Chapter 6
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Herb Gatherer Han Seo-ah
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Crunch.
A dry twig snapped.
The rustling noise scraped against my eardrums.
It was distinctly different from the sound of grass swaying in the wind.
'Not a slime.'
An irregular rhythm.
Something was forcing its way through the underbrush, heading straight for me.
I tightened my grip on the hoe in my hand.
The handle felt slick from the sweat pooling in my palm.
'A person?'
No.
No person would move that clumsily.
This was a gate where hunters came and went.
Muffling your footsteps was basic common sense for survival.
That left only one possibility.
'Beast... or monster.'
I decided not to give in to curiosity.
In horror movies, the first ones to die are always the idiots who call out, "Who's there?"
No need to get closer.
I twisted my body in the exact opposite direction of the noise.
Stealthily—.
I shifted my weight onto my toes, pressing down on the ground.
I even held my breath to avoid crunching the fallen leaves underfoot.
I had to run.
I had to put distance between us.
My instincts were blaring alarms like crazy.
'Please be a wild boar or a deer.'
I prayed silently as I quickened my pace.
But the world—and this damn game-turned-reality—never answered prayers like mine.
Kieeeek—!
A tearing shriek ripped through the forest's silence.
A chilling presence crawled up my spine from behind.
I whipped my head around on reflex.
The bushes were roughly shoved aside to either side.
And what burst out was a disheveled creature with green skin.
"...Insane."
A goblin.
Small stature, only up to an adult man's waist.
Scrawny arms and legs.
Its yellowish eyes locked onto me, gleaming with greedy hunger.
Name: Goblin Tracker
Lv: 5
Attribute: Neutral
Status: Excited, Murderous Intent
Notes: Separated from Pack
Level 5!
For someone like me, who could barely handle level 1 slimes, this was way beyond my league.
Worse still, the rusty dagger in its hand dripped with red liquid.
Blood.
Very fresh blood.
The nauseating metallic stench hit my nose on the wind.
My stomach churned.
But an even bigger shock stole my gaze away from the urge to vomit.
Its waist.
A round object dangling from crudely woven vine rope.
At first, I thought it was some kind of fruit, like a melon or watermelon.
But then it cackled and shook its body, and the object spun around to face me.
"...!"
My breath caught. Our eyes met.
A woman's eyes, unfocused, staring blankly into nothingness.
The jagged stump of her neck, visible through matted hair, was horrific.
"You fucking piece of shit bastard..."
Her frozen expression, mouth agape, was etched with fossilized terror.
This wasn't a game.
This was reality.
No respawning in town if you died. No soft landing.
Get your head chopped off, and you're gone.
That simple fact turned into paralyzing fear, numbing my entire body.
And some monsters even used women as breeding stock.
My legs shook.
My head screamed to run, but my feet felt glued to the ground with super glue.
'Move, Han Seo-ah.'
'Move!'
'Get it together!'
'You worthless bitch...!'
'Let's see if you move now!'
I bit my lip hard!
The metallic tang on my tongue snapped me back to reality.
Ki-gig! Ki-gi-gig!
The goblin let out a creepy laugh as it leaped forward.
Distance: about 10 meters.
With its jumping power, it'd close the gap in three or four bounds.
I kicked off the ground without looking back.
Thud—!
The impact shot up from my soles to the crown of my head.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
A shout—or scream, I couldn't tell—burst from my throat.
The heavy backpack crushed my shoulders.
I wanted to shrug it off right then.
But I couldn't.
Inside was a week's worth of food—no, enough chicken for twenty birds at least.
Call me a money-crazed bitch if you want.
Sometimes, an empty bank account weighs heavier than fear.
And besides—
Whoosh—!
Something sliced through the air behind me.
The backpack acted as a shield for my back.
But this time, luck wasn't on my side. The attack was dead accurate.
I ducked on instinct.
Thwack!
Something whistled past my head and embedded in a tree trunk ahead.
A rock.
If that had hit, my skull would've cracked.
"You crazy fucker!"
Swears flew out automatically.
I zigzagged as I ran.
Straight lines make perfect targets.
I weaved around trees, leaped off protruding rocks.
My breath burned in my chest.
But I couldn't stop. Stopping meant death.
My head would end up dangling next to that woman's.
'Why the hell is a goblin here!'
Jamsil Gate was F-Rank. The entrance area was supposed to be open plains.
Goblins dwelled deep in the swamps or forest interiors.
This was the safe zone, just one or two hours from the entrance!
'No way.'
The puzzle pieces clicked in my head.
The head at its waist.
The [Separated from Pack] in its status window.
That woman's party had poked the swamp.
They ran into a goblin pack, got wiped, and she bolted alone to survive.
Using her comrades as bait, running like mad without even noticing her shoe slip off.
Clinging to the hope that she'd make it to the safe zone.
But it was persistent.
[Name: Goblin Tracker]
The straggler had chased her all the way.
And right here, exit in sight, it caught her.
A futile death.
Tortured by false hope, ending in beheading.
'Not me.'
I gritted my teeth. Goblins were fast.
But their stamina sucked.
Long limbs, poor balance—unsuited for long-distance chases.
Plus, it had loot weighing it down at the waist.
'I can shake it.'
That weight had to be throwing off its balance.
The irony of the dead helping the living.
I adjusted my pace.
Not a sprint, but marathon rhythm.
'Stay calm.'
Long exhales, short inhales.
Hoo, sip. Hoo, sip.
My lungs greedily sucked oxygen, but I fought to keep the rhythm.
Kieek! Kek! Kek!
Its ragged breathing from behind was getting rougher.
It's falling behind.
'Fuck you, goblin! I'll kill you myself later!'
10 minutes.
20 minutes.
Time lost meaning as my senses dulled.
No more metallic shrieks.
"Haa... haa... Is it gone?"
The pursuit had stopped.
But I didn't. Had to be sure.
No room for complacency.
That woman might've died thinking she'd shaken it, only to stop too soon.
Or maybe she burned out from bad pacing.
I ran another 10 minutes toward the exit.
My legs went numb.
They didn't feel like mine anymore.
Mechanically stepping forward, I finally eased up when familiar chain-link fencing came into view.
"Heok... heok... Kek."
I braced my hands on my knees.
Heat rose from inside my clothes, cooking my face.
Tried to swallow, but my mouth was bone-dry.
I staggered to a tree trunk and leaned against it.
Then looked back the way I'd come.
Silence.
Only wind and insect chirps, peaceful as ever.
The murderous intent that tried to kill me moments ago? Vanished.
The forest scenery played innocent, like nothing happened. It gave me chills.
"Haa... Good."
I survived.
Relief came second to hunger.
Tension released, my energy-starved body rebelled.
With trembling hands, I readjusted my backpack.
The solid weight pressed against my back.
A rock was lodged between the straps.
'Were you a pitcher or what...'
That goblin had thrown it with suspicious accuracy.
'That's enough for today.'
No more gathering. Pushing it would really get me killed.
I stumbled toward the gate exit.
The shimmering blue boundary rippled into view.
Beyond that: Seoul.
Law and order. Convenience stores. No monsters.
I threw myself into the waves.
Woooong—.
Tinnitus rang as my vision shifted.
Gray concrete floor.
Ac rid smell of exhaust.
Horns blaring noisily.
"Good work out there."
The soldier at the outpost greeted me in a flat tone.
He had no clue what went down behind me, what I'd seen.
No need to know, either.
People dying in there was everyday stuff.
Not even a blip on the news.
Too drained to reply, I just nodded and headed to the bike rack.
Once my butt hit the saddle, tension melted away.
My fingers shook so bad, it took forever to fit the key.
"Fuck..."
The keyhole danced mockingly.
My fingertips quivered.
Who knew jamming a bike key was such a high-difficulty quest?
Clink. Clank—
The metal clinks grated on my nerves.
I took a deep breath.
'Calm down. Why fixate on this crap? You knew the second you stepped in the gate, death was on the table!'
If you can kill, you can be killed.
No one's that clueless.
Don't think about it.
No—think of something else.
Sexsexsexsexsexsexsexsexsexsexsexsexsexsexsexsexsexsexsexsexsexsex...
"Hoo..."
Finally calming down.
Nothing chases stray thoughts like raunchy words.
I thumped my chest.
My flat build spared me any weird vibes from groping.
I turned my head. The gate shimmered blue at the edge of my vision.
That maw had swallowed who knows how many adventurers today.