As it turns out, a human mouth can indeed fit a large tankard.

  However, it requires the removal of the front teeth and a dislocated jaw.

  At this moment, Kalan lay amidst the shattered remains of tables and chairs before Caius, his face bruised and swollen, with a large tankard stuffed into his mouth—half of it lodged inside. Blood trickled down his chin, and several teeth lay scattered on the floor.

  "Mr. Kalan, I sincerely appreciate your contribution to my research. You have satisfied my curiosity." Caius wiped the blood off his fist, his face adorned with a bright smile.

  Yet, in the eyes of those around him, that smile carried an entirely different meaning.

  It was now clear that he was neither an easy target nor a mere brawny newcomer with no real strength—he was a smiling tiger that could devour anyone in his path!

  Yvlan watched the scene unfold with keen interest.

  She had always found Kalan rather detestable. However, as an official of the Mercenary Guild, she had no grounds to bar him from the tavern unless he committed a serious offense.

  Now that Caius had given him a thorough beating, she suspected that she wouldn’t be seeing him around for quite some time.

  Moreover, she could tell that Caius was making a statement.

  First, he had bought drinks for the entire tavern; then, he had picked an unlucky fool to make an example of. A carrot and a stick—more than enough to make those eyeing him as an easy mark reconsider their intentions.

  The results were evident. At the very least, the mercenaries in the tavern now regarded Caius with newfound respect, and those who thrived on chaos even seemed to admire him.

  Take that burly bearded man, for instance.

  "Nicely done, Caius! I've been sick of that bastard for ages!" The bearded man, holding a tankard, swaggered over and leaned against Caius' sturdy frame, gesturing at the unconscious Kalan.

  "No manners at all, harassing women like that—he's a disgrace to mercenaries!" he spat disdainfully onto Kalan.

  "Hahaha!" Laughter erupted from his teammates, the absurdity of the moment striking their funny bone.

  Caius joined in the laughter as well.

  Yvlan soon had the mess cleaned up. The damaged walls, tables, and chairs cost Caius a mere ten gold coins as compensation.

  As for Kalan, he was thrown out. To avoid disturbing the other patrons, he and his three companions—all sporting bruised faces, though in slightly better condition than Kalan—were discreetly tossed out through the side door.

  After all, they had realized their hopeless odds after just one punch from Caius, choosing to keep their mouths shut rather than resist in vain.

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  Such incidents were commonplace, and soon the tavern returned to its usual lively atmosphere. Mercenaries resumed their banter and drinking, as if nothing had happened.

  But they all knew—another formidable figure had arrived in Ocean City.

  And soon, the news would spread like wildfire among the boastful and gossip-hungry mercenaries.

  "Big guy, thanks, Meow~" Kiki beamed at Caius, clutching a cup of milk—evidence that, in fact, the tavern did serve milk.

  To her, Caius had looked absolutely dashing when he stepped in to defend her and delivered a brutal beating to those rogue mercenaries.

  His straightforward punches were like siege artillery shells, each one making her heart pound with excitement.

  "Call me Caius." He continued eating his meal.

  Tonight’s dish was seafood rice, which Caius found far tastier than chicken rice—likely because Ocean City was situated by the sea, making its seafood exceptionally fresh. That much could be gathered from the mercenaries’ conversations.

  He swiftly finished the last bite—mercenaries had good table manners, always clearing their plates.

  Wiping his mouth, Caius turned to Yvlan. "Boss, help register this little catgirl as a mercenary."

  "You mean me, Meow?!" Kiki raised her hand excitedly.

  Yvlan had taken a liking to the adorable catgirl and promptly processed her mercenary registration.

  "Are you forming a mercenary team?" Yvlan asked, handing Caius a compiled list of advancement tasks.

  "Yeah." Caius nodded, glancing at the tasks—then frowned. "This many?"

  He had expected only three advancement tasks, but there were twelve, including three Gold-ranked missions.

  "You want to reach Gold rank quickly, don’t you? So I figured I'd prepare everything for you in one go," Yvlan explained. "After completing the three Silver advancement tasks, you’ll need to consecutively finish six more Silver missions to qualify for Gold rank."

  "Note—these must be completed consecutively. If you fail even once, you'll have to start over."

  "And those three Gold missions? They’re the ones I’ve chosen for your Gold rank promotion."

  "These are the best high-paying jobs I have. You better complete them properly."

  Hearing this, Caius chuckled. "So, I’m your star mercenary now, huh?"

  "Heh, depends on your performance." Yvlan lit a cigarette, her crimson lips pursed as she took a deep drag before exhaling smoke directly into Caius’ face.

  If a man did that, it would be a provocation.

  But if a woman did it…

  Heh heh heh…

  "Then I humbly accept the title." Caius pocketed the task list.

  Yvlan nodded in satisfaction.

  In truth, she had given him these prized missions not just because she thought highly of him, but also for another reason.

  Caius had slain a Wolf Demon—alone, in direct combat, without any trickery. That feat had far exceeded Yvlan’s expectations.

  Thus, she judged that Caius’ strength was well above Gold rank—at least Gold five-star.

  Ocean City was vast. There were at least seven or eight taverns like hers in the outer city, not to mention the even larger mercenary taverns in the inner city.

  In this competitive environment, she was merely a small-time broker.

  But she had ambition.

  The top brokers weren’t just skilled negotiators—they also commanded elite mercenaries capable of handling high-stakes missions.

  And that was what Yvlan lacked. Her tavern mostly catered to Brass- and Silver-ranked mercenaries, with only two Gold-ranked ones—one of whom had recently died.

  She desperately needed more elite fighters.

  Caius’ arrival perfectly filled that void, so she was more than willing to offer him preferential treatment to keep him around.

  Those high-paying jobs had been piling up for a while. If they remained unfinished, her reputation would suffer, and even fewer high-profile clients would seek her services.

  And since Caius aimed to reach Gold rank within a month, she decided to take a gamble—betting that he could complete these missions brilliantly within that time frame.

  If he succeeded, her name would spread far and wide, attracting more high-profile commissions.

  In Ocean City, even a woman could dream of becoming a legend.

  Caius sought to become a Legendary Mercenary.

  And she?

  A Legendary Broker would do just fine.