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Chapter 01
The Hidden-Strong Kid Is Looking for His Dad – Episode 1
The Talocium Empire.
A small mana-stone rift entrance rising sharply from the ground.
“Haah… haah….”
Leo, a mercenary from the small island of Modeut, wiped the back of his neck with trembling hands.
“Damn it… damn it.”
Bright red blood smeared across his palm.
“Krrr—”
Right in front of him, a dragon-type monster, a Rikelops, tilted its head and stared at him.
His comrades lay scattered—all dead.
Forty mercenaries, except Leo, had been wiped out by just three Rikelops.
“Krrk—”
With what little strength he had left, Leo tightly gripped his broken sword.
Suddenly, the image of his mother—the last thing he saw before leaving home—flashed through his mind.
If I’d known it would end like this… I should’ve at least given her a proper hug.
Before long, the Rikelops bared their teeth.
A signal that they were about to attack.
Swallowing hard, Leo shut his eyes.
He was ready to give up everything.
But at that moment—
[Get a hold of yourself. If you want to live.]
An unfamiliar voice echoed through the air.
When he raised his head, he saw something black floating in the air, backlit by moonlight.
“Oh dear, pardon us.”
Out of nowhere, several people appeared, pushing Leo aside and stepping forward.
Leo froze as he stared at their fluttering cloaks.
“Agabert…?”
A newly formed mercenary group that had burst onto the continent like a comet—Agabert.
They traveled across the world, writing new history each time. Yet oddly, their uniforms bore a strange pink dwarf, which only deepened the mystery around them.
“Young man, are you alright?”
Leo blankly stared at the old man who approached him.
Wearing Agabert’s uniform, the old man clicked his tongue and began examining the wound on Leo’s neck.
Meanwhile, an argument broke out in front.
“Bale, step aside. This time, it’s my turn to show Tia what I can do.”
“What are you talking about? I’ve already seen you strutting around with that hammer a hundred times. Move—it’s my turn to show my real skills.”
“…Honestly, you’re still terrible.”
“That’s just your opinion, you muscle-brained pig!”
“Ah, please stop fighting! If the captain sees this, we’re in trouble!”
Even as the old man poured disinfectant onto his wound, Leo couldn’t move.
He simply couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Is this… even possible?
The members of Agabert were loudly arguing—
while casually deflecting the Rikelops’ attacks with one hand.
Every time the monster’s jaws snapped shut in midair, Leo flinched.
Rikelops were no weak creatures.
They had just annihilated his entire group.
And yet, these people were batting them away like toys…
But that wasn’t the end of it.
“Stoooop!”
At that moment, something burst out of the bushes and dashed past Leo.
Seeing it, his mouth fell open.
A small figure.
Soft, light-blond hair.
And a pink backpack slung over their shoulders.
…A child?
Completely out of place, the child planted their hands on their hips.
“I told you guys not to fight! If you keep it up, Tia’s gonna kick you out of Agabert!”
The arguing members immediately froze.
The biggest man grabbed one Rikelops by the neck and asked,
“Kick us out? What do you mean, Tia?”
“You’re supposed to fight monsters, not each other! Someone’s even hurt! The only one who deserves a ‘good job’ sticker is Grandpa Nordix!”
At those words, the big man’s face turned pale.
The others awkwardly cleared their throats and avoided the child’s gaze.
Pouting, the child muttered,
“You guys fight every day… At this rate, how are we gonna recruit twenty members? We still need fifteen more! We need them quickly so we can register as a large mercenary group…”
But before the child could finish—
One of the fallen Rikelops suddenly sprang back up.
It tilted its head, then charged toward the smallest target.
The Agabert members exchanged startled looks.
Leo also jumped to his feet instinctively.
He reached out toward the child—but couldn’t block the charging monster.
“Run—!”
Just as Leo shouted—
“See? This is what happens when you waste time.”
The child sighed, and for a brief moment, something flickered in their eyes.
Then—
Rustle—
Something began bursting up from the damp ground.
Leo stared in shock.
What emerged were bare bones—skeletal remains with no flesh.
One… two… three… five… ten…
Cold sweat ran down his back.
Dozens of bones writhed up from the ground and instantly grabbed the Rikelops’ legs, tripping it.
Then they dragged its thighs, its body—pulling it down into the torn earth.
As the clouds covering the moon parted, the monster’s screams echoed through the forest as it was buried alive.
“Oof.”
Only after it completely disappeared underground did the child turn to Leo.
Patting their chest in relief, they said,
“Good thing my bone friends were here.”
Leo’s eyes widened at the absurd name for skeletons.
But before he could react—
“Mister, hello!”
The child walked up politely and bowed, then raised two fingers with a serious expression.
“From now on, you can choose one of two options. First—you forget everything that happened here and go home. It’s sad you lost your friends, but… that’s life.”
The old man who treated Leo nodded beside them.
“And second—you join Tia’s mercenary group, Agabert!”
Leo’s eyes trembled.
So it was true—they really were Agabert.
But that child…
Didn’t they just call it their mercenary group?
The leader of Agabert is supposed to be the Necromancer King…
Could the rumors really be true?
Leo asked in disbelief,
“Are you… the Necromancer King?”
A bright smile spread across the child’s face.
“Yep! That’s Tia!”
His heart dropped.
The Necromancer King—a great mage who appeared out of nowhere.
The strongest necromancer in history.
The entire continent—no, the entire world—was curious about him.
After all, <Agabert>, founded by the Necromancer King, had reached rank 1 on the continent in just two months, achieving a 100% success rate in mana-stone conquests.
And yet, no one had ever known his true identity.
But now…
Leo swallowed hard as he stared at the child.
Mana stones had been appearing across the world for a long time.
Rifts constantly formed around them, and monsters poured out.
When they began invading cities, the world entered the age of mercenaries.
Knights and central armies alone couldn’t handle it.
A world in need of strong mercenaries.
It was only natural that all attention would gather on the monstrous Necromancer King and his group.
“Mister, won’t you join our guild? Our uniforms are super cute too! I even asked them to add Tanipang here!”
Leo’s heart pounded faster.
So that pink dwarf on their uniform is called Tanipang…?
He hadn’t expected this.
But one thing was certain—
Now he understood why no one had ever discovered the Necromancer King’s identity.
“Of course, it’s okay if you don’t want to! Tia will just erase your memory and take you back to town.”
A master of necromancy—summoning souls and raising the dead at will.
The great mercenary who conquered mana stones across the world as easily as swatting flies—
“Oh! And if you join, sometimes you can sleep in! Isn’t that great?”
“…Why?”
“Because Tia has to go to lessons from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.… so we only work at night. Hehe.”
She was truly just a child.
A child who looked no older than five.
