Chapter 30
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: First Expedition (2)
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I'd heard this expedition had brought in a lot of outside mercenaries, but I never imagined I'd run into Oroji here. Naturally, my speech and movements had frozen solid.
With my heart pounding like it was about to leap out of my chest at any moment, ready to scream if needed, I forced myself to speak in a calm tone.
"Pl... please..."
"Yeah?"
"Pl-please move aside?"
The path between the tents was narrower than I'd thought. With Oroji planted squarely in the middle like that, no matter which way I went, I'd have to brush shoulders with her.
"Hmm..."
Her pitch-black gaze, like the night sky, looked down at me. I subtly hid my trembling hands behind my back and puffed out my chest to appear more composed.
"...Th-there are other clan members around. It won't go like last time."
"Clan members? You joined a clan? Wow, impressive."
She giggled as she spoke. Her light tone made it impossible to tell if she was impressed or mocking me.
"No, I founded it."
"You? Ah... yeah, makes sense. With a skill like that."
Her eyes flicked down to my lower body for a moment. I instinctively took a step back, and Oroji shook her head, raising both hands as if surrendering.
"No, no. I have no plans to get involved in anything sketchy anymore. Not with you, either."
"...You?"
I couldn't bring myself to believe it.
I didn't know much about Oroji's personality or who she really was.
But I did know her record. Theft, handling stolen goods, smuggling... Her rap sheet was so flashy that just capturing her would let any Vigilante Corps outshine a clan.
"For real. The Vigilante Corps cleaned me out completely after they nabbed me. Ugh, thinking about it pisses me off all over again."
She scratched the back of her head casually as she spoke.
"They took every last penny I'd saved up, and they said if I got caught doing anything like that again, they'd make sure I stayed locked up for good. Well... guess it was time to go straight, like it or not."
Oroji grumbled under her breath. She rubbed the nape of her neck, hidden under her golden hair, then tapped the choker around her throat.
"See this? It's got a tracker. And I can't even take it off now. They'll follow me wherever I go. Haah..."
Oroji sidled to the side, clearing the path.
"Anyway, believe me or not, but back at the bank... I don't know what got into me. I'm sorry."
She bowed her head as she said it, and I bit my lip despite myself, my jaw clenching.
As if that could be brushed off with a simple "sorry." If it had been anyone else, they might have suffered lifelong trauma.
But under the dim moonlight, her expression genuinely seemed tinged with guilt.
With no way to judge if it was sincere, I stopped thinking about it. I gnawed at my lip and forced a nod, though my head refused to lower.
"I haven't told anyone about your skill. Words alone would just leave a bad taste for both of us. I'll make it up to you with actions someday."
She was still bowing, now bending at the waist.
...This was only our first expedition. I couldn't afford to start trouble here and drag the other clan members into it.
Even if I handed her over to the Vigilante Corps again, they'd let her go since she hadn't done anything this time—I could guess that much easily enough.
I clenched my fists and trudged back to the tent without a word. Ignoring her was the most revenge I could muster.
"I'm sorry. Really."
I ignored the apology hitting the back of my head and quickened my pace.
"Mr. Park Jungwoo. Are you alright? Your face is pale."
Chae Seoah's words snapped me back to reality.
Since running into Oroji, I'd been a bit out of it. I'd thought it was an endless bad connection, but getting such a straightforward apology left me feeling more unsettled than happy.
"Ah, yeah. I'm fine. Have the scouting team members returned?"
"No. No one's back yet."
I'd answered a bit too loudly without realizing, and Chae Seoah lightly waved her hand up and down as if telling me to keep it down.
"And... Oroji's behaving herself. She hasn't even glanced this way, but we should still stay cautious."
I suddenly recalled how we'd gathered them last night after learning Oroji was here, and how they'd whispered among themselves afterward.
In the end, we'd agreed: if they didn't make the first move, neither would we.
I remembered the clan members' reluctant faces when I'd suggested it, but I shook it off quickly. There was nothing we could do right now anyway.
"L-like I said yesterday... sh-she seems untrustworthy. D-don't take what she said too seriously, Jungwoo..."
Moon Hayeon's gaze, even more subdued than usual, swept over the people sitting in the field before flicking briefly toward Oroji and away.
As she said, Oroji sat a bit apart from the others, stretching leisurely without a care.
But she was the only one who looked at ease here.
The hunters clustered together around the perimeter weren't even talking. A tense, brittle atmosphere hung thick over the afternoon plain.
The advance scouting party hadn't returned. No sounds of fighting or monster cries reached us. A gentle mountain breeze blew eerily, hinting at something ominous.
They'd set out around lunchtime and been roaming inside the gate for nearly two hours now. Yet the resting hunters sat unscathed, their pristine bodies mirroring the same anxious expressions.
"Isn't there... like, too little? Not even a scratch?"
A nearby hunter muttered, and murmurs echoing the sentiment spread like wildfire.
As I glanced around, listening in, Yang Jihee sitting beside me tapped the back of my hand.
"Exactly, so right now..."
"Everyone's panicking because there are barely any monsters, right?"
Yang Jihee shut her mouth. Even in this moment, she smiled proudly and reached out to pat my head.
"Normally, a gate on the verge of overload should have at least one monster every ten minutes."
"Hehe, you even know that? Such a good boy. Yeah, this is a first for me too..."
I'd recited something from an interview I'd scraped together before becoming a hunter, and Yang Jihee hugged me tight.
I was clad head to toe in sturdy leather armor, but the others were mostly in casual clothes. The soft sensation of her chest pressed clearly against my face through the thin fabric.
"I'll praise you more once we're out."
Her drowsy, sweet voice rang in my ear.
For a moment, I wondered if I'd get stuck if we had to move like this, but every time Yang Jihee showed her maternal side, it reminded me of the day we first met.
The image of her calmly threatening me with those sunken eyes, so at odds with her gentle voice, jolted me awake like a bucket of ice water.
As I scrambled out of her embrace, Yang Jihee stared at my face with arms outstretched, looking a bit disappointed.
"N-not now. We're still inside the gate, and the situation is a bit..."
"Hehe..."
She smiled with her eyes, covering her mouth with one hand as she watched me.
"Ah, m-me too. I-I'll praise you..."
Moon Hayeon chimed in. I clamped my mouth shut. She'd seemed fine just moments ago, but opening her mouth ruined the slight good impression she'd built—in a talent all her own.
Since last night's talk, Moon Hayeon and Yang Jihee had grown oddly close. Like they shared some common ground. Of course, it was easy to see that "common ground" was me.
"I'm fine. Just let me... touch your crotch all day long."
"Pardon?"
What the hell was that? I whipped my head toward Chae Seoah. She said it as casually as discussing dinner sides, but the content was anything but normal.
"I only got thirty minutes yesterday. It's necessary to make up for the week's deficit."
Her pink eyes remained perfectly calm, as if asserting it was her obvious right.
"Th-then, sh-should the three of us touch it together...?"
"Oh, shall we?"
"I have no schedule for a while after the expedition anyway. Sounds like a good idea."
"Then..."
Yang Jihee's gaze turned back to me. A subtle glint of anticipation shimmered in her blue eyes.
...I already knew none of them were normal. But usually, in novels or comics, don't they fight or at least have a glare-off?
In their harmonious vibe, united in declaring they'd drain my balls dry, I glimpsed a hint of madness I'd never encountered before.
I turned my head sharply away, ignoring their sparkling eyes fixed on me.
"Ah, the advance team!"
At that moment, far on the horizon toward the forest, a few tiny black dots appeared.
All the seated hunters craned their necks, staring in the same direction.
The dots, smaller than a pinky nail at first, grew larger. As their faces became visible, bewilderment spread across mine and everyone else's.
They looked desperately urgent. The five or so were limping or wearing panicked expressions as they sprinted full-tilt toward us.
But something felt off. Every time the advance team grew clearer, the forest behind them seemed to expand too—an odd illusion. I squinted at the horizon.
"Huh? Hey, wait, that..."
The hunter next to me thrust his finger forward.
His finger wasn't pointing at the advance team. It aimed at the forest behind them. He muttered in a dazed voice.
"That's not... all monsters, is it...?"
Hunters drew their weapons in unison. The clan members who'd been joking around hardened their faces instantly. I jumped up and yanked out my pistol too.
The forest stood still.
The green wall that had seemed to grow was a tidal wave of countless monsters chasing the advance team straight toward us.
Sounds like flesh and blood bursting erupted everywhere. I couldn't even tell if the blood soaking me was mine or the monsters'.
The metallic stench of blood stung my nose. Explosions from skills, monsters' screams—they left my ears ringing. Tinnitus drowned out the sounds around me.
"Fall back further!"
Chae Seoah's urgent shout snapped me to attention. She wielded her long rapier like a comet streaking across the plain, carving through monsters.
Boom!!
No sooner had I retreated than a stone axe crashed where I'd stood. The ground exploded, showering us with dirt and grass.
"Ugh...!"
I hastily aimed my pistol. Spotting an orc heaving its axe again, I targeted its forehead and pulled the trigger desperately.
Bang!!
Thud. The massive green body toppled, staining the blue grass darkly.
The situation was like splitting a hundred monsters into manageable groups, then cramming them all into one room with the hunters.
Orcs. Goblins. Wolf-like monsters. The tangle of beasts and hunters was pure chaos.
Moon Hayeon blasted magic nonstop in all directions, while Yang Jihee darted around healing, glancing my way constantly.
No one here, myself included, had any room for ease. Bewilderment stained our faces as we fought desperately.
No time to assess the situation—a goblin's claws slashed at my side.
I kicked off the ground and dove forward. My forcibly twisted shoulder screamed in protest.
"Ngh...!"
A gunshot felled the goblin.
I felt the invisible circle Chae Seoah was carving around me—clearing monsters—shrinking. There were just too many. Even if hunters were superhuman and Seeding overpowered, limits existed.
If the expedition had gone normally, or if I had the skill to protect myself amid this... the fight wouldn't have dragged on.
But reality differed. Chae Seoah and Moon Hayeon prioritized monsters nearing me, and Yang Jihee's support and heals were delayed because of me.
I'd grown too complacent.
Seeding was a cheat skill. But it didn't instantly turn you into a one-man army ranker.
Still, I'd been complacent. Like with Oroji at the bank, false confidence lulled me into thinking it'd be fine no matter what.
To fend off helplessness, I swung my arm fiercely. The red-hot pistol barrel smashed a wolf-like monster's head, sending it yelping into the distance.
Shoot. Run. Reload. Ammo spent, I switched to my sword.
Swinging the unfamiliar hunk of metal awkwardly was ridiculous, but better than bare hands.
The battle dragged on endlessly. No hunters dead or gravely injured, but monsters swarmed without respite, denying any chance to regroup.
As my sword-grip arm went numb and slack, one hunter shouted skyward.
"Th-that!"
Clouds drifted nobly across the blue sky, indifferent to the chaos below. Among them, one pitch-black cloud.
The black cloud swelled larger. Tiny movements formed its shape. Countless crimson eyes dotted it, visible now.
"That's...!"
At its forefront stood a monster I'd seen countless times in papers and news.
Sleek body. Razor teeth, red eyes. Vast wings, blade-spined tail. Bird-like but vastly larger and vicious talons on huge feet.
My mind blanked in panic. Why was a monster that rarely appeared even in B-Rank gates here?
The one difference from those I'd seen on screens: this one was black. One no one had ever witnessed—
"Wyvern!!"
The shout rocked the battlefield, drawing every hunter's eyes upward.
And that wyvern—twice the size of others, dark and gleaming—received all those gazes.
In this vast field, it plunged straight toward me in a beeline.