Declaration Of Extra Strike

 

A voice I hadn’t expected brought me to turn around. Just a hand’s breadth away stood Seong San-ha’s face. He was smiling softly at Lim Dan but then subtly shifted his gaze to meet mine.

 

Under his thick eyelashes, his light-colored eyes caught mine briefly.

 

“Seong San-ha…”

 

I barely murmured his name before his gaze moved away, leaving me frozen for a moment with a strange sense of unfamiliarity.

 

‘What is this? Today, it feels almost as if…’

 

It couldn’t be, but it felt like he had deliberately avoided my gaze. His softly curled eyes and relaxed smile were the same as always, but something felt off.

 

Before I could dwell on it further, Lim Dan’s curt tone snapped me out of my thoughts.

 

“Didn’t you just get back from Egypt? Should you even be here already? Why not stay there for good?”

 

“Now, that’s a cold thing to say. There are too many eyes watching out here—should we go in and talk instead?”

 

“Ugh, acting all smug for an uninvited guest…”

 

Despite her prickly attitude, Lim Dan must have been mindful of the onlookers outside because she stepped aside and let the door open.

 

Following her inside with Seong San-ha and Seung-yeon, I spotted someone I hadn’t seen in a long time—Lee Cho. It seemed he had come with San-ha, as he approached with a polite bow.

 

“Hoh… Ahem, boss. Are you feeling okay?”

 

“Lee Cho! It’s been a while. I’m perfectly fine.”

 

“That’s a relief. You seemed to be asleep for a long time, so I was worried. I wanted to drop by more often since San-ha nim wasn’t around, but I felt it might not be my place…”

 

“Not your place? Why, did Seo-jin kick you out?”

 

“Haha, not at all. I left a fruit basket, but I’m not sure if Esper Han Seo-jin delivered it?”

 

“No, I didn’t see it, but it’s probably in my room. Thanks.”

 

I expressed my gratitude out of courtesy and glanced at Seong San-ha walking ahead. Judging by Lim Dan’s earlier remarks, it seemed he had gone abroad again…

 

‘Egypt… That’s where Regulus was.’

 

The news had abruptly stopped broadcasting after showing someone being attacked, which had already left me worried. And now, hearing that Seong San-ha had been to Egypt, it was undoubtedly related to the Constellations.

 

“Lee Cho, about Seong San-ha—why did he go to Egypt—”

 

“That’s not something you should be asking right now!!”

 

Before I could finish asking Lee Cho, Lim Dan’s raised voice overpowered mine. My head snapped up to see Lim Dan practically fuming at the composed Seong San-ha.

 

“You tricked our naive Cheong into joining you, only to bring him back battered and bloody! You claimed it was just

errands and light security, but you dragged him into that cult mess and the Nox fiasco?! You con artist!”

 

“Curious how you know so much about the internal details when Cho only contacted Lim Cheong directly.”

 

“What kind of sister would I be if I didn’t check up on a suspicious contract my clueless younger sibling got involved in? Ignoring it would be negligent.”

 

“Most people would call that snooping or overprotection. I wonder if Lim Cheong realizes how deeply his sister’s concern runs. It makes me wonder why he roams aimlessly like a hunter with no ties.”

 

“What? Are you saying Cheong wanted to get away from me?”

 

As the unsettling conversation between Seong San-ha and Lim Dan continued, the door to the inner room abruptly swung open, revealing someone. Lim Dan gasped and quickly approached the door.

 

“…Weren’t you out?”

 

“I came back earlier. What’s all this commotion?”

 

While I was still trying to process the heated exchange between Seong San-ha and Lim Dan, I finally reached a conclusion and turned to Lee Cho beside me, asking bluntly,

 

“Hey. Was Cheong sent here by Seong San-ha?”

 

“Well… uh…”

 

“Not a freelance mercenary but part of Cheon Rang?”

 

“B-boss? Are you seriously here?”

 

Cheong suddenly burst out from behind Lim Dan. Fresh out of the shower, his hair was wet, and a towel hung loosely over his shoulders.

 

“Boss…”

 

“Cheong ah!”

 

Cheong’s face had gone pale, and his trembling voice called out to me. Only then did I finally notice him, and the sight left me stunned. His face, usually guarded, now showed raw vulnerability. The image overlapped with the memory of him being struck by Tae Jae-heon, rekindling the anger from that day.

 

I frowned and quickly approached him, scanning him from head to toe. He seemed fine on the surface.

 

“Are you okay? Is your body alright?”

 

“It’s a long way off. Boss, I, uh, have something to say….”

 

“I’m glad to hear that. But let’s make a diagnosis just in case.”

 

I reached out to use

The Hand of Healing

on Cheong, but before I could touch him, two people simultaneously stopped me. Seong San-ha grabbed my wrist while Lim Dan stepped between us, her cold glare directed squarely at

me.

 

“What are you doing? What are you trying to pull on Cheong?”

 

“Just let me check his condition.”

 

“No need. I already healed him myself.”

 

“You, Seong San-ha? Oh, right. Cheong’s your mole, isn’t he….”

 

As I muttered to myself, reminded of this fact, Cheong’s face turned pale.

 

“Boss. That’s not true. While I did go at their suggestion, I swear on everything I am that I’ve never done anything shameful….”

 

Cheong’s voice grew quieter as he lowered his head, almost curling into himself. Lim Dan sighed and gestured toward the sofa in the middle of the living room.

 

“Sit down. Let’s talk this through.”

 

Despite there being plenty of space in the spacious 2709 suite, with all seven of us gathered, the room felt crowded. I found myself sitting on the sofa across from Seong San-ha, who remained unflustered despite the tense atmosphere.

 

I looked directly at him and asked,

 

“What’s going on? Did you know Cheong from before?”

 

“This high-level talent was sitting idle, so I gave a little nudge. I told him that a legendary craftsman’s workshop was looking for mercenaries.”

 

I nodded in understanding. It all made sense now. Any suspicions I had about Cheong faded as I muttered.

 

“I almost thought Cheong was a spy for Cheon Rang or something.”

 

“I am

not

a spy for the Cheon Rang Guild Master!”

 

“I heard about the mercenary recruitment, but signing the contract was entirely my decision. I’ve never leaked any mission details or internal systems from the workshop to the outside!”

 

“What? Of course not. We even made a non-disclosure pact. And you came all the way to Nox to save me. I trust my mercenary.”

 

“Boss…!”

 

“Cheong ah!!”

 

Cheong’s fists clenched tightly on his knees, his eyes shining as he looked up at me. Lim Dan, watching this exchange with increasing incredulity, finally pointed an accusing finger at me.

 

“You’ve got to be kidding me!

Your

mercenary? What a joke! I’ll pay the cancellation fees myself, so terminate that contract right now! And you, Cheong, get a grip! After what you just went through, how can you still have any attachment to

that

!?”

 

“……..”

 

Cheong stubbornly kept his mouth shut, refusing to look at Lim Dan. His blatant disregard caused Dan to sigh in frustration and slap his chest.

 

“You really…! What are you even doing? Why are you sticking around in a rundown shop with no customers? And what makes you trust someone from Nox!”

 

The harsh words and the insult of “rundown shop” almost made me collapse, clutching the back of my neck.

 

“Rundown… what?”

 

“Oh no, you shouldn’t take out your frustration on an innocent person.”

 

Seong San-ha steadied me as I almost staggered. Cheong turned toward me with a furious look and glared at Lim Dan.

 

“Enough. This is the workshop I’ve chosen to be part of, and the boss I decided to serve. If you keep insulting it, I won’t just stand by and let it happen.”

 

“Lim Cheong! You… you…!”

 

Lim Dan was left speechless, her mouth agape in shock. I was moved by Cheong’s bold vow, a declaration worthy of

the world’s greatest mercenary, and I couldn’t help but glance at Zero, who was snickering in the corner. His sly grin made my eyes narrow.

 

“If we’re talking suspicious, Zero’s got to be way more suspicious than Cheong.”

 

Zero noticed my gaze and wiped the smile off his face, asking with feigned innocence.

 

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

 

“Who are you working for?”

 

“Working for? Oh, don’t say such hurtful things. I’m not the kind of person who takes orders from anyone.”

 

The words coming from Zero’s mouth didn’t sound like something a mercenary would say. Unable to believe it, I couldn’t shake off my suspicion as I stared at him. Zero shrugged his shoulders as if there was no other choice and said.

 

“Now that I’m saying it, the truth is, I had a very harmless and rather small purpose.”

 

Zero spoke with a suspicious and sinister expression.

 

“I was personally searching for a rare item that was on a wanted list, and the only person who was known to have it was Hunter Lim Cheong. But with Hunter Lim Dan’s overprotectiveness, there was no opportunity. Then, out of nowhere, Hunter Lim Cheong decides to join the mercenary group at the workshop. Can you believe that?”

 

“So you followed Cheong because of that?”

 

“That was the first reason. But after that, well, as I mentioned before, something even more interesting came up than the item.”

 

Zero’s eyes, looking at me, glowed uncomfortably. Seung-yeon, sitting next to me, subtly inched away from Zero, his eyes wide with fear.

 

I thought they had come because of my job posting, but it turned out that both had different reasons. As Seung-yeon and I tried to process the mercenaries’ secrets, Lim Dan, who had been glaring at Zero with disdain, muttered to Cheong as though trying to make sure I heard:

 

“Is this where I was supposed to let you go?”

 

“….”

 

Cheong, stubbornly keeping his mouth shut and ignoring all the scolding, seemed to tire Lim Dan, who sighed and spoke to Seong San-ha.

 

“Enough, we’ve gathered with difficulty, so how about we decide everything now? I don’t want to get personally involved any longer.”

 

“Weren’t we staying here?”

 

“Why would I stay here when I have my own place? I’ll be going back with Cheong tomorrow. I only stayed for the quest.”

 

Despite Lim Dan’s cold announcement, Cheong remained silent, staring at the cup in front of him, his gaze fixed. His stubborn attitude clearly made me the target of his frustration.

 

“Why did you have to end up under such a strange person…”

 

Though it was true that Cheong was hurt because of me, I couldn’t say anything in response to the hostility directed

at me and silently endured the weight of being the boss, feeling the sting of his gaze.

 

Smiling slyly, Zero teased Lim Dan, who was glaring at me with gritted teeth.

 

“Still, you should try to get along. You’ll be seeing him often from now on. Not to mention, you’ll need to protect him carefully, right?”

 

“Is there any point in doing the quest? It’s obvious it’ll end in failure and just be a lot of trouble.”

 

“I told you I won’t tolerate anyone talking bad about the boss. I’m staying by his side, so you can go back on your own.”

 

“Lim Cheong, you really…!”

 

The words seemed directed at me, but the conversation was so confusing that I scratched my head and asked Seong-yeon.

 

“Why? What’s going on? Is this related to me?”

 

Before Seong-yeon could answer with his meek voice, Lim Dan snapped irritably.

 

“You have the Zodiac, don’t you?!”

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