Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: New Faces
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“Huddle in the corner! If they get behind us, it's over!”
It was a group of three men. The red-haired man at the very front, holding a large shield, shouted as he swung his sword.
He was tall and broad-shouldered. Not only was he holding a shield, but he was also wearing dark blue full plate mail, making him look like a great castle wall.
The man with a somewhat gruff expression—Kim Kang-san—gritted his teeth and glared at the gnolls. A total of six of them were slowly closing the distance.
The two men behind Kim Kang-san, one with blue hair and the other with orange, raised their respective weapons, a long spear and a sword, and backed away toward the corner.
Their clothes were rather shabby, and unlike Kim Kang-san, their expressions were closer to terrified.
All six gnolls were armed with swords and shields. Kim Kang-san felt his mouth go dry.
Even if the two behind him each took on one gnoll, that still left four.
The thought that this might really be the end swirled in his mind.
“Krugh!”
As if tired of the standoff, one of the gnolls suddenly let out a loud roar. The other gnolls soon followed suit, and the men, including Kim Kang-san, were pushed back by the sheer force of their presence.
Intimidating the enemy.
Two gnolls kicked off the ground at the same time. The man with the long spear let out a shrill scream and squeezed his eyes shut, even though their weapons hadn't even clashed once.
Kim Kang-san raised his shield. But he was only one man, and two gnolls had leaped. Four more were eagerly waiting for an opportunity.
It was a moment where a choice had to be made.
Someone charged through the gnolls.
Not a single, common battle cry was heard. Just the sound of studded boots kicking off the ground struck the floor harshly.
*Clang!*
A gnoll that had leaped high struck Kim Kang-san's shield with its greatsword. The other one tried to bypass Kim Kang-san and charge at the men with the spear and sword. But it couldn't. A series of sounds from behind stopped it.
A gnoll yelped and fell to the floor. As if its legs had been kicked out from behind, it was momentarily airborne before landing on its back.
The gnolls turned around. And the one right next to the fallen gnoll saw the heel of a boot descending upon its head.
*CRUNCH!*
With a sickening sound, the gnoll's face was crushed. Kang-seok, who had spun his body into a downward kick immediately after sweeping the first gnoll's legs, scanned the area.
Two gnolls.
The man in full plate armor and one in front of him.
Another one, turning to look at him with a bewildered face.
Kang-seok's hand went to his back. The moment he grasped the hilt of Durandal, the white light he'd been waiting for shot out from the direction he had first come from.
[Taunt Lv. 1]
It was Seong Yu-jin. The gnolls' gazes momentarily left Kang-seok.
And in that brief moment.
Kang-seok didn't miss it. He charged forward, drawing Durandal and swinging it as if scattering something.
Blood splattered. The tip of Durandal unfailingly sliced across the gnoll's chest, and Kang-seok used the momentum to throw himself forward, ramming the fourth gnoll with his back and shoulder.
It was different from the Iron Mountain Leaning of Bajiquan. It wasn't a proper technique, more like a reckless body slam.
But it was effective enough.
The gnoll staggered back, and Kang-seok, who had already regained his balance, dropped low and swept his right foot as if sweeping the ground.
The same technique that had felled the first one sent the fourth gnoll tumbling ungracefully, and that was the end of it. The tip of Durandal plunged vertically into the gnoll's chest.
“S-So fast!”
The orange-haired man with the sword exclaimed belatedly. It was a natural reaction, seeing as he had taken down four gnolls and killed three of them in the blink of an eye.
But Kang-seok still didn't stop. Instead of going for the first one that was trying to get up, he dashed toward the one standing before the men with the spear and sword.
This time, the gnoll was intimidated by Kang-seok. Its movements became clumsy with fear, and Kang-seok, breaking its line of sight with a sudden vertical jump, leaped over its head. He finished it with a slash from behind, a move that could now be called his specialty.
Four gnolls, defeated in an instant.
Seong Yu-jin, who had run up, plunged Almace into the first gnoll. Everyone's gazes, including Kang-seok's, naturally turned to the last remaining one.
“Uoooh!”
Kim Kang-san shouted and shoved the gnoll with his shield. He swung his sword with all his might at the chest of the creature, which was stunned by the sudden annihilation of its comrades.
“Bash!”
The most basic of attack skills. Kim Kang-san's sword shattered not only the gnoll's crude armor but also its chest. It felt less like a slash from a sword and more like a blow from a blunt weapon.
Kim Kang-san panted, letting out ragged breaths. The men with the spear and sword both collapsed to the ground, as if on cue.
Kang-seok blinked with a bewildered expression.
It wasn't because the man in full plate mail—Kim Kang-san—had defeated the gnoll. Nor was it because he'd seen Kim Kang-san's face before.
Kang-seok was bewildered for only one reason.
The moment Kim Kang-san struck the last gnoll, he had seen a command.
Bash
←←+P
What was going on? Weren't commands only visible when he was holding a weapon? No, could it be that he'd just understood a command by watching someone else use a skill?
“Kang-seok?”
At Seong Yu-jin's call, Kang-seok snapped back to his senses. Not only Seong Yu-jin but everyone else was staring at him. Kim Kang-san seemed slightly wary, while the men with the spear and sword looked terrified.
Kang-seok took a step back as if to reassure the three men and spoke.
“I'm Choi Kang-seok. Are you all right?”
For some reason, it reminded Kang-seok of his first meeting with Seong Yu-jin.
After Kang-seok's introduction, the orange-haired man with the sword hesitated before asking.
“A-A Korean?”
“Yes, I'm Korean.”
Was it a similar feeling to meeting someone from your hometown in a faraway land?
As if greatly relieved by the single word "Korean," the man with the spear and the man with the sword both let out long sighs.
Kang-seok almost let out a wry smile but managed to suppress it, while Seong Yu-jin secretly grinned.
“I'm Kim Kang-san.”
The man in the dark blue full plate mail—Kim Kang-san—stood before Kang-seok and said. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead and his breath was ragged, but his eyes were clearly smiling.
Was he grateful for being rescued?
A hand extended as if for a handshake.
Kang-seok sheathed Durandal and took Kim Kang-san's hand.
* * *
“I'm Kim Nam-yeong.”
“I'm Ahn Jae-min.”
The men with the long spear and the sword introduced themselves.
The blue-haired man with the long spear, Kim Nam-yeong, had a slightly plump face. Over sturdy-looking leather clothes, he wore crude armor that seemed to have belonged to the gnolls.
The orange-haired man, Ahn Jae-min, was rather thin in contrast to Kim Nam-yeong, and an indelible fatigue was etched on his face.
‘Something's... off.’
Facing Kim Nam-yeong and Ahn Jae-min, Kang-seok couldn't help but tilt his head.
Kim Nam-yeong and Ahn Jae-min were ordinary. Neither ugly nor handsome. After all, you could find plenty of slightly chubby or thin people in the real world.
But that's precisely why it was strange.
In-game characters, the PCs, not NPCs, were mostly handsome and beautiful. It wasn't just nine out of ten; it was more like ninety-nine out of a hundred.
So what was going on? Did Kim Nam-yeong and Ahn Jae-min just have peculiar tastes?
‘Does real-life appearance have some kind of influence?’
“I'm Seong Yu-jin.”
As if cutting through Kang-seok's thoughts, Seong Yu-jin introduced herself with a bright smile. Kang-seok's eyes reflexively darted to Seong Yu-jin's face, and feeling awkward, he let out a dry cough.
He had already felt it several times over the past few days, but Seong Yu-jin was a stunning beauty. Ahn Jae-min's eyes sparkled as if moved by Seong Yu-jin's bright smile, and Kim Nam-yeong swallowed hard.
Kim Kang-san, who seemed to be the leader of the two, looked at Kang-seok and Seong Yu-jin with friendly eyes, contrary to his gruff impression.
It wasn't just his strong, masculine features or the red beard on his chin; Kim Kang-san's entire aura was different. He couldn't judge by appearance alone, but he seemed to be an older player.
In any case, the introductions were over. To move the conversation forward, Kang-seok turned his gaze back to Kim Kang-san. And it was at that very moment.
“P-Park Han-yeong.”
The voice came from above. Kang-seok reflexively drew Durandal and lunged toward Seong Yu-jin, while Kim Kang-san leaped back. Kim Nam-yeong and Ahn Jae-min stared blankly at the ceiling.
A black figure was stuck to the ceiling. Dressed head to toe in jet-black clothes like a ninja from a Japanese anime, even their face was covered, with only two eyes visible.
Their voice was also modulated in some way, making it difficult to determine their gender. As everyone's eyes gathered on them, the ninja clinging to the wall hesitated before finally speaking.
“I-I was hiding. I'm not good at fighting...”
The ninja—Park Han-yeong—trailed off, crawled a little further along the ceiling to a secluded spot, and then carefully dropped to the floor. Despite a person dropping from a ceiling over three meters high, they didn't make a sound.
‘A stealth type?’
When one thought of a ninja, a form-fitting suit usually came to mind, but Park Han-yeong was different.
They wore baggy, flowing clothes, making it impossible to tell their gender from their body shape alone.
Their height was also ambiguous, making them a complete mystery.
One could say they perfectly embodied the subculture image of a ninja that people often think of.
Park Han-yeong hesitated, unable to approach the group. It was almost pitiful to watch.
Kim Nam-yeong showed open discomfort toward Park Han-yeong, and Ahn Jae-min's expression wasn't pleasant either. It seemed they had realized this person had just been watching while they were in danger.
This was not a good sign.
They had only just finished introducing themselves, but this was a group that would likely be 'comrades' at least until they escaped the dungeon. It wasn't good for things to be so rocky from the start.
“Um, excuse me!”
Suddenly, Seong Yu-jin raised her hand and her voice. Naturally, all eyes that had been on Park Han-yeong turned to Seong Yu-jin.
Kang-seok also looked at Seong Yu-jin. Her earlobes were red and her cheeks were strangely stiff; she was clearly forcing herself.
But Seong Yu-jin spoke again with a bright face.
“Um, this might sound a little crazy, but—”
She trailed off slightly, giving Kang-seok a look. It was a clear gesture asking for help, but Kang-seok was having a hard time just holding back his laughter.
He could perfectly picture why Seong Yu-jin was stepping up like this, what she was about to say, and how much she was floundering inside.
Seong Yu-jin shot Kang-seok a resentful glare before taking a deep breath. She looked at Kim Kang-san, Kim Nam-yeong, Ahn Jae-min, and Park Han-yeong in turn, then asked with an awkward yet lovely, business-like smile.
“So, what games were you all playing before you came here?”