Mercenary Harem in Murim Novel

Astrid couldn't believe her ears.

"Why? He is a potential threat. If we don't do anything, then he will spread information to the enemy."

"Peng Peng, I know that you're spirited, but attacking civilians will make us nothing more than criminals, you know? They did nothing wrong, just someone who tries to live in this harsh world."

"But..."

"Just trust me, Astrid. This is a lesson. Sometimes, we can't do everything that we want. Not now, not in the future. Sometimes, we have to choose the right path to stay human." Jack gave an unexpected and rare life lesson.

As a member of Hallowed Insect, he had seen many just like the others. If he even killed innocent civilians now, he would be nothing but a monster. A monster that had no place to return to.

Listening to the serious words of someone who often bickered with Shui and joked around, Astrid's eyes widened.

'I can't believe it. Jack is giving me a lecture? It feels weird, but... He's right.'

She couldn't believe it, but she had to accept his advice.

"Understood."

With that, she and Anya went back to their position.

"Good, I was afraid you're going to argue with me, you know. Anyway, we will continue our mission. Plant the bomb. After that, knock that person unconscious and bring him into a safe place. We will use him as a witness that can relay what we did to the Murim Alliance. Astrid, that's your job."

Jack gave out command as the one responsible for this mission. Everyone moved immediately, not questioning him.

"Alright, everyone! Let's move. We have no time to waste. We will end this soon and rest."

The group split up and began planting the bomb. Astrid ran toward the man moving the sack. Even though she hadn't implanted Nanites inside her, she was wearing a bodysuit that could slightly enhance her body. As a result, her movement was swift and precise, more than the usual 4 Stars Martial Artist, and the man didn't have time to react.

Her sword moved and hit the back of his head. The man fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Sorry, but this is a mission." She said, and dragged the man's body to a safe place.

Following that, they moved into 5 different locations and planted a few more bombs. They had to knock out some people too and killed a few guards, but nothing unusual happened beyond that.

The group returned to their hiding place while Jack, Anya, and Astrid stood at the highest point in the area. Jack was holding a red button with 'Caution' written on top of it.

"Let's do this!"

He pushed the button, and the warehouses where they planted the bomb exploded.

Boom! Boom!

A few explosions rang loudly, creating mushroom-like clouds that rose high into the sky. The black cloud and fire filled the air, destroying the buildings and the surrounding area.

And, in the chaos, Leo watched the footage sent to him through Jack's smart lenses.

"Nice." He grinned and leaned back, "Looks like the first step has gone smoothly. Return to your hiding place and wait for further instruction, Jack."

"Yes, Leader. We will do our best."

The transmission ended and Leo sighed. He drank the cocktail prepared by Shui beforehand and turned to his right. A girl with brown hair and hazel eyes sat beside him, reading a book.

"What are you reading?"

"Just a romance novel." She answered, her voice low and husky. "It's an interesting one. I never thought you would have a novel collection that I have never read before. I asked Chiaki for help to print them for me. Thank you."

"No problem. So, what is the progress of that thing?"

"I finished." She closed the book and smiled, "I have created a martial art that can work for you. And as you requested, lightning will be the element when you reach 5 Stars. I have calculated and adjusted the level based on the power of the Nanites and the body of the user. You can start training right away."

"Thanks. And now, I have a new job for you."

Leo fished a ring from his pocket, placing it on the table right in front of Sherly. She looked at it strangely and her gaze moved back and forth from the ring and Leo's face. A gasp escaped her lips and she hid it behind her hand.

"A proposal?"

"No, you fool." Leo sighed, "This is not a proposal. It's an artifact, a very precious one. But, it's useless unless the right person wields it. And, you're that person, Sherly. I will have you to train so I can reach 5 Stars faster. As my maid, you will follow my order and help me achieve the peak of power. Got it? I will give you a month."

"Y-Yes, Boss." She nodded, her eyes twinkled with excitement. "Wow, I get such an unreasonable boss. Can I sue you for an unreasonable work demand?"

"Unfortunately, there is no court here that can handle that. You should just shut up and focus on helping me. Now, put the ring on."

Sherly blinked and nodded, wearing the ring on her middle finger. She raised her hand, feeling the power surging within her.

"I will do my best, Boss."

"Good. Now tell me the method. We will train that together to reach the most efficiency."

"Yes, of course. You will have the best servant, Boss."

Sherly took a deep breath and began explaining the method that she created for Leo, one of the best martial art methods in the world, though it was self-made.

After so long, Leo was finally able to taste what it felt like training a martial art.

"So, that's the method."

He had the full explanation, and it was clear and easy to understand.

"Let's start it right away. Jessica, bring all the pills and elixir that Chiaki had improved. We will boost my cultivation."

"Yes, Leader."

The beauty nodded and left the room. Experience more on empire

As for Leo, he looked at Sherly and motioned with his chin.

"Let's go. We will train in the Union underground training ground."

"Yes, Boss."

He left the base with Sherly, going toward the Union headquarter.

Because the Union headquarter was created with gathering people in mind, it had various stuff that made people comfortable staying. For example, it had a restaurant, bar, training grounds, and even infirmary for the injured.

The members could use the training ground for free and could get treatment for low cost. As a result, many martial artists chose to train here for all the benefit they could get.

However, the Union also had a secret training ground that only the core members could enter. It was located underground, and was specifically designed for Leo.

He was the one who built it, and he had been using it to test many things with Shui and Jack in their free time.

Now, he brought Sherly to the entrance of the underground training ground. Unlike the surface, the training ground here was made with a strong material created from the Armory Room in the base. The pristine white wall and floor were not affected by the time.

And, in the center, was a training platform.

"Let's go."

Leo motioned for Sherly to enter, and she followed him. He already had all elixirs improved by Chiaki. The girl believed it would boost the Qi and cultivation of anyone who consumed it.

"This is a secret training ground. We have analyzed Qi and noticed that it is the energy source that allows the body to move and create force. Therefore, we have created a training method based on this knowledge. This will help the flow of this energy and concentrate it in this place, helping to recover the energy we can absorb around us faster."

"Dragon Vein... Wait, you created this?! Boss, this is amazing. It's like you have the knowledge of a scholar, a doctor, and a fighter."

Sherly was impressed, her eyes sparkling with interest. She couldn't believe how someone like Leo could possess such vast knowledge. Or rather, his subordinates were also weird. Everyone looked pretty experienced and smart, genius even.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Are you one of them?"

Leo immediately knew who she was referencing. One of them, those who monopolized technology and knowledge in the past.

"Well, that doesn't matter anymore."

Answering that was useless. He was in a new world, not on Earth anymore. It didn't matter who he was in the past. Right now, he was Leo, the Hallowed Insect's Leader.

"You just need to focus on training, Sherly. I will reach 3 Stars before next week, and 5 Stars before next month. I guessed the Alliance would attack us around that time frame, so I need to be ready."

"Yes, yes, of course, Boss."

The brunette nodded and followed Leo into the training room. She began to explain how the training process should be and how to activate the Qi inside his body.

"Please take off your clothes and sit in front of me in a lotus position. I will help you unlock your Qi with mine, trying to guide it to awaken the element you want, which is Lightning. This is pretty dangerous as we will forcibly unlock the potential inside your body. You might suffer from muscle tearing or Qi overflowing, so please be prepared. After that, you will consume the elixirs and pills that Boss had prepared."

"I can handle pain." Leo nodded and took off his clothes and bodysuit without a second thought. His toned body and smooth skin were revealed as the bodysuit top dangled around his waist, and Sherly couldn't help but look at it in surprise.

"Oh, my. What a sexy body. M-May I touch it? No, I need to touch it to help you anyway. But... M-May I have a taste later? Just a lick!"