Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: The Cloaked Korean
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Thududududu—
Rain poured into the room through the window.
Rattle.
Thud.
I closed the window and asked Yoo Sora.
“Is the treatment done?”
“Yes. The soul fish ate all the poison.”
“Good job. Michael, give her a heal.”
Michael cast the holy spell Heal on the cloaked woman.
Her health bar, which had been on the floor, slowly rose until it was fully charged in less than five minutes.
Once I confirmed her recovery was complete, I shook her awake.
“Hey. Hey!”
I kept shaking her shoulders until the cloaked woman opened her eyes.
“Uh…. Uh…. Huh?! Where am I?”
She bolted upright and looked around.
She scooted back on her butt, rummaged through her cloak, and eyed us warily.
I shrugged.
“We took all the weapons out of your cloak.”
“……Who are you people?”
“She’s the one talking like she wants to ask questions. Who are you?”
The cloaked woman slowly rolled her eyes from left to right, then suddenly launched a kick at me.
I easily blocked her attack with the back of my hand.
Smack!
“What the hell?”
“You kidnapped me.”
“Kidnapped? What bullshit. You were collapsed on the street in the rain, so we brought you here.”
“Rain…. Collapsed on the street?”
“Yeah. You walked up to us in that alley right over there and passed out.”
She took a taekwondo stance, wary of us as she pressed herself against the wall.
“Me?”
“Ha…. Come on. If we wanted to kidnap you, we’d have tied you up tight and stashed you in a corner. Would we heal you and put you on our only bed?”
The cloaked girl looked at each of us in turn. Then, as if letting her guard down, she lowered her fists and approached me.
“You saved me?”
“NPC? Why talk so stiffly.”
“……I’ll apologize first. Thank you for saving me.”
She came closer and looked up at me.
She seemed a bit shorter than Yoo Sora, but pretty cute.
‘Korean?’
I stroked my chin and asked her.
“What country are you from?”
“……”
“Ah. Even if you’re the enemy, we’ll let you live, so don’t be so guarded.”
Of course, we’d only spare her life—keeping all her limbs intact would be tough.
“Why do you ask?”
“To see if you’re friend or foe.”
The cloaked woman bit her lip as if pondering, then answered after a few seconds.
“Korea. I’m Korean.”
I put on a delighted expression.
“Huh? You’re Korean?”
“Hm? You guys are Korean too?”
I extended my hand for a shake.
“Yeah. Meeting Koreans right away…. Lucky. I’m Kim Cheonjae. Leader of this group.”
The cloaked woman hesitated, then reached out.
“I’m Kim Ria.”
She had a stern face just to give her name.
Ma Jeongwoo stroked his chin beard and said to Kim Ria.
“This came out of your pocket. You’re a druid, right?”
“……Yeah.”
“But why are you so guarded against us? Has the fourth round event started?”
“……No.”
“Then why?”
Kim Ria stood and peered out the window before saying to us.
“You know where this is, right?”
I answered.
“What else? The Conqueror’s Tomb.”
“Right. Then you know what happens here?”
“What. Country vs. country battles?”
She nodded.
“Exactly.”
“……The Japanese guys own the castle right now. Were they chasing you?”
“Yeah. To be precise, they’re hunting Korean players.”
“Hunting Koreans….”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Someone knocked on our door.
I peered out the peephole.
The innkeeper stood there, sweating bullets.
“Who is it.”
“I-it’s the innkeeper. Could you open the door for a sec?”
“What’s the problem?”
“……Word is there’s a wanted person inside. Just checking.”
I turned to look at Kim Ria’s face. She gripped a wooden branch with a fierce glare.
“No such person here.”
“I get it, so please open up just for a moment.”
“……Hold on.”
I tapped Ma Jeongwoo’s shoulder.
He grinned, gripped his axe handle, and headed for the door.
I whispered softly, just loud enough for those in the room.
“Michael. Guard Sora and Ria.”
“Got it.”
Yoo Sora and Kim Ria hid behind Michael.
Ma Jeongwoo slowly turned the doorknob.
Creeeak—
“Come on in. Wel—”
A blade shot through the slightly open door crack, stabbing at Ma Jeongwoo’s gut.
Shwick!
Thud!
It was blocked by Ma Jeongwoo’s chainmail.
“……What the hell are you doing?”
Ma Jeongwoo twisted the blade and slammed the door open, charging out.
Bang!
Four men in black ninja outfits were there. Like the ones from comics.
“Uwaaaah!”
Ma Jeongwoo grabbed the nearest ninja’s neck and smashed him into the wall.
Thud!
He swung his axe at the next rushing ninja.
Whoosh—
The ninja tried to block with the flat of his blade.
Clang!
[Weapon Break activated!]
The blade shattered, cleaving the ninja in two.
Thump.
The remaining two ninjas backed away.
-What, what the fuck is that guy.
-Third round player? How’s he that strong.
Ma Jeongwoo grinned and hurled his axe at one.
Whoosh—whoosh—
Crunch!
The axe sliced through the air and embedded in the ninja’s upper body.
The last ninja charged, but he was no match for Ma Jeongwoo.
Even without a weapon, his strength was plenty.
Thwack!
Ma Jeongwoo’s low kick snapped the guy’s leg.
Smack!
A roundhouse punch spun the ninja’s jaw.
Thump.
“……Hoo! Situation clear. Cheonjae, done.”
“Nice—”
Crash!
The room’s window shattered as another ninja burst in.
‘What?’
This one had a star mark on his forehead.
I swung Dragon Fang, but—
Thud!
He blocked with a kick.
Tough bastard. I was pushing with all my strength, but he held firm like it was nothing.
The intruder’s gaze shifted to the fallen ninjas outside.
“Not your average grunts, huh.”
“What are you. Who are you guys.”
“……You’ll find out soon enough.”
He yanked the axe from the fallen ninja Ma Jeongwoo had killed.
Thud!
Then charged into the room.
“Out of the way. Kim Cheonjae!”
The star-marked ninja twisted his foot, deflecting my fang.
His follow-up kick slammed into my chest.
Thud!
The mysterious man swiftly drew the sword on his back, blocking Ma Jeongwoo’s axe.
Clang!
Kim Ria shouted.
“T-that guy. Hanjo! Leader of the Japanese players!”
All our eyes turned to him.
This guy was the Japanese players’ leader?
I’d figured he wasn’t ordinary, but I didn’t know he was their leader.
Screeech—
As expected of a Barbarian Warrior.
Hanjo couldn’t withstand Ma Jeongwoo’s power and was pushed back.
I yelled.
“Michael!”
“Okay.”
Bang—!
Michael fired his pistol.
The ninja’s head snapped back.
Seizing the chance, I stabbed the pointed side of my fang into his chest.
Thud!
I pressed it to the wall with force, but—
Boom!
A loud explosion and white smoke erupted as he vanished.
In his place lay a thick log.
“……What the?”
“Huh? Cheonjae. What is this?”
I looked baffled.
“Was the guy actually a real ninja?”
“Damn….”
Kim Ria looked out the window.
The man called Hanjo from moments ago limped away.
“There! Hanjo’s over there!”
I rushed to her side and peered out.
“That bastard’s the Japanese leader player?”
“Yes.”
Ma Jeongwoo tried to leap out the window after him.
I grabbed him and pulled him back inside.
“Stop!”
“Why? Now’s our chance.”
“……No. If we go out now, we could die.”
“What?”
I looked up at the rooftop of the building across from us.
Bald guys in orange Shaolin monk outfits stared down at us.
“……What the hell are those guys.”
“There’s too many enemies here. We need to move.”
* * * * *
We moved lodgings under Kim Ria’s guidance.
The quality was way below what inns or pubs offered, but she said it was still good enough to sleep in.
Yoo Sora screamed.
“Cockroach! Cockroaches!”
I stomped one with my foot.
Splat!
“Just bugs.”
“B-bugs. I hate them so much.”
“……”
It looked like an old temple, devoid of any signs of life.
Cobwebs everywhere suggested no one lived here.
Kim Ria moved a statue of Buddha, lifted a wooden plank from the ground, revealing stairs leading underground.
“Go down here.”
“……This is where the Korean players are gathered?”
She answered with a bright smile.
“Yes.”
“How many?”
“A little over thirty right now. With you guys, about forty.”
Forty.
Way too few.
In the fourth round, each country needed at least a hundred players residing here, and we only had forty.
Whew—
As we descended, the damp, musty smell of the basement and swarms of bugs greeted us.
No matter how much they were hiding from the Japanese, the situation was worse than I thought.
Squeak squeak!
“Kyaaaaah!”
A rat scurried between Yoo Sora’s legs, and she screamed.
“Kkiyohoot!”
Michael joined in with his own yell.
“Waaah!”
Kim Ria waved her hands frantically.
Ma Jeongwoo kicked the rat with a dubious look.
Splat!
“What’s with you all? It’s just one rat. Kim Ria, you said we have to stay quiet here, but you’re screaming too?”
Kim Ria grimaced and answered me.
“Haa…. Haa…. Sorry. I got startled when everyone screamed.”
I sighed.
“Alright, alright. Let’s go down.”
“……Cheonjae. You okay?”
“Why.”
“You’ve been clutching your chest. And your health is down to a third.”
I’d tried to play it cool, but my health gave it away.
That one kick from Hanjo earlier.
Felt like my ribs were cracked.
“I’m fine.”
“……Tell me if there’s a problem.”
“Yeah.”
-Who’s there.
Maybe because of our screaming, someone called from the bottom of the stairs.
Kim Ria answered.
“It’s Ria….”
-Really? Ria! But I hear other voices?
“……Yeah. New Korean players who just arrived.”
-……Korean players? You sure?
Kim Ria replied brightly.
“Yes. Definitely.”
-Not spies?
“……Probably not.”
-Really?
“Yes! Th-they… Psycho Hanjo. They helped me when he was chasing me.”
The man at the bottom raised his voice.
-Psycho Hanjo?! That bastard was after you?
“Yes. Let’s talk downstairs.”
* * * * *
As the rain began to fall steadily, large groups of players started roaming the streets.
Still dark out.
But light enough to move without issue.
Heave-ho! Heave-ho!
Exhausted voices chanted in rhythm.
-Move it!
Crack!
A whip lashed the ground.
Players who looked Chinese, shackled hand and foot, were being herded by Japanese soldiers.
The line of them looked like day laborers at a construction site—convict style.
Mixed in among the Chinese were Korean players too.
They must’ve come from some labor site—their faces and legs were pitch black with grime.
Like they’d been in a coal mine, covered in soot.
The apparent Japanese commander at the front suddenly halted, dismounted in a hurry, and saluted.
“H-Hanjo-sama!”
The bloodied psycho Hanjo limped over.
He tossed a bald monk’s severed head to the ground.
Thump.