Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Consideration and Lies
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Some time had passed since that day.
"Hm..."
I stood at the entrance to a certain gate.
It was one of the unpublished gates I'd shared as a reward for the previous mission.
Conveniently, I knew the攻略 method, so I'd volunteered to take it on.
But there had been a minor argument in the process.
Kang Jiwon had tried to reject it outright, insisting it was absolutely impossible.
A D-rank like me tackling a B-rank gate must have seemed insane.
To convince her, I'd explained that I wouldn't be going alone.
It wasn't a lie. I really did have someone to bring along.
Kang Jiwon had been skeptical about the name I mentioned, but in the end, she had no choice but to approve.
Of course, at that point, I still hadn't actually consulted the person in question—a truly minor issue.
But now that she was here at the gate entrance, it was all good, right?
The person in question was giving me a sullen look.
"Mister. You can really be trusted on this?"
Jin Seohyeon, the next S-rank hunter.
She was the collaborator helping me with this raid.
The Arang Guild happened to be scouting for their next gate, and she wasn't busy at the moment.
So I'd proposed to her that we tackle a B-rank gate together.
Anything lower would be a waste of time, but a B-rank would be meaningfully helpful even for her.
It was a pretty good offer for her too, aside from one single concern.
"I actually think pretty highly of you, mister. But if you're planning to leech off my connections for a free ride... I'd be, like, really disappointed."
She was worried I'd just mooch off her the whole raid, doing nothing but benefiting from her efforts.
I shook my head vigorously.
"It's not like that. Seriously, I just need you to lend me your strength once. I'll handle everything else."
I could actually handle this raid on my own.
But doing it that way would make it only half a raid.
To loot the reward room called the 'Warehouse' inside the gate, I needed some firepower.
That was why I was bringing Jin Seohyeon—for that exact moment.
Convinced by my firm answer, she seemed willing to trust me for now.
She let out a small sigh and followed me.
The moment we crossed the gate, the scenery shifted in an instant.
A long corridor stretched out as far as the eye could see.
A red carpet ran down the center, catching the eye.
Luxurious candelabras hung at regular intervals along both walls, illuminating the interior.
B-rank gate: 'Forgotten Palace.'
We had arrived inside a medieval-style architectural structure.
"It's a one-way gate."
Turning at her mutter, I saw that the gate we'd just passed through was gone.
Not a two-way gate where entrance and exit were the same, but a one-way gate—a one-way trip.
Which made it that much more dangerous.
The exit could be hidden somewhere completely different, or there might not even be an exit at all, requiring the core's destruction to escape.
The 'Forgotten Palace' fell into the latter category.
No escape until the core was destroyed—but I wasn't worried.
I already knew that, and more importantly...
I glanced sideways at Jin Seohyeon's expression.
Her face was calm, without even a hint of tension.
She wasn't S-rank yet, but she was already top-tier A-rank.
Even in the worst case, a mere B-rank gate couldn't threaten her.
Jin Seohyeon looked at me.
"I'll follow your lead like you said... but you do have a plan, right?"
Of course. I already had a perfect plan mapped out in my head.
I nodded and held out one hand to her.
She stared at the hand, then lifted her head to look at me again.
Her face asked what I was intending.
I opened my mouth calmly.
"We just need to hold hands and walk."
Why that face...
This really was the plan.
Click-clack, click-clack.
A monster in pristine servant's attire, but with grotesquely swollen flesh where its head should be.
One of the infected: an 'Infected Servant' stood in the corridor we were traversing.
Normally, it just stood motionless, but upon spotting an enemy, it would scream to summon other infected and charge immediately.
Yet even as we passed right by it, the monster showed no reaction at all.
As if it couldn't perceive our presence or footsteps in the slightest.
The infected weren't sharp enough in senses to pierce my disguise, for all their intelligence.
Jin Seohyeon let out an admiring sound, still finding it fascinating even after seeing it a few times.
"You really can handle this solo, huh?"
Perception hindrance through illusionary concealment.
It felt strangely new to hear someone else's reaction to something I'd done so routinely.
Was it that impressive? I'd never maintained the ability so meticulously before.
I had to account for both vision and sound this time. Mana consumption was considerable as a result.
Still, it was within expected limits—no issues for the raid.
She'd been hesitant when we first held hands, but now she'd regained her usual cheer.
"Pfft. Mister, look at that one. It's hilariously ugly."
She tugged her left hand, pulling my right hand along slightly.
She was pointing at an 'Infected Knight' and giggling...
How was that hideous thing funny, no matter how you looked at it?
I couldn't comprehend her sense of humor at all.
The reason I'd suggested holding hands was simple.
Without it, I'd have to split the ability's coverage into two separate zones.
Whether mana or mental strain, I couldn't sustain it long-term, so it was essential.
Right now, we were ignoring all the trash mobs and heading straight for the boss.
In the labyrinthine palace, I unerringly followed only the correct path without hesitation.
Staring at me fixedly, Jin Seohyeon spoke up.
"Mister, is this your ability too?"
Ability? It reminded me of the lie I'd told her before.
I'd claimed it was a search-type ability since I couldn't say it was game knowledge.
Hiding my brief fluster, I answered as usual.
"Yeah. You think I'd say something without thinking?"
"Oh..."
I tensed, expecting her to pry further, but she didn't.
Jin Seohyeon just nodded briefly with an enigmatic exclamation and asked no more.
Instead, she brought up something else.
"You met Unnie Sowol?"
Something I never imagined coming from her mouth.
Wait... how did she even know that?
And from the honorific, was Jin Seohyeon acquainted with Nam Sowol?
That thought must have shown on my face.
Jin Seohyeon smirked.
"Unnie Sowol's master is our guild master. She drops by the guild sometimes, so we got close. She even stopped by the other day."
I knew the front part, but the latter was new info.
The game didn't show minor personal connections like that.
Jin Seohyeon continued lightly.
"She said she rescued some association employee. I casually asked who, and... was I shocked."
She turned to me with exaggerated gestures.
"That last gate too—what's with some random counselor nearly dying so much?"
She saw me not as a secret agent, but as my cover: the counselor.
Nam Sowol wouldn't have leaked anything about secret agents or missions.
Likewise, I couldn't respond carelessly, so I hesitated.
Silence flowed quietly.
What did she mean by bringing this up?
Suspicion? Concern? Or just idle curiosity?
Glancing at her face, it was the Jin Seohyeon I knew.
Playful eyes, bright smile exuding her lively personality.
The face of a pure mischief-maker, spotless and clear.
Breaking the silence, the words I barely managed were:
"......It just kinda happened that way."
A lame excuse.
Her reaction to it:
"I see."
A short acknowledgment.
She asked no more, showed no further curiosity.
We kept walking, hands still clasped.
And she kept joking, and I responded as usual.
She laughed loudly at whatever amused her,
And each time, my heart grew a little heavier.
The boss fight ended anticlimactically.
Unlike the other infected, it was a humanoid enemy that retained clear intelligence.
Still, befitting a B-rank boss, it held out for a while but ultimately succumbed to my successive abilities.
The noise drew a few infected, but
Jin Seohyeon handled them.
Otherwise, it'd be her freeloading.
Clap-clap-clap.
She gave a small round of applause as I finished the boss.
Was it my imagination? She seemed to be avoiding questions about me since earlier.
The usual Jin Seohyeon would've made a fuss, even joking about how a D-rank took down a B-rank boss.
But now she just clapped silently, saying good job.
"Now we just need to raid the warehouse."
She nodded and walked beside me.
No more questions like, "You know that from your ability too?"
It was consideration for me, but it didn't sit right.
As I felt distance due to our rank gap, she kept closing it.
Now I couldn't misunderstand Jin Seohyeon, and I could understand her.
In a way... she might be my first real friend here.
I feared a wall growing between us.
Rumble!
The reason I'd brought her.
The golem guarding the warehouse was pitifully shattered by Jin Seohyeon's ability.
After heaving open the massive door, pitch-black darkness spread out.
No light inside at all, so searching thoroughly would take time.
I stopped as I was about to enter.
Jin Seohyeon hadn't moved from her spot.
Turning, I saw her frowning uncomfortably.
But the moment our eyes met, she reverted to her usual expression.
"I'm not interested, so take it all, mister."
She waved her hand dismissively, clearly not planning to enter.
In the end, I entered the warehouse alone.
I turned on my phone's flashlight and slowly rummaged through the shelves.
Relics appeared at low probability, but... none this time.
They weren't my goal anyway, so no big loss.
What I'd hoped for from the warehouse was something else.
Looking at the alchemy materials filling my spatial expansion pouch, a smile spread across my lips.
Not many rare ones, but plenty of common materials.
This should tide me over for a while.
I was in the middle of farming when—
—Screech?
I shone the light toward the unfamiliar sound.
There: a monster of grotesquely swollen head-flesh.
An infected. Why was one in the warehouse...
No time to panic. It had spotted me too.
Just one infected.
But my abilities didn't work on it.
I instinctively stepped back,
And that was its signal to charge.
—Kyaaak!
Too close to react properly.
My foot caught, and I fell to the floor.
As its bloodied hand reached for me—
Boom!
The infected was crushed by something transparent without even splattering blood.
Turning my head, Jin Seohyeon stood at the door.
She looked at me and smirked.
"You beat the boss fine, but can't handle one of those? Ridiculous..."
She approached me on the ground and extended her hand.
With her usual mischievous smile.
"Princess? Your knight has come to rescue you."
At that absurd tone, I let out a hollow chuckle,
Grabbed her hand, and stood.
Suddenly, through the contact, I felt a faint tremor.
I spoke casually.
"Why's your hand shaking? Scared?"
"Yeah. Terrified of how weak you are."
Her refreshing voice blew away my worries of a wall in an instant.
At her nonchalant attitude, I smiled a little too.