Each One's Role (2)
Each One's Role (2)
"Haha, this side's full too, ladies."
"Aaaagh!!"
The moment the Watcher finished speaking, Idni, who had been standing right next to Baek Ha-na, clawed at her hair.
The checkpoint was already far behind them, and they still hadn't found a Rift they could enter.
"Seriously, it's only nine in the morning—why are there so many people?!"
"Monster by-product and magic stone prices rise on Sundays, so plenty of Awakened camp out from dawn until evening."
"Grrrr...!!"
She was annoyed, but with no one to take it out on, Idni could only grind her teeth and stew.
"Enough. Let's try over there."
"Ugh, I'm so hungry I've got no strength... Piggyback me."
Without waiting for Baek Ha-na's permission, Idni planted herself behind her and hopped onto her back. Baek Ha-na let out a small snort of laughter, adjusted her grip under Idni's bottom, and straightened up.
"Excuse me, students?"
"Yes."
Baek Ha-na, who had been about to search for another Rift, stopped short.
The Watcher rummaged through a bag placed under his chair, then held out an unopened pack of sandwiches to the girls.
"I packed this as a snack, but you girls go ahead and eat it. I'm getting relieved at lunch anyway. And if you want to find an empty Rift, skip the inner area and head toward the periphery instead. That'll be faster."
"Oh, thank you."
Baek Ha-na accepted the sandwiches, but immediately Idni's hand darted over her shoulder and snatched them away.
Watching the two, the Watcher smiled inwardly and continued.
"The Rifts on the periphery have fewer valuable by-products, and the creatures are often tricky to handle, so they're less popular. Some people give up and go home even when there are still spots open."
"I see. Thank you."
"Not at all. It's a nice weekend—finish your business and head back out quickly, all right?"
The middle-aged Watcher gave them the sort of look a father might give his daughter, then settled back into his seat.
Munch, munch.
"Mm, hey, this is damn tasty. The combination is weird, but why does it work?"
Idni held the other half of the sandwich up to Baek Ha-na's mouth, and Baek Ha-na took a big bite out of it.
The sweetness of the jam blended with the mild, savory flavor of the cheese and egg. Just as Idni had said, it was pretty good.
"Let's see, Maria..."
With one hand slowly feeding the sandwich into Baek Ha-na's mouth, Idni used the other to work her smartphone and reach the rest of the group.
-Did you find one?
"Nope. But a nice old guy told us to skip the inner area and head for the periphery."
-Really? We just got the same advice.
"Then we'll go left?"
-Got it. We'll let you know if we find one.
After ending the call, Idni brushed the crumbs off her backside with a few pats, then wrapped her arms around Baek Ha-na's neck again.
"You're not gonna get down?"
"You don't like it?"
"I wouldn't say I don't like it, but can't say I like it either? More importantly, you're heavy."
"Oohh?"
Idni narrowed her eyes fiercely and not just her arms—both legs coiled tight around Baek Ha-na's waist, clinging like a limpet. She reached her phone out over Baek Ha-na's shoulder.
Click—!!
She snapped a selfie with their cheeks pressed firmly together.
"Keke, bet Nam Seo-hee's gonna be dying of jealousy."
"Oh boy."
Baek Ha-na gave Idni's bottom a playful pat and started walking. Idni showed no sign of wanting to climb down.
"Baek Ha-na."
"Yeah?"
Idni, who had gone unexpectedly quiet, spoke in a somewhat more serious tone.
"You okay?"
"Okay? All of a sudden?"
Baek Ha-na blinked and turned her head. With a tiny sigh, Idni rested her chin on Baek Ha-na's shoulder and tapped her pink hair against Baek Ha-na's cheek.
"I don't know what's going on, but I'm always available for a chat, so lean on me when things get rough."
"......."
At her friend's sudden remark, Baek Ha-na's mouth briefly shut.
"...You know my birthday's earlier than yours, right?"
"That's just a birthday the Professor picked for you."
"And how can you be the big sis when you're weaker than me?"
"Why you little—?"
So unfair, smacking her with the facts.
Just as Idni growled and tried to bite Baek Ha-na's ear—
"Oh, there's one, Ha-na."
"Mmgk?!"
Baek Ha-na sprang forward the moment she spotted a Rift. That made Idni chomp down on her own tongue instead of the earlobe she'd been aiming for.
Arriving in front of the Watcher almost instantly, Baek Ha-na ignored the whimpering bundle on her back and spoke.
"There's five of us—is it still all right to go in?"
"Plenty of room. Don't worry, just call your group over."
Baek Ha-na let out a relieved breath and patted Idni's backside.
"Idni."
"...You and me are gonna have words later."
Idni hastily healed her tongue with holy power, then sent a message to Maria.
The three who'd briefly split off rejoined them soon after.
"Ha-na's tired, so get down."
"I was about to get down anyway~"
Idni hopped off Baek Ha-na's back. She did not forget to flash the barest hint of a smirk at Nam Seo-hee, who was glaring at her.
Crack—!!
The achingly familiar sound rang out.
And there was Idni, writhing in place with a silent scream.
Nam Seo-hee looked at her and scoffed. The rest of the group simply ignored the scene and approached the Watcher.
"Would it be all right to ask for a brief explanation?"
"Haha, of course. That's part of my job, after all."
The Watcher smiled pleasantly at Maria and gave a quick rundown on the Rift.
"It's a 3rd Stage Rift, inhabited by Murder Ants. The basic structure is a cave, but they've dug tunnels all over the place, so it's easy to lose your way. We've put up signposts here and there, but it's still a maze."
"Murder Ants, huh..."
Baek Ha-na's brow furrowed slightly.
Killing them didn't even require manifesting an ability, but Murder Ants were notorious for never moving alone—at least three always swarmed together.
Worse, if you didn't dispatch them quickly, they'd emit a specific frequency to summon nearby allies. Their individual strength wasn't much, but they were a severe pain to deal with.
"Ugh... hey, quit thinking and let's just go in. We're better off blitzing through and getting out than wasting time hunting for a different Rift."
Idni, who had recovered her wits, rubbed her stinging back as she spoke.
"She's right, Ha-na. I'll help too."
Nam Seo-hee tapped the sword at her waist.
"...Thanks. But do you have a change of clothes?"
"Don't worry. I'll be providing support from range."
Sword-users among the Awakened commonly treated their blades as a second life. And Nam Seo-hee, the youngest of the Chang family, embodied that more than anyone—she'd infuse her sword with thunder energy and hurl it whenever she got the chance.
"Ah, then that's fine."
When Baek Ha-na turned her head, the Watcher smiled and asked:
"Will you be entering?"
"Yes. Here."
She held out her student ID, and the Watcher scanned it with his device.
Because there was no guardian-level Awakened accompanying them, they were required to verify their identities before entry so that, in the event of an accident, their identification could be checked quickly.
"All right, everyone confirmed. Is there anything else you need?"
"No. Noth—"
"Hold on."
Maria, who had been standing behind them, placed a gentle hand on Baek Ha-na's shoulder and stepped forward.
"If we're not back out within an hour, could you send someone to look for us?"
"One hour... one moment."
The Watcher quickly tapped at his smartwatch.
Ding—!!
"There. It's registered in the system."
"Thank you."
A privilege for students that ordinary Awakened couldn't access.
"Let's go in."
"Ah, yeah."
Without another word, Baek Ha-na stepped toward the Rift. Nam Seo-hee and Idni followed and vanished into the blue light.
"Shall we?"
"Y-yeah."
Maria took Lee Na-young's hand and walked inside.
**
"Seven of them."
Sitting in his chair and idly reading a novel, the Watcher looked up at the group approaching him and switched on his device.
[22/30]
If he let these ones in too, exactly one spot would remain.
That one spot, of course, would be held for the request made by the students who'd entered just before. Once this group went in, he planned to mark the Rift as full.
"Group?"
"That's right."
The Watcher received the approaching Awakened with a demeanor wholly different from how he'd treated the students earlier.
"ID."
"Here."
When he scanned the proffered ID, the number on his device ticked upward.
"Go on in. Next."
One after another, the Awakened passed the Watcher and were swallowed by the blue light. And then the last in line.
A woman who looked like she'd spent a fair amount on her gear stepped forward.
"H-here."
"Confirmed. You may enter."
The female Awakened pocketed her ID and cautiously approached the blue light.
His task done, the Watcher settled back into his chair and took out his smartphone to return to his novel.
"Um... excuse me..."
'...?'
At the woman's voice from behind, the Watcher turned his head. The female Awakened stood there blank-faced in front of the blue light, her expression failing to hide her confusion.
"I think... it's full?"
"Pardon?"
"...What?"
"What do you mean?"
"......Huh?"
The Watcher stared at the woman standing with the blue light at her back, then turned on the device lying across his thigh.
[29/30]
It wasn't at thirty. He'd even left one slot open.
And yet the Rift was refusing entry?
"Do you have a way to contact the people who already went in?"
"Huh? Ah, yes."
"Call them right now and tell them to get out."
"J-just a moment..."
The woman urgently worked her smartwatch to call the party leader.
"Uh, um...?"
The signal kept going for a long while, but the party leader never picked up. She tried contacting the others, too, but not a single one of them answered.
"No one's picking up..."
"Ah, fuck."
The Watcher swore under his breath and launched himself toward the blue light.
That speed was not something an ordinary person could imitate.
"...Why'd it have to be me?"
The Watcher, Jo Ju-hyeok, stood with one foot already in the blue light. He stared at the Rift that was still refusing entry and ran a hand down his face.
'At least two intruders... and the six who just entered are most likely neutralized...'
"Grrrrrrgh...!!"
His instincts screaming that he was well and truly fucked, Jo Ju-hyeok placed a call to his superior with a hand drenched in cold sweat.