It was not long after Ginovan had reported about the golem's core to the fortress commander Baron Dortagon.
"As expected, they're gathering mercenaries."
Jun who had been observing the overall atmosphere of the fortress through the window casually remarked.
As soon as the commander's orders were posted in the Mercenaries' Guild, the atmosphere in the Black Forest Fortress began to change rapidly.
Just like Jun, the other mercenaries were also showing a lot of interest in the upcoming subjugation mission.
"Judging from the fact that they're wearing high-grade equipment, it seems like there are adventurers as well… Are those mages? What are they doing here?"
In response to Jun's muttering, Chloe who was busy with paperwork nearby answered.
"They must have come thinking it's connected to the Goblin Lord. If a field boss appears, it's only a matter of time before an Area Lord shows up too. But those adventurers might have a hard time. There's already an adventurer party called 'Azure Cloud' that set up camp in the Black Forest."
"Azure Cloud? Ah, that adventurer party stationed at Level 3?"
"That's right. They've been gearing up to hunt the Area Lord since last year. I heard even the imperial family granted them permission."
"What about the mages, then?"
"The Area Lord has appeared earlier than usual this year. They're probably here because of that, don't you think?"
Chloe tried not to show her concern and cast a worried glance at Jun.
Jun had never had a good relationship with mages.
When he noticed this, Jun responded.
"My so-called master went to great lengths to hide my existence. Then he up and died. So, you don't have to worry about that."
"Well… that's true."
Still, it wasn't a comfortable topic, so Jun quickly changed the subject.
"So, what about the items I mentioned?"
"I brought them. Managed to get a good price, too."
Chloe finished her paperwork and took out the items she had prepared one by one from her space pouch.
There were various potion ingredients and a new spellbook.
"All of it together, 7.2 million gold coins."
"Damn. That's ridiculously expensive."
Most of the money they had earned from raiding the goblin village was gone without a trace.
But there was no helping it.
The Goblin Lord had appeared sooner than expected, and Jun needed to prepare the appropriate spells for what was coming next.
Chloe smiled faintly, perhaps because she found Jun's sad expression amusing.
"That's why I told you to invest. Just leave it alone, and the money multiplies on its own, you know? Besides, there's still a long way to go before Blackout resets. It's the perfect time to invest."
"No point in hoarding money just to die with it. Right now, it's time to invest in reputation, not wealth."
Chloe shrugged her shoulders.
As a merchant, her perspective on money differed greatly from Jun's who was a mercenary.
"By the way, it's been a while since you've seen a spellbook, huh? Is this the first time since then?"
"Yeah, I suppose."
Jun's expression as he handled the luxurious spellbook was somewhat nostalgic.
It wasn't so much a memory of "Lee Jeong-Jun" as it was the instinct of the body he now inhabited.
Is this what they call a love-hate relationship?
In Jun's memories, the original owner of this body had an intense passion for magic.
Yet, through various fragmented memories, it was clear that he eventually grew disappointed with magic.
To be more precise, it was a disappointment for the society of mages.
From that point on, he already knew in his gut that his master was aiming for his heart.
Well, I don't know if that's why he made that choice.
When Jun first awoke in this body, the first thing he saw was the ceiling and a severed rope hanging from it…
Hmm. Maybe handling a spellbook after so long is making these old memories come back.
In any case, it was a story that no longer mattered. Jun quietly packed the spellbook made of smooth leather and stood up.
"Alright, I'll be going now. Let's meet again later."
***
As time passed, Ginovan volunteered for the scouting team as planned.
Since the scouting team had a high death rate, no one wanted to step forward, but Ginovan was different, and word spread that Commander Baron Dortagon was greatly pleased with his decision.
"Sir Ginovan, you're the most dedicated. I trust you'll handle the scouting well."
"Thank you for your trust, Commander."
Unlike the two attack teams that were still in the preparation stage, the scouting team was deployed first.
Their mission was to locate the Goblin Lord.
To that end, the scouting team which included Jun and Aiden headed into the Black Forest.
The starting part of the forest was relatively peaceful, but after about a day of marching, battles began to break out more frequently.
"A swarm of Corrow Bees ahead!"
"Form a defensive line! Brace your legs!"
"Don't hold up your spears, you idiot! These things will die on their own! Just keep your shields up!"
The Corrow Bees were about the size of a small dog and carried corrosive venom sacs from their waist to their hindquarters.
The strategy to deal with them was simple.
All I had to do was hold the shields up and watch them crash into it and self-destruct.
But right after that, an Outer Wolf appeared.
Just as the clever creatures realized that the rear of the scouting team was wide open and were about to move.
Slash―!!
Aiden who had been hiding in a nearby tree suddenly lunged down.
He slashed one of the three Outer Wolves deeply along its side.
At the same time, Aiden grabbed the injured creature by the tail and pulled it away from the scouting team.
Grrr!!!
Awooooo――!!
As you would expect from pack creatures, their sense of camaraderie was strong, and eventually they all turned on Aiden.
However, unlike before, Aiden didn't dodge. Instead, he actively engaged them.
I can see it!
During the gap before the scouting team was formed, Aiden had entered the Black Forest with Jun daily. And he gained experience by facing various monsters during that time.
Each piece of advice Jun gave was invaluable, and Aiden absorbed and mastered the knowledge like a sponge.
Because of this, he could clearly read the Outer Wolves' movements.
Now, he felt he could deal with them even without using magical power.
As expected. He's overflowing with talent.
Jun who had been watching Aiden's movements for a moment soon turned his attention to the soldiers.
The swarm of Corrow Bees was just now colliding with them.
The moment the creatures touched the sturdy shields, their bodies shattered and scattered.
Chiieeek――!!
At the same time, the poison sacs burst and they released a fierce sound and a foul stench over the shields.
"Ugh!"
"Hey, you idiot! Don't get pushed back! I said, don't get pushed back!"
"Close the gaps in the shields! The poison is getting through!"
A few soldiers who were still unaccustomed to the situation began to falter, but the veteran soldiers shouted at them.
There hadn't been any major casualties yet, but there were still many Corrow Bees left at the front.
The formation couldn't afford to collapse so soon.
At that moment, Jun's [Shield] spread over the soldiers' shields.
Bam, bam, bam!!
It wasn't strengthened with a large amount of magical power, so it was quickly shattered by the charging Corrow Bees, but it bought the soldiers enough time to regain their stance.
This should be enough for now.
In fact, ranged attacks were perfect for dealing with these self-destructing bees.
Since self-destruction is their specialty, their defense is almost nonexistent. They'll probably die after a few [Wind Cutter] shots.
But Jun deliberately held back.
The troops were still in the process of adapting to the Black Forest.
This was something he had already agreed upon with Ginovan.
"They're almost all dead!"