Chapter 398: The Second Request - Rescue: The Frozen Forest (1/5)
Chapter 398: The Second Request - Rescue: The Frozen Forest (1/5)
It was afternoon.
The sun, high in the sky, was half-hidden by a passing cloud. The cool air was gradually warming, and the breeze blowing from the city felt strangely vibrant.
Three months had already passed since the end of the war.
Monica, having been a step removed from the conflict, recovered its former appearance more quickly. Combined with the efforts of Istantel Low Clan, it was now flourishing even more than before.
Thinking about it, Han Soyoung was truly a remarkable User. She had skillfully managed the recent chaos and turned it into an opportunity for the city's development.
Pang!
Just then, a sharp sound of something cutting through the air reached my ears. I glanced down toward the garden, the source of the sound, and saw Ahn Hyun, shirtless, diligently swinging his spear.
Pang! Pang, pang!
The sound of it slicing the air was quite crisp. His form wasn't bad, either. It seemed his diligent practice, not missing a single day since that incident, was beginning to pay off.
Hyun moved vigorously for a while before pausing, tilting his head in confusion while holding his stance. As an 'Aura Spearman,' a class heavily influenced by martial arts, there must have been a part of his movements that didn't feel right.
Did he sense my gaze? He suddenly turned his head and looked directly up at the terrace where I stood. Oh? Have his senses sharpened this much?
A feeling of satisfaction washed over me, and I waved with a pleasant smile.
At first, Hyun looked startled and blank. But then, after a moment of puzzlement, he shyly covered his sweaty torso.
…?
Wondering why he was acting so strangely, I reflexively reached for my sword. He quickly shook his head as if to say ‘no,’ then gave a sheepish laugh and bowed his head.
After that brief, incomprehensible exchange(?), I watched Ahn Hyun resume his stance with a serious expression and gave a short nod.
What was that saying? That you mature as much as you hurt?
After Shin Sangyong's death, the attitudes of the others began to change. Of course, the degree of change varied from person to person, but the clan member who had changed the most was Hyun.
He used to have a frivolous attitude that sometimes felt a bit excessive, but lately, even when he joked around, he never forgot his duties.
After watching him swing his spear with renewed focus, I calmly turned and entered my office. I opened the door, stepped into the hallway, and headed down the stairs toward the third-floor warehouse.
I was planning to organize the warehouse soon, and I also wanted to check on the new equipment that had arrived.
A moment later.
When I reached the third-floor warehouse, I paused, noticing someone was already there.
The door, which should have been firmly shut, was slightly ajar, and I could sense someone's presence from the gap.
I carefully pushed the door open and stepped inside to find a woman squatting, surrounded by thick boxes. I took a closer look at her.
Flawless, pale skin and lips pressed together in a cool line. When my eyes met hers, which held a demure glint, I realized it was Hanbyul.
She flinched the moment she saw me, then quickly lowered her gaze.
“Oppa? Hello.”
“Yeah. Hello.”
“Um… this is…”
“I know. I heard from the old man yesterday… You're learning about jewels these days, right?”
I remembered receiving a request from the old man yesterday to open the warehouse, so I didn't find it strange that Hanbyul was here.
Hearing my response, Hanbyul's eyes widened, and she gave a prim nod.
At the same time, I activated Third Eye.
Player Status
1. Name: Kim Hanbyul (Year 1 User)
2. Class: Jewel Mage (Secret, Jewel Mage, Runner)
3. Nation: Free Mercenary (Free)
4. Clan: Mercenary (Clan Rank: Under Evaluation.)
5. True Name · Nationality: One Who Hails from the Stars · One Who Wields Beautiful Light and Luster · Republic of Korea
6. Sex: Female (22)
7. Height · Weight: 170.5cm · 51.3kg
8. Alignment: Cool · Effort
(Before) [Strength 51] [Durability 59] [Agility 70] [Stamina 53] [Magic Power 88] [Luck 68]
(After) [Strength 51] [Durability 59] [Agility 71] [Stamina 54] [Magic Power 89] [Luck 68]
(Remaining stat points: 4)
The scar is gone? And her Magic Power went up by one point.
“Yes. He teaches me in detail, even the parts I don't know, so I've been visiting him every day.”
A crisp, clear answer, different from before.
It felt strangely unfamiliar, but in a way, this was probably Hanbyul's true self. Besides, her alignment and stats clearly showed how hard she had been working.
In any case, this change was a welcome one from my perspective, so I gladly walked over and patted her head.
Pat, pat.
“You're working hard. Good job.”
“O-Oppa?”
Pat, pat.
“Hm? People have been saying you've changed a lot since you first joined. Anyway, I'm glad you seem to be doing well.”
“Y-Yes? Thank… Ah, no. W-Wait a moment…”
Did she not like it? Hanbyul squirmed, trying to avoid my hand. Her rapidly blinking eyes showed she was extremely flustered. I quickly pulled my hand back, and for some reason, I could hear her breathing had become slightly ragged.
With a flushed face, she cleared her throat and fiddled with the ring finger of her left hand with her right. It seemed she was still wearing the Anti-Magic Ring I gave her.
“Ah. Did I make a mistake?”
I asked, just in case.
Hanbyul stared at me for a moment before shaking her head, her lips pressed firmly together. Then she lowered her eyes again. Why does she hate making eye contact with me so much?
Then, from behind her lowered head, her voice emerged.
“You too, Oppa… I think you've changed a little recently.”
“Oh? How so?”
“You used to be so cold and scary… but these days, you sometimes smile… and sometimes you call me by my name… and the look in your eyes seems kinder sometimes…”
Sometimes?
Her voice trailed off here and there, making her answer unclear. As I tilted my head in confusion, she lifted her head again.
“It's just… you seem more at ease than before. So… I like that.”
She finished her sentence with an inexplicably solemn tone.
I scratched my head for a moment, then gave a faint smile, figuring it was a compliment anyway.
It was then.
The moment I smiled, a faint blush appeared on Hanbyul's previously expressionless face, and a hint of a smile touched her lips.
It was an unfamiliar sight, as she rarely smiled, but one thing was certain: that faint smile suited her perfectly.
Beautiful.
Just as we stood there, smiling at each other without a word…
CRASH! Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Suddenly, a tremendous noise erupted from the hallway stairs.
“OPPAAAAAA! IT'S AN EMERGENCYYYYY!”
A piercing scream traveled down the hall and echoed through the warehouse.
We both frowned at the same time.
*
To get straight to the point, the owner of the voice was Lee Yoojung. And the 'emergency' she was screaming about was a full-blown fight that had broken out in the dining hall. Inside the Mercenary House, no less. The moment I heard that, I was inwardly appalled and immediately sprinted toward the dining hall.
I couldn't say there had been zero internal discord until now, but it had never escalated to a fistfight.
The world of the Hall Plain is different from the modern world. Since every User has 'stats,' a simple fight could instantly turn fatal. Of course, unless things got truly heated, they would probably hold back from crossing that line, but…
That wasn't the only problem. This had the potential to escalate into major clan strife, so regardless of the reason, it had to be extinguished as quickly as possible.
I reached the first floor in a flash and ran down the passage to the dining hall. A cacophony of heated sounds burst out from ahead. In my haste, I picked up my pace and shoved the dining hall doors open.
The moment I saw the scene before me, I froze.
Several clan members were in the dining hall, but the first person I saw was Jung Hayeon, who looked absolutely furious. And on the table in front of her, I saw the baby unicorn, its tail held stiffly straight as it growled.
…….
I fought back the sudden wave of confusion and tried to assess the situation.
The two of them were in the middle of a heated argument.
“You. Are you really going to keep acting like this?”
“Kkyu!”
“I've let it slide once or twice, but this is too much. Do you have any idea how upset I've been because of you?”
“Kkyu-kkyu!”
…But I couldn't make sense of the situation.
All I could see was a very angry Jung Hayeon and a baby unicorn that was staring right back at her, defiantly responding to her words. What was I supposed to deduce from this?
I blankly shifted my gaze and saw Ko Yeonju in a corner, choking back laughter. She had a hand clamped over her mouth, looking like she was about to die from laughing. She was even tearing up.
Just then, Jung Hayeon's voice rose even higher.
“How dare you stare back at me like that! Apologize right now!”
“Kkyu-kkyu! Kkyu-kkyu-kkyu-kkyu-kkyu!”
“This little brat, really!”
Finally, unable to hold back, Jung Hayeon strode forward and snatched the baby unicorn up.
“Kkyu, kkyu-kkyu?”
The baby unicorn, with a startled look, flailed its legs wildly, but Jung Hayeon firmly tucked it under her left arm. Positioning it so its bottom was exposed, she raised her right hand high.
“You little rascal!”
Smack!
As her hand cut through the air, a crisp sound echoed from the baby unicorn's rear.
It didn't end with just one.
“You brat! You brat! You naughty little thing!”
Smack! Smack, smack!
“Kkyu! Kkyu-kkyu! Kkyu-kkyu-kkyu!”
“Where did you learn such bad habits! Who told you to threaten people like that, huh? Do you know threatening is wrong or not?”
Jung Hayeon spanked the baby unicorn's bottom relentlessly. Her hand showed no mercy.
Smack! Smack, smack!
“Kkyu, kkyu-kkyu! Kkyu-kkyu-kkyu-kkyu!”
Each time, the baby unicorn struggled with all its might, but it couldn't overcome her strength. It was, after all, just a weak animal still in its infancy.
No. This isn't the time for that.
“Stop!”
As if they hadn't noticed my arrival, most of the clan members turned to look at me with startled expressions.
I walked past Vivian, who was staring at the baby unicorn with an envious look on her face, and spoke quietly.
“User Jung Hayeon.”
“S-Soohyun?”
“What do you think you're doing right now?”
“Ah… Th-This is…”
Jung Hayeon looked around, at a loss, then carefully set the baby unicorn down.
“Kkyuu… Kkyuuung…”
The baby unicorn came running to me, crying its eyes out, and I gently picked it up. It had been spanked so hard that its white bottom had turned bright red.
Looking at Jung Hayeon, who was biting her lip lightly, I asked again.
“What happened?”
“I'm sorry, Clan Lord.”
“…It's still just an infant. I don't know what the reason was, but there was no need to cause such a commotion.”
“It's just… I was upset.”
Upset, she says.
I stared at Jung Hayeon intently. Knowing her usual personality, she definitely wouldn't have done this without a good reason.
I decided to hear the full story later; for now, getting the situation under control was the priority. After all, this wasn't a good look.
“Kkyuuung… Kkyuuuuung…”
What was it so sad about? I glanced down and saw the baby unicorn burying its head against me, sobbing. Well, the smacks had been so sharp they practically stuck, so it must have hurt a lot.
I gently soothed its swollen bottom and spoke quietly.
“…Sigh. Alright. I'll take this one with me for a while. Hayeon, you should cool your head.”
“Yes. I'm sorry. I'll reflect on my actions until you call for me.”
Watching Hayeon answer after calmly collecting her breath, I turned my head. Lee Yoojung was nowhere to be seen. I wondered if this was really an 'emergency,' but it seemed I'd need to question her about it later.
It was then.
“Orabeoniii!”
Suddenly, the sound of someone bursting into the dining hall behind me struck my ears, followed by Ahn Sol's voice.
“It's an emergency!”
At those words, I slowly closed my eyes.
An emergency here, an emergency there.
My mood had been so calm when I saw Hyun and Hanbyul earlier, but everything changed the moment I stepped into the dining hall.
…This had better not be a real emergency.
But since Ahn Sol's official role was an Attendant, I couldn't just ignore her. I braced myself inwardly and turned around, my eyes still closed.
Ahn Sol's words followed.
“Th-The Istantel Low Clan Lord and… uh… anyway, another guest has arrived!”
In that instant, my eyes snapped open.
A guest?