Chapter 194

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 194

Chapter Title: The Last One

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"Huh? There are a ton of dead monsters scattered around. Could this have something to do with that quest notification that popped up while we were sleeping?"

"Who knows."

It was hard to give a definitive answer to the Saintess's question. This was my first time in this Trial, after all.

But I had a pretty good idea why there were so many monster corpses around.

'According to the [Weather Forecast], lightning was supposed to strike around here.'

The lightning in the Primordial Forest was beyond imagination, from what I'd heard. Insanely high-voltage currents rained down relentlessly, and the monsters that took direct hits were now sprawled everywhere, being devoured by the cleanup crews.

There were so many that the whole forest reeked of meat, and even as we passed by, the cleanup crews didn't chase us.

"......"

Thanks to that, farming had been a breeze today.

When we returned to the village after finishing our farming run, the place was in full festival mode.

Dung-dung-dung!

In the center of the village, the vast plaza was packed with people dancing, eating, and drinking.

The tribesfolk had gotten meat from the charred monster corpses and thrown a feast.

Thump-thump!

Drums boomed, and people clapped along, spinning around the goddess statue, stomping their feet.

Shake-shake.

"Haha, shake it more!"

"Those tits are insane."

Especially since the women were dancing naked, it was a feast for the eyes for all the players. Looking around now, our group was the only one with female survivors among the players.

Maybe that's why we considered joining in for a bit, but the women scowled and that killed the vibe.

"Feels like we stumbled into some sleazy club."

"Not really my scene."

"Mine neither."

Of course, it wasn't so much the nudity we'd seen plenty of that bothered us—it was something else.

"Ugh, that gamey meat smell. How do they even eat this stuff?"

"Yeah, not for me."

"Haha, the smell's kinda hard to get used to."

We'd all gotten our tastes elevated by the [Nerara Great Plains Buffalo] that Im Ah-rin had brought. So even filling up on beef from the general store felt lacking, let alone this rough, carnivorous dinosaur meat.

"How about we just enjoy ourselves back at the lodging, just us?"

Han So-hee spoke for the group.

"Sounds good to me."

I was all for it if that's what they wanted. So we headed back to the lodging, chattering about what to eat.

Swish.

Someone blocked our path. It was Kim Jin-woo. Dressed just like the tribesfolk, like some cultural anthropologist visiting Ber shi village, he approached with a smile.

"Oh, you're back? Why leave so soon? Stick around and enjoy the festival a bit more."

"Not really our thing."

"Haha, come on, trust me and give it a try."

When the Saintess refused, Kim Jin-woo tensed up his upper body, flexing nonexistent muscles with a friendly face.

He'd been quiet for days, but now he was suddenly hitting on us. Lately, we'd been talking about washing up and such, and my women had removed their face veils. His eyes were full of interest now.

No wonder—our party's beauties were on a whole other level compared to the tribesfolk.

'...Should I split his skull?'

As I thought that and reached for the axe at my waist, Lee Sera stepped forward and flipped him the bird.

"Fuck off."

She grabbed the Saintess and walked past.

That set it off—Kim Yu-rim and Joo Ah-hyun ignored him, Han So-hee snorted, and Lee Eun-jung shook her head as she passed.

"Uh, hey?"

Kim Jin-woo looked baffled, his expectations shattered. But he lit up again soon. The most stunning beauty in our party was still there.

"Might I ask your name... Gahk."

But he couldn't finish, clutching his groin. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Shin Seo-yeon's boot had just nailed him there before she turned back.

"I'm warning you—don't show your face in front of me or my sisters again. Next time, I'll burst them."

"Guhk. Guhk."

"Dickhead, let's go."

She linked arms with me, grinning as we walked off.

A bit later, Kubara came running up asking what happened, but Kim Jin-woo couldn't say a word.

No way he'd admit he got kicked in the balls trying to hit on another girl. He'd probably be useless with Kubara tonight too.

'Hm?'

Then I spotted a middle-aged man sitting alone on the empty street, smoking. I sent Shin Seo-yeon ahead to the group and approached.

"Hao Zifeng?"

"...Who? Oh, you."

"What're you doing here? Not enjoying the festival?"

"Heh heh heh, who knows."

That laugh sent a chill down my spine.

"Speaking of, where are your guys? Don't tell me..."

I showed concern, but he waved it off.

"They're all fine. Just tired and crashed early."

Nothing more to say. I sighed softly and started to leave, then pulled out some potato chips, Home Run Balls, and a few sodas from my inventory.

"What's this...?"

"Looks like you've got your reasons for skipping the festival like us. Hang in there."

"......"

"This Trial will end soon, and once it's over, none of this will matter."

Yeah, in the Selection Process, you go through all sorts of crap. Every day feels endlessly long.

Like that, ten years pass.

After those ten years, everyone's mind is shredded, and normal people are hard to find.

Lee Sera lost her ability to speak, the Saintess went mad, and Lee Eun-jung turned into a machine.

The only relatively sane one was Shin Seo-yeon. Everyone else forgets their own existence, wandering the Trial battlefields like zombies.

Losing revenge, humanity, morals, depravity, conscience—everything...

Maybe the Selection Process isn't about picking the best fighters.

Maybe it's about finding those with spirits strong enough to stay whole after all that hell. Like transcendent gods overlooking the world.

So it's best to avoid wasting energy on petty emotions and manage your mental state early. If you want to stay even a little 'human,' like me.

"Don't get caught up in bad thoughts. Hang in there."

"...Thanks."

I walked away.

Looking back, I sometimes think I sensed something then. That the future I'd changed was starting to veer off course.

I might not have known it in my head, but my long-honed instincts did.

And surely, the gifts I offered had some effect.

The next day, as we left the village, I told Kim Jong-su and the North Korean survivors—who still hadn't tamed a Dracos—

"We won't be back for about two days."

"Two days?"

Nod.

"Starting today, heavy clouds will roll in."

In the [Primordial Forest] under thick clouds, you can move even during the day.

So we planned to minimize sleep, relying on the Saintess's healing, and grind hard for 60 hours straight. A prime event period to double our usual stat gains—we couldn't miss it.

"Just letting you know so you don't worry if something happens."

"Haha, got it. Come back safe."

Nod.

After that, we dove into intense farming.

The lightning-struck monster corpses were gone in a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠day. Fortunately, the mountain dragon evolution hadn't happened yet.

'After these three days of farming, it'll be day seven. Around then, people will have tamed Dracos, and it'll evolve successfully.'

It might seem coincidental, but in instance dungeon-style Trials like this, everything is practically inevitable.

Like pieces moving on a chessboard laid out by some omniscient god we can't comprehend.

'Once the mountain dragon starts its second evolution, it grows exponentially.'

So we had to max out farming before then.

Vitality Stones, magic stones, and even Goddess favor.

"Dickhead, let's go get more Intelligence again!"

"Yeah! Yeah!"

"More Intelligence? Wouldn't Stamina or Agility be better now?"

Even when I suggested otherwise, the two kids threw a fit.

"Intelligence! Intelligence! Intelligence!"

"Oppa, I want Intelligence too! Intelligence!"

Shin Seo-yeon went without saying, and it suited Lee Sera's style too.

The others could use more abilities with higher Intelligence anyway, so no issue.

"But Intelligence is useless for Hana unnie."

"Ah."

"R-Really?"

The Saintess's [Recovery Authority] consumed 10% of her mana for full heals, unlike other healers affected by Intelligence. No matter how much it went up, it meant nothing for her.

"Min-jun, I'm fine."

"Still."

"How about we aim for Stamina or Agility this time?"

At Han So-hee's suggestion, the two kids nodded reluctantly. Disappointing, but stats don't go anywhere.

So my party alternated [Vitality Stones] that boosted Agility and Intelligence, while Lee Eun-jung and I grinded the full 60 hours hard together.

Sleeping one hour at a time in shifts, enduring with the Saintess's heals.

"Ugh, so boring."

"...Can't do this."

"Haha, th-this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is tough."

"Tell me about it. Ugh, I'm itching."

Around 54 hours in, the group started complaining. Fair enough. All day sitting and doing deep breathing exercises.

That's tolerable for a day or two, but by the third day full-on, even sitting got boring.

"So-hee, Yu-rim. You two okay?"

Those two were holding up well.

"I'm good. Meditated enough as a kid to be sick of it."

True, rich girls are different. I glanced at Kim Yu-rim, who smiled.

"In the military, killing time doing nothing was common. Waiting around's no big deal."

Interesting. Just standing by doing zilch. What even is the military?

Patter-patter.

Rain started pouring.

"Oh? It's raining."

We ducked under trees to avoid it, just as we were about to hunt new Vitality Stones.

Whoosh—

In the ancient tropical rainforest where everything was gigantic, we tiny humans just watched the downpour.

"This one's lasting a while."

"Should stop in under 15 minutes."

No rain in the forecast today. Passing showers hit a dozen times a day, mostly during the hot hours.

"Min-jun, this Trial's almost over, right?"

"Yeah. Probably in a few days."

My plan was to capture the mountain dragon alive, then drag things out farming, but we couldn't stall forever with spectators watching from above.

So yeah, the end was near.

"I wonder what Rangie's doing. Hope she's not hungry."

"Haha, why not contact her if you're worried? She has a wind spirit too."

"Oh! Totally forgot! Hehe, I'll do that now."

The Saintess beamed and beckoned her spirit. A shy, gentle-looking one approached innocently.

'Fitting for the Saintess—her spirit's so pure.'

Spirits take after their masters' personalities. Pure like a child, easily tamed by people.

I looked up at the other spirits.

They all acted according to their owners' traits.

Bicker-bicker!

Lee Sera and Shin Seo-yeon's spirits fought viciously, bullied others, and caused trouble. Han So-hee's stood aloof, unbothered.

'Why's mine so nasty when I'm not?'

Crunch-crunch, gnawing my fingers like mortal enemies.

Definitely meant for Shin Seo-yeon.

"Rangie, you doing okay? Eaten?"

Anyway, the Saintess sent her spirit to check on Rangie. It returned soon, and as dimensions split, another wind spirit popped out.

It glanced at us blankly, then opened its mouth.

But we'd overlooked one thing.

「Kyaaang! Kyaaang!」

"......"

"What the hell's it saying?"

"No clue."

Even with resident privileges, monster babble couldn't be translated.

But the Saintess smiled brightly.

"She's doing great! Playing nice with Inope, even growing grass properly!"

"Unnie, you can understand that?"

"Of course!"

"Huh?"

Even then, the spirit kept replaying Rangie's words. As her owner, I caught one part.

「Kyaaang! Grass tastes bad! Won't eat!」

"......"

"Dickhead, bet this brat tried the grass we left with Inope."

"Saw Rangie sneaking seeds buried underground when the auntie's not looking."

"Aang? Why steal those?!"

Crunch-crunch—probably felt like munching magic stones. Tamed monsters addicted to mana stones do that.

'Come to think of it, mana stone intake's low this time.'

Whatever, personal and guild rewards cover it...

Whoosh—

As the rain dragged on longer than expected, I leaned against a tree, leisurely watching the drops.

Watching rain like this in a Trial zone—first time in ages. Unthinkable in my first round.

'Couldn't predict a thing back then.'

Rain just made me anxious. Some huge unknown threat creeping up. Couldn't sit still from the fear.

'Rain... can feel this refreshing?'

Gently swaying leaves.

Water cascading from their tips.

The downpour soaking the world cool.

Whoosh—

Didn't know knowing the future could heal like this.

Back then, the moment I killed the Destruction Dragon alone, I just thought it sucked and I could do better next time.

Regressed thinking I'd bring one person so I wouldn't be lonely.

Under the huge leaves, I watched the women gathered, chatting happily.

"I saw that from Chilseong Observatory a few times."

"Oh, really?"

"Eun-jung, so you did military service too?"

"If it's what you think, yeah."

"Whoa, wild. So you two were in similar spots? Tell us military stories."

"Me too."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

The women huddled, chattering away. The seven of us had gotten close lately.

Positive that Lee Eun-jung meshed well with our group, and her communication with Kim Yu-rim and Joo Ah-hyun was solid.

Im Ah-rin alone was a shaky link to the bitch squad, so when our guilds moved together someday, those two would bridge nicely.

"No way giant boars that big exist?"

"Can't believe it."

"Crazy."

I watched the laughing women, steeling my resolve quietly. Especially seeing the Saintess, I tightened my loosened heart.

'This time, I'll save them somehow. At least the women who trust and follow me.'

This time, no one breaks, no one dies—we'll run to the final Trial.

Of course, that means getting way stronger. Strong enough to one-shot the Destruction Dragon before it rampages.

'Impossible in round one.'

This time, possible.

The path might be rough, but I'll make it happen.

Drip. Drip.

"Ah, rain stopped."

"Alright, let's move! Six more hours hard, then full rest!"

"Yeah!"

Just as we mounted Dracos to hunt the next Vitality Stone.

"Huh?"

"D-Did it just evolve...?"

"Looks like."

"Eh, about time anyway."

As Seo-yeon said. Nothing surprising. Though a tad faster than I thought, six hours was within margin.

Yeah, right then.

Notifications updating every minute. Our faces stiffened as a group. This was wrong.

Something that never happened in my first round.

I yanked the reins, turning Dracos from the Vitality Stone toward the village.

"Heading back to the village first."

'What? Too fast.'

Most mobs in this forest were stronger than it.

I'd deliberately dodged them to run, and whenever the group killed any, Shin Seo-yeon burned them completely with fire, leaving no growth fodder.

The only possibility was players feeding it, but no one dumb enough for that.

'Then what?'

Clop-clop—

Actually, a vague suspicion nagged me. That's why we were rushing back. Hoping that ominous hunch was wrong.

Halt.

But pushing through the brush into the cave, the dread materialized.

Empty entrance.

Dead silence, no presence.

No guards at the entrance like always.

A thick stench of blood wafted from deep in the twisting tunnel, and the Dracos hesitated, refusing to enter.

That confirmed it.

'This thing... attacked the village.'