Miserable Reincarnation

27 – Project (2)

“Congratulations, Miss Lian. On becoming an official member.”

Desk employees bowed, presenting a tablet. On it, the detailed records of the covert account Jason had created were revealed.

“A success fee of 1.5 million cells, and separately contributed by Mr. Muller, Mr. Chen, and Mr. Miller, an additional 50 million cells.”

A total of 65 million cells.

Lian faintly smiled, looking at the amount displayed in the account.

Thanks to the successful completion of the previous assignment, she earned several times the money she had accumulated so far in one go.

Certainly, the higher the difficulty, the better the earnings. Of course, this time was a special case.

‘I’ll have to thank him separately later.’

Lian, who handed the tablet to the desk clerk, turned his head at the sense of popularity felt from behind.

A charming beauty with a ponytail.

Harang was standing there.

“What’s going on?”

“There’s something I need to explain. I officially became a member this time.”

Harang said that and glanced around with a side-eye.

There were too many ears listening. Even though they were members of the Raphlas Mercenary Corps, there was no need to create a situation that could be seen as favoritism towards Lian.

“Should we go inside and talk for now?”

Regardless of Lian’s unfortunate situation, he had already stepped into the industry.

Sooner or later, he would encounter missions where his life was at risk.

Being a mercenary meant just that. The ability to earn a fortune that ordinary people couldn’t touch was also because they bore such risks.

He couldn’t help forever. Eventually, the industry revolved around the principle of survival for each.

The connection with Lian? At most, it’s just being part of the same mercenary group.

Harang knew that fact better than anyone. But…

[10 years old.]

Young. Even if Lian was young, she was too young. She quietly sighed, suppressing a whimper.

“Harang-nim?”

“Follow me. The interview room is empty.”

Harang said without revealing his emotions.

*****

An awkward atmosphere.

Despite Haraeng always exuding confidence, the ambiance was unusually solemn.

Lian had a rough guess about what Haraeng might bring up.

The Laplace Mercenaries had been lurking in the outskirts for the past six months intentionally. They must have summoned them here to reveal that.

“I didn’t expect to be called this early.”

If they were calling so soon after becoming an official member, it seemed to be a significantly important project.

What could be the project important enough to summon the entire unit?

In that moment, a scene from the journey flashed through Lian’s mind. The brutal collapse of the Partisan gang’s subordinates.

“……”

Honestly, there were not just one or two strange things.

Red Moon, Partisans, and the Black Society.

Those who had divided the underworld’s power for decades, it made no sense for them to suddenly engage in a war.

The peculiarity of the Tri-Faction situation.

To wage a war disregarding this peculiarity meant either one of them felt confident enough to take on the others alone or…

“It means a third party intervened.”

When that thought struck, Lian realized the reason why the Laplace Mercenaries had been hiding in the outskirts.

“….No way.”

Looking back, there had been too many requests related to the governing body. At that time, it seemed mere coincidence…

But considering we’ve been on the same boat from the start, the story changes.

*Woong!*

When Lian’s thoughts reached that point, the data cube emitted a loud noise, projecting holograms in all directions.

After manipulating the Horangi device a few times, encrypted files revealed themselves before his eyes.

[Outer Turas Security Lottery Project]

“…….”

“You might not know much since you joined midway, but our mercenary group has been working on this project for a while.”

Lian swallowed dryly, flipping through the files one by one.

The project’s content was simple.

Toppling the large gangs that dominated the underworld.

[Pad Rene]

– 47 years old, male, 5th rank.

– Partisan gang’s lieutenant.

– Blood mage. Relatively lacking in fire resistance.

– Identified in the Deadlock Gang building two days ago.

From the next pages onwards, the identities of key figures were laid bare.

– Today at 3 PM. Death confirmed.

– Cause: Incineration.

When, where, and how they died were all detailed.

“…Could you tell me about the overall plan?”

“We’re taking care of the Partisan and Redmoon, while Central is set to deal with the Black Society.”

Central.

It was a name I had heard before. Perhaps it was a special forces unit used by the government to intervene in the underworld.

In a much more serious situation than I had imagined, Lian tightened her face.

“… Are we in charge of two major gangs?”

“For now, that’s what you should know.”

For now.

It was a significant statement. However, Lian did not bother to ask any further.

There should be secrets that only the officers should know.

“All members must participate.”

It was a fight against the giants who ruled the underworld of the city. There would be no room for leisure in fighting such monsters.

“I guess that’s how it has to be.”

“….”

And silence flowed.

Lian looked straight into Hara’s eyes.

Up to this point, the other members would probably know the information as well. Hara wouldn’t have come to the meeting room just to tell her this.

There was definitely something more.

Hara was the first to speak.

“If you don’t want to take on this mission, you don’t have to.”

“… What?”

“Usually, newcomers are given a six-month grace period before being officially recognized as members.”

Even if there were members who had complaints, they wouldn’t protest directly.

There are very few people who can trust their backs to a child who is not yet an adult.

“If you want, I can withdraw you as a support unit.”

That was what I wanted to say.

It is not hard to understand. There is only one person who knows Lian’s exact age, Harang. Regardless of her own strength, from her perspective, Lian would appear to be nothing more than a child thrown into the water.

Because 10 years old is such a young age.

Of course, if it were someone other than Harang, they would not have even mentioned such a proposal.

A unique sense of goodness that is not mercenary-like. A possessor of a personality that approaches anyone like a friend, even though they are a high-ranking physical ability user who can only be reached by the chosen geniuses.

Even at this moment, she is not imposing her opinion, but rather respecting the opinion of a boy who is much younger than her.

That’s why she can say such things.

Even if Lian rejects the proposal, she won’t try to change her decision, though she may feel disappointed.

Something that only a person with a strong character can do.

Lian, once again, realized why Harang is a high-ranking officer in the Lappas Mercenary Corps.

Of course, that doesn’t mean she really intended to withdraw to the rear.

It’s not just because of the reputation within the mercenary corps, but also because there was no achievement as remarkable as raising her value.

“As long as we succeed.”

“There won’t be anything to worry about.”

An answer without a hint of hesitation. Just as expected. Harang let out a shallow sigh and raised her head.

An unwavering gaze. Who would think of this child as a ten-year-old? Harang swallowed a sigh in her heart and took something out of her pocket.

A leather gauntlet with a rough design.

But the magic emitted by the jewel embedded in the back of the hand proved that the gauntlet in front of her was by no means an ordinary item.

“What’s this…?”

“It’s something I used when I was young. Try putting it on.”

“But-“

“Don’t worry. You’ll get it back later.”

With that, Haraeng pushed the gauntlet towards Lian as if passing it off. Lian couldn’t refuse, as Haraeng was pushing it so insistently.

Lian hesitantly put both hands into the gauntlet, with a bewildered expression on his face.

Clank!

The gauntlet immediately adjusted its size to fit him perfectly.

Despite the leather being quite thick, it didn’t hinder his movements at all.

An artifact. And one that prioritized the user’s convenience.

Lian clenched and unclenched his hands, a soft smile forming on his face.

She’s a good person.

It must be her way of getting rid of her own attachment, by generously giving away such an artifact.

That’s why Lian couldn’t refuse Haraeng’s gift.

“…I’ll make good use of it.”

“Oh yeah.”

Seeing Lian bowing his head towards himself, Haraeng couldn’t help but smile.

He may be mature, but his smile in front of a gift clearly showed that he was still a child. Could Lian be a spy? It’s possible. The chances of the military sending Lian back looking so well-groomed were low.

But…

“Jason probably filtered out that much on his own.”

The man’s thoroughness was something Harang knew better than anyone else.

Harang was never the type to dwell deeply on such things. He had always lived as he pleased, following his heart, and he intended to continue doing so.

That was still the case now.

He didn’t want to let the boy in front of him die.

“Now go out and see.”

“Yes.”

After watching Lian’s back as he went out the door for a while, Harang leaned his head against the chair.

“Only a week left.”

All preparations were done. He couldn’t know what would happen in the future, but it was clear that the losing side would lose everything.

No matter how powerful she was as a high-ranking ability user, she naturally had to be tense when it came to matters of life and death.

As she was about to let out a shallow sigh, the conversation they just had flashed through her mind.

[You won’t have anything to worry about.]

Harang let out a light laugh.

“What does a kid like you know.”

She said it that way, but the corners of her mouth didn’t know how to come down for a while.

*****