Chapter 53

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: Super Stealthy Kid Searches for Dad - Chapter 148

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Tesetan Veronico.

The monster who formed and rocketed it to the top of the rankings in just one year.

Every mercenary in Talochium, Reaper included, knew that name.

Or more precisely, they only knew his name.

Tesetan's background was a complete mystery.

Just a name, with nothing revealed about his age, hometown, or family.

"He's a total lunatic in every way."

Reaper idly flicked his gauntlet's thumb, snapping it with a click.

Across from him sat Basto Paerix, a rumored executive of Agaveert, staring with a tense expression.

"You'd better prepare. With that guy's temperament, it's obvious he'll come crashing into Agaveert sooner or later."

Reaper was visiting the capital after a very long time.

He'd come to meet a few nobles who'd given him personal commissions lately and to exchange his spare monster cores at the Compensation Bureau.

Except...

'Right now, all the gold's run out... I only have about ten small monster cores' worth.'

The Compensation Bureau was out of rewards.

At first, he thought it was absurd.

After all, Reaper had never once seen the bureau short on gold.

But according to Ornel,

'Agaveert took over 40,000 gold in the last few weeks? In just a few weeks! The vault's not just empty—it's scraped clean!'

40,000 gold.

Enough for a large mercenary corps to live comfortably for a full year without a single job.

Even after paying every member their personal cut every month.

And yet, that sum had been claimed by a puny six-man outfit in a matter of weeks?

Then it hit him—a rumor he'd overheard at the border not long ago.

'Agaveert—you've met them before, right?'

Every mercenary at the border had been buzzing about the Commander King and his crew.

'Tesetan's pissed. Doesn't like Agaveert climbing the ranks.'

Only then did Reaper piece together what was going down in the empire.

Tesetan was a powerhouse.

The top dog who could solo giant monsters and walk away with just a few scratches.

But that made it all the stranger.

"The guy's a stubborn fanatic. Obsessively so. No room for relaxation, even for a top-tier fighter."

Tesetan was weirdly obsessed with the rankings.

As if conquering mana stones and slaying monsters was the sole purpose of his existence.

"Even among mercenaries, people talk. Most would coast once they hit a certain rank, but that bastard never stops rampaging."

Some even said that obsession was why Tesetan held onto number one.

But Reaper didn't buy it.

"He reminds me of a moth to a flame. Spot a threat to his spot, and he charges like a rabid dog. Even [Grim Reaper] had a rough time with him once."

Back when was surging up the ranks.

Tesetan picked a fight every single time they crossed paths.

Challenge him to a duel over a big commission, or get ready to sink to the bottom.

No courtesy, no procedure—nothing.

It was the same back then.

Reaper had just offered a friendly handshake, figuring they might as well get along now that they knew each other.

'A handshake? Why the hell would I shake hands with you?'

'Hey, come on, that's no way to act with a stranger...'

'I didn't become a mercenary to chum it up. Go kill monsters if that's your goal. Wasting time shaking hands with rivals? No wonder your corps is in such a state with a leader like you.'

It was so outrageous even a veteran like Reaper was left speechless.

Too ridiculous to even get mad.

Afterward, Reaper mulled it over.

And came to a simple conclusion.

Tesetan must have seen him as an easy mark.

But no.

Tesetan treated every fellow mercenary the same.

Always droning on about 'efficiency,' 'goals,' 'competition.' Never any camaraderie or casual chit-chat.

"In short, a psycho. Anyway."

Reaper shook his head and fixed Basto with a stare.

He rested his gauntleted hand on his hip.

"A guy like that? First real threat to his throne, and who knows what he'll pull. That's why I'm saying stay sharp. Your first run-in with him will catch you off guard."

"That unpredictable?"

Reaper nodded without hesitation.

"Unpredictable doesn't cover it—he's dangerous. If you were just another run-of-the-mill corps, I wouldn't bother saying this. But you guys..."

Reaper glanced around the Agaveert base, which rivaled a noble's mansion.

Vast interior.

Lavish decorations, priceless treasures on the walls.

Despite being newly formed, Agaveert had already achieved so much.

Olek said it was even faster than at its peak.

"You really look like the ones who can knock Tesetan down a peg."

Basto nodded lightly instead of replying.

"Thanks for the advice."

Reaper waved it off like it was nothing.

He turned to leave, then spotted something and widened his eyes.

"Commander King. You were inside?"

The Commander King was descending the second-floor stairs—someone Reaper thought wasn't there.

Reaper approached with a grin.

"First time since Weapon District, right? Any lingering effects from being trapped in that subspace...?"

But for some reason, the Commander King glared at him and puffed out his cheeks.

Then,

"...Commander King doesn't talk to bad people. Doesn't even say hi."

"What?"

Tiye huffed past Reaper in a flash.

"Gossiping is bad! Calling people crazy or lunatics—that makes you even worse!"

Tiye stomped straight into the kitchen.

A bewildered breath escaped Reaper's lips.

"I came to warn you to be careful, and..."

Reaper stared blankly at the kitchen door where Tiye had vanished.

Meanwhile, at the Oracadia Sanctuary on the Northern Continent.

"...What do you mean? The national commission we got after two years is canceled?"

Tesetan rose from the empty sanctuary's altar.

Aleric sighed.

Victor behind him, Livia, and the other members all wore grim faces.

"Boss. It's all that Commander King's fault! Things were going great until..."

Livia cried out indignantly.

Tesetan silently stepped down from the altar.

He looked at Aleric and asked in a low voice,

"I'm asking if we lost the national commission to Agaveert."

Aleric answered reluctantly.

"...Yes. The Association won't admit it, but that's the most likely scenario."

"Why?"

"Because over the last few weeks, Agaveert's been conquering mana stones outside the capital—no, across the entire empire—at a terrifying pace. They're already rank 4, so naturally, attention's shifting their way..."

"Hahaha."

Tesetan burst into laughter.

He rubbed his eyes briefly, but a chilling rage now burned on his face.

"This is insane."

The day after meeting Valentis in the Weapon District, Tesetan had left Talochium immediately.

For several reasons.

First, seeing Valentis had stirred that inner turmoil he absolutely couldn't afford again.

Second,

"We came all this way for some imperial attention. Some members even got injured..."

The Northern Continent was prime territory, packed with mana stone clusters.

"Boss. Our corps' achievements don't vanish just because of this. Agaveert's muddied the waters a bit, but..."

"Muddied means it doesn't count."

Tesetan hated clustered mana stones.

He'd lost his mother once, leaving three behind in Talochium's wasteland.

Still, he'd come north to save time.

The path to mercenary fame was piling up conquests.

To do that faster, he needed to shorten siege times.

And the best way was hunting clustered stones.

Until recently, everything had been smooth sailing.

Just two days ago, he'd even gotten rare contact from the Association.

A national commission might come their way—prepare to return home.

But now,

"Canceled? Because of Agaveert? Because of the Commander King, that freak?"

Tesetan's eyes darkened, growing icy cold.