Mercenary Harem in Murim Novel-Chapter 212 - – Story From the Past

It had been two weeks since Mercenary Union opened their first branch in Qin City. Now the situation had calmed down considerably, and the business was doing well.

Astrid, who was working in her office, sighed in relief and put a cold towel over her eyes.

"Finally!" She muttered tiredly. She had been working for hours without rest since morning, so she wanted to take a break and relax for a while.

No more paperwork to read through. She could finally rest!

She leaned against her chair and let out another sigh before closing her eyes to get some rest. But just when she was about to fall asleep...

Knock knock knock...

There were three loud knocks on her door. Groaning loudly, Astrid removed the wet towel covering her eyes. She glared at the wooden door before calling out loudly. "Who's there?"

"Jack." A deep voice replied from behind the door.

Sighing, she said. "Come in."

The door opened with a creaking sound and Jack entered the room carrying two bottles of liquor in one hand and snacks on a plate on another.

"Want to drink? Leader asked me to give you this when you are free. I think this is the perfect time to have some drinks, so I also prepared some food for us to eat." Jack said, "And he said that you might want to ask something. How troublesome. He left it to me to answer bothersome questions because he didn't want to remember the past."

Astrid's face instantly brightened upon hearing that.

Since she joined, she wanted to hear the stories of Hallowed Insect. She heard a part of it from Anya, but suddenly she didn't want to share anymore than she had already.

'Why? It's interesting!' She thought inwardly.

A part of the story about how the Leader saved them all in the past and the interesting tales about their life before.

Not only that, she was intrigued where they actually come from and why they were called NPCs by their leader, especially since Anya said it was a rude thing to say to a person.

Astrid had so many questions that needed answers, but she couldn't ask Leo directly because he would dodge her question and say something else.

Now that she had a chance to ask someone else, she would seize the opportunity!

'But first… I need to drink!' Astrid's eyes lit up upon seeing the bottles of liquor. She grabbed one of them and poured herself a glass full of alcohol.

"Don't be hasty." Jack said with a smile.

"Shut up! You don't know how busy I have been in the last few days."

"Wow... To think the former Peng Clan's princess would utter such vulgar words. Leader sure had a big influence on you."

"Hey! Don't say that. Leader didn't influence me to be rude."

"You just don't know him yet."

Jack chuckled and took a sip of his liquor. Then he continued to eat some snacks while waiting for Astrid to start asking him questions.

"So, what do you want to know?" He asked.

"Well... First of all..." She hesitated slightly before finally asking him her question. "Is the Leader really from a different world? Like Anya said?"

Hearing that, Jack froze for a second before sighing. He caressed the pistol on his waist to calm himself down and smiled again.

"I need to control my anger a little bit. Anya... That girl really can't stop talking when she trusts someone. Well, not like anyone she trusts will spread the information outside." He then looked at Astrid seriously, "Did you tell anyone else about that?"

Sensing the seriousness, Astrid shook her head. She knew the information was important and couldn't be leaked to outsiders.

"No, I haven't told anyone."

"Good." Jack sighed and continued to drink, "I hope Leader doesn't mind this, but well... And yes, we are all from far away. It's not like I can say we're all from different dimensions or whatever. Well, just think we came from a place that you can't reach no matter what."

"Faraway place..." Astrid murmured.

"In case you wondered why the Leader asked you to meet your family once again even though you're declared dead, I think he just wants to give you a choice." He said, "In the past, he had a little conflict with his parents and regretted not solving it after they passed away."

"So that's why..." Astrid muttered. She then remembered what Leo said when he refused Peng Clan's request, saying he would reject it no matter what anyway.

Maybe it was to prevent her from having another problem with her old family?

"Alright, now I want to know your story, Jack." She said, "Tell me about yourself. How did you meet the Leader in the first place?"

Hearing that, Jack grinned.

"My story, huh?" He chuckled and leaned back on his chair. "It won't be pleasant to hear. I was once a thief, a murderer, and a criminal."

***

A few years back, before he met Leo...

Jack was just another criminal who spent most of his life in the streets. He lived a dangerous lifestyle and was constantly on the run from the cops. With just an old pistol in hand, he pickpocketed and mugged anyone that seemed weak.

Sometimes, he also worked as an errand boy for a gang.

After all, in the slums where he lived, it was either work or die. There were no options to choose from.

"Stop there, you brat!" The policeman yelled at him, but he didn't listen and continued running through the crowded street, jumping over fences and pushing people out of the way.

He had stolen an old, beat-up radio from a store. The radio wasn't worth much, but it was enough for him to eat for a day or two if he sold it. Besides, the owner of the shop was known to be a pedo and everyone in the slums wanted him gone.

"You can't catch me, old man!"

He yelled as he dashed forward, but his foot tripped over something on the ground. He lost his balance and fell on top of an elderly woman carrying a bag full of fruits.

The elderly woman screamed and dropped her groceries.

"Aaaah!! My leg!"

"Sorry, ma'am!" He quickly got back on his feet, grabbing her arm and pulling her up with him. He apologized once more and continued running.

The policeman that had been chasing after him was right behind him now, so he picked up his pace again. He didn't know where to run, so he ran wherever his legs could take him.

Moving toward the alley, little Jack grinned and looked up to see the roof of the building beside the alleyway.

"Throw them, knife maniac!"

"Shut up, you pistol maniac!"

Shouting from above was a kid with long black hair. He rolled a trash can filled with garbage, and the policeman that chased Jack had to dodge. When he managed to avoid it, a figure jumped down and stabbed his thigh with a small knife.

"Fuck off, pig! We hate you!" The boy slashed the rope that held a bunch of cardboard, and the police officer was buried under a bunch of them.

"Catch us if you can!"

The kid flipped the cop off and laughed at him. Meanwhile, little Jack who was watching was chuckling and gave him thumbs up.

"Not bad, knife maniac!" Jack shouted to the boy, who replied with a middle finger.

Both of them ran into a narrow street and escaped into a small, cramped room inside an old, rundown building.

They were both panting heavily, their bodies drenched with sweat and dirt.

"Haha! I think I lost my shoe!"

"I think you did too!" Little Jack replied between laughs. He reached into his pocket and took out an old, rusty pistol that was covered in grime and rust.

The gun wasn't loaded because it didn't have bullets anymore, but it was still a weapon nonetheless. He caressed it gently and smiled as he put it back in his pocket.

"So, what's the plan for tonight?" He asked, "I got an old radio. I can sell it for two bucks! Hey, Shui. We won't get hungry tonight."

"Oh yeah? Then we can give these brats something to eat."

The boy with the black hair smiled, and pointed at a few small kids sitting in a corner of the room. They all looked tired and hungry. Some of them even had bruises on their faces.

"Yeah, right." Jack said sarcastically, "These brat can't do shit without us. I guess we will only get one bread each, eh?"

"Jack..." Shui looked at him with sad eyes. His gaze lingered for a while, before he looked down.

Jack frowned slightly before letting out a deep breath.

"I am kidding, don't be so mad, okay?"

He walked over to him and put his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Alright, let's sell it and steal some more. I heard there will be mercenaries coming to the slum later. They should've weapons and valuable things we can use."

The most uptodate nove𝙡s are published on frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓.

Shui's eyes lit up upon hearing that.

"Let's do that." He grinned, and they went out to find something else to sell after hiding the radio.

Later, both boys found a group of mercenaries sitting outside a small shop, eating noodles. Jack, responsible for stealing, had chosen his target.

A black-haired boy, just a little bit older than him appearing in his late teens, accompanied by a girl of the same age.

Jack grinned, looking at the boy's bag and belt, where a scabbard was attached. He then turned his attention towards the girl's backpack.

"Alright, they seem to be pretty wealthy. That photon sword and the backpack should sell pretty well! Let's get this party started." He grinned mischievously and nodded to his friend, signaling to be ready to run.

With a swift movement, he entered the store and extended his hands toward the two targets he chose.

But suddenly, he felt like he couldn't move. Invisible threads bound his body, and he fell to the ground with a loud thud. He looked around frantically and saw the girl, one of his targets, looked at him with a cold expression.

"What should I do to this thief, Leader?" The girl asked the boy. She stood up, her hand gripping a piece of invisible threads, and stepped on Jack's back. She put more weight on her feet, causing Jack to groan in pain.

The boy looked at the fallen kid and smirked.

"Well, well... I don't know. What should I do, indeed?" He smiled mischievously, looking at the struggling Jack beneath the girl's feet. "Say, what should I do to you, thief? Do you have an answer to that?"

It was Jack's first meeting with Leo, his soon to be Leader. The person who changed his life for the better and the one he was indebted the most to.