Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 98

Episode 98: A Simple Request (1)

Verden listened to Fernet's story quietly.

The current information situation, or running a business too recklessly and ending up in a mountain of debt. Everything, including requests, has been taken away, and there is almost nothing left to do.

So, to summarize.

“Are you saying that the information center is ruined?”

“Let’s stop talking! And it’s not like it’s ruined, it’s almost ruined…… right. Haha……”

Fernet lowered his eyes.

His face was pale, as if he hadn't eaten properly. He was completely different from Pale, who had made his home in Cohen's basement.

“Well, I can rebuild it quickly! If I get the chance, I can rebuild my information network and get rich clients!”

“Where did that opportunity come from?”

“Of course, Asher……”

Fernet lowered his head.

Verden rubbed his chin at the sight.

'Should I believe this?'

Verden was skeptical of the information agent Ferner.

How can someone who's already ruined have skills? Well, he worked under Pale, so he must have skills… … To be honest, I thought it would be better to find another information provider than to wait for this place to be rebuilt.

When Verden remained silent, Fernet quickly grabbed him.

“I pride myself on my skills as an information merchant. However, as you know, being an information merchant doesn’t just mean you can succeed with skills alone, especially in the kingdom. Whether they’re nobles, merchants, or the wealthy, I couldn’t help but feel pushed aside when I was an information merchant with patrons! I even recruited information merchants to create a guild.”

“Why didn’t you join the union?”

“I have no intention of becoming a puppet. I didn’t know you would torment me this much, though… But if I succeed in raising the information officer again, I will never suffer such humiliation again.”

Is this a matter of pride as an information provider?

Verden thought for a moment. The only reason to use Fernet's ability was because Pale recommended it.

Other merits are needed.

“What will you give me if I help you?”

“That’s all for information purposes.”

Fernet clenched his fist.

“If you ask me for information, I will get it no matter what. If you need a commission, I will arrange the best commission for you. I will only take the labor cost. If you rebuild the infrastructure, I will give you all my ability.”

That is, he wants to become Verden's exclusive information agent.

Okay. It's not a bad condition. I think it wouldn't be bad to try raising it once.

'It might be worth investing some time.'

If I get the chance, I'll use it for information purposes.

But if it's the opposite, I plan to throw it away without mercy. I don't need any sympathy. It all depends on Fernet's skills.

Verden said.

“Please take a look at the request.”

A color came to Ferné's face.

* * *

“Here are all the requests I can connect you with right now!”

Fernet brought out all the documents for the request.

Even so, there weren't many. Even those were either randomly spread on various information sites or were requests that no one wanted to do.

“Still, the byproducts of the Ain race are quite profitable. There are many Ain races living in the ‘Sloan Forest’ near Acern. What do you think?”

Not a bad start, at least for Fernet.

But it was a conservative policy that did not even reach Verden.

Something bigger was needed. A commission that would establish a foundation for Fernet while also benefiting Verden.

“…….”

I looked through the requests.

There were a lot of requests related to various crimes, but they did not meet Verden's standards. Then, a request marked in red caught my eye.

Suppression of the mercenary group 'Bazzes's Hammer'.

The compensation was a whopping 110 million elk. It was a different amount from other requests.

“How about this?”

“This, this? The pay is huge, but… no one does this. No, you absolutely must not do this!”

The Hammer of Bazes was a mercenary group belonging to the Mercenary Guild and was also a vicious band of bandits.

They are hired solely for money and carry out their orders ruthlessly.

He was so cruel that he would stick to anyone, but no one dared mess with him. If you got caught doing that, you would die.

“He’s a rascal who tries to keep quiet even in Aserne. He doesn’t get caught because he’s paid off the mercenary guild and various connections. The Hammer of Bazes is a group of murderers who are outside the law, disguised as a mercenary group. Taking on this request is like stirring up a hornet’s nest.”

“Then who is the client?”

“This is something that people who were hurt by Burgess asked for after pooling their money. Of course, no other information broker would accept it, so they kept passing it on and on, and eventually it ended up here for me.”

There were other clients and there were people who received those clients.

But they all died. The number of people who died like that exceeded two digits. And Burgess even found the person who commissioned it and killed him, and displayed their bodies on the street.

In terms of risk alone, Bazes was the most dangerous man around Acern.

“As far as I know, I heard that he’s going to the kingdom’s underworld, ‘Loafra’, soon. He’s probably going to expand his stage since he’s upped his weight class. So I don’t think it’s a good idea to take risks and mess with him.”

Fernet looked at Verden.

She had seen Burgess. A hammer swinging with immense muscle. A former gold-rank adventurer who had made a name for himself in the alleys had his body blown to death in one blow.

'Even though Pale is said to be a 2nd class, the risk is high.'

The bounty is not for nothing… … No, the reward is not 100 million won.

And if by any chance it failed, Fernet might die too. I couldn't take that risk.

But Verden was different.

“I belong to a mercenary guild, so is it okay to kill them?”

“Huh? Oh, that doesn’t matter. Burgess is a thorn in your side too. Even though he took bribes.”

In response, Verden signed the request.

“Where is it?”

“Huh, huh? Wait, are you really going to do this?!”

Verden agreed.

Ferné was speechless at that confidence. There was no way to stop it.

Eventually, Fernet had no choice but to open his mouth.

“I live in Sloan Forest with my mercenary band. But I really have second thoughts…….”

“Come back in the evening.”

Verden stood up, ignoring Fernet's dissuasion.

As he left the tavern, a pure magical light flickered from his blue eyes.

* * *

Burgess saw himself as a potential king.

Of course, this does not mean that he intends to rebel against the Estyrian royal family. It means that he intends to become the leader of the kingdom's underworld.

Some might ridicule Burgess as a frog in a well, but at least for now he was at the top of the fortress he had created.

A cave near the Sloan Forest trail.

Deep inside, Burgess lay on his soft bed, gulping down gallons of strong liquor.

“Ugh. Yeah, this is the taste.”

This is alcohol. This is life.

A wicked smile spread across Burgess' face.

'Things are going so well for me these days. I'm really happy, really happy.'

Burgess, who is considered a true big shot in Aserne, has earned hundreds of millions of elk in personal income in just two years.

Some I got through commissions, some I stole from people I didn't like, and some I stole from the bastards who tried to kill me.

An amount of money that would allow you to live comfortably in the countryside if you were to splurge a little.

But that wasn't enough for Burgess. What he wanted was a higher position and more money.

The hundreds of millions of elk were just investment funds.

“Hey, Vincis! Did you get my letter delivered properly?”

“Of course, Captain Burgess. You will hear from ‘Vintert’ soon.”

Wintert.

The largest organization that rules over the kingdom's underworld, Loafra. Normally, outsiders have to pay a huge amount of money to enter there.

Burgess gave his entire fortune to secure his future.

'It's a bit of a shame, but I'll get it back soon. I could quickly become an executive in Wintert.'

This is just a help.

I am sure that soon the name Burgess will be heard throughout the underworld and a life full of ups and downs will unfold.

Just imagining it gave me the pleasure of committing a murder. Berges chuckled. It seemed like I would have a good dream until I heard from Wintert.

At that moment, urgent footsteps echoed inside the cave.

“Bar, Mr. Burgess! It’s an emergency, emergency!”

“What now?”

“Someone broke into the cave! Oh, I tried to stop them somehow, but they were too strong…!”

Guess who else made the request.

Burgess closed his eyes again, as if in annoyance.

“Tell Kevin. He’ll take care of it.”

“That… Lord Kevin has already passed away.”

“……Keven is dead?”

Burgess raised his body.

Keben is clearly the third-ranking member of the mercenary group. His skills are also the same. His nimble movements, targeting only the weak points of his opponents with his dagger, are a definite advantage.

Of course, it is much weaker than Burgess, but it should be able to deal with most opponents.

'Look at this?'

It looks like a pretty strong guy has come this time.

It wouldn't be bad if I was already bored. Burgess got up from his seat and picked up the huge iron hammer in the corner with one hand.

“Where is that kid?”

* * *

It wasn't too difficult for Verden to find Berges' hideout.

It seemed like he had no intention of hiding in the first place. He moved while continuously deploying his magical power detection, and he succeeded in finding it before long.

Verden, who was using the flight skill, released his transparency and landed in front of a thick fence.

The two mercenaries guarding the entrance hurriedly pulled out their weapons at the sudden appearance.

“What, what?! All of a sudden!”

“Is Burgess inside?”

“What is the captain doing……”

It's inside.

Kwaaaaang!

Verden took out the Oculus and blew up the entrance along with the mercenaries. The mercenaries rushed in at the sudden explosion.

As expected from a notorious mercenary group, they moved quite systematically.

Verden's gaze swept over the small fortress.

In the corner, several corpses were strewn about, having been tortured in all sorts of ways.

'Isn't there any Burgess?'

Is that inside the cave?

There is no choice but to go in and check for yourself.

As Fernet said, their opponents are a group of murderers disguised as mercenaries.

It would be useless to capture him alive. If he were to be released by bribery, it would be a nuisance. It was a foolish decision to try to leave a trace.

Well, it's a great stage for testing out new gear.

Verden only cast the enchantment spell and held the Oculus with both hands.

“Don’t kill them, catch them! Just cut off their limbs!”

At the sound of someone's voice, mercenaries rushed in from all directions.

But no one escaped Verden's senses. The dazzlingly rotating oculus. The shockwaves that burst from its tip swept through this small fortress.

At that moment, a mercenary holding a dagger quickly aimed for the back of Verden's neck.

It was a considerable speed, but he had already seen through it. Verden twisted his waist and struck the mercenary in the side with his Oculus, and the shockwave sent the mercenary flying and shattered the fence.

The unlucky one who got a piece of wood stuck in his neck soon fell to his knees.

Before long, the mercenary group was completely annihilated.

'I feel a little more relaxed now.'

Berden, who had lightly relaxed his shoulders and neck, entered the cave.

A moment later, in the center of the cave, they encountered a muscular giant and the remaining mercenaries.

Burgess looked at Verden and snickered.

“I haven’t seen you around here before. What brings you here? Did you come here to cut my throat? This is probably the sixth or seventh time, but you don’t seem to get tired of it. Hmm… How much did you say you’d pay me this time?”

“100 million.”

110 million, to be exact.

“100 million? Wow, I don’t know who that bastard is, but he’s betting big. Well, it’s fine for me.”

Burgess shrugged and laughed.

Hunting the hunters in reverse. It was the ultimate entertainment. And since the client had bet 100 million, it meant that if they found him, whether he was the guy or the guys, they could take the 100 million.

“Who is the information broker who arranged the request?”

“Why are you curious about that?”

“Well, I have to kill you and go find you to show you an example. You will pay the price for daring to touch this body.”

Phew!

Burgess swung his hammer lightly. It must have been quite heavy, causing a gust of wind.

“Vincis, go and cut off that guy’s arms and legs. You handled my men easily, so don’t let your guard down.”

“Yes, yes, Captain Burgess.”

Vincis, Burgess's closest aide and the number two man in the mercenary group.

He rushed at Verden, twirling his strange sword with a curved blade. A brisk movement.

It was Vinci's handshake that chose one front.

Boom!

"100 million?!"

Vincis was blown backwards by the shockwave.

When the surprised Burgess reflexively struck with his hammer, Vincis hit the ground and died with his neck broken.

Burgess was disgusted by the senseless death of his closest aide.

“……That staff, is it a magical item? It looks quite expensive.”

“It’s definitely more expensive than your neck.”

At Verden's words, Berge's eyes twitched.

And then the corners of his mouth twisted.

“I was planning on just breaking the limbs, but I guess I’ll just leave the snout.”

Burgess raised his spirits.

He leaped into the air, holding the hammer with both hands. At the same time, Verden also focused his magical power on the Oculus.

“Get out there!”

Finally, Burgess's hammer fell.

Verden swung his staff with no intention of avoiding it, and soon they collided with each other.

Kwaaaaaaaang!

A massive impact shook the entire cave.