Approaching Danger
Splash!
"Kie?"
Thud!
"Now!"
The **Kobold** charging at me with a massive wooden club lost its momentum as it crashed into the water barrier Yun-seo had conjured. Its club, swinging limply as the creature let out a bewildered shriek, was easily deflected by my shield. I immediately signaled to Yang Sora, who was waiting right behind me.
"Haaah!"
"Kieeeek!"
Slash!
The Kobold, pinned against my shield, was cleanly sliced in two by Sora's descending blade. It dissolved into a cloud of dust.
I picked up the **Kobold's Tooth** left behind in the dust and slipped it into the pouch tied to my waist.
"Great job, Sora, Seong-gi!" Yun-seo called out, walking over to me. She handed over a few more teeth she had gathered from the Kobolds we had defeated earlier. I took them and slid them into the pouch as well. It was starting to feel quite heavy.
"Phew... Our coordination is getting much smoother," I said.
"Yes! I really feel like we're getting into a rhythm!" Yun-seo agreed with a bright smile.
"I'm finally getting used to cutting down these Kobold things, too," Sora muttered, wiping her brow.
Yesterday, after assessing the difficulty of hunting Kobolds, we had returned to the **Residential Area** early. We spent the evening planning our battle formations and purchasing necessary supplies. Since I hadn't fully earned Sora's trust yet, she still hadn't explained her skill to me in detail. Because of that, we established combat rules that excluded her skill for now, and we had entered the **Trial Zone** early this morning to begin the hunt.
"Let's take a quick break. We've hunted quite a few," I suggested.
"Sounds good!"
We found a spot shielded by thick foliage and sat down. Since actual combat was still unfamiliar to us, we stuck to yesterday's strategy: scouting for small, manageable groups of Kobolds and launching surprise attacks. Using this method, we had already hunted about thirty of them between early morning and lunchtime.
"Here, Seong-gi, have some!" Yun-seo handed me a sandwich she had bought before we entered the zone. I thanked her and took a bite. It wasn't particularly delicious, but it was decent enough to fill an empty stomach.
"How many have we caught so far?" Sora asked.
"About thirty," I replied.
"Still got a long way to go, then." Sora chewed her sandwich aggressively, clearly frustrated that we hadn't even cleared a third of our quota despite working since dawn.
"Let's not rush," I said, offering her a reassuring smile. "Going slow and staying safe is what matters most."
In our party, I had no skills to speak of, and Sora had issues with hers, meaning Yun-seo was the only one who could fully utilize her abilities. Fortunately, Yun-seo's water magic was highly versatile, serving as both offense and defense. By conjuring water barriers, she could cushion the impact of the Kobolds' heavy clubs, allowing me to play my fabricated role as the party's tank without getting crushed.
"Exactly, Sora! Let's not rush. We're getting better every day!" Yun-seo chimed in.
"Yeah, I guess..." Sora nodded, though a shadow of unease flickered across her face.
Having finished our quick meal, we stood up and resumed our search, scanning the surrounding woods for more Kobolds.
Rumble, rumble...
As we ventured deeper into the forest, a low, heavy sound began to echo in the distance.
"Do you hear that?" I asked.
"Yes. Hmm... It sounds like rushing water?"
Just as Yun-seo suggested, there seemed to be a waterfall nearby. Since it was crucial to map out the terrain, we headed toward the sound to investigate. Pushing through the thick underbrush, we emerged near the lower reaches of a wide river. At its edge, the water cascaded over a steep cliff, forming a roaring waterfall. Peering over the edge, we saw a sheer drop.
"There's a massive cliff here," I noted. "The current is incredibly strong, too. We'll need to be careful around this area."
Since the **Trial Zone** didn't provide a map, I had to commit the landmarks to memory as we traveled. This waterfall was definitely a key point to remember.
"We shouldn't cross this river," I said. "If we go any deeper, we might lose our way entirely."
Both of them nodded in agreement, and we turned back, retracing our steps. Along the way, we spotted a few more Kobolds. Launching careful ambushes, we managed to eliminate them and claim their teeth. After a few more successful skirmishes, the sun began to dip below the horizon, signaling that it was time to call it a day.
"Let's head back, divide the teeth, and wrap things up for today," I said.
"Okay!"
Navigating by the landmarks I had memorized, we made our way back to the **Residential Area**. Once there, we spoke to the **Tower Resident** waiting near the entrance to claim our partial quest rewards. Hunting was certainly more dangerous than gathering, but the payout in **Points** was significantly higher. With our second day of hunting successfully concluded, we agreed on a meeting time for the next morning and went our separate ways.
The next morning, we gathered early once again, moving through the forest to hunt Kobolds and steadily progress through our quest. By the third day, the hunt had become noticeably easier. Since this was our very first quest, the Kobolds' base stats seemed relatively low. As long as we remained cautious, we could take them down without much trouble.
"Phew... At this rate, we should have enough teeth for all three of us in another two or three days," I said, wiping the sweat from my brow as I looked at the girls.
Yun-seo replied with her usual bright smile, but Sora still wore a deeply dissatisfied, brooding expression, just as she had yesterday.
"Sora, are you hurt somewhere?" I asked.
"Huh?! N-No! Why do you ask?"
"You just look a bit pale."
"I'm fine! I'm just... tired, okay? Hmph!"
Sora forced a stiff smile, but she couldn't hide her obvious discomfort. Prying any further would only make things awkward, so as we moved to our next hunting spot, I quietly slipped beside Yun-seo and whispered to her.
"Have you noticed Sora's expression? She's looked upset since yesterday."
"Yes... Actually, I asked her about it after we parted ways yesterday, but she kept insisting nothing was wrong..."
We put our heads together, but without any clues, we could only resolve to keep a close eye on her. As we ventured deeper into the forest, continuing our hunt, I watched Sora closely. During combat, she was entirely focused, executing our coordinated attacks flawlessly. But the moment the battle ended, that dark, discontented look returned to her face.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a massive explosion echoed from deep within the forest. All three of us whipped our heads toward the sound. A thick plume of dust was rising into the air, as if something had struck the ground with immense force.
"What was that? Did another player use a high-tier skill?" Sora squinted, shading her eyes with her hand to get a better look.
"Whatever it was, a sound that loud is bad news," I said. "Monsters in the area will probably swarm toward it. We should fall back."
"Yes! I think Seong-gi is right," Yun-seo agreed immediately.
Sora nodded in agreement when I looked at her. We quickly turned around and began moving in the opposite direction of the noise. But just as we did, a silhouette came bursting through the trees, sprinting directly toward us.
"Aaaaargh!"
It was a player. His face was pale with sheer terror as he ran for his life.
"Run! Run! It's a monster! A real monster!"
As the screaming player drew closer, a massive shadow loomed behind him. The creature's face was that of a Kobold—the familiar, grotesque mix of a dog and a rat—but it was nothing like the ones we had been hunting. Instead of the usual knee-high pests, this beast was three to four times larger, towering over an adult man, its entire body packed with dense, terrifying muscle.
It was a **Giant Kobold**.
"R-Run!" I yelled.
"Ah!"
The moment the beast came into view, we spun on our heels and bolted. Despite its massive bulk, the **Giant Kobold** was terrifyingly fast.
"Aaaagh! Help me! Please, help me!"
The fleeing player was rapidly losing ground. As the **Giant Kobold** closed the distance, he looked at us with desperate, pleading eyes.
"S-Seong-gi, what do we do?" Yun-seo stammered.
"We can't! We can't fight that thing! If we stop, we die!"
"B-But...!"
Yun-seo looked at me, her eyes welling with tears, unable to bear the thought of leaving someone to die right before her eyes.
"Absolutely not! Yun-seo, steel yourself! We can't all die trying to save one person!" I barked.
"Ugh...!"
My harsh words snapped her back to reality. Remembering that her choices affected not just her own life, but mine and Sora's as well, she bit her lip and forced herself to look away from the doomed player. Behind us, the gap had closed completely. The **Giant Kobold** was now looming directly over its prey.
"Aaaargh! Help me, you bastards! N-No—!"
CRUNCH!
The man's scream was cut short by a sickening, bone-crushing sound. I stole a quick glance backward. The **Giant Kobold's** massive wooden club was drenched in fresh blood, and the beast was lifting the man's limp corpse with its other hand.
"Ugh..."
No matter how much I tried to adapt to the Tower, watching a human being get slaughtered was not something I could easily stomach. I forced my eyes forward and kept running. Now that the man was dead, we were next. If we stopped now, our fate would be exactly the same as his. While the beast was momentarily distracted by the corpse, we had to put as much distance between us as possible.
"Kieeeek!"
"Kweek!"
Suddenly, several normal-sized Kobolds burst from the bushes ahead, blocking our path. Caught off guard, Yun-seo and I hastily retaliated with our magic, but the sheer number of them forced us to take a few minor cuts and scrapes. Fortunately, Sora reacted instantly, swinging her sword to clear the path. Without losing a single second, we kept running.
"KIEEEEK!"
A deafening roar echoed from behind, followed by the heavy, rhythmic thudding of massive footsteps. The **Giant Kobold** was giving chase. Cold sweat poured down my back as I realized we were now its primary targets.
"Ah!"
"Yun-seo!"
Yun-seo tripped over her own feet and tumbled to the ground. Sora immediately spun around and helped her up.
"Are you okay?"
"Y-Yes, thank you."
"We have to keep moving!" I urged, rushing back to them. I checked Yun-seo's condition; her knee was badly scraped and bleeding.
"Yun-seo, can you run?"
"Ugh... I-I'll try."
Behind us, the thundering footsteps of the **Giant Kobold** were drawing closer by the second. Yun-seo tried her best to run, but she was visibly limping with every step.
"Damn it... At this rate, it's going to catch us..."
"I-I'm so sorry... It's all my fault..." Tears streamed down Yun-seo's face.
Suddenly, Sora's expression hardened. "Hey, Snake! You take responsibility and get Yun-seo out of here!"
"What?"
"I'm the fastest runner out of the three of us. I'll draw its attention! Use that time to escape!"
Before I could even utter a word of protest, Sora turned around and bolted straight toward the oncoming **Giant Kobold**. We couldn't stop her. In the blink of an eye, her figure vanished into the dense foliage of the forest.