Chapter 338: The 99th Squad

Colossia City used to be a city full of merchants, fighters, and travelers. Areas within buildings had always been in high demand and fully rented. However, those rental zones were now occupied by the Shadow Army’s members. Each zone’s luxuriousness depended on the squad’s budget. The squads with higher wages could spare money to upgrade their rooms.

The low-digit squads were more reliable, meaning they were more likely to get jobs with better pay. Such a system encouraged competition within the Shadow Army. Each squad tried to improve themselves without the need to follow any traditional training program. There might be some conflicts among squads, but that was quite normal for every army.

Yardpirun came up with only a single rule for the Shadow Army: “If a person causes another person to die, the number of their squad will immediately be demoted by ten. If the squad’s number is within 90-99th, the whole squad will be expelled.”

Sila was assigned to a small squad, which people nicknamed ‘the miscellaneous squad.’ Its rank was the lowest, so the squad couldn’t expect any important tasks. With the mercenary system, it was difficult for the members to get to show their abilities and be promoted, so the 99th squad technically had no future. The Shadow Army had no qualms in members transferring between squads, so the newcomers often chose to enter other squads.

There used to be a certain building located in the northwest corner of Colossia City. It had been destroyed and returned to an empty plot of land during the previous raid, however. The size of the area was around sixty square meters, surrounded by three-story buildings and city walls. To approach the area, Sila had to pass through a narrow alley with barely any room between his shoulders and the walls.

Thankfully, he had been informed that his badge had the ability to search for his teammates. The badge pointed him around the area, making him walk in a circle for a minute before he noticed a hole in a wall next to a plain-looking building. Walking through the hole, he came across a note that had “The 99th squad” scribbled on it

Sila had heard from Yardpirun that there was nothing much for him to expect. However, seeing the place with his own eyes, he came to realize that her speech was completely an understatement.

The squad had literally nothing, really.

Well, to be fair, there were a few miscellaneous objects. The open area was small in width, surrounded by walls in all directions. Midday would be the only time when the people living inside could see sunlight without leaving the hole. There was an extinguished bonfire in the corner, seemingly used for cooking. The opposite corner had four sleeping bags, while yet another corner had a DIY dining table, apparently made from stone debris.

Immediately after Sila entered the hole, all of the room’s occupants paused what they were doing and locked their gazes on him at the same time. Based on the number of sleeping bags, the squad must have four members, and all of them were present.

Two males were playing a game of chess on the ground, with a female spectating. As for the last member, he was leaning against a wall, his eyes blurry as if he was half-sleep.

The sole female member of the squad stood up and walked toward Sila. She had long black hair, which swung behind her in a braid. Both of her fists were wrapped in bandages. Sila had lived in a dojo before, so he noticed right away that the bandages were properly wrapped for combat. Thus, he guessed she must have some training in martial arts. Her outfit was quite plain as it seemed to be made from fabric, barring the left metal shoulder guard that was quite eye-catching.

She pointed to the south. “Are you lost? If you want to visit the Quest Building, you have to walk a bit further that way.”

The member who seemed like a sleepyhead wore a black magician robe. In the entire squad, he was the only one wearing a mask. Resting on his shoulder was a cross-shaped mage staff, though the tip was sharp, meaning it could also be used as a javelin. From Sila’s perspective, he saw black magic power leaking from the man’s body, though the quality was mediocre.

Believing that Sila was lost, the two chess players resumed their game. In any case, Sila noticed that the man on the right secretly moved a piece using his magic power.

“Hm?” The man’s opponent tilted his head in confusion. “Mister Alpha, when did you move this rook?”

The man, whose name was Alpha, acted innocent. “It was always there. Are you feeling unwell, Isaac?”

“Is that so? That’s weird. I remember it was there before. Well, my eyes must be playing a trick on me, then.”

Alpha seemed to be a magic fighter. He had short hair and orange eyes, which subtly glowed with magic power. His outfit was tidy, a dagger hanging from his waist. Aside from that obvious weapon, there were magical rings on his quick fingers. Sila guessed the man’s fighting style must be similar to Revin’s, directly relying on the attribute of the element to strengthen a part of his body. Still, Sila couldn’t see through what kind of magic the man wielded.

Isaac was the same. His neat light green magician outfit indicated that he was also a magic fighter. He had white hair, not too different from Montra’s. He had no weapons on him, but that hardly implied anything since he might keep them in his system window. There were rings on his fingers as well, though the quality of them seemed to be subpar compared to what Bluebird or Alpha wore. The magic power that leaked from the man was green in color, which Sila had never seen before.

Sila was deep in thought, so the young woman assumed he was still confused about where he was. She pulled his hand and wrote a map on his palm using a permanent marker.

“See? We’re here. You have to go back and turn right. The buildings all look the same, but the Quest Building has a wooden sign in front of it. Keep your eyes open and you won’t miss it.”

Looking at the map on his palm, Sila frowned. He scratched his head. “Is this the 99th squad?”

“Eh? Is this place your destination, really?” The young woman belatedly realized her mistake. She took out a wet handkerchief to rub Sila’s palm. “My bad, my bad. Not many people come to visit us, so I thought you were lost.”

Sila’s palm became stained. He jerked his hand back and rubbed it against Beggar’s Cloak.

“It’s fine. I will clean it myself.”

“Well, what did you come here for?” She asked. “Wait. I think I know! You have a job for us, right? Wow. What a surprise. We rarely get jobs.”

“That’s not it. I’m—”

“Hm? Are you from the 16th squad, then? I told you I would find a way to compensate! Don’t rush me!”

“That’s also not it. I—”

“Still not it? How about—”

The young woman repeatedly interrupted Sila, not giving him a chance to introduce himself. Knowing her personality, Alpha put a stop to the cycle of interruptions.

“Miki, why don’t you just keep your mouth shut for a second and let him talk?”

The young woman, whose name was Miki, turned to send a sharp gaze at Alpha, who simply stared back at her. Meanwhile, Isaac swept his eyes across the chessboard, searching for a way to turn the tables.

Noticing an opportunity, Sila quickly introduced himself, “I’m this squad’s new leader. I was appointed just a moment ago.”

“The squad leader?” The three of them repeated the words simultaneously, their tone clearly coated with suspicion. On the other hand, the other member said nothing. In fact, Sila thought the man had fallen asleep.

Sila pointed at the badge on his cloak. “I’m not lying.”

Alpha took the chance to move another chess piece while conversing with Sila to misdirect Isaac’s attention.

“Oh, no. We didn’t think you were lying. Our squad ranks dead last, so no one would want to claim to be our leader. We’re just surprised that we got a leader.”

“Had this squad never had a leader?” asked Sila.

“Kind of. Our squad rarely has work. We mostly join other squads to help with their work, asking for some gold in exchange. Whenever we get new members, they become bored rather quickly and ask to transfer to other squads. For example, there is the 40th squad that focuses on quantity. I heard they have around a hundred members already. The members’ abilities are mediocre, but they always get the tasks that require manpower.”

Miki reached out and shook Sila’s hand. “Alpha, you have no manners. We should introduce ourselves first. Hey, hey! My name is Miki. That’s Alpha, and that’s Isaac. The one sitting over there is Midnight. What about you, Leader? What is your name?”

Sila silently panicked. He quickly tried to come up with a name. Sadly, thinking of a proper name proved to be a difficult task for him.

This time, however, someone came up with one for him, though time would tell whether it was a stroke of good fortune or bad luck.

“Nero, right?” Midnight finally started talking, his voice quite hoarse, like he was sick.

Miki turned to Midnight, asking, “Do you guys know each other?”

Midnight shook his head. “No, I don’t. I’m just guessing from his gear—Beggar’s Cloak and the Thief Lord’s Mask—that he must be the Thief Monarch, Nero, who was infamous during the first year after the game launched. He was the one who established the first bandit gang in Monster Soul. Well, I heard that he lost to the leader of the Blue Pigeon Guild and left the game afterward, causing the members of his band to break into several small bandit gangs.”

“Is that so? You’re a renowned person, then. Unfortunately, I just started the game, so I don’t know early players like you.” Miki blinked.

Isaac seemed uncomfortable. “So... you’re a bandit?”

Seeing that Isaac’s attention was elsewhere, Alpha secretly moved yet another chess piece. “Hey, easy. We of the Shadow Army don’t mind the past and you can’t discredit anyone because of it. Wearing a mask is optional, but no one will force you to take it off. That’s the kind of army we’re in. The past isn’t important. What’s important is that the Shadow Emperor guarantees to protect us as long as we abide by the rules.”

Sila realized immediately that the Thief Lord’s Mask had been taken from someone else by Yardpirun. As for his Beggar’s Cloak, it wasn’t that rare of an item. Well, since he didn’t need to bother coming up with a name, he followed along. Exactly as Alpha described, the Shadow Army always overlooked one’s past.

In fact, this regulation was what Sila personally came up with, in order to prevent people from asking about the Sword Prodigy’s past.

“That’s right. I’m Nero. Well, let’s stop with old stories.” Sila quickly made a declaration, preventing someone from asking him about a past he hadn’t lived.

Miki smacked her fist on her palm. “I see! You used to be the leader of a bandit gang, so you were appointed as a Squad Leader. I guess it makes sense. What do you think, guys?”

Midnight fell silent, a light snoring sound coming through his lips. It was as if his participation just now was his sleep-talking. Alpha and Isaac had no comments while Miki had a ‘whatever’ attitude. Apparently, having a leader held no meaning for them.

Not that the squad would get a job simply because they had a leader anyway.

Having introduced himself, Sila wanted to slip away and survey the city. Zarnak suggested that he investigate the Colosseum or the blacksmith workshop made by goblins, searching for clues. While he was at it, he would try to understand the city’s structure and the Shadow Army’s mercenary system. He had declared he would negotiate with the goblins. It would be awkward if he knew nothing about his own side.

Written in the Story of A Hundred Swords, Pumin remarked that, for a negotiation to come out successful, both sides had to possess equal levels of strength and power. What we offer must benefit the other side while the same applies to us. Maybe the goblins were trying to raid the city because they wanted something in particular. If he found what it was, he might be able to solve the conflict.

However, it turned out that he didn’t get to follow his plan. Two hours later, Sila was still in the same place. Miki half-forced him to witness the chess match between Alpha and Issac while telling him about the squad’s backstory. She even took out a bottle of strong liquor and offered to treat him. Funny enough, both chess players snatched it from her hand and poured it into their mouths. Alpha seemed to be fine, apparently having reasonable tolerance for alcohol. On the other hand, Isaac’s face turned red, his eyes hazy. Of course, Alpha didn’t miss the chance to cheat. Frowning, Isaac admitted defeat. It was already his fifth defeat.

“I will go get booze. I heard that the 15th squad just got a new member who is very good at brewing. I have to get at least one sample. Leader, stay here. Don’t go anywhere. Got it?”

Miki rushed out, not even asking whether Sila wanted to drink with her or not. In fact, she would drink it all herself even if he were to decline.

Isaac summoned peanuts using his magic power and tossed them into his mouth, chewing happily. He was more or less already sober. He set up the chessboard again for another match.

“Will it be fine letting her go alone, Mister Alpha? She just got involved with the 16th squad the last time she left.”

“It’s gonna be fine~ We have no connections. The most she can do is get into the line. She can’t buy it.”

“Is there anything I should know?” asked Sila.

Alpha set up the chess pieces on his side and started to explain.

“Ah... about that...” Alpha explained, “Miki’s nickname is the Rampage Girl. Don’t get her wrong. She is quite a good person, just a bit too talkative. However, when she is drunk, things get a bit hectic. The last time, she even stormed out of our squad, going on a rampage at the 16th squad’s headquarters and breaking a lot of things. Fortunately, the 16th squad’s leader understood that she was drunk, and as we’re in the same army, he didn’t take matters seriously. He only asked for 1,000 gold as compensation, which is already very kind. Still, we have no money, so we have been putting it off.”

“Why don’t you go out and hunt monsters?”

“Monsters won’t drop items during the war event, so we told them we would pay for it after it finishes.”

That reminded Sila. The fact that monsters dropped items normally was still a secret. Well, it was only a matter of time before all players realized it. In fact, he believed that many leaders of other squads must have discovered it already. It was just that no one bothered to inform his dead-last squad.

Sila changed the subject. Based on Miki’s previous introduction, everyone in his squad seemed to be magic-type players.

“You all seem to have strange magic.”

Peering at the chessboard, Isaac started the first move. “Well, it’s because Unique Magic can be easily acquired in the Magic Kingdom. Mine is Wood Magic, allowing me to summon various kinds of vegetation. Alpha’s is Weapon Enchantment Magic. He can temporarily add special options to his weapon. Miki’s is Curse-Bless Magic, which passively reverses the effects of any blessings or curses she receives. As for Midnight, he only has traditional Dark Magic. It seems he has yet to receive the quest for acquiring Unique Magic. That’s regretful.”

Alpha also moved his own chess piece. “Since we are at it, what kind of power do you use, Leader?”

Sila summoned a magical sword. “I can convert my magic power to weapons. It’s called Artifact Manifestation.”

“Quite similar to mine,” Alpha commented as he observed Sila’s summoned sword. “It turns out Midnight is the only one with basic Element Magic. Well, Unique Magic is popular right now since everyone can acquire it.”

Sila didn’t bother to fix Alpha’s misunderstanding that his magic ability was some kind of Unique Magic. It was better this way. He intended to make this Nero persona be as distant as possible from his actual self.

Suddenly, Sila’s badge vibrated. He didn’t understand its function, so he wondered what happened. “Hm? My badge suddenly vibrated?”

“Is that so? Is it malfunctioning?” Isaac tilted his head.

“Is it some kind of hidden function that only leader badges have? We have never had a leader, so we don’t know.”

“If a squad member is injured, the leader badge will vibrate to inform you about it. That’s all.” Again, Midnight’s speech sounded like someone talking in their sleep. The remaining three turned to him, noticing the man was brushing off dirt from his clothing. He prepared the cross-shaped javelin and stood still as if waiting for anyone to say anything.

“Who is injured? We’re all here, aren’t we?”

Alpha sprung up. “Miki!”

Everyone else also sprung up. Except for Midnight, who was walking leisurely, the three started to run in the direction that Miki had gone.

A day hadn’t even passed yet, but it seemed the squad—which normally never got jobs of their own—was already adding to Sila’s workload.