Chapter 44: Two Weapon Merchants
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 44: Two Weapon Merchants
Kim Younghee was an archer who had only recently joined the Red Cross Clan. In truth, her level and skill weren't particularly high, but she had caught the eye of the clan master, Lee Youngdon, and was brought in.
‘That fucking pig bastard.’
Her body was safe now, but whenever she thought about what she’d had to endure to join, a stream of curses naturally escaped her lips. Fortunately, he seemed to have lost interest in her, and it had ended after just that one time. Still, a disgusting experience was a disgusting experience.
But separate from the unpleasantness of that day, there was no denying that belonging to a ‘group’ felt incredibly good. Especially a clan like the Red Cross, which was under the protection of the Saint Knights Order. It was on a completely different level from the clans thrown together by riffraff.
While the losers begged on the streets, she could stride confidently with her comrades. She could eat three square meals a day, and they were delicious. She even gained a fair amount of experience hunting with her clan members.
Kim Younghee, who dreamed of having her own clan once she was strong enough, was regretting joining the Red Cross Clan for the first time today. No, to be precise, she was in the middle of regretting it.
‘Where am I?’
It was hard to comprehend, but with screams echoing continuously, she couldn't find the right path.
“Hey, what are you doing now!”
“Just a moment… J-Just wait a moment, please. Something’s strange…”
She’d felt that something was off right after the first scream. The expedition to capture the Weapon Merchant, launched after they had analyzed his movement patterns, had somehow gone completely awry.
The Saint Knights Order Guild had high hopes for this operation, so it was a large-scale expedition, with even the Clan Master, Lee Youngdon, participating personally.
‘Dammit…’
Kim Younghee cursed inwardly. She and a few other archers had been handsomely rewarded for analyzing and tracking his trail, but that was before they had entered this forest. If things went south now, she could not only be kicked out of the clan but lose everything.
“Are you serious? An archer who can’t even find the path you just came from?”
“No… that’s not it.”
Hearing her comrades nagging at her, Kim Younghee felt an urge to cover her ears as she scanned her surroundings once more.
As she remembered it, this was definitely not the ‘path’ they had taken. The forest was vast, but the Red Cross Clan had plenty of members. They had set out to rendezvous with the other troops, but they couldn't find the way at all. It was as if they were on a path they’d never seen before. The markers they had left to confirm their positions with the other archers had either vanished completely or been rearranged. There was only one conclusion.
‘Dammit… Is the forest moving…?’
It was an absurd thought, even to her. But the forest was truly moving. As she looked around with a grave expression, she could hear her party members shouting in frustration.
“Ugh… Fucking hell, I knew it when they were talking about special recruitment. Our clan master really brought in a useless bitch like this… An archer who can’t even find the way…”
“What did you just say?”
That was a sore spot for Kim Younghee. She couldn't deny he was right, but it still pissed her off. She glared at the man who had spoken, and he continued as if to dismiss her.
“Whatever. Forget it.”
The party leader ignored her and started giving orders.
“Mages, someone launch a fire spell into the air. We’ll wait here until the main force arrives. They’ll find us if we wait a bit. Tsk. It’s so much harder when you don’t have a decent archer.”
Kim Younghee bit her lip without realizing it. It wasn't just being ignored; the glares from everyone else were unnerving. The thought that she might be kicked out of the clan after this was over made her world go dark. The idea of having to cozy up to Lee Youngdon again as a condition for staying made her want to vomit.
In the end, Kim Younghee had no choice but to speak up.
“J-Just wait a little. I can find it.”
“How long is that going to take, huh? I’m telling you, it’s easier to wait here.”
“And you want to shoot fire magic into the air? Are you crazy? What if the Weapon Merchant finds us before the main force does? I’m already seeing things all over the place…”
In truth, she wasn't seeing anything. But it was a persuasive argument. In a party, the archer, along with the commander, held considerable influence. It was only natural. They found the path, followed tracks, and sometimes even sensed other beasts or pursuers.
No matter how skilled the party leader was, acting like a lone wolf would get them nowhere. Countless parties had been wiped out because their leaders ignored their archers and pushed forward recklessly. So, no matter how inadequate she was, her words carried weight.
“Dammit… Find it in ten minutes. We can’t wait any longer than that.”
Thinking she had succeeded, Kim Younghee nodded to herself. First, she had to figure out what was going on. The forest couldn't really be moving. And it didn't feel quite right to blame it on monsters.
The monsters of the continent were stupid and ignorant. The Green Goblin Clan to the west was a bit better, but the way Orcs and Ogres fought was truly brainless. The Weapon Merchant was an Orc, too… She couldn't admit it, but she had to consider the possibility that she had simply taken a wrong turn. Kim Younghee opened her mouth. Of course, it wasn't the right way. But the pressure to say something in that moment made the words tumble out on their own.
“This way.”
If they went a little deeper, they were bound to run into someone. As Kim Younghee spoke with a confident voice, the other party members seemed to relax a little. The party leader also looked quite satisfied.
“See? You can do it when you try. Everyone, move deeper in.”
It was at that moment, as Kim Younghee took the first step forward.
“Keerik.”
“……………………?”
“Keerik. Keerik.”
It was the distinctive voice of a goblin, as if mocking them. Though startled, the party reacted in an instant. The party leader, who had seemed like such an asshole just moments ago, grabbed Kim Younghee by the scruff of her neck and threw her backward. Kim Younghee felt her body fly back as she was launched into the air.
It would have been strange not to realize what was happening. ‘They’ had attacked. The reason the party leader had thrown her was probably to protect her. The guy who had seemed like such a jerk just a moment ago was starting to look a little cool.
“Prepare for battle! Battle stations!”
‘Maybe I should ask him on a date…’
Even in the midst of battle, such a useless thought crossed her mind.
“All units, prepare for—gurgle…”
But that useless thought was shattered in an instant. The warrior, who had collapsed with a dagger in his throat, was looking right at her as he fell backward. His eyes seemed to blame her. It was only natural that Kim Younghee, having landed on the ground, scrambled backward on all fours at the sight.
It wasn't just her. She could feel a sense of panic spreading through the group.
“D-Dammit! The Weapon… Merchant! It’s the Weapon Merchant! Mages, fire into the air! Let them know our position!”
Some of the mages began casting ‘Shield,’ a defensive spell, while another prepared to launch a fire spell into the air. The mage raised his hand to the sky and shouted, “Fireball!” but an arrow flew from somewhere and buried itself between his eyes.
“Keoheok!”
The casting was canceled instantly. Another mage should have followed up, but knowing that the one casting the fire spell was in the most danger, the mages just glanced at each other, hesitant to move. They were all casting shields, trying to save only themselves.
‘Dammit…’
In this situation, Kim Younghee looked around frantically. There was no one in sight. But arrows and daggers kept flying out of nowhere, embedding themselves in her party members.
“Aaaaaaaahhh!!!”
‘I’m going to die.’
‘I’m going to die.’
Kim Younghee screamed and scrambled toward the shield the mages were maintaining. The warriors had been killed in an instant. To survive, she had to get inside that shield, no matter what.
“H-Help me. Help me.”
Kim Younghee pleaded, but there was no way they would drop a completed shield spell to let her in. Instead, the mages began to glare at her.
“Get lost, quick! Dammit, go get reinforcements!”
There was no way she could. She didn't even know where she was. In her desperation, harsh words flew out without thinking.
“I said open up! Now! You fucking bastards! Are you the only ones who want to live?”
Even as she argued with the mages, screams continued to erupt from all around. The warriors and paladins, the core of the clan, were being slaughtered. Overwhelmed by absolute terror, she couldn't even think of drawing her bow. No, she couldn't even see her bow; she must have dropped it at some point.
“Uwaaaaaaah!”
“Aaaaaaaah!”
Kim Younghee, on the verge of tears, turned her head toward the screams.
“Grrrrr…”
An Orc holding a massive sword was walking slowly toward them. The surrounding warriors and paladins lay scattered on the ground. Seeing this, Kim Younghee began to mutter to herself.
“The Weapon Merchant…”
Deep green skin and muscles that looked ready to burst. Fangs that were clearly larger than those of the other Orcs around him. The beastly sounds coming from his mouth and his blood-red eyes were more than enough to instill terror in Kim Younghee.
“Ahhh…”
A gasp escaped her. Whether he noticed her or not, the Weapon Merchant slowly approached and swung his greatsword in their direction.
The sound of the blade cutting through the air, a dangerous sound that seemed capable of shattering everything, made her instinctively shut her eyes and drop to the ground. A moment later, a scream erupted from right behind her.
“CRASH!”
With a loud bang, she heard the sound of the mages’ shield shattering.
And then…
When she cautiously opened her eyes, the upper half of the mage she had been talking to just moments ago was rolling on the ground. Her entire body was, of course, drenched in blood.
Covered in blood and viscera, Kim Younghee screamed.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaak!”
‘I’m going to die.’
‘I’m going to die…’
Her body trembled uncontrollably. And for some reason, the terrain began to shift. Tree roots moved ceaselessly, changing the ‘path’ she had known.
‘Green Flower.’
Only then did she realize it. They, the Red Cross Clan, had walked straight into their trap. Against her will, Kim Younghee’s body was being pulled downward.
She could feel the roots wrapping around her. It was getting hard to breathe.
The plants, which had begun to move, were now forcing their way into her mouth.
She wanted to turn her head, but her already bound body gave her no chance to resist.
“Uweeeghk”
She tried to spit it out, but there was no way she could. A terrible pain began to spread from inside her stomach.
‘Help me…’
‘Hel…’
It was a pain like being seared with fire. The immense agony only made her mind clearer. She wanted to struggle, but she couldn't. The tree root kept prodding her uvula, inducing a gag reflex, yet the invading roots forcefully pushed back down whatever tried to come out.
It was the same for the blood that tried to spill from her mouth due to her ruptured organs.
‘Help me…’
‘Aaaaaahk’
And then…
As she felt her body suddenly burst apart…
Kim Younghee closed her eyes amidst the agony.