Osian had met various people since coming to this world.
The city of Tirna was still mysterious to him, and there was more he didn't know than what he knew but that wasn't because Osian was lacking. Rather, even the people living here didn't know much, perhaps even less than Osian.
The world was still full of unknowns.
Even as science advanced and human territory swallowed up mysteries, that remained unchanged.
In such a world, each person one meets carries their own unique characteristics shaped by their life experiences.
'New individuality emerging in a changing world.'
Among them, Basilio possessed a particularly intense individuality.
The first impression was threatening. It felt like encountering a predator bare-handed in the middle of a forest at night.
In terms of color, it wouldn't be wrong to compare him to a black jaguar.
A chilling sensation down the spine and that instinctive anxiety that his fangs might touch your neck, Basilio naturally possessed such a fierce presence.'A born predator. Very intense.'
The next impression was unexpected warmth and friendliness.
Unlike his intimidating appearance, Basilio's voice itself was that of a very kind middle-aged man.
His friendly manner of greeting each member one by one showed that he possessed a not-bad personality.
It didn't seem like an act. If nothing else, the members who were particularly sharp about such things wouldn't be fooled.
'Especially Ronan, with his keen eye for people, would certainly not be fooled.'
In other words, all of Basilio's displayed attitudes were genuine.
It was only natural for people to feel somewhat relieved at that.
However, the moment Basilio extended his hand in greeting, Osian caught the thick scent of blood emanating from him.
While there was a physical smell of blood, what Osian smelled was something much deeper.
If anything, it was closer to something fundamental.
'His very existence seems to have been born through blood.'
The gloomy aura that emanated upon his appearance wasn't just imagination.
It was such a strong stench that one might think this is what a person born receiving all sorts of curses and grudges would be like.
But at the same time, it felt unexpected. Surely he must have had an extraordinary past, so how could he produce such a bright voice?
Considering the trajectory of his life, such a personality shouldn't be possible.
So he said that he smelled of blood.
Everyone fell silent at those words. Because they knew Osian wouldn't say such things without reason.
Amidst the strange tension in the air, surprisingly, it was Basilio himself who laughed at those words.
"Hahaha! Young friend, you have an incredibly good sense of smell. Yes, I did play around quite a bit back in the day. That smell, it seems it won't come off no matter how hard I try. Oh my, I should have bought some good perfume."
Even though Osian was stating a fact, his behavior was indeed rude.
Even if Osian was a super rookie, Basilio was the industry's senior-most member and a legendary-level fixer. He wasn't someone who could be spoken to carelessly.
But Basilio neither pointed this out nor got angry.
He just good-naturedly laughed it off with skill.
As a human, Basilio was somewhat suspicious. But as a knight, he was the opposite.
He possessed the capacity of a great man. That gave Osian some certainty.
Osian shook hands with Basilio before he could withdraw his hand.
Basilio looked at Osian with a surprised expression at this action.
Though it couldn't be seen because of the helmet, such a gaze could be felt.
"Ho ho. Well, well. A truly bold newcomer has arrived."
Just as Osian had noticed Basilio's exceptional nature, Basilio had noticed Osian's.
"Ronan. Where on earth did you recruit such a person?"
Basilio asked Ronan with an admiring voice.
As the tense atmosphere resolved positively, Ronan shrugged and answered.
"Hehe. What did I do? It was just all good luck."
"Luck, huh. In this industry, that's also a skill."
Just then, the street lamp outside that had gone out lit up again.
The atmosphere turned bright as if the recent blackout had been mere coincidence.
"I'm so glad everyone gathered to welcome me like this. What's so special about an old man like me coming? I'm so touched I could cry."
"Oh come on. Still as humble as ever."
Seren said with a laugh, and Mist nodded silently.
Basilio slowly sat down in the empty seat. Naturally, the conversation developed with him at the center.
"Mr. Basilio. Are you planning to head somewhere else right away this time too?"
"No. Since I've come back after a while, I thought I'd take some time to rest this time. Above all, since a newcomer has joined, it would be good to get to know their face better."
Basilio said he would stay for about a week.
He added that he couldn't stay still longer than that because of work he had to do.
'A special fixer who can't stay still even for a moment and keeps searching. What exactly is he looking for?'
Though curious, he didn't bother to ask.
Even just looking at this office, there were more than a few people who wanted to hide their past.
"Well then, anyone curious about me? There's nothing better than conversation for getting to know each other. Feel free to ask anything."
Ask anything, he says.
Basilio seemed quite excited, perhaps happy that all members had gathered for once.
However, no one readily threw out a question.
Even though everyone gathered here possessed impressive skills, they felt a considerable burden in treating Basilio casually.
"Where did you go this time, old man?"
Seren Gratia stepped forward to break that atmosphere.
It was a simple question anyone might ask.
"I went south. Went way down and explored an ancient jungle."
The southern jungle.
Osian could guess where that was.
'The Kumonggle Waterlands.'
A place full of dense jungle and swamps, poison, twisted monsters, and poisonous insects.
It was also a place overflowing with relics and artifacts from the ancient Ankchen Empire that once ruled the area.
Even after the long passage of time, it seemed that place still remained as waterlands.
"Even for someone like me who's been all around the world, that place was quite formidable."
Basilio talked about what he experienced in the jungle, what he saw there, and what incidents he encountered.
He was an excellent storyteller and knew how to control the rhythm to capture the audience's attention. The details he subtly included gave life to the stories.
If one closed their eyes and listened to his voice, he might feel like a great explorer rather than a special problem solver.
"Ah, speaking of which, take these, each of you."
-Clatter.
Basilio took out several items from inside his clothes and poured them onto the table.
They were items whose use was difficult to determine just by looking.
"These are artifacts found in the ruins, but honestly, I'm not sure where and how to use them."
"Wait, is it okay to just give away precious artifacts like this?"
Lorraine asked in surprise.
"What's wrong with that? They're too old to be of use anyway. Just think of them as souvenirs and take them without burden."
"No, but still..."
"What's wrong with me wanting to give them away? You can display them if you want, or sell them if you want. I don't mind."
Everyone seemed surprised by Basilio's generosity, but they didn't immediately refuse the gifts.
After all, they were artifacts. There might be something good mixed in.
'Like a father bringing home chicken after work.'
Of course, Osian, who had no family in his previous life, only understood this sentiment intellectually, not emotionally.
Osian was curious about the artifacts, so he looked over the items placed on the table.
Basilio wasn't exaggerating when he called them artifacts.
'These aren't just odds and ends, but real artifacts. Though, perhaps due to the passage of time, quite a few seem broken. But most are intact.'
While looking, Osian discovered one notable item and picked it up.
"Oh. Does the newcomer like that?"
Basilio asked, seeing Osian intently staring at the item in his hand.
Regardless, Osian focused his attention on the object before him.
'This is an amulet.'
Though slightly rusted on the outside due to age, its form remained the same, so he could tell.
This was an amulet, a talisman that grants some power to a person just by possessing it.
'This form, this shape. Though there's some deterioration in color and slight changes in shape, I can tell. This is the [Fierce Strike] amulet.'
Engraved on the round pendant was a sword.
Though somewhat worn and hard to make out, Osian had knowledge from the game.
'Various underground dungeons and ruins in the Kumonggle Waterlands often gave these types of amulets as rewards.'
Among them, [Fierce Strike] was a matching piece to the [Symbol of Protection] that Osian possessed.
It was one of the essential items that wandering knight and barbarian warrior users had to acquire.
It's an amulet that increases strength stats and the ratio of slash, strike, and penetration for melee weapon categories.
Above all, the reason this was essential for melee class jobs was that it increased combat skill attack power by 15%.
'I don't know if the game stats apply exactly the same here. But considering the effects of [Symbol of Protection], it certainly won't be lacking.'
Indeed, just holding it, one could feel its power.
Despite its appearance, its actual performance was still maintained.
With this, Osian now had 2 of the essential amulets.
'I had given up on even thinking about getting [Fierce Strike], among other things, but to think it would fall into my lap like this. Should I say I'm lucky?'
Osian looked at Basilio and asked.
"Is it really okay to take this?"
"I brought them to give away, so by all means. Seems that one caught your eye."
"Yes."
"The fact that you chose that without a moment's hesitation, perhaps you already knew what that item is used for?"
Basilio's question was sharp.
Osian quietly looked at Basilio. It was to analyze what intention he had behind such a question.
But since his face wasn't visible, it was difficult to read his emotions.
Basilio shrugged and waved his hand wearing a pure white glove.
"It's a joke, just a joke. My, what a serious face. You're a young man who doesn't take jokes well at all!"
Was it really just a joke?
Even if it was a joke, people normally wouldn't ask if someone knew the item's use.
Conversely, there was also insufficient evidence to be certain that Osian knew this item's use and chose it right away.
'Truly a difficult person to understand.'
But that's exactly why he was Violet Fox's fixer and worthy of being considered legendary in the industry.
Truly a disposition difficult to categorize as either black or white.
Rather, because he couldn't be easily read, curiosity and interest in him deepened.
"Well then, has everyone picked out the items they want?"
Including Osian, the members each took one or two of the artifacts Basilio brought.
Osian gave up looking for other useful items. Besides the [Fierce Strike] amulet, the rest were things he had no particular need for.
'There are other amulets mixed in too.'
But those weren't items for Osian to use.
For instance, there was an amulet that increased magical attack power but increased damage taken by 10%.
Since knights couldn't use magic attacks, wearing that would just mean carrying a debuff around but by coincidence or not, that amulet was taken by Edgar.
'What's more surprising is that Basilio himself recommended it.'
Basilio handed it to Edgar, saying it seemed to suit him just by looking at it.
To Lorraine, he gave an amulet that increased ranged attack power, and to Diolan, an amulet that reduced falling damage above a certain height.
It was the same for Mist and Seren.
Items that seemed perfect for each person were delivered to the right places.
Basilio's will was involved in this.
'Could it be, he brought them deliberately knowing?'
When Osian looked at him with such eyes, Basilio glanced at Osian and nodded slightly.
It was unclear whether it was just a playful gesture because their eyes met, or if he was asking to keep it a secret.
"Well then. Now that everyone has received their gifts, shall we continue with other stories? I've brought quite an interesting tale."
The atmosphere instantly became warm and friendly.
Basilio brought up stories about exploring ruins, encountering magical beasts there, and meeting the natives of the waterlands.
"This is where the main point begins. I experienced something quite interesting."
"Oh? I'm really curious what that could be. I thought everything up until now was interesting enough."
"Haha. Ronan, this might hurt your pride a bit. As it happens, I received a recruitment offer there."
At Basilio's playful words, Ronan's already narrow eyes narrowed further.
"A recruitment offer? Did you meet another broker there?"
"A broker in those far southern waterlands? No, someone even bigger."
At the word 'bigger', everyone's attention focused on Basilio.
"Those who wish to restore the old era made me an offer. They asked me to join them."