A Difficult Path

I wasn't sure if the blow had struck a vital point or if the creature had already been badly wounded when it arrived, but it staggered like it was dancing before collapsing and drawing its final breath.

'Can't you even consider the possibility that you're just ridiculously weak?'

I shot the man a disdainful glance. Meanwhile, Yeonhee, who was drawing her bow beside me, had the corners of her mouth stretched all the way to her ears. She was even letting out little giggles. I had no idea what was so funny.

But the moment the mage appeared and spoke, the smile vanished from Yeonhee's face. She gave a small nod. Fortunately, since the mage was also a woman, she didn't seem particularly intimidated.

The mage's sigh was something I could relate to completely. The inexperienced hunters had driven what few goblins remained straight toward us. The creatures, who had been slowly retreating, were now charging at us like madmen.

As expected, the talkative man had spoken without thinking and immediately got scolded by the mage. She had probably saved just enough mana to protect herself. At that moment, Yeonhee shouted in a clear voice.

The enemies were already within ten meters, so the hunters reacted instantly to her words. Watching them, I pondered for a moment.

'I should hold back on the acid spray... The experience gain will drop a bit, but there's no helping it.'

I gripped the shield with both hands and hurled it with all my strength toward the swarm of goblins. Whoooosh— The wind-up had been too long, so none of them actually got hit by the flying shield. But I charged at the one that had rolled aside in surprise and immediately brought down Heavy Strike.

'Finally. About time this thing leveled up.'

I shook off the system message and pulled a throwing stone from my inventory, hurling it hard at the goblin that had dodged to the right. Thud!Kaaahk! The creature, now enraged after being struck by the stone, charged straight at me. I met it with a full-body shoulder tackle.

Boom—!!

The goblin collided with me and tumbled backward several times before crashing to the ground. Pew— Thunk—! Thunk—!

Yeonhee had begun firing her arrows rapidly as well. I focused on smashing my club into any goblin that tried to dodge her shots. The injured hunters around us did their best to provide support, and soon the hunters who had been back in the village joined in, allowing us to attack the creatures from all sides.

The goblins' death throes—keeheek——sounded wet and sticky, grating against my ears. Whether they were fighting or dying, these things were filthy in every way.

One of the hunters who had entered the village—a man with a fairly solid physique—spoke as he rested his massive sword, nearly as tall as he was, on his shoulder.

The man who had been hiding behind us and chattering nonstop sneered at the swordsman. The swordsman's eyebrows shot up dramatically, but after glancing at the other hunters who were still breathing heavily, he let out a long sigh and replied.

'...'

'He's the type that escalates things for no reason. Even if his life was momentarily in danger, he shouldn't act like that.'

When he had first approached while bickering with the woman, I thought he was just all talk. It seemed he wasn't particularly bright either. On the other hand, I had to give the swordsman credit for his patience.

The mage's calm voice cut through the chaotic atmosphere, and the hunters immediately began spreading out in all directions.

'So she's the real leader.'

A mage with considerable talent in nature magic. I didn't know her name, and her face was half-hidden by her hood, but she left a good impression. 'If I have to form a party, it should be with someone like her.'

Since she would clearly be a good match for us, I carefully observed the flow of her mana and stored the information in my mind. As a guide, I often had to team up with complete strangers in dungeons. Knowing the capabilities of people from the same area in advance could be incredibly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠helpful in those situations.

"Haa—"

A faint glow emanated from Yeonhee's body. It looked like she had leveled up again. Of course, my own body was glowing with a blue light as well.

'What should I raise...'

In my previous life, I had focused on raising stats that improved speed and mobility to fulfill my role as a guide. Among them, agility wasn't just about moving quickly—it also affected reaction speed and the ability to read an opponent's movements, so I had always prioritized it.

But unlike my previous life, my most important role this time was acting as Yeonhee's tank. My stat distribution needed to reflect that.

'Of course, that priority hasn't changed. I need to react quickly to any threats against her and protect her.'

The problem was that becoming a perfect tank required far too many stats. Aside from intelligence, which was related to magic operation, every other stat was necessary. Fortunately, since many stats overlapped in function, spreading points around wasn't a huge issue.

Still, it meant I would end up growing into an ordinary, unremarkable hunter. No one wanted to become average. And few people wanted to team up with someone average—especially when lives were on the line.

'But I can afford to be that way. I have multiple lives, and I don't need to worry about other people's opinions.'

Strength also influenced speed, but it leaned more toward raw power. The memory of how difficult it had been to lift the shield just moments ago flashed through my mind.

'In the end, it's strength, stamina, and mana. I'm heading straight down the jack-of-all-trades route, aren't I?'

By raising my stats so that none were lacking, I had unknowingly stepped onto a path that others avoided.

Seeing how dramatically my stats had improved compared to the beginning, I couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. On top of that, my skill levels were rising, albeit slowly.

'The increase was only ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ten percent. Still, that's pretty generous.'

Even a small increase like that could mean the difference between needing two hits to kill a monster and finishing it in one.

Once we had moved a little further away from the others, Yeonhee stuck close to my side and spoke with a curious expression.

'Because I haven't put any points into it.'

There would come a time when I needed to raise my resistance. I was curious what kind of reaction she would have then.

'Oh? Is she suggesting written communication?'

Yeonhee covered her face with her robe and giggled. I thought, Yeah, figures.

'I don't get where the joke is. Is this what they call a generation gap?! We're not even that far apart in age...'

Yeonhee's stifled giggles didn't last long.

Someone near us shouted loudly, and the hunters quickly assembled. They were probably going to discuss how to distribute the silver, loot, and runes they had obtained.

'Can't we just leave now?'

Since we had only been called here as mercenaries, there was no reason for us to stick around any longer. When I glanced at Yeonhee, she was also darting her eyes around, clearly looking for an exit.

The nameless man who stepped forward deliberately addressed her as "Summoner," drawing everyone's attention. But Yeonhee paid it no mind and opened her mouth right away.

'Oh? What's this?'

'Aigoo, Yeonhee...'

I had thought she was finally showing some backbone by voicing her opinion, but in the end, she froze like a frightened mouse.

'What? This is weirdly reasonable. Why is everyone being so fair?'

It was practically a rule that when F-rank hunters gathered, things turned into a complete mess. Was it because of the mage's presence?

'Well, it's good for us.'