The Support Ate it All

Chapter 146: No.640 Great Eagle Escort Agency (2)

As I followed the Ronin, I soon arrived in front of a huge building.

On the fluttering flag was the image of an eagle spreading its wings in flight.

And on the plaque was written “Great Eagle Escort Agency” in bold calligraphy.

I arrived right on time.

After entering through the wide-open front gate, I saw the escorts standing firmly in place.

They didn’t speak to guide us, but they blocked the areas where entry was prohibited, so they naturally led the ronin to one place.

Following this flow, we arrived at the training hall.

Even though the area was quite large, it was teeming with martial artists.

At a glance, it seemed there were more than a hundred of them.

I also noticed Go Hyron-woo in the distance. Thanks to his unique charisma, he was already conversing with some of the martial artists around him.

He too noticed me and his eyes briefly lit up, but we pretended not to know each other according to our strategy.

Also, even while he was talking, Go Hyeon-woo was carefully looking around and observing the faces of the people here.

The core of this strategy was to identify key or notable individuals.

Who used what weapon, who had exceptional skills, who was hiding their identity, and so on.

For example,

Like the two behind me.

“Does a young brat like you even eat Kalbap (sword rice)?”

When I turned my head toward the voice, I saw two ronin looking at me.

One had a sneaky rat-like appearance with whisker-like stubble.

So in our strategy guide, we gave him the nickname of “Ratty”.

The other one had a sturdy build, but his droopy eyes and features gave him a constantly aggrieved look on his face.

Following his appearance, we gave him the nickname of “Woeful”.

These two, Ratty and Woeful, seemed like the typical lackeys who get into trouble with the main character and end up getting a harsh lesson, but contrary to their first impression, they were actually kind-hearted fellows.

Their skills were fairly decent for Ronin.

And so, despite their somewhat provocative approach, my response was gentle.

“What can you do to survive? Even sword rice is better than nothing.”

“If you want to survive, why not work as a waiter in a guesthouse? Why risk your life at such a young age?”

Ratty’s question was still blunt and seemed provocative, but it contained a hint of concern.

I sighed deeply and my expression turned dark.

“Haah… There are circumstances behind this. I can’t go into detail, but I’ve fallen out of favor with some very dangerous people.”

The swordsmanship club, whose members are essentially sword-wielding brothers and sisters are expected to come after me.

Although I caused this situation, the fact remains that I’ve fallen out of favor with them.

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When they heard this, Ratty and Woeful’s expressions darkened as well.

Woeful who already looked aggrieved now looked twice as aggrieved and his face fell.

He muttered in that state.

“Hmm… You must have gotten entangled in the grudges of the martial world.”

“How did a young fellow like you… It’s truly unfortunate.”

The two Ronin exchanged glances.

“If they’re very dangerous people, they might be masters beyond our abilities. It’s better not to get involved.”

“But how can we leave someone in need of help just like that?”

“Hmm… You have a point.”

It seemed that within their conversation, I had become a tragic main character.

To summarize what they’ve said about me, my family is in ruins, I’m separated from my loved ones, I’m being chased by a gang of villains and I just managed to stumble into this escort agency.

After whispering with their heads together, the two soon reached a conclusion, and Ratty opened his mouth.

“There’s nothing else we can do. We can’t get directly involved since we’re also in a difficult position, but we’ll help as much as we can.”

“Thank you, great hero.”

I successfully enlisted Ratty and Woeful as allies.

After formally introducing ourselves, I went from being a “young brat” to being “younger brother Kim”.

A moment later, the guards who had been standing rigidly at their posts began to move and firmly locked the main gate.

If someone doesn’t keep the promised time, they are blocked from entering just like that.

Then, a middle-aged man slowly walked to the makeshift platform in front of the training hall.

From his attire, the guards’ behavior towards him, and the aura he exuded, it was easy to deduce that he was the head of this escort agency.

The guard beside the platform was poised to beat a drum to draw attention, but it wasn’t necessary.

The ronin gradually fell silent on their own and fixed their gazes on the head of the escort agency. Just like that, the noisy training hall started to quiet down.

Eventually, the head who was now standing on the platform scanned the audience and then spoke respectfully.

“Nice to meet you all. I am Jang Mo, the head of this Great Eagle Escort Agency.”

His tone was quite polite.

Usually, martial artists tend to look down on Ronin and would call them “people with no roots”, “those who would do anything for money”, or “mayflies”.

However, now he had gathered these mayflies to ask for their help.

Additionally, since he didn’t know if any skilled fighters were among the many ronin present here, his tone naturally became more respectful.

The head continued.

“The reason for gathering you all here today, as you may already know, is to seek your help with the upcoming escort mission.”

This was the core event and goal of the dungeon, the “Temporary Escort Recruitment”.

At first glance, it was a difficult concept to grasp.

Why would such a large escort agency be short on hands and need to recruit escorts?

The answer could be inferred by closely observing the surroundings.

If one counted the escorts and leaders around the training hall, their numbers were surprisingly few. This didn’t match the agency’s grand scale.

There was no reason to deliberately station so few people at such an important moment, so it had to be assumed that only this many were left.

And why is this all that’s left?

They all died.

Due to continuous attacks, most of the escorts had either died or were severely injured.

Despite this, the importance of the cargo was extremely high, and it needed to be transported to its destination quickly but,

He can’t just say that.

It was not something he could openly reveal.

Since a large-scale escort agency like the Great Eagle Escort Agency had many enemies, any sign of their weakened state would immediately invite attacks.

From the clients’ perspective, they would be hesitant to entrust new cargo to them.

Moreover, aside from practical reasons, admitting “Our agency is in crisis” was a considerable blow to their pride.

So, as a last resort, they had offered a large reward to gather ronin which was the background for this temporary escort recruitment.

“Considering the importance of this mission, we have prepared a generous reward. However, since a difficult journey is expected, we sincerely hope that those with exceptional skills will assist us.

In simpler terms, it meant, “Those who aren’t skilled should back out now.”

The agency wasn’t paying such high wages because they had excess money.

It is danger pay.

When transporting valuable items, there would be those who sought to steal them. It was inevitable.

The higher the importance, the stronger the opponents would be.

It was also a known fact that those who had previously attacked the escorts would likely strike again.

Therefore, the agency wanted to hire the most skilled individuals possible.

They needed those who could withstand the attacks or, at the very least, serve as competent fighters.

The problem was that the training hall was teeming with hundreds of ronin.

They had to select a few skilled individuals from these people.

“We are grateful for such overwhelming support, yet at the same time, it is quite difficult to determine how to proceed.”

At that moment, a man with a goatee standing by the platform spoke up.

His appearance clearly said, “I am the chief manager of the Great Eagle Escort Agency.”

“Head, I have a good idea.”

“Speak.”

The chief manager looked at the ronin filling the training hall and began to speak.

“It would take more than a day or two to determine the best among those many warriors if we pair them up for duels.”

“That’s true.”

“And most of the battles that occur during the escort missions are not one-on-one but rather group fights and chaotic skirmishes.”

“That’s usually the case.”

“So, how about we assume the same situation and determine the best through a chaotic melee?”

Although his introduction was long to justify his idea, it could be summarized as follows:

—Keep fighting until only the strong ones remain.

After thinking for a moment in silence, the head of the agency asked the assembly,

“I think it’s not a bad idea at all, but if anyone has objections or another plan, please speak now.”

– Murmur, murmur…

The murmuring in the hall grew louder.

As martial artists, fighting like street thugs in a gang brawl was not a pleasant thought.

But since similar fights could occur during escort missions, it was hard to dismiss the idea.

And what did it matter if they fought like street thugs?

They were being paid handsomely.

While an ordinary martial artist might have second thoughts about this, a ronin couldn’t afford to miss such a good opportunity.

As a result, only a few warriors who found this method unacceptable left while the rest stayed.

The head continued,

“Then, since there are no further objections, we will proceed. Bring the wooden swords.”

At his command, the guards brought wooden swords and other training weapons. Then they started distributing them to the ronin.

Though they were testing their skills, they couldn’t use real blades, and injuries from stray swords were likely in a chaotic melee.

Ratty grabbed dual swords; Woeful took a long wooden sword fitting his large frame, and I took a short wooden sword.

Next, the guards drew a large circle in the middle of the training hall and made the ronin step inside.

To prevent them from running wildly or leaving the hall, they restricted the area from the start.

The head of the agency summarized these preparations,

“You may use any method you wish. However, if you become unable to fight or are pushed out of the ring, you will be considered eliminated. This melee will continue until a suitable number of participants remain.”

“………”

“Let me give you one last piece of advice. Our escort agency does not want anyone to get hurt. We also cannot take responsibility for any injuries, so so please voluntarily step down if you feel overwhelmed.”

Even if you survive, severe injuries will prevent you from joining the escort mission anyway, so it is better to withdraw unscathed if things seem unfavorable.

If you get hurt and cannot participate in the mission, you will suffer significant losses.

Tension spread among the ronin as they began to exchange fierce looks with each other.

Amidst this, Ratty and Woeful took positions on either side of me as if to protect me.

“Stay close to us, young brother Kim.”

“Yes, brothers.”

We had already become like brothers.

Once everyone was in position, the head of the agency gave the order.

“Begin.”

Then a guard sounded the drum with all his might.

Bang—!