Chapter 183 : Moonlight Punch!

Boris blinked his eyes, then let out a small laugh and said.

"The weakest bastard is the leader?"

In the past, I would have been offended, but now I could take it with ease. Is this the composure of the strong?

"That's a story of the past. I'm not the me I used to be."

"Anyway, you're still a silver rank, aren't you? Did you get promoted in that short time?"

"No. I was busy."

"Then you can't."

"What?"

"You can't register a mercenary corps."

When I stared at him blankly, Boris sighed and explained.

"You can only register a mercenary corps from at least gold rank."

"What? Where is there such a thing?"

"It's the most basic of basics, and a guy who wants to create a mercenary corps doesn't even know that."

Boris clicked his tongue and then took out various documents from a drawer and said.

"Well, anyway, you killed all those fake guys, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then it's considered naturally disbanded... and the mercenary corps named Sherwood that those guys had registered before..."

The guy scribbled on the quill pen and then stamped it with a bang and said.

"With this, the registration is cancelled."

Boris smiled refreshingly.

"I feel so refreshed. To get rid of the fake Sherwood as soon as you came back alive. You did a good thing, right?"

I nodded and admitted.

"It happened unintentionally."

"Hehe. Damn bastards. They deserved to die. Go to hell! Spit."

It seems this guy has also been through a few things.

The Heavenly Demon, who was watching, gave his assessment of Boris.

[The more I see, the more I understand why you became friends.]

"...."

I thought for a moment and then asked.

"Have you heard any news about the other guys?"

"What. The Sherwood guys? Oh, don't even mention it. I was dragged by the collar by Gustan all the way to that mountain village. Just thinking about those guys makes me shudder, shudder."

The guy trembled as if he didn't even want to think about it.

"But you're a mercenary guild employee, so you must have heard something."

"Hmm. Let's see..."

Boris tapped the reception desk with his fingertips and muttered.

"That... the two-faced magic swordsman, I think I heard he was killing magical beasts in the north."

"The north?"

"The crazy guy brought back a magical beast's head before a request even came in. From what I hear, he seems to be killing every magical beast he sees. He'll probably go beyond the barrier soon."

"...What a temper."

This crazy guy is causing a scene in the north. Did something bad happen?

But at least he's not killing people.

Good for him, good for him.

That dual-personality guy has times when he goes crazy, and it seems this is one of those times.

I'll have to go get him when he calms down later.

'First, the north.'

I put that information in my head.

"And?"

"Let's see... Ah, that tanned martial artist kid, right? The one with the golden eyes."

"Schmitt?"

"Yeah, that's right. Schmitt. There was a rumor that he was seen going down south, but it's not certain."

"Not certain? I thought he'd be easy to find because of his distinctive appearance."

"I don't know either. Maybe he's hiding himself well. I haven't heard anything."

"Hmm."

South.

If I had been lucky, I might have run into him.

"But why do you call Schmitt a kid? You're about the same height."

Boris got offended.

"Shut up. I'm taller."

The golden martial artist, Schmitt. He's a peculiar guy who doesn't use blades.

He says he's scared of blood splattering, or that the feeling of cutting is creepy.

So he's a soft-hearted guy who only beats up magical beasts with his kicks and fists.

Of course, there are some guys that he can't deal with just with that, so he carries a spearhead like a keychain.

If necessary, he'll make a golden spear and throw it.

'Schmitt. South.'

I also put that information in my head.

"And the other guys? Haven't you heard anything else?"

"No. I'll tell you if I hear anything."

"Alright."

Then should I focus on finding Schmitt first...

"Ah."

Snap—

I snapped my fingers.

"What about Siri?"

"...Siri?"

"I mean, Cyrilla."

"Ah, the unbelieving saint? I haven't heard anything about her."

"...Is that so."

In fact, the only one I'm worried about is Siri. She's a girl with a dazed side like Shushruta, so if a stranger offers to buy her something, she'll probably follow them.

The other guys probably didn't take care of Siri separately.

I wonder what she's doing and where.

"Hmm."

Well, that's that.

Let's do what needs to be done now.

"So you have to be a gold rank to create a mercenary corps?"

"That's right. Are you going to take the promotion test right away?"

I nodded.

"Oh, good. Let's see how much stronger you've become. Follow me."

Boris took a file and came out from behind the reception desk, and then strode somewhere.

He said as he walked ahead.

"Hey. If you're going to make a new one, why don't you do it with a new name?"

"Why?"

"Because of those guys, Sherwood's reputation has completely fallen to the ground. Those guys spread the rumor that the Sherwood Mercenary Corps had been revived, right? There were clients who came, half-believing, but since they failed every request they took, do you think there were any good words? Even if you re-establish the mercenary corps, requests won't come in right away. You can be fooled once. But not twice."

"...These damn bastards."

I feel like the boy who cried wolf. The difference is that I, who am pure and innocent, did not lie about the wolf coming. It was the wicked former shepherd boy who lied.

Even if I killed the former shepherd boy, it would be difficult to restore people's trust with just that.

Especially since I'm not famous.

A sigh escaped me automatically.

This is tough.

As we walked, we arrived in front of a certain door.

When Boris burst open the door, the dust that had been ambushing us launched a surprise attack.

I waved my hand and frowned.

"Hey, damn it. If you have time to fall asleep, clean up a bit."

"Why clean when no one comes?"

Boris turned on the installed magic lamp and then went into the room.

At the visit of unexpected guests, dust flew everywhere.

"How long has this not been used?"

Boris strode into the room nonchalantly and asked.

"What do you want to do first?"

It was a strangely excited voice, and it seemed to contain the meaning of 'I was bored, so this is good!'.

"Let's measure your mana first."

"Alright!"

Boris approached the desk covered in a thick layer of dust and pulled off the cloth.

The dust flew again, and a round crystal ball was revealed.

Boris fiddled with the device connected to the crystal ball and said.

"Done. Fortunately, the magic stone is still working. Touch it. Let's see if you're an aura user."

Without delay, I immediately placed my hand on the crystal ball.

This is a mana meter, and as the name suggests, it analyzes the amount of mana in the body.

It tells you with color, and of course, when I measured it before, there was no reaction.

Zero. In other words, zero.

But it will be different now.

As the level of my martial arts has risen and my internal energy has deepened, there will surely be a record-breaking number...

"No reaction."

"Huh?"

Boris looked at me.

"Ashuban. Are you tricking me?"

"Isn't it broken?"

"No way."

When Boris placed his hand on it, the color of the crystal ball turned a light brown, the same as his hair color.

"See. It's working fine."

"Again, again."

This time, I raised my internal energy to the fullest.

Hwoooong!

Wind rose from my whole body. Thanks to that, the assault of dust also became fiercer.

I placed my hand on the crystal ball in that state.

"Ugh, damn it."

Boris spat out the dust that had entered his mouth and checked the mana meter.

"No reaction. Converted to a score, it's zero."

"...How can this be?"

I felt my legs give way.

As the wind subsided, the gray snowflakes that had been floating in the room slowly settled down.

No matter how different mana and internal energy are, how can there be no reaction?

Aren't they both energy from the same nature? Is it okay to discriminate like this?

"Mana measurement result. No reaction. Completely zero. Zero points. The movement of mana cannot be found at all. Not even a single thread can be seen. To the point where it's questionable if he's a person. Honestly, I think even an ant would have a better reaction."

Whether I cared or not, Boris wrote down the results of the promotion test on the file he was holding.

The Heavenly Demon offered a consolation that was not a consolation.

[Isn't it a good thing? It means that other guys can't gauge your skills.]

"...Well, that's true. But it's not helpful for the promotion test at all."

"Uh, what did you say?"

"I wasn't talking to you."

"...Sometimes talks to himself. His mental state seems very unstable."

Boris, who had finished writing, looked at me.

"The wind was blowing, so it seems something has changed... but why is your mana still zero?"

"How should I know?"

"No, why are you getting angry at me? You crazy bastard. I'll just fail you."

"Just turn on the impact meter. I'll make up for it here."

Boris clicked his tongue.

"Make up for it, my ass. There's a cutoff for everything."

"What's the cutoff?"

"You have to get over 600 points in total. Since you got 0 on the mana meter, you have to get at least 600 on the impact meter. Is that even possible?"

I replied, warming up.

"Stop talking nonsense and get ready. My challenge is not over yet."

"Oh my. A martial artist has appeared. How are you going to get over 600 points?"

Boris grumbled and pulled off another cloth that was next to it.

Then a magic device the size of a person appeared.

An impact meter. In other words, a punching machine.

As the name suggests, it is a device that tests pure physical strength, and when you hit the round target that protrudes in front, it calculates the impact and tells you with a number.

When Boris went behind it and fiddled with it, a clear sound of ding-ding was heard and the target popped out.

I glared at the target and asked Boris.

"What's the maximum score?"

"It's 2,000 points, you bastard. It won't break no matter what you do, so hit it as hard as you want. The Red Witch specially reinforced it after Gustan broke it last time. Do you know how many magic circles are in here?"

"Oh. My sister? Then I can hit it without worry."

The guy snorted.

"If you get over 600 points, I'll carry you on my back all day."

"Keep that promise."

"If you're ignorant, you're brave. Usually, you get 300 on the mana meter and 300 on the impact meter to pass the first promotion test. Do you know what the cutoff for platinum rank is?"

"What is it?"

"It's 1,200 points, you ignorant fool. So you have to get 600 on the mana meter and 600 on the impact meter to pass the first promotion test for platinum rank. 600 points is a score that only a platinum rank can get. Are you a platinum rank mercenary? What 600 points. You're talking nonsense."

"Hmm."

Indeed, platinum rank. It's hard to even become a gold rank, but even though it's just the first test to confirm the minimum qualifications, platinum rank requires twice the score.

It means that you have to be a different breed to become a platinum rank. A realm that only a genius among geniuses can reach.

But... I have overcome that difference through martial arts. I have set foot in their realm.

Will this magic device be any different?

"What was the leader's score?"

"Gustan? Gustan hit it when the maximum was 1,000 and broke it, so it means he's at least over 1,000."

"Really? Then I'll surpass that."

Boris let out a hollow laugh.

"Good luck."

I took a long breath, and then got into a stance.

"Master. I'm going all out."

[Do it. Let's see your friend's surprised face.]

The Night Sky rose from my fist like smoke.

At first, I was just going to do it moderately. Because it's just the first test.

A bright starlight sparkled on my fist.

But I changed my mind.

The leader is over 1,000?

The quiet moonlight of the Full Moon seeped into my fist.

'I can't lose.'

Here I go!

"Moonlight Punch!"

KWAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!

(End of Chapter)

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