The Arduous Climb
‘……There’s no need to reveal it just yet.’
It was certain that they were tailing Kim Ilshin and Lee Yeon-woo. If not, there would be no reason for them to be hiding their bodies like that. Even though they had come across several forks in the road so far, the pursuers had followed them without fail. However, Kim Ilshin judged that there was no need to expose that fact right now. It was better to leave them within his detection range rather than have them pull some strange stunt from out of sight. For now, he didn't even know what they were after.
‘I won’t tell Lee Yeon-woo, either.’
The reason for that wasn't anything particularly special. It was simply because Lee Yeon-woo clearly had no talent for acting. Seeing them follow from a considerable distance, they were clearly a cautious bunch. If Lee Yeon-woo showed even the slightest reaction of surprise when he brought up the tailing, they might notice something was off and change their plans. That would only make things more troublesome, so it was better to keep monitoring them solely through his Muryeong-si.
‘……This time, it’s from the front.’
Just as he made that decision, he sensed aggressive movements from ahead. A herd of large beasts was charging toward them.
Thud-thud-thud-thud……
“This sound… it’s a beast, right…?”
“Yes, that’s right. Please step back.”
As they approached, the sound shook the very earth. Kim Ilshin moved Lee Yeon-woo away from the beasts' path and stepped forward slightly. He could have avoided them, but he had a better idea.
Shing-
Kim Ilshin drew his Hyeonwol and leveled it forward. The mana that had surged due to the efficacy of the medicinal herb he had consumed earlier filled his entire body.
“Graaaargh!”
Bursting out while trampling the tall grass that obscured their vision was a herd of D-class Iron-Horned Roes. They were beasts with horns and hooves as hard as iron. Blocking their charge was a dangerous feat, enough to make even higher-ranked beasts flee. Of course, that applied to Kim Ilshin as well.
‘I don’t intend to block your path, either.’
The moment the herd entered his sight, Kim Ilshin channeled his Ilshin Pacheon-gong and swung the Hyeonwol diagonally downward. His target was a pine tree standing straight beside him.
Crack-thud.
The cleanly severed pine trunk tilted and fell, forcing the Iron-Horned Roe herd to shift their trajectory. Directly in front of the suddenly redirected herd were the very people who had been tailing Kim Ilshin and Lee Yeon-woo.
Rustle!
Startled, the pursuers tried to move, but none of the three succeeded in getting away. The Iron-Horned Roe herd, having advanced near them in an instant, trampled them, and the men were swept away by the overwhelming force.
‘If you’re going to keep tailing me, enjoy the hardship.’
Kim Ilshin thought this as he turned his head toward Lee Yeon-woo, whom he had moved to the rear. And for a moment, he was taken aback. Lee Yeon-woo, with her hands clasped together as if in prayer, was looking at him with eyes full of deep admiration. She looked like a believer who had just encountered a god.
“That was a truly perfect Ilshin Pacheon-gong…! Student Kim Ilshin, you are truly amazing. To handle such complex mana movements so simply……. Should I call you the top student after all…….”
Lee Yeon-woo was someone who usually worried excessively about what others thought. However, whenever a field she was interested in came up, she showed this kind of proactive behavior. Kim Ilshin, who hadn't fully gotten used to her yet, felt bewildered every time she did that.
“…Thank you. Shall we get moving again?”
“Ah, yes…!”
Kim Ilshin and Lee Yeon-woo began to climb the mountain again, and before long, the group tailing them caught up once more.
‘Their skills are pretty decent.’
Their speed and movement while tailing hadn't changed much from before. They didn't seem to have sustained any major injuries despite being swept up by the Iron-Horned Roe herd.
‘Let’s see if they can do that again.’
Once again, he sensed movement from the front. This time, Kim Ilshin drew his sword as well, inwardly sneering at the guys behind him.
The pursuers are suffering from accumulated fatigue and minor injuries due to repeated beast encounters.
***
“Let’s pull back now. From what I can see, we’ve already been caught by that bastard.”
Bae Gi-tae, a C-class hero and one of Park Seong-jun’s party members, said while looking back. He had a furious expression on his face. However, Park Seong-jun, who was behind him, ignored Bae Gi-tae’s terrifying expression and flatly rejected his words.
“That’s ridiculous. Our tailing has never been discovered until now. Are you saying that kid managed to do what even a B-class hero couldn’t?”
“If not, does this situation make any sense? Unless that bastard is intentionally sending beasts our way, how else can you explain this!”
“Shh, keep your voice down…!”
Park Seong-jun hurriedly covered Bae Gi-tae’s mouth and poked his head up to check Kim Ilshin and Lee Yeon-woo’s reactions. Confirming that they hadn't heard Bae Gi-tae, he let out a sigh of relief and said, “Are you out of your mind? What are you going to do if we get caught now?”
“Shut up! Look at my state! And look at yours!”
Bae Gi-tae pointed to his own body. His condition was terrible, as if he had been stranded in a dangerous wilderness for days. His entire body was covered in bruises and scratches, and the camouflage cream he had applied to his face and body for the tailing had completely worn off. Park Seong-jun, standing in front of him, was in an even more miserable state. The sleeves and hem of his coat were all torn, making it look like a vest, and he couldn't find one of his shoes. His glasses were already shattered, and there were bald patches in his scruffy beard. These were the marks left by the Iron-Monkey troop they had encountered just before.
The state of the last remaining member was no different. If they were found by a rescue team, they would be sent straight to the hospital. What had put them in that state were the beasts Kim Ilshin had redirected. No matter how much they prepared or tried to avoid them, it was useless because Kim Ilshin sent the excited beasts along fatal routes at critical timings. That process had been repeated countless times from the beginning, and in the end, they were left in tatters. Even though they had only been tailing them without any full-scale combat.
“Still, we can’t give up. We can’t lose track of that woman, Lee Yeon-woo. We have to seize this opportunity no matter what.”
However, Park Seong-jun had no intention of giving up. It was a persistence that even his companions couldn't understand.
“Seriously, why are you going this far? Don’t you even know what they’re looking for? No, are you even sure they came here to find something? Isn’t this all just a delusion coming out of your own head?”
Park Seong-jun didn't waver even at the reasonable question from Han Ju-hyeon, a C-class hero in the back. Instead, he retorted by scolding Han Ju-hyeon for asking.
“You guys don’t know Lee Yeon-woo well. Do you think a woman who only eats one meal a day because she doesn't want to leave her office would come to Mt. Baekdu for some trivial business? And with a stranger, at that? ……There’s definitely something huge here. I’m sure of it.”
Park Seong-jun smacked his lips and watched Kim Ilshin and Lee Yeon-woo. His eyes were completely consumed by greed.
“Just the relics and artifacts she’s found so far total in the hundreds, even including the small ones. Even though she donated them all for research, she’s earned tens of billions. She must have come here to find something like that again.”
At those words, greed also flickered in the eyes of Bae Gi-tae and Han Ju-hyeon. The price of an artifact ranged from at least a few million to tens of billions. If they played their cards right here, they could earn enough money to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. Of course, that was on the premise that Park Seong-jun’s opinion was correct.
“You know that the ownership of artifacts belongs to the person who discovers them, right? You guys take whatever is worth money. I only need the research achievements.”
Park Seong-jun continued, glaring alternately at Bae Gi-tae and Han Ju-hyeon. “Have I ever been wrong until now? Or have I ever cheated you out of money? No, right? Why are you acting like this when we’ve been doing so well? Let’s just do as we’ve been doing, just as we’ve been doing.”
Having said that, Park Seong-jun pushed past the other two and moved forward. Bae Gi-tae and Han Ju-hyeon exchanged glances for a moment before following behind Park Seong-jun.
‘If there’s nothing there, I’m killing Park Seong-jun first.’
That was what they were thinking.
Squeal!
After that, the beast attacks were repeated several more times, and every time, they had to forcibly swallow the curses that were about to burst out.
***
“Huff, haa… I think we’ve finally arrived…….”
Lee Yeon-woo said, gasping for air. Even though she had used an exercise aid, she looked precarious, as if she might collapse at any moment. Kim Ilshin, worried about her condition, had offered to carry her, but Lee Yeon-woo had refused every time.
‘She’s embarrassed because of the sweat? I’m speechless.’
Still, Lee Yeon-woo didn't give up and walked diligently until she reached their destination. Although it had taken longer than expected.
“It’s here…!”
Lee Yeon-woo pointed ahead with a bright smile. Beyond the long, thick grass and vines, the entrance to a hidden ruin was visible. It was much larger than what she had imagined from looking at the photos. If they opened the entrance, it looked like a bus could easily pass through it.
Rustle.
It seemed the ones tailing Kim Ilshin and Lee Yeon-woo had also confirmed the appearance of the ruins. He could feel them beginning to stir violently.
‘I should deal with them soon.’
He hadn't intended to attack first. He wanted to handle them all at once if possible, and there was a good way to create such a situation.
‘They’ll crawl out on their own once I open the door.’
Thinking this, Kim Ilshin followed Lee Yeon-woo toward the entrance of the ruins. It was time to open the door and deal with those flies.