Chapter 7
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: First Expedition (2)
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Slowly, dawn began to break. It felt like a single, soundless scream. As they watched the sun tear through the darkness and emerge into the world, each person harbored their own hopes deep within their hearts.
The four mercenary corps entered the Demonic Forest while gazing at the brightening sky. The hard dirt path, untouched for quite some time, was already carpeted with yellowed, dead leaves like scattered decorations. The crisp crunch of fallen leaves underfoot pierced the eerie air, stabbing into their ears like needles.
The Demonic Forest was unmistakably different from an ordinary woods. Unlike the cozy dawn forest, this place was thick with cloying yin energy.
...Death. It was the sharp tang of death. Allen definitely felt it here. It was that dizzying despair of standing on the edge of a cliff with a thousand-foot drop below.
Just stepping foot into the Demonic Forest made it clear to him, skin-deep, that this was no game—this was reality.
The Demonic Forest wasn't some outhouse you could pop in and out of with a few mouse clicks. It was a horrifying death trap where you had to press forward with the blade of death hovering at your throat—
Allen's body, innately timid by nature, struggled to endure the brutal atmosphere. ...But Jihoo endured. He kept his eyes wide open, his back straight, and strength in his legs.
Endure. He had to endure. Now, he had to move forward—
He recalled his life on Earth. How he'd shriveled up endlessly from repeated failures. Trapped in a tiny single room, avoiding reality. Wanting desperately to go out but ultimately never doing it. Himself—
Allen, Jihoo, took one step after another without stopping.
The dim sky soon brightened.
But the dense trees of the Demonic Forest only let in the minimal light needed for survival, blocking out the rest completely. Because of that, even after sunrise, the Demonic Forest remained dark and gloomy. Still, the oppressive yin energy had eased a bit.
"Rest—!"
With Charlotte's booming shout, a flag like a blue butterfly fluttered. The four mercenary corps halted their march at the signal and flopped down wherever they pleased.
"Fuck, no matter how many times I come to the Demonic Forest, I just can't get used to it."
The bald Dolkin muttered as he plunked his large, flat butt onto the dirt. Everyone else chimed in with agreement.
Captain Aiden scanned the porters who'd followed them, confirmed all was well, then quietly sat beside Allen.
"No problems so far."
"Good... That's a relief."
"Leader, are you alright?"
A noble raised like a flower in a greenhouse couldn't possibly handle the Demonic Forest's air as easily as a seasoned mercenary. The captain's voice already carried that assumption.
But Allen waved it off lightly, as if it were nothing. The captain felt relieved, thinking the leader wasn't quite the coward the rumors made him out to be. He'd worried a lot about having to play nursemaid in the Demonic Forest, but it looked like that wouldn't be necessary. ...Though he couldn't say for sure yet.
"Next time, I need to build up my stamina. Who knew I'd be this winded already."
As Allen muttered to himself, the loose-lipped bald guy couldn't hold back and piped up again.
"Nothing builds stamina like sex, really. Heh heh."
Dolkin's joke eased the tension that had crept up to their napes.
"So does that mean three at once triples the efficiency?"
"Fuck... Are you a genius...?"
"Boing-shin."
A few rounds of banter like that, and the short break ended. Once again, Charlotte bellowed that rest was over. People groaned as they hauled their already heavy bodies up and reformed the line. And just like that, the march resumed.
They walked and rested repeatedly until the sun was nearly at its zenith, finally reaching the vicinity of the mine entrance.
Of course, there was a fortress built of stone at the entrance, just like a gateway. But the surroundings were deathly quiet. Not a sign of human presence, not even the chirp of a bird.
The subjugation force entered the fortress slowly, staying on high alert in all directions. Everyone crept forward, even muffling their footsteps.
The fortress, ravaged by monster attacks, was a total wreck. Not just the ore carts, but the copper smelting equipment was mostly destroyed too. And on the ground, faint bloodstains that hadn't fully faded dotted the trash here and there.
"Whew, they've been completely cleaned out."
One squad member's mutter shot like an arrow into his comrades' ears. Just as he said, the mine fortress had been thoroughly looted by monsters.
Once they'd confirmed nothing was left inside the fortress, the subjugation force finally dropped their guard and stretched their stiff backs. Allen calmed his pounding heart and looked up at the fairly high stone wall.
...So those bastards jumped over this?
The stone wall was roughly thirteen or fourteen meters high by his estimate. A height like that would deter most monsters, but unluckily, they'd run into a pack of demon hounds roaming the Demonic Forest...
Given their intelligence, they were surely hiding nearby, waiting for humans to return.
Allen pondered. Was it better to fight them inside the fortress or outside...?
Even considering their jumping ability, fighting with the fortress as cover seemed smarter. In Guild Master, fortresses gave a combat power bonus of a whopping 3.
Of course, there was a risk of getting trapped like rats if things went wrong, but outside, they could get picked off one by one. Better to take the combat bonus. It might not mean much to elite mercenaries, but it was significant for the lower ranks.
...I didn't tag along for nothing, right?
Imagining the fight with the monsters, Allen suddenly felt a chill of fear. It wasn't the kind you could shake off by just mustering courage—
Primal terror—. Jihoo, who'd lived over thirty years on Earth without crises like this, couldn't easily accept a situation where he could actually die.
But... he had to overcome it. There was no other choice. To survive, he needed to keep his wits. He couldn't let fear take over.
Allen barely steadied his mind. He kept reminding himself of the weight of his position as leader.
If I crumble, everyone crumbles—
Just then, someone called out a name. Allen whipped his head toward the sound. Charlotte was gathering the leaders and captains. Probably to discuss the plan ahead.
"Aiden, let's go."
"Yes, Leader."
Allen strode briskly toward Charlotte alongside Captain Aiden. His soles burned from the march, but he didn't show it. It was that mix of pride—like, My military service was way tougher than this—from a Republic of Korea reserve sergeant. And a hefty dose of noble pride too.
Charlotte still eyed Allen with suspicion. But she didn't show it outright. She needed to embody the wise and magnanimous commander.
Two leaders, two acting leaders, and four captains—a total of eight—gathered in a circle. Charlotte had far less experience than the captains, but as the lord's granddaughter, she held the strongest voice. She led the discussion from the center.
"What should we do? Any opinions?"
Everyone just exchanged glances, keeping mum. No one wanted to stick their neck out and take the blame.
Reading their minds, Charlotte seized the moment to voice her own view.
"Do we really need to fight them outside the fortress?"
Then one captain spoke up in a concerned tone.
"According to eyewitnesses, the monsters that attacked jumped over the stone wall. If we're not careful, we could get isolated here, right? Then there'd be no escape..."
Sensing Charlotte's darkening mood, the captain trailed off cautiously.
"No escape...? We're not even fighting yet, and you're already planning to run?"
That laid bare the fundamental difference between employer and employee.
The employer had to complete the mission somehow, while the employee had to survive somehow—
"No, I mean, we should at least consider the worst-case scenario..."
At that, Charlotte's voice sharpened a bit.
"We've got thirty mercenaries here. If we start getting scared already, how do we expect to win? We'll lose fights we could have won—"
Ooh—
Allen admired Charlotte's gutsy attitude, rude as she might be. As expected of a [Prodigy].
...Looks like I don't need to step in.
Agreeing with her, he chimed in to back her up. No ulterior motive.
"I share the same view as the Lady."
Charlotte's sharp gaze snapped to him. Realizing his slip, Allen corrected himself.
"I mean, Charlotte Leader's opinion. ...I don't think we need to go outside and face enemies from all sides. The limited space inside the fortress will restrict their movements instead."
Charlotte bristled at Allen supporting her—it felt like he'd gobbled up her idea whole. So she emphasized it again.
"That's exactly what I mean. It might look like we're trapped, but actually, we can control their movements. If we fight bravely without panicking."
"...That makes sense. Mi— er, we'll follow Charlotte Leader's lead."
Everyone except Allen nodded and bowed slightly in unison.
Fortunately, as Charlotte had hoped, the credit seemed to go to her.