Sungmin felt a gaze.
Xeon was staring at Sunmin’s face silently with his mouth shut. The thick smoke from the cigar in Xeon’s mouth hindered Xeon’s vision, but Sungmin could feel Xeon’s gaze from beyond the smoke.
Xeon felt interest in this boy that was in front of him. Yes, boy. Sungmin was still a boy. Although he looked quite older due to the sufferings and hardships he went through, Sungmin’s age was still 18. Not old enough to be called an adult(弱冠 – 20 years old).
“Great, I should say.”
Xeon put down the cigar. Bern looked around the smoke-filled room with a frown and opened the window. However, Xeon didn’t care about what Bern did. Although Bern was the head of the Behenger branch mercenary guild, as the leader of the Corona mercenaries, Xeon’s position should be higher if not equal to Bern’s.
“I heard you were 18, but… you’re trained quite well. You’ve killed an ogre chimera?”
“…Yes.”
Even while listening to Xeon’s evaluation, Sungmin didn’t know what kind of expression to make. Was he supposed to be happy? Or was he supposed to feel bitter. In his previous life, he never caught his attention even once.
“You’re proficient in hiding your aura. Meaning, you’re used to hiding your qi. Although your physical development seems slightly immature, your muscles are definitely trained well.”
The reason he was lacking physical development was because he didn’t have proper food. Sungmin was also aware of that. Xeon looked at his hand.
“Your hands. They are the hands that swung the spear more than thousands of times. I like them.”
“…Thank you.”
“A no-class, huh?”
Xeon picked up the cigar he put on the ash tray. After sucking on the cigar a few times, he put the cigar out on the ash tray.
“Is it suffering, or effort, that you went through?”
“…I consider it to be both.”
“Probably.”
Xeon giggled.
“I was also a no-class after all. I know how shit this world is to no-classes. …I can only praise you for achieving such a level despite that.”
Otherworlders, who became famous in Eria as a no-class was extremely rare. Xeon, the leader of the Corona mercenaries, was one of them. The reason Sungmin chose to enter the Corona mercenaries as their bottom run was also because he admired Xeon.
No. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t really admiration. What Sungmin of the previous life wished for was salvation and sympathy. Sungmin… wished Xeon to save him. Because they were both no-classes. He expected Xeon to sympathize with him and give him good things.
Of course, no such thing happened. There were many no-classes in the Corona mercenaries who entered it with the same mindset as him, and Xeon did not give them a single glance.
“Enter the Corona mercenaries.”
Spoke Xeon.
“I have already heard of your skills. A solo kill of an ogre chimera. With that kind of achievements, you should become an SS-rank soon. If you enter, I will put you right by my side.”
“…You mean you’ll let me have the vice-leader position?”
“I don’t think it’s a bad offer.”
“Is it because I’m a no-class?”
“No, I’m just greedy of your skills. You seemed to have stepped in to the realm of peak-level experts at that age. With enough time and support, you may surpass the wall of the peak-level once and for all.”
“And you mean you can provide me with that time and support?”
Xeon’s mouth turned into a grin at that question. He put his hand inside his chest pocket and took out a small wooden chest. Sungmin thought that it was an interspatial pocket, but it was not. The chest held a small pill inside. A very clear fragrance started circulating around the room which was full of stuffy smoke.
“This is….”
Bern who was watching from the side, spoke in surprise. Sungmin’s expression also stiffened.
“Lesser restoration pill.”
Xeon crossed his arms.
“It’s one of the secret pills of the Shaolin. Although not as much as the greater restoration pill, its effects overpower any ordinary spiritual medicine.”
“…You will give me that?”
“Instead.”
Tap. Xeon closed the wooden chest.
“You will tell me about the arts you’ve learned.”
“Just the names?”
“No, their scriptures as well.”
Sungmin made an expression of absurdity. No matter how precious the lesser restoration pill was, it was hard to compare it with the Shadowless Spirit, Nine Skies Infinity Spear, and the Purple Cloud Divine Art.
“I decl….”
“I’ll give you a greater restoration pill.”
Xeon spoke before Sungmin could finish his words.
“If you tell me the scriptures of your spear technique, I will give you the greater restoration pill.”
“…I don’t understand. Why do you wish to know?”
Xeon was an expert in the Hundred Steps Divine Fist. As an inner disciple of Shaolin, he learned the secret arts of the Shaolin, which was considered as the best sect out of the Ten Great Sects. Why would Xeon need to know a spear art that he didn’t even use – Sungmin did not understand.
“Because I cannot trust you.”
Replied Xeon.
“I do not plan to learn the art you tell me. However, I’m going to keep it in mind. Only then would I be able to prepare for your betrayal.”
“You think I will betray you?”
“Not just you.”
Xeon put the wooden chest back inside his pocket and spoke.
“I do not trust people. Just because I give trust to someone doesn’t mean that that someone will trust me as well. Humans are such creatures. You… are a talent I desire to get, but at the same time, someone too big to hold. That is why you will tell me the scriptures of your arts.”
Even so, telling him to teach him the scriptures of his own arts was a shameless thing to do, was it not? When Sungmin’s expression turned worse, Xeon added.
“Like I said, I do not plan to learn your spear techniques. I will just keep it in mind. If you tell me the scriptures and enter the Corona mercenaries, I shall give you both the lesser and greater restoration pills. What do you think?”
It was shameless of Xeon to ask him to tell him the scriptures of the arts, but the things Xeon was willing to pay in return were very tempting. If Sungmin could consume the lesser and greater restoration pills, Sungmin will grow immensely.
“I decline.”
However, this was Sungmin’s answer. Xeon frowned at his answer.
“Is what I’m offering you insufficient?”
“No, they are not. The greater and lesser restoration pills… I believe that those two are worth more than a peerless divine art.”
“Then why?”
“Just the same reason as you. I also cannot trust you.”
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust in people. He didn’t trust in Xeon. Hearing Sungmin’s answer, Xeon shrugged his shoulders slightly.
“That’s a pity.”
Saying that, Xeon stood up.
“If you change your mind then come to me at any time. My conditions will not change.”
Sungmin did not reply to those words. When Xeon left, Bern, who was silent all this time, spoke up.
“It seems like Xeon is very wary of you.”
Although it was a pity that he couldn’t get the lesser and greater restoration pills, this couldn’t be helped. The risks of telling another his own arts were too big.
“Oh, yes. I’ll tell you something that you might take interest in. The ogre chimera that you killed. We decided to investigate them with the magician’s guild in Behengerr since it is hard for me to do it alone.”
“Is that so?”
“Would you like to see it before you go?”
“What would I know?”
“You were the one to fight it. The other side also said that they wanted to listen to your opinion.”
When Bern said that, it became harder to refuse. Since it wasn’t like heh ad anything urgent right now, Sungmin nodded his head.
The magician’s guild of Behengerr was not that far from the mercenary guild. Thinking about it, this was Sungmin’s first visit to the magician’s guild. In his previous life, he had nothing to do with magic at all. Although he was able to learn a few spells thanks to Scarlett in this life, that didn’t mean that he was proficient in it.
“Are you interested in magic?”
“Interest… yes.”
“Magic is a splendid field of study. If someone asks what miracles are, I will immediately reply that miracles equal magic.”
Bern’s expression as he said that showed pride for his magic. Sungmin, who was looking around the magician’s guild with interest, suddenly spotted a sphere levitating in the air.
“What is that?”
“A magic stone. Do you know what it is?”
“I know it as the stone that stores mana.”
“You’re right. Magic stones are stones that can store mana. All artifacts use magic stones, including interspatial pockets.”
Bern, as though he had just found the opportunity to do so, started explaining the mechanisms behind interspatial pockets. Inserting magic stones into the existing bags or boxes, and hiding them through spatial distortion magic, and then inserting mana after casting spatial expansion magic, etc, etc. Sungmin half-ignored the grandiose explanations
“This way.”
Bern lead Sungmin the way while chatting the whole time. The place Bern took Sungmin to was the basement of the building. Walking down to the end of the long corridor, Bern stopped in front of a red door.
“The ogre chimera research is done here.”
When Bern knocked on the door, the door soon opened. Sungmin gasped after breathing in the disgusting air that was inside the room.
“Hm.”
Bern also didn’t seem to imagine that such a scene would be waiting for him. The room… was horrific. Butchered ogre body parts were levitating in the air, and the internal guts were strewn around everywhere.
“You’re here?”
A man clad in a white gown approached Bern and Sungmin.
“…What is this?”
“Investigation, of course.”
Said the man while shrugging. Unlike the wrinkle-less young face, his hair had lots of white strands. Making a nonchalant face, the man looked at Sungmin.
“…Oho.”
The man’s eyes sparkled.
“This is an incredibly… rare… hmm.”
The man approached Sungmin while saying that and stopped.
“Oh, I’m late to introduce myself. I’m called Kim Jonghyun.”
The man nodded stooped down a little.
“Who are you?”
His curiosity-filled eyes headed towards Sungmin. Sungmin was quite surprised at the name ‘Kim Jonghyun’. Not because he knew who he was, but because the name style was the same as his own.
“…I’m Lee Sungmin.”
“A Korean?”
Kim Jonghyun also laughed and asked back at Sungmin’s answer. When Sungmin nodded his head, Kim Jonghyun laughed again.
“Well, just because we’re both Korean doesn’t mean that we’re from the same dimension. We are very probably originating from different Koreas of different dimensions.”
Eria was like that. It summoned people of other worlds at random from all sorts of dimensions. Even the martial cultivation world had different varieties, and Korea, the place Sungmin was born and raised in, was the same.
“The Korea… no, Earth I was born in became a hot mess due to the appearance of monsters. Monsters popped out from everywhere, and hunters and magicians were born after awakening processes. What was your Earth like?”
“…There were no monsters.”
“Then it’s a different dimension. Well, in any case, it’s still nice to meet another Korean.”
Kim Jonghyun extended his hand and offered Sungmin a handshake.
“…Though, that’s not the only reason I’m delighted.”
Kim Jonghyun made a mysterious smile.
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