Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: The Invisible Wall
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Silva spread out a map in front of Kang Jin-hyuk, who had accepted the request, and Lucia.
The map depicted the terrain of the surrounding area, with a location already marked on it.
Silva pointed emphatically at that spot with his finger.
“This is probably where the dragon’s lair is.”
“You haven’t actually been there, but you know the location?”
“Of course, I haven’t confirmed it directly, but the direction where the dragon’s scent grows stronger clearly points this way.”
He added that there was a wide cave there, making it the perfect spot for a nest.
“That sounds like a pretty reliable location.”
“Shall we pull out the iron horns while they’re hot and head out right now?”
“I wouldn’t recommend that.”
After this area became covered in snow, the number of monsters had skyrocketed.
They’d run into monsters every ten steps or so, and setting out as the sun was setting would be reckless.
“Climbing the mountain at this hour is dangerous. Rest at our house for today.”
Even though the village was slowly dying out, being the chief’s home, there was plenty of space to accommodate two guests.
“Then we’ll impose on you.”
Once Kang Jin-hyuk and Lucia accepted the offer, Silva guided them to the guest room.
“You can sleep here.”
The guest space Silva provided was spacious enough, with a properly prepared stove.
The fact that it was spotlessly clean, without a speck of dust despite no visitors, spoke volumes about his usual character.
“If there’s anything inconvenient, please let me know right away.”
Far from inconvenient, the room was so well-prepared that Kang Jin-hyuk wondered if they deserved such generous treatment.
However, there was one thing that bothered him.
Kang Jin-hyuk stared fixedly at the two beds placed side by side with a stiff expression.
“You’re not saying we have to share this room, are you?”
When Kang Jin-hyuk subtly asked if there were other rooms, Silva looked puzzled.
“Is something bothering you?”
“No, it’s just that a grown man and woman sharing a room...”
“Ah! Don’t worry about that. The soundproofing is excellent.”
Silva laughed in a tone that showed he wasn’t concerned at all.
Hearing that, Kang Jin-hyuk nearly unleashed a barrage of curses without thinking.
It was clear the host was thoroughly misunderstanding something.
“We’re not in that kind of relationship.”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
For Silva, who clearly didn’t understand, Kang Jin-hyuk whispered softly into his ear.
“I mean... we’re not at a level where we have enough affection for any romantic connection as opposite sexes.”
“Do humans only mate after building up affection for each other?”
“Pfft.”
Lucia, who had been sitting in the room replenishing her fluids, sprayed water everywhere like a mist sprayer.
Choking, she coughed painfully and teared up.
“You bastard...! What nonsense did you spout to make that crap come out of that guy’s mouth!?”
Lucia nailed Kang Jin-hyuk’s temple precisely with her half-full water bottle.
“Th-then rest well.”
Before the sparks could fly his way, Silva hurriedly closed the door and left.
Left alone, Kang Jin-hyuk had to take Lucia’s fists all over his body until her embarrassment subsided.
True to Silva’s bold claim of excellent soundproofing, none of Kang Jin-hyuk’s screams leaked outside.
* * *
Practically chased out, Kang Jin-hyuk massaged his swollen eye with the duck egg Silva had given him.
“A single potion would fix this right up...”
He’d rushed out and left his inventory in the room.
The cold wind blowing steadily through the streets while he stood there made his plight even more miserable.
“What are you doing out here at this hour?”
The innocent-faced kid from Silva’s house, who had followed him out, asked.
“And why’s your face like that?”
“Mind your own business, kid.”
“I told you, I’m not a kid. My name’s Raoul, so call me properly.”
Raoul emphasized that he’d undergone his coming-of-age rite and was an adult, but acting like that just proved he was still a child.
Still, voicing that would probably earn him more cheek from the boy, so Kang Jin-hyuk humored him.
“Alright, Raoul. Got it, so leave me alone for a bit.”
“No way.”
“...Fine.”
Kang Jin-hyuk didn’t have the confidence to handle a kid’s tantrum skillfully.
Worried he might botch it and reveal his true colors, he opted to ignore it.
With the intention of shaking off the clingy kid, Kang Jin-hyuk started wandering aimlessly without a destination.
He figured wandering around long enough would tire the kid out naturally.
However, he had underestimated the stamina of a beastkin in their prime.
No matter how far he walked until his legs ached, only Kang Jin-hyuk grew tired.
Raoul’s expression didn’t change even after circling the village for over three hours.
Finally, Kang Jin-hyuk surrendered.
“What do you want from me?”
“Teach me how to fight.”
“No.”
Returning Raoul’s earlier response verbatim, Kang Jin-hyuk tried to keep walking meaninglessly.
“Gah!”
At the edge of the village, as Kang Jin-hyuk lifted his foot, he smashed his nose into an invisible wall.
Kang Jin-hyuk checked for a nosebleed and prodded the wall in front of him with his toe.
It looked like nothing was there, but his toe clearly met resistance.
As he reached out and felt along the invisible wall, he sensed Raoul’s gaze and turned.
Raoul was watching Kang Jin-hyuk’s antics like he was some boring clown.
“What’re you doing?”
“What do you mean? Can’t you see I’m touching the wall?”
“That’s why I’m asking—because I can’t see it.”
Raoul sighed and reached toward the wall Kang Jin-hyuk was touching.
Unlike Kang Jin-hyuk, who was blocked, Raoul passed through effortlessly.
Strictly speaking, there had never been a wall to begin with.
Kang Jin-hyuk was the only one stuck by this bizarre phenomenon.
“What the hell...”
No matter what he tried, Kang Jin-hyuk couldn’t move forward.
Even smashing it with an aura-infused fist didn’t budge the invisible wall.
Sensing something ominous, Kang Jin-hyuk hurriedly returned to Silva’s house.
Bursting into the guest room without knocking, he flung the door open.
“Hey! Big trouble!”
He shouted loudly looking for Lucia, but she wasn’t in the room.
“What the? Where’d she go?”
“Here.”
Kang Jin-hyuk turned toward Lucia’s voice.
His line of sight still didn’t show her, only the door he’d shoved open hard.
“Where are you?”
“He-re.”
The voice, enunciating each syllable with emotion, came from behind the door.
In that moment, the color drained rapidly from Kang Jin-hyuk’s face.
As he stood there trembling, hand on the doorknob, Lucia quietly sighed.
“Move. The. Door.”
With a pale face, Kang Jin-hyuk slowly pulled the door.
Once the door was moved, Lucia’s flushed face came into view.
It definitely wasn’t from embarrassment.
A trickle of blood by her philtrum and the contents of the cup she’d emptied entirely.
The responsibility for this mess lay entirely with Kang Jin-hyuk.
“You tired of living lately?”
“N-no.”
“Then am I too thick-skinned or something?”
“A little, but... that’s not the point right now.”
“Then what is it.”
They say when anger exceeds its limit, you feel eerily calm instead.
That was exactly Lucia’s state now.
Beating him up wouldn’t vent this rage, leaving her at a loss.
So, with her cooled head, she began pondering how to deal with Kang Jin-hyuk.
“There’s an invisible wall around the village!”
Before Lucia could decide, Kang Jin-hyuk hurriedly explained why he’d come.
“What nonsense is that now?”
“There’s a wall-like thing surrounding the village, stopping us from going further.”
“...Tell me more.”
With a brief reprieve, Kang Jin-hyuk explained everything he’d experienced to Lucia.
After hearing it all, Lucia sat on the edge of the bed, lost in thought.
“You got blocked by an invisible wall and couldn’t leave, but the village kid passed right through no problem?”
It didn’t seem like a barrier, since beastkin had zero talent for magic.
Beastkin could barely learn even the most basic spells after devoting their whole lives.
“Something related to dimensional magic?”
Dimensional magic was the most likely candidate she could think of.
Lucia felt she needed to confirm it with her own eyes and hands to draw a conclusion.
“Where is it? Lead the way now.”
“I was gonna anyway, even if you didn’t say it.”
As Lucia followed Kang Jin-hyuk, she gauged their direction.
Checking with a compass, the spot he mentioned was exactly south from the snow-covered mountain where they’d first arrived in this world.
“Here.”
The place Kang Jin-hyuk pointed to was just an ordinary village street.
But when Lucia reached out, a transparent wall she hadn’t sensed blocked her hand.
The sensation at her fingertips convinced her.
“This isn’t a barrier.”
Not a barrier-like film, but a solid wall.
A sturdy wall that seemed to nail down the message: you can’t go any further.
“We can’t break through this with force.”
“Then what do we do?”
“What do we do? We give up on going beyond this for now.”
Unless you mastered dimensional magic, there was no way to deal with this wall.
“Then does that mean the path to the dragon’s lair is blocked too?”
“Who knows. We’ll have to check that ourselves.”
She had no idea how far this place—entered via the fridge—allowed them to go.
Without knowing the criteria, nothing was certain.
“Could we jump over it?”
As Kang Jin-hyuk muttered while looking up at the sky, Lucia shrugged.
“Try it if you want.”
Taking Lucia’s words seriously, Kang Jin-hyuk got into position.
“What? You’re really gonna do it?”
“Gotta try. Nothing to lose.”
Kang Jin-hyuk concentrated aura in his legs, extended his bent knees, and leaped powerfully.
Shooting up like a rocket, he soared over 5 meters but couldn’t go higher—smashing his head into the sky.
Just like colliding with the invisible wall. There was a ceiling in the sky too.
“Urk!”
Feeling a dizzying pain from his crown, Kang Jin-hyuk plummeted to the ground.
Lucia, who’d once gotten a nosebleed from hitting a door because of him, felt a petty satisfaction at the sight.
Kang Jin-hyuk, guilty as charged, couldn’t say a word even as Lucia smirked openly.
“My life...”