My alter ego is becoming a big shot - Episode 100
#100
northern mountains (1)
The Hubert Company, located in Tarak of the Kingdom of Tulk, was prospering day by day..
It was largely due to the fact that Harley, who had grown into a well-known name in the Tarak mercenary world, and the power of the church behind him were able to minimize checks from other forces in the early stages of the business..
‘After growing to a certain extent, it started to lose its luster..’
As the company began to grow in size, the interference coming from the company continued to increase..
There were still no people making overt maneuvers, but the threats being made covertly had now reached a point where they could not be ignored..
‘Still, we have prepared measures to deal with it this time, so things will get better in the future..’
Recently, a number of vampires have gone into hiding in Tarrak, having formed a honeymoon with Thalia's Brokoslak Clan..
Of course, unlike Thalia, which was occupied by the clan, here one had to be careful at all times and only move in the shadows, but with the help of the clan, the strengthened vampires of the clan were able to melt in without any problems..
‘In addition, the personnel dispatched to Tarak this time are individuals that the “Refined Blood Spirit” has evolved with a focus on stealth..’
By deliberately adjusting its direction, it specialized in hiding its identity, so at this point it could be said to be a unit specialized in infiltration and operations..
However, a sudden change came to Tarak, where everything was going smoothly..
And that too on a fairly large scale..
‘···I knew that chaos was coming, so I preempted supplies such as food, oil, and weapons. This is more than I expected.’
In the Chamber of Commerce's office, Hubert frowned as he looked at the urgently delivered documents..
For merchants, information is life.
Because he paid a lot of attention to establishing a system for rapid information collection, he was able to obtain this important information right away.···.
“If it's an incident like this, there's probably no place that doesn't know about it..”
If only he, a merchant, knew, other places would have already started to move..
And as Hubert predicted, it was happening in real time..
“move quickly!”
“Check again to see if you missed any supplies.!”
Clutter, clang, clang!
Doo doo doo—!
In an unusually chaotic atmosphere, the army of the County of Aonia, to which Tarak belongs, began to advance north at once..
Additionally, soldiers departing from other cities as well as the central lord's castle quickly moved towards the northernmost part of the territory, aiming for the Iron Fortress..
With such a large-scale movement, the news was bound to reach those staying within the city..
The story spread rapidly wherever people gathered, such as mercenary guilds or bars..
“Hey, did you hear the news? I heard that the Iron Citadel is recruiting mercenaries on a large scale. The army is already on the move.”
“Ah, you heard it. Monsters in the northern mountains are showing signs of heading south.?”
“It's still a bit confusing these days with the undead infestation and all, but I really don't know what's going to happen..”
“Hey, it must be a coincidence. Also, was it once or twice that the monsters in the northern mountains got hit like crazy??”
In order to minimize confusion, all the information had not been released yet, so most people who did not know about the Abyss thought that this disturbance was just temporary..
Of course, there were some who, based on various information, felt that this incident was unusual..
“This... I'm concerned about what I heard from Visar Party the other day..”
“what? Is there any information??”
“Not long ago, I met a party that had just returned from the mountains. I heard it then. They suddenly met a mutant and the group got hurt a lot..”
“Mutant? Isn’t that a common thing when you catch monsters??”
“It was not a normal mutation, but it ran wild as if it had rabies.···.”
However, they were also unable to obtain accurate information..
Moreover, they also had the same feeling that a big problem would arise in a situation where the military was mobilized..
Those who were captivated by the enormous rewards offered by the territory headed to the Northern Steel Citadel one by one..
“Hey Harley! Did you hear the news? What do you plan on doing? I think we should go there too..”
It was the same for the trio of southern warriors with Harley..
As Hubert Company grew in size and hired many talented people, they also had more leeway..
They only took on the tedious security work out of loyalty to their friends, but when they came here from the South, they originally preferred more active tasks such as hunting monsters..
“Hmm, the northern mountains.···.”
A bar full of noise and noise.
Harley gathered her thoughts while fiddling with the glass in front of her..
He had never personally seen a monster affected by 'madness'.
Just when I was about to return from the Iron Citadel to Tarak after a hunting trip, an abyss opened up..
It was only natural that monsters influenced by it appeared some time later..
However, if we combine the information obtained through Hubert and the facts that Heinz II learned through moving the clan,···.
This wasn't something that would go over easily..
‘So the Kingdom of Thalia is also concentrating its forces in the monster forest to the west..’
Hans, Heinz II, and even Harley have all experienced roaming around the forest of monsters at will, so it's hard to get a good feel for it, but it was originally a dangerous area that no one could enter..
If monsters infected with madness and with enhanced aggression and vitality were to pour out from such a place, considerable damage would be caused to the kingdom..
‘So, I sent the elites of the clan, including the true bloods Phrygia and Obor, there..’
Separate from the soldiers of the Kingdom of Thalia, they will go directly into the forest and carry out the task of reducing the population of dangerous monsters through guerrilla warfare..
‘However, the northern mountain range is a place worse than the forest of monsters..’
The great northern mountain range stretches across the entire northern part of the continent..
The area connected to the Kingdom of Tulk was only a small part of it, but it was such a dangerous place that the monster population continued to increase even though numerous mercenaries were out hunting every time..
‘There is no way for a country that has already been exposed to a lot of information to not know what will happen in the future..’
The army of the County of Aonia headed there immediately, but soon reinforcements from surrounding territories will also begin to arrive one after another..
This probably won't end so easily..
‘Now we're past the stage where information can only be passed on to high-ranking officials to deal with the situation. Perhaps this incident will lead to information being spread to the private sector as well..’
About the resurrection of the Immortal King and the opening of the abyss.
There will be a lot of confusion ahead..
It may have shaken many places, but it was absolutely necessary..
and.
The fact that the Immortal King's notoriety would spread was something he had hoped for..
‘Because I was aiming for that from the beginning..’
But what Harley has to think about now is a separate issue from that..
The question is how to deal with a situation that will soon cause chaos.···.
He thought for a moment, then opened his eyes and jumped up from his seat..
“Okay, let's go! This body can't fall into that situation! Hahahaha!”
“oh! It has to be like this too!”
“It's been a while since I got some stress relief.!”
Actually, there was no need to worry.
If something seems ambiguous, isn't it Harley's style to hit it first?!
Moreover, if the steel fortress really collapses, the foundation that Hubert worked so hard to build in Thalia will be destroyed..
It would be better to step in and control the situation yourself..
‘If you think it's really dangerous, just cancel the summons..’
Now that Harley has a monster-like body, I wonder if there's anything dangerous about it..
So he majestically left the bar and crossed the street..
Although he had already become a celebrity in Tarak and was familiar to the local residents, the reaction of those around him was much the same as before..
I can't make eye contact and slowly walk away..
‘Well, it can't be helped..’
Harley glanced down at her body..
The appearance of the naked muscular upper body, animal head helmet, and tooth accessories remained the same, but there was a clear difference from before.—.
It was an imprint engraved all over his body..
A colorful flame pattern centered on the heart and extending down the chest and chin..
A storm and lightning symbol starting from the forehead, across the right eye, and down to the cheek..
Even the beast on the right arm and the crossed axes on the left arm..
If you look at each of the engravings individually, they are beautiful patterns that abstractly symbolize the concept of each element and even look artistic..
When combined with Harley's ferocious physique, it only seemed to further emphasize his intimidating appearance..
In addition, his past actions also contributed to his notoriety..
There was no need to go out and harass the weak, but he mercilessly destroyed those who challenged him..
‘I had no choice because it would be too bothersome if I didn't do that..’
It was a side effect of becoming famous..
In this barbaric world of mercenaries, fame was equal to power..
Since it was such a situation, it was natural for the mercenaries who came from abroad to come to Tarak to stab him..
Even after seeing this body, there are annoying arguments, challenges, and even attacks..
That was Harley's solution..
Anyone who challenges him will be completely trampled upon..
So that you can be overwhelmed just by watching from the side, so that you can't even think of showing your teeth to him..
In this way, Harley was able to establish himself as a person whom no one knew, at least in this Tarak, and yet whom no one would dare to touch..
Jingling—Jingling—
When they opened the door to the mercenary guild with the three southern warriors and entered, the same scenery as usual greeted them..
Clean and sophisticated interior with mercenaries gathered here and there talking amongst themselves..
The topic of their conversation was all about the northern mountains..
Since this was an unprecedented recruitment, everyone's attention was focused on it..
‘There seem to be some who feel it is dangerous, but overall the atmosphere is positive. Well, it hasn't even happened yet..’
Among those who sensed a crisis, there were some who not only did not participate but also took refuge in southern Tarak, but since the compensation offered by the territory was so large, there were many who expressed participation..
“Uh, Harley. It's our turn.”
After waiting for a while, their turn finally came..
While the party members are applying one by one to participate in the quest..
“I... Harley?”
The young male employee sitting at the counter looked up at him and cautiously opened his mouth..
“Coincidentally, there was a separate nomination request from Harley today. I was planning to contact you personally soon, but you came in person like this.···.”
“hmm? It's a place name?”
While working as a mercenary, Harley has also received many nomination requests, and the unit cost of nomination requests, in which the client selects a mercenary to perform a mission, is higher than the general method..
The guild only provides connections in the middle, and details are negotiated separately between the client and the mercenary..
As such, it was mainly used for tasks requiring security or particularly difficult missions..
“Hmm... I don't have anything in mind right now because I was planning to head to the Iron Fortress. Let me turn that down.!”
I had just decided on a destination, but now I wonder if there are any other missions in sight?.
I'm sorry, but the timing wasn't good for the request, so there was nothing I could do..
“Well, that... Well, I don’t think you should refuse. The person who entrusted this task···.”
Harley frowned slightly at the unexpected reaction..
The rule should originally be not to force missions like this..
“What does that mean? I'm running out of time, so tell me straight, friend.!”
“Yes, yep! The person who entrusted it directly to me is someone else, but the name registered as the client is···!”
The employee who was talking loudly and stiffly stopped, glanced around, leaned towards Harley and whispered softly..
“Tarmin Aonia···.”
It was a name that even he had not expected..
“In other words, he is the lord of this territory..”
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