Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Kebaswak Region (3)
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The Dark Elf's inner thoughts had been seen through, and she wore a slightly surprised expression.
"Was I too obvious?"
"A little."
"Treating humans is kind of tricky. I still haven't gotten used to it...."
"Enough. Do you have what it takes to take down an Ant Ghost?"
The Dark Elf spun the gun she was holding. It wasn't an old model—it was a recent one, one of the models mercenaries often used. But that was as far as it went. Compared to other monsters, Ant Ghosts were relatively easy to deal with, but they weren't pushovers like wild animals.
Orcs hunted in groups, and no matter how much of a Dark Elf she was, claiming she could take one down with just a gun was overconfidence.
"With that?"
"If you don't believe me, just leave the Ant Ghosts to me. I'll handle them without your help."
'Is she a superpower user?'
Just as the orcs had judged Suhyun, who came here alone, as highly capable, Suhyun saw this Dark Elf, who had come here alone, as highly capable too. A Dark Elf wandering alone outside their territory naturally had something to rely on.
"I don't need your help."
"......"
A flicker of disappointment crossed the Dark Elf's face. But Suhyun wasn't done speaking.
"But I don't mind traveling together, so stick around, and whenever you spot an Ant Ghost, go ahead and take it."
"!"
Her long ears perked up, and the Dark Elf nodded confidently.
"Alright. Leave it to me!"
"Hang on. You're really taking that Dark Elf with us?"
"What's the harm? You brought her along too. Adding one or two more at this point won't make a difference."
"Ugh......"
Mogok made no secret of his displeasure. It was rare for an orc like him to express his emotions so openly through his face without words.
'Even if I ditch her, she'll probably follow anyway. Besides......'
He was also curious about the skills of a Dark Elf met in a place like this. Dark Elves weren't commonly seen around here. If she had hidden talents, he wanted to see them.
"My name is Drizzt Shaina. What's yours?"
"Kim Suhyun. This orc is......"
"Oh, no need to introduce that orc."
"I don't care to hear about you either, Dark Elf!"
"I'm not in the mood to waste time here, so both of you shut up. I get that you two don't get along, so let's set some rules. I'll look for my friends, and you'll hunt for Ant Ghosts. That's it, right? No need for you two to talk to each other. Don't speak to one another. Whoever speaks first......"
Suhyun trailed off, but they got the point.
"Alright. Let's get moving again."
* * *
"Kim Suhyun, so...... you're a mercenary?"
Shaina asked Suhyun as they walked. Just as Suhyun had grown curious about her, she had plenty of questions about him too. Humans weren't commonly seen around here. Especially not ones traveling alone with an orc like Suhyun.
"You seem to know quite a bit about humans."
"I've been under the impression you're misunderstanding something. I'm not like the orcs around here. I know who humans are, and I've even been to human cities."
"Hmm......"
Suhyun nodded. Given the items she had and the way she spoke, it wasn't surprising if she'd entered a city before.
"You're a mercenary, right?"
"Yeah."
"Figured as much. Otherwise, you wouldn't be wandering around here like this."
Mogok seemed curious about their conversation. They were chattering away in a language he couldn't understand, so of course he was.
"What about you?"
"Me? Well...... it's a bit vague, but I do similar work. Closer to a hunter, usually."
"?"
"Uh. Simply put, I take any job that pays."
"Oh, got it."
Suhyun understood what Shaina meant. On Cameron Planet, it wasn't just organized mercenary companies that operated in groups. There were solo hunters like those who hunted trolls, and plenty of explorers or hunters operating independently, even if not for trolls.
Valuable intel from undeveloped lands, or plants and animals requested by specific companies or individuals—all held immense value. Among the non-humans assimilated with humanity, you could often see some diving into this line of work.
'We've even got an orc mercenary right here......'
"Someone asked you to bring back an Ant Ghost corpse? Ah, the poison?"
"Huh? How'd you know?"
Shaina looked at Suhyun with wide eyes, surprised that he'd guessed her request so easily. Even so, wasn't this too impressive?
"What's with the surprise? Aside from its poison, there's nothing about an Ant Ghost that's worth much."
"You've hunted them before? I thought humans wouldn't know......"
"Most don't."
Jindo 1 Team had suffered like this precisely because they didn't know, so it wasn't an exaggeration to say most were clueless.
"Rare poisons fetch a high price. You. You really don't care about it?"
"Told you, not interested. Don't worry."
Shaina eyed Suhyun suspiciously. In her experience, mercenaries were driven by greed. It didn't make sense for one who knew about Ant Ghosts and their rare poison to show no interest.
'That poison isn't...... all that valuable anyway.'
The poison from Ant Ghosts held no real value. Sure, there was merit in it being undiscovered and rare, but Suhyun's situation wasn't desperate enough to bother collecting and selling it.
More than that, Suhyun was curious about this Dark Elf. She seemed to leverage her non-human status for various requests, which almost certainly meant she was a superpower user. A non-superpowered person couldn't handle that kind of work.
"A Dark Elf working as a hunter......"
"Not something you see often? How many times have I heard that from your kind......"
"No, not that. Just wondering if you have some goal in mind."
"Money."
"Uh, I mean besides money......"
"No, just money. Money, period."
"Usually, people save money for something specific, right?"
"Not me. There's nothing better than money for me."
"?"
"More money."
"......"
Suhyun prided himself on being one of the most experienced people on Cameron Planet, but this was his first encounter with such a unique non-human.
"Oh. Of course, I don't plan to just hoard it forever. I have plans for how to spend it."
"Not really curious, but what's the plan?"
"Buy an awesome mansion on the outskirts of a human city and build some killer facilities."
"Hm, good luck with that. By the way, you are a superpower user, right?"
"What?!"
"?"
"Mercenaries have gear that detects superpowers?!"
"No...... just a guess. No mercenary lugs that around. But to handle requests solo like that, you'd at least need to be a basic superpower user."
Once Suhyun explained, Shaina finally nodded in understanding.
"Yeah, superpower user."
"What power?"
"That's a secret."
It would be weirder to spill her powers to a stranger. Someone working solo wouldn't lack that much caution.
"I don't know what the power is, but if you're a superpower user......"
Boom!
"What's that noise?"
"Sounds like something pounding......"
Crunch! Crack!
Suhyun signaled for them to fall back. He'd realized the sound was coming from behind the wall. As soon as they did, cracks spiderwebbed across the wall, and it began to crumble.
Dust billowed up. As it cleared, a group emerged. Suhyun recognized their faces and smiled.
"Who's there?"
Jindo 1 Team Leader Lee Jung-woo's voice came out hoarse with exhaustion. Suhyun confirmed they were all intact and replied in a voice full of joy, kindly.
"Glad you're all safe."
* * *
Jindo 1 Team had been lost underground far longer than Suhyun had imagined. They could have navigated out with their mapmaker, but the shock of the Ant Ghost's ambush had smashed the robot storing their other gear.
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, the seasoned mercenaries had torn the Ant Ghost apart regardless. The one lured in to hunt prey hadn't even touched them before being crushed by superpowers.
No one was seriously injured, and though their gear was wrecked, they still had plenty of supplies. At first, Jindo 1 Team felt relieved. They couldn't go up, but they'd escape soon enough.
But as they kept wandering, that relief turned to anxiety. Breaking through walls to make paths was one solution they'd come up with.
"Everyone's safe, right?"
"Yeah."
Lee Jung-woo still looked dazed. He never imagined running into Uncle Jo Company's new team leader here.
"Impressive. As expected of Jindo 1 Team!"
"...? We're good, but......"
It felt oddly off-putting. It didn't seem like Suhyun was mocking them. But something felt missing.
"Hey, how long are we staying here? If you came to rescue us, can't we head out right now? Do you know how long we've been lost?"
"I'm not here to rescue you. Don't worry. Oh, and looking at this spot, it's not far from where the Ant Ghost hit you—where's the body?"
"Not far. Turn right at that passage, and it's right there."
At those words, Shaina looked at Suhyun with eyes seeking permission. Suhyun shrugged in response. Shaina dashed off immediately.
'Ah. Come to think of it, the Ant Ghost's poison......'
"What's with that Dark Elf?"
"Met her while finding my way."
"The orc too?"
"Yeah. Introduce yourself, Mogok. These are my friends."
"I apologize, warrior. You truly came to rescue your comrades."
Mogok bowed with sincere words. He clearly mistook Suhyun for someone with strong camaraderie who came alone to save comrades. Suhyun noticed but said nothing.
'In the end, it's similar enough, right?'
"Uwaaaaaah!"
"What's that sound?"
"Leave her. It's a cry of despair."
On second thought, Ant Ghost poison was highly volatile. If Jindo 1 Team killed it right after falling, it would have evaporated by now. As Suhyun predicted, Shaina returned soon after. Her ears drooped to the sides.
"What happened?"
"The poison dried up."
"Aw, too bad."
"Damn...... It's already rare enough...... Finding another one's impossible, right?"
"I wouldn't recommend it."
"Ahem!"
"?"
Lee Jung-woo cleared his throat to get Suhyun's attention. He was flustered, but he had his pride. He knew Suhyun hadn't come here easily to save them. Urging him openly pricked his conscience.
"Ah, let's head out?"
"If possible, right now......"
"If you wanted to leave, you should've said so. Let's go! Oh, anyone hurt? Get treated first if so."
"???"
Lee Jung-woo felt a sense of wrongness. He'd first met Suhyun after the fight in Redwood Forest. Back then, Suhyun had been prickly and arrogant.
But this affable, kind attitude? He seemed like a different person.
'Hang on...... Why'd Uncle Jo Company send someone? Jindo has healers too?'
Lee Jung-woo was human too. After endlessly wandering a pitch-black space to escape, his mind wasn't turning quickly. Outside, he would've immediately sensed something off about Uncle Jo Company, not Jindo, coming for rescue.
"Dark Elf. We're heading up now. Planning to keep roaming? Or come with?"
"Call me Shaina...... Come with?"
"If you're not hunting more Ant Ghosts, you need to hit a city anyway. We're going there too. Up to you if you want to split off."
"No...... I don't mind."
Shaina looked at Suhyun like she couldn't comprehend.
'Doesn't he know I'm a Dark Elf?'
"Alright, let's move. No dangerous stuff around here, so follow along easy."
Suhyun clapped once to draw attention, then took the lead. The odd team—Jindo 1 Team, Suhyun, the Dark Elf, and the orc—stepped toward the surface.
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