After a while, the Mane Wolf Mercenary Corps returned.
"Hah, nothing but weak little things!" Zaken licked the blade of his axe.
No casualties.
No signs of panic.
Entered as if it were natural, returned as if it were natural.
It's no wonder those people were scared.
Those guys had a fundamentally different vibe from the 1-stars. A feeling like they were sharp-edged.
"Who are you?" The man with the scarred eye looked at me and asked.
It was Avant.
I replied.
"You don't need to mind me."
"Hey, who are you to talk so disrespectfully?"
"You're the one who started talking casually."
"Who's this wench now?"
"Stop!" Avant stepped forward and said.
Zaken, whose veins were popping on his forehead, quieted down.
"I am Avant Desik. Leader of the Mane Wolf Mercenary Corps. And you?"
"Han."
"You carry a weapon too. Mercenary?"
"No. Farmer."
"Farmer?" A flicker of contempt crossed Avant's eyes, then quickly vanished.
Avant continued.
"Were the people gathered earlier everyone here?"
"Yes, why?"
"That's enough."
[Wait!] Avant stopped on his way to the dorm.
Isel appeared hastily and said.
[Hold on! The Master still has business with you.]
"Business?"
[Anyway, you can't just leave!]
Jena leaned close and whispered in my ear.
"Oppa, you asked me earlier what I thought of those people? Made up my mind. Not good."
"Reason?"
"Their eyes are strange. Sister Edith seems nice though..."
"Is that so."
[Master, starting 10x Summon. Excited to see which heroes will appear!]
An unexpected message popped up in my vision.
A sudden 10-summon at a time like this.
'I see.'
No, precisely because it's this time, they summoned.
I touched the sheath at my waist. The rough texture clung to my fingertips.
[Clack, Dururururu.]
[Tada-ran!]
[Common!]
[Master 'Amkena' has acquired....]
[Common!]
[Master 'Amkena' has acquired....]
The Summoning Chamber door opened.
Me, Jena, and all members of the Mane Wolf Mercenary Corps turned our eyes towards it.
After a moment, ten different men and women walked out into the plaza. Before they could even grasp the situation.
[Master, beginning synthesis.]
[Drag and drop the hero to be sacrificed onto the hero you wish to enhance! The sacrificed hero will be annihilated.]
[Another blockhead!] Isel's face crumpled as she realized Amkena's intention, but she couldn't refuse an order once given. Isel raised her voice and said.
"[Zaken, Diman, Rexigle! Enter the Synthesis Lab!]"
"Y-you, who are you! How do you know my name? Us..."
"The Master said get in! Shut up and get in! Diman, Rexigle! Which one of you is it? Come out quick!"
Zaken cracked his knuckles and stepped forward.
Jena muttered with a stiff expression.
"No way..."
"Yes way."
"But they just arrived!"
'Is it because it's their first paid summon that they're seeing red?'
Right now, Amkena is making a huge mistake. It's true most 1-stars are useless, but among them are certainly many valuable talents. Yet, without any verification, they were about to sacrifice newly summoned 1-stars.
"Are you Diman? Looking at you, seems like it!"
"M-me..."
"Follow me! Follow, I said!" Zaken grabbed the man with a brutish arm and dragged him towards the Synthesis Lab.
"Zaken! Drag one more. Who's Rexigle?"
An old man sucked in a sharp breath.
Zaken grinned, then grabbed the old man with his other arm. The two were dragged into the Synthesis Lab without any resistance. The door closed.
A moment later.
[Synthesis Complete!]
['Diman (★)' and 'Rexigle (★)' vanish into light.]
['Zaken (★★★)', Level Up!]
"Haha, really feeling the power surge!" Zaken came out of the Synthesis Lab, rotating both arms.
[Avant, Soriol, Danil!]
"Wh-what! What are you trying to do! S-save me. Please save me!"
"Stop them from escaping!"
At Avant's command, the mercenaries drew their weapons. People's faces turned pale at the sight of the chilling blades. Caught, they trembled in a corner of the plaza, unable to go anywhere.
"What are you doing? Aren't you also Mane Wolf?" Avant said to Edith behind him, sword drawn.
Edith hadn't drawn her weapon.
"..."
Edith lowered her head, biting her lip hard, then drew her dagger.
Jena stood up abruptly and said.
"This is wrong!"
['Jena (★)' expresses dissatisfaction with the current action!]
"Who are you? Stay out of it if you don't want to get hurt!"
"You should at least give them a chance! What kind of law is this! Oppa, what do you think? Do you think this is right? This isn't right!"
"..."
I closed my eyes.
Experienced many things since coming here.
'Lots of things happened. Really. Enough to change a person.'
I opened my eyes.
"Isel, answer me!"
"[Yeah, speak.]"
"Send a tip to the Master. Tell them you never know with any 1-star unless you try them."
"[Huh? That's...]"
"Got it, or not?"
"[W-wait a sec!]" Isel vanished, flapping her wings frantically in panic.
[Tips/ You never know with any 1-star unless you try them. How about observing them for a while instead of synthesizing rashly?]
The Master's operations stopped.
A short while later, the Synthesis Lab door closed. The mercenaries, who had been smiling, froze instantly. Zaken approached me, his face filled with killing intent.
"Who are you to interfere?"
"Interfere? Just offered some advice."
"Called it advice?"
"Yeah, got a problem?"
"This bastard must be crazy!" Zaken swung his axe but stopped mid-air.
Jena's arrowhead was aimed at his head.
"Did you just point a weapon at us?" Avant muttered.
I smiled sweetly, then drew my sword from its sheath. And pointed it straight at Avant's face.
"Avant, let's call it a day. It's late..."
"You shut up!" Avant forcefully pushed Edith aside and asked me.
"Do you even know who we are?"
"Know very well. That, right there." I pointed to a bone rolling on the plaza floor.
"What's that?"
"Trash."
Instantly drawing his sword, Avant rushed towards me.
I remained still until the sword was right before my eyes.
[Stop it!] Isel interposed herself between me and Avant. Avant's blade hit an invisible barrier and stopped midway. Avant's eyes flashed as he tightened his grip on the sword.
"Get out of the way. If you don't want to get hurt."
"[Fighting between heroes is forbidden! Wanna get scolded by the Master?]"
"It's not forbidden," I said.
"[Well, that's true, but!]"
'Time to use that.'
['Avant (★★★)' displays Hostility towards 'Han (★)'!]
['Zaken (★★★)' displays Hostility towards 'Han (★)'!]
['Wayfe (★★★)' displays Hostility towards 'Han (★)'!]
['Veignin (★★★)' displays Hostility towards 'Han (★)'!]
[Hostile relationship formed between 'Han (★)' and 'Mane Wolf' team. Observe the relationship between heroes carefully!]
Edith kept her head lowered.
Turning my gaze to Avant, I said.
"Hey, be honest. You guys aren't mercenaries, are you?"
"What nonsense. We are clearly mercenaries who move on依頼 (requests)."
"Stop lying. You're bandits."
"Watch your mouth! Want to be hacked to pieces?!"
Not planning to act like a hero of justice now.
Just that guys like these are only hindrances. Sometimes, regardless of rank, evil-aligned heroes like this get summoned. They stir up trouble in the waiting room, causing all sorts of chaos. They are the main culprits disrupting order and reducing efficiency.
In other words, trash that needs to be culled.
This was the second, and true, meaning of culling.
I usually gather guys like these into one party and send them as the vanguard into high-level dungeons. They mostly get wiped out.
If I were the Master, I would do that, but unfortunately, I'm just a hero. Then, it was time to use the second method.
"Isel, open a duel."
"[A d-duel?]"
['Han (★)' challenges 'Avant (★★★)' to a duel!]
[Tips/ Dueling is one method to resolve conflicts between heroes. Special conditions can be set based on mutual agreement.]
"Seen all sorts of crazy guys. What harm did we do to you for you to act like this?"
"Consider it getting bitten by a mad dog."
I know the habits of guys like these very well.
If they think their opponent is weaker, they crush them mercilessly. Asking me earlier if the gathered people were everyone was likely for reconnaissance. Because it would be troublesome if someone stronger were here.
When I answered no, they made their judgment, and this was the result.
"Eating newly summoned 1-stars barely makes a dent. Right?"
"Oho. Offering yourself as a sacrifice?"
"If you beat me."
"Oppa, what are you saying?"
"Simple. If I win, I eat him. If he wins, he eats me."
"That's interesting."
['Avant (★★★)' accepts the duel.]
[The duel condition proposed by each hero is 'Synthesis'. Do you agree?]
[Yes / No(Selected)]
'Refusal.'
I smiled wryly.
'Again.'
['Han (★)' expresses confidence!]
[Accept the duel between 'Han (★)' and 'Avant (★★★)'?]
After brief consideration, Amkena made a decision.
[Yes(Selected) / No]
[The duel between 'Han (★)' and 'Avant (★★★)' begins!]
"Avant, you don't need to step up..."
"Underlings stay back. Got no business with you."
"What!"
I looked at the trembling 1-stars in the corner of the plaza.
"Jena, take those people into the dorm. Don't say anything unnecessary."
"Will you be okay alone?"
"Think I'll lose?"
"Well, true!"
Jena put away her bow and approached the newcomers.
They looked at Jena with frightened eyes.
"It's dangerous here, follow me. I'll guide you to a safe place."
Guided by Jena, the 8 survivors returned to the dorm.
The mercenaries stared at me dumbfounded. Only Edith chewed her lip, looking at the floor.
"The fight ends when one of us says 'surrender'. Agree?"
"As you wish. I won't kill you. Need fresh sacrifices."
"Isel. Watch closely so the others don't interfere."
"[Are you really okay?]"
"I don't lose."
"Ha, really." Avant laughed as if dumbfounded.
Then, drawing his sword, he rushed towards me.
Already scanned his status window.
Level 2. Strength already close to 20. Low-Grade Swordsmanship reached level 3. Judging purely by abilities, potential worth raising.
So.
['Han (★)' enters Berserk state!]
I grabbed Avant's head and slammed it onto the floor.
Blood splattered where his face hit.
Instantly drew my sword and plunged it into Avant's right shoulder blade. The blade pierced the leather armor, penetrated the bone, and embedded itself in the metal floor.
"Kkeu, kkeua, kkeuaaaaaaaaagh!"
Avant screamed loud enough for the whole plaza to hear. Several teeth must have broken, as wind whistled through his screams.
'Status Window.'
[Han Israt (★) Lv. 9 (Exp 11/70)]
[Class: Novice]
[STR: 28/23 + 5]
[INT: 1/11 - 10]
[VIT: 26/21 + 5]
[AGI: 26/21 + 5]
[Skills Owned: Low-Grade Sword & Shield Arts (Lv.5), Pain Resistance (Lv.2), Composure (Lv.3), Berserk Temperament (Lv.1)]
[Current Status: Berserk(Lv.1)]
Finally succeeded in entering the Berserk state I couldn't trigger before.
One side of my head felt scorching hot, but an unknown sensation neutralized the heat.
I looked down at Avant.
What level difference, challenging me. Skills worse than mine too.
Guys who run wild without knowing their place deserve this. Avant writhed face down on the ground.
"Ugh, keuah, keuheok!"
"It hurts more if you move."
Unless I instantly burst his head or heart, he won't die.
Used too much force, my right hand feels stiff. Rotating my wrist, I looked at the mercenaries. They stared blankly at Avant.
Then Zaken suddenly raised his axe high and charged.
Isel flew in front of Zaken and swung her right hand. Isel's right hand moved invisibly fast, caught the axe, and flung it far away.
I grinned, then whispered into Avant's ear.
"Say surrender."