19 chapter - D-Class Gate (5)

On the way back up to the cave where the others were waiting, we found another cave. There was a monster resting inside—took care of it easily.

Hong Soo-ah and I decided to take a short break there.

I was drenched in cold sweat.

“...Are you okay?”

“Just a little tired.”

Truthfully, it wasn’t just a little. I was exhausted.

Sure, Neil’s Boundary had absorbed most of the impact, but it wasn’t like I’d come out unscathed.

My left ankle was swollen, and sharp pain was radiating through my waist and neck.

Climbing up the cliff was already tough, and now I was carrying an injured Hong Soo-ah on my back. Of course it was ten times worse.

I’m gonna die, seriously.

As I struggled to catch my breath, I felt Hong Soo-ah’s hand fumbling near my stomach.

I looked down—she was trying to undo the rope.

“Ah.”

I’d figured we’d just rest a little and then keep climbing, so I hadn’t bothered untying the rope. But now, with me lying back while still carrying her, it probably looked like I was hugging her. Like we were lovers or something.

Not exactly a comfortable situation.

“Want me to undo it?”

Honestly, it was kind of annoying.

I was exhausted, and if I untied it now, I’d just have to tie it again when we got moving.

That’s when Hong Soo-ah spoke up, firmly.

“...Yes. Please undo it.”

Fair enough.

She already hated the guy—I mean, even with the whole “amnesia” excuse, she clearly didn’t want to be stuck this close to me while resting.

And as someone who used to hate Choi Changshik too, I got it.

On top of that, I’d basically been using an injured person as a cushion.

An apology was definitely in order.

I untied the rope and gently lowered her down.

“Sorry if leaning on you made you uncomfortable. Not an excuse, but... climbing up here really wiped me out.”

“...That’s not the issue.”

“...Go up ahead without me. I’ll wait here.”

“What? No way—”

“Go up first and get treated by Lee Yuna. Don’t worry about me.”

Crack.

Hong Soo-ah lightly froze part of the cave wall and continued.

“...I can take care of myself.”

She wasn’t wrong.

She was the one who killed the monster in this cave, after all.

If anything attacked while I was gone, she could probably handle it alone.

“I’ll come back as fast as I can.”

“You don’t have to rush.”

She looked up at me.

“I’ll wait.”

**

“Something definitely happened.”

“Mhm.”

“It’s already been hours since Soo-ah and Oppa went off to scout.”

It wasn’t supposed to be a long recon. But Choi Changshik and Hong Soo-ah hadn’t come back.

Of course the rest of the party was getting anxious.

“That’s it. I’m going to find them—even if I have to go alone.”

Lee Yuna abruptly reached into the raid kit, trying to pull out some climbing rope.

Im Jin-sol, her face tight with tension, spoke up.

“Going out now would just make things more complicated.”

“So what, we’re just supposed to sit here and do nothing?”

As the tension flared, Seong Yohan started sweating bullets trying to mediate.

“Hey, hey, come on, let’s all just take a deep breath and—”

“Oppa, stay out of this!”

“You, big guy, zip it.”

His attempt at mediation failed spectacularly, and Seong Yohan quickly stepped back to avoid getting crushed in the crossfire.

“Listen.”

Im Jin-sol began again, her tone serious.

“Let’s say the boss got taken out up there. What the hell are you planning to do, go outside and save him? If even the strongest person in our group went down, that means the environment out there is lethal. You think you can do better than him?”

“We won’t know until we try—”

“You can’t even climb the damn cliff properly, can you?”

Yuna had no comeback. She lowered her head, saying nothing.

“In a situation like this, our best option is to exit the Gate and request rescue support.”

“Then let’s do that.”

“It’s not that easy. If we do that, we become the party that failed our first raid. We get penalized. Worst case, the party disbands. You think the boss would want that?”

“It’s better than dying. If Oppa’s really down, then the right thing to do is get help immediately.”

Im Jin-sol let out a small sigh and spoke in a gentler tone.

“Let me be straight with you, Yuna. I said ‘rescue,’ but if he’s already down out there, we’re too late. That’s basically a failed raid.”

Lee Yuna was stunned. Her mouth opened, but no words came out.

Im Jin-sol kept going, as if none of it fazed her.

“So honestly, time doesn’t matter. They’re probably both dead already.”

“...Could you please not say things like that?”

Yuna’s voice was trembling, on the verge of tears.

Im Jin-sol offered a small, apologetic smile.

“Sorry. I tend to be blunt. That was worst-case scenario. Maybe they just got lost. That’s why we’re still waiting. The fog’s thick—it’d be hard to find the way back.”

Lee Yuna looked like she could break down at any moment.

“Then what should we do?”

Im Jin-sol responded with a mischievous tone.

“I dunno. Maybe yell the boss’s name really loud? If they’re lost, they might hear and come find us…”

Then she added,

“Kidding. Do that and we’re totally screwed.”

Right then—

“CHOOOOI CHANGSHIIIK, PARTY LEADEEEER!!!”

Seong Yohan’s massive voice echoed through the cliff.

“OVER HEEEERE! CHOI CHANGSHIK, SIR!!”

It was a booming voice, perfectly matching his massive frame.

Im Jin-sol turned pale as a sheet and screamed.

“Hey, you dumbass! What the hell are you doing?!”

Yohan, mid-shout, turned around and tilted his head.

“Didn’t you just say we should do that, Jin-sol-nim?”

Im Jin-sol immediately bolted toward him and smacked him upside the head.

“You brainless giant! Who do you think’s gonna show up first if you yell like that?!”

“Huh? I was calling for the boss.”

“IDIOT! You think monsters don’t have ears?!”

“...Ah!”

Flap-flap-flap.

Almost instantly, the sound of wings came from beyond the fog.

Just like Jin-sol predicted, the first ones to respond weren’t teammates—it was monsters.

Their shadows began to loom through the thick mist.

Wings beating from every direction—above, below, all around.

Drawn by Seong Yohan’s shouting, the monsters were now converging on their cave.

“We’re so screwed.”

**

I was struggling to climb the cliff, having left Hong Soo-ah behind in the lower cave.

Where the hell am I even at right now?

Since moving on alone, I’d found two more caves.

But neither was the right one.

One had a monster inside. The other was empty.

There’s gotta be a Gate nearby…

Since the party was waiting in a cave near the Gate, I could guess I was close to the center—but there was no way to know the exact location.

And then—

“CHOI CHANGSHIK, PARTY LEADEEER!!!”

That thunderously dumb voice echoed up from below.

“OVER HEEEERE!! CHOI CHANGSHIK, SIR!!”

It was Seong Yohan.

Did I pass it?

I almost kept climbing for no reason.

But how the hell did he know I was nearby?

An uneasy thought crept in.

Did they call for rescue?

Totally possible.

I’d been gone way too long. It wouldn’t be weird if they thought something happened.

No… they wouldn’t, right?

Maybe they had a Hunter with some kind of recon skill backing them up. If so, they might’ve known my location.

They would’ve explained how foggy the cliff was, and the support team probably sent someone with the right ability.

Please, no.

With a prayer in my heart, I started moving toward the direction of the voice.

Screeeeee!

But I wasn’t the only one heading that way.

Monsters were flying toward the cave.

They must’ve been drawn by Seong Yohan’s voice.

A few meters down, through the thick fog, I saw the creatures swarming.

I stuck to the cliffside and scoped them out.

...I can do this.

Deciding it was doable, I picked off the scab covering the wound I’d prepped earlier.

I squeezed blood from the cut directly into my right eye—and jumped.

—BEEP?!

I landed square on the shoulder of one of them.

Using the thing as a springboard, I launched myself cleanly into the cave.

Inside, a few of the monster birds had already entered and were squaring off with the party.

“Oppa!”

Lee Yuna was already tearing up, clearly terrified. Seong Yohan and Im Jin-sol were standing ready, weapons in hand.

No sign of the other Hunters.

So they didn’t call for rescue after all!

I still didn’t know why Seong Yohan was screaming my name, but at least that was a relief.

With that comforting realization, I launched into the fight.

As I rushed into the cave, the monsters turned their attention from the others to me.

“Aim!”

At that exact moment, Im Jin-sol activated a skill. A glowing blue target appeared on the back of one of the monsters’ heads—an arrow lodged into it instantly.

She’d fired first, then used the skill.

Thwack!

Perfect timing. The thing dropped like a rock.

Two left.

Now surrounded, the remaining monsters were clearly thrown off.

I used that gap to rush one of them.

SCREE—!

It tried to kick me, but I dodged easily and drove my fist right into its solar plexus.

WHUMP!

As it staggered in pain, I swept its leg, slammed it to the ground, and stomped down on its neck until the bone snapped.

Crack!

Barehanded, but thanks to the skill boost, my physical strength was maxed out.

Even in my condition, monsters from a D-Class Gate were no problem.

Screeeee—!

Another charged, beak-first. I grabbed it by the back of the neck, flipped it, and crushed its spine like the first.

By the time I’d finished off the ones already inside, more were eyeing me from the cave entrance.

“Yuna! Heal the boss first!”

“Ah, y-yes!”

Im Jin-sol had sharp instincts.

Even though I looked mostly fine, she could tell I was injured and immediately ordered Yuna to use her ability on me.

Yuna rushed over, and the moment our hands met, healing light flooded through my body.

In seconds, the pain in my neck and back vanished. My swollen ankle returned to normal.

Woooooom.

Even after all my injuries were healed, the light kept swirling around me.

“Boss. I’ve got your back.”

Im Jin-sol was at my side now, holding my sword.

I took it from her and said,

“Don’t need it.”

The monsters were charging in like maniacs, clearly enraged by their fallen comrades—but that didn’t stop them.

“I can handle this alone.”

SCREEEEEE—!!

With that scream, the beasts stormed in, leading with their beaks.

I stayed calm, stepping lightly, cleaving through their necks one by one.

SCREEEE-EEEK!

These bastards definitely had strong pack instincts.

Even after seeing me slaughter their kind, none of them turned tail. Their eyes were glazed with fury as they charged.

Just like moths to a flame.

Fine by me. Makes it easier.

By the time I was done cutting down every bird that came at me, the cave floor was littered with corpses.

All the ones drawn by Seong Yohan’s yelling—every last one—had been taken care of.

Wiping the blood off my blade, I thought to myself,

Thanks to that dumbass, I’ve got enough material to write a pretty expensive report.

I’d figured out the best strategy for dealing with these things.

Which meant we’d almost certainly be awarded the maximum support bonus—seven times the usual rate.