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Chapter 8 — “Are You Cursed?”
“…Miss?”
A low, pleasant male voice sounded above her head.
Su Cheng staggered forward from the impact, her vision still spinning. She couldn’t steady herself in time.
A large, powerful hand suddenly landed on her shoulder, firmly supporting her as she swayed.
She looked up.
A broad, well-built chest came into view first—smooth, pale skin bathed in sunlight streaming through the window, like polished jade carved without flaw.
Her gaze moved upward, passing leather straps, a long, lean neck, and a sharply defined jaw.
Finally, she saw his face.
A tall man. Imposing. Powerfully built, his upper body half-exposed beneath layered leather harnesses that wrapped around thick, well-developed chest muscles.
On his shoulder sat a silver dragon-head pauldron. A heavy beast-hide cloak hung diagonally down his back, and a massive two-handed sword was strapped behind him.
His black curls framed a pair of striking, pale golden eyes. His pupils were slightly elongated—like a sharp black blade.
At first glance, he looked cold and dangerous, radiating an oppressive sense of authority.
And yet… his expression was gentle. Concern softened his gaze, and a trace of apology lingered on his face, dulling the harshness of his presence.
“Sorry. Are you alright? Did that hurt?”
Su Cheng: “?”
Wait—wasn’t this exactly the line from that scene where the male lead got ‘face-planted into the captain’s chest’…?
Back then, the comment section had gone wild, calling it a “bonus service scene” and praising the captain’s “capital strength,” begging for a second round.
Su Cheng shook her head quickly. “No, no—it was my fault. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
“I’m Kai, captain of the Black Flame Mercenary Group.”
The black-haired man’s voice was steady. “Did you respond to our recruitment notice? I hope my teammates didn’t offend you.”
Before Su Cheng could answer—
A cold body suddenly pressed against her back.
She nearly instinctively formed a wind blade.
“Ah, Captain, don’t be so quick to blame us~”
A silver-haired young man had appeared beside her like a ghost, sliding down from the table without anyone noticing.
He leaned close—but not quite touching her. Just enough distance remained that if she moved even slightly, she would brush against him.
Coldness seeped through her thin clothes, crawling over her skin.
He chuckled softly. “I was being perfectly friendly, wasn’t I?”
Su Cheng was now trapped between two tall, solid male bodies. Front and back, she was boxed in by strength and presence, unable to move an inch.
There was no sweat, no unpleasant smell.
But the armor, chains, and leather carried a faint scent of iron, rust, and blood—mixed with a lingering trace of wood and alcohol-like fragrance.
It felt like invisible chains had wrapped around her, dragging her into a dangerous world.
“No one offended me!” Su Cheng exhaled. “Yes, I saw your recruitment notice downstairs and came to try my luck. I only realized afterward I’m not registered as a mercenary. Also… don’t you already have a mage?”
She carefully sidestepped, then looked toward the golden-haired man in the room.
The blond, blue-eyed man stood with his arms crossed and snorted.
“It said elemental mage in the recruitment. I’m not one.”
He uncrossed his arms, revealing a mage insignia on his chest and a blood-red crystal staff in hand.
The entire emblem was crimson.
—A Blood Mage insignia.
Magic had many branches, but broadly fell into four categories.
Elemental mages: those who used natural magic, attuning themselves to elemental spirits.
Arcane mages: those who wielded time, space, or even causality magic—extremely rare.
Then there were spirit mages and esoteric mages.
Spirit mages dealt with souls; necromancers belonged here.
Esoteric mages were more complex—curses, deconstruction, arrays, sealing, enchantment, illusion, and similar disciplines all fell under this category.
They were fewer than elemental mages, yet far more commonly listed among wanted criminals and heretics.
Blood mages, who used blood as a medium for spells, were also classified as esoteric mages.
In the Southern Continent, they were relatively common. But entering the Northern Continent through official channels meant strict scrutiny from the Church Knights.
Smuggling in was another matter entirely.
But since this man openly walked into a mercenary guild under Church surveillance, he clearly had nothing to fear from inspection.
“Alright,” Su Cheng said after a moment. “Then I’ll head downstairs—”
“Don’t rush, little dummy.”
The silver-haired youth hooked an arm around her shoulder and pulled her back.
“We just wanted to check your mercenary log. It’s empty anyway…”
Su Cheng shifted instantly, trying to slip away—
His elbow pressed inward.
A sudden weight crushed down like iron.
She staggered, almost collapsing, only to be caught again by a strong arm.
“So it doesn’t really matter.”
He leaned close to her ear.
His breath was cold, brushing against her neck and lifting strands of her hair.
Her back pressed against his chest, layered in leather armor.
The material was thin—too thin.
She could clearly feel the shape of muscle beneath it.
Then he leaned in slightly again.
Su Cheng: “……”
When Lin Yun got hugged like this by the white-haired teammate in the novel, she had once complained that his chest was too small.
Well.
This one… didn’t seem small either.
“Enough.”
Kai’s voice cut through sharply. “Don’t be so rude.”
The pressure vanished immediately as Su Cheng was released.
She stepped aside quickly. “So… what do you need an elemental mage for? And what exactly are the requirements?”
The silver-haired man snapped his fingers.
“A mage gathering. You’ll go in and collect information. As for special abilities… what do you have?”
His hand lifted, casually tracing the faint outline of her apprentice insignia in the air—almost touching it.
Su Cheng backed away on instinct.
In the original story, this guy actually did touch people without hesitation. She had no doubt this version would be any better.
The silver-haired man squinted. “Is that insignia real?”
Su Cheng kept retreating until her back hit the wall. “No. It’s fake. Actually, I’m a super powerful illusionist. Everything you see is an illusion I created.”
He laughed. “If your illusion is that good, then maybe—”
“Sasha,” Kai interrupted. “And you are?”
Su Cheng gave her real name.
“Nice to meet you, Miss,” the silver-haired man said cheerfully. “I’m Sasha, from the Shadow Hunt Clan.”
He grinned, revealing sharp canine teeth.
Su Cheng forced a polite smile. “Nice to meet you.”
She knew exactly what he was.
A vampire.
Or more precisely—what people here called a bloodkin.
Immortals like elves, capable of living thousands of years.
But unlike elves, who could survive on vegetables and fruit, bloodkin needed blood to sustain their power—or they would fall into slumber.
Sasha blinked, mildly surprised by her calm reaction. His smile widened slightly.
“And that over there—”
He pulled her gently by the shoulder, turning her toward the blond mage.
“…Camus,” the vampire introduced lazily.
“Hello,” Su Cheng said through gritted politeness.
The blond man only gave a low grunt in response.
“He’s always like this. Don’t mind him.”
Sasha turned her back toward himself again, keeping her between them.
“So, tell me about yourself, my cute little girl. What did you do before this? Where did you study?”
Su Cheng wanted to shake him off, but his grip was absurdly strong.
“I didn’t interrogate you, did I, sir?”
“Just curious,” Sasha said innocently, puffing his cheeks. “If you want, I can tell you my story—”
“Let’s talk about the reward first,” Su Cheng cut in quickly. “And details. Is it really just any elemental mage? Any other requirements?”
Sasha spread his hands. “Reward depends on performance—”
She slipped free the moment he loosened his grip and darted behind Kai like lightning.
The captain glanced at her, then silently pulled over a chair with one hand.
No sound at all.
Su Cheng sat down, exhaling in relief.
“Your sword looks really cool,” she said before she could stop herself.
Kai looked slightly surprised. “I thought mages usually don’t care about weapons like this.”
Su Cheng shrugged. “Think of me as a mage who also has warrior dreams.”
None of them questioned it.
Kai finally asked, “Miss Su, what kind of reward are you hoping for?”
Su Cheng glanced toward the blond mage.
Sasha immediately laughed. “If you’re thinking of sleeping with him, you should ask him directly—”
Su Cheng: “?”
“I am not.”
Sasha only smiled wider. “Or maybe someone else—”
“I said I’m not interested in that!”
Su Cheng turned sharply to Kai instead. “I wanted money at first, but since you have a blood mage here, I’d prefer information instead. Anything related to blood magic.”
Camus suddenly looked up.
“…You are cursed?”
Su Cheng nodded slowly. “You can sense it?”
“Yes.” His gaze sharpened. “Something about you is… different. But it’s dormant. I can’t confirm anything yet.”
Su Cheng’s eyes lit with genuine respect. “You’re amazing. I’ve been researching—it might be a blood curse.”
“That is possible.”
The mage strode closer. “Let me see.”
He stopped right in front of her.
“If you allow it.”
A second later, as if remembering etiquette, he added the condition.
Su Cheng hesitated deliberately, then nodded.
“…Alright.”
She turned around and removed her outer coat, revealing a sleeveless top beneath.
Her back was exposed—smooth skin, pale as snow. Thin straps crossed along her spine like silk threads. Shoulder blades moved subtly beneath the fabric like trembling wings.
“What is this—”
Camus’s voice carried faint surprise.
Then he put on gloves.
Silver-white gloves, shimmering like mother-of-pearl, embedded with translucent stone fragments.
A faint blue mist leaked between them.
His gloved fingers pressed lightly against her back.
Cold.
Su Cheng flinched.
He ignored her reaction completely, focusing entirely on the curse pattern.
Sasha leaned in behind them.
“I’ve found something.”
Su Cheng tensed. “What?”
“…Your back muscles seem undertrained.”
“…?”
A beat of silence.
Then—
Su Cheng snapped.
“Are yours any better? Your chest isn’t even as good as your captain’s!”
