Angel Investor

Kazdel, a bright... well, not so bright morning.

A group of Sarkaz mercenaries, all sporting heavy dark circles, stared blankly at the completely extinguished campfire.

"How long has it been...?"

"At least... six hours, right...?"

"By the way... why didn't we run while we had the chance?"

"Would you dare?"

"...No."

"Ugh... [Sarkaz profanity]! Why does my head hurt so much...?"

A somewhat weak voice rang out, and everyone turned toward its source—

W, who had slept soundly through the night, was rubbing the back of her neck as she grimaced and climbed to her feet.

She shook her head, then looked up to find herself surrounded by a group of haggard-looking burly men. A string of curses immediately burst from her mouth.

The mercenaries gave her a tired glance, too exhausted even to curse back.

Hedley's voice came from behind W, thick with fatigue.

"W, if you're all right, go sit somewhere else... Don't stand in the way..."

"What? Since when does the squad leader care so much?"

W immediately shot back. Out of habit, she reached for her weapon to spin it around, only to grab empty air.

W froze in place as the memories came flooding back—

The woman who had suddenly appeared, the sword pressed to her neck, and then...

"[Sarkaz profanity!] Where did that woman go?! Did you already take her out?!"

Hedley rubbed his aching brow. "No... we only..."

He stopped halfway through, exchanging subtle glances with the mercenaries around him toward W's back.

"Looks like you hold quite a grudge against me..."

A calm female voice sounded behind her. W's pupils suddenly constricted, and she drove a vicious back elbow toward the source of the voice.

[Buzz—time-stop sound effect]

W:!!!

W clutched her butt and leapt away, spinning around as another string of curses erupted from her mouth.

At some point, Vera had appeared where W had just been standing, casually swinging the longsword she had used to commit the crime.

"Looks like... you're very disappointed I didn't die."

There was no emotion in Vera's voice, but the meaning of her words made W's scalp tingle.

"[Sarkaz profanity!] Why were you all just standing there?! An enemy walked right into the middle of your camp! Are you blind?!"

The mercenaries silently got to their feet and walked past W. Hedley was the first to step up beside Vera and turn around.

"W... the person before you is our new employer. Watch your words."

"Huh?"

Ignoring the still-dazed W, the others came to stand beside Vera one after another.

Seeing that there was nothing beside Vera, the mercenaries all looked somewhat disappointed.

Vera raised an eyebrow at their haggard faces.

"You didn't sleep all night?"

"..." xN

After someone like you appeared right in the middle of camp, who the hell could sleep?

No one spoke, and Vera simply took it as them acting aloof.

"The food and medicine are ready. There's only meat for food. As for the medicine... the healing effect might not be that good."

"???" xN

The mercenaries looked around in confusion. Where was it?

[Time-stop sound effect]

Their eyes widened as they watched a Rift Beast bear and several bottles of red liquid of unknown purpose appear out of thin air.

(Don't ask where the empty bottles came from. The author's divine power did it.)

Vera lifted her chin, signaling for them to inspect the supplies. The mercenaries exchanged looks before Hedley finally stepped forward.

But the more Hedley examined it, the more confused he became.

There were no wounds on the Rift Beast's surface, yet when he touched it, he could tell that every bone in its body had been displaced, as though it had been forcibly crushed to death by a giant python.

There definitely weren't any Rift Beasts this large within Kazdel, and the thickness of this fur...

Ursus?

The corpse had not even stiffened yet... Had she hunted it in Ursus and returned!?

No, no... no matter how he thought about it, covering that much distance in a single night was absurd.

But...

Hedley looked up and hesitantly asked,

"This Rift Beast..."

"Found it."

Facing everyone's speechless gazes, Vera calmly asked in return,

"You don't believe me?"

No one dared make a sound. Whether they believed her or not was unimportant. What mattered was that they did not have the courage to question her.

At that moment, Ines picked up a bottle of red potion and examined it curiously.

"This is... blood?"

"No, that's medicine."

Ines silently pulled out the stopper and carefully sniffed it.

There was none of the expected scent of blood. Instead, it carried a fresh fragrance that made her mind feel much clearer.

She looked up at Vera, who stated bluntly,

"You can drink it or apply it externally. Want to try it?"

The moment she finished speaking, a mercenary beside them drew a dagger, sliced his arm, and poured half the bottle over the wound without hesitation.

What happened next made everyone watching hold their breath—

The wound stopped bleeding at a visible rate, its edges drawing together as a scab quickly formed and covered it.

Everyone stared at the sight in astonishment. Only after the wound had completely healed did a mercenary hurriedly ask,

"How long did that take?"

"Th-three minutes..."

Three minutes! A wound that was not even shallow had completely healed!

Could medicine of this quality really be something people like them could use!?

No, was this really medicine at all?

The mercenary who had tested it stared helplessly at the half-empty bottle in his hand, his face filled with heartache—

Had he just wasted half a bottle?!

Hedley quickly counted the remaining bottles on the ground, then looked at the mercenaries present and realized there was exactly one bottle for each person.

Everyone instantly understood the distribution rule and rushed forward to grab their own bottle.

In the blink of an eye, the only one left standing there was the mercenary who had wasted half his potion.

Vera watched the scene thoughtfully.

So the combination of health potions and spring water—the spring water from the Nursery, which restored energy in the game when drunk—worked pretty well?

Everyone had taken their share except for one person.

The mercenary who had been lamenting his half-empty bottle looked at W, who was still standing in place, and tentatively spoke.

"Um... if you don't want yours..."

"[Sarkaz profanity!] Dream on!" W shot him a vicious glare, then quickly bent down and snatched up the bottle of red potion that belonged to her.

She did not look at Vera again, lowering her head and swiftly slipping into the crowd.

Hedley took a deep breath, stepped before Vera, and gave a slight bow. His tone was far more sincere now.

"Thank you for your generosity..."

Setting everything else aside, the astonishing healing effects displayed by these potions alone made them worth far more than the rewards of a high-difficulty mission.

This employer's generosity was almost frightening...

"The route has already been roughly planned. When do you think would be a good time for us to set out?"

Hedley now only wanted to start working as soon as possible and repay this "investment."

"No rush..."

Vera's gaze swept across the visibly exhausted mercenaries before finally settling on the Rift Beast's corpse.

"The food is right here. You can rest up first, eat and drink your fill, then set out."

Those final quiet words completely shattered the mercenaries' already-fragile psychological defenses.

What kind of angelic employer was this?!

She provided top-tier medicine, and the food was not hard black bread that could kill someone if thrown at them or potatoes that never softened when boiled—it was fresh Rift Beast meat!

The mission objective was to help them build their reputation, yet the main fighting force was the employer herself!

She was monstrously strong, yet so considerate toward her subordinates...

Finally, a younger-looking mercenary squeezed forward with a fawning smile.

"Boss Lady! Are you putting together your own mercenary group? Consider me! I'm vicious in a fight!"

His opening was like the floodgates had been thrown open.

"Wait! Boss Lady, I can do it too! My mission completion rate is way higher than his!"

"And me! I-I can warm your bed!"

"I can cook!"

"Bullshit! You only know how to roast potatoes!"

"[Sarkaz profanity!] At least my potatoes are cooked! Better than you, who can turn even potatoes into charcoal!"

The scene quickly descended into chaos as the mercenaries fought to sell themselves, even turning on one another on the spot for a chance to join.

Hedley's face darkened as the veins on his forehead throbbed.

"Quiet."

Vera's voice was not loud, yet every noisy mercenary instantly shut their mouth, their eyes filled with expectation and unease.

"I have no interest in the loyalty of the incompetent. You only need to do what I arrange."

"Now..."

"Prepare the food, light the fire, and eat. As for everything else... we'll discuss it after we reach Scar Market."

She neither agreed directly nor clearly refused.

That ambiguous attitude only gave the mercenaries even more hope.

Everyone immediately began preparing the Rift Beast, lighting fires, and setting up pots. Their efficiency was several times higher than usual.

Hedley watched his subordinates acting more enthusiastically than ever before. With mixed feelings, he sighed and said quietly,

"My apologies for making you witness that..."

"Keep your people under control..."

Vera said no more. She sat down to the side, closed her eyes, and rested.

Meanwhile, W, hiding among the crowd, secretly observed Vera while rubbing the potion bottle in her hand, her gaze flickering uncertainly.

[Vera: It seems Kazdel's situation is far worse than I imagined. Or are these mercenaries simply living miserable lives?]

[Vane: Organized mercenaries are already doing relatively well. If Sarkaz physiques were not generally so strong, their entire race would have gone extinct long ago in an environment like this.]

[Gregor: They look so sturdy, yet they live lives where even food and warmth are difficult to secure?]

[Vane: According to reliable sources... the air in Kazdel is full of protein powder! (Certain)]

[Gorth: Do we need more prey? I can hunt more and store it.]

[Vera: Mm, I'll leave it to you.]

Vera opened her eyes and sighed softly, recalling the discussion she had had with her brothers the night before.

When she suggested entering the Dungeon again, it was immediately met with doubt.

[Back to the Dungeon?] Gregor asked with his arms crossed in confusion.

[Didn't we just come out not long ago?]

"We're still too short on supplies." Vera listed their current situation.

"Fourth Brother's weapon blueprints have all been unlocked, but the materials are gone."

"Third Brother has also confirmed that blue coins no longer reliably drop from treasure chests."

"That means even if we somehow gather all the materials, crafting those special weapons will still be nothing more than wishful thinking."

She looked around at her three companions and reached her conclusion.

"Then, if we want to obtain weapons that can significantly increase our strength, the most direct option left is to acquire them randomly in the Dungeon."

"I object!" Vane immediately raised a hand.

"Some of those weapons are indeed powerful... but we don't urgently need them right now, do we?"

He hopped over beside Gregor and tried to pat his shoulder, only to pull his hand back after being burned by the heat.

"With Boss around, we're invincible!"

"If we run into trouble we can't handle, we can just hide in the safe house and wait for Boss to come support us! It's completely safe!"

"I agree with Fourth Brother." Gorth's deep voice sounded, carrying his usual caution.

"Our current strength is already enough to deal with most situations. Taking the initiative to enter the Dungeon may not offer rewards proportionate to the risks."

"When you put it that way, it is strange." Vane tilted his head and looked at Vera inquisitively.

"Second Sister, you're clearly the most cautious among us. Why are you so eager to take the initiative and venture into the Dungeon this time?"

Gregor and Gorth also focused their gazes on Vera, waiting for her explanation.

Under the three men's scrutiny, Vera fell silent for a moment. Finally, an almost inaudible sigh escaped her lips.

"I wanted to see if, after clearing the game... we could go back."

The air froze. Vane's playful grin stiffened, Gorth's deer head dipped slightly, and the glow of Gregor's lava body dimmed for an instant.

"We've already been gone for two days... Back on Earth, we've probably been listed as missing persons by now, right?"

"..." x3

"Look, didn't we play a round of Soul Knight before we got transported here?"

"If clearing the game was the condition for being transported here, then if we clear it again, could we go back?"

"Of course! I'm not saying we should head to the Dungeon right away. We can take our time and discuss it, wait for a while, then..."

[Second Brother...]

"Huh?"

Gregor's voice rang out, serious and steady.

[Don't be afraid. I'm here.]

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