Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: The Keyman Caravan
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The moment he swung his sword and beheaded a Rat Scavenger, Choi Yu-ra's covering fire arrived. Two Rat Scavengers near Kang-seok collapsed almost simultaneously, clutching arrows embedded in their chests and necks.
Kang-seok's eyes darted around. Seong Yu-jin was repeatedly taunting the Rat Scavengers that were attacking the caravan's guards.
Normally, the standard procedure would be to attack the monsters whose aggro was drawn by Seong Yu-jin, but this time was different. Kang-seok's eyes landed on one that was larger than the other Rat Scavengers, wearing a helmet adorned with a red tassel.
Rat Scavengers moved in numbers that were incomparable to gnolls.
Therefore, a certain knack was required to deal with them. Trying to take them on one by one, just because they were individually weak, was a surefire way to get swamped by their sheer numbers.
The one leading the pack.
The one that didn't join the fight directly, but just shouted from a distance.
Cowardly and despicable by nature, the Rat Scavengers' morale would plummet the moment their commander was killed, causing them to scatter.
*Thoom!*
Kang-seok kicked off the ground forcefully. He kicked off the air in succession, performing a mid-air dash to close the distance to the Rat Scavenger Chieftain, who was commanding from afar, in the blink of an eye.
“Keeah!”
Proving it hadn't become a chieftain by mere luck, the Rat Scavenger let out a shriek and swung its halberd wildly.
Kang-seok twisted his body in mid-air to dodge the halberd. As soon as he landed, he swung Durandal to cut down a nearby Rat Scavenger, then glared at the chieftain.
The chieftain retreated, grabbing a Rat Scavenger next to it and hurling it at Kang-seok. Instead of jumping or dodging sideways, Kang-seok swung Durandal powerfully, executing a Flying Swallow Strike: Low.
The flying Rat Scavenger was vertically bisected. And in that instant, the chieftain charged at Kang-seok. It stretched out its arm, grabbed another Rat Scavenger, and threw it.
Kang-seok quickly spun, slicing the incoming Rat Scavenger. And the brief opening it created.
The chieftain gave a sinister smile and closed in on Kang-seok's right side. It swung its halberd with monstrous strength.
He shouldn't have been able to dodge it. It was only natural that he couldn't counter in time.
But that was the old Kang-seok.
Now that he had advanced to Intermediate Warrior and could use 'Cancel,' things were different.
Kang-seok's right arm, which had been swinging Durandal in a wide arc from top-right to bottom-left, abruptly changed direction. It was a movement that seemed to make his bones and muscles scream.
Basic attack cancel into a skill activation!
It was one of the fundamentals of fighting games—canceling an ongoing motion to immediately execute another skill—but its effect was truly tremendous.
The Flying Swallow Strike: Middle, unleashed like a flash of lightning, slit the chieftain's throat before it could even finish swinging its halberd.
“Kuaargh!”
The chieftain dropped its halberd and clutched its throat, gurgling, but it was too late. Kang-seok swung Durandal again, sending the chieftain's head flying, then glared at the surrounding Rat Scavengers. There was no need for the performance of picking up the chieftain's head.
“Keeaaah!”
“Keeah!”
Shrieking, the Rat Scavengers scattered in all directions. The groups attacking the caravan and Seong Yu-jin also fled without a single look back.
“Hoo.”
Sheathing the bloodless Durandal, Kang-seok took a deep breath. The awaited letters of light appeared.
[Quest Cleared]
[Quest Reward: 600 Kron]
[The people of the caravan now view Choi Kang-seok's party favorably. Well done.]
Perhaps it was his imagination, but the woman's voice sounded a little warmer than before.
For a moment, Kang-seok considered trying to talk to the businesslike female voice again, but he shook his head and looked toward Seong Yu-jin and Choi Yu-ra.
“Are you okay?”
“I'm fine.”
“Me too.”
The replies came one after another. Choi Yu-ra was perched atop a nearby tree—he hadn't seen when she'd climbed it—while Seong Yu-jin was with the caravan members. It seemed she had been drawing aggro the whole time to prevent the Rat Scavengers from attacking the caravan.
For Kang-seok, the most important thing was not the safety of the caravan members, but the well-being of Seong Yu-jin and Choi Yu-ra.
Only after confirming they were both unharmed did he turn to look at the caravan members.
Because Kang-seok's party had arrived so quickly, no one had died, but a few had been injured by arrows or glaives.
As Kang-seok approached Seong Yu-jin, the door of the central carriage opened and a handsome middle-aged man emerged.
He was a man who fit the term 'dashing older gentleman' perfectly, with neat, slightly faded brown hair and black horn-rimmed glasses.
Dressed in what was clearly a high-quality suit, he gave Kang-seok and Seong Yu-jin a nod before naturally offering a handshake.
“I am Ruxley of the Keyman Caravan. Thank you for your help.”
His forehead was beaded with cold sweat, likely from the shock of the ambush.
Kang-seok met the kind-eyed Ruxley's gaze and shook his hand. Ruxley then proceeded to kiss the back of Seong Yu-jin's hand. Having never experienced this kind of greeting before, Seong Yu-jin's cheeks flushed slightly.
After kissing the back of Choi Yu-ra's hand, who had come down from the tree, Ruxley gestured to the carriage. As if on cue, the carriage door opened, and a pretty girl with white skin and black hair stepped out.
The girl, beautifully dressed in a white gown, said nothing, instead lifting the hem of her skirt slightly and giving the party a curtsy.
Ruxley introduced the girl on her behalf.
“This is Lady Wayne, the young mistress of the Keyman Caravan.”
“I'm Choi Kang-seok.”
“Choi Yu-ra.”
“I'm Seong Yu-jin.”
Following Kang-seok, Seong Yu-jin and Choi Yu-ra also briefly introduced themselves. Upon hearing their names, a flicker of understanding appeared in Ruxley's eyes, if only for a moment.
Striking attire. Unique names. Powerful combat abilities.
In fact, with this much information, the answer was all but certain.
Facing Kang-seok once more, Ruxley asked cautiously.
“Are you, by any chance, Players?”
“I've only heard rumors myself.”
The Keyman Caravan pulled their carriages over to the side of the road to treat the injured and sort out their goods.
After laying out a mat and serving tea, Ruxley spoke as if reciting something, his gaze fixed on the empty air.
“Warriors summoned from another world on the day of 'The Great Summoning.' Those who appear all over the world to fight monsters. I first heard these rumors about a month ago.”
At the words 'a month,' Kang-seok swallowed dryly.
It had been barely a month since Kang-seok and Seong Yu-jin first awoke in the Labyrinthos Dungeon. Circumstantially, Choi Yu-ra couldn't have been summoned to this world for a month yet either.
And yet, he said he'd heard the rumors a month ago.
Could it be that other Players were summoned to this world earlier?
'Roughly the five thousandth.'
Kang-seok and Seong Yu-jin's tutorial completion numbers were in the five thousands.
Those who had passed the tutorial before them.
Was it not just that they took less time to pass, but that they were summoned 'earlier' altogether?
Kang-seok gently shook his head. Even if that were the case, the time difference probably wasn't that significant.
He couldn't know the extent of Ruxley's information network, but since he said he heard the rumors a month ago, it was highly likely that even the earliest summoned Players were only one or two months ahead of Kang-seok at most.
Misunderstanding Kang-seok's silence as he organized his thoughts, Ruxley spoke quickly.
“I have no intention of prying into your affairs. I couldn't possibly do that after you've already done us such a favor.”
It seemed he had misunderstood Kang-seok's silence as a sign of displeasure at the mention of 'Players.'
Since it would be difficult to answer if he started asking all sorts of questions, Kang-seok didn't bother to correct the misunderstanding.
Ruxley, who had been studying Kang-seok's expression, turned to Seong Yu-jin and Choi Yu-ra and said.
“Is there anything you need? I would like to offer a small reward for saving us.”
At the word 'reward,' Choi Yu-ra whistled, and Seong Yu-jin's lips twitched. She asked in a slightly cautious tone.
“Um... could we possibly get a horse?”
Seeing Kang-seok pull the cart by himself all day had been bothering Seong Yu-jin immensely.
It was only natural that the first thing that came to her mind upon hearing the word 'reward' was a horse to pull the cart.
A horse was quite an expensive item. But Ruxley nodded readily.
“Of course. We'll give you one. And since you seem to be traveling, we'll provide you with ample supplies for your journey as well.”
“Thank you.”
Seong Yu-jin smiled brightly, and at her innocent expression, Ruxley couldn't help but blush slightly.
Choi Yu-ra laughed silently and glanced at Kang-seok, who let out a dry cough. It wasn't because he was bothered by Ruxley blushing at Seong Yu-jin.
Ruxley's attitude.
Why was he being so friendly?
Was it really just because they had saved him?
Kang-seok thought of something else.
“We're heading to the Temple of Gawain. We can accompany you as far as our paths overlap.”
It might have been jumping to conclusions, but he had a rough idea of what Ruxley wanted.
Having already lost some of his guards to the Rat Scavengers, he must have been anxious.
As if to confirm Kang-seok's suspicion, Ruxley gave an awkward smile.
“Well, this is embarrassing.”
And it wasn't just words; his face was even redder than when he'd seen Seong Yu-jin's smile earlier. Taking a deep breath to regain his composure, Ruxley met Kang-seok's eyes and spoke.
“May I formally request your services as escorts? As you said, just until our paths diverge. As for the reward...”
“Could we be compensated in kind?”
Kang-seok cut him off. He had learned about this world's currency from his conversation with the village chief's son, but that didn't mean he knew the proper market rates. It was better to get necessary goods than to awkwardly accept money.
“Yes, of course. Is there anything else you need besides the horse?”
At Ruxley's question, Kang-seok nodded. He mentioned the one thing he felt he needed most since leaving the Labyrinthos Dungeon.
“Could we get a map of this area?”
* * *
The two-day journey with the Keyman Caravan was uneventful. They were attacked by Rat Scavengers once along the way, but just like before, Kang-seok defeated the chieftain early on, so they suffered almost no damage.
West of the village where he had met Choi Yu-ra.
As the fork in the road—where they were to part ways with the Keyman Caravan, one path north and the other south—came into view, Ruxley, sitting next to Kang-seok in the carriage, spoke in his characteristically soft voice.
“Not all the rumors about Players are favorable.”
Having traveled together for two days, they had grown quite close to Ruxley. He wasn't a man who spoke without reason.
“There are also rumors of Players who have committed heinous crimes like murder, rape, and arson. I've also heard that the Knights Templar are mobilizing to punish such Players.”
The Knights Templar.
A group of holy knights belonging to the Four Great God Cults.
There was no guarantee that all 370,000 Players summoned by The Great Summoning were good people. Among them, there were bound to be those who held a grudge against The Great Summoning itself, and those who, drunk on their newfound superhuman abilities, would exploit the weak as they pleased.
“I pride myself on being a decent judge of character, which is why I requested your escort, but I must admit I was somewhat worried. However, it seems my judgment was correct.”
Ruxley didn't elaborate any further. Kang-seok interpreted Ruxley's intent as a warning: 'Don't be too open about the fact that you're a Player.'
Choi Yu-ra and Seong Yu-jin were riding in a different carriage from Kang-seok. Ruxley gave a faint smile and looked out the window. The fork in the road was not far off.
Kang-seok's party, heading for the Temple of Gawain, the God of Honor, would take the northern path, while the Keyman Caravan would go south. Their paths were about to diverge.
The carriage's speed slowly decreased. Once it came to a complete stop, Ruxley took out a silver card case from his coat. He handed Kang-seok an ivory-colored business card with an elegant gold-embossed crest.
“If you ever find yourselves in Heidelberg or Rodelburg, please look for the Keyman Caravan. Mention my name along with this card, and you will receive the finest treatment.”
Both were cities not far from this area. Kang-seok happily accepted Ruxley's card. They shared one last handshake before parting ways.
“Where do you think that young mistress of the Keyman Caravan was headed? Off to an arranged marriage or something?”
Choi Yu-ra muttered as she watched the Keyman Caravan's carriages disappear to the south.
Wayne, the young mistress of the Keyman Caravan, had remained cooped up in her carriage for the entire journey and hadn't had a proper conversation with the party.
Even though they had traveled together for two days, they could count the number of times they'd seen her face on one hand.
A beautiful young mistress of a caravan, leaving home with a group laden with goods, heading for a distant place.
It was the kind of scenario that could spark all sorts of speculation, but Kang-seok didn't give it much thought.
“She has her own life and her own story, I suppose.”
This wasn't a game; it was reality. They weren't NPCs (Non-Player Characters); they were people with their own lives.
The Players who had appeared in this land due to The Great Summoning.
And the individual actions of those Players, and the gazes of this world's natives who watched them.
Kang-seok set the cart in motion. He quickened his pace toward the Temple of Gawain, the God of Honor.