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Chapter 155

Chapter 155: Athena Hopper (2)

***

From the next day on, Damien began investigating the mercenary company.

In truth, he didn’t know much about the Fafnir Mercenary Company either.

He only knew that it would decline greatly due to internal strife in the near future and that the cause was the dark mage.

“You’re curious about the Fafnir Mercenary Company?”

The way Damien chose to investigate was to get close to the ordinary mercenaries.

He was able to quickly get close to them by recalling his experience as a mercenary in his previous life.

“Yes, the Fafnir Mercenary Company is said to be stronger than the military of any major Kingdom, isn’t it?”

Damien asked, sitting in front of the campfire that the mercenaries had built.

“You’re well-informed, Sir Damien! Our mercenary company is quite something.”

“I hear that requests are pouring in from all over the continent. All of them are requests that only our Fafnir can solve.”

The mercenaries laughed out loud and rejoiced at Damien’s praise.

“It’s such a great place that I can’t help but be cautious. Are there any rules I should keep in mind?”

“There’s nothing much. Our mercenary company doesn’t have that many strict rules.”

“You’ll get beaten up if you skip training. My cheek from yesterday still hurts.”

“Hey, Inma, that’s because you’re lazy.”

Although they were only talking about trivial things, Damien listened to the mercenaries’ words.

He knew that important information would come out only when their guard was down.

“Ah, that’s right. If you go to the north, there’s another fence, but you shouldn’t go there.”

“Is there a special reason?”

“That’s where the Lord Mercenary King’s lovers are.”

It was quite an interesting story.

“The Lord Mercenary King is a kind man, but he is merciless when it comes to women.”

“Well, any man would do the same if someone touched his lover… but the Lord Mercenary King is very extreme.”

“That’s right. He’s a great man, but his one problem is that he’s too fond of women.”

“Is it okay to talk about it so openly?”

“It’s fine. The Lord Mercenary King himself admits it.”

Judging from the way they spoke so nonchalantly, it seemed that the rumors about the loose manners were true.

“There’s nothing wrong with that, is there? There’s an old saying that heroes are lustful.”

“There are also quite a few heroes who have been ruined by women. That’s why I’m a little worried.”

Another mercenary said as he roasted jerky over the campfire.

“The influence of those women is getting too big in our mercenary company. They’ve been forming factions and checking each other’s power for the past few years.”

“Hey, hey, watch your words. You can’t say anything you want.”

The colleague next to him covered the mercenary’s mouth. Only then did the mercenary realize his mistake and look at Damien’s reaction.

‘Interesting. So the Lord Mercenary King’s lovers are forming factions?’

Although it was unfortunate for them, Damien had a rough idea of what the Fafnir Mercenary Company was going through.

‘The Purebloods must be unable to move in those factions as well. There’s no way a child can refuse their mother’s orders.’

The Purebloods were the center of the Fafnir Mercenary Company. So it was natural that the authority of the lovers would become stronger.

“So all the Purebloods are affiliated with a faction?”

Damien asked the mercenaries. The mercenaries looked at each other and said.

“Most of them are, so you have to be careful. If you offend even one of them, you’ll make the whole faction your enemy.”

“Most of them?”

“There are some who aren’t. For example… Athena Hopper.”

Damien was intrigued by the unexpected name.

“Lady Athena Hopper is monopolizing the Lord Mercenary King’s favor. So she doesn’t need to join a faction.”

“The Lord Mercenary King doesn’t care about other Purebloods, but he doesn’t stay still when it comes to Lady Athena.”

“You should be more careful of Lady Athena Hopper than the factions…”

“Sir Damien! You were here!”

Someone approached Damien. Damien shifted his gaze and checked the face.

Gray hair and a long, reed-like figure.

He was one of the 1st generation Purebloods he had seen yesterday.

The mercenaries were startled and stood up as soon as they saw the man’s face.

“Y-you, Sir Neil Hopper!”

“I never expected to meet a celebrity like you here!”

Neil Hopper approached Damien closely, his face full of smiles.

“I was so curious when I first heard about you. A meeting like this must be fate. I hope we can get along well in the future.”

Neil Hopper reached out his hand to Damien.

“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Damien Haksen.”

As Damien shook Neil Hopper’s hand, an immense amount of mana surged through Neil Hopper’s wrist.

***

Even though they had agreed to a pact to prohibit direct combat, Neil Hopper wasn’t particularly worried.

‘I’m going to win regardless.’

Those who inherited the blood of the dragon were superior to ordinary people in every way.

This included not only their mana sensitivity, but also the purity of their mana, their physical abilities, and the sharpness of their senses.

They weren’t just slightly ahead. They were so overwhelmingly powerful that they seemed like a different species.

Even among them, Neil Hopper was particularly gifted in mana control.

The higher one’s mana control, the greater the power one could wield with even a small amount of mana.

This was why Neil Hopper had chosen mana infusion as his means of subduing Damien.

Injecting mana into an opponent’s body could not only cause them great pain but also rob them of their freedom of movement.

Of course, his opponent wouldn’t just take it lying down. They would naturally use their own mana to resist.

A contest of mana strength.

In such a confrontation, the one with higher mana control and greater magna reserves had the advantage.

Neil Hopper was confident that he could subdue Damien here.

After all, there was no one who could manipulate mana more finely than he could.

But something was strange.

Even as he poured his mana into him, Damien’s expression remained unchanged.

“This is interesting.”

Suddenly, Damien smiled. Neil Hopper was taken aback by this sight.

‘He’s smiling? I’ll make him snap out of it.’

Neil increased his mana output. The mana surged like a torrent into Damien’s body.

“Since you’ve prepared such an entertaining spectacle for me, I should show you something as well, don’t you think?”

Suddenly, the rate at which the mana was being infused began to increase.

‘Wh, what the?’

Neil was startled and tried to withdraw his mana.

But the flow of mana didn’t stop. It was as if it was being sucked away.

‘Wh, what is this…?’

He desperately tried to regain control of his mana.

But the situation was unyielding. No, the rate at which his mana was being sucked away was actually increasing.

‘Th, this is dangerous.’

Mana was like water.

A certain level of mana was essential for maintaining life functions.

So what would happen if one’s mana fell below that level?

One would not only suffer internal injuries but could even lose their life in severe cases.

“Don’t you think you should let go of me now?”

Neil forced a smile as he spoke. Damien responded by gripping his arm even tighter.

The mana was sucked away even faster. Neil felt blood welling up inside him.

“St, stop…!”

Finally, a pleading sound came from his lips. Even then, Damien did not let go.

At that moment, Neil’s mind went blank. When he finally came to his senses, his knees were on the ground.

“Y, you, Sir Neil Hopper is kneeling…!”

“A first-generation pureblood kneeling before an outsider…!”

The other mercenaries cried out in surprise at this sight.

If his mana level decreased any further, he might lose his life. Despite the humiliation he felt at the mercenaries’ reaction, Neil Hopper had no choice but to plead.

“Pl, please… I’ll beg you, so, please let go…!”

Damien let go of his hand. Thanks to that, he was barely able to escape from the jaws of death.

“Ugh, uwaaah…!”

He knelt on the ground and vomited blood. Damien looked down at him and spoke briefly.

“Get out.”

Neil’s face flushed with humiliation, but he had no choice but to obey.

As he ran away, Neil came across an unexpected person.

Athena was watching him from a distance.

Neil’s face flushed even more with humiliation. Of all the people he didn’t want to see him like this, it had to be her.

“Wh, what are you looking at!”

Neil snapped and walked past Athena.

Athena watched his back for a moment, then turned her gaze back to Damien.

“…What did you just do?”

And she muttered in amazement.

***

The humiliation suffered by Neil quickly spread throughout the entire mercenary group.

“Did you hear? Sir Neil Hopper challenged Sir Damien and lost.”

“Are you serious? Sir Neil Hopper is the son of the Mercenary King.”

When the second-generation purebloods lost to Damien, everyone was just amazed, not surprised.

The world is a big place and there are many geniuses. Among the geniuses who visited the Fafnir Mercenary Group, there were quite a few who defeated the second-generation purebloods.

However, none of the first-generation purebloods had ever been defeated.

To the Fafnir Mercenary Group, the first-generation purebloods were like heavens.

And that existence had been subdued and defeated by Damien.

“You idiot.”

The Mercenary King looked down at Neil and spoke in a contemptuous tone.

Neil’s face turned crimson, yet he didn’t dare lift his gaze.

“It’s only been a day since I gave you the order to subdue Damien. And you’re back here defeated?”

The Mercenary King’s face was twisted like a demon with extreme humiliation and anger.

“Ah, father… If you just give me one more chance…”

“Shut up and get out! Before I beat you to death!”

At the Mercenary King’s roar, Neil hurriedly rushed out of the tent.

“Damn… This is bullshit…”

The Mercenary King exhaled roughly and suppressed his anger.

“Who’s next?”

The Mercenary King asked his two other children.

MacDowell and Vanessa Hopper glared at each other and shouted at the same time.

“I’ll do it this time!”

“No! Give me a chance!”

“I’ll do it.”

A sudden voice rang out. The Mercenary King and both man and woman gazes turned to somewhere.

A little further away, Athena was eating apple pie.

“I want to fight Damien this time.”

“Athena, what are you talking about? You weren’t interested until yesterday.”

The Mercenary King had promised to pass on the secret technique to the one who could subdue Damien.

However, Athena had a lukewarm reaction to hearing that.

The Mercenary King couldn’t help but be bewildered when Athena, who had been like that, suddenly said that she wanted to fight Damien.

“I’m a little interested in that man.”

The Mercenary King’s face hardened at the next words.

“Huh, interest…? Interest…?”

“Yes, I think he’s a more interesting man than I thought. I want to check it out once.”

“My… My daughter… To a man… This is ridiculous…”

The Mercenary King staggered and collapsed into his chair, apparently in shock.

“Athena, why are you suddenly butting in?”

“That’s right. We already agreed among the three of us!”

MacDowell and Vanessa Hopper protested with frowns.

The Mercenary King was too shocked to stop their actions.

“Agreement? I never did anything like that. Just let me fight.”

“What if we don’t let you?”

MacDowell’s expression turned fierce. Vanessa was the same.

The two of them didn’t think for a moment that they would lose to Damien.

***

The one who subdues Damien first will not only receive the secret technique from the Mercenary King but will also be able to monopolize all the glory.

That’s why Athena’s declaration was not welcome.

“I don’t think you two can beat that man with your skills. Wouldn’t it be better to just give up rather than get yelled at by Dad?”

Athena said to them. At that moment, MacDowell’s expression became even more sinister.

“…You talk a too much, don’t you!”

MacDowell tried to grab Athena’s shoulder.

Athena caught his hand in mid-air.

“I don’t like anyone touching my body.”

“I also hate it when someone takes my prey away from me. Wait quietly for your turn. Otherwise, I won’t sit still either.”

MacDowell applied force to his hand. Athena resisted without backing down.

At that action, MacDowell sneered.

“You’re going to try to compete with me in strength?”

If Neil had a talent for mana control, MacDowell was a man born with strength.

Not only did he lift heavy iron weapons with ease since he was a child, but he was also able to crush stones with his bare hands as a boy.

Now that he is an adult, there is no one in the mercenary group’s high class with better physical abilities than MacDowell Hopper.

“How can I beat my brother in strength?”

“Then just let go of this hand and…”

“But I’m faster, right?”

Athena’s body disappeared. It was so fast that MacDowell couldn’t even see her move.

“What?”

The moment MacDowell was confused, Athena appeared behind him and strangled him with her forearm.

“This… damn it!”

He tried to free himself from Athena’s grip, but it was no use. Athena’s arms were immovable.

Eventually, his carotid artery was constricted and MacDowell lost consciousness and collapsed in an instant.

“You!”

“You too, sister, are you going to stop me?”

Athena glared at Vanessa with killing intent.

A ferocious killing intent engulfed Vanessa. At that moment, she had the illusion that her whole body was being torn apart.

“Hmph, ugh…!”

Vanessa unknowingly sank to the ground. She gasped for breath and trembled.

“Why don’t you answer?”

Vanessa shook her head violently. Only then did Athena withdraw her killing intent.

“Since you two have given up, there’s no problem now, is there?”

Athena asked, looking at the Mercenary King. The Mercenary King asked with a surprised face.

“…When did you get so strong?”

Although they were both in the same high class, Athena was weaker than the two of them until recently.

She had the talent, but she was too young. Athena had not yet reached adulthood.

And yet, Athena had subdued the two of them in an instant. It was a growth rate that exceeded the Mercenary King’s expectations.

“I don’t know?”

Athena said with a nonchalant air. In her position, the gap between her and the two of them was not particularly important.

“Anyway, there’s no problem, right?”

At Athena’s words, the Mercenary King could only nod his head.

***