it…”
After handing over the captured bandits to the guards, they received 110,000 coins.
It seemed the bounty had increased a little in that short time.
“Many people are looking forward to seeing you, you rascal!”
Thanks to someone recognizing the retired mercenary Mes, it wasn’t difficult to prove that they were bandits.
After quickly collecting their money, they arranged lodging according to the number of people.
Thanks to the coins they earned, they were able to secure clean accommodations.
“Has everyone arrived?”
“I’m the last one.”
After quickly organizing their belongings, the group gathered in the office of Yogo Guild.
This was due to Alo’s request.
He looked around and politely introduced himself.
“Let me reintroduce myself. I am Alo, the guild leader of Yogo Guild.”
The representative of Yogo Guild, guild leader Alo.
He was a person who took over the position at a young age after his father, the previous guild leader, fell ill.
“How should I address you all?”
“Um…”
Pausing for a moment to respond, Yoo Ji-han glanced at Park Jae-kyung.
The titles for the Kallem Expeditionary Force had been discussed with her beforehand.
However, the nuance was a bit strange.
“You can call us Pig’s Soup.”
“Pig’s Soup?”
“Yes.”
One of Yoon Do-ha’s favorite foods, Pig’s Soup.
In Kallem, where neither pigs nor soups existed, it was a name given so he could recognize it if he ever heard it.
“Pig’s Soup, Pig’s Soup, Pig’s Soup… what a wonderful name!”
“……”
“It’s a bit difficult to pronounce, but that’s what makes it unique and quite dignified.”
“Ahem.”
Alo praised their title of Pig’s Soup as very impressive.
Yoo Ji-han felt a bit guilty for no reason.
The heroes who were listening to the conversation also made subtle expressions as if they felt awkward.
“So you said Pig’s Soup will be active in Kallem for a while?”
“That’s right. We’re looking for a missing person.”
“In that case, why not join us?”
“With Yogo Guild?”
Alo proposed that the heroes accompany them.
Yoo Ji-han leaned in to listen for the details.
Nervously taking a long breath, Alo spoke in a slightly louder voice.
“We’re currently operating in areas between Leron and Maz! It is the result of my father’s efforts over the past 13 years. However, I plan to soon expand this guild to cover the entire continent.”
Yogo Guild, which primarily operates within Leron among the three major forces of Kallem, had been steadily growing its business while accumulating funds.
Recently, they faced a significant challenge.
They aimed to evolve into a guild that encompassed Leron, Maz, and Kabuum altogether.
This was also the goal for many small to mid-sized guilds.
“The preparations are already complete. In each region, our guild members are purchasing goods, and our visit to Rakuaid today was part of that effort. However… there’s still an unresolved issue.”
“What is it?”
“We haven’t been able to find capable mercenaries.”
About a year ago, conflicts between the various factions suddenly erupted in Kallem.
At that time, all the capable mercenaries in the industry were swept under specific factions and were completely hired out, leading to a depletion of qualified personnel.
It became difficult to find people even if one had money.
“Due to the nature of mercenaries who are contracted for a certain period, I believe personnel will be released to the market within 1-2 months.”
The previous conflict wrapped up quicker than the public expected.
It was only a matter of time before the excessively hired mercenaries would be freed.
As Yogo Guild looked to expand its operational range and navigate optimally, they were waiting for the mercenaries’ contracts to end.
“Then you all appeared at that moment.”
“You mean you want to hire us instead of mercenaries.”
“Correct. To add, I’m quite confident in finding people in Kallem.”
Since he had followed his father and was widely connected as a merchant from a young age, Alo could provide significant assistance in finding someone.
“Sounds like a pretty decent proposal.”
Watanabe agreed with Alo’s suggestion.
The top priority for the Kallem Expeditionary Force was to find Yoon Do-ha.
It would be better to receive help from a capable group like Yogo Guild to achieve that goal.
“What will you do?”
“Are you asking me again?”
“Who else would I ask?”
Once again, the decision-making authority fell to Yoo Ji-han.
Alo’s gaze shifted from Watanabe to Yoo Ji-han.
Yoo Ji-han scratched his head and said, “What about the hiring period?”
“I’ll propose two months.”
“Hmm.”
“As guild leader, I’ll guarantee your identities, and you’ll have plenty of free time for most of your activities.”
They were to act for the purpose of protecting the guild while allowing as much freedom in their actions as possible.
Since they were going to stay in Kallem for months anyway, Yoo Ji-han nodded.
“I look forward to working together for the time being.”
*
Following Yogo Guild’s plan, the Kallem Expeditionary Force split into groups.
One team stayed in Leron, the second team headed to Maz, and the third team went to Kabuum, making a total of three groups.
Among them, only Yoo Ji-han’s party and Watanabe’s party belonged to the first team.
The group that was sent to Kabuum had the most personnel due to its closed nature.
Although it was composed of the fewest individuals…
‘I’m not worried at all.’
Thanks to Watanabe’s presence, Yoo Ji-han felt no anxiety at all.
The teams that promised to meet again in Leron exactly one month later dispersed over two days.
Each team was given a Dimension Phone, so if the phone feature was activated on Earth, they would somehow be able to convey news.
“Bro, where are we going today?”
“We’re following Alo.”
Guild leader Alo stayed behind in Rakuaid to handle business.
The first team was tasked with protecting him while he operated in the Leron region.
Yoo Ji-han watched Lee Mi-a entering the inn.
“Did you go to the information guild?”
“Yes. I dropped off a photo of Yoon Do-ha.”
Kallem also had a system similar to a guild.
The difference from Earth was that most of them operated in the shadows.
Among them, the information guild was one that bought and sold information for money.
“When I showed them the letter from Yogo Guild, their attitude changed to be quite polite.”
The information guild placed significantly more importance on transactions with groups rather than individuals.
They were lucky in that regard to be working with Yogo Guild.
“Chilla! This food is so bland!”
“Are you still eating?”
“If I leave food, the chef might feel bad! Squeak!”
Chilla, who was devouring food at the table, expressed his dissatisfaction.
The food in this inn tasted overly bland to him.
They had chosen the inn with the widest entrance for his size, so the cooking skills couldn’t be helped.
“Ji-han! Ji-han!”
At that moment, Min Yu-ri, who was outside, rushed in calling Yoo Ji-han’s name.
She looked a bit frantic.
“What’s going on?”
“Alo’s father, he collapsed due to illness!”
“Excuse me?”
“It seems it’s Magic Discoloration Syndrome!”
“……!”
With the news that Alo’s father was suffering from the same disease as Min Yu-ri’s younger brother,
Yoo Ji-han’s eyes widened in shock.
