Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: The Errand Boy and the Meat Shield
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"Errand boy?"
Min Jae-yoon and I exchanged glances, both tilting our heads.
Suddenly popping up and calling himself an errand boy?
But his explanation that followed made perfect sense.
"So... you're saying you'll handle any odd jobs or errands if we help you level up?"
"Yes. Is that not okay?"
The student looked at us with a face full of anxiety.
I pretended to mull it over, exchanging a glance with Min Jae-yoon.
'Talk about good luck.'
'No kidding.'
If he'd asked at any other time, we'd have turned him down flat, saying he'd just be dead weight.
But not now.
We desperately needed someone for a specific role.
'We were just wishing for a dedicated magic stone collector.'
No matter how you dressed it up, collecting magic stones was grunt work.
Who'd enjoy slicing open monster corpses and digging around for hearts?
No matter who joined the team, they'd avoid that job like the plague.
But if every team member stopped to collect stones separately, efficiency would tank.
And here comes a guy willing to take on the whole thing.
A guy in such a desperate spot he couldn't complain even if he wanted to.
"Ahem! Alright, I get what you're saying."
I cleared my throat, feigning composure.
Before officially adding him, a quick interview was in order.
"But why the sudden interest in leveling up? You haven't cared much until now."
"Actually, I've wanted to level up from the start. But my parents stopped me."
"Ah."
That made sense. No helping it.
If he'd bolted out on his own, his parents would've freaked and chased after him.
Perfect recipe for getting a spanking and dragged back home before trying anything.
Especially since he wasn't even an adult—a minor.
Feeling my empathy, the student sighed in relief.
"But now I can't put it off anymore. NPCs are blatantly discriminating against people, and we've got magic stones as currency. If this keeps up, we're in deep trouble, but my parents are still spouting nonsense."
"What kind of nonsense?"
"Stuff like 'stay calm in times like these,' 'don't fall for tricks and do quests,' even saying games are evil, so those things must be evil too."
Whoa, that's pretty serious.
Come to think of it, his brother had said something similar to me yesterday.
Looks like the whole family was deeply stuck in conventional thinking.
Fine in the modern world, but in a reality where common sense had collapsed like this? Worst attitude possible.
"But now I can't go out alone without risking death, so I can't level up. So please, let me join—I'll do any chores, anything!"
"Hm."
I pretended to think it over, but the answer was already set.
Perfect fit for the role we needed, solid motivation to work hard, decent personality—no reason to refuse.
"Alright. You're in."
"Th-thank you!"
"No need to thank me. If you slack off, you're out. But do your job right, and you'll get your fair share."
"Just give me the chance! I'll do anything!"
His enthusiasm was promising.
Hoping it held up even in the heat of battle.
Then I remembered something I'd overlooked.
"Oh right, I never asked your name."
"It's Ho-chan. Yoon Ho-chan."
"Got it, Ho-chan. Welcome to the team. Let's work hard."
"Yes!"
Min Jae-yoon, Yoon Ho-chan, and I shook hands in turn.
That settled rear guard and magic stone collection.
But heading out with just three felt one short.
'One more frontliner, and it'd be perfect.'
Min Jae-yoon was a combat class but doubled as healer, so he had to hold back.
I was a pure glass cannon, unfit for the front.
Yoon Ho-chan had zero combat power, needing to stay back during fights.
No matter how I sliced it, we needed another meat shield.
'Ideally someone with all stats focused on frontline duty, disposable even if I push them hard, and no guilt if they get hurt. Anyone like that around?'
I chuckled at my own thoughts.
As if such a perfect fit existed.
Things had gone too smoothly so far—got cocky.
As I berated myself...
"A-hem! Ahem!"
Someone approached with obnoxiously loud throat-clearing.
Impossible to miss with that presence.
I looked up. Familiar face.
"Uh, do you... need a warrior... by any chance?"
I blinked at the tattooed guy stumbling over his words.
"Speak of the devil."
"Wh-what?"
Ignoring his bewildered response, I sized him up.
Stats locked to frontline, no guilt pushing him hard.
Exactly the talent we needed.
I grinned at him.
"We were just looking for a warrior."
"Oh, yeah? Perfect timing. I need a team too."
My words flipped a switch—he chattered like old times forgotten.
Thinking we were desperate, his tone lost all caution.
"Hey, water under the bridge, right? Let's make this work. I messed up back then, but..."
"Use respect."
"Huh? What?"
"Speak politely, asshole. You think we're buddies? Step outside the safe zone, and I'll blast your head off."
The tattooed guy froze mid-rant.
I countered with my own offer.
"Pig, I've got a proposal. Be our team's meat shield? Or someday run into me outside and die?"
"...!"
He broke into a cold sweat at my generous proposal.
'Who the hell does this punk think he is?'
Long story short, the tattooed guy—Park Sang-gu—accepted my offer.
His failed power play left his face sullen.
"Hey, lighten up. Someone might think we're dragging you along."
"..."
"Answer me. I'm talking to you."
Even prodding again, Park Sang-gu's lips stayed sealed.
Better to stay silent than use polite speech?
Laughable attempt.
I pointed at his head with my finger.
"Black Missi—"
"Maaar! I'll talk! I'll talk!"
He shrieked in panic just before I finished casting.
I nodded in satisfaction.
"That's more like it. Answer when called."
"Y-yes. I will from now on."
"Good. Don't take it too hard. Everything I do has a reason."
Park Sang-gu's face flushed crimson.
What reason? You're just bullying me!
He didn't voice it, but I could read his mind.
I decided to kindly correct the misunderstanding.
"You keep using polite speech to confirm the hierarchy, right? If you clam up and slip back to casual later, it gets messy. If you keep acting equal, I'll have to kill you."
"...!"
"So I'm making you use polite speech to avoid that. Get used to it early, keep it up, and seeing you obey obediently will make me drop the urge to kill you."
Park Sang-gu paled at my words.
Said with utter sincerity—no brushing it off as a joke.
Even teammates Min Jae-yoon and Yoon Ho-chan looked shocked.
Min Jae-yoon tried to intervene, horrified.
"Jong-min, we're teammates now, so maybe tone it down a bit..."
"Be nice? No need."
I smirked, pointing at Park Sang-gu.
"Why do you think he came to us? No one else would take him."
Park Sang-gu had surged ahead early on.
But one early mistake ruined everything.
Disrupting others' quests meant he couldn't even attempt the rescue quest.
No one would team up with someone who'd challenged them.
No teammates by now? All opportunities gone.
Pioneers were starting to form bonds among themselves.
"Any team he joins now, he's bottom rung. The guy who caused chaos early, low level too. How do you think they'll treat him?"
"Uh... outcast? Odd jobs?"
"That's best case. Worst, someone holding a grudge knifes him."
Even without grudges, they might kill him preemptively.
His behavior didn't scream 'good teammate' or 'neighbor'.
Could bury him to eliminate future risks.
"This sly fox knew that, so he came to me first. I've never lied. Always straight answers."
Told Park Sang-gu I'd kill him after our clash.
Kept saying I'd keep saving in rescue quests.
When people complained, I openly said no more help.
Park Sang-gu figured I wouldn't lie, at least.
"Others might lure him in, then kill him. Me? I'd reject outright if I didn't want him. No knife in the back. So he took a shot, right?"
"..."
Half-sneering, he averted his eyes.
I continued without waiting.
"So we can treat him rough. He's already persona non grata everywhere. Stab us in the back after we took him in? Done for."
Even if he didn't touch others, he'd be swarmed and killed.
Branded a threat to the group, beyond personal gain.
"...And if this guy tries equaling us now? My patience would snap. For real."
I scanned Park Sang-gu with a calm gaze.
Service job showed me the worst of humanity.
Some felt no guilt killing or causing deaths.
Park Sang-gu struck me as that type.
And those types didn't deserve to evoke guilt in others.
Murder or not.
Meeting my cold eyes, he nodded frantically, pale.
"I-I get it! I get it!"
"Good, you get it?"
"Yes! Really, I do!"
"Then we're good."
No subject needed for our exchange.
Our minds aligned perfectly then.
If not...
'Then just kill and bury him.'
Trash unchanged at the cliff's edge? Better off gone.
About 30 minutes since our four-man team left the village.
We'd expected monsters any second. Wrong.
Thirty straight minutes walking—no encounters.
"No monsters around here normally?"
Min Jae-yoon's voice carried fatigue from constant vigilance.
I thought a moment before speaking.
"This might actually be normal."
"Huh? Normal?"
"In World Rebuild, monsters didn't spawn near villages."
They only invaded during monster waves.
Otherwise, none near villages.
Early game, when fighting other civilizations was tough, you had to venture out for monsters.
No other way to level player characters.
"The beginning was weird. Skeletons lurking twenty steps from the safe zone. Game-wise, this is standard."
"Still, shouldn't they show by now? We've walked 30 minutes straight."
"True, but..."
"B-brothers! Look over there!"
Yoon Ho-chan shouted mid-conversation.
We turned. Far off, a human-like figure.
Person? Closer inspection revealed the truth.
"Hobgoblins!"
Like goblins but totally different look.
Yellow-skinned, slightly shorter than human women.
Way stronger stats than goblins in-game.
The hobgoblins spotted us and cackled.
"Grrrruk! Hu-mans! Give!"
"Keeek! Give! Give!"
"...!?"
Yoon Ho-chan froze at their speech.
Never imagined monsters could talk.
"Th-they can talk!"
"Yeah, surprised me too. No real conversation, though."
"What do we do? Stronger than goblins?"
I nodded at his worried face.
Stronger? Absolutely.
Stats incomparable to goblins.
"Yeah. Much stronger."
"How much!?"
"Skeleton level. Human strength, and they wield weapons."
"No way, skeleton strong...? Huh?"
Yoon Ho-chan's eyes widened mid-sentence.
Caught the odd comparison.
"As strong as skeletons? Skeletons...?"
His gaze shifted between me and Min Jae-yoon.