Joseph who had once been the leader of Team 4 in the former Unexplored Lands Development Unit was having a drink at a checkpoint on the first floor.
It had already been several months since he had become a free man.
During that time, he had founded a mercenary group and completed various missions, gradually becoming accustomed to the political landscape of Blackout.
“Who is it?”
“A letter.”
“Leave it and go.”
“Sure.”
Joseph had thought that no one would remember him after he returned to the outside world.
But unexpectedly, quite a few people had reached out to him.
Having served in the Imperial Army was not a qualification that could be easily overlooked anywhere.
However, Joseph had never accepted any of their offers.
“Hmph.”
Instead, he had been waiting. He was waiting for contact from someone specific.
“Ah, Captain! What’s the letter about?”
At that moment, someone approached Joseph.
It was Luke Markner, a Jinlang race member who had left the Unexplored Lands Development Unit with him.
“Is it another recruitment offer?”
Alongside Luke was his twin sister, Lucy Markner.
Both of them had earned recognition on the battlefield, which had granted them the opportunity to return to the outside world.
“If it’s the White Whale Mercenary Group, they still haven’t contacted us, right? We can’t just wait around for them forever…”
“Lucy! Don’t say that. The Mage will definitely call us again.”
“Phew… Luke, when will you finally grow up? If you think about that mage’s reputation, there’s no way they’d call—”
“They did.”
“…What?”
Joseph’s lips curled slightly as he read the letter.
“What did you just say?”
“The White Whale Mercenary Group. That mage is finally calling us back.”
“Ah…”
“See, Lucy! I told you I was right!”
At Luke’s triumphant words, Lucy unconsciously brought a hand to her forehead.
“We’d better start preparing to gather the others.”
With that, Joseph rose from his seat with his companions.
***
“Well now, look who it is!”
Bradden, the branch manager of the Black Forest Mercenary Guild, looked at the mage sitting across from him for the first time in a while and said,
“So, this is the famed White Whale Mercenary Group!”
“It’s been a while, Bradden.”
“Hahaha! Come on in! Maya, I’m glad to see you’re doing well too!”
“You think hearing that news means I’ve been doing well? Normally, people say they’ve been through hell. Bradden, you’ve gone senile or something.”
“If all your limbs are still attached, that means you’re doing fine! You survived through that mess, didn’t you?”
“……?”
Maya, somehow starting to feel persuaded, grew more irritated and slumped back into the sofa.
“So then, Captain, what brings you all the way here?”
“I was thinking it’s about time we promoted the mercenary group into a full-fledged corps.”
“Hmm? I thought you came to renew your mercenary license.”
With everything that had been going on, Jun hadn’t gotten around to renewing it yet.
Because of that, despite their fame, the White Whale’s license still reflected a Silver rank.
“Well, that won’t be hard! I’ll take care of it right away.”
Given the current reputation of the White Whale Mercenary Group, they were more than qualified for Gold rank, perhaps even Platinum.
Diamond might still be out of reach due to Jun and his companions’ current levels, but that could come later.
“To promote to a corps, you’ll need to raise your license to Gold, and on top of that, you must have at least two subordinate mercenary groups. Do you have that ready?”
“I’ve already made the necessary contacts. They should be arriving soon…”
“Hey, Bradden! You in there?”
“Speak of the devil…it’s Black Tiger.”
Jun said while looking toward the counter where Colton was shouting.
After a few months, Colton didn’t look much different aside from some changes in gear.
“Isn’t it a bit much to compare that guy to a Black Tiger? Goblin, maybe…”
Bradden muttered nearby, but Jun ignored the comment.
“Colton. Over here.”
“Oh…?”
But as Colton spotted Jun and his group, his face twisted oddly, and his hand moved toward his sword.
“Ah.”
Jun realized he had been keeping up the illusion spell the whole way here.
Once the illusion was lifted, Colton finally recognized them.
“Bwahaha! Where’d you learn a trick like that? Looks super useful!”
“It’s been a while.”
“Yeah, long time no see. You have no idea how surprised I was to get your call.”
“Looks like this brat can’t even recognize his teacher standing right in front of him.”
“Hahaha, good to see you too, old man.”
“How about a sparring match for old times’ sake?”
“Careful now, you’d better watch that back of yours.”
Once the noisy reunion settled down, the conversation moved on to the main topic.
“So, you’re promoting to a corps and including us in that process?”
“That’s right. The contract details are all here.”
“Hmm… Well, contracts are important and all, but there’s something I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
Colton stroked his half-shaved beard and asked with his expression now serious. It was quite the contrast to the lighthearted mood just moments ago.
“I was just curious why you chose us. With a reputation like yours, you could’ve easily gathered people far more capable than us.”
It wasn’t an unreasonable point.
This wasn’t a mercenary corps Jun personally operated; it was purely a contractual relationship.
In terms of trust, there wasn’t much to count on.
If it were only about reputation, skill, or fame, it wouldn’t have been hard to find mercenaries more competent than Colton’s team.
And yet, Jun had his own reasons for choosing Colton.
“At the very least, you’re not the type to treat your mercenaries like expendable tools.”
“…So, you picked me because I seemed like a nice guy?”
“Not quite. It’s more about the direction I want to take things, Colton. From what I’ve seen, you value teamwork over sheer fighting power.”
“Hmm. That’s true enough.”
Colton’s mercenary group had spent a long time operating in the lower levels, but there weren’t many groups that functioned as strategically as theirs.
Purely in terms of ability, there were plenty of larger, more powerful groups out there. But Jun still chose Colton for a reason.
“To enhance the brand value of our mercenary corps.”
“Brand? Value?”
“I plan to establish a basic combat training center under our corps’ name. Right here in the Black Forest Fortress.”
“…Don’t tell me you want me to run it?”
“Exactly. You’ve got quite a knack for teaching.”
Jun hadn’t called on Colton just to have him endlessly grind through dungeons.
If that was the goal, plenty of others would’ve done just fine.
What Jun was aiming for now was a kind of elite force.
To acquire rights to dungeons from Level 1 to Level 2, and consistently generate profit by sending out mercenary teams under his corps each season.
That was the future Jun envisioned.
Naturally, he needed people with the right skills to match.
And among those options, Colton stood out.
“You’ll be teaching the teamwork you and your group excel at and the apprentices you raise will be dispatched to the dungeons I plan to acquire.”
“Whoa…”
Colton was at a loss for words. He hadn’t expected things to be on this scale.
“Of course, it’s not like you’ll be underpaid just because you’re teaching. You’ll receive a share of the net profit made by the people you’ve trained.”
“…Which means, the longer it goes on, the more income I’ll earn?”
“Exactly.”
“You’re serious about those terms?”
Even Bradden, standing beside him, found the offer hard to ignore.
“If it were up to me, I’d want to take the deal myself.”
“If someone as dense as you were teaching, every single student would run for the hills.”
“What was that? You want to take this to the sparring ring, huh—”
Bradden widened his eyes and started to say something, but Colton cut him off with a reply.
“Well then, sounds good! I’ll have to let the blockheads on our end hear about this.”
“Take your time convincing them. We’re planning to roll it out gradually starting this season.”
As Colton stepped away, Bradden shifted his gaze to Jun.
“I didn’t take you for the type, but you’ve got some serious ambition, haven’t you?”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
That was Jun’s answer, but internally, he found Bradden surprisingly perceptive.
Because in truth, Jun was looking far ahead.
“Typically, the big money flows around the upper class. But that’s only possible because they’re backed by nobles or large merchant guilds.”
“……”
“But that route, while fast, always has its limits. After all, you have to dance to your backers’ tune.”
Jun, however, wasn’t doing that.
He did have the strong support of the Gillen Merchant Guild, but in reality, their relationship was more of a partnership than anything else.
“You plan to gradually expand from the lower ranks upward, building a foundation and working your way to the top.”
“Feel free to interpret it however you like.”
“Haha! This is why mages are scary.”
Jun had no intention of explaining his plan to Bradden in full.
Because if he did, he’d also have to explain the reason behind it.
Things have changed a lot now, but in the end, the Heavenly Church will shake the surface world.
Though Jun had interfered with many parts of the cult’s plans, the bigger picture had yet to be altered.
Even if their timing got delayed or their execution turned out less polished than before, Jun was certain the bomb they were preparing would still go off.
And when that happens, the first to be shaken will be the surface powers.
That’s why Jun intended to avoid reliance on the surface economy and plant strong roots in the Blackout.
And Colton’s training center would be the first step.
“But if you only focus on that, it’s going to take quite a while. It’s not something that’ll be done in a day or two. Considering your growth rate, maybe it’s time to aim even higher, no?”
“I was planning to address that as well.”
“Oh?”
Jun’s gaze had already shifted toward the guild’s front counter.
And what he saw there—
“You’re here, Joseph.”
“Still alive and kicking, just like the rumors said, mage.”
“Hello, Sir Mage.”
“Ah! You really are safe, Sir Mage!”
Retired soldier Joseph had arrived, along with the twin Jinlang siblings who followed him.
***
If the first and second levels were built around Colton’s combat training center…
Jun planned to work with the retired soldier Joseph for the third and fourth levels, and eventually even the fifth.
“I see. So that’s the plan you were putting together.”
Joseph nodded after receiving a brief explanation about Colton’s basic combat training center and the future plans.
“Not bad at all. Laying down roots from the lower levels and gradually moving upward…it’s definitely a stable approach.”
“So, are you going to sign a contract with our mercenary corps?”
“That’s the idea. But there’s one thing I should mention.”
Jun handed over the contract and asked,
“What is it?”
“There’s been a bit of an issue with the folks I was planning to bring in. Looks like it’s going to take some time before they can join.”
“Given that they served in the military, that’s only natural. And we’re not in a position to take everyone in all at once anyway. No problem if they arrive gradually.”
At that, Joseph gave a relieved nod.
“In that case, we’re good.”
Joseph finished reading the contract and signed it, after which Jun handed a copy over to Bradden.
“Excellent! Then from this moment on, you’re officially part of the White Whale Mercenaries. Congratulations on the promotion.”
“Thank you.”
With that, most of the major work was complete, and to celebrate the new additions, Jun invited the group to share a meal.
“There are some folks who’ll be working on the first and second levels. I was thinking we could call them over too. It might be good to get everyone familiar with each other.”
“Sounds good.”
“I’d like that too!”
“Knowing each other now will definitely help down the line.”
So Jun called over the rest of Colton’s mercenaries, who had been elsewhere for a while.
A lively dinner gathering took place for the first time in a while, and people chatted about their past encounters with Jun.
A small, boisterous celebration unfolded, and feeling cheerful for the first time in a while, Jun stepped out to the terrace with a light buzz from a few drinks.
“Phew…”
The second-floor terrace of the tavern.
Jun quietly closed his eyes, taking in the view of the distant black forest.
“In just a year, I’ve come this far.”
Same time last year.
The landscape hadn’t changed, but the emotions it stirred in him now were completely different.
Back then, there was no Colton downstairs balancing a drink on the bridge of his nose as a party trick.
There was no Luke bursting into laughter with the Blade Eagle Mercenaries as he watched Colton’s antics, nor was there Lucy, barely holding back her own laughter.
Joseph who was now arm-wrestling with a mercenary from the Blade Eagle had still been a criminal back then.
There was no Eleanor drinking heavily with her arm around Maya, nor Maya giving Eleanor a horrified look.
And finally, there was no Aiden quietly approaching with a drink in hand.
“Senior. What are you doing out here?”
“Just… watching the moon for a bit.”
“Haha… It feels strange, having things this lively again after so long.”
“It does, doesn’t it?”
Perhaps reminded of that old mission as well, Aiden stared at his reflection in his drink.
“I wish every day could be like today.”
“Heh. Yeah, me too.”
“But it won’t be easy, will it?”
“In this world, even peace requires strength to protect it.”
Just like the difference between who he was a year ago and who he had become now.
Ironically, in this world, seeking peace meant risking your life to move forward.
“How strong can our mercenary corps become?”
“…Strong enough to reach the future we want to see.”
As they spoke quietly, an owl suddenly flew through the night sky and landed on the terrace railing.
“Oh—Senior, the owl brought a letter.”
“……”
Just as Aiden said, Jun took the letter from the owl’s beak and his expression turned serious.
The letterhead bore an ornate eagle crest.
It was a letter from Count Mordenain.
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