Chapter 152.

2029, April 3rd .

In Chameleon Troupe’s secret hideout located in England’s Bristol Channel, I was fully relaxed and reading a newspaper on the couch . Next to me, Boss was playing a game .

[English Royal Court guild partners with mercenary groups… . ]

[English Channel’s high-intermediate rank monster, Megalodon, has been defeated by English Royal Court guild’s Team 1 . Rachel, the guild’s youngest team leader, shows her exceptional skills…]

[Princess Rachel appointed as the Royal Court guild’s youngest vice leader . ]

[Trust in England at an all-time low . ]

Currently, popularity of England’s leadership was steadily going downhill . Ordinary newspapers and even the Violet Times predicted a grim future for the country .

“Hm…”

Looking at the headline, I sighed and put down the newspaper . The news I was hoping to see was nowhere to be found .

The news about ‘entrance tickets’ should be popping up soon . How much longer was I supposed to wait?

“Knng~”

Feeling a bit sore, I stood up and stretched . Then, I looked around Chameleon Troupe’s hideout which was about 65% complete .

A lot had changed in the past 3 years . In a way, it was quite dramatic .

To be honest, I was proud of the changes I brought .

The dome ceiling above had crystal chandeliers and gem-like lights beautifully hanging down . The red, vintage-style walls were full of art Boss brought back from her secret stash .

It wasn’t just the interior I was proud about . The hideout had many convenient facilities .

The goblin coffee shop in the corner of the lobby provided highest-grade coffee, and many of my magical furniture pieces were also placed around the hideout .

In the center… what was that again?

A ginormous mana crystal that was almost as big as Cheok Jungyeong’s thigh was purifying the air inside the cave .

For the record, that almond-shaped crystal was something I took from Boss’ secret vault . I remembered Boss throwing a tantrum about not wanting to keep it . She reluctantly agreed when I threatened that I wouldn’t comb her hair ever again .

However, that was still only the tip of the iceberg . What I just described was only the hideout’s lobby .

Outside the lobby, there was a hot spring, a shooting range, a training room, a library, a game room, a cafeteria, etc…

“Kuhaha—!”

The door to the lobby suddenly shot open, and a giant stormed in . Boss, who was playing a game on the couch, looked up with a frown .

“It’s crazy out there, Boss!”

“…Did something happen outside?”

“Oh, Newbie! You’re here too?”

Cheok Jungyeong smiled brightly as he held something up . It was a sea monster twice the size of his body .

“Monsters underwater are going crazy!”

“…Gyeong, what is that . ”

“A sea monster . This blind bastard kept bumping into me, so I hooked it up . It’s a blue ocean fish . ”

Blue ocean fish . It was a delicious species of fish that was classified as a fish rather than a monster .

Hearing these three words, Boss smacked her lips . Then, she glanced up at me .

She was clearly telling me to cook it for her .

“Blue ocean fish, huh . ”

I started cooking for Boss three months ago, mostly because controlling her with just combing her hair could get difficult .

Like how the monkey in the story of the ‘monkey’s flower sandal’ grew too used to wearing sandals, my strategy was to slowly get Boss addicted to things I provided until she couldn’t live without me .

Not that Boss was a monkey, of course .

“You know about it?”

Cheok Jungyeong laughed and threw the blue ocean fish down .

For the record, other members didn’t know I was good at cooking . Because I was too lazy to cook for everyone, I only revealed it to Boss . She considered it special treatment and enjoyed it .

“You can keep this guy in the fridge and eat it later . ”

Hearing his kind offer, I looked down at the blue ocean fish . I wasn’t sure if it was still alive or spasming out after death, but the way it violently flopped around was scary .

“Boss, come out if you’re bored . It’s really fun . ”

“…I’m fine . You can enjoy it alone . ”

“Hehe, don’t regret it later . ”

Cheok Jungyeong’s latest hobby was fishing . Because having to use the Portal was too troublesome, I created a secret pathway connecting the hideout to the ocean (obviously, it was covered with an illusion magic and a fortress-grade seal to prevent outsiders from recognizing it) . Ever since Cheok Jungyeon took a liking to it, he’s been using it once a week to go fight sea monsters . I remembered him saying something about wanting to overcome the restraint of the ocean .

“Anyways, I’m going back out!”

Cheok Jungyeong left the lobby .

KOONG!

He should really stop slamming the door close .

“Oh right—!”

Cheok Jungyeong quickly came back in .

“I almost forgot . Oi, Bling, give me an americano . ”

The barista goblin quickly reacted to Cheok Jungyeong’s command . As expected of a barista with a year’s worth of experience, the goblin named Bling made an americano in the blink of an eye .

“Perfect . ”

Gulp, gulp—

Cheok Jungyeong emptied the 2-liter cup in only three seconds before leaving .

“Guys . ”

When I clapped, the six normal goblins gathered around the blue ocean fish .

—Krrk .

—Kururu .

The goblins discussed which part of the fish to grab then ended up equally putting it on their shoulder .

“…Newbie?”

Boss, who was watching from the couch silently, suddenly asked . For some reason, she was already drooling .

“Yes?”

“When is breakfast?”

Boss was honest when it came to food .

In fact, most strong people were like that . They could rein in their sexual desire or desire to sleep, but they couldn’t withstand hunger because of their bodies’ high metabolism .

“30 minutes later . ”

“…I see, ssp . ”

Boss nodded with a look of anticipation .

I grinned and turned on my smartwatch . Just in case, I checked Violet Banquet for any news on ‘entrance tickets’, but the only thing that popped up were tickets to amusement parks . Disappointed, I checked the trending topics .

[Fenrir unseen for six months! Was he just another seasonal mercenary?]

There was another article about Fenrir . When I was active, they criticized me for using my Gift for money, but now that I wasn’t, they were berating for a different reason .

I skipped the article and checked the comments .

[Rachel0418]

Then what, you expect a mercenary to work for free? – . – I’m sure Fenrir is taking a rest because people like you keep bothering him . – . –

“Pft . ”

As I expected, there was another comment from Rachel . Was she looking at online articles all the time?

Click .

I liked the comment without much thought .

Then suddenly, a lightbulb went on in my head .

“…Oh right . ”

The Royal Court guild was fated to obtain ‘entrance tickets’ faster than other guilds .

When it came to entrance tickets, their ‘rank’ was the most important . Still, it was nice to have extra tickets . Since I was also worried about England’s situation which was worse than what I predicted…

“Boss . ”

“Mm?”

“I have an idea . ”

Staring at Boss’ eyes, I began to choose words for a negotiation .

But regardless of what my idea was, Boss was likely to agree with the blue ocean fish being my negotiation tool .

**

April .

The Royal Court guild greeted its new apprentice heroes . In any other year, England should be booming with tourists who would come to enjoy its beautiful spring .

“…Haa . ”

The weather was great, but the Royal Court guild’s vice-leader Rachel was sighing .

“I didn’t learn any of this in Cube…”

She became the youngest vice-leader because the previous vice-leader was scouted by a guild in Korea . As the position was practically pushed onto her, she didn’t know what to do with the heavy responsibility she now had . England and the Royal Court guild’s situation was that bad . Rachel didn’t blame the vice-leader who ran away either .

“…Ehew . ”

Rachel scrolled through the emails on her computer screen and sighed .

[Thank you for contacting Desolate Moon . We received the Royal Court guild’s request for aid, but military negotiations should be done through the Association…]

The Royal Court guild’s requests for aid were all declined . Of course, as the above example showed, not all were flat-out rejections . In fact, most advised to request aid from the Hero Association .

However, Rachel knew all too well what that meant . Once the Association was brought in, the Royal Court guild would lose too much influence and control . Just like how Roton Corporation schemed to take control over Clancy Islet, the Association was likely to ask England something similar .

England couldn’t afford to set its house on fire to catch a flea .

…Though, the flea was absurdly big .

“Sylvie, how many representatives are we scheduled to meet today?”

Rachel called her personal secretary .

—13 in total . 11 of them are already waiting in the building .

When the number of monsters exploded, the Royal Court guild decided to partner with mercenary groups . It only made sense as they were separate from the Association’s influence .

“So most of them are here . ”

Of course, as the number of monsters in England increased, the Royal Court guild and its Heroes would gain more experience . Then, their guild ranking would naturally go up and they would have more monster corpses to use for research and development .

However, the question was whether England had the power to overcome the odds .

—Shall I send them in?

“Yes, one at a time . ”

**

England, London outskirt .

Ordinary citizens were full of tension as they walked around the streets . Nowadays, they didn’t feel safe even in their country’s capital . The monsters living in River Thames were too ferocious .

“I’m going to leave the country for a while . ”

“Where are you going?”

“Korea . My older brother has residency there . He’s not in Seoul, but it should still be safer than here . ”

“Ah, I’m jealous . ”

They didn’t sound too hopeful either as they worried about their country’s future and their loved ones’ safety .

Almost as if to confirm their worries…

Wiing—

Wiing—

The siren suddenly went off, alerting that monsters had invaded .

At the same time, a manhole in the middle of the street shot open and monsters began to climb up . Sea Moles, Greed Toads, Giant Catfish, etc . They were all low-rank ~ low-intermediate rank monsters, but not only were they too much for ordinary civilians to deal with, there also were just too many of them .

“Uu, uwaak!”

Monsters that popped out of the manhole quickly took over the streets . Flashing their bloodthirsty eyes, they chased people who were running away .

The civilians did all they could to avoid being devoured .

However, without guns, even low-rank monsters were too much for ordinary people to handle .

—Ribbit!

A Greed Toad jumped on top of a woman .

“L-Let me go!”

She punched the toad’s face, but it was futile . The toad opened its mouth with a cheeky smile .

…It was then .

BOOM!

The toad’s head suddenly exploded .

“Uu, uuu… . ”

A mysterious attack saved the woman . Suddenly being covered with the fluids of a monster, the woman was unable to properly assess the situation . But knowing that she was saved, she began to escape .

At that moment, another monster jumped towards her . This time, it was a Sea Mole .

—Grrr…

“Ah…”

However, the Sea Mole’s head exploded before it could even touch her . Seeing this, the woman finally realized that something was off . Other people who were running away had also stopped to stare behind her .

The woman followed their line of sight and turned around .

“… . ”

Streaks of light were raining down from the sky .

It was a scene she had seen before in a YouTube video .

Tudududu—

Bullets that obliterated monsters . This terrifying barrage of bullets was lighting up the sky as it annihilated hundreds of monsters .

From the onset to the end, only three minutes passed by .

The screams of chaos ringing out from the streets were long gone .

“…Wow . ”

“My god… . ”

The civilians were all staring at a single man who was sitting on a bike . Because of his helmet, no one could see his face .

Vroom—

His bike roared .

While everyone stared at him in awe, he quickly disappeared .

“T-That, that must have been Fen, Fenrir!”

A motorcycle-enthusiast who loved to slaughter monsters with a mystical gun .

He was a mercenary who was famous even among ordinary people .

**

Vice-leader’s office of the English Royal Court guild .

Rachel was currently in a meeting with representatives of mercenary groups .

“As you know, we achieved rank 10 in the most recent mercenary group rankings . ”

Her first meeting was with the Skid Row Mercenary Group .

The group’s leader initiated the negotiation with a haughty attitude and tone . Albeit reluctant, this was something Rachel could accept . But because he was asking for too much, she instantly rejected him despite the Royal Court guild’s current situation .

“Ha, I’m speechless . ”

“You can speak . ”

“How can you be so beautiful?”

“…Pardon?”

Her next meeting was with the Great Tiger Mercenary Group, which was around rank 14 .

Its leader was a man in his mid-30s, and he was interested in Rachel’s appearance above anything else . Although he made it seem like the meeting was a blind date, the conditions he offered were reasonable .

“England is in a bad spot, right? Of aerial, land, and sea monsters, sea monsters are accepted as the most difficult to deal with . Why don’t you just ask the Association for help?”

“That’s our own business . ”

“…Are you looking down on mercenaries? You think we wouldn’t understand just because we’re uneducated?”

“No…”

Just like that, Rachel continued her meetings .

Many of the leaders were arrogant or stupid . Leaders from the higher ranked mercenary groups were especially so .

The leader of the world’s rank 5 mercenary group was particularly distasteful . The way he ogled her with his lustful eyes made Rachel want to pull out her weapon .

“Huu . ”

After a long time, all 13 meetings came to an end . She didn’t feel that it was a waste of time . Rank 14 and rank 9 seemed to be reasonable .

—Um, vice-leader .

At that moment, her secretary suddenly called her .

“Yes, what is it?”

—Um, someone from another mercenary group just showed up .

“…Weren’t we done?”

—We were, but this one claimed to be a mercenary and asked to meet vice-leader .

‘Then why don’t you just kick him out?’

Rachel pressed her forehead .

—I wanted to send him back, but he seems to be someone famous .

“Oh… I see . ”

‘Do mercenaries get more arrogant with more fame? I didn’t want to be biased for the sake of that person…’

“If he didn’t contact us before… ehew, just let him in . ”

‘It’s not like I’ll lose anything by seeing another person . ’

—Understood .

The secretary replied .

Rachel let out a deep sigh as she tapped on her desk .

After about five minutes…

Tok, tok—

Someone knocked on her door .

“Come in . ”

Rachel spoke with an exhausted voice .

Kiik—

The door slowly opened and heavy footsteps rang out .

Rachel slowly raised her head . She saw the mercenary that just entered .

It was a man clad entirely in black . His hair was in a clean pomade-style and his well-kempt beard made him particularly handsome .

As soon as Rachel saw him, her eyes widened .

It was only natural . Despite the slightly different aura he had, Rachel was too familiar with him .

“It’s nice to meet you . ”

The man greeted her casually with a charming baritone voice .

Then, he sat down in front of her naturally, exuding a pleasant scent .

“Ah…”

Because of their sudden reunion, Rachel was at a loss for words . Her voice didn’t come out . Her five senses seemed to have frozen .

“I’m Jeronimo’s Fenrir . ”

Rachel was unable to tell whether the man knew of her plight . However, she saw the warm smile he had on his face .

Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters .