Welcome Aboard

"Hahahahahahahaha!"

A hearty laugh rang out as Wells patted the dirt off his backside and rose from the ground.

"Will, you're pretty good. You almost hit me."

Havent switched the wooden sword to his left hand and shook his slightly numb right hand. At the last moment, if he had not pulled back his wooden sword to block Wells's attack, then while striking Wells, he would have taken a hard hit himself.

"Hahahaha! Uncle Wells, you're pretty good too. Just now, I thought I had you."

Wells rolled his neck and smiled at Havent.

"Kid, you're strong. Want to keep going?"

"Then did I pass?"

Wells slowly shook his head.

"No, kid. Even though you're good, you're still just a child. I can't afford to be distracted in battle by having someone protect you."

Hearing Wells's words, Havent curled his lip disdainfully.

"Then stop talking and continue. Uncle Wells, I won't be holding back this time."

"Hahahahahaha! Come at me, Will. Let me see what you can do."

With that, he gripped his sword in both hands, settled into a half-horse stance, and faced Havent. His smile gradually vanished, replaced by a fierce fighting spirit in his eyes.

Watching their leader take up a fighting stance, Baki quietly spoke to the companion beside him.

"Boss is getting serious. Tsk, tsk. But this kid really is impressive. If it were you up there, you'd probably have gone down already."

Hearing Baki mock him, the Gale Mercenary Group member beside him drove an elbow into him.

"Bullshit. Like you could beat him either."

On the other side, once the numbness in his right hand faded, Havent switched his wooden sword back. His feet kept shifting as he narrowed his eyes at the now-serious Wells.

"Uncle Wells, keep up with my rhythm."

Dust flew up as Havent swung his wooden sword and slashed forward at high speed. But Wells, already prepared, calmly blocked Havent's strike.

After several dull impacts, Wells looked at the helpless Havent and smiled.

"Will, now that you're done attacking, it's my turn."

With that, he swept his sword sideways and knocked Havent back, then brought his two-handed sword before his chest and launched a series of thrusts at him. Yet instead of panicking as Wells had expected in the face of his assault—

Havent dealt with his attacks with remarkable ease, as though he had predicted them in advance.

Watching Havent evade his attacks like a dancing butterfly, Wells grew increasingly alarmed and unconsciously quickened his pace of attack.

"Not bad, not bad~ Uncle, faster, faster, even faster."

Seeing Wells's rhythm begin to fall apart, a sharp glint flashed through Havent's eyes.

After deflecting Wells's attack once more, he closed in directly and drove an elbow into the latter's chest.

Wells let out a muffled grunt, and his face quickly reddened. Seizing the opening, Havent raised his hand and delivered three swift, powerful chops, forcing Wells back again and again.

However, after blocking the three strikes with his wooden sword, Wells's sturdy physique allowed him to quickly steady his breathing.

But Havent clearly had no intention of letting this opportunity go. With his opponent's guard wide open, he drove a powerful knee into Wells's stomach.

At once, the latter hunched over uncontrollably like a cooked shrimp.

Following through, Havent grabbed Wells's left shoulder and yanked down hard. He spun halfway around Wells, leaped high into the air, and swiftly slashed his wooden sword at Wells's back.

Bang!

Havent was blasted onto the thatched hut nearby. He struggled to climb up from the roof, then turned to look at his right hand. The wooden sword made from hard pine had been reduced to half its length.

"Hey, Uncle Wells, we had a deal. Why are you cheating?"

Sitting atop the thatched roof, Havent shouted dissatisfiedly at Wells below, who was radiating pale yellow battle aura.

Wells gave Havent an awkward smile and tossed the wooden sword in his hand aside.

"Hahahahahaha! It was instinctive, just my body reacting on its own. I have to say, your swordsmanship really is formidable. If that had been a real battle, I might already be a corpse. You won, Will."

Hearing his explanation and acknowledgment of defeat, Havent did not press the matter further.

He jumped down from the thatched hut and gave Wells a swordsman's salute.

"Not at all, not at all. You're still stronger, Uncle. I only had the advantage because you didn't know my style."

Wells looked at Havent with a wistful expression, then tossed back the money pouch containing thirty Silver Grol.

"A win is a win. I really am getting old. Maybe after I finish this run, it'll be time for me to retire."

After saying that, he pulled out a badge from his trouser pocket and tossed it to Havent.

"Welcome aboard, kid."

Havent caught the badge. It was made of brass, with a pattern of an abstract gale sweeping past. Seeing nothing special about it, he slipped it into his pocket.

"Thank you, Uncle Wells. I'm glad to join you. Consider these thirty Silver Grol my treat for everyone's meal."

Looking at the money pouch back in his hands again, Wells felt even more moved.

"This kid, he's just..."

Seeing Havent's smiling eyes, Wells put the money pouch away.

"Come on, Will. Let's rest inside for a while. Once the other team members return, I'll introduce you."

Badian Tavern

After everyone had downed a few cups of wine, their relationship quickly warmed up. At this moment, the members who had gone out shopping returned as well.

When they heard that the kid before them had defeated their leader in a swordsmanship match, they were repeatedly amazed. After all, their leader was a level 27 Shield Swordsman, though he excelled more at defensive counterattacks.

But that did not mean an entry-level fighter could truly defeat an opponent a level higher head-on. At the very least, they could not.

Although Havent kept insisting that it was only because his style happened to counter Uncle Wells's, and that Uncle Wells had held back considerably during their match, allowing him to win by luck—

Wells, however, did not seem to care about his defeat at all. He had been a mercenary for over thirty years, and the hardships of life had long since worn away the youthful drive he once possessed. Staying alive and earning money mattered more than anything else.

Old Wells's only thought now was to earn more money for the young men in the village while he could still walk. The unmarried ones should find wives as soon as possible. That way, he would not have failed the village chief, who had taken care of him when he was young.

Watching Havent mingle with his team members, chatting and laughing, Wells raised his head and drained the dark beer in his cup.

Being young really is wonderful. Maybe I should retire after another two years. Once this job is done, there should be enough to build little Paimon a beautiful stone house. Dakoman's daughter looks like she'd make a good wife and bear children well.