Chapter 125
Chapter 125
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: Execution (2)
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"Okay. Instead, let's go with your personal mission. And we'll take just 50% of the reward—that's plenty."
Han Yu-ra's personal mission was so high in difficulty that it could prove lethal to the other summoners.
Even if death was something inseparable from a summoner's life, she had no intention of standing by while someone died right in front of her.
"If you do that for us, we'd be grateful...!"
'Maybe I'll use this to loosen up a bit.'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The hunt wrapped up smoothly. Aside from the party members getting a little overly enthusiastic in their efforts to catch Han Yu-ra's eye, that is.
The female soldiers' faces lit up brightly after raking in more than double the daily tribute from just the morning hunt.
"Yu-ra! Thank you...! If there's another chance, please let us join you again!"
'Is it because they don't have much hunting experience? Their reactions are all so fresh and innocent.'
It wasn't a bad feeling at all hearing cheers erupt from here and there every time she dropped a monster with one shot—a monster that had the soldiers struggling.
The cheers reminded her of her days as a national representative archer.
'I can never go back to those times now.'
Today, too, she'd killed living creatures just to survive. It was an undeniable fact. Her heart was troubled, but her body's condition couldn't have been better.
Slightly ragged breathing. Her sweat-soaked body made Han Yu-ra, for the first time in a while, truly feel that she was alive.
'...How long has it been since I felt like this?'
She had always been crushed under the weight of responsibility as the "leader." No matter what she did, she had to keep the other summoners at the base in mind. What started as light goodwill somehow turned into missions she absolutely had to complete, regardless of her own will.
She feared betraying everyone's expectations and worked hard to satisfy them all. The more she did, the more her own personal life faded away.
That was when Kim Joo-hyuk appeared. He was different from her. Different from the other summoners. He didn't care about others' gazes and charged straight toward his goals. Even if it meant someone had to be sacrificed along the way.
'A 100% pure madman...'
There was no other way to put it. Kim Joo-hyuk was a murderer who had killed hundreds of summoners without so much as batting an eye. Just thinking about it sent chills crawling over her skin.
But ironically, Han Yu-ra felt the greatest sense of security in his arms.
She didn't have to think about anything. No need to wrestle for days with unsolvable problems. All the painful decisions and judgments were handled by Kim Joo-hyuk. And he shouldered the responsibility too.
He expected nothing from her. To him, Han Yu-ra was just a woman. A woman he could grope and embrace whenever the mood struck.
That brutally simple mindset put her at ease.
'Just a woman...'
Suddenly, Hyeok-jin's face came to mind. Her naive little brother figure who had followed her around calling her "noona." She'd made a deal with Kim Joo-hyuk to protect him. No regrets.
Hyeok-jin was a comrade she had to protect—the last responsibility for Han Yu-ra as leader. But that was it. No romantic feelings involved.
Han Yu-ra believed she'd fulfilled her duty by saving him.
As she headed back to her lodging, she noticed a commotion around the square.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "What's going on?"
A soldier who recognized Han Yu-ra gave a quick explanation. Two slaves had been caught stealing hardtack from the food warehouse.
'Hardtack thieves?'
If they were hungry for food, they could just become soldiers and work for it. She couldn't understand why they'd choose the hard road.
"Hey, bedwetter. How many points have those two contributed?"
Han Yu-ra, about to ignore it and keep walking, stopped at the sound of Kim Joo-hyuk's voice. Suddenly intrigued, she pushed through the crowd.
In the center of the square knelt two, a middle-aged men and women. They looked familiar. They were summoners from her old base who had lounged around doing nothing but demanded more than their fair share.
'Ah, those people again.'
They'd caused trouble at the base, and now they couldn't kick the habit even in the village, dragging everyone down with them. Not a shred of sympathy stirred in her.
Han Yu-ra was curious how Kim Joo-hyuk would handle them. Given his personality, he'd punish them for sure. She hoped it'd be a real wake-up call this time.
'How exactly will he deal with them?'
Han Yu-ra steadied her pounding heart and waited for his next words.
"Whatever. Dealing with them would just give me a sore mouth... Prepare the execution."
Shockingly, the verdict for the two was death.
The middle-aged pair went pale. They began begging for their lives, but they couldn't sway Kim Joo-hyuk.
'Serves them right.'
It felt a bit excessive, but that was all. This wouldn't have happened if they hadn't done wrong.
'Wait... Wouldn't have happened?'
Right. If Han Yu-ra had handled things properly from the start at the base, these two might never have caused chaos in the village.
In other words, her own lenient attitude back then had led to this.
'It's my fault.'
Realizing that, she couldn't just stand by any longer. Han Yu-ra stepped forward in front of Kim Joo-hyuk.
"Wait, Kim Joo-hyuk."
Even though interrupted, Kim Joo-hyuk showed no displeasure or amusement—just his usual steady expression as he asked her,
"Why? Got something you want to say?"
"Leave this one to me. I can't let you dirty your hands."
At that moment, a thick smile spread across Kim Joo-hyuk's lips.
"This is something I have to do myself. No one else."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Okay. I'll leave it to you, Han Yu-ra."
Han Yu-ra nodded.
'Hmm, Han Yu-ra stepping up like this instead of Im Ji-hye. That's unexpected.'
The joy was all the greater for how little I'd expected it. Her eyes were clear. Not scatterbrained like Im Ji-hye's.
It was originally going to be beheading, but to accommodate Han Yu-ra who didn't use a sword, we changed the execution method.
Ropes tied to their bound wrists stretched up to the ceiling, leaving the two middle-aged pair dangling and swinging in the air. They became live targets.
"Alright then, start with the prepared shooters!"
At my playful words, Han Yu-ra silently nocked an arrow and drew back the bowstring.
"Yu-ra! Don't do this! How well did I look after you back at the base!!"
The middle-aged woman screamed like a banshee. Han Yu-ra shot back with utter disbelief.
"Look after me? You leeches who just clung to me."
"Who asked for help!? We weren't leeches—you helped us out of your own kindness!"
"Then why didn't you stand on your own two feet when I nicely told you to, auntie?"
Han Yu-ra fired right back without an inch of retreat. Especially the word "auntie"—the middle-aged woman's face started twisting up.
"What!? Auntie? This bitch is finally showing her true colors...! You! Think I don't know you wagged your tail at that summoner Kim Joo-hyuk to get a sweet spot!?"
Murmurs rippled through the surrounding summoners. But Han Yu-ra didn't waver.
"If you were jealous, why didn't you do it too, auntie?"
At Han Yu-ra's icy tone, I finally burst out laughing, unable to hold it in.
With that, Han Yu-ra released the bowstring.
Ping-!
The arrow whistled sharply through the air.
Han Yu-ra's arrow, headed for the middle-aged woman's upper body, suddenly veered downward.
'Hm? What's that?'
Like a living creature, the arrow pierced through the target's left foot where she dangled helplessly on the rope, emerged on the right, then sequentially tore through her calf, thigh, waist, and belly.
"Gaaahhhh!!!"
From the side, Han Yu-ra's eyes were in a state of extreme focus.
The arrow ravaged the insides while somehow sparing vital organs—blood and entrails gushed out from the holes.
"Kill...! Just kill me...!"
The middle-aged woman thrashed in agony. Her guts spilling out made nearby summoners scream.
Han Yu-ra turned the woman's body into a mangled mess, then—right as her breath was about to give out—manipulated the arrow to pierce her skull.
The middle-aged man hanging beside her, resigned to his fate, met his end with his head pierced last. A relatively clean death, by comparison.
"Haa... Haaa..."
Execution complete, Han Yu-ra panted heavily.
'So this is Han Yu-ra's skill, Tracking Arrow.'
I'd confirmed its existence before peeking at her status window with Third Eye C-, but this was the first time seeing it in action.
'Looks like precisely controlling the arrow takes a fair bit out of her stamina.'
Well, she dragged it out this time, so maybe especially so.
What could you do with just one arrow making that much mess? Still, in real combat, depending on how you used it, it seemed incredibly versatile.
For instance, that skill just now—Tracking Arrow—was optimized for taking out high-value targets hiding in impossible angles that normal shots could never hit.
Most importantly, Han Yu-ra had successfully imprinted her presence on every summoner on the first floor this time.
"Alright, everyone—applause!"
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Amid the thunderous cheers, I supported Han Yu-ra as we headed to her lodging.