＜ Episode 37 ＞
“Why did you call anyway?”
asked John, who buried himself on the sofa with a tired expression.
Normally, he would have reported that the work was over at the site and headed for the lodging, but Miller requested a visit to the office.
“Ah, yes.”
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Miller erased his smile and hardened his expression, and met John’s eyes.
“The client nominated you. zone.”
“There is nothing new about it.”
As a notorious torture expert, the current stock price of John is high enough to be nicknamed the confessional.
John is a nickname that I don’t like, but thanks to that, many people have been looking for him, and it’s a time when I’m having a pretty busy time, so I can’t say it’s special.
“Of course you should. But the client wants a meeting with you.”
“···yes?”
After hearing what Miller had to say, John straightened up.
It is rare for a client and a solver to meet face-to-face.
The case of Ivan and Ekaterina was a special case, and it is common for middlemen to coordinate.
In Luna, the fixer’s work is piled up like a mountain.
As it is a city where all kinds of heinous things happen and full of resentment and desire, the solvers are fulfilling that part.
The fixers are the ones who solve things that can be said to be Luna’s secrets, and most of the clients who don’t want to get their hands dirty as much as they play such a role did not want to face the fixer directly.
“…that’s rare.”
“Consider your reputation well established. In most cases like this, we check the solver before requesting a special request.”
John narrowed his eyes at Miller’s words.
special order.
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Most of the requests that John has done so far have involved interests or revenge.
These days, torture has been added, and depending on your point of view, most of them can be said to be special quests, but this is Luna.
Requests of this level were close to daily life, and if it were a special request in Luna, most of them were related to companies.
And most of the things that companies are involved in are a headache to deal with.
In most cases, if the finish is poor, retaliation will come immediately, and it is not for nothing that the solver who succeeded in the company’s request is treated.
“Hmm.”
After Ivan’s work, John’s ability has grown rapidly, but can he really get involved in the work of a full-fledged company?
John hadn’t yet come up with a clear answer to this part, so a hesitation arose in his mind.
Ekaterina looked at John’s expression and put on a slightly worried expression, and Miller also put on a serious expression, perhaps noticing his reluctance.
“Let’s talk about it and then decide. In any case, this will happen quite a bit in the future.”
“Well, that’s probably it too.”
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Miller’s words eased John’s expression.
In the midst of living with the feeling of walking on thin ice all the time, he is in a situation where he has to protect Ekaterina as well.
John had no choice but to be cautious.
And then.
“this. Are you a little late?”
Everyone’s expression changed at the sudden voice.
***
Clap! Clap! Clap!
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Miller’s finger grazed a section of the desk, and at the same time guns popped out from all corners of the office.
At the same time, the white ceiling lit up and the magic glowed, and it was ready to deal with the intruder.
John’s reaction was also swift.
John’s hand, which fell behind the sofa so naturally, was holding a large revolver before he knew it, and his eyes glowed with a strange light, raising his ability and preparing for battle.
Ekaterina turned to the voice and stretched out her left arm, and at that moment the air around her left arm shook and a haze rose.
Gee ying.
Perhaps because of that influence, the girl’s long hair stood up, and the concentration of enormous energy was visible.
match! match! match!
“Whew. Nice response. I think I made a good choice here.”
Even in a situation where he could feel the risk of his life, he clapped his hands and smiled brightly as if he didn’t care at all.
Although he was a young man in his 20s who seemed to have no special features on the outside, at least there were no people here who were deceived by his appearance.
‘I broke through the security system. And that too without any sign. If John and the kid didn’t feel it… Are you a space-type person? Or a wizard?’
The friendly smile disappeared, and Miller’s head spun rapidly as he glared at the intruder with a tense face.
Although he has no special abilities, he had to overcome all sorts of chaos to become Luna’s broker, and Miller is also not an easygoing person.
Ekaterina was also shocked.
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Maintaining her abilities at all times as advised by John, her sensing range extends beyond the office and covers one floor of the building.
However, since nothing caught on her senses, it means that the opponent is a talented person, and that also means that it is a fairly dangerous opponent.
The girl gritted her teeth.
‘I won’t be taken lightly!’
It is Luna’s principle that it is safe to say that the opponent is an enemy because he broke into the office without due process, and if he is an enemy, it is Luna’s principle.
Didn’t he acquire power by pouring a huge amount of money for it?
The girl focused her mind on her left arm, where the haze was rising due to the concentrated energy.
As the safety device sealed in dozens of layers began to release the seals one by one according to the girl’s will to fight, it was clear that it would be worth the money, as the organ maker said.
That moment when the broker and the girl strengthened their will to fight.
“Long time no see.”
After checking the opponent’s face, John put down his revolver and took a step forward.
“…do you know John?”
“A little while ago.”
At John’s tense words, Miller and Ekaterina glared at the young man with even more hardened expressions, and the young man smiled even more brightly at such a look.
“this! Can I treat my clients like this? I came here because it was said to be the best brokerage in Area 53, but they were treated badly?”
“If I had come in normally, the treatment would have been different. Intruders are not welcome anywhere.”
John, who made eye contact with the flirtatious young man, continued.
“Isn’t it? Lucas.”
“Well, that’s how it is.”
Lucas looked at Miller and smiled.
“sorry. It has become a habit.”
“This will be formally protested.”
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Miller’s growl didn’t change Lucas’ expression.
“I can’t. Would you mind cleaning up the bloody kid over there too?”
Ekaterina, who had the spirit of a poisonous cat, lowered her arms and took a step back.
A light flashed in Lucas’ eyes as he saw the girl’s left arm still shimmering in a strange haze.
“He’s a pretty interesting kid. It’s like what you’re wearing, and it’s like your ability.”
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Madness began to appear in Lucas’ eyes, who seemed to know everything, and at the moment Ekaterina flinched, John stood in front of the girl.
“If you look at a girl that way, you could be misunderstood.”
Lucas smiled brightly at the calm but bleak words, and it looked as if a crack appeared on his face, but that was only for a moment.
“Foot! Ha ha ha ha ha! Well, that’s it too. John you are right! I made a mistake on this.”
Looking at Lucas, who was holding his stomach and laughing loudly, but didn’t erase the radiance in his eyes, John sharpened his resolve to fight.
‘Can I do it? I’m sure it feels better than back then.’
The power of the other party is unknown, but the power of oneself has been objectified.
Unlike before, when he couldn’t know exactly what he could do, John concluded that it was worth trying even with the wizard in front of him.
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Miller’s hand was directed under the table at the momentum behind John’s back, and Ekaterina focused her attention on the seal on her left arm again.
“great. great. formally apologize Would you like to talk about work now?”
Lucas raised both hands up.
***
widely.
“this. You looked hateful.”
Seeing Ekaterina turn away with a cold attitude, Lucas shook his head and turned his gaze to John, who was sitting across from him.
“I heard the story, but I became a completely different person. I’m sorry John. How did you not contact me once?”
It was the tone and attitude of treating a friend whom he hadn’t seen in a while, but John opened his mouth with a dry expression.
“It’s not a good relationship. And.”
John met Lucas’ eyes and continued.
“It’s only idiots who carelessly contact wizards.”
“Ku-k-k-k! It is like that too.”
“Let’s talk about work. He said he wanted to see me.”
At John’s dry words, Lucas also stopped laughing and straightened his posture.
“yes. work comes first Qualifications are… sufficient.”
Lucas’ eyes glistening with a strange light glanced at John once, and Lucas nodded to see if that was enough.
John’s eyebrows narrowed, but Lucas continued talking as if he didn’t care about John’s expression at all.
“It’s nothing. I’m planning to form a team, and I’m thinking about exploring with that team. We are recruiting talented people, and you are one of them.”
“Exploration?”
Lucas answered John’s question indifferently.
“Ahh. Because a dungeon was discovered.”
However, the words that came out of his mouth made the three of them freeze for an instant.
It’s because words that I thought would never come out in this place came out.
Dungeon.
There may be many meanings, but in Luna, dungeons usually mean the remains of a great war.
The Great War was the time when all of humanity reached its peak.
A company called Organ Maker was born just by finding and studying the scraps, so Dungeon is not a name to be thrown lightly.
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Most of them only remain in ruins, but dungeons are things that can literally change your life if you get something out of them, to the extent that there are talented people who specialize in finding only dungeons.
If a proper dungeon is found, there are cases where large corporations are unwilling to collide, and in most cases, the scene is more severe than a dizzying battlefield.
“…hard to believe.”
At John’s words, Miller and Ekaterina nodded.
I know that Lucas is a great wizard.
However, if I were to say that it was enough to lead the dungeon search, that would not be the case.
The dungeon is a place where people with abilities or powers that have reached at least the corporate level dig in, but it is not trustworthy to say that a wizard is working as a team to explore.
“What. It’s hard to believe. But if you listen to the story, that’s probably not the case.”
As if guessing their reaction, Lucas relaxed and opened his mouth.
“First of all, the outward reaction is low and typical. It’s a type of dungeon that has been sufficiently excavated in the past.”
The dungeon Lucas discovered had the same shape as the dungeons that had been explored many times in the past.
That means the contents inside can also be inferred, and at that point most companies lose interest.
“The place is also strange.”
Lucas smiled and met John’s eyes.
“It was found on the outskirts of a slum.”
Only then did John understand why Lucas came to him.
＜ Episode 37 ＞ End