Angel Investor

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

A group of Sarkaz mercenaries, all sporting heavy dark circles, stared blankly at the campfire that had completely burned out.

"How long has it been..."

"At least... six hours, I think..."

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

"Would you dare?"

"...No."

"Ugh... [Sarkaz expletive]! 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 got 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 burst from her mouth on instinct.

The mercenaries gave her a tired glance. They did not even have the strength to curse back.

Hedley's voice came from behind W, heavy with exhaustion.

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

"What? Since when did Captain care so much?"

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

W froze as memories came flooding back—

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

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

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

He stopped halfway through his sentence, exchanging an odd glance with the mercenaries around him at something behind W.

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

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

[Buzz—time stop sound effect]

W:!!!

W clutched her backside and sprang away, whirling around as another torrent of curses erupted from her lips.

At some point, Vera had taken the spot where W had just been standing. She casually swung the long sword that had committed the deed.

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

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

"[Sarkaz expletive!] Why were you all just watching!? An enemy got right into the middle of your camp! Are you blind!?"

Everyone silently rose and walked past W. Hedley was the first to approach Vera and turn to face W.

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

"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 the camp, who the hell would dare sleep?

No one answered, and Vera took their silence for aloofness.

"The food and medicine have already been prepared. There's only meat for food, and 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 Cleaver Beast (bear) appear out of thin air, along with red bottled liquid whose purpose they did not understand.

(Don't ask where the empty bottles came from. Just chalk it up to the author's divine power.)

Vera tilted her chin, signaling them to inspect it. The mercenaries looked at one another, until Hedley finally stepped forward.

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

There were no wounds on the Cleaver Beast's surface, yet a touch revealed that every bone in its body was dislocated. It looked as though it had been crushed to death by a giant python.

There definitely were no Cleaver Beasts of this size in Kazdel. And the thickness of this fur...

Ursus?

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

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

But...

Hedley looked up and asked hesitantly.

"This Cleaver Beast..."

"Found it."

Facing everyone's speechless stares, Vera calmly asked back.

"You don't believe me?"

No one dared make a sound. Whether they believed her was not important; what mattered was that they did not have the nerve to question her.

At that moment, Ines picked up a bottle of red medicine and studied it curiously.

"This is... blood?"

"No, it's medicine."

Ines silently pulled out the stopper and carefully took a sniff.

There was none of the expected smell of blood. Instead, it carried a fresh scent that even cleared her mind somewhat.

She looked up at Vera, who answered 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 and cut his arm. Without hesitation, he poured half the bottle over the wound.

What happened next made every onlooker hold their breath—

The wound stopped bleeding at a visible rate, its edges drew together, and a scab rapidly formed over it.

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

"How long did that take?"

"Th-three minutes..."

Three minutes! To completely heal a wound that was not even shallow!

Was medicine of this quality really 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 full of anguish—

Had he just wasted half an entire bottle?!

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

Everyone instantly understood the distribution. They immediately rushed forward and grabbed their own bottle.

In the blink of an eye, the only person left standing alone was the mercenary who had wasted half his medicine.

Vera watched the scene thoughtfully.

Looks like the health potion plus spring water—the spring water from the nursery, which restores energy in the game—is a pretty effective combination?

Everyone had taken their share except one person.

The mercenary who had been mourning his half-bottle looked at W, who was still standing motionless, and cautiously spoke up.

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

"[Sarkaz expletive!] Wishful thinking!" W shot him a vicious glare and quickly bent down to snatch up her bottle of red medicine.

She no longer looked at Vera. Keeping her head down, she swiftly slipped into the crowd.

Hedley took a deep breath, walked up to Vera, and gave a slight bow. His tone was far more sincere now.

"Thank you for your generosity..."

Setting everything else aside, the incredible healing properties displayed by these medicines alone made them worth far more than the rewards for any high-difficulty mission.

This employer's generosity was almost frightening...

"We've already made a preliminary route plan. When do you think would be best for us to set out?"

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

"No rush..."

Vera's gaze swept over the mercenaries, who could barely hide their exhaustion, before settling on the Cleaver Beast's corpse.

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

Those soft final words completely shattered the mercenaries' already wavering psychological defenses.

What kind of angelic employer was this?!

Top-tier medicine included, and the food was not black bread hard enough to kill someone with or potatoes that would not cook through, but fresh Cleaver Beast meat!

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

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

Finally, a younger-looking mercenary squeezed his way forward, his face full of ingratiating eagerness.

"Boss Lady! Are you putting together your own mercenary company? Take me into consideration! I'm damn fierce in a fight!"

His opening was like throwing open a floodgate.

"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 expletive!] At least my potatoes are cooked! That's better than you, who can turn even potatoes into charcoal!"

The scene became chaotic for a moment. The mercenaries scrambled to sell themselves, even starting an internal fight on the spot over a chance to join her.

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

"Quiet."

Vera's voice was not loud, yet every noisy mercenary immediately shut their mouths. Their eyes were full of anticipation 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 had not agreed outright, but neither had she clearly refused.

That ambiguous attitude instead gave the mercenaries even more hope.

Everyone immediately began preparing the Cleaver Beast, lighting fires, and setting up pots. They worked several times more efficiently than usual.

Watching his subordinates display unprecedented enthusiasm, Hedley sighed with mixed feelings and spoke quietly.

"My apologies for letting you see such a display..."

"Keep your people in line..."

Vera said nothing more. She sat off to the side, closed her eyes, and rested.

Meanwhile, W, hidden among the crowd, secretly watched Vera. She rubbed the medicine bottle in her hand, her gaze flickering uncertainly.

［Vera: Looks like Kazdel's situation is much worse than I imagined. Or are these mercenaries simply living that miserably?］

［Vane: Organized mercenaries are doing relatively well. If the Sarkaz weren't generally so physically tough, their entire race would have gone extinct long ago in conditions like these.］

［Gregor: They're obviously built so strong, yet they live lives where even food and warmth are hard to come by?］

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

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

［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 proposed entering the dungeon again, it immediately drew objections.

［Going back into the dungeon?］ Gregor asked with his arms crossed. ［Didn't we just get out not long ago?］

"The supplies... We're still far too short on supplies." Vera laid out their current situation.

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

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

"That means that even if we somehow gather the materials, making those special weapons would still be nothing more than wishful thinking."

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

"So, if we want weapons that can significantly improve our strength, the most direct method left is to obtain them randomly in the dungeon."

"I object!" Vane immediately raised his hand.

"Some of those weapons really are powerful... but we're not that desperate for them right now, are we?"

He hopped beside Gregor and tried to pat his shoulder, only to recoil after getting burned by the heat.

"With Boss around, we're invincible!"

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

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

"Our current strength is already enough for most situations. Entering the dungeon voluntarily may not offer rewards proportional to the risks."

"More importantly, it's strange." Vane tilted his head and looked at Vera inquisitively.

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

Gregor and Gorth also turned their attention to Vera, waiting for her explanation.

Under the gazes of the three of them, Vera fell silent for a moment. Finally, an almost inaudible sigh escaped her lips.

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

The air froze. The grin on Vane's face stiffened, Gorth's deer head lowered 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 getting transported, then if we clear it again, can we go back?"

"Of course! I'm not saying we have to head into the dungeon right away. We can take our time and wait a while before..."

[Second brother...]

"Ah?"

Gregor's voice rang out, solemn and steady.

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