What Is a Raid Team? (2)
It was a long time ago, back when the Tower of Beginnings was first erected. It was an era when the first tower rose above the capital of each nation, and people called Awakened began to emerge and climb it. Back then, there were no established strategies for conquering the tower, nor were there any words of wisdom passed down. Everyone was a novice.
One of the leading causes of death among hunters was the Settlers—the humans who lived inside the tower. Unlike the NPCs in a game, these settlers were defined by betrayal and fraud. They possessed a primitive morality that suggested killing a person was no big deal, and they were cruel enough to kill their companions without hesitation the moment an opportunity arose. As one climbed to the higher floors, there even appeared monsters disguised as settlers, waiting for a chance to strike. If you let your guard down just because they looked human, you would lose your life in an instant.
It was so bad that the most frequently quoted proverb among hunters was: "Monsters come from the front, but settlers come from behind." As the tower changed and more hunters entered, this old resentment only deepened. Eventually, the era arrived where settlers hired in safe zones to work for hunters were dismissed as mere NPCs, while everyone else was lumped together as humanoid monsters.
"...Still, this is a bit much."
The oasis tent village was wiped clean, not a single ant left behind. The silent landscape felt like a scene from a mystery movie.
"But this is a little strange."
"Right?"
"Yeah. This is weird."
"Aye, it does feel a bit unsettling."
There were signs of a struggle, but no corpses.
"There are bloodstains, but no bodies."
"..."
I furrowed my brow. "I’ve heard necromancers take bodies with them. Is it something like that?"
"..."
Eunseo’s expression stiffened. "Zombies or skeletons?"
"Yeah. If that’s the case, it makes sense. They can reinforce their forces that way."
Just as we were searching the oasis,
"Aaaargh!"
Someone came flapping and running over the sand dunes we had just crossed.
"Ugh. Ack. Sa, save me!"
"Ah. Are they here already?"
"Yes? What do you mean by that?"
"What is this?"
"What the, is someone still alive?"
As I pointed toward the sand dunes from the tent village, the man descending from the dunes began to run even faster.
"Save me!"
It was the man in the suit from earlier.
"Oh, that’s dangerous."
"Can he not control his speed?"
The man in the suit screamed as he was practically pushed down the dune. "Save me! I don't want to die!"
He ran precariously across the sand, tripped, and his neck snapped.
Snap—
With an ominous sound, the man in the suit slid down. Hmm, so you can die like that, too?
"Wow, he ran away well."
"Uh, di, didn't he just die?"
"He died. Do you think he’d be alive with his neck broken at that angle?"
"..."
"Let’s see if he has any items."
I approached the man without hesitation and rummaged through his chest with my sword. As I moved the tip of the blade, I heard a rattling sound.
'I knew it.'
If there’s a communication device, things get annoying. I silently channeled my mana and shattered the device inside his coat.
Crunch—
"Hyunseo?"
"Oh, it’s nothing. I was just checking to see if he had any items."
Rummaging through the man's pockets, I found a thick wallet, a broken communication device, and a happy family photo.
"Why does a guy who takes kickbacks carry a family photo?"
I threw the family photo onto the sand and tossed the wallet to Eunseo.
"You take this."
"Yo, you want me to take this?"
"Then what, should I throw it away?"
"We, we should return it to his family!"
I clicked my tongue at Eunseo’s words. "Do whatever you want. Jeez. You’re annoying even when I give you something."
When I acted annoyed, Eunseo bowed her head. "I’m sorry. If you tell me to keep it, I will."
"Do what you want. But he was a bad person. That guy."
"...His wife and children aren't at fault, though."
"You’re too soft."
I was clicking my tongue at the dejected Eunseo when a man in flashy armor appeared at the top of the dune.
"You, you. You dog-like bitch! Because of you!"
"Oh~ was it Joongwon? No, wait, Joong-something? Anyway, it felt like that."
The man running down the dune raised his fist. I could see energy gathering in it. I let out a dry laugh at the sight of him not hiding his killing intent.
'He’s reckless. A little brat.'
I silently raised my sword straight up.
"This bitch, did you trick us?"
The moment the man lunged, my sword moved like lightning and pierced his solar plexus.
"Ku, kugh?"
"What kind of nonsense is that? You guys were the ones who chased us out. Right?"
"Hy, Hyunseo!"
I pulled the sword from his solar plexus and swung it, striking his neck. The head of Joong-something fell onto the sand.
"Th, this."
"..."
"..."
Eunseo slumped to the ground. "A, a person. A, a hunter, right now."
The three from the Paradise Guild were speechless, clearly flustered. I wiped my blade on the man’s pants and said,
"That’s how a raid team works."
After cleaning my sword, I pointed to the tent village in the distance. "If you keep killing settlers, you become desensitized to killing people."
"Bu, but this hunter is Korean..."
"I’m sorry, but when these guys showed killing intent, I had no intention of letting them live. I just decided whether I would kill them or the Giant Sandworm would."
I grinned. "That’s the reason I’m the Demon King."
"..."
"Well, if you’re disappointed, you’re free to go back."
At my words, Eunseo’s eyes shook violently. "How could I be disappointed in you, Hyunseo? I was just surprised."
"..."
"Until you throw me away, I’m yours."
I felt a sense of repulsion at that straightforward devotion. "Hmm... is this the power of mind control?"
At my snide remark, Eunseo shook her head. "No, it’s my will. The burden you carry... I want to share even a little bit of it. Killing people is scary, but if it must be done, I will do it."
"Hmm..."
"I already made up my mind that day."
I ruffled Eunseo’s hair. "Set your standards straight. Don’t end up like me."
"Yes?"
"Light doesn’t have a direction."
If you’re too close to the light, you’re bound to go blind. I pinched Eunseo’s cheek and stretched it. "Why are you trying to kill people so recklessly? I’ll do that, so just focus on the raid."
"Ouch! Okay, Hyunseo!"
At my words, Ildo stood up and said, "Aye, I was a bit surprised. I thought Hyunseo was too strong. But I didn't know it was that person."
"..."
Did he figure it out just now? Ildo walked over to the dead man’s head and buried it in the sand. Then he approached me and put a hand on my shoulder.
"You’ve worked hard. For being so tough."
"? What is this pattern, it’s my first time seeing it."
At my words, Ildo laughed. "I saw clearly that they were running at us to kill us, so they must have been prepared to die themselves."
"Ha."
"Even if the world collapses, I’m on my family’s side."
"Who’s your family, old man?"
As I pouted, Ildo giggled. "Want to be my daughter? Or do you want to meet my son?"
"...I don’t want either."
A husband who looks like an old man? That’s the worst.
While Ildo and I were talking, Hyungtae pointed at me and jumped up. "Whoa whoa whoa! Wait a minute, Demon King? No way, you! Are you for real? Really? The Demon King? That Demon King?"
I lifted my sword without much thought. "EX-class weapon, fluid swordsmanship. What else should I show you, you punk?"
At my words, Hyungtae clapped his hands. "That annoying tone! That rude way of speaking! Ah, that’s right! It’s exactly that person!"
"..."
You, just wait and see later.
Hyungtae’s mouth, which had been saying that, gradually hung open. "No, wait a second. That Solo-Walking Demon King? The peerless, undefeated Demon King? That charismatic, unofficial No. 1 hunter is this stupid, blockheaded Hyunseo?"
"..."
You really, just wait and see.
When I glared at him, Hyungtae seemed to realize his mistake and averted his gaze. "See you later? I’ll show you what hell tastes like."
"Ah... Master."
Only then did Hyungtae, who had grasped the situation, break out in a cold sweat. "The way you talk to Hyunseo."
"That Hyungtae guy is definitely going to ruin himself because of his mouth."
"Should I have Hyungtae catch a Sandworm by himself next time?"
When I smiled brightly, Hyungtae raised his hands high. "No! I was just so surprised that my master was the Solo-Walking Demon King!"
"Yeah, yeah, I’ll show you what’s truly surprising."
"No! That’s not it, I said that because it was so incredible."
"Right, then I’ll show you what an incredible trial is."
"Aaaargh, Master!"
After recovering all the items from the Gangnam Guild leader, I buried them deep in the sand dunes. "With this, that Gangnam Guild is finished."
I tilted my head at Ildo’s words. "Is it a famous guild?"
"Aye, it was quite famous. Especially since there was a lot of talk about the guild leader being the Fist King or whatever."
"Fist King...? This? He’s at the level of a fist-novice."
"Haha, it was a 2nd-tier top 10 guild, at least."
"It’s not even 1st-tier, what’s with this 2nd-tier top 10 guild nonsense."
As if I had no further business, I handed the flashy armor to Ildo and returned to the oasis. "Are you giving this to me?"
"Yeah."
"It’s B-class?"
"It’s just B-class. From now on, B-class items will be as common as dirt."
"Whoa, my goodness... Do you know this is more expensive than a Rolls-Royce?"
"Rolls...? What’s that?"
"...Never mind."
The oasis we arrived at again gave me an unpleasant chill. It was because the contrast between the torn, blood-stained tents and the mysteriously clear oasis created a sense of dissonance. I frowned, examining the tents.
"What could it be?"
"What’s wrong, Hyunseo?"
"Oh? No, it’s just that it feels familiar."
Hmm... such an unpleasant trace. I’m sure I’ve seen it somewhere before. I tapped my forehead while picking the tent that looked the most usable. Well, I’ll think about it later.
"We can rest comfortably today, Eunseo."
"Yes... I’m so relieved."
"Ugh, camping in the desert was the absolute worst."
"I couldn't sleep at all because of the sandstorms."
The four members of the Paradise Guild began to wash up simply at the oasis.
"Did you know? You can’t drink or wash in a real-world oasis. The water is too dirty."
"Huh? Really?"
"Yes, it’s fascinating, isn't it?"
"But are there oases on Earth, too?"
As my eyes sparkled, Eunseo scratched her cheek. "Oh... I suppose so?"
"Oh... I wonder if there are any in Korea, I want to go see one."
After we finished washing up simply and began to light a fire,
Poooooo—
The sound of a horn echoed.
"The sound of a horn?"
I rose from the bed in the tent and clicked my tongue. "Tsk."
Countless presences began to be felt from afar. Riding camels or horses, and a horn to boot.
"What is this?"
"A horn?"
"Yeah..."
Don't tell me this was a nomad camp.
"Ah, if this is the case, we’re screwed."
Desert nomads are neutral settlers composed of strong, belligerent warriors. Even most raid teams would attempt diplomacy or negotiation rather than conflict. I wiped my face while confirming the people starting to appear beyond the horizon.
'It’s hard to kill them all with just the three of us.'
If I got hit by a poisoned blade by bad luck, I could end up saying goodbye to this world. While I was agonizing, the number of nomads was increasing.
"A pain from the start."
I had to choose. A gamble? Or, should I become alone even now?