Ch.49Ansila Mountain Range+

# 49. Ansila Mountains+

“Phew…”

“Good work, everyone.”

The battle with the orcs was short but intense. I didn’t time it, but it probably lasted less than three minutes.

Like fighters exhausted after a single round, everyone except me was completely worn out. I took out a water bottle from my inventory and handed it to them, then helped wipe their sweat with towels.

I approached Yebeobnojeong, who had just experienced her first real combat, and asked.

“How was it?”

“I think I need to cast spells faster.”

“…No feelings of resistance? Or nervousness?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say I had none of that, but with clear tasks to focus on, those feelings either got pushed aside or disappeared. Besides, with three people protecting me, it would be ridiculous if I messed up because of nerves.”

Impressive.

I asked Keutjugyeora and Saeax the same question.

“Taking the charge head-on might have been dangerous, but other than that, it was manageable. I didn’t get hurt either.”

“Right. I think we were a bit overwhelmed by the momentum when those big guys rushed down at us. Oh, but they were pretty strong.”

Our two frontliners were reliable. We had been raising our rest skill levels whenever possible, so we recovered quickly. After roughly cleaning up the battlefield, we continued our mountain trek.

“Yuri, 1!”

“Damn it, stop coming at us, you bastards!!!”

“Seyeon, 10!”

“Yuri! 3!”

“Complete.”

“Seyeon, Yuri 6! Subin 2, 1, fire!”

BOOM-!

Before the excitement from our first battle had even subsided, we encountered more monsters. This time, goblins.

If we were expecting the forest goblins that Saeax had torn apart in the Kairend Plains, we were sorely mistaken. Goblins have different tiers too.

“Those bastards are running away!”

“Let them go!”

The goblins were weaker than the orcs, but the battle was messier and more exhausting. These creatures knew they were weak and acted cunningly. If I hadn’t been there as a guard, Yebeobnojeong would have been fully exposed to their poison dart attacks.

Most of them were burned by Yebeobnojeong’s fireballs or split by Saeax’s axe, but we couldn’t wipe them all out. Just like in the game, the retreating goblins disappeared back into the mountains.

“They’ll just come back with reinforcements later!”

“We can’t help it. We can’t chase them into a trap when we’re exhausted.”

“Shit!”

This was their home ground. The mountain terrain was already rough, and chasing after them without rest after battle?

It was frustrating, but we had no choice.

“Let’s just think of them all as experience points.”

“Sigh… I know we can’t help it, but this place is really annoying. In the game, I feel like we just swept through everything.”

“In terms of killing monsters, we are sweeping through. It’s just that our mobility and combat endurance are on a completely different level.”

There was no comparison between our current state—where our stats were just much better than normal human bodies—and the game where there were no movement restrictions.

In the game, we had teleportation, a very convenient means of transportation to any city we’d visited before. There were also several mounts much faster than running. If we keep comparing to that, we’ll just make ourselves miserable.

‘Maybe someday that will be implemented here too.’

After that, we repeated the cycle of recovery-advance-battle. Monsters kept appearing so frequently that everyone leveled up even though we hadn’t even started the mission yet. No wonder this place was called a demon realm in the lore.

“How far does this ‘entrance’ area extend?”

“With all these monster fights, we probably haven’t advanced that far.”

If I had to point out one more good thing, it was that skills were mastered much faster than when training alone.

We all achieved the feat of raising our skill levels by one each—skills that had stubbornly refused to increase since level 3—but night fell quickly in the mountains.

Before it became pitch black, we hurriedly searched for a suitable campsite. Fortunately, befitting the majestic mountain range, we found a spacious cave.

“All clear. It’s safe.”

“Good work.”

Yebeobnojeong, who had gone with Keutjugyeora to check the inside of the cave, reported back. Though she looked quite disheveled, her attitude remained the same as when we started.

She was relatively better off as a ranged support class. The appearance of Keutjugyeora and Saeax, who had to directly clash with numerous mobs at close range, was… truly brutal.

For the sake of their hard work and feelings, it’s better not to describe their current appearance in detail.

I decided to give them some privacy for a while.

Heh. You won’t find another raid leader like me anywhere.

“Huh? Leader? Where are you going?”

“I’ll go out and check the surroundings.”

“What is there to check…”

“Take care, Leader.”

I left the cave, receiving a farewell from Keutjugyeora, who seemed to have quickly caught on to my intentions.

**

“Huh? It’s not like seeing us dirty is anything new, why go that far?”

“Still, it doesn’t feel bad to receive such consideration.”

“Pfft. That’s true. Come to think of it, if he didn’t see us as women at all, would he even care about such things?”

“Just wait a little longer. Once we level up a bit more, even if a shower is too much, I think I’ll be able to fill a makeshift bath.”

“Wow!”

A shower was out of the question. If Yebeobnojeong could produce a lot of hot water, that would be different, but she wasn’t at that level yet. Mana wasn’t something ancestors could fill for you.

They roughly wiped their bodies with damp cloths and then carefully wiped again with fragrant cloths purchased in Albrant.

“Wow, why do you both have such great bodies?”

“Ah, that tickles. That’s deception, Yuri.”

“I worked out intensely, that’s why!”

“I also took care of myself quite diligently. Looking at your muscles, I was definitely not at your level.”

“Nooo, from a woman’s perspective, your bodies are much better!”

“No, they’re not.”

“Thanks for the compliment, but going beyond modesty is just lying.”

They washed their clothes simply and hung them near the campfire, then changed into fresh clothes.

“I don’t feel completely clean, but it’s much better now.”

“This level is comfortable enough.”

“Have we adapted?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Crackle, crackle—the sound of the campfire was always pleasant.

That sound was proof that this place was safe now, proof that we had finished our tasks and were resting, and proof that we would soon be able to sleep. If you ignored the circumstances, it almost felt like camping with friends.

Above all, it was proof that we had survived another day.

“Could I ever have imagined living a life like this?”

The other two shook their heads at Saeax’s words.

“It’s tough and we’ve had near-death experiences, but I feel like this is what it means to truly live. There’s also the fun of feeling yourself grow stronger!”

“Definitely. Life back there was nothing but a hamster wheel. Maybe materially abundant, but still.”

“That’s right. How should I put it… I think I’ve learned to find happiness in small things. A cup of warm water. A word from someone you trust. Even without the smartphones or computers we always carried, I prefer now. Though I do miss them sometimes.”

Crackle—crackle—

“It’s because we don’t have to worry about anything other than the main goals of ‘survival’ and ‘growth.’ That’s what I think.”

“Oh, as expected from Yebeob-wiki! That’s exactly what I wanted to say!”

“To add to that, we’ve escaped from appearances, social cues, grades including all those dizzying specs, complicated and annoying human relationships… countless pressures. And because we trust the people we’re with, situations that might threaten our lives become thrilling and turn into memories.”

“‘Because there’s trust, it becomes thrilling and turns into memories,’ huh.”

“Aww~ Seyeon unni~”

When Keutjugyeora became embarrassed after speaking, Saeax poked her teasingly, and Keutjugyeora smacked Saeax’s back. Saeax writhed silently.

“Sunghyun should never buy lottery tickets in his life.”

“Huh? Why the sudden mention of lottery tickets?”

“Think about it. No matter how close we were as raid members, he essentially kidnapped three people in a row, and what are the chances that all three would be ‘normal’ people who not only don’t resent him but cooperate so well?”

“Pfft. That’s why I keep telling the raid leader to treat us well whenever I get the chance! Always making him cook! Sleeping together in the tent! Even though we should be used to the last one by now, he still grumbles every day!”

Keutjugyeora and Yebeobnojeong chuckled and shook their heads.

“But you know what else?”

“What?”

“With such intense days like this, thinking we could die anytime… don’t you feel like it would be too unfair to die without ever having experienced it?”

“Yuri. That’s…”

Though she didn’t say the key word, Keutjugyeora understood what she meant and made a troubled expression. Yebeobnojeong gave a small nod as if encouraging her to continue. Emboldened, Saeax went on.

“The raid leader is worried about discord within the team due to favoritism, but he never said he disliked us. He’s got his own secretly perverted side, you know.”

“Yuri.”

“Subin unni. We’re alone here, so be honest. You said you know all three people still on Earth, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then let me ask this first. Of those three, how many are women?”

Yebeobnojeong answered without hesitation.

“All three.”

“…What?”

“All three. Mulchi, Dwitmun, Muldabal. They’re all women. Different ages and occupations, though.”

Saeax and Keutjugyeora beside her squeezed their eyes shut.

“In that case, before it’s too late, we should make it a fait accompli…!”

“Yuri! Yuri!!”