Chapter 62: Encounter (3)
“A mage! It’s a mage!”
“Shit, I knew it from the moment I saw those three brats standing there alone.”
Click! Click!
The men, their faces pale, simultaneously raised their guns and aimed at Ray and his group.
They were a medium-sized mercenary group led by Captain Skyle, who had experience encountering mages while carrying out various missions.
「Are you telling me to do this now? Huh? Do you want to breathe through your ass instead of your mouth from now on? Huh?」
「It’s possible. But before that, could you cut off one of your arms for me?」
An unpredictable, eccentric personality.
A being with mysterious power, capable of wiping out dozens of people with a single gesture.
Though encounters were rare, the fear they instilled was deeply ingrained in their minds.
It was the reason why the last bit of composure they had moments ago had completely vanished.
‘Damn it. What kind of lightning bolt is this? That guy who was guarding the old client too….’
Even Skyle, the most experienced captain, felt his heart drop.
Why on earth would a mage be in a place like this? And such a young one at that?
From what he knew, mages were extremely rare beings who usually received high compensation and worked for specific organizations.
So,
there was no reason for one to be wandering alone in this desolate wilderness.
“Go ahead and shoot if you’re confident. But I can’t guarantee your lives the moment you pull the trigger.”
The subordinates fidgeted nervously.
Skyle gritted his teeth.
‘Damn it, I thought they were just reckless kids who ran away from home.’
Only now did he notice that a transparent hemispherical barrier had formed around the opponent.
So that warning was real.
Because he remembered seeing a mage in the past deploy a similar barrier to block a barrage of bullets.
Soon after, eerie streaks of electricity extended from inside the transparent barrier, and dozens of his comrades fell in one strike.
“…….”
This time, it wasn’t electricity but a fireball.
But regardless, it was clear that if it touched a human body, it wouldn’t just be a sting—it would be far worse.
They might win if they fought.
But they would undoubtedly suffer significant losses.
Skyle raised his palm.
A signal to lower their guns.
Click. Click.
Confirming that all gun barrels were lowered, Skyle spoke in an unusually polite tone, different from before.
“We apologize. We have committed a grave offense. Please forgive us.”
“…….”
Ray did not withdraw the fireball.
He kept his gaze fixed on them in that state.
‘There’s no need to fight.’
He had already calculated the situation from the moment they first confronted each other.
The barrier was double-layered, including Veronica’s protection as well.
The number of bullets being fired wasn’t insignificant, and both Veronica and he didn’t have much white mana left—they wouldn’t last long. But it didn’t matter.
In that time, he could step outside the barrier with his entire body metalized and subdue all the enemies himself.
But if the opponent backed down,
there was no need to escalate things further.
Their immediate goal wasn’t to fight but to gather information.
Ray opened his mouth.
“I don’t intend to escalate things either. Just answer a few demands. I’ll let your men go and leave.”
“Yes. What are your demands…”
“Tell me more about what you were talking about earlier. The deer with a blue gem on its forehead and its body turning into water.”
Skyle and his men were completely taken aback by this unexpected demand.
They wanted to hear more about the story they had been joking about?
And in such a life-threatening situation?
‘Damn it. They don’t seem to be joking. I can’t figure out what these mages are thinking.’
Skyle answered cautiously.
“It was something our client mentioned. An old man who once made a name for himself in Sector 40 with his well business. He said he almost died when he got lost in the wilderness as a young man but was saved by a Rockdeer.”
Even as he spoke, he couldn’t help but find it absurd.
“He said a blue-skinned Rockdeer flew through the air and quenched his thirst. Its body turned into water, but honestly, I didn’t pay much attention because it sounded so ridiculous…”
“Is that all you remember?”
“Yes. That’s all I heard.”
“Where do I need to go to meet this client?”
Skyle felt dizzy now.
It seemed like they wanted to meet their client to hear more details.
He unconsciously gritted his teeth again.
‘Damn it. That old man might blabber something unnecessary.’
Like how they had neglected their mission and focused solely on hunting.
It wasn’t hard to manipulate an old man with money but no energy, but still, it was better to be cautious.
After some thought, he answered.
“…It would be difficult for you to meet him directly. He resides in Sector 42, and only we came here.”
At that moment, Ray moved.
A new knife pulled from his pocket pierced through the back of one of the fallen men.
Pluck!
“Ahhh! Captain! Captain! Please save me! Please! Ugh!”
Ray straightened his back and spoke in an icy voice.
“Last warning. Don’t even think about lying in front of me.”
Cold sweat dripped down Skyle’s back.
He could tell it was a lie? How?
He had spent years deceiving people in the harsh mercenary world.
Even seasoned businessmen or veteran mercenaries couldn’t help but fall for his lies when caught in his trap.
「Anyway, we were trying to help, so attacking us out of nowhere isn’t justified, right?」
Earlier, he had definitely thrown out some nonsense.
But this time, he had carefully adjusted his expression and tone with full intent to deceive.
Yet they judged it as false without any hesitation.
Such certainty couldn’t just be based on intuition or guesswork.
‘It’s clear. They can see through my lies.’
Biting his lips anxiously, Skyle finally spoke.
“…The Gellot Hotel in Sector 48. That’s where our client is staying.”
“Good.”
Ray continued asking questions.
How far Sector 48 was from here.
Whether the Rockdeers’ migration had anything to do with hunting.
“The Rockdeers gathering isn’t because of us. They usually form groups of dozens, but the distance between groups is vast, and it’s impossible for humans to gather thousands of them together. Rather, during migration season, they tend to gather on their own.”
Skyle answered obediently.
“We arrived at Sector 48 five days ago after accepting the mission. On our first day of scouting the outskirts, we were shocked. The Rockdeers were migrating much earlier than usual.”
He said it was a highly welcome situation though he didn’t know the exact reason.
Rockdeers are creatures that inhabit high mountains, making them difficult to hunt.
So, when they descend to lowlands for extended periods during migration season, hunters consider it a prime opportunity.
“Mercenaries like us who are in mediocre positions are always ready to temporarily switch jobs. You might not know this, but Rockdeer horns and meat fetch a high price on the market.”
An opportunity to make much more money than usual missions.
Skyle’s mercenaries nodded in agreement.
“Right. Too bad we didn’t prepare more transport vehicles in advance.”
“This time, the share we’ll get will be more than a few missions combined.”
Golden mana suffused Skyle and all the mercenaries.
Desire.
Especially desire related to money was manifested in the color of mana.
It was the main reason why Skyle was being so humble toward Ray now.
Fighting would result in losses of labor force, which meant loss of income.
So he wanted to finish this quickly and start working.
He needed to maximize his profits before other mercenary groups or professional hunters showed up.
“I’m done with questions. This is my last demand.”
Finally, the words he came out.
Skyle replied cheerfully,
“Yes. What is your demand?”
“The Rockdeers changed direction and rushed toward the road. That’s your fault. We faced a very dangerous situation because of that…”
“…….”
“We managed to safely get through the Rockdeers, but our vehicle might have been damaged in the process. So I’ll need compensation for repairs.”
Ray was serious.
At the last moment, the barrier broke, and a Rockdeer rammed into the back of the vehicle.
The metalization magic previously cast reduced the impact, and at least externally, there was no damage.
But no one knew what internal damage there might be.
He would need to inspect it properly but figured it wouldn’t be completely fine, so wanted compensation in advance.
Repair costs.
At the mere mention of money, Skyle’s face contorted.
The kid whom he thought was just a wanderer had become a mage and now a true bandit.
“How much do you want for repairs?”
Ray looked at Philip and said,
“Philip. Call out an appropriate amount you have in mind.”
“Hmph. Of the repair cost… huh?”
Philip regained his composure.
Skyle and the mercenaries loaded the fallen Rockdeers onto their truck.
Ray didn’t stop them.
He had already gotten enough benefit.
There was no need to provoke them further.
“Well… I wish you a pleasant journey. I think there’s a very high chance we will meet again.”
Skyle smiled with his lips, but his eyes remained cold as he boarded the vehicle with his subordinates and left the scene.
Vroooom──!
Only Ray’s group remained on the road, splattered with bloodstains.
“Whew… whew…”
“Hoo. My heart feels like it’s going to explode.”
“Philip. A human heart doesn’t explode that easily.”
“No, I really feel like it’s going to explode.”
“It won’t.”
Philip let out a nervous laugh without realizing it.
He knew Ray’s way of speaking was just his thing and not a joke.
But somehow, hearing those words instantly relieved all the tension that had been building up in his body.
“Heehee. We’re safe, safe. I really thought I was going to die.”
“Yeah. My legs are still shaking.”
Both agreed that if it hadn’t been for Ray, they would have been in deep trouble.
But Ray shook his head.
“You both played your parts fully.”
That was his genuine feeling.
Veronica had secured their protection with her barrier, and Philip had played a big role in the negotiations for the repair costs.
「Um… sorry, but about the compensation……」
Of course, he had been very tense at first.
But gradually, he lost his inhibitions and completely took control of the negotiation.
「Boss. You won’t find anyone agreeing to an amount like this. You know we have a mage on our side, right?」
「That is…」
「We reduced external damage with magic, but who knows what internal damage there might be? Our mage is being very patient right now. His nature is quite fiery. He can’t control his anger well.」
「Philip. I can control my anger─」
「Mage-sir, please stay still. If you kill all these bandits, it’ll be a problem. Anyways, right now he could just throw a fireball and BOOM! Explode, fly over there, BANG! Right? You get it? Right?」
Perhaps due to his excessive adrenaline supply, his fear had been paralyzed, causing him to lose his inhibitions a bit.
But anyways, his skills with words, honed from years as a street merchant, were enough to go toe-to-toe with a veteran mercenary captain like Skyle.
The result wasn’t bad.
After negotiations, he received 250,000 shillings—an amount that was quite substantial for just repair costs.
Philip jingled a leather pouch filled with money.
“I’ll put this money in the safe in the trunk. Of course, it’s Ray’s money.”
The safe was shared, but personal monies were separate.
Ray’s money was about 2,250,000 shillings.
Philip’s money was about 2,470,000 shillings.
And Veronica, who only brought part of the old man’s wealth, had about 350,000 shillings.
A normal meal cost between 500 to 1,000 shillings.
Staying at a hotel for a day usually cost between 5,000 to 10,000 shillings.
Considering this, during their journey, they wouldn’t need to worry much about running out of money.
But Ray planned to save as much money as possible.
「The city of mages. I’ve heard rumors about it.」
The old man had said.
If you follow the River Elton, you will one day reach a city where only mages live.
He didn’t know exactly which sector it was, but given the number of rumors circulating about it, it was probably a real place.
Ray also didn’t think the city of mages was just a random story.
「I wish you could find my brother.」
「Hector sold my brother to the city of mages.」
Humphrey from Sector 50 had mentioned it once.
And the old man added,
「According to rumors, you need a huge amount for membership—an amount that an average person could never save in a lifetime.」
Ray planned to travel to the city of mages.
For Humphrey’s request.
And in case he didn’t find a rainbow before then.
With so many mages there, it would be easier to gather information about rainbows.
‘I must save as much money as possible. I don’t know how much membership costs.’
But he didn’t plan to monopolize the money either.
“No. The money will be distributed equally.”
It wasn’t a profit earned by him alone.
And to promote morale, appropriate rewards were necessary.
“From now on, no matter how the money is earned, it will be distributed equally among everyone.”
And to prevent any potential conflicts, he needed to make it clear.
He couldn’t evaluate everyone’s contribution each time a profit was made.
Moreover, there was the risk of someone being dissatisfied if they received less.
Though he thought Philip and Veronica weren’t greedy for money itself, it didn’t hurt to be cautious.
At Ray’s words, Philip and Veronica’s eyes widened.
“We didn’t do anything though…”
“I feel the same way.”
Both looked apologetic, but Ray’s decision stood firm.
“It’s not just about money. I’ll try to handle everything as fairly as possible.”
“Okay. Got it.”
“Understood.”
─Gurgle.
A small animal nestled comfortably in Veronica’s arms let out a cry as if agreeing.
Instantly, everyone’s eyes focused on it together.
