Recruitment

Two Days Later

A long queue had formed outside the palace. Ethan sat in a room, lost in thought. "I never expected so many people to show up just because of an advertisement. Well, this works in my favor. I'll have to interview them and hire the best of the best."

Ethan, feeling excited, said, "You may come in." The door opened, but to his surprise, no one was there. Looking down, he saw a child dressed in tattered clothes standing at the doorway. The child seemed to be around 8 years old.

Ethan said to him, "A little kid...? What are you doing here? You don't belong here. Leave immediately."

However, the child suddenly pulled out a knife and charged at Ethan. Startled, Ethan exclaimed, "A tiny assassin, huh?" and then clapped his hands. Two men instantly entered the room and tried to restrain the boy.

But the child injured them both and managed to evade them, heading straight for Ethan. Reacting quickly, Ethan grabbed a paperweight from his desk and hurled it at the child's face, causing him to collapse on the spot.

The boy's nose seemed badly injured, bleeding profusely. The two men picked him up and threw him out like a piece of trash. Ethan stared at the two fools, baffled. "What should I even say to these idiots?" he thought, frustrated. "They let an assassin go just like that!"

He yelled, "Idiots! You were supposed to catch him, not throw him out! Go find him immediately!" But it was too late—the boy was nowhere to be found.

Regretting his decision to hire such incompetent mercenaries, Ethan calmed himself down and called the next candidate.

An elderly man entered the room, leaning on a walking stick. Seeing him, Ethan remarked, "Old man, you look like you need a bodyguard more than I do."

The old man yelled, "You rude boy! You've got no manners talking to your elders. You don't know how strong I still am. You haven't even seen my strength yet!"

He then performed a stunt with his stick, but a loud cracking sound followed, and the old man screamed, "Oh, my back!" Ethan, astonished, declared, "Rejected."

After meeting more such odd candidates, Ethan grew frustrated. Bored, he called in the next person. A frail man entered, introducing himself in a soft voice, "My name is Quinn."

Looking at him, Ethan thought, "This guy looks like he needs a bodyguard himself. Judging by his appearance, it seems like he hasn't eaten in days. How can he protect me?"

Ethan was about to reject him when suddenly, a man broke through the window, armed with a sword, and rushed at Ethan. Startled, Ethan shouted, "What nonsense is this? An attack in broad daylight?"

Before Ethan could react, Quinn pulled out a knife from his belt and flung it at the attacker's throat. The man clutched his neck and fell to his knees. Ethan called for the two mercenaries outside, who quickly restrained the assailant.

Looking at Quinn in astonishment, Ethan thanked him. "What did you say your name was?"

"Quinn," he replied, adding with a grin, "So, can I consider myself hired?"

Ethan, suspicious, thought, "Could this be staged? No, it couldn't be—this attacker almost died. And judging by Quinn's demeanor, he seems experienced with such situations."

Seeing Ethan's hesitation, Quinn grew nervous. Ethan finally gave him a thumbs-up and said, "Absolutely."

After rejecting a few more candidates, Ethan called in the next one. A towering figure with a muscular build entered. Ethan was impressed by the person's physique and thought, "If this one had existed in my time, they'd surely be famous worldwide."

One of the mercenaries, sipping water nearby, looked at the person and said, "Wow, your muscles are amazing." Reaching out, he added, "Your chest feels like a rock."

The person firmly pushed his hand away and said, "I'm not your 'bro.' I'm a sister."

The mercenary stared in shock at the woman standing before him. Ethan, sipping tea, spat it out in surprise, thinking, "Is she the female version of Khali?"

After a moment, Ethan hired her too. As she left the room, another mercenary commented, "Hey, bro, your muscles are incredible." Before he could touch her, the woman punched the wall, creating cracks, and said, "Call me 'bro' again, and you'll regret it. I'm a woman!"

By evening, Ethan had hired only one more person—a swordsman named Damien. Damien was a wanderer who roamed the kingdom, honing his swordsmanship skills. However, he was known to be overly arrogant.

That night, Ethan reviewed the profiles of the three hires. Not much was known about Quinn, except that he wasn't from this kingdom. The powerful woman's name was Natalia. Her father, who was her sole support, was gravely ill, which had driven her to become a fighter.

Damien, though skilled, had a reputation for being self-centered. Ultimately, Ethan hired all three for 2,000 gold coins per year. He then shifted his focus to designing a gun. After wasting several sheets of paper, he finally came up with a blueprint for a functional Gun.