Sungmin listed the things he had to do.
His first priority was to participate in the black mage dungeon expedition that would happen half a year later. His objective there was to acquire the magic armor, and if possible, other artifacts as well.
After that, there was nothing urgent. There was no need for him to remain in the city of Behengerr either so he was planning to leave at that time.
The most important thing he had to do then, was to prevent Baek Sogo’s death that would occur in 6 years.
If so, then all he had to do was to conquer the dungeon before they did. If the dungeon’s value disappeared, neither Baek Sogo nor Wiji Hoyeon will head there either.
However, that was impossible. Real ‘dungeons’ and not artificial ones were like natural disasters. They were created randomly. Dungeons made like that were sometimes not discovered immediately and were discovered after a lot of time had passed, but this didn’t apply to the dungeon 6 years later. That dungeon would be made 6 years later, and would practically immediately be discovered by the nearby adventurers. They decided to sell the information about that dungeon rather than go explore it, and that was how the rumors about the dungeon was made.
In other words, even if Sungmin headed to that dungeon right now, it would be impossible for him to conquer it anyway. Moreover, it wasn’t like he knew the exact location of that dungeon either. He knew its vague whereabouts, but just searching for it in that wide area would take a lot of time as well.
‘Perhaps I’ll meet Wiji Hoyeon again.’
The promised date was 10 years later. However, he might meet with her in the process of preventing Baek Sogo’s death. Am I supposed to be happy? – is a question he asked himself several times before, but he only felt bitter about it.
Why did Wiji Hoyeon kill Baek Sogo?
It wasn’t just Baek Sogo either. All the people that entered the dungeon with her were killed by Wiji Hoyeon. Just why? – he presumed that there must be reasons. At least according to what he knew of her.
‘The her I know of.’
The image he had of her started becoming messy. It was like a noise interference in radio waves. The sound of the cicadas he heard from Mount Msh, that annoying noise echoed in his ears. Sungmin blocked his ears. Nevel’s words, Kim Jonghyun’s words. Everything made his mind chaotic.
The Wiji Hoyeon that Sungmin knew of. The Baek Sogo that Sungmin knew of. The people that Sungmin had met and got to know each other. The people that showed him good will.
There was once a time when he was suspicious of their good intentions. However, he accepted them. Their actions had reasons behind them…. or did they? Did their actions really have a reason behind them? There are no such thing as coincidences. The words Msh spoke of. Life. Sungmin’s life. Just whose is it?
“Ah.”
His mind became chaotic. Sungmin collapsed on the spot. Why was he brought to the past? It should have been a simple coincidence. The fact that he entered that dungeon was a coincidence, and the fact that he grabbed the stone of reincarnation was also a coincidence. Yes, that was all. Msh said that there are no such thing as coincidences in this world… but Sungmin couldn’t acknowledge that.
If it was not a coincidence, then what else was it?
‘God of time.’
Denir. The God of time residing in Drimoor. Msh told him to go look for Denir – along with the words that it was up to him as to what he would acquire from his meeting with Denir.
Can Denir answer his question? Kim Jonghyun could not. He seemed to know something, but told him that he could not tell him the details. A forced and offensive something was deeply linked to the question that Sungmin had of himself. Even Msh did not answer. It was as though he could not answer.
A human could not answer, and a God could not answer. Can Denir really answer that question?
His heart was already heading off to Drimoor, but he couldn’t depart immediately. Drimoor was located very far away. From Behengerr, it would take at least over a month to get there by horse. He didn’t even know what would come from his meeting with Denir, so he couldn’t just set off for Drimoor.
So, he was planning to focus on getting that magic armor for now.
“Long time no see.”
Nevel answered his call and appeared. He took a bow. Sungmin had not called for him for a week now. Rather than taking a quest that he could get from Erebrisa, he thought that it was better to shake off the temptation in his heart.
“I wish to check the quests.”“I have already organized them for you.”
Nevel raised his hand at Sungmin’s words. After he tapped on empty air a few times, a semi-translucent window appeared in front of him. Was that magic as well? – thought Sungmin as he looked at the window that Nevel was looking at.
“There are various types in S-rank missions. Do you have any types that you prefer?”“Something I can do alone, and something that doesn’t take a lot of time. And if possible, I’d like a mission that I can take not too far from here.”“Something you can do alone and not taking a long time – most of those are subjugation missions though.”“I do not mind.”“Hm… There aren’t many subjugation missions around Behengerr. As you know, most of the missions around here are taken by the Corona mercenaries.”
Nevel scratched his head and answered.
“The mission that we connect you with are mostly shared with the mercenary guild. Of course, not all of them are like that. Top-secret missions that were asked through us are not open to the guild. However, those types of missions cannot be taken at S-rank.”“Is that so?”“Yes. I can make it work out if you really want to… but with your skills, Sir Lee Sungmin, you will very probably die.”
Sungmin did not deny Nevel’s evaluation. Although he had skills of an SS-rank capable of slaying an ogre chimera by himself, top-secret missions are just as dangerous as they were secretive. Sungmin didn’t plan to do a dangerous mission.
“Let’s see…. there is one mission that fits your criteria.”
Reading down the list, Nevel selected one of the missions and showed it to Sungmin. Although it was pretty far off from Behengerr, it was a village that would take 2 days by horse.
“It’s not a mission chosen by the Corona mercenaries. Twin-headed trolls. Do you know of them?”“I don’t.”
Replied Sungmin. Trolls were similar to ogres, but were considered below them in various ways. They lacked intelligence and muscular power compared to ogres.
However, there were aspects in which trolls were overwhelmingly superior to ogres in – their tremendous regenerative powers, as well as their resistance to magic. The reason why trolls were classified as A-rank monsters were due to these reasons. If it was a twin-headed one, then it would be a monster befitting of an S-rank.
“Would you like to take it? The reward is 30 million erre.”“I’ll take it.”
Sungmin nodded his head.
***
“So you killed a twin-headed troll this time?”
When he returned to Behengerr mercenary guild, Ludd asked. This was the first time he met Ludd after the ogre chimera subjugation. Sungmin looked at Ludd staring at him and nodded his head.
“Yes.”“I heard you didn’t receive it through the guild. …Do you have some other places you can take missions from or something?”“…I don’t think I can answer that.”
Sungmin replied with a bitter smile. Ludd shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, you don’t have to take missions from the guild. If you are so skilled, you can go around taking missions directly too. Rather than that…. I heard about it. Apparently you rejected Xeon’s offer?”
Sungmin didn’t speak about it, nor did it seem like Bern spoke about it either. Then did Xeon say it? Sungmin nodded his head while sitting down next to Ludd.
“Where did you hear that from?”“Xeon said it. That he tried to scout you, but failed. Thanks to that, a lot of the other mercenaries have their eyes on you.”
Saying that, Ludd giggled.
“No, I guess it isn’t exactly like that. Most people had their eyes on you from the moment you showed off your sword-qi the first time you arrived. Especially so, since you are a no-class.”
Sungmin did not react to that. He knew that he was receiving attention. The ones that looked at him the most were the no-classes. Most of them had very low ranks, and were admiring and jealous of the peak-level no-class Sungmin. Sungmin was very familiar with these kind of gazes. After all, he felt the same towards Xeon when he entered Corona mercenaries in his previous life.
“Distance yourself from Xeon.”
Ludd’s voice lowered. Bern couldn’t be seen over the bar table today.
“Xeon is… well… a very vicious guy at heart. He’s very doubtful, and doesn’t trust his allies. All A-rank mercenaries and above in his group are controlled by him.”“…I am aware of that. I don’t trust Xeon. That’s also the reason I rejected him.”“Thanks to that, he should be feeling very uncomfortable right now.”
Muttering those words, Ludd drank the beer in his glass in one shot.
“It’s better to not fight with Xeon. Just… it’s easier to stay low in front of him.”“Why are you saying these to me?”
Listening to Ludd’s words, Sungmin suddenly asked while looking at him. Ludd blinked his eyes several times.
“You think I’m being nosy?”“No, it’s not that. I’m thankful that you’re worried about me…. but are you telling me that you can be trusted?”“That’s up to you to decide.”
Spoke Ludd nonchalantly.
“But I can swear this. I don’t exactly hate you.”“Then?”“What do you mean then? You want me to love you or something? I’m sorry but I don’t swing that way.”
Ludd grumbled as he swung he tilted his glass.
“I hate Xeon. A few years ago… that is, when I was still an A-rank, I was scouted by Xeon, but he told me to tell him what was practically my lifeline, so I denied him. After that, I had to go through quite the suffering.”“Your lifeline?”“I am an elementalist.”
Replied Ludd. This was something that Sungmin knew as well. Ludd used the sword, but did not use martial arts to do it. Instead, Ludd used elemental arts. Elementalists were very rare even in Eria.
“Xeon told me, that I should tell him the oath I took in the elemental contract. Do you know what a taboo is?”“…No, I don’t.”“Elemental arts, is uh… is the contract with an elemental of another world. In that contract, the elementalist must swear an oath about something to the elemental. It’s not something great, but if the elementalist goes against that oath, then his or her contract with the elemental would end then and there.”
Saying that, Ludd frowned.
“That son of a bitch. He asked an elementalist that? So I said never. After that… I had to go through quite some suffering. As you know, the majority of the missions coming to the Behengerr mercenary guild is taken by the Corona mercenaries. So, there were no missions for me. There are a lot of A-rank mercenaries after all.”“…And so?”“I left Behengerr and went to another town to become S-rank there. Then I returned – to take revenge against that son of a bitch Xeon. But when I returned… that fucker became an SS-rank already. Shit.”
Saying that Ludd giggled.
“Well, you are an S-rank so it should be hard for Xeon to do anything to you. But watch out anyway. That bitch Xeon… can’t even trust his own men, but treats everyone else like shit.”
Sungmin had never heard that Xeon was such a person in his previous life. After all, he was a puny being to know things like these.
“Got it.”
However, it was different this time. Despite that, he still felt slightly bitter.
It was as though he found out about the vicious and dirty sides of someone he admired.