Chapter 179: News
Chapter 179: News
It had been a long time since I’d felt like I wanted to sleep more after coming to the Hall Plain. After being with Ko Yeonju, I was overcome by a wave of languor and simply fell asleep. The last thing I remembered was her face, smiling happily as she held me in her arms.
A gentle hand was stroking my head, and I wanted to keep my eyes closed, but the sound of a soft, occasional laugh eventually made me crack them open. And there, right in front of me, was Ko Yeonju’s face, a lovely smile gracing her lips. Wait, what did I just… think?
“Oh my~. Did my little baby wake up?”
“……?”
“Look at you, blinking your little eyes~. Are you hungry now that you’re awake? Want some milk?”
“Ahem.”
I cleared my throat loudly and immediately sat up. Suddenly, the memory of last night, of being unable to escape her breasts, flashed through my mind. A hot flush crept over my face out of an unwarranted sense of shame. Ko Yeonju’s eyes widened as she watched me, then she clapped her hands and burst into laughter.
“Haha, ah, really. I can’t get used to this. Are you really Kim Soohyun? Why are you so cute in bed? I just want to bite you~.”
As she finished speaking, Ko Yeonju threw herself into my arms. I worried for a moment that she might try to smother me unconditionally like Hayeon, but thankfully, she just buried her face in my chest, allowing me to hold her. But then she pressed in even closer, and unable to resist her forward momentum, I had no choice but to lie back down.
Thump. The blankets sank in, and as she settled her body on top of mine, I could smell her distinctly feminine scent. It was only when I saw that she was dressed that I realized I was still naked. I almost squirmed, but I had a feeling Ko Yeonju would just laugh again, so I managed to keep a straight face. What in the world was wrong with me?
“Hoho. Did you sleep well? How are you feeling? You look a little dazed.”
“It’s just because I woke up. In any case, I feel like I slept soundly for the first time in a while. Did you have a good night too, Ko Yeonju?”
“I usually just feel sluggish, but today I’m full of energy. If I’d known, I would’ve come to you sooner.”
She licked her lips as she spoke, and I couldn’t help but give a bitter smile. Ko Yeonju stared at me for a moment before her face flushed slightly and she spoke again.
“And…”
“Yes.”
“When I woke up this morning, it was the most heart-filling morning I’ve ever had. Thank you. Last night was wonderful.”
At Ko Yeonju’s candid words, I could only scratch my head. There was something I wanted to say, but the words just swirled around in my throat. Unable to voice them, I simply stroked the head of the woman buried against me. That gesture alone seemed to be enough, as I saw her close her eyes in comfort.
Soon after, we shared some small talk and got up again. I tried to be as careful as possible, but when I asked if she wouldn’t mind leaving so I could get dressed, it only made her laugh once more. Ko Yeonju didn’t listen to me; instead, she helped me put on my clothes. As she firmly tied my belt at the end, the thought that she was like a wife crossed my mind.
“Hoho. Go on out and have a smoke. I’ll just tidy up and start making some food. You used up a lot of energy last night, so I should repay you, right?”
“Mm. Alright.”
Leaving her to tidy the bed, I was finally able to open the door. The room had changed a lot from when I’d entered last night. The most certain change was that the ambiguous boundary between us had crumbled, deepening our relationship.
Trying to compose my awkward feelings, I left the room and stepped outside the inn. Being a fan of cigarettes, I had a habit of smoking one first thing in the morning whenever I had the time.
Fssshk. Fssshk.
“Hooo.”
The morning air was quite chilly. I took a quick drag of the cigarette as the cold wind brushed against my face.
Some time passed. I flicked away the cigarette I’d been smoking and was just opening the door to go back inside. As I took a step in, I saw a figure peeking around the kitchen entrance startle and turn around. An innocent appearance and a naive expression. The figure was none other than Ahn Sol.
“Sol?”
“Haaah. Oh, it’s you, Orabeoni. Did you sleep well?”
Ahn Sol bowed politely as she always did. Even though I felt well-rested, it was still early in the morning by my standards. It was the first time I’d seen her up at this hour, which made me a little curious. I raised a hand in response to her greeting and spoke in a calm voice.
“You must be very hungry. Pacing around the kitchen so early in the morning. Just wait a little. User Ko Yeonju should be out soon.”
“Eeeh? No! It’s not like that at all…”
“Hmm. I think I heard a stomach rumbling.”
“Nnngh. Nooo.”
Ahn Sol waved her hands frantically at my joke, vehemently denying it. Though her idea of “vehement” was just shaking her head and hands, which only made her look cute.
“Haha. But did the sun rise in the west today? What could’ve possibly gotten you up so early?”
“Mmm. You’re right. I should still be snoozing away. But strangely, today…”
I’d only said it lightly, wanting to see more of her reaction, but to my surprise, Ahn Sol answered with a serious face. I tilted my head for a moment, watching the little lucky charm furrow her brow in thought. Was something wrong?
And then, her next words sent a shock through me.
“For some reason… I felt so anxious today. It was this really unpleasant feeling, like I had to wake up fast, like I had to get to the kitchen right away…”
“……!”
“Nnngh. I don’t know. But strangely, now that I see you, Orabeoni, all my anxiety has vanished. Hehe.”
As I watched Ahn Sol beaming, I felt a cold sweat run down my back. Was it a woman’s intuition, or a phenomenon caused by her Luck stat? Watching her toddle toward me, I felt the need to be extremely cautious of her unpredictable ability in the future.
I quickly decided to change the subject. Seeing her reminded me of something I had decided to do during the expedition into the Cave of Screams. I had forgotten about it with everything else going on, but it was about her Luck stat. Of course, I planned to make my case as best I could, but I wanted to hear her thoughts first and respect her opinion.
“Sol-ah. Can you talk with Oppa for a minute?”
“Yes! I’d love to!”
“Alright. Then come over here and have a seat…”
Vwooom!
Just as I was about to lead the delighted Ahn Sol to a nearby table, a white orb suddenly shot out from inside her clothes—I had no idea where she’d been hiding it—and blocked my path. It hummed with a low vibration and emitted a clear light, looking ready to deploy a Guardian Shield at a moment’s notice.
I stopped in my tracks with a sour expression. Seeing this, Ahn Sol’s face crumpled. The girl who had been speaking in a sleepy voice just moments before was now wide awake, snatching the orb out of the air with a nimble hand. Then, she puffed out her cheeks and slapped the top of the orb with her free hand.
“You! What do you think you’re doing!”
Vwoo~m.
“Who told you to be so rude to Daddy! Huh?! Is that what Mommy taught you?”
Vwoom… Vwoo~m.
“Be quiet! What are you crying for when you’re the one who did something wrong!”
“……”
I stared at Ahn Sol and the orb, at a loss for words. The truly strange thing was that the object, which was nothing more than a mere orb, was letting out a faint vibration with every word Ahn Sol spoke. Each time I heard the vibration, I somehow got the feeling that it was dejected. …Wait a minute. What?
“Daddy… you say?”
I thought I’d heard something strange in the middle of her scolding, and the moment I spoke, Ahn Sol, who had been in the middle of saying, “Were you good? Were you bad?” quickly wrapped things up with an incomprehensible shriek. “You need to be punished. You don’t need to be puni… Bbya!”
“……”
“Abubububu.”
I stared intently at Ahn Sol. Unable to bear my steady gaze, she squirmed for a while. I suddenly remembered what she had said to me in the clearing during the expedition into the Cave of Screams.
Why on earth aren’t you touching me? Hurry up and stroke my head, and touch my cheeks. Or you can touch somewhere else, I don’t mind…
Unconscious Reveal, was it? Thinking back, those were some pretty bold words for her. Come to think of it, I hadn’t been paying much attention to her lately, so I took another step forward to at least pat her head. But Ahn Sol let out a series of unintelligible sounds—“Hat? Hit! Hung? Het!”—and scurried away. I couldn’t help but chuckle as I watched her dash up the stairs with more speed than I’d ever seen from her.
If I just sit here calmly and wait for breakfast, she’ll surely come back down. I want to see her reaction then.
Breakfast was enjoyable. Ko Yeonju, who was particularly energetic today, showed off her skills to the fullest. The party members were delighted, saying their mouths had been blessed lately, and Ko Yeonju replied with a subtle smile. Aside from Ahn Sol being unable to meet my eyes, it was a truly pleasant meal.
After we finished eating, I found a corner and began to carefully read the records I had brought from Ko Yeonju’s room.
“Drink this. If you find anything confusing while you’re reading, mark it down. I’ll gather more information.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
I sipped the cup of tea she brought me as I read through the records. It was a peaceful time.
My thoughts drifted to the Golden Lion Clan’s expedition. How far had they gotten by now? If my predictions were correct, they were probably getting their asses handed to them right about now. The monsters that appeared right from the entrance were especially powerful and required a specific method to deal with. It was a foregone conclusion they’d get hit hard if they weren’t thoroughly prepared. No, they were probably getting hit hard regardless.
“Slurp.”
“Oppa! Someone’s here to see Oppa!”
I was leisurely taking a sip of tea when Yoojung’s sudden voice made me turn my head. She was pointing a finger toward the inn’s entrance with a blank look on her face.
“Who is it?”
“I don’t know. They asked me to tell you it’s a messenger about the clan establishment. I told them to come in, but they won’t.”
“What?”
I immediately shot to my feet.
*
Abigyuwhan. The inside of the Steel Mountains was a gruesome scene, a living hell. There were perhaps just over two hundred Users left. The damage was close to annihilation. Few Users seemed to be unharmed; most bore injuries, whether deep or minor. Considering that potion supplies and the assignment of priests were top priorities on an expedition, their current state was clearly critical.
“Ugh… Aaargh…”
“Help me… A priest, get a priest, quickly…”
They were all scattered about chaotically. The orderly formation they’d had at the start was nowhere to be seen. It was possible some Users had fallen behind and hadn’t even made it here yet. Park Hyunwoo bit his lip as he looked at them. A full day had passed since they’d lost contact with the main force. He had tried his best to follow their tracks and find them, but this was as far as he could go. He felt he was at his own limit, and more importantly, he couldn’t drag the other Users any further.
The only option left was to set up camp here and wait for rescue. Or recover and search again. But Park Hyunwoo knew better than anyone that both options were a good way to die. He felt like his blood was drying up. He hadn’t felt this weak since the day he joined the Golden Lion Clan.
BOOM!
At that moment, a massive tremor shook the camp. It was so strong that all the supplies they had set up rattled. The Users’ throats bobbed as they watched things fall with a clatter. Park Hyunwoo barely managed to steady himself and stepped out with a tense expression. In his heart, he prayed desperately that it wasn’t them.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
But reality thoroughly ignored his prayers. As the sound grew closer, great ripples spread through the ground beneath their feet.
“Again… is it them?”
“Aaaah!”
Someone muttered in a terrified voice. The Users who had been crying out in pain fell silent, feeling the vibrations coming up through the earth. They looked around, hoping their guess was wrong, hoping someone would tell them it was. But every User wore the same expression. Their faces were stiff, their bodies trembling in fear.
It was then.
“Kuaaaaaargh!”
“Everyone, get up! Prepare for battle!”
“U-Uwaaaargh!”
From far off to the right, a death scream echoed through the mountains. Park Hyunwoo instinctively knew they were too late. The things that had driven them to annihilation had clearly caught up. He quickly shouted the order to prepare for battle, but his voice was drowned out by another scream that followed. And with that as a trigger, mournful screams began to erupt from all over, all at once.
“Kyaaaaaah!”
“Aaargh! Get away! Uwaaah…!”
Crunch! Crack!
Chomp! Rip!
The sounds of crushing, screaming, chewing, and more screaming. The horrifying sounds of slaughter drew closer to the camp with each passing moment. Soon, the figures of the creatures began to appear before the eyes of the Users around the camp. They were enormous. Several giant beasts in the shape of dinosaurs swung their sharp claws, and hot blood and chunks of flesh scattered into the air in all directions.
“Gaaah! Help… Gurgle! Gak!”
A User who seemed to have snapped to his senses tried to flee into the bushes, but his waist was suddenly pierced, and he was flung high into the air. A dark, sharp claw had pierced through his abdomen and exited his back. Dangling from the claw, he shrieked before his body went limp. He had died in an instant.
“What kind of place is this… What the hell… What the hell… what are we supposed to do…”
A female User who had witnessed the scene from a close distance collapsed to the ground. Watching the claw pierce and tear through flesh like paper, the young-faced User could only mutter with a dazed expression.
“Heeyoung-ah! Run! I said run! Heeyoung-ahhh!”
Someone’s voice struck her ears. But Heeyoung didn’t have the luxury of turning her head. All she could see were two gleaming lights turning their gaze on her, and the terrifying claw slowly closing the distance. She couldn’t overcome the rising terror and finally squeezed her eyes shut.