Episode 41
Chapter 10 Traces (1)
I’ve only seen a satisfied smile on my lips twice since the game started.
‘The first time was 10 million won, the next time I got 100 million won in loot.’
And now I’m faced with a better situation than the previous two experiences.
03-159 [Boys worth KRW 200 million]
03-188 [Roots worth KRW 5 million]
03-293 [Roots worth KRW 18 million]
03-255 [Roots worth 70 million Won]
04-1965 [Boots worth KRW 310 million]
04-2487 [Roots worth KRW 864 million]
… … .
What was written on the list of recommended missions was an explicit sentence.
That was also a tangible benefit I could get from this game in the future.
But the smile didn’t come out like before.
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Just now, the system openly declared that it would use me.
‘I’ll give you what you want, so don’t think about anything else and do your best on the mission.’
To get loot, I have to clear that mission.
And that will be directly related to the benefits of the system.
‘I feel dirty.’
Still better than before.
‘Because I can use the system too.’
At least I’m not forced to make sacrifices unilaterally.
‘I have a way to make money, and I’ve confirmed that I can’t do updates on my own.’
I’ve only been swung around empty-handed until now, but compared to that, it’s a great improvement.
I was also good at not holding back and screaming.
I took a deep breath and skimmed through the list of recommended missions.
He started memorizing the numbers of recommended missions.
You never know when this damn system will get rid of the list.
I got what I wanted, but I didn’t trust the system.
My rice bowl should protect my hands.
‘Once in a hurry, memorize up to level 4.’
The system window disappeared as if I had waited as I pushed the numbers I could see into my head.
I opened the mission window, but the recommendation list was not visible.
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Just in case, it was the same.
If I had trusted him and stayed still, I would have gone back empty-handed.
‘Anyway, there’s nothing I don’t like.’
I clicked my tongue and started examining the shield on the floor.
‘Intermediary.’
The boss mob I just killed was obviously a small monster-like entity.
However, it was much stronger and bigger than the little monster.
Did it change like that by absorbing the mana stored in this medium?
‘While I was observing it, I could hardly feel any change in magic power.’
I closely observed the vortex magic felt through detection.
Perhaps thanks to the disappearance of the monster that sucked mana, it was easier to see the flow.
The magic that had moved from the edge to the center was gradually fading away.
‘Where are they disappearing?’
As I pondered my question, the word describing this medium came to my mind.
‘hall.’
One of the things that a system that is obsessed with literal translation writes without translating.
‘… … Isn’t a hole a hole in a space or area that was originally disconnected?’
Then, where does this hole mean a hole?
I looked up at the bright blue sky to find the answer to my question.
I couldn’t see it now, but there were definitely two moons floating in the sky.
Could it be that the hole in question has been pierced in this world?
‘So what if the mana is leaking through that hole?’
At first glance, it was a plausible guess.
If so, what is beyond this hole?
‘no way… … earth?’
My mouth started to dry up at the thought of the short word.
If this hall is really connected to the earth, can only magic escape?
‘I’ve already come over here from Earth.’
What if I was able to come here because of that ‘Hall’?
Conversely, doesn’t being here mean that you can come over to Earth?
‘No, the system might have taken some action.’
I tried to deny it, but the imagination that filled my head did not easily disappear.
“Hey, what is this hall called? Does it have anything to do with why I am here?”
Impatiently, I even asked the system.
But is it because there is no threat? The system did not respond.
I tried several times, but there was no notification sound or message.
‘Yeah, you were such an asshole.’
I smiled dejectedly and closed my eyes. The nature of the system has not changed.
That guy just uses me without any explanation or clarification.
The reason why I opened the list of recommendations was to eventually give me a mission.
We must not forget that.
‘I have no choice but to find out myself.’
I shook my head and shook my head as if brushing off a stiff expression.
‘Let’s not limit the scope of our thoughts right now.’
Hall was not something I could be sure of with the information I had.
It is only my guess that the boss mob became stronger than an ordinary entity because of the magical energy gathered around this medium.
Nothing is certain.
I got up from my seat after carefully organizing the information and questions I had gained this time.
He took off his boots, which were tattered with the soles melted, and put on sneakers from the storage box.
While retrieving the spear earlier, I also put on the holed jacket.
I tried to put the shield in the storage box before departure, but it was useless.
‘I can’t go in.’
I took the string from my boots, tied it to the handle of my shield, and wrapped it around my waist.
Only after that I was able to move on.
The destination is the place where I found human footprints around the colony of lotus leaves with thorns.
‘This mission ends when the medium is destroyed.’
That means you’ll have time to explore the safe place after clearing out all the monsters.
Moreover, there are no barriers that limit missions.
‘I follow the footsteps.’
Maybe we can figure something out.
‘4 liters of water, a day’s worth of food.’
If you save it, you can last until tomorrow afternoon. Even if you use them all, you can buy them at the store.
‘Because they sell bread and water.’
Even if it becomes a long-term battle, there is a foundation to endure.
However, when I returned to the place where I found the footprints, I couldn’t move my steps easily.
I had a problem holding me back from following this trail.
‘My uncle must be worried.’
It was obvious what Jong-hun would think if his return was delayed.
‘You know I might die.’
But is it okay to make them wait for hours, maybe even days?
It must be difficult to make my younger siblings understand my absence.
‘It’s already been five or six hours.’
I stood in front of the footprints and was lost in my thoughts.
There is no way to contact Jong-hoon.
However, Jong-hoon’s personal information needs to be exposed, and there is a possibility that my identity will be revealed in the process.
I, who was standing and guarding my seat, opened a chat window.
– K: What are you doing?
The answer came not long after.
– Kj: He is currently training for martial arts for special forces. I totally fly! Hyung, didn’t you start level 3? Haven’t you figured it out yet?
– K: It will take a while.
– Kj: Hueul… … very difficult?
– K: No, I have something to check. I have a request for that.
– Kj: ㅇㅇ Monde?
– K: Is your phone monitored?
– Kj: I’m not taking it and checking it, but I’m looking at the communication records. My close agent noona pokes me!
– K: Then, among the party members outside, are there any people who are heavy-mouthed or trustworthy?
– Kj: Outside the NIS? Excluding Bunny Noonna and Namgyu?
– K : ㅇㅇ
– Kj: Then youkai hyung! The mouth is small rather than heavy. Asa hyung and I have been together since we had a party, but I don’t want to be stabbed in the back.
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Jong-hoon was the one who filled the void left by his father after his parents passed away.
I can’t let you stay up all night worrying that I might be dead.
‘I have to deliver the news somehow so that my younger siblings will have an excuse.’
Moreover, he had already met Kim Yul, and he was also the person he had to be associated with in the future.
If I keep going ahead of him and giving him an advantage, I won’t be easily stabbed in the back.
– K: I’d like you to contact me that I’m alive through a player called Yokai so that I won’t get caught by the NIS.
This time, the answer arrived a beat late.
– Kj: Solpi is a bit surprised. I thought you would never give out personal information.
– K: I don’t want to inform as much as possible. Call 10 potions for the cost of silence?
– Kj: I’ll make sure to crack down on your mouth, Mr. Haeng. Who can I do it for?
– K : 010-6695-XXXX. Just call and tell them that the person in the game is alive.
– Kj: The only people in this world who know that number are me and the monster. And I won’t even mention my brother to you monster! vow! Loyalty!
– K: Thank you.
– Kj : ㅇㅇ If you need help, tell me again!
There was no need to delay, so I immediately sent the potion to Kim Yul.
After finding someone to deliver the news to Jong-hoon, his heavy feet moved.
I don’t know where this walk will end, but I’ll do as much as I can when the opportunity presents itself.
‘Because there’s no guarantee that a trace like this will appear again in the next mission.’
In fact, most of the 2nd level missions did not show any signs of people or civilization.
Even if it meant worrying Jong-hun, he had to go.
‘Just one week.’
If you don’t achieve results within that, the mission is cleared.
The pursuit that started by reading me was not easy.
I didn’t learn tracking skills professionally, so it was a rule of thumb.
When the footprints led to the water’s edge, the entire area had to be searched.
It was possible only when you were lucky to find human footprints again.
Most of them were covered in the footprints of monsters, so there were not a few cases where they went after them for a long time and then returned to the starting point.
In the process, I was able to guess the number of people who left this trail.
‘At least four people.’
Even though I was lost several times, I looked at the ground with patience.
Thanks to this, by the time the sun rose high in the sky, I was able to come out to the outskirts of the swamp.
‘Still, there is only one year.’
Since there are two moons, I wondered if there were two suns.
‘Climate is spring or autumn weather.’
The wind was cool when the sun didn’t rise, but now it’s a little warmer.
‘If only this was a world with four seasons.’
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Judging from the lack of dry grass or fallen leaves, it is likely spring.
I continued to move forward, surveying my surroundings.
Thanks to this, I was able to notice the change quickly.
‘Terrain starts to change.’
At some point, the puddle seemed to disappear, but the soil began to dry.
Of course, that wasn’t good news.
In a different sense, tracking became difficult.
Because the ground was hard, the footprints were hard to see.
‘It’s cut off.’
Then the weeds became more and more, and it reached the point where I could no longer find my footprints.
All I could see in front of me was an endless meadow.
Missing the trail, I sat down and sighed.
It was a really dire situation.
“Should I hit you… … ?”
Am I doing something useless, or is it right to chase after me like this?
Doubt and disbelief kept getting on my nerves.
Even so, I did not feel the need to destroy the medium.
“Whoa.”
I gulped down my water and pondered.
‘How can I catch up?’
Knock knock.
Tapping my forehead with my index finger and contemplating how to do it, a memory soon came to mind.
As I came out of the swamp, I saw brown traces on the bushes.
It only caught my eye at first glance, and I didn’t pay much attention at the time because there was a clear clue that it was footprints.
‘It was close to brown.’
If it was red blood that had been altered.
“I was hurt.”
The being I was supposed to be chasing after might have been hurt.
Then the possibility that more bloodstains remain cannot be ignored.
I stuck my spear in the last footprint and started crawling on the ground.
With her eyes wide open, she tenaciously rummaged through the nearby grass.
And so, in three hours.
‘found.’
I could find dried brown marks on the grass.
Where the spear was pierced and where the bloodstains were left.
Placing the two places on a straight line gave me an idea of which direction I should go.