Chapter 12
Chapter 12
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Butcher's Hut
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-Where is this place?
"...."
"Sob, ugh sob..."
A sobbing voice echoed in her ears.
Staring blankly at her wrists bound by rough chains and shackles, Han Se-in thought to herself.
The clearing in the middle of the cave.
A dim, shabby room in a rundown hut.
This prison-like place held four women in chains.
Two colleagues who had been dragged here with Han Se-in.
And one woman who had already been here from the start.
"...."
"Ugh sob... sob."
The endless sniffling came from Han Se-in's colleagues.
So Hye-jin.
Ever since they were captured by the goblins, So Hye-jin hadn't stopped crying once.
Maybe that's why.
Han Se-in thought to herself.
-Can't you stop crying for a bit?
She didn't say it out loud.
There was no point in getting into an argument now that they were all captured anyway.
Instead, she turned her attention to the woman sitting beside her.
"...."
She didn't know who she was.
The woman had been in this prison from the beginning.
Unlike the crying So Hye-jin, though, she showed no reaction at all.
She just stared blankly into space with unfocused eyes.
"Sob. What are we gonna do now..."
"...Calm down. We're still alive, aren't we? So... we'll definitely be okay."
The conversation between her colleagues rang out once more.
At those nauseating words, Han Se-in quietly closed her eyes.
We'll be okay? What a load of bullshit.
Of course, they probably knew it in their heads too.
Both the crying So Hye-jin and the one comforting her, Kim Ji-yul.
They vaguely realized that, now that they'd been captured here, they wouldn't get out unscathed.
They just didn't want to believe that reality.
'We shouldn't have stuck together in the first place.'
Ignoring her colleagues' voices in her ears, Han Se-in recalled her memories.
A strange place they had been summoned to in an instant.
While wandering a cave she'd never seen before in her life, Han Se-in soon encountered others in the same predicament as her.
"Whoa?"
"Wow, we found another person!"
"...Were you suddenly dragged here too?"
Two men and two women.
A survivor group of four.
"Hey, wanna travel with us?"
"Might as well stick together. Strength in numbers in a situation like this."
"Unnie, come with us!"
"Yeah! This'll all be fond memories someday—"
She didn't like the vibe.
But there wasn't any real reason to refuse, so Han Se-in joined them.
Five in total now.
Thrown into this unfamiliar place without knowing why, they began exploring the cave together, relying on each other.
Sometimes their opinions clashed, but it wasn't a big deal.
"Why is it so dark here...?"
"Ugh, I keep hearing weird noises."
"Where the hell is this? I can't see any way out."
"...What are these roots?"
"Hey. Maybe we should stay quiet, just in case?"
"Nah, it'll be more awkward if we don't talk among ourselves."
But exploring the cave wasn't easy.
There was no food to be found in this strange cave, nor anything to drink.
They spent the whole day exploring but had to spend the night without finding water or food.
And on top of that,
this eerie cave was full of unknown traps.
"Guh-!?"
The man at the front of the group.
Kang Hyun-jae stepped on a trap and injured his ankle.
"Ugh..."
"Wh-what do we do..."
"...I'll help you walk."
Han Se-in supported the injured Kang Hyun-jae, and the remaining man, Lee Jin-tae, took the lead.
"Why the hell are these even here...?"
Lee Jin-tae carefully checked the floor for traps, but it was futile.
As he advanced while scanning the ground, a stone flew from somewhere and struck his head, sending him tumbling down.
[Thud.]
[Thump-]
It happened in an instant.
Lee Jin-tae fainted without even groaning, and So Hye-jin and Kim Ji-yul, who had been chattering behind him, froze in place.
Right after that,
they appeared.
"Huh? What... are those?"
Monsters that resembled humans but were definitely not.
The moment she saw them, Han Se-in instinctively knew.
Those things are dangerous.
At the same time, for some reason, the word 'goblin' popped into her mind.
Goblin.
Dark green skin and a boyishly small stature.
But their builds were sturdy, and surprisingly, their faces somewhat resembled humans.
Except for those yellow-glowing eyes, which were somehow chilling.
The goblins that appeared wore clothes woven from tattered leather and cloth, armed with spears tipped with obsidian blades and slings.
The group panicked at their sudden appearance, but one person was different.
"M-move—!"
"—Huh?"
The leader with the injured ankle, Kang Hyun-jae, was quick to judge the situation.
That must be why.
The instant he spotted the distant goblins, he shoved Han Se-in aside and bolted.
"Huh?"
"H-Hyun-jae oppa...?"
That was when Han Se-in realized it.
People could run that fast even on one leg.
But Kang Hyun-jae's escape was pointless.
The goblins hurled the spears in their hands the moment he fled, and the flying spear pierced his body.
"Gah—"
Blood spurted from Kang Hyun-jae's back, soaking the cave floor.
So Hye-jin and Kim Ji-yul froze at the sight, but Han Se-in drew the small sword from her waist and shouted.
"Both of you, snap out of it—!"
She had a gut feeling.
The only way to survive was to fight them.
Well, she didn't know if fighting would actually let them survive...
"I-I can't..."
"S-Se-in-ah..."
...It was no use.
Kim Ji-yul and So Hye-jin couldn't move, and Han Se-in, charging alone, was struck down by a goblin's spear shaft.
And now,
things had come to this.
An unfamiliar hut.
Dragged there by the goblins, they had been thrown into this prison-like place.
Leaning against the hard wooden wall, Han Se-in thought blankly.
'...Can I survive?'
The image of the dead Kang Hyun-jae flashed in her mind.
As did the sight of Lee Jin-tae, knocked out and dragged away somewhere.
She didn't want to die.
She still had so much she hadn't done, so much she wanted to do.
But...
[Bang-!]
Could she really survive?
Krr, kruk, ka, krdo, duk—
A humming song-like sound rang in her ears.
[Bang-!]
[Thud, drip drip.]
Sometimes, the sound of something being struck echoed too.
The thick stench seeping into her nose had long since become familiar.
The nauseating odor that once made her want to vomit had faded into the background.
Where was this place?
And...
[Bang-!]
...what would become of them?
[Shing-]
[Drip, drip drip-]
"...."
Han Se-in quietly closed her eyes.
What came to mind was the massive goblin she had seen before entering the hut.
Unlike the five goblins that captured them, this one's body was enormous.
And in its hands were two short, crude knives.
Like knives used for butchering meat.
[Thud-!]
[Slice-]
"...Eek."
Suppressing the tears welling up, Han Se-in buried her face in her knees.
She didn't know what had happened to the dead Kang Hyun-jae or the captured Lee Jin-tae.
...No.
She didn't want to know anymore.
.
.
.
.
'Butcher's Hut'.
In the game Pavarintos, it was considered a pretty good farming spot.
The 'Butcher' lived alone, far from goblin tribes, and his lair yielded various materials and item chests.
Of course, the Butcher wasn't an easy opponent.
Level 1~2.
His specs surpassed a newborn player, and he possessed skills like Inner Force Activation along with various resistances, even to magic.
However, there was a simple strategy to beat him, and his patterns were straightforward, so it posed no problem for veterans.
...Of course, that was only in the game.
"...So, to be honest, I can't recommend it."
"...."
Far from the Butcher's Hut.
In a narrow clearing in the cave, I explained what I knew to Hyun Tae-jin.
"...So it's impossible right now?"
"Not quite. It's just that since this is reality now, there are more variables."
What if it were just me?
I probably wouldn't attempt it right away.
I'd raise my mana capacity more, acquire more skills, or master more spells before challenging it.
But with Hyun Tae-jin here, it's different.
With a tank to draw aggro, the strategy becomes much easier.
In theory, we could challenge it right now without issue.
...In theory, at least.
"...What do you think, Do-hwa-ssi?"
"Well, it's pretty risky. The best approach would be to farm more or gain experience before trying."
"...."
So I didn't want to recommend it.
When I subtly suggested backing off, Hyun Tae-jin fell silent for a moment before replying.
"......Understood."
"...."
...Understood my ass.
He didn't look convinced at all.
His expression was dark, like his mind was uneasy. His mouth said he got it, but his eyes said otherwise.
"If you have something to say, just say it. The decision's mine anyway."
"It's not that I want to... I just have a few questions."
"Questions?"
"...Why is that thing specifically named the 'Butcher'?"
"...."
This guy hits the nail on the head.
I deliberately avoided mentioning it, but with such an blatant name, he couldn't miss it.
No helping it now.
Hiding it wouldn't build trust anyway.
With a sigh, I answered quietly.
"Because that's what it does—butchers things. That's why it lives alone here."
"Butchers... you say?"
"Yes."
"...."
He must have suspected as much.
He was silent for a bit but recovered quickly.
"Then the people who were dragged off just now..."
"Who knows. If we farm fast and get there quick, they might still be alive."
"...Is that really true?"
...Yeah, he doesn't buy it.
Can't blame him; it'd be foolish to believe it.
"Sigh, fine. Nine out of ten, those people are probably dead."
"....I see."
They were unlucky.
If they'd been taken to the Tribute Storage, they might've survived, but the Butcher's Hut? No way.
Three out of four, nine out of ten, ninety-nine out of a hundred—they die.
...If you're wondering why the ratios don't match, well, they don't have to.
No matter how many go in,
only one survives.
'Butcher's Slave'.
The slave NPC that spawns with the Butcher.
There probably isn't one yet.
It's only day two in Pavarintos, so they'll pick one from the people dragged in around now.
...And if we lose to it, it might be one of us.
"...If we fight, what do you think my chances are?"
"Do well and you live; do poorly and you die."
"If even doing well doesn't mean certain death, then there's hope."
Pretty optimistic.
But it's hope based on solid facts.
It's just more serious now because it's reality.
In the game, veterans would salivate and charge in at the sight of the Butcher's Hut.
Depending on control and skills, you could clear it even with a fresh level 1 character.
"...Let's give it a try."
"...."
Anyway,
Hyun Tae-jin seemed to have made up his mind.
In that case, no reason to stop him.
Good rewards, and I know the strategy.
Just one thing to watch out for.
"Steel yourself. You'll have to tank as long as possible to buy time."
"...Me?"
"Obviously."
His role is crucial in this fight. If he doesn't properly tank and hold aggro, the strategy will likely fail.