Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Caught You, You Bastard!
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"……."
The bastard looked up at me.
The corner of his mouth, visible under the hood, curled up in a sleazy grin.
"You. What the hell are you?"
I growled low, and he slowly raised his index finger to his lips.
"Shh."
"……Hah."
I let out a disbelieving scoff.
Ghouls were swarming from all sides, screaming and causing chaos, and this guy was hiding in the carriage like he had it made, pulling that shh bullshit.
'Some kind of demi-human?'
I immediately sharpened all my senses to scan him.
No alien aura or the peculiar bloodlust of a monster.
Not like that Hailon assassin from the previous stage who targeted me.
'Just a human with a skill to hide his presence?'
Maybe he'd learned some unique stealth skill.
For now, I could relax a bit.
I wanted to grab him by the collar and yank him out right then, but the situation didn't allow it.
"Kieeeek!"
"Block that side! It's breaking through!"
Lee Seo-ah's desperate scream burst from behind me.
The defensive line was collapsing. If I tangled with this guy here, the saintess and everyone else would die.
'Take him along for now. He's in the shared fate, so he won't pull anything stupid.'
Without taking my eyes off him, I roughly grabbed Dean Thomas and Eletsa behind me.
"Get on! Hurry!"
"A-alright! Lady Eletsa, quick!"
I shoved the two into the cargo hold like luggage.
"Yuriel! You too, get in fast! Watch those people from inside!"
"Got it! I'll protect them!"
After stuffing Yuriel, Park Yumin, and Lee Seo-ah into the hold, I slammed the door shut and yelled.
"Go! Break through!"
"Damn it! Hold on tight!"
The party leader, now up on the driver's seat, gripped the reins and shouted.
Beside him, the bucktoothed guy clung on in terror, while the two burly swordsmen had climbed onto the carriage roof, slashing at the ghouls.
"Don't just sit there inside—keep them in check properly!"
"Got it!"
"B-Big Brother?!"
"Don't worry about me. I'll handle myself!"
I hung from the rear of the carriage, gripping the cargo door frame.
This spot had the best view for monitoring all directions without blind spots.
"Hyaah!"
The whip cracked, and the horses neighed fiercely.
The carriage jolted forward, ramming through the ghoul horde and charging ahead.
Crash! Thud!
The sounds of ghouls crushed under the wheels mixed with the whooshes of the swordsmen's blades from the roof.
As the carriage picked up speed, breaking through the encirclement and veering onto the forest path, the number of pursuing ghouls visibly thinned.
"Phew…."
I finally caught my breath.
Steadying myself on the shaking railing, I turned to check the cargo hold.
I wanted to get another look at that brazen rat's face.
The cramped space held only the terrified Dean Thomas, Eletsa deep in prayer, Yuriel gripping her bow tensely, and the rest of my group.
"……Huh?"
Gone.
The cloaked figure who'd been huddled in the corner had vanished completely.
'Did he slip away already?'
I hurriedly scanned the surroundings.
No way he'd jumped off a moving carriage.
Only one answer.
In that chaotic moment when I was shoving people into the hold.
He'd used invisibility or stealth to slip out of my line of sight.
Is he insane?
What does he plan to do alone, split from us?
In this monster-dense area near the monastery, of all places?
'Damn it.'
Even now, I was worrying about his life.
Not out of pity.
If he dies, the quest fails.
If he dies, we can't clear this stage.
And if he dies, I'm done for too—we all are.
It left a bad taste.
Like an invisible spider crawling on the back of my neck.
But I couldn't stop the carriage to search for him.
Stopping would let the ghouls catch up again.
'If it were just me, I'd hop off, find him, and grind levels to my heart's content.'
I couldn't risk it with lives on the line.
I could tough it out, but these guys? Perfect ghoul bait.
'Just you wait. You'll crawl out eventually.'
I gritted my teeth, swallowed the unease, and focused ahead.
First priority: get out of this godforsaken forest.
The forest path was brutal.
The carriage rattled like a rollercoaster on the unpaved road.
"Urgh… My arm…!"
A man's scream came from the driver's seat.
Not just from the rough terrain or tough driving.
The stench of rotting flesh wafted on the wind.
"B-Big Brother! Your arm… the color's all weird!"
The bucktoothed guy wailed in a trembling voice.
I climbed across the roof to the front to check.
It was a sight.
The guy's forearm gripping the reins was pitch black and necrotic.
The spot grazed by the ghoul had swollen massively, flesh melting away to expose raw red muscle.
"Urgh… Potion! Got any? Spray it quick!"
"I-I did! But no feeling left? B-Big Bro?!"
"D-Drive… You take over…."
"O-Okay… I'll-I'll try…."
The swordsmen on the roof were in the same boat.
Splashed with ghoul blood, their faces and necks oozed pus.
Price of touching ghouls without a rosario.
"Damn it! Might have to amputate! Any healers? Anyone know Heal?!"
The man bellowed in agony.
Party on the brink of collapse.
'About time I stepped in.'
I glanced at the cargo hold.
Dean Thomas called her the 'saintess.'
No way a game NPC with a saintess title was just dead weight.
Eletsa.
Her time to shine had come.
Creak.
As expected, the small window connecting the hold and driver's seat slid open.
"Poor souls…."
A calm, clear voice quelled the clamor.
The saintess extended a pale hand through the window.
"May the goddess's mercy be with you, groaning in pain."
Flash—!
Dazzling golden light poured from Eletsa's fingertips.
Intense holy power lit the dim forest like midday.
'Whoa. Way flashier than in the game?'
I was impressed inwardly.
Worth calling her a saintess.
"Wha…? Huh?"
Amazed voices erupted from the driver's seat.
The excruciating pain vanished like it was washed away, blackened skin shedding scabs.
Fresh pink flesh sprouted in its place.
"M-My arm…!"
"Big Bro! Your face too! All better!"
The roof swordsmen cheered, touching their faces.
The horrific curse purified by a single touch.
'Gotta snag her somehow. That AoE heal is busted. The more I see, the more I want it.'
In that instant, I secretly hoped the Hailon assassin would show.
Take him out quietly, get the Blood Oath Stone, enslave the saintess….
Zap.
The saintess suddenly glared at me.
'Don't worry. He can't come anyway, and if he does, it's game over for me.'
When I didn't look away, she bashfully turned her head.
'No way she has mind-reading on top of AoE heal? Nah….'
Finishing her prayer, the saintess met the driver's eyes.
She nodded gently with a benevolent smile.
"May you be safe."
Even after she turned away fully, the man stared blankly.
"S-Saintess…."
His eyes welled up.
From now on, to them, Eletsa was no mere quest baggage NPC.
A living goddess who saved them from hellish torment—their lifesaver worth dying for.
'Good reaction.'
I watched with arms crossed.
Their eyes had changed.
'Perfect faces for dying heroically from overconfidence.'
My turn now.
I slipped a hand into my pocket, fingering the cool [Purifying Rosario].
Before the fear they just felt faded.
And before another crisis hit.
Perfect timing to sell this necklace.
"Whoa, whoa."
The carriage halted after the rough forest path.
A wide clearing with a clear pond, like it was made for a break.
Open on all sides—ideal for spotting monsters. Classic save point terrain.
"Let's rest a bit. Horses are worn out."
At my words, the driver's seat guys sighed in relief.
They stumbled off toward the pond.
Watering the horses, splashing their faces to wash away corruption traces.
"Phew… ha…."
The near-dead guy wiped his wet face and approached me.
Eletsa's heal fixed the skin, but not the mental scars.
His eyes mixed exhaustion and awe toward me.
"Thanks to you, we lived. If not for you…."
"Han Yujin."
"Right. Han Yujin. I'm Kim Junho. These are my brothers. Honestly, at first… thought you were just lucky bastards. Three women and all."
He smiled bitterly and bowed.
"I was arrogant. Didn't know the skill gap was this big. Your moves… no joke."
"Just luck."
I replied curtly, filling my canteen.
The bucktoothed one—Kim Junho's brother—hesitated before chiming in.
"Um… Big Bro. Something I've been wondering since earlier."
"Speak."
"Your group… unlike us, covered in monster blood but fine…."
Perfect segue.
I reached into my pocket.
With a jingle, I pulled out what they desperately wanted.
Four rosarios on my palm.
"This is why. Purifying Rosario. Magic grade, prevents corruption debuff."
Kim Junho and his crew's eyes widened.
Then their faces flushed red.
Betrayal and anger before relief.
"H-Hey! You had spares? Why not give 'em earlier?!"
Kim Junho snapped.
"Watched us scream as our flesh melted! Toying with lives?!"
Bucktooth piled on.
"Wow… too much. We're in the same boat! If we die, you fail too! Hiding this?!"
They glared like they'd been wronged to death.
But I didn't flinch.
If anything, coldly retorted like their outrage was laughable.
"You own it?"
"……What?"
"This is my item, found with my time. You idiots couldn't find it—why should I hand it over? Think I'm a charity?"
My sharp aura shut them up.
"Then give me that sword. Those boots look better than yours—hand 'em over? Strong guys should gear up to boost clear rate, right? No?"
They couldn't argue logically.
If it bugs you, find your own. Never even checked under the bed.
I spun a rosario on my finger and drove it home.
"Want it? Show sincerity. Nothing's free in this world."
From behind, Park Yumin poked Yuriel's arm and whispered.
"Eek… See that? Big Brother's so commanding. Shut down four guys with one line."
Yuriel nodded. "He's always…."
Not sure if praise, but the mood was set.
"……Hah."
Kim Junho sighed deeply, head down.
Accepted reality.
Pride aside, he knew they needed it to survive.
"Fine. We'll buy. How much?"
He asked resignedly, then looked troubled.
"But no cash now… All we got is equipped gear…."
Stage 1-3 veterans—gear wasn't trash.
But I didn't want their used junk.
I stepped closer, staring them down.
"Guarantee it. Without this, you won't last a minute next zone. Saintess heal? Has limits. If infinite, she'd spam from start. Don't expect saves next time."
Their shoulders twitched.
Flesh-melting agony.
Nothing like trauma for a threat.
"Tch… Dirty…."
"Dirty?"
I raised a brow; Kim Junho waved frantically.
"N-No. So… what do you want? Strip our gear?"
"Nah. Used stuff's gross."
I pointed deep into the forest we'd pass soon.
"Simple terms. All items and rewards from this stage till end—transfer ownership to me."
"……Everything?"
"Yes. Everything. I'll pass on what I don't need."
Slave contract, basically.
Risk life, get nothing.
No choice for them.
'Easy ride or rotting agony. Maybe death.'
Kim Junho bit his lip, glanced at his crew. All nodding.
Lives over loot.
"……Deal. We'll do it."
"Transaction complete."
I grinned, extending the rosario hand.
"Here."
He reached out.
That instant.
Whoosh—
'Knew it.'
Felt it earlier.
When the horse dipped to drink, something slithered off the saddle.
Invisible, but focus caught the air's faint ripple.
'Hid till now, finally moving?'
Before Kim Junho fully extended, something invisible snatched at my rosario.
Perfect ambush—no air cut sound.
But.
'Too obvious.'
Chop!
"……?!"
I yanked back the rosario hand swiftly.
And with the other, lightly chopped at empty air.
Thwack!
"Caught you, rat."
"Hngk."
Panicked vibe.
Finally materialized.
"Urgh."
The caught bastard struggled, but my grip—boosted by Unique once, Magic once—was iron tighter than cuffs.
"Where?"
I slammed him down by the collar.
"Gek!"
Heavy thud, dust cloud.
Frog-squish groan, kinda comical.
Kim Junho and crew recoiled in shock.