The Foolish One (3)
“I….”
“……”
“I think it might be all right to watch him a little longer.”
To be honest, that was a lie.
I didn’t really think he’d be all right. Of course, I knew better than anyone that the guy was trying hard and putting in the effort, but if you asked me whether he could keep up with Kim Hyunsung, the only honest answer was no. That was the cold truth.
Hell, he couldn’t even catch up to Cho Hyejin, let alone Kim Hyunsung.
However I looked at it, cutting him loose was the obvious choice.
Am I getting attached to him?
Maybe that really was it. I could feel myself starting to rationalize my own behavior.
Either way, Park Deokgu relied on me heavily, and he’d already decided I was someone worth trusting and following. Maybe I’d have to cut him loose someday, but not right now.
I didn’t like the idea of a new tank joining and reducing the influence I had over the party, and I certainly didn’t want to spend time breaking in a replacement to suit my tastes.
At the very least, I thought Park Deokgu was someone who could throw his life away for this side.
Of course, if that situation ever came, there was no telling how the cowardly bastard would act—but at least I didn’t think he’d turn his back and run.
He’s trying.
It wouldn’t hurt to trust him just a little longer.
“I see.”
At my words, Kim Hyunsung seemed to let out a short sigh. I had no choice but to rush on again.
“Of course, I understand very well that if the vanguard collapses, the entire party is in danger. But I still think there are ways to make up the difference. Items, for example… There should be plenty of methods. More than anything, Deokgu himself is making the most effort, so even if the results are tiny, I think he’ll gain something.”
The results might be microscopic, though… honestly, I’m not expecting much either.
“He also seems to be training every day where the other party members can’t see him… And recently, I saw him sparring with Yeri. Of course, I can’t properly judge the two of them with my own eyes, but it seemed like he was holding his own quite well.”
He got beaten to a pulp.
“He has the will.”
Useless willpower that we don’t even need.
“Slowly, little by little, he should keep growing.”
So little by little it’s a problem.
“I think he’ll show a somewhat different side of himself on the next expedition. Definitely.”
Honestly, I can’t make that promise. Hyunsung… damn it….
I was used to lying, but even so, this one felt a little clumsy.
I had no real logic, only vague talk about willpower, and I was busy shielding the guy for no good reason.
It definitely wasn’t something that suited me. Still, I could see Kim Hyunsung looking at me with a faint smile.
“I understand.”
He looked extremely pleased.
It was a face I couldn’t quite read, but he seemed to be relieved, as if I’d confirmed whatever he’d been thinking.
Maybe the right way to put it was that some burden had been lifted from his chest.
This bastard… was he testing me?
It was only natural to wonder that.
My lovable regressor had, until recently, been keeping a careful distance from me, harboring his own doubts.
I’d thought he was a sly bastard, but if he really had tested me over this, then it was fair to say he was even slyer than I’d imagined.
Maybe he’d sensed something inhuman about me and arranged this little event to probe it.
In any case, seeing Kim Hyunsung’s expression brighten made it feel like I’d succeeded at something. I did briefly suspect that this might have all been part of Park Deokgu’s scheme, but….
No, it probably wasn’t a scheme.
I firmly believed that wasn’t the case.
Anyway, after hearing me out, Kim Hyunsung continued nodding and smiling contentedly.
My thoughts were already a mess, and before I could even force out an awkward smile in reply, his voice rang out again.
“I understand what you’re thinking, Kiyoung. In fact, I told you earlier that I trusted your judgment, but there will definitely come a day when not only the party member, but Deokgu himself, becomes endangered.”
“Yes… I’m aware of that as well.”
“For now, I’ll watch and wait. But if his rate of growth or the results of his training don’t show up, then as I suggested… I think it would be best to establish a second party. Of course, the timing should be your decision, Kiyoung. Even without my saying it, you’ll likely sense when the time is right.”
“Yes. Understood. That would probably be best.”
So he’s giving him a few more chances?
Kim Hyunsung was going to keep watching Park Deokgu too.
Whatever his reasons, I got what I wanted.
Of course, if the guy got failing marks on the next few dungeon expeditions and hunts, he’d be shoved into a second party as if being exiled—but at least the death sentence hadn’t been handed down immediately. That alone was worth celebrating.
There was only one position I should take from here.
Strengthen him.
I’d shove Park Deokgu into the enhancement machine and crank it up.
Of course, for now, it was only natural that I couldn’t see a clear solution.
Still, there were plenty of ways to make someone stronger. Like I said before, I could get him items, or maybe use alchemy to reinforce his body a little.
Though, to be honest, I wasn’t even sure I could do that.
Even beyond that, there was the possibility of getting him a Legendary-grade class, if only for a brief and desperate moment to force the issue.
In this world, the first requirement for becoming strong was getting anything with the word Legendary attached to it.
That was the first step.
If even someone like me, who truly had no talent, had found a way to grow, then Park Deokgu—who was far more capable than I was—would manage it.
Of course, the fact that I was worrying so much about his affairs was ridiculous in itself, but if this really was an extension of the test Kim Hyunsung was giving me, then there wasn’t a single reason to hold anything back.
This is the last time I’ll be taking care of you, Deokgu.
It wasn’t because his face kept sticking in my mind. Absolutely not.
I had my own work, and plenty to think about. I just thought it would be better to spend a little time aggressively now than to keep dragging out the sight of that foolish bastard’s back.
“Then I’ll be heading out first, Hyunsung.”
“Yes.”
“About what you were going to say earlier….”
“It was nothing. Let’s have a drink and talk about it next time.”
“Ah… yes.”
“I’m counting on you, Kiyoung.”
That sly bastard… I knew he was testing me.
“Haha… then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
It was only natural that I picked up Jung Hayan, who was still nodding off with her head bobbing, and left Kim Hyunsung’s room.
She felt pretty heavy, but compared to an ordinary person she was still strong, so carrying her back to the room wasn’t a problem.
We’d spent the whole day together already, and she seemed to have sunk so deeply into sleep that she couldn’t keep herself awake. That made things a little easier for me.
Needless to say, if she found out I was heading somewhere else, Jung Hayan would hate it.
After closing the door behind me again, I quickened my pace.
I’d already been planning to go see him anyway, so the timing was perfect. After putting it off and putting it off because I’d been busy and annoyed, I’d finally found a convenient excuse.
I’d already decided I needed to do something for Park Deokgu, but to be honest, I had no idea where to even begin. I didn’t know what was blocking his growth, and I couldn’t even begin to diagnose the problem.
I wasn’t his personal counselor. I could only read status windows and tendencies.
His mana growth was absurdly low, but his potential in stamina and endurance was Heroic or better.
And yet he was still growing slowly.
That wasn’t the only issue, either.
It was painful to admit, but his instinct for combat was below expectations compared to the monsters around Kim Hyunsung.
Honestly…
Even if Kim Yeri’s stats were lower than Park Deokgu’s, he still wouldn’t be able to beat her.
The man’s raw sense for battle was just different.
It was the same reason that other people, even those with mana and intelligence stats at Legendary level or above, didn’t understand magic nearly as well as Jung Hayan.
His stats were already falling behind, and on top of that he lacked experience and instinct.
His class still hadn’t even risen beyond Rare, and even his trait remained locked.
It’s a total disaster….
Still, the fact that his trait hadn’t opened yet meant there was at least a sliver of hope. But instinct was not the kind of thing that simply vanished.
What I thought needed checking, however, was the future Park Deokgu.
The version of him who had grown a little more than he had now. Just seeing that version might give me some idea of how to develop him.
Kim Hyunsung didn’t know me or Park Deokgu, but the shaman who knew my future might also know something about him.
Before I even reached the room, the members of the Yozora Guild began greeting me.
When I gave them a casual wave, the door opened on its own, and there she was again—prostrating herself exactly as she had the last time.
Kasugano Yuno.
Her long hair was still loose, and her eyes remained shut. The voice of the miko I had happened to become connected with drifted toward me.
“I have awaited your arrival, Master.”
“Sorry I’m late.”
“Not at all. It is an honor beyond measure merely to have been visited. No one understands better than I how busy you are, Master. More importantly, please, come inside.”
“You knew I’d be coming today?”
“Th-that is not the case.”
“Then….”
“I waited until you came. I was certain you would visit….”
I didn’t really know what to say to that.
“That must have been hard.”
“Not at all. Thinking of waiting for Master actually made me feel quite happy… It was, in fact, an enjoyable time.”
She really can’t help herself.
“Ahem.”
“You must have come because you had business to discuss.”
There was a slight trace of disappointment in Kasugano Yuno’s expression, as if she’d expected as much.
It stung my conscience a little.
But I couldn’t exactly tell her I’d come to see her. In truth, I had business here, and time was a little tight too.
Instead, I sat down quietly, tapped the space beside me, and watched as she carefully rose and moved closer.
As expected, she looked pleased.
She didn’t smile as openly as Jung Hayan did, but it was as if she were desperately holding back a face that kept loosening all on its own.
She was trying to keep her expression in check, but it looked like she was having trouble suppressing the grin that kept trying to leak out.
“Well. I suppose you could say I came for multiple reasons.”
“Even simply considering my feelings brings me such joy that I feel as though I might float away. Please, Master, tell me what you wish.”
If she was going to say it like that, then I figured it wouldn’t matter much if I got straight to the point.
It seemed like just being with me was enough to make her happy.
And I already had quite a few questions related to the matter.
“It’s about the Black World.”
“Yes.”
“You said you found me in the ruins.”
“Yes. I went to find my dying Master first.”
“So… that was an event that happened two years from now?”
“Yes. I cannot say the exact date, but I believe it was around two or three years in the future.”
For now, I had one question.
“Was I the only one you found in those ruins? What about anyone else… for example….”
Before I could finish, Kasugano Yuno’s voice came softly back to me.
“Master, you are asking about the large man.”
“You know about him?”
Kasugano Yuno’s closed eyelids lifted, and she looked directly at me.
Where her pupils should have been, there was only blackness. The sight, like something out of a horror film, sent a chill crawling up my back.
Don’t look here.