A Rookie's Mistake
With the coach’s voice ringing out like a signal, Park Dong-wook stepped forward and shouted, “Let’s go!”
Following his silent command as de facto leader, every member of the second party fell in behind Park Dong-wook.
Ji Yu-chan watched the man with a worried gaze, yet he said nothing and simply trailed after him.
From years of experience, Ji Yu-chan knew an overheated atmosphere often spelled trouble, but maybe things would turn out differently now that a truly active leader had taken the helm.
Until now, Ji Yu-chan had been the practical leader, yet he had never actually performed the role.
He had always sat at the center of the group, but because he had never truly led, he had stayed silent.
That was why, with Park Dong-wook charging ahead and the second party following, the mood behind him might not be the absolute worst after all.
He never imagined that, if Lee Do-hyun had seen the scene, he would have slammed his forehead in exasperation.
Ji Yu-chan didn’t know that Park Dong-wook’s trait rank was lower than his own.
More importantly, Lee Do-hyun’s eyes had already seen through Park Dong-wook’s traits.
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LT__strong>Park Dong-wook Trait: Buffer[F] Skills: None listed Stats:
The man who had declared himself the leader was running straight into danger.
Yet Ji Yu-chan had no idea how to stop him. He had no choice but to run after the reckless lead.
The other members of the second party felt the same way. “He’s reliable!” “He should’ve stepped up earlier!” “But he’s kinda slow.”
His low agility meant Park Dong-wook was sprinting at full power, yet the others still saw him as sluggish compared to them.
That was why the second party formed up behind the front-runner.
They entered the maze.
Park Dong-wook charged forward without looking back or caring.
Ji Yu-chan followed closely, then Kim Yun-jeong, Kwon Eun-chae, and Han Jun-seo trailed behind.
Tadadada.
The sound of their running echoed through the maze.
Park Dong-wook ran blindly, ignoring everything else.
Ji Yu-chan could only give a small start. “Just running straight?”
The briefing had warned them about traps and goblins, yet the man was ignoring them completely.
Ji Yu-chan’s eyes caught a faint wire glowing on the floor and Park Dong-wook’s ankle stepping right over it.
“Eh?”
Park Dong-wook’s foot brushed the wire and he yelped in surprise.
Ji Yu-chan spun his head to scan the walls and ceiling in an instant.
He spotted a hole and shoved Park Dong-wook hard.
Clang!
Pssh.
Park Dong-wook tumbled across the floor as arrows whistled past the spot he had just occupied.
Without Ji Yu-chan’s timely push, Park Dong-wook would have been hit.
The arrows were blunt, but they still carried enough force to leave a nasty bruise.
“W-what the heck is that?!”“...Hyung, the briefing mentioned traps. Be careful.”“A-ah, right.”
Where in the world was a leader who forgot even basic precautions and charged ahead anyway?
Ji Yu-chan had no choice but to step in.
“I’ll take point.”
Park Dong-wook’s face twisted in irritation as he looked at Ji Yu-chan. “Yoo-chan, that was my mistake earlier. I’ll handle it myself. Don’t get in the way. We have to win.”
Ji Yu-chan’s eyes widened.
The fire in Park Dong-wook’s gaze was genuine.
Ji Yu-chan could never understand it.
Park Dong-wook was basking in the feeling that he had finally done something right after the others nodded in agreement.
He was even thinking the same thing might not have happened in the sparring match.
Ji Yu-chan knew better than to argue with that stubborn light. “I understand.”
He raised both hands and stepped back.
Park Dong-wook stood up with a scowl that clearly said “I should’ve done it earlier.”
The rest of the party noticed the strange exchange at once.
It was only natural.
Park Dong-wook had charged blindly without spotting the trap, while Ji Yu-chan had spotted it and saved him.
Who should be leading the party? Obviously the one who had reacted. ‘This will end badly if we keep going like this!’‘Forget losing. Something bad is going to happen!’‘W-what should I do?’
Ji Yu-chan couldn’t say a word since he had already stepped aside.
While he was still hesitant, the situation changed.
At the sharp turn at the end of the corridor where the second party waited, goblins suddenly burst out.
“Kekek!”
“Keruk!”
“Kehek!”
Three goblins, just like those in the first party.
With the perfect tension, they could have won easily if they had formed a formation.
But Park Dong-wook roared and charged with his iron club raised. “Aaaaaah!”
He was running in a blind rage, yet he had calculated every move.
His eyes were shaking wildly from the hesitation of his companions, and he was desperate to prove himself as a leader.
The club swung with heavy force, yet the goblins were almost as fast.
Tudududu.
The heavy footsteps closed in.
The goblins tried to stab with their crude daggers, but Park Dong-wook was faster.
The iron club crashed down with savage speed.
It hit one goblin’s fragile skull with a crunch.
The creature collapsed instantly.
But the others attacked him immediately, treating him like an enemy.
They had already decided to sacrifice him to finish Park Dong-wook off.
Park Dong-wook, who had thought only one would die, was stunned.
“W-what?!”
“Keruk!”
Two goblins lunged at him with daggers raised, but Ji Yu-chan appeared again, grabbed Park Dong-wook’s armor, and yanked him back.
Whoosh!
Park Dong-wook tumbled backward and vanished from sight.
Ji Yu-chan glared at the floating goblins, swung his sword, and unleashed a clean arc.
He had trained with a sword for a long time, but the sensation was different. “Here.”
A-class swordsmanship and the Sword King’s Intuition merged. Mana flowed into the blade as the intuition told him exactly how to swing.
The sword drew a perfect circle and severed all three goblin heads at once.
Chwaaaak!
The arc flashed red for a split second as the heads flew through the air.
The bodies hit the floor with dull thuds and sprays of blood.
Pssh.
Behind the corpses stood Park Dong-wook, staring at Ji Yu-chan with trembling eyes.
If he hadn’t been there, would the goblins have bled out and collapsed like that?
His eyes shook.
He had been sure he was better.
A tiny crack had formed in his pride.
Ji Yu-chan’s move had been something he could never match.
Without him, Park Dong-wook might have died. “Damn it.”
Park Dong-wook tried to stand, but his legs were shaking.
Anyone could see he was terrified.
Ji Yu-chan refused to let the strange feeling from moments ago fade.
It reminded him just a little of what Lee Do-hyun had shown him.
Since he could faintly sense mana, he understood clearly.
He had unknowingly poured some inner energy into the sword and attacked.
Lee Do-hyun had attacked him the same way during sparring. “I’m starting to understand the feeling.”
He had vaguely grasped how the Sword King’s Intuition triggered swordsmanship.
He tightened his grip on the sword, ready to improve. “...”
While Ji Yu-chan was lost in reflection, Park Dong-wook had finally stood up.
The other party members were quietly watching the two of them.
The situation was unpredictable at best, yet a sudden alarm blared over the speakers.
LT__span style="color:#dc2626">Status: Mana circuit unstable
LT__span style="color:#dc2626">Reason: Mana flow blocked
LT__span style="color:#a78bfa">Action required: Find exit and escape
LT__span style="color:#a78bfa">Warning: Goblin mutation expected
The broadcast made Park Dong-wook’s eyes shake violently.