Chapter 39
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: I Won't Kill
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A crying, angry woman was scarier than an orc warrior. I couldn't decide whether to explain myself or comfort her.
She looked so pitiful crying like that, but I had to clear up the misunderstanding before it got any worse, so I hurriedly started making excuses.
"Um... I only came because of the gate disappearing."
"Huh?"
"I sensed the signs of the gate vanishing and came to investigate."
"Then running into me was..."
"Pure coincidence."
"L-Liar."
"It's true. I came purely to learn throwing techniques and ran into you, Instructor. I only heard about your brother last time."
As the story went on, Instructor Song's gaze gradually softened. Of course it did. Everything I said about her was the truth.
For the past six months, I'd followed her sincerely, and she knew it.
"Um... sorry. I think I took out my frustration about my brother on you without realizing it."
"It's fine."
"No. You saved my life, trusted me enough to reveal your identity, and here I was blaming you. I'm really sorry. Let me apologize properly."
"No, it's okay. If you hadn't blocked Kim Cheol-min's attack in the first place, I'd already be dead. Plus, you helped me snap out of it earlier..."
"Then let's call it even."
"Sure."
With the misunderstanding cleared up, things between Instructor Song and me returned to normal. I let out a sigh of relief and quickened my pace.
"...By the way, what was that black shadow earlier? It gave off a bad vibe. Did you get hit with some kind of curse?"
"Oh, that? It's not a curse—it's a skill, but it has some pretty bad side effects. Honestly, I'm not feeling great right now either. Haha."
My legs were shaking, but I kept walking. The void's boundary was already close. If I wasn't careful, we'd be too late.
That's when it happened, as I was forcing out every last bit of strength.
"Huh?"
"I'll help. This is my fault anyway."
Instructor Song supported me. Still feeling guilty, she put her all into helping. Thanks to her, walking was much easier than before.
'Ugh, heart, quit acting up.'
I tensed up, worried she'd hear my heartbeat, and kept moving. To avoid the awkwardness, I changed the subject.
"By the way, what happened with your brother? Why would the agency harass your family...?"
"Until a few years ago, the guild he founded was leading the way in otherworld exploration. Have you heard of 'Santa Maria'? He was the guild master there."
"No way... That place was in the top five until five years ago. They said even the government couldn't keep up with their otherworld expeditions. Ah! So that's why..."
"Exactly. They came to check if there was any useful info."
Santa Maria was the name of Columbus's ship. It embodied their determination to venture beyond dungeons into other worlds, just like Columbus discovering the New World.
Unfortunately, during an expedition, the guild master and most executives went missing, and the guild disbanded right after.
'Who would've thought Santa Maria's guild master was Instructor Song's brother.'
After the guild disbanded, agency people showed up demanding otherworld info. She refused to hand over her brother's belongings.
Then one day, she found signs of a break-in, and almost all his stuff was gone. That's why she couldn't stand the agency.
"Sometimes I regret it. I was too stubborn when I should've just cooperated, and now his stuff is gone because of me."
"No. They're your family's treasures. Of course you'd cherish them."
I nodded, thinking of my mother's golden key. Sensing my sincerity, Instructor Song smiled warmly. I turned my head away, suddenly embarrassed.
"Wait! Why are you so mature? Are you really nineteen? Don't tell me that's fake too?"
"That's hurtful. My age is real."
"Then how are you so strong?"
"I trained. Locked myself in a room alone every day, skipping meals, not moving a muscle..."
"Endurance training, huh."
More like the path to becoming a total shut-in.
"Or stayed up all night wide-eyed for days on end."
"Like Marine Corps hell week?"
No, it was when I first encountered Kage Gatsu and binged all the anime seasons in one go.
"Even so, subjecting a minor to such inhuman training..."
"It's fine. That's all in the past."
Instructor Song looked shocked, then gazed at me with pity.
"But is it okay to tell me all this?"
"Keep what you heard today a secret. You can promise that, right?"
"That's it? How do you know you can trust me?"
"You're the first real adult I've met in this world. If I can't trust you, who can I trust?"
She didn't respond for a while after my last words. She parted and closed her lips repeatedly before finally speaking.
"...Okay. I promise I'll keep it. And I'll explain everything that happened inside to the instructor. Don't worry about a thing."
Instructor Song looked at me with eyes full of trust. Ugh. A massive wave of guilt hit me out of nowhere.
Whatever. She nodded firmly, as if resolved.
"Fortunately, dungeons are still unknown territories where anything can happen. Even if orcs suddenly raid, smash the dungeon crystal, and leave, they'll have no choice but to believe it."
"...If you say so, I'll be grateful."
Whew. Talk about a dirty trick.
* * *
We made it out safely before the dungeon closed. We spotted Kim Cheol-min's body along the way but both pretended not to see it.
I didn't want to relive the moment I killed him, and Instructor Song, noticing my discomfort, tactfully let it slide.
Truth be told, we didn't have time to worry about a dead guy. My already poor condition from berserk aftereffects had worsened after that left-hand fiasco.
'You brought this on yourself. Don't blame me.'
I pushed thoughts of Kim Cheol-min aside and lay down in the infirmary bed. The instructor was nowhere to be seen, even after a while.
"Hey, hey, this is no joke. War broke out between All-Kill Guild and More Marine. Casualties are already in the double digits? Even that perv instructor's swamped with treatments."
Before I knew it, Jin-hyuk hyung had scurried over and started chattering. Probably felt bad for ditching me in the dungeon.
I was a bit hurt at first, but thinking about it, it made sense. From his perspective, fighting orcs was suicide.
Still, him coming right over to talk meant he felt guilty about running first.
'That aside, All-Kill Guild starting a war...? Don't tell me this fight started because of me?'
I closed the dungeon, and if that made All-Kill panic and attack More Marine, I bore some responsibility.
Dad could've gotten hurt. Lucky nothing happened this time, but guild wars could flare up anytime.
'First things first, recover. Then I can do something.'
With that thought, I raised my left hand. The tip of my left middle finger was dark red.
A new mark. Probably appeared when the lefty woke up.
'This lingering means it's not dead yet. Can't let my guard down. Who knows when it'll show up again.'
Resting quietly, I replayed what happened when it appeared. I needed to figure out why something locked away for twenty years suddenly emerged.
My conclusions:
One, my condition was at its worst. Berserk aftereffects left me barely able to move.
Two, in that state, I faced the orc warrior and was about to die. All I could do was squeeze my eyes shut.
Three, blood. It said Kim Cheol-min's blood let it out, and it needed more—planned to eat Instructor Song.
'In other words, it gains power and grows through human blood.'
Unclear if literal blood or metaphor for life, but I'd avoid all three situations as much as possible.
'First, delete Berserk.'
[Berserk skill deleted. 2 mana refunded.]
Berserk saved me from crisis, but also caused the worst one yet. Plus, it could backfire depending on the situation.
'Register Charge instead.'
[Charge (Power Charge, E-grade): Dash forward rapidly. Gain 20% speed bonus upon starting. Attacks during charge add 20% attack power bonus. Cannot change direction mid-charge. Requires 2-second wind-up.]
'Not bad. Simple, but can be a powerful attack if used right.'
Next, I checked my status window.
[Cha In-hyeok. Lv 11. (11.1%)] [Mana 1/12]
[Strength 42, Agility 32, Vitality 33, Intelligence 28]
[Unallocated Stat Points: 2]
I frowned at the status window.
'Tch! The orcs didn't wait, so I dumped everything into strength.'
My nicely balanced stats were now skewed. Felt like a misaligned figure on display.
'Is this some kind of OCD...?'
Maybe because promotion ended? Even adding goblin essence only gave 5% exp. Leveling up seemed tougher ahead.
Still, seeing this guy cleared my complicated mood.
"Ogrr."
An orc. My first orc minion. Named him Pork. Felt affectionate, a good name.
I handed him a training two-handed axe I'd snuck out. In his hands, the two-hander looked like a proper one-hander.
[Pork. Lv 11.] [Orc (★★)]
[Strength 35, Agility 15, Vitality 40, Intelligence 3]
Hobgoblins seemed big, but orcs were huge. Stats solid overall. That damn intelligence was hopeless, though.
"Still, he can tank decently. Hmm. Custom armor would be good... Off-the-shelf won't fit that bulk."
I'd worry about that later.
Speaking of armor led me to my new item.
I pulled a white magic stone about two finger-widths from my inventory. The one embedded in the orc warrior's axe.
[Magic Stone infused with "Gentle Breeze" (E)]
[Attack Power +10. Durability 30. Weight 0.1]
[Special: Recover possible]
[Recover (Return, E-grade): Make thrown item return at throw speed. Requires recharge time. Recharge: 1 minute.]
Tempting. Attach to weapon for attack boost—probably enhances cutting with wind power. And Recover? The more I saw it, the better.
'With this, no panicking over lost weapons. Could even use for attacks if played right.'
Issue: How to attach it. The leather guy's good with hides, but clueless on weapons or magic gear.
'No choice. Ask Instructor Song again.'
Since then, Instructor Song Hye-rin fully trusted me. Her gaze mixed gratitude and pity.
Felt a prick of conscience, but I'd use her trust for now.
'Need to get strong fast to stop All-Kill Guild's rampage.'
Had to halt their tyranny before it worsened. My mess, my cleanup.
'But I can't go around killing.'
Even without lefty issues, killing wasn't right. I wanted problems solved without bloodshed.
Luckily, I had a role model who pulled off heroic feats without killing.
The Bat-God.
Follow his teachings.
'I'll cripple you senseless, but I won't kill you.'
...Nah, feeling crueler is just my imagination.