I may not know what kind of mercenary group "Brave Hearts" Mercenary Corps is, but judging from the uneasy silence among the mercenaries around me, I can tell they are definitely not the kind-hearted type.
I have no interest whatsoever in such a mercenary group, so I didn't even bother to refuse verbally. The surrounding mercenaries were curious, watching as this young man, Eg, continued trying to persuade me.
"Do you still need to consider? The treatment in our mercenary group is unparalleled across the entire continent. Moreover, if you achieve great deeds for our group, I could even arrange for you to receive a noble title as a reward. You see, I myself am a viscount of the Nicholas Empire!"
Unable to tolerate his self-righteous demeanor any longer, I replied coldly, "There's really no need to consider. I refuse."
Eg's smug smile instantly froze into a grimace, his expression turning sour. Several swordsmen behind him were already itching to rush forward, but he gestured to hold them back.
With a resentful glare, he said, "No one has ever refused me like this before. Suit yourself. Let's go." He turned and led his followers away.
His outburst stirred some thoughts among the nearby mercenaries, wondering why even the third-ranked mercenary group couldn't attract me.
I turned to the lovely young girl and asked, "Can I take on the large-scale task of guarding the small city now?"
"Of course, it's a major task that even individual mercenaries can undertake," the girl quickly replied. "Shall I assist you in applying for it?"
"Yes," I nodded, "just applying for the task will suffice."
After securing the task, I left the Mercenary Guild amidst the strange gazes of the mercenaries.
I know that although there are many solo mercenaries on the continent, they usually join a mercenary group first to earn more mercenary points quickly and advance their rank.
Being a D-rank mercenary like me isn't anything special; there are plenty of B-rank mercenaries on the continent. Going solo means I'll have to put in more effort and time to improve my rank, which seems like a foolish decision.
Naturally, I don't care much about mercenary ranks. In the future, if I want to take on tasks, I'll only accept the highest difficulty S-rank missions or unrestricted tasks, which have no rank restrictions.
Now I'm heading towards the bar. After a day of turmoil, the sky is almost dark, and I still have to wait for Roger to arrive.
Although I'm not much of a drinker, having Qi in my body means getting drunk won't be that simple!
The alcohol here may not be as vibrant and colorful as the drinks brewed by mixologists on Earth, but it has a fresh and natural flavor that captivates me.
Leisurely savoring my wine, I enjoy watching the enthusiastic dances of the dancers. After all, this is a world of swords and magic, and even the dancers likely possess some martial skills. Their performances exude a wildness that perfectly combines strength and grace, just watching them gives me a sense of boiling blood.
When I first arrived, I was preoccupied with thoughts, so I didn't pay much attention. Now, relaxed and appreciative, I immediately notice the unique charm different from Earth.
Just half an hour into my seat, I already spot Roger's figure. Clearly, he commands great respect here as bar patrons stand up now and then to greet him.
After finding my location, he immediately walked over to me and respectfully said:
"Master, everything has been arranged. It cost thirty thousand gold coins, but now we can move in."
I hadn't expected to find a house so quickly, let alone be able to move in immediately. Impressed by his efficiency, I replied:
"Well done. You keep the money. Let's have a few drinks first, and then we'll go take a look around."
It was a large estate, and just by looking at the interior decor, I could tell its previous owner was wealthy and noble. After a brief look around, I nodded in satisfaction and remarked:
"Very nice. We'll stay here temporarily. If you have any family, bring them along too! The grounds are so spacious, you can hire anyone you need. I'll be in this city for two more days, until we finish dealing with the monster siege."
"Thank you, Master," Roger replied gratefully. Now, essentially, I had just handed him two hundred thousand gold coins. Though he knew I cared little for money, the gesture alone was enough to earn his lifelong loyalty.
The night passed without much conversation. Early the next morning, I called him to the estate's arena and asked:
"Any reflections from yesterday's duel?"
Roger closed his eyes, deep in thought for a while, before responding:
"That was a miraculous sword technique I've never seen before. I used to believe that enhancing strength meant constantly refining my combat energy and improving the power of my techniques. But now I realize the importance of skill. Even with equal combat energy levels, I wouldn't stand a chance against you. Moreover, throughout the entire match, I didn't even have an opportunity to unleash my ultimate moves."
I nodded approvingly and said:
"You're right. I've never interacted with people from the mainland before, so I'm not very familiar with its martial arts. But from my perspective, even if we had equal combat energy levels, or if mine were slightly lower than yours, I could still easily defeat you. Despite your wealth of combat experience, your swordsmanship, to me, is full of flaws. As the saying goes, 'Great clumsiness is close to cleverness.' Since you've become a heavy swordsman, you should emphasize the 'heavy.' Due to a certain promise of mine, I cannot teach you my martial arts or combat energy. However, I can teach you footwork. Watch carefully."
With that, I began to move, my figure gliding through the arena, demonstrating footwork that complemented the "Carefree Scripture."
The entire footwork set originated from ancient teachings, derived from the positions of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams of the Yi Jing. It consisted of a hundred and eight steps in total, a complex sequence difficult even for the divine ninjas of the past R Kingdom to trace my movements.
The complexity of the entire footwork set was beyond ordinary imagination. It was only after pondering deeply into the night that I had managed to simplify it to eighteen steps. Though its power was reduced to only one-tenth or one-twelfth of the original, proper use of it would greatly aid Roger's swordsmanship.
Roger found it difficult to keep up with my movements, even after I repeated them three times. Despite identifying four or five steps, he was still tremendously excited. It was hard to imagine that such simple steps could possess such great power.
Of course, I didn't expect him to fully understand it. I pointed to the ground and said:
"Study the positions of these eighteen footprints carefully. When you can perform this footwork fluently, forwards and backwards, at will, your swordsmanship will significantly improve."
Roger followed my gesture and was astonished to see eighteen distinct footprints on the ground, as if they had been carved by a knife. Unable to contain his excitement any longer, he exclaimed:
"Thank you for teaching me the footwork, Master. I will not disappoint your expectations."
I smiled and replied:
"No need for such formality. Once you have mastered the footwork, erase all these footprints. Also, don't call me 'Master' anymore. It doesn't sound very pleasant. From now on, call me 'Young Master!'"
"Yes, Ma... Young Master!" Roger said excitedly.
Over the next two days, I spent the evenings learning about the mainland from Roger and leisurely exploring the streets during the day.
Originally, I had planned to visit the blacksmith's shop to obtain a practical longsword, but upon inspecting the massive swords in the small town's shops, I found them impractical. Even the wooden sword I carved myself was more suitable.
In truth, wielding this wooden sword would pose no challenge even against a lower-ranked holy beast. Nevertheless, I felt that carrying a wooden sword would be too conspicuous.
Roger offered his giant sword for me to use, but I dismissed it as entirely useless. He didn't press further after my criticism.
Through conversations with Roger, I finally understood my position among the human race's experts.
At present, on the Continent, there are very few swordsmen at the level of the Sword God, perhaps just one in each of the five great empires.
"However, reaching the level of Sword God essentially makes one a natural-born expert, and longevity is simply a matter of course. Therefore, there should still be some Sword God-level experts unknown to the public.
Holy-level experts are also few and far between. Due to the constraints of the Sacred Holy See, countries have agreed that once one reaches the rank of Holy, they can no longer participate in disputes between nations. This has intensified conflicts among Holy-level experts, making them rare is not a surprising thing.
I didn't expect to be already a master beyond the limit of human race, so it seems that the martial arts here are really nothing special!
Sitting in the bar, I drink lightly with a light natural flavor in my wine, and I think, it seems that if I want to find an opponent, I can only go to the god or the devil.
I have always despised the behavior of worshiping the gods of the Assyrian Empire for defeating the devil's people. In my view, the gods and the devil are not different. Their ambitions for this people's great continent are unparalleled, and the only difference is that the gods cleverly used the power of the people, but the devil clearly stood on the other side of the human race.
Seeing the gods began to persecute the dragon family, the animal family and the elves after driving away the devil's people, their purpose was to dominate this continent. As long as the various races on the continent cannot unite, the people will never be able to effectively resist them.
Now, the position of the church on the continent is almost unshakeable. Just look at the fact that all countries must tribute to the church every year to know that the gods have been looting resources.
"Young man, we meet again."
Just as I was lost in thought, a familiar voice rang in my ear.