“Ugh, my head…….”
Jun sat up in bed, clutching his throbbing head, when a familiar voice immediately came from beside him.
“Senior! Are you all right?”
“Aiden?”
“Phew…… Thank goodness you’re awake.”
“What happened? When did I pass out?”
As Jun began wondering why he had woken up in a bed in the first place, Aiden approached with a worried expression.
“You don’t remember? Senior, you collapsed almost immediately after the subjugation ended.”
“Hmm……?”
At Aiden’s words, Jun’s sluggish mind gradually began working again.
Fragments of what had happened before he lost consciousness resurfaced.
“Ah, right. The Goblin Lord died, and…….”
The moment Aiden and Jinovan successfully assassinated the Goblin Lord, they immediately turned around and fled.
The Goblin Fighters nearby were within Jinovan’s ability to handle, but there was no way the two of them could also fight the roughly two hundred goblins massed behind them.
Thus, while Aiden and Jinovan fled with the enraged Goblin Fighters pursuing them, Jun remained behind with the soldiers and held the attention of the remaining goblins.
Fortunately, once their leader died, fear rapidly spread through the goblins, and it did not take long for their formation to collapse.
“I confirmed that much before I passed out…….”
The strain placed on his body when he interfered with the Goblin Lord’s sorcery had been far greater than he had expected.
At the time, Jun had endured through sheer determination, telling himself that he had to remain conscious until they were safe.
As a result, his memory ended the moment he saw the goblins beginning to scatter.
“What the hell was I thinking……?”
Only now, after the danger had passed, did Jun fully realize what he had done.
‘What exactly did I do against that Goblin Lord?’
Normally, interfering with another person’s magic was impossible unless there was an overwhelming difference in skill.
And the Goblin Lord had been a Shaman.
Jun had not interfered with magic at all, but with sorcery, an entirely different system of power.
It was something his knowledge of magic could not explain.
Thinking back on what he had done, Jun gave a bitter smile.
‘I actually risked my life to save someone.’
Even though he had known the strain it would place on his mind, the moment he saw Aiden in danger, Jun had acted without hesitation.
Had he always possessed such an altruistic side?
Perhaps it was because he had spent the past year without anyone he could truly rely upon.
Maybe finally accepting Aiden as a genuine companion had caused his guard to loosen.
‘Though even if I went back, I think I’d do the same thing again.’
At the time, his only thought had been that he had to save Aiden.
Still, reflecting on his own emotional state left a strangely bitter feeling behind.
He had not expected that, after only a year of having distrust toward others rooted so deeply within him, some of the sensibilities of ‘Lee Jeong-jun’ would still remain.
Yet he did not find that entirely unpleasant.
“Um, Senior. Are you really all right?”
At Aiden’s repeated question, Jun waved an arm to reassure him.
“I was just thinking about something. More importantly, what’s the situation now?”
“It has been about half a day since you collapsed. For now, they are eliminating the remaining stragglers in the area and resting.”
“I see…… Ah, right. You made it back safely too. That’s a relief.”
With everything that had happened, Jun had forgotten that Aiden had taken just as great a risk.
He had been forced to carry out a dangerous mission alongside Jinovan.
“I’m fine. Commander Jinovan performed admirably.”
According to Aiden, after assassinating the Goblin Lord and fleeing into the forest, the two had dealt with the Goblin Fighters that quickly pursued them.
“Commander Jinovan’s swordsmanship was…… impressive in many ways.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I believe I learned a great deal from watching him.”
With as much talent as Aiden possessed, merely observing the practical swordsmanship of a Knight seemed to have taught him plenty.
And in that respect, Jun was no different.
‘What exactly was that phenomenon when the Goblin Lord used its sorcery?’
It had felt similar to when Jun first entered this body and had the body’s memories forcibly poured into his mind.
Back then, had he not instinctively used magic he had never cast before?
Jun tried recalling the situation again, but he did not feel as though he could manipulate the Mana in nature the way he had at that moment.
Perhaps the potential within him had simply manifested on its own because he had been pushed to the absolute limit.
It was only speculation.
Unfortunately, he was in no condition to pursue the thought any further.
“For now…… I need more rest.”
His body was still insisting quite forcefully that he remain in bed.
Cleaning up the surrounding area ended sooner than expected.
With the Goblin Lord dead, the population of the goblins scattered throughout the forest would regulate itself naturally.
Having lost their leader, the goblins would begin fighting among themselves over the suddenly vacant position.
And once the other monsters noticed that the goblins’ cohesion had weakened, they would naturally move in to fill the gaps in the ecosystem.
Thanks to that, the subjugation force was able to return to the fortress before long.
“And…… this is the reward issued in the name of the Imperial Family.”
Several days had passed since their return to the fortress.
Once Jun had recovered from the exhaustion of the long march and battle, he immediately went to see Chloe.
There was something he was supposed to receive from her.
“It’s not as much as I expected.”
A leather pouch was filled to the brim with gold coins.
Altogether, it came to roughly nine million Gold.
Considering that the value of money in this world was fairly similar to Korean won…….
‘For something I risked my life doing, this really isn’t much. And I still have to split it with Aiden.’
Even so, there was no denying that a mere Bronze-Rank mercenary company consisting of only two participating members had received a substantial return.
“There are conventions to follow. Besides, those misers in the Imperial Family aren’t going to hand out money easily. You actually received quite a lot, you know? The value of the Golem Core is included in that. And you weren’t expecting the real reward to come from this in the first place, were you?”
“That’s true.”
The completion payment for the mission was merely incidental.
The real rewards were only beginning.
First, the reputation of the White Whale Mercenary Company under Jun’s command had risen dramatically because of this operation.
‘What kind of mercenary company defeats a Field Boss on its very first mission?’
And that Field Boss had even been an Irregular appearing for the first time in seventy-two years.
There was no need to explain how much weight that carried.
‘Though I’m not planning to start recruiting mercenaries just because of this.’
That could be handled gradually.
There were still plenty of rewards left.
“So, what happened with the dungeon ownership rights?”
Unlike fields, where income was unstable, dungeons could generate a reliable profit.
That was why dungeons were one of the elements of Blackout beloved by mercenaries and Adventurers alike.
Because they reset at regular intervals, their supply of monsters remained stable.
More importantly, although the chances were extremely low, dungeons were one of the few reliable places where Skill Books and Artifacts could be obtained.
“Hehehe…….”
And after making various investments in the recent subjugation, Chloe had secured priority rights to purchase ownership of those dungeons.
Simply avoiding the auction process would save her an enormous amount of money.
“Try not to be too shocked. I got seven of them!”
“Seven? That’s more than I expected. The Imperial Family actually allowed that? Those people absolutely despise monopolies.”
“Hah! Of course it wasn’t easy. But the current fortress Commanding General came straight from central politics, remember?”
“Ah…… You brought people from that side over as well?”
“Well, I did have to promise them a share here and there. But the profit is still far greater!”
In the future, the dungeons Chloe purchased would be used by various Adventurers and mercenaries.
Naturally, the fees she earned from them would amount to a considerable sum.
Moreover, if Skill Books or Artifacts were discovered, she would receive priority purchasing rights, allowing her to put those items up for auction afterward.
In other words, from this point forward, Chloe could make money simply by sitting back and letting the dungeons operate.
“See? Money really does make more money. Isn’t it wonderfully convenient?”
“Yes, yes. And don’t forget my name is attached to those earnings too.”
“Ahem. Of course! A merchant lives and dies by her credibility.”
Jun had been the one who initiated this entire investment plan in the first place.
If one had to divide the contributions, Jun had constructed the framework while Chloe had filled it out.
Naturally, Jun’s share of the profits had been included as well.
“Five percent of the net profit. As soon as the dungeons begin operating, it’ll be deposited into the account under your name.”
Blackout underwent a major Reset every year, so the arrangement would last less than a year at most.
But that was more than enough.
Jun could take the money accumulated during that period, invest it again, and steadily increase his capital.
Furthermore, the knowledge that he would receive a stable income for an entire year brought a certain peace of mind.
That was the extent of the rewards Jun had expected.
Yet Chloe’s expression still had not relaxed.
“Hehehe…… And that isn’t the end of the rewards.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Ta-da! Take a look at this!”
Chloe produced a box carefully crafted from luxurious wood and decorated with golden bands.
“What’s this?”
“Instead of asking, just open it. Commander Jinovan sent it, by the way. You can afford to get your hopes up.”
“Hmm…….”
Seeing Chloe’s excitement, Jun began feeling a little anticipation himself and carefully unwrapped the box.
It reminded him of opening a birthday present when he was very young.
“Huh?”
Inside was something that completely exceeded his expectations.
“This is…….”
A book with a dark green cover made from goblin hide.
Jun’s eyes widened.
“A Skill Book?”
“That’s right. It dropped from the Goblin Lord you defeated.”
“How did you get this……?”
“It was the reward Baron Dortagon gave Commander Jinovan. From his perspective, Lord Jinovan saved his life by personally cutting off the Goblin Lord’s head. And Commander Jinovan passed it on to you.”
“He just gave me something like this without asking for anything in return?”
“Considering how much you’ve done for him, isn’t it a little strange to call it ‘without asking for anything in return’?”
Now that she mentioned it, she had a point.
The people who had benefited most from this subjugation were Jun, Chloe, and Jinovan.
“A Skill Book…….”
Skill Books were far more expensive than one might imagine.
Even the cheapest Skill Books cost hundreds of thousands of Gold, while exceptional ones could command prices in the tens of billions.
‘Let’s see. What Skill Books could a Shaman-Type Goblin Lord drop?’
Several possible skills immediately formed into a list in Jun’s mind.
“I already had Appraisers examine it. The skill is called [Intermediate Sorcery].”
“Ah…… I see.”
His expectations had risen too high for a moment, so the disappointment was equally strong.
Sorcery was a relatively obscure discipline compared to magic and therefore was not particularly popular.
Its market price was correspondingly lower, and it was awkward for Jun to learn it himself.
For someone who used Mana to attempt to wield Sorcerous Power, a conflict between the two energies seemed inevitable.
‘The fact that I was able to interpret the Goblin Lord’s sorcery bothers me…… but that isn’t enough reason to take such a reckless gamble.’
For now, selling it and using the money to learn new magic would be far safer.
‘Still, it’s a little disappointing. If it had dropped something like that weakening Aura Effect, I would’ve hit the jackpot.’
Of course, if that had happened, Jinovan probably would not have given it to him in the first place.
Its price would have been dozens of times higher at minimum.
“Still, [Intermediate Sorcery] has plenty of uses. Even the Magic Towers will be interested.”
“Obviously. If the auction goes well, it could sell for as much as ten million Gold.”
Ten million Gold was certainly not a bad amount of money.
Only a few days ago, had Jun not trembled over spending six hundred thousand Gold at the Mercenary Guild?
“Then the net profit from this subjugation comes to roughly fourteen million Gold?”
There was money he needed to split with Aiden, and once the Skill Book went to auction, Chloe would also receive a commission, so that was roughly what Jun would end up with.
For the first profit he had earned by personally leading his mercenary company, it was far beyond anything he had imagined.
“Ah, and Commander Jinovan asked to see you separately. Go sometime tomorrow afternoon.”
“Again?”
Apparently, there was still another reward waiting for him.
The next afternoon.
As Chloe had instructed, Jun headed to the fortress to meet Jinovan.
Jinovan looked somewhat tired, apparently having been busy lately, but unlike before, there was a liveliness to his expression.
“It has been a while, Jun. Have you been well?”
“Thanks to you, Commander. I received the Skill Book you sent.”
“Haha, think nothing of it. Considering everything you’ve done for me, my only regret is that I couldn’t give you more.”
He meant it.
What Jinovan had gained from this subjugation was by no means insignificant.
First, he had successfully reclaimed his lost reputation.
He had also led the Reconnaissance Unit to great success and personally slain the Goblin Lord.
For Jinovan, a fallen noble starved for honor, those military accomplishments were probably more precious than money.
On top of that, he now had considerable support from both the Gilenne Trading Company and the Commanding General.
Since Jun had been the one who brought him all of those things, a reward of that magnitude was, from Jinovan’s perspective, a perfectly reasonable investment.
Jinovan smiled gently and placed a document on the table.
“The reason I called you here is because of this.”
“This is……?”
Jun examined the document Jinovan handed him, and his eyes widened.
“It is a letter of recommendation for a Conquest Operation.”