Mercenaries

Shin opened his eyes and stretched out his arms. The sun was barely coming through the window that was covered with thin fabric curtains.

On the other side of the room was Lou who was still asleep hugging her fluffy tail as usual.

For her it was the first time she slept in a bed of this type and quality. So, Shin decided to let her sleep-in peace. Besides they didn't have much to do either so there was no need to get up early.

Shin got up as quietly as he could and went to the bathroom to wash his face. The bathroom had the basics, a shower, a toilet, and a sink.

Once in front of the sink, Shin wet his face and looked at himself in the mirror. His brown hair had grown a bit, after all he had been in this world for more than a month.

Although it had only been a month, more things had happened to him in this short period of time than in his entire life.

He had to survive a murderous kraken, then be shipwrecked on an island where he got an ancient legacy left by a supposed goddess of darkness.

He then left the island only to end up meeting the kraken again only to scare it away before being devoured by an ancient divine beast that few people had ever seen in their lives.

He still had many questions but few answers.

Why did he wake up for the first time in this world and find himself on a pirate ship?

Why had he been sent to Grigarm?

Many things were going through his mind, but the lack of answers discouraged him. Shin sighed and finished washing his face.

For what reason was he living, for the freedom he so longed for?

Although he had left the lab behind, at least for now, Shin still felt that his heart felt empty, there was no real reason why he woke up every morning to go on with his life.

Fighting giant beasts? it didn't appeal to him.

To explore all of Grigarm like Alphonse did? Shin preferred to lie at home.

Studying all that this incredible world had to offer, the only thing he had seen so far was enough to make him understand that he was a zero to the left as far as this world was concerned.

Shin lay back down on the untended bed and picked up the pamphlet the man in the mercenary building had given him. On the cover he could see the shadow of a man and a woman with their backs pressed together as each held a different weapon.

The man held a long sword, and the woman held a bow. And what was most striking was the title of the pamphlet.

"Mercenary Guild."

Shin unwrapped the pamphlet and began to read.

The information was extensive but concise, it explained everything about the guild and the mercenaries. What their responsibilities were, their rights and their general role in the world.

It even had basic survival tips for newbies.

According to the pamphlet, mercenaries were people who were willing to fill orders of all kinds. These orders could range from fighting beasts to clearing an infested area, or even cleaning up the streets.

Clearly the orders were paid, the more difficult the order the higher the pay. Outside earnings were also included.

If a group accepted a request to exterminate beasts, they would not only earn the initial commission fee, but also all the materials they could collect. Such as blood cores, for example.

In short it was a bit like the phrase, he who does not risk does not win.

The mercenaries were divided into different ranks according to their record of completed orders, social impact, and power.

They ranged from rank 7 to rank 1, quite simple but easy to understand. Apparently, it was equal to the level of blood cores and orders, the higher the rank the better they were.

The advice they gave in the booklet was pretty simple as well. Perhaps to take the illusion away from people who wanted to become mercenaries for the easy money.

For example, one said that it is better to think about one's skill before taking a risk to complete a high-level order.

A rank 7 mercenary could only ask for rank 6 orders and so on up the ranks. A rank 7 could not simply ask for a rank 1 order and die trying.

Even if it wasn't mentioned, Shin thought that the death rate of mercenaries was quite high. Not that there were many regulations either.

It was also mentioned that if you didn't complete an order on time, you would have to pay a fine. Or that if you didn't make an appearance within 6 months at one of the guild buildings scattered around the world the mercenary would be presumed dead.

It was a lot of information, but it gave Shin an idea of what a mercenary did. At some point his money would run out and he would need to get work.

Shin finished reading the pamphlet and Lou started to wake up.

Stretching her arms and legs, Lou never felt better in her entire life. The bed was simply divine to her.

Shin put the brochure down on the nightstand and looked at Lou who was rubbing her eyes.

"Did you sleep well?"

Lou looked at him with sleepy eyes and nodded.

"I've never slept so well in my life."

Since the old man was the one sleeping in the only bed in the cabin on the island, Lou got to sleep on the couch. Which wasn't exactly comfortable.

Shin thought about explaining to her what they had to do after thinking about their future but decided to keep it to himself.

He still didn't know if he would stay with Lou the whole time, he just agreed to travel with her for a while. But if their paths conflicted, they would have to part eventually.

So, he just decided to share plans for the near future.

"The money isn't going to last us forever, so we'll have to work."

Lou's face distorted clearly unhappy at the suggestion.

"Work...?"

Shin knew this was going to happen, naturally Lou felt better out in nature. Where she could be herself without the need for a job.

All her life she had enough on the island to live comfortably. Even if it was little.

Someone who doesn't know luxuries thinks that what she has is the best. Something like that happened with Lou, spending her whole life on the island isolated her from the necessities within a society.

But Shin thought that maybe mercenary work wouldn't be so bad for Lou, in the end she would be constantly on the move and wouldn't get bored.

"I thought about becoming mercenaries, so we can earn money fighting beasts and such" Shin tried to simplify it as much as he could. If he said they could fight constantly, Lou would probably get excited and agree.

As Shin predicted, Lou quickly put on a smile and nodded vigorously.

"That's perfect!"

Shin sighed internally at Lou's determination, anything that involved fighting was good for her.

'Can't I find someone who's willing to support me?'

With his inner thoughts, Shin stood up next to Lou and they set out to go to the guild building.

***

On their way to the guild after the two of them had bathed and had breakfast, they met a crowd of people in the middle of the street.

'What happened?'

With some curiosity Shin tried to look from the back of the crowd but didn't get a chance to see anything.

Lou on the other hand squinted her eyes and started sniffing.

"It smells like blood."

Shin suddenly wasn't so curious anymore.

'Do I always have to run into trouble, not a single day in the city and I'm already involved in something shady?'

Shin shook his head and pushed those thoughts away.

'No, no matter what, I'll stay out of it this time. It's not like I'm on a ship where there's no place to go.'

Since the guild building was crossing the crowd of people, they had no choice but to dodge the gossiping people and make their way to the other side.

At some point, Shin found himself in the front row in front of the whole crowd, right in front of what made all the people gossiping with interest.

In the center of the crowd was the man who had almost split his head open the day before with the axe. He looked paralyzed in a pose of suffering.

He was kneeling with his hands on his face, his whole body was in perfect condition and if it weren't for the fact that his eye sockets were empty it would appear that the man had just fallen asleep in that position.

His face was distorted from the pain and all around him there seemed to be footsteps of blood, as if they were surrounding the man and then moving off in one direction.

Shin followed the trail of the footprints with his eyes and saw them disappear after several meters.

But the direction was towards the old part of the city.

According to what Shin had heard, this city was hundreds of years old. It was previously occupied by a mysterious and ancient race that was at war with the humans of the time.

But at some point, they disappeared without a trace, so the humans took over the city and kept expanding.

The old part of the city had a sinister air, all its buildings were dark and old, it is also the part where the slums are located.

But what stands out the most is the abandoned mansion on a hill in the center of the old city.

Shin did not think much about the direction of the footsteps and just observed the man's corpse in silence.

He could even see the woman in the witch's hat and the man who was having a drink at the guild yesterday.

From what Shin could hear of their conversation the day before, it seemed that all three were members of the same group.

But now they were just looking at the corpse of their former comrade in the middle of the street.

"I warned him, I really warned him..."

The woman looked sad but not sad enough to cry, it was like watching someone you knew from a friend but only saw once in your life die.

While you could feel some sympathy for him, it wasn't something that affected your life.

The man who was now wearing a leather suit with a bow on his back simply walked over to the corpse and lifted it up to take it somewhere.

He didn't even say a word and started walking through the crowd. All the people quickly made a path and the man walked through the middle of them.

The woman in the hat followed him silently.

Shin didn't delay either and took advantage of the gap left by the crowd to pass quickly and get to the other side.

They both arrived at the guild building and did not hesitate to enter.

The first thing Shin did when he entered was to stand on guard. The previous time he almost died from a large axe about to split his head open, but he remembered the corpse in the middle of the street and scoffed to himself.

Shin relaxed as no other axe would ever again threaten to accidentally split his head open.

And he was right, as it wasn't an axe that stuck into the wall just inches from his head but a silver dagger.

'What the fuck?!'

Like a Déjà vu, Shin turned his head and saw a knife stuck in the wall a few inches from his head.

'Am I cursed or is this some kind of joke?!'