Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Small City Sok
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Small City Sok
‘Please say yes.’
Kang Hyun-soo waited with bated breath for Song Ha-na’s answer.
What if Song Ha-na said no?
He was ready to suggest tea instead of alcohol.
He had brought up drinks in the first place just to shake off the Beast Emperor.
The problem was the Beast Emperor butting in and saying he’d have tea too.
“I’m good with it. I actually haven’t had a drink since coming to the Atlantis Dimension.”
Fortunately, Song Ha-na’s response was positive.
“Ah, yeah.”
Kang Hyun-soo hadn’t touched alcohol in the Atlantis Dimension either, aside from the time he drank to pry into the Beast Emperor’s true feelings.
“Then let’s go.”
Kang Hyun-soo headed to the restaurant-cum-bar with Song Ha-na.
‘It’s turned into a full-on drinking party.’
It was well past dinnertime, and the place had fully transformed into a drinking den.
Kang Hyun-soo and Song Ha-na found seats.
Song Ha-na seemed in high spirits, her face beaming with smiles.
‘Does she like drinking? We should do this together now and then, even if not too often.’
His bond with Song Ha-na ran deep.
They had shared life-and-death struggles from the tutorial all the way to now, so it was only natural.
However.
‘Still, I need to keep things in check.’
Alcohol had a strange magic that loosened tongues and revealed hidden thoughts.
If he drank with Song Ha-na occasionally?
It could deepen their already close friendship even further, and he might learn her true feelings.
‘It’d be trouble if she built up resentments I don’t know about.’
Kang Hyun-soo started with some light topics.
With their recent intense grinding of hunts and spars, wasn’t it tough? How was the skill rank growth? Was she satisfied with the new sword?
“Hunting and sparring are for getting stronger. This is a place where you have to be strong to survive, so I just grit my teeth and bear it. Skill ranks, too…”
Song Ha-na opened up casually about her inner thoughts.
‘Doesn’t seem like any major issues.’
Song Ha-na had a strong mentality.
She also had a fierce drive to grow and a competitive spirit.
‘She’s the type who adapts best to the Atlantis Dimension.’
Kang Hyun-soo and Song Ha-na naturally shifted topics as they chatted.
Then.
Kang Hyun-soo brought up the Beast Emperor.
“How’s it going with Jupi?”
“Are you uncomfortable because Jupi and I keep butting heads? Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. I’m just curious.”
Truth be told, there was only one reason Song Ha-na and the Beast Emperor clashed.
Song Ha-na was the one subtly picking fights.
With a mocking look or snide remarks.
“I just didn’t like him from the start.”
“Why?”
“The way he acted all high and mighty at first and looked down on you. He always treats you so casually. You’re the party leader, and you’re stronger than him. Plus, you’re teaching him through spars, so in a way, you’re like his master. But you speak politely to him, while he snaps back informally. Where’s the respect in that?”
‘No, it’s not that bad.’
His tone was just gruff.
The Beast Emperor saw Kang Hyun-soo as his benefactor.
For the advice, buying him the Beast King’s Gauntlets, sparring with him, and so on.
You could tell from how the Beast Emperor usually treated Kang Hyun-soo.
“Also, it feels like you’re going too easy on Jupi. You gave him a weapon even though he hasn’t officially joined the party. What if he just runs off?”
‘It was because of me.’
Kang Hyun-soo finally understood why Song Ha-na picked fights with the Beast Emperor.
He was the root cause of this conflict.
‘Can’t blame her.’
Kang Hyun-soo knew the Beast Emperor pretty well.
He knew what kind of life the Beast Emperor had lived before his regression.
That’s why the Beast Emperor’s rough speech just seemed endearing.
He thought giving gifts was a way to keep him tied down.
But how did it look in Song Ha-na’s eyes?
‘She can’t help but think I’m being too soft.’
Song Ha-na had been with Kang Hyun-soo since the tutorial.
The Beast Emperor, on the other hand, had joined the party later.
From Kang Hyun-soo’s perspective, he was just giving gifts fairly one by one.
But from Song Ha-na’s view, as the party’s senior member, it might feel unfair.
‘I need to keep the balance.’
Dealing with people was always the hardest part of life.
“Sorry.”
“No, you don’t need to apologize to me. I’m just worried about you.”
Song Ha-na was caught off guard by Kang Hyun-soo’s apology.
“I want to keep Jupi in our party long-term. But he’s different from you. He could leave anytime.”
“That’s true.”
A faint smile tugged at Song Ha-na’s lips.
The moment Kang Hyun-soo said “different from you,” her mouth curved up without her realizing.
“I won’t ask you to get along with Jupi. Just don’t let things get worse.”
“Okay, I won’t provoke him first from now on.”
Kang Hyun-soo smiled at Song Ha-na’s response.
‘One issue resolved, at least.’
Song Ha-na had never gone back on her word to him so far.
So she wouldn’t pick fights with the Beast Emperor first anymore.
‘Now it’s up to how I handle things.’
He’d have to mediate carefully to keep their relationship from souring.
It wouldn’t be easy.
Nothing was as sensitive or hard to handle as people’s emotions.
‘But I have to make it work.’
He had put the Slaughter Emperor and Beast Emperor in the same party.
Talents certain to become top-rankers if they grew steadily.
Among top-rankers, the Slaughter Emperor and Beast Emperor were named players who had earned the Emperor title.
‘I can’t lose either one.’
No matter what, he had to stick with them to the end.
For his own sake.
To end this endless war.
* * *
“Jupi, mind if I drop the formal speech from now on?”
The Beast Emperor nodded readily at Kang Hyun-soo’s question.
“Sure. You’re the party leader anyway.”
“Got it. I’ll talk casually then.”
“Yeah.”
The next day, Kang Hyun-soo started by adjusting how he spoke to the Beast Emperor.
‘It doesn’t bother me, but it might’ve irked Song Ha-na.’
The formal speech was definitely one of Song Ha-na’s complaints.
‘Her gripes should ease up now, right?’
Kang Hyun-soo thought so as he glanced at Song Ha-na.
But.
‘What?’
Song Ha-na’s expression looked even more sullen.
‘What’s the problem now?’
Dealing with people really was the hardest.
* * *
Kang Hyun-soo, Song Ha-na, and the Beast Emperor threw themselves back into hunting.
But one issue cropped up.
‘The monsters are too low-level.’
The group was staying in Gula, the capital of the Muran Kingdom.
Gula sat at the heart of the Muran Kingdom.
Naturally, it was well-defended against invasions from other countries or monster attacks.
On top of that, the Muran Kingdom’s army periodically hunted down high-level monsters that posed problems.
‘So the monster quality has to be low.’
The monsters in dungeons and fields were scouts scattered across the world by the Demon King’s army.
Gula did leave some monsters alone for player growth, but only the low-level ones.
‘For proper hunting, we need to head to a small city.’
The nations of the Atlantis Dimension didn’t have the resources to wipe out every monster everywhere.
They only cleared those near major cities.
For small cities, the best they could do was hold off invasions relying on walls.
‘Let’s go to a small city.’
That way, they could hunt more monsters, and higher-level ones at that.
‘The Beast Emperor’s a bit of a concern, though. Hope he’s okay with it.’
The country boy Beast Emperor had stayed in the capital Gula for the martial tournament.
He might resist leaving Gula.
‘Let’s try convincing him.’
He’d won the 201-300 level bracket, so he had some leeway.
‘He needs to level up anyway for the 301-400 bracket.’
Small cities in the provinces were better for fast leveling than the capital.
That evening.
After finishing the day’s routine, Kang Hyun-soo gathered the group.
“What’s up?”
“Something to say?”
At Song Ha-na and the Beast Emperor’s questions, Kang Hyun-soo spoke.
“I think we should move our hunting grounds to a small city.”
“Yeah, the monsters here are few and low-level. I’m in.”
Song Ha-na was the first to agree.
“You, Beast Emperor?”
The Beast Emperor made a subtle face at Kang Hyun-soo’s question.
“Got a good spot in mind? Not all small cities are great. Sometimes the monsters are too high-level, slowing us down.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve scouted a place.”
Kang Hyun-soo knew the perfect hunting ground for power-leveling.
“Then I’m in too. But it’s not too far out, right? My dream is to win every martial tournament in the Muran Kingdom. The 301-400 bracket only happens four times a year. Miss one, and you wait three months.”
“Not going too remote. It’s a small city about three days from a major city with a warp gate. You won’t miss the 301-400 tournament.”
Some remote small cities were months away on foot from warp gate cities.
‘I wouldn’t pick one like that.’
The Beast Emperor’s tournament participation was a big win for Kang Hyun-soo too.
A prime chance to make bank betting.
“Then let’s do it.”
The Beast Emperor agreed in the end.
“We move tomorrow. Pack light tonight.”
“Got it.”
“Sure.”
The move to the small city was unanimously decided.
* * *
The next morning.
Kang Hyun-soo, Song Ha-na, and the Beast Emperor packed up and headed to the warp gate.
“But where are we going?”
“Yeah, I’m curious too.”
At their questions, Kang Hyun-soo answered.
“A small city called Sok.”
“Sok?”
Song Ha-na looked like she’d never heard of it.
“Where’s that?”
The Beast Emperor seemed clueless too.
“It’s the northernmost small city in the Muran Kingdom.”
“Northernmost? Isn’t that freezing?”
The Beast Emperor asked, surprised.
“That’s what I heard.”
Kang Hyun-soo replied calmly.
In truth.
‘It’s not just heard—I’ve been there.’
Incredibly cold and barren land.
Which was why.
‘Players avoid hunting there.’
Monsters overflowed in abundance.
‘It’ll be rough, but we’ll tough it out.’
The best hunting ground for power-leveling the group.
Plus.
‘There’s something I must get there.’
Small City Sok.
Cold and harsh, so sparsely visited.
Thanks to that.
‘It won’t be discovered for another three years.’
The catch: Kang Hyun-soo didn’t know the exact location.
‘The Ice Queen got it while hunting there.’
If he hunted diligently, he could find it too.
“Three to Mokseu.”
Kang Hyun-soo handed money to the warp gate attendant and called out the destination.
They had to go to the northern metropolis Mokseu first to reach the northernmost Sok.
“There might be some nausea.”
With a brief warning.
Whoosh!
A bright glow enveloped Kang Hyun-soo, Song Ha-na, and the Beast Emperor.