episode_0036

036

A night with the deep moonlight settling in.

Seongyu quietly gazes up at the night sky.

The faint moonlight and the candlelight on the desk dimly illuminated the darkness of the study.

Seongyu poured a murky wine into the empty glass caressed by the moonlight, took a sip, and savored the bitter taste for a moment.

“…The path of asceticism on Mount Yookseongsan. Hmm. Well, it’s interesting.”

Seongyu smiled faintly.

“Should I call this resolute or foolish?”

Continuously provoking Rocksanne, you seem to be quietly enduring the trials that you must overcome.

It’s truly pitiful to see you boldly and lonely praying to God, even when people around you turn their backs, betray you, and spit on you.

Following the ancient teachings, enduring hardships and asceticism, climbing the mountain to pray to the heavens, you can only be described as foolish.

Rocksanne, do you believe in the existence of God?

Do you think that by overcoming numerous temptations, despair, and hardships, and praying to God, salvation will eventually come?

Truly laughable, ridiculous.

If God truly exists, why is this world so murky?

With countless evils prevailing, and beings of this kind tormenting human flesh and bones, your act of praying to God is truly pitiful and laughable.

If indeed God existed, then the one who should have been brought to the judgment seat first should have been the one enjoying the power of evil, Seongyu, yet why does the heavens remain indifferent?

Committing numerous atrocities, trampling on the teachings of the prophets, and mocking them.

Receiving God’s favor, trying to trample on the one with the noblest character.

Seongyu, who should rightfully be judged, is being accepted as a candidate for saint by numerous believers.

Seongyu could only laugh.

And so.

“Matteo.”

She called out a man’s name, casting a glance into the darkness.

“Go check it out.”

In the dim shadows where the moonlight didn’t reach, a man stood upright.

…

Matteo Evans. A villain who used to work as a professional assassin in the past.

He was famous for using two short swords and killing his targets without a trace.

Some called him the “Moon Shadow” and feared him.

Active heroes, exceptional superhumans, seasoned soldiers, all lost their lives to his blade.

He was an outstanding assassin, and once he targeted his prey, he killed them without hesitation.

But a few years ago.

He suffered a devastating defeat against a mysterious figure called Vittilante, almost losing his life.

After sustaining severe injuries and wandering the streets, he was rescued by Seongyu by chance, and under her care, he somewhat recovered from his wounds and faithfully worked for her.

“I’ll provide you with some useful guys.”

Rocksanne, you foolish woman.

Even though you must have noticed that someone is targeting you, why do you choose to endure hardships to uphold your beliefs?

Your upright steps, faithfulness, are burying the people around you in sticky mud.

“Now, let’s not hide anymore, let’s go openly. Openly.”

“Yes.”

“Rocksanne, don’t touch him, target his escort troops.”

“Kill him?”

“Hmm. How about it.”

Seongyu pondered, tilting her head from side to side.

“Simply causing harm has been enough so far… Just tormenting is no longer fun… To elicit a dramatic reaction from Roksanu…”

I smile inwardly.

“Indeed, it’s better to kill someone in front of Roksanu, right?”

Roksanu, I both love and hate you so much.

I hate myself for never being able to be like you, and I love having you right in front of me.

That’s why I want to destroy you with my own hands.

Slowly, very slowly.

I wonder how far you can struggle as I push your head into the mud pit I’m in.

***

In a lush forest filled with abundant greenery.

“Haa, haa, hoo….”

I intermittently gasped for breath as I climbed up and up through these dense thickets, making my way up the mountain.

The tall trees, densely packed like toothbrushes, and the lush leaves blocked the sunlight, creating a gloomy atmosphere.

Despite it being bright daylight, it was quite dim and somewhat eerie.

“Haa, what kind of forest is this… It’s so vast, really….”

I am currently at Yookseongsan in Chungnam.

A mountain that did not exist in my previous life, with such dense forests that it felt like I might get lost if I wasn’t careful.

If I hadn’t had a map, GPS, and satellite phone, I wouldn’t have dared to climb this mountain.

The deep forest where human footprints were scarce was as dangerous as an animal’s mouth.

“Let’s see… How far have I come?”

I slowly recalled memories from my previous life and glanced at the map.

I was looking for a vast cave located somewhere in Yookseongsan.

Inside that cave, the ‘Space Ring’ was probably sleeping.

In the game, it was only used for inventory expansion, but games and reality are different.

Since it can open up different spaces to store items, it could be used in various ways.

So, as I climbed the mountain enduring this hardship…

“…But this forest, there are monsters living here.”

Yes, this is a forest where monsters reside.

Among the monsters that emerged from the cracks, some were not exterminated or reported, so they fled into the forest where people’s eyes couldn’t reach.

With South Korea ranking fourth in the world for forest coverage and 70% of its area being mountainous, there were often cases where monsters could not be found.

In other words, there were quite a few monsters quietly hiding like endangered wild animals.

And in the cave I was looking for, there was a monster known as the Big-Horned Black Boar.

It wasn’t an incredibly powerful monster, and with caution, I could easily hunt it alone.

There were a few other monsters, but they weren’t as threatening.

The fact that I had come here alone was proof that it wasn’t too dangerous.

Oh, of course, I wasn’t letting my guard down.

Would I be crazy enough to let my guard down when I entered a mountain where monsters lived, even if there were only a few?

“I’ve prepared thoroughly, as you said.”

I had purchased various items from Yuseolhyun and brought them with me.

A bow for large monsters, special arrows, magic scrolls, healing potions, a sword farmed from Yeongdeungsan, various tools for hunting the Big-Horned Black Boar, and supplies for the hike.

I was carrying a large bag, so the physical exertion was no joke, but it was better than regretting not having something when I needed it.

“If I farm the Space Ring, I won’t have to carry all this around anymore.”

Indeed, having an inventory is essential when carrying a lot of tools.

“By the way, how far have I come? Ugh, my memory is fuzzy… Do I need to go further?”

It goes without saying that I can’t remember the exact location.

If you’re a human, it’s only natural not to remember.

No matter how good my memory is, and even if I was a super fan of this game, I don’t remember the exact location of a mere sub-quest cave.

I just vaguely remember the general location.

“Well, that should be enough.”

Because this big-horned black boar has one unique trait attached to it.

What is it?

It’s extremely sensitive to the scent of a woman’s blood.

It can smell the scent of a woman’s small amount of blood from kilometers away.

So, I decided to use this trait.

“I’m lucky that Yuseolhyun got me a blood pack without asking too many questions.”

By the way, in Korea, bloodletting was illegal.

“Anyway, by using this blood pack to lure the guy into a trap and take him down, I should be able to track back to the location of the cave.”

As long as the bait works well, it shouldn’t be that difficult.

“Well, today’s fortune seems quite good.”

Before climbing the mountain, I had jokingly checked my fortune.

According to the fortune, things would unexpectedly go smoothly today, so if there’s something I’ve set my mind on, I should do it right away.

I don’t usually believe in fortunes, but for some reason, I felt like things would go well today.

Why does that happen sometimes?

Once every few years, there’s a day when luck is unusually good.

I thought today might be that day.

I don’t know why. Should I say I have a good feeling?

The fortune was good, and I had a good feeling all day, so if things go well, I hope it’s for the best as I walked ahead.

How much further did I walk, slashing through the dense forest with the sword I obtained from Yeongdang Mountain?

Eventually, the sound of people’s murmurs could be heard not far away.

Why are there people in this dangerous forest? I thought as I cautiously took a step forward.

Carefully moving my steps, I could see an open space beyond the bushes.

And in that open space…

“Oh, what are those?”

It was clear that people dressed suspiciously were threatening a couple with swords raised.

What kind of situation is this…?

Judging by the atmosphere, it doesn’t seem like it will end well.

The way those men are dressed, it’s like they’re saying, “I’m a really dangerous person.” They looked like villains, plain and simple.

“What should I do?”

Honestly, it’s none of my business.

If those are villains, it could be really dangerous, so avoiding them was the best option.

But I was one of the aspiring heroes, and leaving those people alone might lead to something really bad happening.

I had various equipment to capture monsters, so if I could sneak up on them, there was a good chance I could win…

“Hey, who’s there!”

“What, how did you know?”

Could it be that he sensed my presence?

I thought I had hidden myself well, but if he sensed me… that means he’s stronger than I thought. Am I really in big trouble?

“Today’s fortune… Damn, seriously.”

I said my luck was good!

Good my ass, I think I’m screwed right now.