Chapter 13
“You’re right on time.”
Only two days had passed in the blink of an eye.
The first familiar face I saw in front of Hongyureung Gate was Deputy Lee.
I’d quit the guild, so what on earth was I doing having to see his face first thing in the morning?
Was it because I’d gotten too used to seeing the same people?
It didn’t really feel like I’d left the guild at all.
Standing there with Deputy Lee while I tapped at my smartphone screen, I might as well have been on a business trip as a member of the Baekwooncheon Guild.
I kept my tone as mild as I could and asked, “Why the hell are you here?”
“I came to see you off. I figured you’d be standing around by yourself looking awkward.”
The deputy beside me didn’t look at me.
It was obvious where his eyes were going without even having to check.
At the end of that gaze was Kim Min-ju, gathering supplies with the others.
She kept sneaking glances this way as she packed things up.
Couldn’t those two just stay together already?
“Your eyes are on Min-ju, though.”
“Come on, but you know my heart’s with the team leader.”
“Looks like your heart’s over there too.”
“That’s a misunderstanding.”
“God, just shut up if you’re going to say nonsense.”
I shook my head and looked around.
In front of the gate, the people from Ildae Group were busy preparing for the expedition.
The supply team Kim Min-ju belonged to was sorting through the piled-up provisions.
They were checking things off one by one to make sure nothing was missing.
A little farther away from the supply team, six men and women, including Woo Yeon-hoo, were inspecting their weapons and gear.
Just from a passing glance, their equipment looked like it was worth at least the price of a building.
Ildae Group’s financial power was terrifying.
Even though they were all A-class hunters, Do-hee and Tae-cheon hadn’t been able to use gear that expensive.
Hang in there, Do-hee. Your big brother’s going to make a lot of money.
At this rate, I really might be able to.
“Oh, right. What did you do for those two days, Team Leader?”
“If you’re not curious, you don’t have to ask.”
“I am curious.”
“Sure you are.”
That guy sure knew how to talk for someone who couldn’t take his eyes off the woman he liked.
If he was going to stare like that, he could at least act useful and stay by her side.
I didn’t know what he was standing next to me for, only to get on my nerves.
“I got my gear made.”
“Oh, really? You actually did something productive for once. I thought you’d just be lying around gaming.”
“Of course I did spend half the time lying around gaming.”
“What brand is it?”
“Jae-i’s Blacksmith.”
I raised my right arm and tapped the bracer I was wearing.
On the side I’d tapped, the initials J.Y. were engraved in small letters.
For the first time, he turned his head toward me.
He scanned my equipment and then widened his eyes.
“It really is JY? They sold you gear from there?”
“You know it?”
“It’s one of the top hundred blacksmiths in Korea. Not that high up, but still.”
“No wonder they charged me fifty million won for a single bracer.”
“Fifty million? You got it insanely cheap. That’s practically a gift.”
“...Really?”
“Yeah. Is it secondhand?”
No. Prototype.
I almost said it, then closed my mouth.
I remembered once again that the person standing next to me was Lee Seong-hun.
He was the idiot who’d put together a business plan because he thought he could sell World Tree fruit.
If I told him, he might storm off to Jae-i’s Blacksmith and try to force her into selling one to him too.
Yu Jae-i already had enough trouble dealing with the bastards from Crowd.
I couldn’t go and add another annoying bastard to her list myself.
Still, hearing that fifty million won was cheap...
Once I heard that, I didn’t feel like it had been a waste after all.
“I guess so.”
“You got lucky. They’re preparing a new product right now, so they’re not even taking commissions.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. Apparently the prices went up even more because of that. Not too long ago, even number 47 in the rankings, Kim Mu-yeon, got his commission refused.”
“...Is that so?”
The prototype of that new product-in-progress was mounted on my body.
I was really glad I hadn’t said it was a prototype.
If Deputy Lee had known, I didn’t even want to imagine what the bastard would have done.
Then again, if it was that kind of prototype, it must have been something pretty important. So why had they sold it to me?
It wasn’t as though they’d done it out of guilt; they’d sold the gear before anything like that had happened.
Had I done something?
I thought about it, but nothing came to mind.
“Looks like people are starting to gather.”
“Yeah. I should head over.”
“Yes, have a good trip. Oh, right. Be careful of mutant monsters, be careful of the Grabbing Hand, and be careful of Brake!”
...How could he say “be careful” in such a disgustingly annoying way?
I stopped mid-step, turned my head, and stared at him.
“That sounds like you’re hoping I get hit by all three.”
“Ugh, Team Leader, you always twist everything I say. Look at my eyes. Don’t they seem sincere?”
“You want me to look at your eyes? Then at least look over here first.”
“No matter where I’m looking, my sincerity toward you doesn’t change.”
What kind of bullshit was that?
The moment I was about to call him out,
“We’ll depart for the expedition in ten minutes! All expedition members, please gather here!”
I heard a man from Ildae Group shout out.
Fine. Ignoring him entirely was definitely better for my peace of mind.
I left Deputy Lee behind and walked toward where the expedition team was gathering.
As I walked, I shoved my smartphone into the inside of my armor.
I wasn’t about to keep tapping away at a screen once we were inside the gate.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Once we entered Hongyureung Gate, a dense forest spread out before us.
Cold and toxic mist hung low among the trees.
Ildae Group’s expedition moved slowly through the woods, hunting the skeletons and ghouls that occasionally appeared.
The expedition was divided into three teams: combat, gathering, and supply.
I was assigned to the gathering team, along with the escort hunters assigned to protect me.
I’d tried to say I didn’t need protection, but Woo Yeon-hoo just gave me a crooked smile and winked, and I gave up.
It felt like he was saying, “I know you don’t need it, but this is to keep your identity hidden.”
“Wow, this is probably the umpteenth time I’ve seen it, but it still surprises me every time.”
Kim Min-ju stared at the combat team as they dropped six skeletons in an instant, and let out a breathy little gasp of admiration.
Since we’d spoken a few times already, she’d moved from the supply team to the gathering team.
I agreed with her.
Half a day had already passed since the expedition entered the gate, but they still hadn’t stopped once as they pressed on toward the place where Udamhwa was growing.
There weren’t many monsters approaching, partly thanks to the portable mana generators, but the bigger reason was Woo Yeon-hoo’s team and their hunting skill.
The skeletons and ghouls that kept bursting out of the fog were turned into corpses in less than a second by Woo Yeon-hoo’s team.
Could I do that too?
Skeletons were like an army.
They had structure and worked together to attack and defend. That made fighting them a whole different level from the fools who just rushed in blindly.
And yet, the six skeletons that appeared were killed almost instantly by Woo Yeon-hoo’s team the moment they were found.
An A-class hunter really was impressive...
“...Six?”
“Pardon?”
Something felt off.
Why did it keep seeming like there were six of them?
I couldn’t make sense of it, so I quickened my pace and moved ahead.
“H-Hey? Ji-on, you can’t leave your position!”
And just like that, the expedition erupted into commotion.
Kim Min-ju chased after me as I strode quickly to the front, and the escort hunters assigned to guard me followed behind to stop me.
But I shook off the escort hunters’ attempts to restrain me and kept walking forward.
The expedition’s formation was completely falling apart because of me.
This was exactly the kind of situation that would get me called a problem child.
Woo Yeon-hoo, who had been standing with his spear planted like a cane, spotted me walking up fast and asked, “Ji-on? What’s wrong?”
“I’d like to take a quick look at the skeletons.”
“Huh? Those?”
I walked straight over to the skeleton that had been split in half at his feet.
He looked at me and made a quick judgment.
He stopped the expedition’s movement and gave me permission to examine the skeleton.
I nodded once to show my thanks, then inspected it.
“It’s just an ordinary skeleton, though.”
“......”
The skeleton was only carrying a sword and shield.
It wasn’t equipped with a helmet or armor, or anything else.
The other five were the same.
No matter how much this gate’s only strengths were its cold and toxic mist...
Could this really be happening?
Gate ranks were divided because mana pressure got stronger.
But also because the quality of the monsters changed.
That quality included the equipment monsters wore.
Looking at this, I’d believe these were F-rank skeletons before I’d believe they were B-rank ones.
“Min-ju, what’s going on? Why is he like this?”
“I don’t know. He just suddenly started acting like this...”
“Min-ju, did he say anything before this?”
“Juhan? Say what?”
“I’ve seen this kind of thing before. The type who can only stand it when they act on instinct.”
“Instinct?”
“Words, words... Ah! He said ‘six.’”
“Six...?”
While I was inspecting it, the noise around me barely reached my ears as I thought things through.
But then I heard the voice of a woman from the combat team.
It was because she said the word skeleton.
I tore my gaze away from the skeleton lying on the ground and looked toward twelve o’clock.
In front of the woman, who had thrust her staff forward, skeletons were approaching.
Six skeletons, all carrying only swords and shields.
“Oh... That’s interesting. Six of them.”
“Ah. So it kept being the same number all along.”
“Ji-on. May I kill those things?”
Woo Yeon-hoo asked me.
May he kill them?
What kind of question was that?
“Is there any reason they shouldn’t be killed?”
“None. Juhan.”
“Got it.”
The man Woo Yeon-hoo had called by name, Oh Juhan, tightened his grip on his dagger and immediately sprinted forward.
Alone, he wiped out all six skeletons in less than thirty seconds.
His smooth, sharp movements were enough to steal anyone’s attention, but I was more focused on the skeletons themselves.
Their movements were those of the weak facing an enemy they couldn’t beat.
They also moved in a way that divided assault and defense to make the most of their numbers.
That wasn’t the movement of ordinary skeleton soldiers.
“......”
Skeletons were like an army.
They had structure, and they cooperated with one another.
And all this time, they had been appearing in groups of six.
In other words, skeletons that were structured like a military force had been steadily approaching, splitting into assault and defense units when they entered battle...?
This was...
“...Reconnaissance?”
I thought I understood what was happening.
I stood up and stomped on the skeleton’s head lying on the ground.
The skull crumbled with a sharp crack.
“These things are scouts.”
“Scouts? Skeletons?”
Woo Yeon-hoo repeated it in disbelief.
The others around us seemed to be thinking the same thing.
I understood.
Skeletons were monsters that obeyed hierarchy like a military unit, but that was only because they followed ranks mechanically.
It wasn’t because they were smart.
Their orders only covered major movements like beginning battle or retreating. They couldn’t possibly issue detailed commands like sending out the same number of soldiers to one place with only swords and shields.
Then were the things that had just happened nothing more than coincidence?
Twice could be a coincidence.
Three times was enough to make you suspicious. Four times...
“Skeletons spotted at twelve o’clock! Number of monsters is... six!”
The woman who had first noticed the monsters’ approach shouted again.
I looked ahead and saw six skeletons, all carrying only swords and shields, charging toward us.
“So that’s it. This gate’s boss monster, the Skeleton Lord, has evolved.”
If something repeated more than four times, that was evidence you could trust.