Chapter 64 Hunting Time
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Hunting Time
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A volatile situation.
Wooong.
His party members emerged from the red portal.
At first, they were bewildered by the sudden encounter, but they quickly grasped the unusual atmosphere and silently gripped their weapons.
"..."
Jeong Yoo-shin's party and the one-eyed man's party faced each other in silence.
Jeong Yoo-shin frowned.
He knew these men were not ordinary.
That was why he descended through the levels as slowly as possible while hunting monsters.
He thought that since they seemed to be high-ranking, they would clear the floors quickly as they went down.
He believed that if he stalled for time, they wouldn't cross paths again, but it seemed like he was wrong.
To make matters worse, the old woman's party members were all on the floor, and the one-eyed man was violently gripping the old woman by her hair.
It was a situation where anyone could tell that the one-eyed man's party was not a group of good people.
Furthermore, out of all the places on the vast fourth floor, they just had to run into each other right after they exited the portal.
It was as if the heavens had pushed him off a cliff.
Jeong Yoo-shin seethed with frustration at this absurd situation.
'Fuck.'
No. He had to calm himself.
There was always a way out, even if the sky fell.
Jeong Yoo-shin calmly spoke.
"Sirs, can't we just pretend that we didn't see each other and go our separate ways?"
The one-eyed man chuckled.
"It's the first time I've been called 'sir.' Young man, I'm sorry, but..."
"Where do you think you're going?! Who are you people? Why are you persecuting this frail woman? Leave the woman and get out of here!"
Suddenly, the elf priest, Pyrion Acrein, shouted. His eyes gleamed with rage.
'Crazy granny lover!'
Jeong Yoo-shin's mouth opened and closed.
He was so dumbfounded that he couldn't speak.
"The priest is right. Why are you attacking another party and persecuting the weak? We should be joining forces in this Great Labyrinth."
Soline stepped forward and supported Pyrion.
Her gaze lingered briefly on the collapsed party members of the old woman.
'Oh, fuck. Soline, you too.'
It was a combination of a paladin and a priest.
They were good people, but seeing them unable to distinguish between when to and not to intervene made him furious.
"Gallerheim! You say something too!"
Soline urged the long-nosed gnome, Gallerheim.
"I… I…"
Gallerheim stammered.
"Hurry up!"
Soline growled impatiently.
"Grabbing an old woman by her hair is wrong."
'I can see his nose growing longer.'
Even just hearing his voice, Jeong Yoo-shin could imagine Gallerheim's nose lengthening.
Jeong Yoo-shin chewed his lip.
In any case, he had bought some time. He was thankful that he hadn't been struck down by a bolt and killed instantly upon exiting the portal.
But that was all.
Jeong Yoo-shin glanced at the collapsed explorers.
He didn't know if they were dead or alive, but they were at least intermediate-rank.
It was safe to assume that the men currently aiming their crossbows at them were of the same rank.
A clear difference in strength.
The seemingly relaxed party of the one-eyed man.
His companions, who couldn't stand injustice.
A complete deadlock.
His head spun.
"Fuck. This isn't right."
Jeong Yoo-shin blurted out.
Both friends and foe alike looked dumbfounded by the sudden curse.
"..."
Silence fell over the cave.
It wasn't just a simple curse. It was a cry from the depths of his soul.
"Fuck!!! Why can't I be happy!?"
A furious yell swept through the cave.
Jeong Yoo-shin, who had been fuming, changed his expression completely and spoke.
"Prepare for battle."
His voice was low and cold.
Everyone in the cave was taken aback by the sudden shift in emotions, but Jeong Yoo-shin's party reacted first.
Soline stepped forward, and Gallerheim and Pyrion retreated.
It couldn't be avoided.
He thought that perhaps one of his party members might die in this fight.
He slung his sword over his shoulder and took a stance.
"Ah. Wait. Wait a minute."
Just then, Oswald suddenly interrupted.
"This isn't fun. Want me to tell you something interesting?"
"Cut the crap and get lost."
Jeong Yoo-shin growled.
He felt uneasy about the most dangerous-looking guy here acting so flippantly.
"Hoo, scary. So scary. That old woman..."
Oswald pointed at the old woman held captive by the one-eyed man.
"...Is the Fifth Prince's nanny."
"..."
A chilling silence fell over the cave.
Both enemies and allies were speechless at Oswald's declaration.
"You...!"
The one-eyed man glared at Oswald.
Oswald shrugged.
"Now that we've found the nanny, the request is complete. The stragglers have been dealt with, too. I've already done my part."
"...Do you Labyrinth City guys just blabber about your client's request as you please?"
The one-eyed man spat out his words.
Oswald chuckled.
"You're going to kill everyone who saw her anyway, right? It's better to be sure."
'What the hell is going on?'
Wasn't the one-eyed man from the underworld?
Jeong Yoo-shin's mind raced.
The Fifth Prince had disappeared. The Fifth Prince's nanny had come to Labyrinth City. Naturally, she must have been certain that the Fifth Prince was in Labyrinth City.
Moreover, the actions the Fifth Prince's nanny had taken…
Despite her old age and white hair, she had ventured into the labyrinth, something she wouldn't have done without considerable certainty.
Since the one-eyed man hadn't killed the nanny yet.
It seemed that the Fifth Prince's whereabouts were still unknown.
He didn't know much else.
There wasn't enough evidence. This was already the realm of conjecture, so he refrained from further deduction.
One thing was certain.
The one-eyed man wasn't from the underworld, and he was hostile towards the Fifth Prince.
At that moment.
The one-eyed man sighed deeply and spoke.
"Fire."
'Fuck.'
Tung! Tututung!! Tung!
The crossbow strings twanged simultaneously.
Gallerheim and Pyrion were startled.
Ssweeek!!!
Ssweeek!!!
Jeong Yoo-shin quickly stepped forward and raised his shield.
Protecting the rear was their priority.
Kwak!! Kwak!! Kwak!!
Bolts pierced his wooden shield. The iron plate attached to his wrist prevented the bolts from piercing his wrist, but...
"Shit!"
Jeong Yoo-shin cursed.
A burning sensation in his thigh.
His mind reeled from the sudden pain.
[Revenger]
The imprint was activated.
Tat-tat-tat!!!
The sound of running footsteps.
'Come on!'
He gripped his arming sword tightly in one hand.
But the enemies didn't charge.
He raised his head above the shield and looked straight ahead.
The one-eyed man and his subordinates were running into the darkness while dragging the old woman along.
"Hahahaha! Hunting time! Make it fun for me!"
Oswald shouted as he followed the one-eyed man.
'Those bastards.'
He had mistaken them for explorers, but these men weren't explorers.
They were hunters.
He didn't know how they had taken down the intermediate-rank explorers, but he was certain that it wasn't through conventional methods.
"Fuck!"
Jeong Yoo-shin collapsed to the ground.
The bolt embedded deep in his thigh felt like it was burning his brain.
They had aimed most of their bolts at his upper body, but they had accurately targeted the gap between the iron plates on his thigh.
They weren't easy opponents.
Moreover, now it would be a chase in the darkness, and he had injured his leg.
Soline approached and examined Jeong Yoo-shin's wound.
"The bolt is lodged deep."
Jeong Yoo-shin took out his dagger.
"Soline, keep watch. And don't look at me."
"A… Alright."
Jeong Yoo-shin, breathing heavily while sterilizing his dagger with the torch.
The thought of having to go through this again made him feel like he was going crazy.
"Hooo."
He held his breath and stabbed his thigh with the dagger.
Crack. Squish.
The dagger scraped his bone and tore his muscle.
Jeong Yoo-shin's eyes were bloodshot.
Saliva dripped from his tightly clenched jaw.
He rummaged inside his thigh with the dagger while searching for the bolt head.
He cut through flesh and muscle. He needed space to pull out the bolt head.
"Eudeudeuk!!!"
He gritted his teeth.
With trembling hands, he pulled at the bolt.
The bolt head got caught on a tendon midway and wouldn't come out. He pushed it back in and pulled it again repeatedly.
Excruciating pain beyond words.
Sparks flashed in his brain.
Blood gushed from his thigh.
Tsss.
Finally, the bolt head emerged from his thigh.
"Khhup!!!"
Jeong Yoo-shin gasped while looking at the extracted bolt head. His entire body was drenched in sweat.
He gathered his dizzy mind, rummaged through his backpack, poured a healing potion and an antidote onto his wound, applied a generous amount of ointment on it, and wrapped it with cloth.
He wanted to use everything he had, but he held back. He didn't know what would happen next.
For the same reason, he declined Pyrion's healing magic.
Gallerheim approached him.
"The Fifth Prince's nanny's party are all dead. I just checked."
"...How did they die?"
"It seems like poison."
"Were there any bolt marks?"
"There were. Besides that, there were also puncture wounds from a large awl."
Awl marks?
Poison?
A familiar combination.
Unease crept up on him.
"Hoo, let's go. We need to get out of here as soon as possible."
"B… But, the nanny..."
Pyrion stammered, interrupting him.
"Pyrion, stop while I'm still being polite."
Jeong Yoo-shin glared at Pyrion.
"Skar is right. Escape is our priority right now."
Soline intervened.
"A… Alright."
Pyrion conceded.
"Gallerheim, please find the fastest way out of here."
"Alright. But can you walk?"
Gallerheim's voice was filled with concern.
"Yes."
Jeong Yoo-shin winced as he stood up.
His thigh throbbed. He had done the minimum treatment, so all he had to do was endure.
He looked around at his party. Most of them were fine, but Soline had one problem.
A bolt was stuck in her shoulder plate armor.
"Soline, are you alright?"
Jeong Yoo-shin asked.
"I'm not injured. It's old armor, so the quality isn't that good."
Soline replied with a bitter tone.
It was the tone of a low-ranking paladin's hardship.
'I guess I'll have to take the lead.'
Jeong Yoo-shin took the torch and led the way.
The party proceeded through the darkness.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
They walked for about two hours.
Ssweeek!!!
The sound of a bolt cutting through the air.
He instinctively raised his shield.
Kwaaaak!!!
The bolt pierced the shield and lodged itself in. The force was so strong that his wrist ached.
The irritating, targeted shots.
For two hours, they had been circling from afar while firing bolts.
They were persistently targeting him.
Jeong Yoo-shin gritted his teeth.
They wanted him to lose his composure and rage.
Did they think that if the leader crumbled, the rest would be easy prey?
He wouldn't give them the satisfaction.
He endured with all his might.
Ting-a-ling. Ting.
The occasional sounds of a lute and laughter echoed through the cave.
Ssweeek!!!
Another bolt cut through the darkness and flew towards Gallerheim.
"Euhheok!!!"
Gallerheim screamed in fright.
Jeong Yoo-shin quickly moved in front of Gallerheim.
Kwaaaak!!!
The bolt pierced his shield once again.
His wooden shield was already a porcupine, with over ten bolts embedded in it.
His wrist ached from the continuous impacts.
Jeong Yoo-shin desperately racked his brain.
'Aren't they afraid of attracting monsters?'
Did they have some way of avoiding monsters?
How could they be fine in the darkness?
Was it an imprint ability?
His thoughts were cut short.
"Kkeeeeeeek!!!"
The roar of a goblin warrior echoed from afar.
Gallerheim's face turned pale.
"Prepare for battle!"
Jeong Yoo-shin yelled.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Running footsteps.
"Two goblin warriors, one goblin shaman, and five goblins!"
Gallerheim shouted.
A total of eight.
"Target the goblin shaman first!"
Jeong Yoo-shin yelled.
"A… Alright!"
Gallerheim hurriedly raised his crossbow.
Jeong Yoo-shin lowered his stance, his arming sword at the ready.
He had to fight the goblins while wary of bolts flying from the darkness.
An absurd level of difficulty.
But...
'I will survive.'
Jeong Yoo-shin's eyes burned with determination.
"Kieeeeek!!!"
"Kkeeeeeeek!!!"
The roars of goblins erupted from the darkness, echoing through the cave.
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T/N - Oh wow, quite unlucky. I facepalmed at the MC’s party’s reaction. I expected it from the elf, but even Soline… I’m curious about how these assassins can stay within the darkness for that long, though.
Also, as soon as I read the random news about the Fifth Prince thing, I already knew the MC would get mixed into it at one point. I didn't expect it would be this way, though. Wanna bet the prince is actually the boy with the lady knight in Dalmong's inn?