Chapter 100

Jungsan (1)

"I already told you that such pointless wordplay is utterly meaningless..."

"Sir Wu. You, of all people, might not even know if the data we hand over is real."

Hina said this while slowly placing her hand on her waist.

"I wanted to let things go smoothly, but if you interfere with our agency's operation..."

The previously relaxed atmosphere became tense, and those who were lined up facing each other silently picked up their weapons.

Feeling the slowly rising magical heat around him, Renock slowly checked his body.

'My mana has recovered to some extent, but... my condition is far from ideal.'

Although he hadn't been directly injured, he had made several sacrifices to complete the operation with his body intact.

During the operation, he had once reinforced his legs with mana, which caused his mana poisoning to flare up again.

Combined with the side effects of Feather Fall, his leg veins had burst, leaving them full of bruises.

Renock took out a recovery potion from his pocket.

A healing agent given to him as a gift by Drey, called Headrock.

The taste was so bad it made him want to vomit, but paradoxically, it made him feel like it was good for his health.

It was the second time he was taking it, but he had mentally prepared himself for the strange, disgusting taste.

Just think of it as a health supplement. Wouldn't nutritional supplements taste like this if you chewed them?

"Ugh."

Even though he had tried to give himself a mental suggestion, it didn't help much.

He was taking this medicine now not so much for immediate effect, but to recover his body in the long term.

He probably wouldn't have the leisure to take it if he were about to fight.

After finishing his preparations, Renock slowly drew up his mana.

Step by step, slowly.

But until he could overwhelm everyone else in this place.

Rumble!!!

"......!!!"

The low-level freelancers only frowned at the strange pressure on their shoulders.

However, it was natural for the expressions of those who recognized the true value of the mana in that pressure to change dramatically.

The mana of Renock, who had crossed the line of life and death on the front lines of battle many times, began to carry a notion beyond mere killing intent.

It wasn't a simple manifestation of a low, base desire to kill.

It was a powerful wish for his own victory. The determination in his mana was so strong that it was clearly conveyed to the others.

His will extended beyond ordinary thoughts.

"Enough."

The tense atmosphere just before the clash was cooled by a calm yet somehow cold voice.

Everyone's attention focused on the short-haired woman who stepped forward between the two sides.

Her face was smiling, but her expression was somewhat stiff.

Renock realized that he remembered her face and slightly frowned.

She was a member of the Plato Mercenary Agency who had come to the headquarters when the Dike Corporation made the request and had met Renock face-to-face.

Her name was Nicole, wasn't it?

Only after seeing Maoren's face, who followed her hesitantly, did Renock realize that the Plato Mercenary Agency had gotten involved in this matter.

Nicole calmly looked around the gathered people and shook her head.

"We're done here."

"What? What do you mean?"

In response to Mason's words, Nicole smiled and said,

"We were told that we would be raiding the terrorist organization's treasury, but we weren't told that we would have to face a mage. This is different from what was agreed in the contract."

Wu looked at her in disbelief.

"A mage? A mage? You're going to pull out of this operation because of one skinny old scholar?"

"Yes."

As Nicole nodded, the atmosphere in the room changed strangely.

Her words sounded like she considered facing Renock as a greater risk than facing the agents.

"Didn't we agree to inform everyone in advance if there was any possibility of harm to this agency?"

"......"

"We knew we might encounter enforcement agents, but we weren't told about this mage."

Everyone in the room knew that Nicole was nitpicking over formal regulations.

How many clients could fully adhere to such terms in a street where people died every day?

But people interpreted it differently.

Nicole thought that even if it meant nitpicking, she had to get away from the mage in front of her.

This realization showed that she highly evaluated Renock.

The rift happened in an instant.

As Nicole turned her head, Maoren grinned and followed her.

At the same time, about ten people who were standing behind Mason and Wu moved to follow Nicole.

Chen, who watched the mercenaries leave with a bewildered expression, shook his head.

"...It's not my concern, but they're out of their minds. Can they just openly violate a contract with a senator?"

"No. She made a rational decision."

"What?"

"In a way, it shows that she has fast information. She made an excuse and left this place because she realized there was nothing to gain by staying."

"What do you mean by that..."

In response to Chen's words, Hina smiled calmly and took something out of her pocket to show Chen and Renock.

A tablet the size of a palm displayed a news headline.

[Senator Raisen Azamah, who has been acting as a spokesperson for the city council, has been indicted for allegedly hiding billions of dollars in slush funds. The audit office claims to have concrete evidence and has issued an arrest warrant based on this. For more details, please watch the video.]

The next moment, Evelyn Marcia's face appeared on the screen.

Dressed in a matching suit, she walked into the city council with over a dozen agents, her expression sharp and determined.

The decisive reason she couldn't appear in the final operation to eliminate Craig.

As soon as the operation ended, she personally confronted Senator Raisen.

Had she already started the battle before they even arrived in Balkan?

It was certainly something Evelyn would have initiated, but it was too early to attack Raisen without the database extracted from Craig being properly transmitted.

Given her track record, she wouldn't have acted without a clear advantage...

'That's it.'

Renock thought this and lifted his head.

Hina was looking at him with a confident smile.

"You transmitted the database's contents to Evelyn, didn't you? And she found the slush fund records?"

"Yes."

She nodded.

"Chaysha's bazooka has performance comparable to a supercomputer. While ordinary communication devices wouldn't reach the city from this distance, she's different. She extracted the data and transmitted it as soon as she left the labor camp."

No wonder she seemed too relaxed even after being caught by Raisen's freelancers. She had already finished what she needed to do.

The others seemed to have heard the news as well, and Mason and Wu's faces had changed strangely.

"I'm heading back to Balkan right away. This isn't the time."

Wu said with a serious expression, and Mason shook his head reluctantly.

"Well... then the contract is over here. You have to send the payment. From the looks of it, that old man is in a bad state."

"......"

Even the usually composed Mason had quickly cut his losses, which distorted Wu's expression, but he didn't say anything and turned around.

It was natural that Wu, who was a secretary in the senator's office, and Mason, who was just an employee, had different perspectives.

As Wu disappeared, Mason shrugged awkwardly at Renock.

"That's how it turned out. I was hoping to get a good repair fee for my body this time..."

"Sorry to hear that."

"That's why you shouldn't get involved with the city council old men. How can you trust someone who might disappear at any moment?"

He said this and hung his head, turning around.

"I was hoping to have some fun with this body, but now I've lost all interest."

"......"

Pursuing interest rather than profit as a freelancer was also abnormal.

A spontaneous type, unlike Renock, who was reluctant to move unless necessary.

"Well, aside from that, I need to have a talk with you. Jenny, right? I'll visit your bar later, so have some good whiskey ready."

"....Will that alcohol even get you drunk with that head of yours?"

In response to Renock's reluctant answer, Mason tilted his head and walked away.

Despite his state of mind, he was still leading other freelancers, and the others followed him.

After all the jeeps in the vast plateau disappeared, Chen sighed.

"Damn. I don't know how far we've come trying to raise startup funds. I really thought I was going to die fighting that terrorist."

"He was a tough opponent."

"We shouldn't come near this place for a while. You'll add the money as promised, right?"

Hina smiled at Chen's words.

"After splitting Raisen's slush funds, a significant amount will fall to our side."

It was the brightest smile she had shown so far.

"You can look forward to it."

While the fallen comrades in the operation were regrettable, it was a place where you couldn't afford to linger in mourning and remembrance if you wanted to survive for long.

Leaving his excited colleagues behind, Renock silently turned around.

The sky over the labor camp, which had been shrouded in black curtains and dark clouds, was now clear, revealing a blue sky.

He had left behind the fear and helplessness he felt the moment he opened his eyes in the unfamiliar factory.

Was it a coincidence or fate that he had returned to that place to finish one task?

"......Hmm."

It didn't matter which.

The only thing he could promise himself was his resolve to survive.

With unresolved secrets and unfinished business left behind, Renock would continue to move forward.

That was the only thing he could promise himself.