Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: 5. You've Got the Wrong Person
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His vision flipped, and Sung-hoon let out a sigh of resignation. Chae-rin, who was nearby, approached and asked what was wrong, but he brushed it off with some vague excuse. The mission had already begun anyway, and there was no way to undo it.
"Hey, what are you all doing? The caravan's about to depart, so get ready!"
Chae-rin stepped forward as the group's representative to speak with the middle-aged man, who looked like the caravan leader with his bulging belly.
"Understood. But as you can see, we have quite a few people..."
"I can see that. I'd love to fit you all in the wagons, but there are too many of you. How many are in your group?"
"Thirty-three."
"Split into two groups. Half ride in the wagons, half walk."
"Everyone hear that? We'll rotate who rides and who walks every day, so those who rested well first have no complaints!"
About half wanted to take it easy from the start, while the other half volunteered to walk first.
"Alright, let's head out. Three per wagon. Spread out evenly among the wagons in front, back, left, and right."
At the caravan leader's command, people began moving. Chae-rin handled grouping friends together in wagons and managing those acting on their own. Completely accustomed to caravan escort missions, she divided people by job classes, paired them up appropriately, and assigned them to wagons.
"Sung-hoon, where do you want to go?"
"Put me in the rear."
"Sure. Monsters don't show up early anyway. Just make sure you shine when they do."
"...Of course."
"Your voice sounds kinda weak."
"...Must be your imagination."
"Sung-hoon oppa, what's wrong all of a sudden?"
Half out of it, Sung-hoon swayed like a leaf in the wind as Ellie grabbed and shook him. What snapped him back to reality was the voice of the masked figure who had approached unnoticed.
"Long time no see."
"......"
"Can't you hear my voice?"
"Sung-hoon oppa, who's calling you?"
"Y.ou've. g.ot. the. w.rong. p.er.son."
Shing.
Ellie clutched her stomach laughing at the stiff, monotone voice—like something from a text-to-speech program—but the hooded woman didn't seem amused.
"Are you trying to fight me right now?"
"No! Of course not!"
"Looks like you're ready to talk now. So, let's fight."
"...Don't I get a say?"
Sung-hoon figured he wouldn't back down no matter who the opponent was—even against Spear King Kang Mu-han, one of the Top Rankers. But not this woman in front of him. She didn't even engage in conversation.
The Top Ranker whose title "One-Woman Army" fit perfectly.
Demon Sword Mirinae—that was her true identity.
Her fearsome title of Demon Sword didn't mean she played dirty or was a murderer. She was just overwhelmingly strong. And one more thing...
"You do have a choice. Fight me or die."
"Most people wouldn't call that a choice."
She was obsessively fixated on him.
Of course, it wasn't romantic. Mirinae's feelings toward Sung-hoon boiled down to one word: rivalry. They'd first crossed paths on the second day of The Mission. The woman who'd clashed with Kang Mu-han. He'd thought it'd just be a passing encounter, but it wasn't.
For some reason, she held a grudge—or so it seemed—and shadowed his missions, completing them identically. Like they were competing. Through that, Sung-hoon realized Mirinae was ridiculously overpowered. Even using poison, traps, magic, ambushes—every trick in the book—he matched her pace with just two swords.
If they compared mission clear speeds, Sung-hoon won about 6:4.
He took missions against living creatures like orcs, goblins, or ratmen where debuffs worked. She won against zombies or golems where they didn't.
This bizarre standoff lasted about a month until Mirinae suddenly blocked his path.
"Fight me. Just once."
"Pardon?"
"Didn't you hear? I want to fight."
"No, I heard you fine. But out of nowhere, why...?"
"Here I go."
"Wai—kyaaak!"
Mirinae seemed to see him as some legendary powerhouse. After barely escaping, Sung-hoon started avoiding her at all costs. He'd even asked Young-gi for her info just to steer clear! And it worked.
Until just moments ago.
Pulling back her hood revealed Mirinae's face—cute in individual features. But sharp eyes, pursed lips, petite yet toned build, and an aura dominating those around her made her stand out.
More eye-catching than Ellie, who was plenty beautiful.
"Glad we ran into each other like this. I've been dying to fight before the mission war in a fortnight."
"Mirinae, how about I just forfeit? Can we call it even?"
Sung-hoon thought it a solid compromise, but not to Mirinae.
"Admitting defeat without fighting? Should I take that as an insult?"
"No! I respect you more than anyone! It's obvious I'm weaker! I'd be diced up in seconds against you!"
"I can't fathom why you hate fighting so much. Even demeaning yourself to avoid it?"
"No, I really am weak."
Sung-hoon's plea carried desperate sincerity. So pitiful, you almost wanted to comfort him despite the self-deprecation. But it didn't faze Mirinae.
If she knew nothing about him, she might've backed off. But Sung-hoon had cleared missions faster than her from the start—a proven powerhouse. No way she'd buy his excuses!
"Lies won't work. Draw your sword!"
"I'm telling the truth! Come on, haven't you ever been fooled? Believe me for once!"
"I'd sooner believe the sun rises in the west."
"Ugh, this is insane."
If Sung-hoon showed hard proof instead of excuses, this misunderstanding wouldn't persist. But that'd mean exposing all his abilities.
Not worth the hassle—not when lives weren't at stake. So Mirinae chased him under false pretenses, trapped in a vicious cycle.
"Um, excuse me."
"What?"
"While we're fighting, the caravan's getting farther away. Can we talk while catching up?"
Ellie timidly raised her hand, pointing to the distant caravan. After a stare-down, the three fell silent and dashed after it.
"Sung-hoon oppa, who's she?"
"You've heard the name. Demon Sword Mirinae."
"Demon Sword Mirinae? You mean that Top Ranker?"
"Yeah."
At Sung-hoon's confirmation, Ellie bolted toward Mirinae, only to return dejected.
"What happened?"
"Asked for an autograph, got rejected."
"That's just how she is. Looks normal on the outside? Nah, she's a battle maniac deep down. Doesn't care how much she tires everyone else..."
"I can hear you."
"...Just keep that in mind."
Ellie giggled again at the sitcom-like scene, but Sung-hoon was truly despairing. Among tens of thousands of users, one of the handful strongest—a "real" powerhouse unlike him—stalked him day and night demanding fights.
She had some sense (though real sense wouldn't mean stalking for fights), never attacking outright. Still, Sung-hoon felt his lifespan shortening daily. Like having a tiger or bear constantly prowling nearby?
And this tiger saw him as an equal predator, biding time for a showdown.
'Ten days of this? I'm doomed.'
Sung-hoon already had a headache pondering how to shake Mirinae during the ten-day mission.