Chapter 121
Chapter 121
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: Chapter 23: Survivors (3)
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“What the hell? Why’d we suddenly stop?”
“Seriously, let’s get a move on. We gotta make it into the rankings.”
Baron Volvita had asked every player in the barracks if they wanted to join the battle.
About a hundred had taken the bait.
That was eight out of ten from those staying in the barracks.
The baron nodded in satisfaction at the number of participants for the mission.
He must’ve figured it’d help fill the gaps left by the missing knights, at least a little.
After all, every player could handle mana or wield elemental magic—they were real combat power.
After that, the 4th Battalion set off immediately.
But about four hours into the march? The vanguard suddenly halted.
The reason didn’t take long to come out.
“Blue flag… Isn’t that the mark of a messenger?”
“Did something happen back at main camp?”
“They could just use the priests to send messages through the homepage. Why a rider?”
We couldn’t know the exact details, but it seemed like contact from headquarters had arrived.
No more movement until command confirmed it.
Sure enough, the signal to halt the march went up soon after.
‘Good timing.’
I slipped out of formation to check out something weird I’d spotted earlier.
“Hyung?”
“Huh? Oh, K’s callin’?”
Kim Yul and Yang Tae-ho, standing on either side of me, looked puzzled.
But instead of answering, I crouched down low.
The 4th Battalion had passed through a rugged valley full of rocks a couple of hours ago.
The terrain was still rocky due to the stone mountain features, but there was more greenery now—trees, bushes, and all.
Even so, it wasn’t the kind of environment where that thing I saw should appear.
“What now? Another grandee?”
Yang Tae-ho came over and crouched beside me as he asked. I tilted my head up and replied.
“Seen any trees with fruit on them since we got here?”
“Huh?”
I hadn’t. Every tree I’d seen was just green.
I’d checked carefully just in case, but no traces of fruit anywhere nearby.
‘So why the hell are you here?’
I didn’t know the type or name, but this on the ground was definitely fruit.
Mostly orange, with green patches here and there—clearly unripe.
The part touching the ground was mushy, but the top was surprisingly fresh.
Meaning it hadn’t been down long.
I picked up the fruit, smaller than half my palm.
‘Did an animal carry it? A monster? Do those things even eat fruit? Or did someone from the vanguard drop it?’
Nah, the bottom was too squishy for that.
Plus, there were dents all over like it’d been bumped around.
As if it’d fallen from a height.
‘No need to rack my brain over it.’
I started theorizing why this mystery fruit was here, then stopped.
Back in the day, maybe, but now I had an easy way to check.
“Kim Yul.”
“Yeah?”
He reacted right away, stationed a step behind Yang Tae-ho.
“What?”
“How high’s your Tracker trait proficiency?”
“28%. I practice whenever I get the chance, but…”
His eyes dropped, taking in the little fruit in my hand.
Then he scanned the surroundings before crouching down.
“Hold on.”
Even snatching the fruit from my hand.
‘Sharp as ever.’
No long explanations needed—he got it spot on and moved quick.
Smart kid; I watched him with some satisfaction.
Soon, he took a deep breath, and a faint golden band appeared at the edge of his irises.
His gaze passed over the half-mushy fruit and went upward.
Following it, I spotted something like leaves at the edge of what could pass for a cliff.
Looked like there was forest up top, too.
“There’s handprints. Cliff’s got fruit juice stains… Looks like it fell from up there.”
“Hmm.”
“No footprints or other traces leading here. Gotta go up for more details.”
“If yer climbin’, tell the squad leader first.”
Could be big trouble if we ditched without a word.
Yang Tae-ho, the only one of us with military experience, glanced back at me as he added that.
Kim Yul watched me, waiting for my call.
I stood and scanned the halted battalion.
‘Doesn’t look like we’re moving out right away.’
Might as well check while we had time.
Wouldn’t take long to go up and back.
‘Heard there’s a good number of those turned ain races over that way.’
Someone might be scouting our route.
‘Better to check and be sure.’
Short deliberation over, I said.
“Wait here. I’ll get permission from the squad leader.”
“OK.”
“Bring it on back.”
Players were split into squads as extra hands based on parties.
I had a squad assigned, so I went to get solo action approved from the leader.
“Tracks?”
“Yeah, could be scouting. Better check it out, right?”
No way the squad leader hadn’t thought of that himself—permission was easy.
Of course, he wasn’t handing it all to me.
He reported up the chain, then a search team got properly assigned.
Pinelpenia players volunteered after hearing the sitrep.
Ended up with nearly thirty heading up the cliff.
I beat the rest to the top using a barrier.
What greeted me was lush greenery everywhere.
No orange fruit in sight.
‘So it wasn’t some random nearby fruit that fell by chance.’
As I looked around, Kim Yul, who’d followed me up, started searching right away.
Yang Tae-ho arrived next, whistling in awe as he approached.
“Damn, the more I think about it, the wilder it gets. How’d ya spot somethin’ that tiny?”
“Just caught my eye.”
“Ha!”
I brushed it off, and he let out his signature exclamation, pointing to his eyes.
“Felt it back then too—yer observation skills are insane.”
Never really dwelled on my observation skills.
But stuff like this happened all the time.
Friends overlooked stains next to signs they just glanced at.
Positions of stray cats’ food bowls no one else noticed.
Strollers rolling alone while parents loaded trunks.
Snacks dropped by kids on scooters.
Varied situations and objects, but I tended to scan surroundings meticulously.
Made me sensitive to changes around me.
‘Habit or defense mechanism? Hard to say.’
Didn’t know the exact reason, but it meant more caught my eye.
Good memory helped—it stuck in my head.
It was natural to me, so I never thought how it looked to others.
Apparently wondrous to Yang Tae-ho.
“I know a hyung who’s a detective—ya seem just like him. Wonder if yer police too… Ahem.”
He caught my eye mid-sentence and coughed.
“Not pry in’, swear—just amazin’, so don’t mind it.”
Bouncing between excuses and explanations, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
‘Pretty perceptive himself.’
He’d started watching what he said after realizing I was touchy about personal info.
Lots of times he’d flinch and back off mid-question.
Party members being sharp made things easy for me.
Boosted my favor and trust with them.
So I decided to answer Yang Tae-ho’s half-asked question properly.
‘Nothing to hide there.’
Assuming my info was secure, I didn’t mind sharing some backstory.
I replied lightly to his unfinished query.
“Well, wanted to go into law enforcement.”
“Huh?”
“Circumstances got in the way.”
Once the twins were independent, maybe pick up studies again.
‘Heard law school’s tough if you’re older…’
Police exam shouldn’t have strict age limits.
If not prosecutor, cop was a path.
Just a plan, though. A dream I hadn’t even told my siblings.
Yang Tae-ho looked surprised, like he hadn’t expected an answer.
But he soon laughed heartily and threw an arm around my shoulders.
“Just do it now! Yer still youn…”
“Hyung, here!”
Kim Yul, deep in the search, called me then.
‘Quick work.’
Must’ve found tracks.
“This—footprints. Knee and palm prints too… Looks like it tripped.”
Probably dropped the fruit while falling, and it rolled off the cliff.
Kim Yul added details, then tilted his head and muttered.
“But they’re kinda small.”
“Huh?”
“Uh… Hang on.”
He followed something I couldn’t see, then crouched puzzled in front of a tree.
“Three already…”
No sooner had he muttered than a player approaching from another direction spotted us and froze.
Symbol over their head: Pinelpenia.
Must’ve backtracked on tracks like Kim Yul.
Eyes met with the new face, and Kim Yul strained to call me.
“Ngh—Hyung!”
Why squeeze his voice like that?
I leaned down to see what he was doing.
But instead of a familiar blond head, I saw butt.
Kim Yul had crammed his upper body into the ground—ass up in the air.
“…What’re you doing?”
Looked closer: hole at the tree base.
Tiny—adult couldn’t squeeze in easy.
Kim Yul was struggling to.
“Any little folk in Bihar? Dwarves or hobbits?”
“Huh?”
“No, but the prints are way too small… Ack!”
Mid-sentence, he yelped in dismay.
“W-Why’s it like this? Why won’t it let go?”
Stuck.
“Stuck good.”
Yang Tae-ho voiced the obvious, and crunch—the tree roots tore free.
Kim Yul had yanked his way out.
He glared at Yang Tae-ho, then continued.
“Prints near the cliff and around here—all lead into this.”
I crouched and peered into the tree base Kim Yul pointed at.
He’d ripped the roots enough to expose the tunnel inside.
“Least five to my eyes, but all prints this small.”
He covered half his palm demonstrating as I racked my brain.
“Heard there’s a dwarf race…”
Never met any, but ain among them were handy short folk.
Said to be the ain race most focused on safety now.
‘Surviving dwarves should all be in the Empire handling production.’
Low chance they were here.
Though some might not have evacuated.
Frowning slightly in thought, I turned to the hesitating Pinelpenia player.
“Find the fruit tree?”
“Huh? Oh, y-yeah. Bush with fruit like plums… Prints led this way.”
Not seen with my own eyes, so not certain.
But clear someone came and went through this hole picking fruit.
Identity still a mystery.
‘Small footprints, huh.’
Map showed mana counts matching the search party.
Meant the unknowns were outside my mana detection range.
‘Then just get closer.’
I signaled Yang Tae-ho and gathered earth players.