The Toad's Circumstances
The man known as the Toad had a surefire way to identify him. Both Nam Yong-seok of the Succubus Domain and Ju Ye-seul from the hidden dungeon had been villains pinpointed by activating Mimicry. So if Cha Jin-hyeok was currently a villain, the ability would definitely detect it. Still, a person always had to consider every possibility. What if he didn't register as a villain?
'It's not entirely out of the question.'
Nam Yong-seok, Ju Ye-seul, and the rest of those small fries had all already committed evil acts. I had no idea what kind of person Cha Jin-hyeok was right now, but this was before he became known as the Mad Judge. Many things had already changed from the world I remembered, yet not enough to drag events from several years ahead into the present. Therefore, if we intervened in the future that branched out in countless directions, just as Yeonhee had said...
'The future could change. No, the odds are high that it will.'
If fate somehow flipped and Cha Jin-hyeok became a hero, or even if the change wasn't that dramatic and he simply lived as an ordinary hunter, what then? 'We could save the lives of the hunters killed by Cha Jin-hyeok—more than enough to outweigh the evil he would commit.'
And on the flip side, 'the real villains Cha Jin-hyeok had killed would survive as well...' I remembered a few of those villains, but not all of them, which posed a problem. How had Cha Jin-hyeok managed to find so many villains in the first place? Had he awakened an ability similar to my Mimicry?
While I was lost in thought, Yeonhee's voice pulled me back.
"Wow—Ran, look at that. Does the world you live in have trees like these?"
(They're not exactly the same, but our world has plenty of beautiful trees too! They're so massive they actually cause problems!)
Yeonhee and Ran were still chattering away with pure delight. Watching them eased the knots in my complicated mind a little.
'This isn't a problem I can solve just by agonizing over it. Let's charge in and see what happens.'
Complex issues like this rarely yielded answers through intense contemplation. It was better to slowly clear away the outer layers until a solution revealed itself.
We got off the train and headed straight for the dungeon where Cha Jin-hyeok was reportedly active these days. Upon reaching Rucracota's Dungeon—the lowest rank among B-grade dungeons—we looked around like tourists visiting some ancient ruin.
"Whoa... The gate for a B-grade dungeon is absolutely massive."
I gave a quick clack of acknowledgment. The gate was enormous, easily dwarfing the entrance to the Wolf Cave, a D-grade dungeon.
'I wonder when I'll be able to go inside one of these.'
At my current growth rate, it wouldn't be long.
"You said that man has a hunched back, right?"
"Clack clack."
Despite his ordinary name, Cha Jin-hyeok suffered from a hunched back, the kind people commonly called a hunchback. Before his awakening, the condition had been extremely severe, though it seemed to have improved considerably by now.
"They say Rucracota's Dungeon is short, so clears are pretty fast. Let's wait a bit."
I nodded again. Since we had no idea when Cha Jin-hyeok might emerge, we quickly grabbed lunch at a nearby restaurant before returning. We then settled on the café situated closest to the dungeon entrance to wait it out. It was probably run by the Association.
We passed the time studying dungeon and monster information for the area on our phone maps.
"The highest-ranked dungeon around here is the Tarantara Kingdom. It's upper-tier B-grade... Hmm, so even this isn't a top-tier dungeon."
Yeonhee searched for the appearance of the Tarantara monsters and immediately scrunched up her face.
"Ugh... These things are seriously ugly. A lizard and spider randomly mashed together? Ew..."
The way she twisted her pretty features like that was so amusing my shoulder bones shook with silent laughter.
After a few sweet hours that felt almost like a date, Yeonhee suddenly straightened.
"Hup... Ilwol, over there."
I nodded. Only after she'd drained her fourth cup of coffee did a hunched man finally emerge from the gate. His eye sockets were deeply sunken and his forehead jutted forward abnormally, casting a natural shadow over his face. At first glance, he looked like someone who'd suffered terribly and was perpetually frowning.
Coincidentally, the party of six—including him—began walking straight toward our café. Well, it was the only café here.
"Uh... What do we do?"
I took the flustered Yeonhee's hand and reassured her not to worry. For now, it was a party without any mages.
'The odds that their guide is a sensory-type are low.'
There was no way they could detect me remaining perfectly motionless in stealth. Yeonhee pulled her hood down low and swept her hair to the side, revealing just the curve of one ear.
"What are you getting?"
"Ah, just whatever. An americano or something."
Once inside, they moved to their seats with familiar ease. The moment they entered, Cha Jin-hyeok began taking everyone's orders. His colleagues sat with crossed legs as though it were the most natural thing in the world, calling out their choices while he went to the counter, placed all six orders, and paid.
'There were a lot of comments calling Cha Jin-hyeok a pushover. I can see why.'
Unlike his blank expression when leaving the gate, he was smiling foolishly now, as if something good had happened. I'd only been watching him for less than a minute, yet anyone could tell he was the perfect target to take advantage of.
After receiving the pager, Cha Jin-hyeok excused himself from his colleagues and hurried toward the restroom. The hunters stared at his retreating back until he disappeared upstairs. Then they began to speak one by one.
"The toad's abilities are insane, but honestly..."
So they called him "Toad."
"But what?"
"You know. This is just my honest take, but that toad guy. Doesn't he smell a little when he gets close?"
"What? Puhahahat!"
"Hey, I kinda felt that too."
"Right? You know that smell from a baby's dirty diaper?"
Three of the five hunters were women. One in particular wrinkled her nose dramatically and waved her hand in front of her face as if the stench lingered even now.
"Ugh, talking about shit right after leaving the gate? That's disgusting. And watch your mouth. We need to keep milking him for a while longer. It took enough effort to rope him in."
"Honestly, it's fucking convenient. Just stab the guys on the ground and you're done, right?"
"I admit it. It's really convenient."
"But then, doesn't that mean we don't have to eat that stuff anymore? Maybe we can push it back a bit."
"Let's think about that more. The conditions weren't bad."
"That stone—it's the real deal, right? Any side effects?"
"Everyone shut your damn mouths. Are you insane?"
The man who seemed to be the leader suddenly twisted into a vicious expression and silenced his companions. The keyword that had set him off was probably...
'...Stone? These bastards, no way.'
I felt the urge to sharpen my senses and check whether they carried the scent of Blue Eye or any other malicious group, but the guide quietly listening to the others stopped me. I couldn't risk it.
'I don't know which senses are heightened, but his intuition is razor sharp. He's quite skilled.'
Of the two men, one carried the aura of a guide, and excluding Cha Jin-hyeok, he was the strongest in the group. The faint waves I was emitting now shouldn't alert him, but any deliberate use of my senses would definitely draw his attention.
'Okay. I've memorized the magic circuit.'
Setting the suspicious "stone" matter aside for now, the way they spoke about Cha Jin-hyeok was utterly despicable. He wasn't a villain yet, so perhaps that was why I felt this way, but still.
'They're riding his coattails so comfortably, yet since they can't beat him in any other way, they attack his appearance.'
The pettiness of it irritated me more than I expected. Listening to Cha Jin-hyeok's party members, a bitter smile crept onto my face. The reason their words stung so much was probably because my own appearance was hideous as well.
Their cheap gossip continued right up until Cha Jin-hyeok returned from the restroom.
(What if he can hear everything from inside the bathroom?)
Yeonhee fidgeted anxiously, worried he might have overheard. I reassured her that wasn't the case.
'Yeonhee... We're here to kill him...'
Despite the growing sense that something was off, their careless conversation kept tickling my ears.
"I know it's convenient during hunts. But the toad's eyes are kinda perverted, don't you think?"
"I felt grossed out too. Sometimes I catch him staring at my legs. It gives me chills."
"Really? I'll call him over separately later and warn him."
"Hey, with a face like that, what do you expect? Just looking at him feels like sexual harassment. Not even an elixir could fix that."
"Pfft—"
"Kyahaha, wow, that's harsh."
"Bullshit. Who started it? Stop acting innocent."
"......"
"......"
Yeonhee's expression grew increasingly rigid as she listened. I didn't bother hiding the cold weight settling in my chest either.
Just then, Cha Jin-hyeok emerged from the restroom carrying a tray loaded with six finished cups. One woman immediately covered the side of her face and pretended to pinch her nose, giggling with the woman beside her.
'......'
Someone else blatantly wiped the cup he'd brought with a tissue.
'Hmm...'
I felt more anger toward Cha Jin-hyeok than toward those people.
'Why the hell is a guy with good abilities partying with trash like this?'
At that moment, Cha Jin-hyeok spoke up with a bright, innocent smile.
"Hehehe... Everyone worked hard today as well."
His voice was a deep, low baritone that, combined with his shadowed features, created an oddly gloomy atmosphere. He handed out the coffees with that same cheerful expression.
"Huh? Oh... Well, you worked hard too, Jin-hyeok."
"Come on—it's the same dungeon we clear every day. No need to make such a fuss. Let's drink and go."
"Exactly. It's not like we spend a day or two on the boss fight. It's just coffee."
"Hehe... Still... We've been partying together for a whole week, so I thought I should at least treat you to a cup..."
'...... What a mess. He really is a pushover.'
I wasn't the only one getting heated. Yeonhee was gripping Lime with enough force to make the little creature squeak.
(Kiiing— Grrk...)
A single cup of coffee with colleagues after a week of hard work. Even that seemed difficult for Cha Jin-hyeok to fully enjoy. We'd made time to come here, yet I now had a strong feeling our plans would face a serious setback.
'I sensed something was off the moment Yeonhee mentioned him.'
I glanced at her again. She was still struggling to control her emotions, lips trembling faintly.
'Hmm...'
Ten minutes later, after practically gulping down their coffee, the group left the café. To be precise, the five of them left together for somewhere, leaving only Cha Jin-hyeok behind.
He gathered the remaining cups, cleaned up, ordered another coffee for himself, and moved to a corner seat.
"Sigh... Another day to be thankful for..."
'......'
Cha Jin-hyeok closed his eyes, clasped both hands together, and began to pray. It was the Christian style of prayer that had grown rare enough to barely maintain its existence, yet the sight looked so sacred that I found myself staring blankly.
'Hey, idiot. Not that—hurry up and do something bad!'
If he did, I could finish this cleanly and leave.
'Of course, there's no guarantee I'd win even then.'
In truth, I hadn't planned on directly witnessing him commit evil, but without seeing something like that, I no longer had the confidence to convince Yeonhee.