14 – Part 14 – Pursuit (1)
‘Using magic to discover a hidden dungeon…’
If indeed, as Sooyooju said, it was a structure in which the hidden dungeon’s location was only revealed by using magic, then it was no wonder that until now, no one knew about the existence and location of the dungeon.
Other people who didn’t know that Seo Yooju was a returnee seemed to be in awe of her speculations.
Ahn Tae-woo’s expression brightened as he began to speak.
“Indeed… If we use magic, just as Miss Yooju suggested, the hidden dungeon might reveal its location! Miss Yooju is truly remarkable. How did you come up with this idea? Hahaha!”
“It’s not certain yet. It’s just a guess.”
No, it’s not just a guess; it’s a fact.
Seo Yooju revealing the truth about the dungeon now implied that she believed it was possible for the people here to clear the tutorial. But just in case, it was necessary to gauge her intentions.
“Miss Yooju, if the dungeon is at the center… can we clear it now? Isn’t it too risky?”
She spoke as if worried, and the expressions of others seemed concerned as well, fearing the possibility of someone dying.
Everyone seemed to be worried about the worst-case scenario.
“… It’s not certain, but I think it might be possible.”
Seo Yooju saying this meant that the likelihood of clearing was high. Her response began to put their minds at ease.
They had made plans, preparing for the worst-case scenario, but honestly, they had no intention of executing them.
… This was just a hypothetical scenario.
If it turned out that they couldn’t clear it on their own, they could forcibly bring others from the camp or outside into the dungeon and use them as meat shields.
If there were monsters in the dungeon as well, they could use others to divert aggro in the same way.
However, this is truly the last resort, and I kept it buried deep in my heart because there’s no way the people here can make it through this method.
Well… if we assume a high chance of success aside from everything else, we must consider other issues.
There may be other people outside this camp, but the problem is, there’s no guarantee that they are good people.
There’s also a considerable possibility of being ambushed on the way to the dungeon. We have provisions, and there are women in our party.
“Could it be that those who have located the dungeon’s position with magic and are lurking inside the dungeon…”
No, it’s an excessive worry. Finally approaching the end of the tutorial, I feel like my paranoia and anxiety, just like when I was on Earth, are resurfacing.
“… So, are the nine of us here planning to enter the dungeon?”
“Yes. It seems like we are.”
“Sigh… the number of people is definitely on the lower side… Even if Seo Yoo-joo shows confidence, the number of people is still a concern.”
“When are we going to depart?”
“… If you all are okay with it, we plan to leave early tomorrow morning.”
******
“Yurim, Yoo-hyun. Are you both ready?”
“Yes, Oppa.”
“Yes, hyung!”
“Alright… let’s go.”
After finishing breakfast, we headed to the camp entrance with the exception of the three newcomers. Everyone was gathered there.
“Oppa… are you okay? Going to the dungeon today…”
Yurim seemed worried about Hyun, and she glanced at him before speaking to me.
“It’ll probably be fine. Honestly, if it’s impossible with the people here, then there’s no hope for anyone else either.”
Yurim stayed silent.
I reassured her while patting her head.
“Don’t worry too much. You saw how strong Miss Yujoo is, right? Besides, this is just a tutorial. It can’t be so difficult that we can’t handle it, can it?”
Yurim’s tension seemed to ease a bit, and she smiled faintly.
“I feel relieved when you say that, Oppa.”
“Nuna, don’t worry! Yujoo nuna is really strong!”
“I see… my sister is worried about her younger brother, and my younger brother is carefree…”
Some time passed, and Mr. Howon, Kang Iseo, and Hyunjin arrived. As soon as Kang Iseo arrived, he opened his mouth with a playful expression and tone.
“Oh, you’re already here. How about it? Today could be the last, would you like to have one last game in your life?”
Kangiseo looked at me, forming a circle with his left thumb and index finger, and teasingly inserted and removed his right index finger.
“W-what kind of crazy talk is this?!”
From Noble mtl dot com
Seoyuju said, her face paling before I even had a chance to respond, and she let out an exclamation first.
I immediately covered my ears, feeling like my eardrums were going to burst. Yurim covered her ears and shielded Yuhyeon’s eyes as soon as Kangiseo started talking.
“Ah… I was just joking. It’s because his face matches my style.”
“But, please refrain from making such jokes in the future! It makes the listener uncomfortable!”
“No, why is Yuju acting like that when I’m just sitting here quietly?”
After hearing Kangiseo’s words, Seoyuju narrowed her eyes and looked at me.
“Yoonseong, by any chance…”
“… What exactly do you see me as?”
Kangiseo glanced at Seoyuju in a playful manner and then spoke to me again.
“Ah, really, you don’t have any thoughts? If you want, I can…”
I interrupted her before she could continue, as I felt it would only exhaust me further.
“… Please stop joking, Iseo-ssi. And please don’t casually mention that today could be the last.”
Kang Isuh cleared the mocking expression from his face and spoke with a tongue in cheek.
“Psh. Boring. Why are people so dull?”
“…What kind of person does Mr. Isuh find interesting? At the very least, they wouldn’t be ordinary.”
Upon hearing my words, she burst into laughter.
“Hehehe… Well, that’s true ~”
Mr. Hawon suddenly sighed, then grabbed Kang Isuh’s head and bowed instead of her, apologizing to Seoyuju and me.
“Sigh… I’m sorry. It’s been like this since long ago, so…”
“Ah! Let go, mister! I could play a prank or something!”
Just because of the existence of this person named Kang Isuh, I was exhausted like this… My head hurt, so I closed my eyes and pressed on my forehead.
“Ahem, well… Anyway, let’s get going now.”
So we left the camp where we had been indebted until now behind.
How much time had passed since we started moving? When we were about halfway to the center, Seoyuju stopped us, as if she had discovered a monster.
“…There are five of them up ahead. Yoonseong and Ha-eun, save your magic power for the situation in the dungeon. Isuh, you go ahead and take down one with your bow and start the battle. Isuh, get ready.”
“Hehe, finally my turn to shine ~”
Upon hearing Seoyuju’s words, Kang Isuh aimed his bow at the head of one of the monsters and drew back the bowstring.
Swiftly –
Thud –
“Kek…!”
It was clean and precise. As an arrow pierced the monster’s head, the monsters seemed to have noticed our presence and started charging, screaming.
First, Mr. Ho-won dashed forward and struck one of the monsters on the head with his shield.
Crack!
At the same moment, while another one next to him tried to attack Mr. Ho-won, Hyun-jin swung his sword and cut off the monster’s arm.
“Kkeeeeek!”
Right after that, Mr. Ho-won swung his shield, sending the monster with the severed arm flying. An arrow struck the writhing creature as it landed on the ground, neatly finishing it.
“They definitely make a great team.”
Just by watching them fight, I could sense that they were well-acquainted with coordinating with each other. I felt confident that they would continue to excel even after the tutorial.
There were two monsters left. It appeared that An Tae-woo and Yu-rim were finishing off one of them. As the remaining monster lunged, one of our returnees swung a spear, and its head tumbled down.
As the situation came to a close, Seo Yoo-joo began to speak.
“Thank you all for your hard work. Haeun and Yoon-sung, conserve your magic for now.”
“Yes.”
“Yes, Yooju.”
I started talking to Hyunjin. Though his abilities were average, I was surprised to see that he fought better than I had thought.
“Hyunjin. You fight really well, don’t you?”
“Really…? I feel happy when you praise me, hyung. Hehe…”
It wasn’t just empty words, it was the truth. When I saw Hyunjin’s status window back when we were with Jochanho, I hadn’t thought much of it.
******
As we walked a considerable distance, Seyooju’s complexion gradually became pale. Seyooju continued to walk but quietly began speaking so only we could hear.
“… Please don’t reply to me loudly. Listen carefully without panicking. We have pursuers right now.”
As soon as I heard her words, I swallowed my saliva inwardly. Well, the worries I had been thinking about before leaving camp had become a reality.
Though the others didn’t show it, Songhaeun and Yuhyeon displayed uncertainty on their faces.
Hohwon asked Seyooju quietly, without showing any signs of familiarity with this situation.
“… Do you know how many of them there are?”
“I’m not exactly sure, but… there are approximately six behind us. I expect there might be more on the sides or in front. But… she seems unbothered by this.”
“When Hyunjin and I were together, we experienced situations like this a few times. We even had to fight.”
‘Somehow, those three seemed experienced in combat from the moment I first saw them.’
“Anyway… I think we have to fight before we get surrounded. Moving forward from here is no different from giving the opponent an advantageous position to start the battle.”
Song Haeun and Ahn Taewoo looked very nervous at the thought of fighting people for the first time.
“So, how should we…?”
“For now, let’s give up on clearing the tutorial today. Since I have a rough idea of where the pursuers are, I’ll attack from behind first. However, I won’t be able to focus on the front, so Mr. Howon, please use your shield to block the attacks from the front when I move away. Others, please prioritize the front and sides as well. You don’t need to worry about me. And… Yoon Sung and Haun don’t need to conserve their magic. Please prioritize your safety above all else.”