The Rank SSS pop-up mercenary, Slot, returned to his innocent, guileless face.
‘He really is handsome…!’
I thought I looked pretty decent in this world, but standing next to him, I feel just a little bit inferior. Just a little…
I signed the Contract of Mercenary with Slot.
Since mercenaries work with their lives on the line, it’s customary to pay a Deposit when signing the contract.
Also, in case he dies in an unexpected accident, he can designate an heir or family member, but due to personal reasons, Slot said he would leave that section blank.
A mercenary with many secrets, in more ways than one.
‘As long as he does his job well…’
I handed 1 Gold to Slot.
“Thank you, Steven-nim. Ah! Should I call you Master of the Company?”
He must have heard about the Unicorn Company, so he asked how to address me. Either Captain or Master works.
“It doesn’t matter. You can call me Master, Captain, or William, whatever you prefer. I’m sixteen, so I’m only a year older than you. How about we drop the formal speech when it’s just us?”
If you think about the dignity of the company leader, it might be proper to speak formally, but I have no dignity as a greenhorn.
And since we’ll be traveling together, it’d be nice to become closer.
Slot thought for a moment and then said,
“Still, I’d like to keep it polite. I’m more comfortable speaking formally. Ah, except for unrighteous people. So I’ll call you Captain-nim. Instead, please just call me comfortably, William-nim.”
“Alright… Then I’ll call you Slot from now on. Let’s work well together.”
“Yes, Captain-nim. I look forward to working with you.”
And so, the Unicorn Company had its first Companion.
“William-nim, could I have a word with you?”
Richard called me aside. He usually speaks informally, but perhaps because of Slot, he addressed me politely this time.
Was he being considerate?
“As we discussed, just calculate a suitable date and leave for Tenden Village.”
“Yes, Richard-nim. I’ll do so. In the meantime, I’ll try to get to know Slot better.”
“Just make sure you don’t cause any unnecessary problems. I’ll always be watching you.”
“I still haven’t heard exactly where in Tenden Village I’m supposed to visit? Where should I go?”
At my words, Richard handed me a note.
“No way…”
Worried that the Miss might have left another riddle for me, I glanced suspiciously at the note.
“If you ever look at the Miss with that insolent gaze again, I’ll gouge out your eyes. Be careful.
You are to meet Lord Serranos at this address exactly one week from today.
Tanden Village is a day’s journey by carriage, but on foot it will take about a week.
If you’re walking, set out right away without delay. If you’re taking a carriage, stay a few days and depart so you’ll arrive on time.”
Fortunately, the note Richard gave me had no codes—just a straightforward address.
Phew… I was secretly relieved it wasn’t another strange puzzle.
“Whether you go on foot or get a carriage, the Miss is leaving it to your judgment. However, she won’t be lending you a carriage, so you’ll have to procure one yourself.”
“Thank you. I’ll think it over and decide.”
Richard nodded. He was telling me to do as I wish. Then, as if a little reluctant, he continued,
“I can’t understand it, but the Miss has a gift for you. As you know, you’re just a boy barely able to protect yourself. Since your fighting ability is roughly 0.1 person’s worth, she thought you should at least have something to defend yourself.”
No matter how much of an intelligence-type I am, isn’t 0.1 a bit harsh?
If my fighting power is 0.1 person, it’d take ten of me to equal one person…
I want to argue, but it’s a little scary, and besides, it’s not exactly wrong, so I’ll let it go.
“A gift?”
Richard handed me a Soot Sword and a pair of gauntlets.
As I accepted them, my eyes went wide.
No way!!!
In front of me was a pair of gauntlets. When I first met Richard, he’d handed me the Lycanthrope Leather Gauntlet. I’d heard that equipping these could make you twice as strong as normal.
“Artifact!!!”
“She’s not giving it to you. She’s just lending it to you since you’re weak, so keep that in mind. Ah, the Soot Sword is yours to keep. It’s a finely forged sword made by an artisan from the estate. Think of the Artifact as a kind of free rental.”
Having an Artifact was already on my bucket list, but I didn’t expect my dream to come true this soon.
“It’s an amazing item, but its power increases proportionally to the wearer’s strength, so she also advises you to at least learn some swordsmanship.”
Richard’s words had been a bit sharp from earlier, but the moment I saw the Artifact, everything he said sounded sweet.
An Artifact!
I couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear.
It’s a unique-grade item that’s truly difficult to find in this world.
I hung the Soot Sword at my waist and equipped the Lycanthrope Leather Gauntlet. I could feel the strength flowing through me.
“Awoo~!”
“What are you doing?”
“Ah… I just thought, since they’re called Lycanthrope Leather Gauntlets…”
I just wanted to howl like a lycanthrope, just once.
Richard looked at me with an exasperated gaze. His eyes opened slightly.
“I’ll give you one last piece of advice.”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
“Never betray us. And don’t fail the mission. Repay the Miss’s kindness with trust.”
The murderous intent he once directed at me returned again.
Feeling that killing intent even from afar, Slot looked at me.
I waved to him to say it was fine.
“Of course. The Miss made the best possible choice—I’m confident in that.”
“Don’t forget. A week from now, you’ll be meeting Lord Serranos at Tenden Village. If you can’t get a carriage, set out immediately on foot.”
For a moment, I felt suffocated with fear, but since it was the second time, I could bear it a little better.
With those words, Richard said it was time for him to leave.
He then gave Slot a respectful salute before coolly disappearing.
Now that Richard was gone and only Slot and I were left, it felt awkward, but now it was up to us to resolve things.
I decided to learn more about him and also fill our empty stomachs, so we headed to a nearby restaurant.
***
As the two handsome men entered the restaurant, I could feel friendly glances coming our way from all directions.
Well… it wasn’t just Slot they were looking at. Surely there was at least one gaze directed at me, too.
After ordering some simple food, I told Slot about the Unicorn Company’s first mission.
“Captain-nim, that sounds fun. Delivering an item—what a cool job. I’m glad I got hired as a mercenary.”
Slot is polite, but has a positive and cheerful personality. Traveling with him shouldn’t be uncomfortable.
“By the way, that thing earlier… when you lost control of your emotions—why does that happen?”
At my question, Slot’s expression darkened a little.
“That… actually, from a young age, I had to undergo harsh swordsmanship training. I also received education on the true way of the knight. The training included not just theory but practical combat. Because of those experiences, whenever I sense something unjust, I lose my reason and make mistakes.”
“For a knight who must always be composed to protect his lord, that’s disqualifying. So, I decided it would be difficult to keep pursuing knighthood for now. I set out to gain experience in the world, solve my issues, and work as a mercenary. Someday, my goal is to become a shining knight who protects his lord.”
Slot wanted to be a knight, but because of his “justice adjustment disorder,” he seems to be training to overcome it.
A “shining knight,” huh? I’m not sure what that means, but it’s a goal I can’t comprehend.
Still, it seems like we can share our respective goals.
“My goal is to make the Unicorn Company I just founded into the most famous Startup in this world.”
“What is a Startup?”
“It’s a kind of adventure-filled business. It means a company that quickly builds something new and innovative.”
“I don’t quite understand what a Startup is… but Captain-nim’s goal is really impressive. For however short the time may be, I’ll do my best to accompany you on your journey to become the most famous… Startup in the world.”
Slot is working toward becoming a shining knight, and I’m aiming to create a Startup in this world.
Talking about our goals makes us feel a bit closer. There’s a bit of camaraderie forming, too.
“Captain-nim, Tenden Village is quite a distance away. If we’re going to travel on foot, we should depart today.”
Since we’d have to leave right now if we’re going on foot, Slot asked me what I wanted to do.
But I have no intention of setting out today.
“No, we’re going to get a carriage and travel that way. From Grunvalt, we’ll depart in about five days. Speaking of which, after we finish our meal, shall we go take a look at the carriages? The Order of Merchants told me earlier that there’s a Carriage Exhibition Hall nearby.”
“Sounds good.”
“Then, let’s eat first.”
For now, we started eating the food in front of us with great vigor.
Slot must’ve been very hungry, too. For someone so handsome, he eats a surprising amount.
Good thing I ordered the cheap stuff.
***
As the founder of the one-man Startup “Unicorn Company,” I was lucky enough to meet an angel investor right from the start.
Miss Frana Bella promised to invest 50 Gold in me.
After negotiating and putting up collateral, I ended up with 24 Gold in hand.
Converted to Korean won, that’s about 48 million won in startup capital.
Ah… I used 1 Gold to hire Slot, so that makes 23 Gold.
And my available funds from this quest reward are 20 Silver… plus 3 Silver and 20 Bronze left over. That’s about 2.32 million won.
The two must be strictly separated. I’m no longer running this business alone; I have to manage the investment funds responsibly.
So, I need to use my Gold wisely. Compared to when I didn’t even have 1 Bronze, I’m financially more stable, but it’s not enough to buy and maintain a carriage on my own.
The price of a carriage is about 25 to 30 Gold, a horse costs 5 to 10 Gold, and hiring a driver plus upkeep is about 2 Gold per month.
Even with a simple calculation, it’ll probably cost over 30 Gold.
If I buy one, I’ll be back to being penniless and starting over.
I do need a carriage, but I have a lot to consider before going all in.
Still, the reason I’m thinking of buying a carriage is for my future activities.
With the Miss’s missions, I’ll be traveling to many places. Walking everywhere is too risky and a waste of time.
Even the Tutun Kingdom, never mind the whole Yuras Continent, is massive, so walking everywhere is impossible.
With a carriage, we can travel more than seven times faster and save our stamina.
“First, let’s just go take a look at the carriages.”
With Slot, I headed to the Carriage Exhibition Hall.
“Wow…”
When we arrived at the Carriage Exhibition Hall, our jaws dropped.