Chapter 26
Chapter 26
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: The Ashen Men's Territory
-----------------------------------------------------------------
‘I should stop by Shim Young-jin’s on the way.’
Leaving the captain’s office, Do-jae headed for the barracks of Squad 2.
Kim Hwan-soo’s explanation for why they had to switch operation zones had been somewhat flimsy, and a proper handover was necessary anyway.
He figured he could get the real reason out of him during their conversation.
*Tap-tap-tap-tap-.*
‘A healer?’
A man was running at high speed.
A cross-shaped patch was attached to his sleeve.
It was a red cross, its proportions different from the character for 'ten' (十) on a Ten-Man Commander's insignia.
It signified a healer.
The patch on his other sleeve also bore an unfamiliar unit mark. Why was a healer from another unit in such a hurry?
‘Towards Squad 2’s barracks?’
The healer was heading in the same direction Do-jae was going—toward the Squad 2 barracks.
A sense of foreboding made Do-jae quicken his pace, following the healer to the barracks.
“Guuuh…”
“Khht.”
“Aaaargh!”
For a moment, Do-jae thought he had stumbled into an undead dungeon.
The Squad 2 barracks was nothing short of a living hell.
“Healer! Over here, please!”
“It’s more urgent here! Please, this way first!”
Everywhere he looked, there were people who weren't whole. Some were bleeding so profusely their beds were soaked, some were missing an entire arm, and others were wrapped head to toe in bandages.
It was a truly gruesome sight.
The barracks for Squad 2 and Squad 3 were on opposite ends of the camp, so he’d had no idea this was happening.
“Get me a splint and a pressure bandage!”
Do-jae grabbed a supply corpsman who was rushing around frantically.
He immediately knelt by a fallen squad member, applied a splint to a mangled arm, and wrapped it with a bandage.
For Do-jae, who had often raided dungeons without a healer, first aid was second nature.
“Squad 3… Leader…?”
“That’s right.”
An unfamiliar Squad 2 member called out to Do-jae, his voice trembling.
“Am I… going to die…?”
Death was a familiar concept to Hunters and Suppression Corps members alike.
The death of monsters, the death of comrades—it was all close and familiar.
But that was precisely why they clung so fiercely to their own lives.
They knew all too well the pain and misery of life slipping away.
“No, you’re not going to die. I’ll make sure you live.”
Do-jae smiled and spoke in a bright tone.
Those who gave up the will to live would surely die.
But it was different for those who held onto hope.
Do-jae had often seen people pull back from the brink of death, sustained by even the slimmest sliver of hope.
‘Times like these, I wish I were a healer.’
It was a thought he’d had from time to time.
If only he had awakened as a healer.
The faces of his fellow Hunters who had died in his place, and that of his sick younger brother, flashed through his mind.
Just then.
“Over here! This one’s stopped breathing!”
The healer shouted urgently.
Do-jae leaped over to the squad member the healer had pointed to and immediately began chest compressions, starting CPR.
***
The chaos eventually subsided.
Tragically, one Suppression Corps member died from excessive blood loss, but the rest managed to survive the crisis.
‘Where’s Shim Young-jin?’
As Do-jae finally caught his breath, he was able to look around.
All the other squad members were present, but Shim Young-jin was nowhere to be seen.
‘Don’t tell me…?’
The state of the entire squad, and Shim Young-jin’s absence even after a significant amount of time had passed.
The circumstances made him worry about Shim Young-jin’s fate.
*Creaak-.*
The barracks door opened, and Shim Young-jin walked in.
Thankfully, he was alive and in one piece.
‘What’s wrong with his condition?’
His clothes were torn and splattered with blood, but compared to his squad members, he seemed relatively unharmed.
However, his hollow, unfocused eyes and slumped shoulders suggested he wasn't exactly fine either.
*Thump-.*
Shim Young-jin shuffled weakly over to a bed and sat down.
Do-jae approached him to ask what had happened.
“Squad Leader Shim. What in the world….”
“*Hic*. *Sob*. *Hic*.”
The moment Do-jae placed a hand on his shoulder, Shim Young-jin burst into tears.
He wasn't wailing, but he was crying with a profound sorrow.
“Calm down. What happened?”
“*Sob*. Mr. Do-jae… My squad members….”
“The squad members are all… mostly stable now.”
“It’s because of me….”
It didn't look like Shim Young-jin would stop anytime soon.
Do-jae led him outside.
*Ziiiing-.*
He opened his Subspace and took out a bottle of water, placing it in Shim Young-jin’s hand.
It was as cold as if it had just come out of a refrigerator.
*Gulp-.*
“It’s all my fault.”
“Tell me.”
Do-jae waited patiently for Shim Young-jin to speak.
After a long hesitation, Shim Young-jin finally began his story.
“So….”
This was Shim Young-jin’s account.
Squad 2 had gone out on a suppression mission.
As they had for the past few days, they were hunting monsters while keeping their distance from Shim Young-jin.
The members of Squad 2, being young, hadn't taken a liking to the grumbling Shim Young-jin from the start, and today was no different.
Besides, Shim Young-jin didn't care for the squad members who subtly looked down on him, so he was fine with it and was just killing time on his own.
He never had his heart in the Suppression Corps to begin with. He had no desire to work hard, so he thought it was for the best.
But that attitude created a problem.
According to the operation plan, there was an area they were not supposed to cross. But Shim Young-jin, who hadn't even bothered to look at the operational map, stepped into that very zone.
“The Ashen Men’s Mountain Range….”
There were three races that divided Gaeseong into three parts.
The Red Orcs, which Squad 3 was in charge of; the Death Ents, handled by Squad 4; and finally, the Ashen Men.
He had entered the edge of the mountains where the Ashen Men lived.
Originally, Squad 2’s mission was to patrol the area around the Ashen Men’s mountain range and hunt the stray monsters that wandered about.
So, what kind of monster was an Ashen Man?
[Ashen Man]
A Grade 5 humanoid monster.
The term 'humanoid monster' might sound strange, but since all creatures emerging from dungeons are collectively called monsters, even those with human forms must be referred to as such.
As their name suggested, the Ashen Men had skin the color of dark gray ash, and their lack of sclera gave them an eerie appearance.
Their skin color already provided excellent camouflage, and living in the mountains had made them incredibly agile.
Each one was stronger than a C-rank Awakened, but they showed no interest in anyone who didn't trespass on their territory.
For this reason, Squad 2 was only assigned to patrol, while the actual suppression was a matter for the squad leaders and their superiors.
“They suddenly jumped out, and I was about to be killed when my squad members saved me….”
Having trespassed into their territory, Shim Young-jin became prey for the Ashen Men.
He was instantly surrounded, in a situation where he could have died at any moment.
That’s when all of Squad 2 appeared to save him, and a fierce battle ensued.
But the Ashen Men were too strong.
Though they inflicted some damage, they were not enemies Squad 2 could handle on their own.
Only after Shim Young-jin finally came to his senses and sacrificed his superior weapons and armor, turning them all into scrap metal, were the squad members able to escape.
It was a miracle that all eleven members of Squad 2 had made it back to the barracks alive.
“What do I do… It’s all because of me… *Hic*….”
As the story ended, Shim Young-jin began to cry again.
Do-jae looked steadily at the fragile young man.
‘So he was just pretending to be strong all this time. He lacks this kind of experience, so the shock must be immense.’
No matter how irresponsible Shim Young-jin was, this incident would surely weigh heavily on his conscience.
He had grown up like a young master under a wealthy mother and an uncle who was the vice master of a top-tier guild, but out here in the wilderness, there was no one to lean on.
*Pat, pat-.*
Feeling sorry for Shim Young-jin, who he had seen break down several times now, Do-jae gently patted his back.
For a long while after, Shim Young-jin continued to sob.
***
The next day.
The first suppression operation began after swapping operational zones with Squad 2.
“You all saw Squad 2, right? I don’t want that to happen to us.”
Do-jae gave a stern warning to the assembled squad members.
He was sure they would do fine, but it was necessary to instill a sense of caution.
However, he couldn't help but sigh.
Just as he’d expected, they showed no sense of crisis whatsoever.
“Oh, come on, Squad Leader. People die all the time, it’s nothing new. We’re not fazed by things like that.”
“That’s right. Everyone here risks their life. We’re no different.”
Jang Pil-ho and Lee Ji-woong spoke up.
True to their reputation as Squad 3’s biggest troublemakers, they refused to be outdone.
“*Sigh*, could you please be careful, at least for my sake?”
Do-jae sighed and pressed on.
But Jang Pil-ho and Lee Ji-woong continued to whisper to each other.
“Squad Leader, how long has Squad 3 been together? Don’t you worry. Even the rookie, Ji-woong, has been here for half a year already.”
“Yeah, we’ll be smart about it!”
“Pil-ho, Ji-woong, be quiet. The Squad Leader is speaking.”
Son Jeong-gyu silenced the jeering Jang Pil-ho and Lee Ji-woong in an instant.
Following Squad 2’s incident, Son Jeong-gyu’s punishment had been reduced to a special one-week confinement, allowing him to participate in the suppression.
The oldest and strongest of the squad members, he had, upon observation, a respectful personality.
The attitude he had shown on the first day was just method acting; he mentioned he had been a bit-part actor for a short time when he was younger.
He said that thanks to his excellent physique and imposing presence, he'd played gangsters and thugs a few times, and that's how he learned to use his acting skills so effectively.
“Thank you. I’ll say it again. Starting today, we are in charge of suppressing this area. I expect none of you to make the mistake of trespassing into the Ashen Men’s territory. Our goal is to reduce the number of surrounding monsters as much as possible to avoid wasting unnecessary manpower on the Ashen Men suppression. Understood?”
“Yes, sir!”
He felt bad for Squad 2, but the change in operational zones was a good thing for Do-jae.
The Red Orc area had few monsters because the orcs had wiped out most of the surrounding creatures.
But this place was a true wilderness.
Monsters of various grades, from 10 to 6, were common, and even Grade 5 monsters like the Ashen Men could be seen from time to time.
Before starting the operation, Do-jae divided them into teams, just like last time.
“This time, we’ll split into two teams of five. The team leaders will be Jun-seo and Eun-taek, same as before.”
As Do-jae finished, Kang Eun-taek raised his hand with a question.
“Then what about you, Squad Leader? Shouldn’t you be leading a team?”
Kang Eun-taek wasn't the only one with a puzzled expression.
With Son Jeong-gyu joining, they now had eleven members, so the others were also wondering why they were splitting into two teams of five.
“No, I’m sitting this one out.”
“Huh? Again? Is a squad leader allowed to do that?”
Song Ji-yoon asked.
Disappointment was written all over her face.
“I’m the squad leader, so yes, I’m allowed.”
“But it’ll be dangerous….”
“It’s fine.”
“No, I’m not talking about your skills, I mean us!”
Song Ji-yoon pouted, pointing at herself.
Unlike Zone 7, which only had Red Orcs, this area could have unexpected monsters popping out.
If a boss-level monster appeared, they wouldn't be able to handle it on their own.
Of course, Do-jae was well aware of that. He summoned two golems from his Subspace.
“That’s fine too. I’ll be assigning these guys to you.”
The two had leveled up tremendously from constantly hunting Red Orcs with the team.
It was no exaggeration to say they were now more than twice as strong as before.
They were definitely on par with Son Jeong-gyu.
Even if an Ashen Man appeared, they could handle one, maybe even two.
Besides, he was connected to the golems through mana, so he would know immediately if anything happened. There was no need to worry.
“Okay. If the squad leader says so, then that’s what we’ll do.”
Song Ji-yoon nodded, her lips pressed into a firm line.
“Um…”
“Hm? What is it, Ji-woong? You want to be on the same team as your big sis?”
“Tch. No.”
Lee Ji-woong, who had been looking skeptical ever since the golems appeared, started to say something but snapped his head away when Song Ji-yoon gave him a cheesy look.
“I won’t be more than four kilometers away. The golems will let me know if you go any further.”
At his current level, Do-jae could cover four kilometers at a full sprint in about five minutes.
If there were no obstacles, he could do it even faster.
“Since you’ll be moving separately this time, team leaders, stay in constant contact. Everyone, move out!”
At Do-jae’s command, the teams, led by Kang Eun-taek and Kim Jun-seo, moved out in their assigned directions.
Do-jae looked in his own direction and thought.
‘I guess I need to clear my quest, too.’