“Ugh, geez…”
When Jun clutched his throbbing head and sat up in bed, a familiar voice immediately reached his ears.
“Senior! Are you alright?”
“Aiden?”
“Phew… I’m so relieved you’ve regained consciousness.”
“What? When did I collapse?”
Jun wondered why he had woken up in bed. Aiden approached him with a look of concern and asked,
“You don’t remember? Senior, you collapsed right after the subjugation battle ended.”
“Hmm…?”
Jun’s mind which had momentarily frozen at Aiden’s words began to stir actively.
Fragments of memories from just before he collapsed began to resurface.
“Oh, right. The Goblin Lord died…”
Aiden and Ginovan had immediately chosen to retreat after successfully assassinating the Goblin Lord.
The nearby warriors were manageable for Ginovan but it was impossible for him to handle the two hundred goblins that followed behind them.
So while the two men lured the enraged goblin warriors away, Jun stayed with the soldiers to hold the remaining goblins’ attention.
Fortunately, once their leader was dead, a wave of fear spread among the goblins and it didn’t take long for them to fall into disarray.
“I checked on that before collapsing…”
The strain on his body from interfering with the Goblin Lord’s spell had been far greater than expected.
At the time, Jun had only held on to the thought that he had to stay conscious until he was safe.
As a result, his memory faded right after he saw the goblins begin to scatter.
“What the hell…?”
Since the situation was so dangerous, Jun also realized what he had done too late.
What did I do against the Goblin Lord?
Normally, interfering with someone else’s magic was impossible unless there was an overwhelming difference in skill.
And yet, the Goblin Lord was a shaman.
It wasn’t even magic—it was a completely different kind of witchcraft that he had managed to influence.
It was a situation that couldn’t be explained with magical knowledge.
Jun recalled his actions at the time and let out a bitter smile.
I risked my life to save someone?
Even though he knew the backlash that would come, Jun acted without hesitation when he saw Aiden in danger.
Did he really have such an altruistic side to himself?
Maybe it was because he hadn’t found anyone to truly rely on for the past year.
Perhaps his mind had relaxed for the first time when he finally accepted Aiden as a proper companion.
Well, I guess I would’ve acted the same way if I went back to that moment.
At that time, all he could think about was saving Aiden from danger.
Even so, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of bitterness at his own emotional state.
He hadn’t expected that the emotions of “Lee Jeong-jun” would still linger within him, despite how deeply distrust of humans had taken root in him over the past year.
But it didn’t feel all that bad.
“Um, senior, are you alright?”
In response to Aiden’s repeated question, Jun waved his arm as if to show he was fine.
“I was just thinking about something. But more importantly, what’s the situation now?”
“It’s been about half a day since you collapsed. Right now, we’re dealing with the remaining stragglers and resting.”
“I see… Ah, and by the way, I’m glad you’re safe too. That’s a relief.”
He had been so overwhelmed that he had forgotten, but Aiden had also taken on significant risks.
He had to carry out a dangerous mission alongside Ginovan.
“I’m fine, thanks to the commander’s efforts.”
According to Aiden, after they assassinated the Goblin Lord, the two of them quickly dealt with the goblin warriors that had followed them into the forest.
“The swordsmanship Commander Ginovan displayed… it was impressive in many ways.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I feel like I learned a lot from it.”
As expected from someone with so much talent, he seemed to have gained a lot just by watching the knights’ combat techniques.
And Jun was no different.
What was that phenomenon when it used its witchcraft?
It was similar to the experience of forcibly receiving someone else’s memories, like when he first entered this body and absorbed the memories it held.
Even then, hadn’t Jun instinctively handled magic he had never used before?
He tried to recall the situation once more, but it didn’t seem like he could manipulate natural magical power as effortlessly as he had then.
Perhaps, in that extreme situation, his latent potential had been unleashed on its own.
It was merely speculation, but unfortunately, he couldn’t continue thinking any further.
“I should… get more rest.”
His body still strongly insisted on resting.
***
The cleanup was finished faster than expected.
Since the Goblin Lord was dead, the goblins that had scattered in all directions would naturally regulate their numbers.
The goblins who lost their leader would fight over the suddenly vacant position.
Other monsters would sense the weakened cohesion of the goblins and they would naturally fill the gaps in the ecosystem.
Thanks to this, the subjugation team was able to return to the fortress in no time.
“And… this is the reward issued in the name of the imperial family.”
A few days after returning to the fortress.
Jun who had recovered from the long march and battle immediately went to find Chloe.
There was something he needed to receive from her.
“The amount isn’t as impressive as I thought.”
A leather pouch filled with gold coins.
After calculation, it was roughly around nine million gold coins. When he remembered that the currency of this world was almost equivalent to the Korean won…
For something I risked my life for, it’s really not much. And I’ll have to split this with Aiden too.
Still, it was undeniable that for a mere bronze-ranked mercenary group, especially with just two members participating, they had received quite a substantial return.
“There’s a certain custom to these things. Plus, the imperial family isn’t exactly known for being generous with their money. You should consider yourself lucky to have received this much, especially since it includes the price of the golem’s core. Besides, you weren’t really expecting much in this regard, were you?”
“That’s true.”
The mission completion fee was just a secondary reward.
The real rewards were only beginning.
First, the reputation of the White Whale Mercenary Group which was led by Jun had skyrocketed thanks to this event.
How many mercenary groups can claim they took down a field boss on their very first request?
On top of that, the boss they defeated was an irregular that had appeared for the first time in seventy-two years, making the achievement even more significant.
I’m not planning to recruit mercenaries just because of this, though.
That could be dealt with gradually.
The rewards were far from over.
“So, what about the dungeon ownership?”
Unlike the unpredictable income from field missions, a dungeon offered stable revenue.
This made dungeons one of the most coveted assets for all mercenaries and adventurers.
Thanks to its periodic reset feature, the monster supply was steady.
Most importantly, it was one of the few places where skill books and artifacts could be obtained, albeit rarely.
“Hehehe…”
And Chloe invested in this expedition in various ways and immediately took the right to purchase the dungeon’s ownership.
Just avoiding the auction saved her a huge amount of money.
“Don’t be too surprised. I managed to get as many as seven properties!”
“Seven? That’s more than I expected. Did the Imperial Family allow that? They really hate monopolies.”
“Hah! It wasn’t easy, of course. But the current fortress commander came from central politics in the first place.”
“Ah… so you’ve even brought those people on board?”
“Well, there were a few things I promised to share, but the benefits far outweigh the costs!”
The dungeon Chloe had purchased would be used by various adventurers and mercenaries in the future.
Naturally, the commissions Chloe would earn from that wouldn’t be small.
In addition, if skill books or artifacts were discovered, she would have the first purchase rights which could later be auctioned off.
In other words, this meant that Chloe would start earning money just by sitting back.
“Money really does attract more money, doesn’t it? How easy is that?”
“Yeah, yeah. Just don’t forget to include my name in there.”
“Hmm, of course! A merchant’s life depends on trust.”
It was Jun who initially started this investment plan.
If you looked at it closely, Jun had laid the groundwork and Chloe had built upon it.
Naturally, Jun’s share was included in this as well.
“Five percent of the net profit. As soon as the dungeon operations begin, it will be deposited into your account.”
Since Blackout had a large-scale reset every year, the duration was just under a year at most but that was more than enough.
With the accumulated funds, they could continue to invest and grow their wealth.
Additionally, the steady income over the year brought a sense of stability.
This was as far as Jun had planned for the rewards.
However, Chloe’s expression still hadn’t softened.
“Hehehe… and this isn’t the end of the rewards.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ta-da~! Feast your eyes on this!”
What Chloe pulled out was a box that was elegantly wrapped in fine wood and golden bands.
“What’s this?”
“Instead of asking, why don’t you open it? By the way, it’s a gift from Commander Ginovan. You can look forward to it.”
“Hmm…”
Since Chloe was in high spirits, Jun couldn’t help but feel a bit excited as he carefully unwrapped the box.
It was a feeling much like unwrapping a birthday present when he was very young.
“Huh?”
And inside the box was something beyond Jun’s imagination.
“This is…”
A book with a deep green cover made of goblin leather. Jun’s eyes widened in surprise.
“A skill book?”
“That’s right. It came from the Goblin Lord you defeated.”
“How did you…?”
“Baron Dortagon awarded it to Commander Ginovan. From his perspective, Sir Ginovan saved his life by personally beheading the Goblin Lord. And then Commander Ginovan passed it on to you.”
“He just gave it to me? Without asking for anything in return?”
“You’ve done a lot for him. Don’t you think calling it ‘just’ might be a bit much?”
When Jun thought about it, it made sense.
After all, the ones who gained the most from this subjugation were Jun, Chloe, and Ginovan.
“A skill book, huh.”
The value of a skill book was astonishing.
Even the cheapest ones cost hundreds of thousands of gold coins, and some could fetch billions.
‘Let’s see, what skill book does a shaman-type Goblin Lord usually drop?’
Several skills quickly came to mind as he mentally listed them.
“The appraisers have already evaluated it. The skill is [Intermediate Witchcraft].”
“Ah… I see.”
The initial excitement quickly turned into disappointment.
Witchcraft was a minor field compared to magic and it wasn’t particularly popular.
As a result, its price wasn’t very high, and it was an awkward skill for Jun to learn.
Given that he used magical power, it was obvious that trying to use witchcraft power would lead to conflict.
It bothers me a bit that I interpreted the Goblin Lord’s witchcraft… but I can’t afford to take a reckless gamble here.
At the moment, it was much safer to sell the book and learn a new spell instead of taking that risk.
Still, it’s a shame. If it had been something like Weakening Aura, it would have been a jackpot.
Of course, if that had been the case, Ginovan wouldn’t have handed it over. The price would have skyrocketed by tens of times.
“Still, [Intermediate Witchcraft] has plenty of uses. Even the Magic Tower might be interested.”
“Of course. If it does well at auction, it could fetch up to ten million gold coins.”
Ten million gold coins was certainly not a bad amount.
Just a few days ago, didn’t he tremble after spending 600,000 gold coins in front of the mercenary guild?
“So, the net profit from this subjugation is roughly 14 million gold coins?”
There was money to be split with Aiden, and if the skill book went to auction, Chloe would also receive a commission so that amount made sense.
It was an unimaginable amount for the first profit he made as the leader of a mercenary group.
“Ah, and Commander Ginovan called for you. You should go see him tomorrow afternoon.”
“Again?”
It seemed there was more to be rewarded.
***
The next day.
Just like Chloe had said, Jun headed to the fortress to meet Ginovan.
Ginovan looked a bit tired, probably from being busy, but his face showed more energy than before.
“It’s been a while, Jun. How have you been?”
“Thanks to you, Commander. I received the skill book you sent.”
“Haha, it’s nothing. If I think about what you’ve done for me, I’m just sorry I couldn’t do more.”
He truly meant it.
What Ginovan had gained from this subjugation was by no means small.
Not only had he regained his lost reputation, but he had also successfully led the scouting team and personally defeated the Goblin Lord.
For a fallen noble thirsting for honor like Ginovan, these achievements were more precious than money.
On top of that, he had the strong support of the Gillen Merchant Guild and the Fortress Commander.
Therefore, since Jun had brought him all of that, the reward was a worthwhile investment from Ginovan’s perspective.
Ginovan smiled softly as he handed a document across the table.
“The reason I called you here is because of this.”
“This is…?”
When Jun looked over the document Ginovan handed him, his eyes widened in surprise.
“It’s a letter of recommendation for the conquest raid.”
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