"...Miss?"
A deep, pleasant male voice sounded above her head.
Su Cheng had collided hard enough to see stars and momentarily lost her balance.
A large, powerful hand suddenly landed on her shoulder, steadying her swaying body.
She saw a broad, well-built chest, skin flawless and pale, bathed in the sunlight streaming through the window, smooth as carved jade.
Her gaze traveled upward, past a leather strap, to a long neck, a sharp jawline.
And a handsome face with distinct, angular features.
It was an extremely tall man, with a lean and powerful build, his upper body partially exposed, a leather strap crossing over his bulging pectoral muscles.
Silver-white dragon head reliefs were carved on his shoulder guards, a heavy fur cloak draped diagonally down his back, and he carried a massive two-handed sword.
His hair was black and curly, but his irises were a pale gold, his pupils elongated in shape, like sharp black blades.
At first glance, he seemed cold, fierce, and imposing, carrying a heavy sense of intimidation.
Yet his expression was quite gentle, his eyes showing concern, his face holding a hint of apology, softening that unapproachable aura.
"My apologies, are you alright? Did it hurt?"
Su Cheng: "?"
Wasn't this the line from after the male lead and the Black Flame leader had their 'facial cleanser' moment, spoken by the leader's sister?!
The chapter's comments at the time were a chorus of howls, saying the author was giving out freebies, praising the leader's ample "assets," and urging the protagonist to do it again.
Su Cheng shook her head repeatedly. "No, it was my fault for being so reckless."
"I am Kai, leader of the Black Flame Mercenary Company."
The black-haired man said in a low voice, "Have you come in response to our posted invitation? I hope my teammates haven't offended you."
Su Cheng was about to speak.
An icy-cold body suddenly pressed against her from behind.
She almost summoned a wind blade on the spot.
"Ah, Leader, why must it be our fault—"
The silver-haired youth who had been sitting on the table had, at some point, jumped down and appeared ghost-like beside her.
He was pressed close, but not completely flush against her, leaving a tiny sliver of distance.
But if Su Cheng moved even slightly, she would bump right into his embrace.
A chill followed, seeping through her thin clothes into her skin.
The silver-haired youth chuckled. "I greeted her quite warmly, didn't I?"
Su Cheng was sandwiched between the two men, front and back surrounded by tall, hard male bodies, enveloped by their powerful frames and muscles, unable to move for a moment.
They carried no sweat or strong body odor; they didn't smell bad.
But the cold, hard armor, chains, and leather, the scent of metal rust and blood, along with a faint, lingering aroma of floral wine, subtly surrounded her.
Like invisible chains, coiling around her, binding her, and dragging her into a dangerous world.
"No one offended me!" Su Cheng sighed. "Yes, I saw your recruitment notice downstairs and wanted to try my luck. I only realized after coming up that I haven't registered as a mercenary yet. Also, it seems you already have a mage?"
Su Cheng slowly shifted sideways, then looked at the blond man in the meeting room.
The blond, blue-eyed man stood with his arms crossed. Hearing this, he snorted coldly. "The recruitment specified an Elementalist. I am not one."
As he spoke, he unfolded his arms, revealing the mage insignia on his chest.
One hand held a blood-red gemstone staff.
The entire emblem was crimson.
—The mark of a Blood Mage.
The mage system was vast, encompassing many professions, but they could roughly be divided into four categories.
Elementalists, those who used natural magic, requiring resonance with elemental spirits.
Arcane Mages referred to those who could use time, space, or even causality spells. These mages possessed the rarest talents and were very few in number.
Then there were Spirit Mages and Aberrant Mages.
The former studied soul-related magic; necromancers who manipulated the spirits of the dead were one type.
Aberrant Mages were more complex. Curses, deconstruction, magic arrays, seals, enchantments, attunement, illusion-related spells—all were grouped into this category.
Their total numbers might be slightly fewer than those of Elementalists, but on wanted lists and lists of heretics, Aberrant Mages far outnumbered Elementalists.
Blood Mages, who used blood as a medium for spellcasting, were also classified as Aberrant Mages.
This type of mage was common in the Southern Continent. Those wishing to enter the Northern Continent through official channels usually faced strict scrutiny by the Church's knights.
Stowaways were naturally a different matter.
But since this one dared to enter the Mercenary Guild, exposing himself within the Church's surveillance range, he was clearly able to withstand inspection.
"Alright," Su Cheng thought for a moment. "Well, then I'll go back downstairs first—"
Don't rush, little fool!
The silver-haired youth hooked an arm around her shoulders. "I asked for your mercenary journal to see what tasks you've completed. Since it's all blank..."
Su Cheng instinctively lowered her stance, shifted her center of gravity, and prepared to dodge to the side.
The silver-haired youth curved his lips slightly, his elbow pressing inward, as if a thousand-pound weight suddenly descended.
Su Cheng stumbled, nearly crushed, only to be firmly caught and held by a powerful arm.
"...Then it doesn't matter, does it?"
He whispered close to her ear.
His breath, carrying a cool air, brushed against the side of her neck, stirring her hair.
Her spine pressed against the man's chest, her back against the firm, leather-armored torso.
The leather armor and its inner lining were thin. Pressed so tightly together, she could even clearly feel the contours of the muscles beneath.
The silver-haired youth gave another slight forward squeeze.
Su Cheng: "..."
In the original story, when Lin Yun was hugged shoulder-to-shoulder by his white-haired teammate, he privately mocked the teammate's small chest.
She felt this one seemed pretty substantial too.
"Enough." Kai cut in, his voice low. "Don't be so rude."
Su Cheng immediately felt the pressure on her shoulder vanish, the force that had previously restrained her gone.
She took a few steps to the side. "...What task do you need an Elementalist for? What kind of special ability is required?"
The silver-haired youth snapped his fingers. "A mages' gathering. You need to go in and gather some information. As for special abilities, what do you have?"
As he spoke, he raised a hand, his finger tracing a circle in the air, faintly outlining the apprentice badge on the girl's chest.
He almost pressed right against it.
Su Cheng silently retreated.
In the original novel, that guy immediately groped her; she didn't doubt the gender-swapped version would be much better.
The silver-haired youth narrowed his eyes, pointing a finger at the insignia. "This thing should be real, right?"
Su Cheng continued backing up until she bumped into the wall. "No, it's fake. Actually, I'm an incredibly badass illusionist. All of this is an illusion I created."
The silver-haired youth laughed. "If your illusions are that masterful, then perhaps—"
"Sasha," the commander beside him interrupted. "May I ask your name?"
Su Cheng gave her real name.
"Pleased to meet you, Miss," the silver-haired youth said with a grin. "I'm Sasha, from the Shadowhunter Clan."
He grinned, revealing sharp canine teeth, adding a touch of wildness to his handsome face.
Su Cheng forced a smile. "Hello."
She knew he was a vampire.
However, here, "vampire" is more of a derogatory term; the proper term is Blood Clan.
The Blood Clan, like elves, are a long-lived species, capable of living for thousands of years with ease.
But while elves can survive on just wild vegetables and fruit, the Blood Clan needs the blood of living creatures to maintain their power; otherwise, they will fall into slumber.
Sasha blinked, seeming somewhat surprised by her reaction. Noticing she didn't question his identity, the smile on his face deepened a little more.
"And over there is—"
As he spoke, he gripped Su Cheng's shoulder, applying a bit of force to turn the girl's body around, making her look towards the golden-haired mage standing by the wall.
"...Camus."
The white-haired vampire introduced him like that.
Su Cheng forced a smile. "Hello."
The golden-haired man grunted dully in acknowledgment.
"He's always like that; don't mind him."
Sasha turned her back around to face him. "So, let's talk about you, my lovely girl. What did you do before? Where did you study?"
Su Cheng really wanted to shake him off, but his grip was absurdly strong. His slender fingers clutched her shoulders like talons, and she couldn't break free no matter how she tried.
Even though she knew this was just his nature in the original story, she couldn't help but glare at him. "I haven't been interrogating you guys either, sir."
"I just want to get to know you," Sasha pouted, feigning hurt. "If you want to know, I'll tell you my story. The Shadowhunter Clan is located in the Skronen Mountains of the southern continent..."
"You haven't mentioned the payment yet," Su Cheng interrupted him softly, "and more details. Can any elemental mage join? Are there any other requirements?"
Sasha spread his hands. "As for payment, that depends on how well the task is completed—"
Su Cheng seized the chance to slip away, darting over to the regiment commander (Mr. Captain/Kai) and putting on a serious expression, like a good student listening attentively in class.
Kai had taken off the greatsword from his back, leaning the nearly two-meter-long heavy weapon against the wall.
The jet-black greatsword was solemn and austere. Blood grooves ran along the blade's spine, and the blade's surface was etched with fine, flowing silver-white wave patterns.
The angular hilt was wrapped in a spiraling pattern, and the guard extended into two sharp, curved blade-wings, like half-furled, half-spread feathers.
He sat down by the conference table, looked up at the girl who had moved beside him, and reached out to pull another chair over.
The man lifted the heavy-backed chair with one hand and placed it beside her.
Not a single sound was made from start to finish.
Su Cheng thanked him quietly, then paused before adding, "Your sword looks really cool."
"...Thanks," he sounded a bit surprised. "I thought mages usually don't pay attention to weapons like this."
Su Cheng shrugged. "Just think of me as a mage who also dreams of being a warrior."
The three present didn't seem surprised either. No one asked her, "Then why don't you cultivate combat aura?" because that question usually only has one answer: human energy is limited.
At her age, holding the apprentice rank surely meant she had already invested a great deal of time in the field of magic.
Kai hummed thoughtfully. "Miss Su, what are your expectations and requirements regarding payment?"
Su Cheng deliberately put on a thoughtful expression. After thinking for a few seconds, she looked towards the golden-haired man a little further away.
The latter had been looking down at a scroll but, sensing her gaze, immediately looked over sharply. Those seemingly icy eyes locked onto her face.
Sasha scoffed. "If you want to sleep with him, you'll have to ask him."
Su Cheng: "?"
Su Cheng: "...That's not what I meant."
Sasha looked at her with a beaming smile. "But if you change your request, hmm, or change the person—"
Su Cheng gave him a dead-fish stare. "Can you not understand human speech? I said that's not what I meant."
She quickly turned her attention to the straight-laced Captain (Mr. Kai). "I originally wanted money, but since you have a blood mage here, I'm willing to exchange the payment for some information—information related to blood magic."
Camus suddenly looked up, simultaneously setting down the scroll in his hand. "You bear a curse?"
Su Cheng nodded slowly. "You can sense it?"
Camus inclined his head. "To me, it makes you... somewhat different from others. But it's not active right now, so I can't be certain."
Su Cheng showed an expression of admiration. "You're truly impressive. I've looked up some related information and think it might be a blood curse."
"That is possible," the golden-haired mage strode over. "Let me see."
His previously aloof attitude was gone. He approached swiftly, stopping in front of her, his gaze firmly fixed on her. "If you're willing, that is."
A second late, he belatedly added that last part.
Though logically, if she weren't willing, she wouldn't have brought it up in the first place.
Su Cheng deliberately showed hesitation, as if somewhat tempted but still in a state of not fully trusting the other party.
She scrutinized the mage before her.
Camus remained motionless, meeting her gaze, and no longer pressed her for an answer.
His eyelashes were also a deep gold — exceptionally curled, thick, and long, like drooping golden silk twigs. A cold, hard steel-blue settled from the edge of his iris, contracting into indigo around the pupil.
Those eyes were extraordinarily beautiful, and his face, from the bridge of his nose to his lips, also had a kind of doll-like, meticulously crafted precision.
Upon the sharply defined bone structure of an adult man, a strange, chilling tension was brewing.
"...Alright."
Su Cheng slowly nodded, took off her outer garment, revealing the sleeveless short top underneath, then turned around.
The silk fabric was dyed with a gradient of orange-yellow hues, the color spreading from her chest to her back. Two thin straps crisscrossed over her spine.
Most of her back was exposed, with only a palm's width of fabric wrapped around her waist. Her shoulder blades stretched beneath skin as fair and tender as thin snow, like trembling butterfly wings.
"This is—"
A slightly surprised voice came from behind.
Su Cheng tilted her head slightly to the side.
The golden-haired mage frowned slightly, his expression growing more serious, and then he began putting on gloves.
The gloves he took from his coat pocket were silver-white, shimmering with a mother-of-pearl luster. A string of semi-transparent, thin stone shards ran along the curve of the back of the hand.
Camus pulled at the edges of his gloves, his long fingers stretching in the air. A silver-blue mist spilled out from between the stone shards.
The knuckles of his fingers stretched the strangely textured leather, and his fingertips, carrying a coolness, landed on the girl's pure white back.
Su Cheng flinched.
She was now standing by the long table. Turning her head back, she could see the mage right beside her.
The golden-haired man paid no attention to her state, wholly focused on observing the pattern left by the curse.
He was very tall. When Su Cheng turned her head to look back, she could only see his chest.
She stared at the ornate, heavy double-breasted coat and the silk-ruffled shirt underneath.
The deep-red diamond patterns and dense gold-thread embroidery lay across his well-developed pectoral muscles.
He hadn't fastened the top two buttons, revealing a small patch of skin below his neck. A silver necklace could be seen disappearing into his collar.
Su Cheng figured that was probably a magical artifact too.
Because it seemed to occasionally flash (glint).
A finger tapped her spine from behind.
Su Cheng tilted her head, "Hmm?"
Camus raised a hand, "Two questions. Do you know who cast the curse? And has this curse ever manifested?"
Su Cheng: "No. Yes."
Camus: "How many times? And how was it resolved each time?"
"Please," a vampire's laughter came from the side, "Are you asking her to share bedroom details? Perhaps I should take back what I said earlier—"
Su Cheng shot him a fierce glare, then turned back, "Can I ask first, Mr. Camus, in your understanding, how many ways are there to resolve this thing?"
The blond man lowered his gaze to look at her, "So you also know there are methods other than copulation."
Su Cheng: "..."
Su Cheng suddenly looked at Sasha, "Wait, you also know what this curse is?"
Otherwise, why would he mention bedroom matters?!
The silver-haired youth sat by the table, smiling as he propped his chin in his hand, watching her, "I'm a vampire, darling. Magic related to blood... I might not be able to use it freely now, but I still know a thing or two."
He stood up as he spoke, "By the way, I can join the consultation too. Let me have a look."
Su Cheng was somewhat resistant, "Can you not make it sound like I have a terminal illness?"
Sasha had already walked over, standing shoulder to shoulder with Camus, even trying to nudge the blood mage aside.
Camus was still sensing the structure of the curse and frowned in disdain upon seeing this, refusing to budge an inch, "What is wrong with you?"
"I just want to help—"
The vampire youth leaned down close.
Su Cheng felt his breath brush over her spine and instinctively shifted, only to be poked in the back by a cold gauntlet.
"I've discovered a problem."
Sasha's tone suddenly turned serious.
Su Cheng tensed up too, "What?"
Although she didn't know many of the settings due to skipping chapters, with the spoilers from the paragraph comments, she knew these people all had hidden identities.
In other words, they were all experienced big shots.
Her mind instantly flashed with numerous speculations—like her curse had mutated, or the incubus had tricked her, and she was already poisoned from drinking his blood.
"Your—"
The vampire drawled lazily, dragging out his words.
"Your back muscles look like they haven't been exercised much."
"?"
Su Cheng was furious.
She didn't care how others evaluated her muscles, but not in such a serious context! This was a life-or-death curse!
Su Cheng couldn't help but grit her teeth, "And are you so great yourself? Your pectoral muscles are far worse than your captain's!"
The meeting room instantly fell silent.
