Ch.47I’m Dying Anyway

# 47. Choosing the Hard Way

“Subin. Just a moment.”

“Yeah.”

The similar forest path continued on. We had camped for two more days, making this our fourth day on level 2-2, and only now were there signs of the terrain changing. I wanted to check with Yebeopnojeong, who was both the vice-captain and someone with as much game knowledge as me.

“Where do you think we are?”

“Hmm. Give me a second.”

Yebeopnojeong looked around, muttering something while counting on her fingers. Then she held up two fingers and answered my question.

“Two possibilities. North of Albrant. Or east of Albrant.”

“Two places, huh. But just saying north or east is pretty broad.”

“Not necessarily, if you think about where each path leads.”

First, if this is the northern path from Albrant?

“If we keep going straight, we’ll reach Silva Eternal.”

“And if we turn midway, Puteus Lunar.”

What if it’s the eastern path from Albrant?

“If we keep going, we’ll reach the Ansila Mountains.”

“Right. And there’s a fork in the road there too. I’m not sure if this level’s mission will appear before or after that point.”

“So this is the way there…?”

Is this the Yebeop-wiki in action?

Yebeopnojeong was as much of a lore nerd as I was, but while I tended to broadly learn, remember, and apply general knowledge, she was the type to remember such specific details that it made me wonder how she knew such things.

And when I say “such things,” that’s by my standards. In other words, she knows pretty much everything.

“Thanks for the info. The Yebeop-wiki is definitely reliable.”

“Hmph.”

I could feel her satisfaction despite her pretending otherwise. Her character is both difficult and easy to understand, isn’t it?

“Thanks to you, I remembered something we need to decide. We should discuss this together. Ms. Seyeon, Yuri. Come here for a moment.”

I called the two who were following behind us. Once they joined, I presented an important matter that could determine the party’s future path.

“We might be able to decide the difficulty of the next level.”

I shared everything I had discussed with Yebeopnojeong.

“Like the fork in the road at Kailend Plains before?”

“Yeah. But that time, it felt less like we were choosing and more like we were looking for a portal to the next level. This time is different. Since we have plenty of food, we have a choice.”

“What he means is that our destination choice will inevitably affect the next level and the one after that.”

“What if we had chosen Tavs Gorge last time…?”

Tavs Gorge, Albrant, Inaren.

Among the three, Tavs Gorge was the toughest.

“I think there would have been a portal there too. But considering the quests and dungeons in Tavs Gorge… that area’s level 2-1 would have been much more difficult than the purification quest in terms of specs. Though in terms of annoying mechanics and gimmicks, that might have actually been easier to deal with. Anyway, what matters now is our current choice.”

Safety or better rewards.

Of course, by “better rewards,” I obviously mean an “S-rank.”

“My judgment of which path is relatively easier or harder is based on the appropriate level. Like how we got messed with during the Corrupted Spirit purification quest, there’s a possibility that the appropriate level standard has changed. But from what I can see, the overall flow hasn’t changed. So I want to hear everyone’s thoughts. This doesn’t seem like something I should decide alone.”

The party members thought carefully. The more you have, the more choices you have—that’s the problem. Is it entitled to call this a problem?

Anyway, we continued walking slowly while deliberating.

“I vote for the safer route.”

“Safety: 1. Can I hear your reasoning, even briefly?”

“Unless the game kindly tells us all the rewards in advance, I think it’s risky to challenge for something uncertain when there are other options.”

“Okay.”

Keutjukyeora chose safety. I expected her to choose this. Feeling someone’s gaze, I turned to see Saeaeks raising her hand.

“Yuri.”

“I choose the harder path. I was inspired by what the party leader said to Subin unnie.”

“Rewards: 1. What do you mean?”

“You said giving Subin unnie more time was ultimately a decision for the whole party. I feel the same. I thought Mulchi joining us was a decision for the whole party, and if that’s the case, I think going the harder way and succeeding in the mission gives us a higher chance of getting an S-rank.”

Wow.

Is this the same Ayuri who shouted “Saeaeks!” when we first met? My heart feels grand and touched and all sorts of things…

Regardless of the final decision, I patted Saeaeks on the shoulder, feeling proud.

“What? Why? Did I do something wrong?”

“I, the party leader, am satisfied. You may descend the mountain.”

“What are you talking about, seriously.”

I looked at Yebeopnojeong. She unfolded her arms and spoke.

“I choose safety.”

“Safety: 2. That’s unexpected?”

“Unexpected? I’m just thinking rationally. No matter how quickly I try to raise my proficiency, I have no practical experience. I can’t push the party into ‘more’ danger when I’m not 100% confident in my abilities.”

If I choose rewards now, the decision will be for rewards.

I had originally planned to choose the more difficult path, believing in Yebeopnojeong’s rapid development, but the person in question chose the safer option.

I thought briefly.

‘Everything is uncertain until we face it anyway… alright.’

And I decided.

“I also choose safety. With a total of 3 to 1, we’ll take the safer path. Decision made.”

“So if it’s north, Puteus Lunar, and if it’s east, the foothills of the mountains.”

Looking at the party members’ expressions, there wasn’t much change. It seemed they would have followed either decision without complaint.

Just to be sure, I asked Saeaeks, the only one who chose the more difficult path.

“Yuri. Is there anything else you want to discuss?”

“No! Nothing! Whichever way we go, I just need to do my part well!”

She accepted it very cleanly. That’s two admirable responses in a row.

‘I don’t know whose youngest child she is, but she was raised well.’

Wiping under my nose, I returned to our original pace. Keutjukyeora led the front, Saeaeks guarded the rear, and Yebeopnojeong and I positioned ourselves diagonally in between.

This formation was optimal for Yebeopnojeong to practice magic as we traveled, and judging by the frequent sensations of heat and cold from behind me, she seemed to be working hard without a moment’s rest.

After about half a day, we finally discovered a feature that confirmed our location.

“So it was the east.”

“A mountain after the forest…”

“Ah. I hate mountains.”

It’s hard to gauge exactly how far away it is. Yet the majestic mountain range already visible in the distance, one large enough to cut across the continent near Albrant, could only be the “Ansila Mountains” east of Albrant.

“Guys. Wouldn’t the Ansila Mountains be better than Silva Eternal? It doesn’t seem to matter much yet, but this direction is also part of the main story.”

“If this had been the northern path, we would have had to choose Puteus Lunar, the ‘relatively’ easier option between Silva Eternal and Puteus Lunar. What was that saying you used in these situations, Seonghyeon?”

“Nanjuktek?”

“Right, that’s it. I think those mountains are much better than choosing death.”

The seasoned 27-year-old duo’s practical statement was met with protest from the fresh college student duo.

“I know, but the quests in the Ansila Mountains give me a headache. Just thinking about having to climb that mountain quite a bit…”

“Ah. I absolutely hate mountains. One of the reasons I desperately escaped my house was weekend hiking, shit. If you like it, go by yourself, but don’t prevent me from sleeping in on weekends and drag me to all sorts of mountains. It’s not just once or twice, it’s every week, so I can’t help but curse. Seeing mountains stresses me out suddenly. Fuck. Forced gym was bad enough, but forced hiking on weekends? Ugh.”

…I comforted and sympathized with Saeaeks, who seemed to be experiencing severe PTSD. The good news for her was that we wouldn’t be climbing the mountain right away.

“At this rate, it’ll take at least 5 days to reach it, right?”

“Sigh. What can we do? We’ve almost died before, so complaining about hiking now is an overreaction. Besides, it’s not like I’m being forced to go—it might not be bad going with the party leader and unnies?”

Saeaeks quickly shook off the bad memories, and we continued steadily forward, gazing at the Ansila Mountains that seemed to defy perspective.

Sometimes we shared stories from before we came here.

Sometimes we watched Yebeopnojeong demonstrate new magic.

Sometimes we served as test subjects for Keutjukyeora’s holy magic.

Sometimes we observed and evaluated Saeaeks’ training.

After 5 days, we finally reached the foothills of the Ansila Mountains.

This mountain. No, this mountain range.

It’s unbelievably massive.

It might be similar to or even larger than the Himalayas?

It’s overwhelming. Even someone who doesn’t particularly dislike mountains would be instantly discouraged by the scale of what we’re supposed to climb.

Not just me and Keutjukyeora, but even Saeaeks, who despised mountains, was hiding behind my back like a pheasant. As if that would make the mountain disappear…

“We’ve come all this way, but there’s no message or portal.”

“Don’t try to escape reality. There’s only one answer.”

No, stop! Hold that tongue!

But Yebeopnojeong’s mouth didn’t stop.

“Whether it’s a message, portal, or mission. We have to climb this mountain until something appears.”

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!

Saeaeks wailed.