When business was almost done, Winston and Saxon wanted to return to the Isolated Cliff City. Most of them were single, but their thief, Paul, had a lover who was already pregnant. Before accepting the deadly task, Paul had told them that he planned to rest for a while after this. Though Paul had never said it straight out, both Winston and Saxon knew that he intended to retire but didn’t want to hurt his old friends’ feelings.
Now that Paul was dead, taking care of the woman he loved had equally become everyone’s responsibility. The lives of mercenaries were often filled with sadness and goodbyes. If they didn’t even take care of their own, it would make for an incredibly boring and dark life.
Jeddes also wanted to take a tour of Isolated Cliff City. Nicolas’ attack indeed had deeply wounded him, both in terms of pride and body, but he had only held out so stubbornly because he still had one last shred of hope. However, now that Han Jin had returned with the bad news, he had lost even that. Though he didn’t wear the hopelessness on his face, Jeddes was very close to giving up whatever dream he had and simply living out the rest of his life with his guilt.
But Jeddes had never thought that Han Jin was a true lord! Not only was he a lord, he was a lord that had already finished the difficult process of acquiring his first territory, and whose power was on the rise! After all, hadn’t Cessacioun said that Han Jin’s army was already moving in for a counterattack?
Jeddes’s heart was alive again, and he was extremely eager to see Han Jin’s accomplishments for himself. He couldn’t solely rely on others’s words for something this important.
As it so happened, Cessacioun had brought many Interspatial Scrolls with him and was able to send everyone, including the Thunderbirds hatchlings, back to the city in batches. Like other magics, space related magic is also limited by many rules. Size is a limitation for all but the most specialized scrolls, while quantity is also an issue. Even though the Thunderbird hatchlings were only the size of chicks, they still counted as ‘one life’.
But since Han Jin had returned, this was no longer a problem. He and Sunier could first bring a dozen of Thunderbird hatchlings back to their base and have Sunier take care of them. Even though the little Thunderbirds had only known Sunier for a short amount of time, they seemed to have taken a liking to her, even more so than Yalina. This made Yalina extremely jealous, and was the cause of many shouts of ‘TRAITORS!’
Han Jin would then return to the forest. His charm still hadn’t expired, which meant he could immediately locate Yalina. He could also travel much faster by flying on his flying sword instead of trudging through the forest, which meant that even if he was teleported to a remote corner, he could still return to Thunder Valley within two days.
To Jeddes, Han Jin was simply Han Jin, because he did not know him in the past. However, Sunier and the rest of Han Jin’s friends had sensed a shocking change in him.
The old Han Jin was like a clear pond; you could tell its depth simply by looking at its surface; you could even see the rocks at the bottom, though anything under that was Han Jin’s own secrets.
Maybe it was the pond getting deeper, or maybe the water becoming murkier, but either way, Han Jin was becoming an increasingly unfathomable person. During their old days of wandering the continent, they had basically shared every fortune and every suffering. They would joke when they were bored and fight when there was a threat. Now, although Han Jin still laughed and talked with them, he sounded less flashy, and more solemn.
But, aside from Sunier, everyone ignored this change; not that they didn’t notice, but because they had too much business to take care of in their own lives. Jeddes was busy meeting with representatives from the Mercenary Association and the Chamber of Commerce. As the Archbishop of the Church, he easily had the right to sit as any lord’s equal. Han Jin’s team was well rounded; he had warriors, magicians, knights, and even a young general with a promising future. However, what the team lacked was a capable diplomat. Hallister was handsome enough and capable enough for the job, but he simply lacked the power and prestige to succeed. Jeddes, however, was an entirely different matter. From his temperament to his way with words and to his sincere smile, he was sure to leave you with a good impression.
Yalina was even busier. She was now treating that space ring as her newest nemesis: either you break first or I die first! Before, when she had been researching alchemy with Hogan, she would still occasionally return to their base to rest, but now, she spent all her days inside her lab and rarely stepped outside.
Winston and Saxon were likewise busy. Aside from ensuring that Paul’s widow could live out the rest of her life comfortably, they also had their own futures to worry about. They were the only surviving members of the Reaper Mercenary Team, while the Red Vanguards weren’t faring much better themselves. Thus, Gibran and Winston had started discussing potentially merging their team into one. Of course, that would also include Han Jin and Yalina’s team.
As for who would be their leader, both Winston and Gibran had a simple philosophy that whoever was the most capable should lead! Han Jin was a definitive choice.
Coincidentally, as Winston and Gibran were having their discussion, Dwightsteel from the Dragon Singer Mercenary Corps came to their door.
In real life, a man’s future accomplishments can be predicted by a few key events. Dwightsteel had been able to single-handedly forge the Dragon Singer Mercenary Corps because he had met a few friends – brothers to be precise – that he could depend on with his life. They were the backbone of what would eventually become the Dragon Singer Mercenary Corps. Without meeting them and without them supporting the Dragon Singers, could the corps be as powerful as it is today? Dwightsteel doubted that the corps would even exist without them!
Thus, Dwightsteel saw great potential in Han Jin. Even ignoring his personal strength, Yalina, the young magus, had become his friend, while both the Reapers and the Red Vanguards had recently met with great misfortune and would certainly need to reorganize, and the surviving elite members of both teams would almost certainly start assisting Han Jin. On top of all that, Han Jin was also a lord, one that both the Chamber of Commerce and the Mercenary Association were trying to establish a good relation with. Now, even Jeddes, an Archbishop who stood only below one man, joined Han Jin’s circle. What could that possibly entail?
Even when Dwightsteel had first seen Han Jin, he had a feeling he was looking at a copy of his younger self. At that time, his life had been experiencing the most rapid rise. He was confident that Han Jin could go even further than himself.
One time, Dwightsteel had happened to be present when Yalina and Jeddes were discussing the potential of cascading spells, and he had even managed to pick up the shocking fact that Jeddes could simultaneously cast two! Dwightsteel vividly remembered the feeling of cold sweat when he had heard that. Magicians held an advantage against warriors in a battle to begin with; it would be even more horrifying if they could now layer two spells together!
If Yalina were the only person assisting Han Jin, Dwightsteel would respect him. However, if two top level mercenary teams are now considering merging with Han Jin’s team, it is an entirely different situation. Han Jin is also a lord and has the assistance of Jeddes on top of that. With all of that combined, Dwightsteel clearly knew what he needed to do to ensure a better future. Whoever made their move the earliest often held a great advantage in situations like this!
Dwightsteel wasn’t alone in that opinion, and before he went to discuss with Winston and Gibran, he also talked to many smaller mercenary teams and corps, and even some freelancer mercenaries.
Dwightsteel envisioned a kind of ‘super mercenary corp’ of a previously unseen scale, and that vision greatly tempted both Winston and Gibran. After several days of discussion, they reached a consensus on the general direction they should move in. Dwightsteel had even thought of a name already: The Dragon Slayer Mercenary Corps! The name alone indicated who he saw potential in.
However, the name Dragon Slayer Mercenary Corp had already been taken by a third rate mercenary corp that only had about a dozen members and was led by a high-grade fighter. Of course, that didn’t pose a problem for Dwightsteel, and he unregistered that corps after a word with the Mercenary Association.
On the other hand, Gibran and Winston went to Han Jin to inform him of their plan. Han Jin expressed his full support on the matter except for one thing: the name!
He had taken Guevara’s warning to heart: any name with the words ‘dragon slayer’ in them should be treated as taboos. That might not matter if they always stayed inside Isolated Cliff City, but if they want to expand their influence and see the wider world, that name would eventually cause them big trouble!
What would the immensely powerful dragons in the Land of the Dragons and the City of the Dragons think? What would they do?!
The answer should be quite obvious. In Han Jin’s former life, this was comparable to if a Japanese had named himself ‘Chinese Killer’ on a Chinese forum..
He would be met with nothing but ceaseless attacks!
After Gibran and Winston had gone back to Dwightsteel to re-discuss the matter, they finally decided on another name for their super mercenary team: King! The King Mercenary Corps!
Though it might sound cliche, it also has its own meaning. This mercenary corps far surpasses any other corps in terms of power, and is, of course, the king among mercenaries. On the other hand, it is also a subtle hope; a hope that its leader will become a king in the future!
Everyone had a firm and unwavering conviction. After Edwina, Hayden, and Charles had all died by the hands of vampires, Gibran knew it was impossible to avenge his friends with only him and Julia. He would only have a chance if he worked with Han Jin, and when Han Jin declared war on Zaganide, that would be his time for revenge!
Winston and Saxon had firm convictions as well. If Han Jin didn’t lead a team to rescue them, the whole Reaper Mercenary Team would have been completely vanquished. Being the appreciative people they were, they had both decided to follow Han Jin for the rest of their life.
Jeddes, on the other hand, had no other choice. Once Nicolas took care of Lola, he was bound to turn his spear toward the Church. Though being a priest was a profession that excelled at helping others, that didn’t mean they never held grudges. Sometimes, the destruction of a holy land is more painful than a physical wound.
Lastly, Dwightsteel wanted to experience the glory of his youth one more time. With his path set on assisting Han Jin in his rise, he too was full of conviction.
One after another, powerful professionals, for one reason or another, had come together because of Han Jin. Before this meeting, no one had realized how much potential had subtly gathered around one person!
Even Han Jin himself hadn’t realized yet that he was now the center of attention. At the moment, he was only quietly thinking in his chair. After seeing ranks upon ranks of soldiers from the Kingdom of Light and witnessing the vast amount of powerful professionals Nicolas had pulled under his control, Han Jin was greatly inspired and often fell into his own thoughts like this.
Nicolas had already broken through his shackle, which meant that to survive, he must find a road for himself within a few years!
