Chapter 142: The End of Training
Chapter 142: The End of Training
I stared at her for a moment, my face showing my confusion. Reading the question in my expression, Ko Yeonju’s eyes widened as she asked again.
“Oh my. You didn’t know? We’ve had a tail ever since we left Mule. Wasn’t the forced march meant to shake them off?”
“Ah.”
I finally understood as Ko Yeonju continued with a detailed explanation. I had indeed sensed the presence of a few Users tailing us when we left Mule. But I’d assumed they were Users who were jealous of our rapid growth, not Vagabonds. Mule barely had any Users to begin with, and we returned from every expedition decked out in high-quality gear. Any User with half a brain would have taken notice.
Still, I couldn’t help but tilt my head in confusion again. While shaking them off wasn’t the main reason for the forced march, it was a convenient side effect. The fact that they could keep up with our pace meant they weren’t complete novices. I sank into thought for a moment before asking her in a calm voice.
“We should have put a good amount of distance between us in less than a day. Are they still following us? And how did you know, User Ko Yeonju?”
“‘Following’ is more accurate than ‘chasing.’ They’re maintaining a set distance. It seems they have a decent archer who’s tracking us by the signs we leave behind. And have you forgotten who I am? I attached a shadow to them on the very first day.”
Hearing her smooth reply, I finally understood her initial question. Should we drag them along, or should we shake them off? It meant that if we made camp here, they were close enough to catch up.
I still couldn’t tell if they were simply Users tailing us or something more sinister. However, I had a strong aversion to being tailed. I hummed in thought for a moment, but it didn’t take long to make up my mind.
“We’ll make camp here.”
“So, shake them off. But they seem quite cautious. Do you think they’ll fall for it so easily? There are eight of us, you know.”
“Not all of us need to move. And if they won’t come to us, we can go to them.”
“Hmph?”
Ko Yeonju let out a soft hum as soon as she heard me. Then, her eyes narrowed slightly as she began to scrutinize my face. After studying my expression for a while, she finally spoke in a low voice.
“You could get help from the others. Or I could help you.”
“It’s fine. It might be different if this were the beginning of our journey, but we’re about to reach the Cave of Screams. There’s no need to ruin the good mood.”
“Forget the others. What about me?”
“User Ko Yeonju, please remain at the base camp. We have to prepare for any possibility. In any case, I’m more than enough to handle them alone.”
“…It’s not that you want to do it alone?”
Her words hit the mark so perfectly that I fell silent. For a moment, I felt as if she had seen right through me. Seeing my reaction, a deep smile spread across her lips.
I met her gaze with a calm expression, then turned away. I didn’t want to talk to her anymore. Because Ko Yeonju and I were similar in some ways. We thought alike, perhaps. That was how she’d been able to pinpoint my inner thoughts so accurately.
“Did you know? That’s the first time you’ve smiled since this expedition began.”
I smiled? I hadn’t even realized. I calmly touched the corner of my mouth. Then, her voice caught me once more from behind.
“I suppose you’re right. The others would be lucky not to get in the way, let alone help. Fine. But be careful of the bat.”
I calmly raised a hand in response.
Then I walked over to the rest of the party, who were huddled together a short distance away, and spoke.
“We’ll be camping here for the night. It’s a bit early, but the timing is awkward.”
When I announced that we were done marching for the day and would be setting up camp, everyone looked at me with surprise. But I could also see a hint of relief on their faces; they didn’t seem to mind.
So, we cleared a spot for the campsite and decided to have an early dinner. I told them that since we were stopping early today, we would wake up early tomorrow and set off immediately. I expected everyone would go to bed quickly. Watching them eat with brightened faces, I spoke in a quiet voice.
“Tonight’s watch schedule will be the same as yesterday’s, but with a slight change.”
At my words, everyone pricked up their ears. I secretly activated my Sensing to confirm a single presence, then raised my voice as if to make sure I was overheard.
Until now, only one person had stood watch at a time, but I decided to change it to two people per shift, with longer shifts. Of course, there was a ploy behind this change. I could only hope there was at least one clever person among them, someone with a quick mind. That would make it easier to figure out what they wanted and deal with them.
“So, for tonight’s first watch, User Ko Yeonju and I will take it. For the following shifts, everyone else can pair up according to yesterday’s watch order.”
“Kim Soohyun, is it really necessary for two people to be on watch?”
Vivian raised her hand and asked. I nodded in response.
“Yes. I think we need to heighten our security. We have to be especially careful in the mountains. Besides, a two-person team is standard for watch duty. We had to do it one by one before because we were short on people, but that’s not the case anymore. I meant to do this from the start of the expedition but forgot. It’s better to change it now.”
“Hmm. Two people on watch is certainly better than one. I was debating whether to suggest it myself. I see you were already thinking about it.”
“Yes. And… with all the dense bushes and trees around, our visibility is very limited. It would be much more effective if one person guards the base camp while the other does a light patrol of the surrounding area.”
“Excellent. I agree.”
With the safety-conscious Shin Sangyong chiming in, a quiet ripple of agreement went through the party. But regardless of my true intentions, there was no flaw in my reasoning. In the end, everyone agreed, and the matter of the night watch was settled.
A small commotion followed as everyone tried to figure out who was on watch before and after them. After a short while, once they had all confirmed their partners, they resumed their meal. Ahn Sol, who seemed relieved that her partner wasn’t Ko Yeonju, suddenly turned her head toward the dense bushes with a strange expression.
“Hrmm…?”
“Sol. What’s wrong?”
“I dunno. It just feels like someone’s watching us.”
The moment she finished speaking, a black bird burst from the bushes with a flutter. Watching the bat fly off into the distance, Ahn Hyun turned away dismissively.
“It’s just a bird. It was nothing. Don’t worry about it and eat your dinner. Here, try some of this soup. It’s amazing.”
“A bird? I don’t think so… Hmph. No. I can eat by myself.”
Ahn Sol pouted, refusing the spoonful of soup Ahn Hyun offered. As Ahn Hyun immediately lowered the spoon, I exchanged a meaningful glance with Ko Yeonju.
We finished our dinner and immediately prepared for bed. The party chatted for a while, but the warm meal—a rare treat—seemed to have made everyone drowsy. Watching the Users crawl into their sleeping bags one by one, I leaned silently against a tree. There was still some time before nightfall.
*
Darkness certainly fell quickly in the mountains. Watching the twilight settle over the land, I took a sip of tea. The luxury of a cup of tea during an expedition that straddled the line between life and death. It felt out of place, but I couldn’t ignore the courtesy Ko Yeonju had shown in preparing it for me. Besides, the tea she made was excellent.
The moment I brought the cup to my lips again, I saw Ko Yeonju give me a subtle glance. With a nonchalant expression, I took another sip. As if I knew nothing.
Ko Yeonju was the first to speak.
“This watch duty thing… it’s quite boring.”
“It may be boring, but it’s an important duty.”
“I don’t see a single monster, not even a rat.”
At her words, I stretched widely and yawned. Then I spoke in a sleepy voice.
“Yaaawn… Well, you’re not wrong. The next shift will be up soon, so wait a little longer. The timing should be about right after one patrol.”
“What a pain. Do you really have to go?”
“You never know. I’ll just do a quick sweep of the area, so wait here. When I get back, we’ll switch with the next pair. Ah, but I’d like to finish this tea first.”
We were truly just going through the motions with our conversation, speaking just loud enough to be heard. I drank the tea as slowly as possible, savoring every drop, every sip. To be honest, I’d put Ko Yeonju and myself on the first watch in case they waited for us to fall asleep before launching a reckless attack, but they weren’t that foolish. That meant they were waiting for an opening or had some other scheme in mind.
After our conversation ended, I stalled for nearly thirty minutes before slowly getting to my feet. I told Ko Yeonju I’d be back and stepped into the bushes. At the same time, I could feel one of the lingering presences stealthily begin to follow me.
Although I said I was just doing a quick sweep, I put a good amount of distance between myself and the base camp. With this, I was completely separated from the party. For a moment, I considered pretending to be lost. But that might seem a little unnatural, so I decided to just keep walking calmly. I deliberately kept my Third Eye and Sensing deactivated. If I knew what was coming, my body would instinctively react defensively. Since I was going to fall into their trap anyway, I might as well do it perfectly.
About ten minutes had passed since I started my patrol. Just as I was starting to get curious about what kind of approach they would take…
“Screeeech!”
A piercing shriek tore through the air as an inky shadow shot up from the knee-high bushes.
So, they’re finally making their move.
The shadow was the bat that had been hiding near our party earlier. I spun around with a startled expression, and the bat grazed past my shoulder.
“Ugh! You bastard!”
My face twisted slightly as I quickly drew my sword. The bat, as if to mock me, soared gracefully into the air and began to flit erratically around me. I swung my sword clumsily, and the bat dodged back and forth, occasionally making a threatening dive toward my arm.
It seemed the User controlling this bat knew I was a Year 0 User. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have come up with a plan so full of holes. Even though I had rarely fought in the seven days since leaving Mule, this was the same as treating me like a complete idiot. I bit my lip hard and swung my sword wide. Even though I was knowingly playing along, and it was all for the act, it still felt like crap.
Just then.
“Screeeech!”
The bat shrieked in pain, shot high into the air, and then began to flee, wobbling unsteadily.
Despite it being a completely random swing, my sword had somehow managed to clip one of the bat’s wings. Even I, the one who swung it, was dumbfounded.
This is way too obvious.
I was so baffled I found myself wondering what kind of moron its master was, but the most important thing was to maintain the act.
“Stop right there, you bastard!”
I let out a loud shout and chased after the fleeing bat.