episode_0007

“What’s on your mind?”

Cheolsoo stepped forward, observing Yujin’s demeanor.

Yujin wasn’t just a guy with brute strength.

Instead, he preferred to outsmart his opponents with tactics.

He had the brains for it.

“He wouldn’t have suggested teaming up without any ulterior motives.”

It was Yujin who first proposed forming a team.

There must be a plan behind it.

Cheolsoo’s acceptance stemmed from his competitive spirit.

He couldn’t just run away from the challenge.

Of course, he had prepared himself in his own way.

Taking the lead was an extension of that.

The guy was up to something.

Cheolsoo remained vigilant.

“There are no signs of anything.”

The guy didn’t make any moves.

Just followed along behind.

Even appeared as an innocent team member.

“It’s certain there’s a plan.”

This time, Yujin scrutinized Younghee, his childhood friend.

She seemed slightly uneasy.

It was clear she had struck some deal with him.

Their relationship had turned awkward afterward.

“My pride might take a hit, but if I fight alongside Younghee here, can we beat that guy?”

In an empty forest.

The opponent was armed with just a handgun.

It was too easy a situation to handle.

If they charged, they could bury him, quite literally.

“…Ha! He couldn’t have overlooked that.”

Yujin was the one who proposed the team and chose the gun.

Could such a guy have not anticipated their attack?

A trap so tempting.

At this point, falling into it would be foolish.

“Sorry, but things won’t go as you expect this time.”

Perhaps he wanted them to charge.

His relaxed attitude was clearly a provocation.

As if urging them to seize this opportunity quickly.

But Cheolsoo wasn’t going to fall for the same trick twice.

He boldly gave up on the guy.

Now was the time to focus solely on getting a good score in the task.

That’s when it happened.

“…Let’s take a break.”

Yujin suddenly spoke up.

Cheolsoo looked at him quizzically.

“Take a break here? Out of nowhere?”

He couldn’t fathom what Yujin was thinking.

But he wasn’t someone to suggest things without reason.

“What do you mean?”

“Just a short break.”

Cheolsoo furrowed his brow, sharpening his senses.

What was he thinking?

But Cheolsoo’s ponderings didn’t last long.

-Clang! Clang!

His sharp senses caught the monster.

Cheolsoo instinctively drew his sword.

“Cheolsoo!”

“Yeah, I’m nearby.”

He glanced at Yujin anew.

Who was now leisurely pulling out his gun.

Seemingly just for fun.

“He sensed this while walking?”

Cheolsoo wasn’t bad at sensing things.

In fact, he excelled at it.

Detection was usually a thief or magician’s domain.

So, Cheolsoo being this good was impressive.

But Yujin surpassed that by far.

“Stealth won’t work…”

Feeling the gap once more,

Cheolsoo gripped his sword and adjusted his stance.

Now wasn’t the time to focus on that.

“I’ll take the front.”

“Oh, okay.”

Despite his detection ability, Yujin seemed reluctant to fight.

Merely pointing the gun from behind.

He hadn’t expected much to begin with.

“I’ll buff you!”

Younghee’s buff enveloped them.

A buff that dramatically boosted all physical abilities and senses.

Such a potent buff was rare even among high-level players.

“A bit excessive for goblins.”

The familiar sensation coursing through his body.

The feeling of power surging within him after countless battles.

“Ha!”

“Kirk, Kirk?”

Cheolsoo leaped forward, swiftly striking down the goblin.

Gunshots rang out next.

But most bullets missed their mark.

It’s rather obstructive to Chulsoo’s movements.

“…….That dog-like bastard.”

Looking back, Yujin was arrogantly aiming a gun.

Not sure if the target was the goblin or himself.

“Well, I expected this level of interference!”

Even though still young, an awakened individual.

Chulsoo’s skill is at least that of a C-rank hero.

As long as it’s not blatantly aimed at him, a gun shouldn’t be a problem.

“Kyaek! Kyaek!”

Chulsoo swiftly rushed forward, stepping with precision.

As if targeted by the goblin, he thrust his sword down.

However, faster than that, he raised the sword up.

One lost balance, and another with an axe followed suit.

Chulsoo swung his sword mightily.

Swish!

Heavenly Void Sword.

Cloud Dispersal.

He swiftly cut down both goblins at once.

It was an unbelievably skilled performance that resulted in injuries.

【You have defeated the low-level monster Normal Goblin.】

【Monster elimination record will be recorded on your student ID.】

【Current points: 90】

It seems points are only measured for the one who kills.

Even though Yeonghee provided buffs,

Yujin, who shot from afar, probably has 0 points.

Of course, when combined as a team, it doesn’t matter.

“But his marksmanship is quite decent, that guy.”

All bullets grazed his limbs narrowly.

To an observer, it would seem like mere mistakes.

Even if he had been hit, he could have easily justified it.

Truly a flawless act.

“I tried to help but ended up hitting by mistake.”

Perhaps he chose the gun for that purpose from the start.

There are no heroes who practice shooting.

Even if lacking in skill, no one can say anything.

Even if he comes from a mafia family.

“He’s still a stubborn kid.”

Honestly, it’s a blatant setup.

Initially, Chulsoo was more wary of Yujin than the goblins in front of him.

Fortunately, he wasn’t caught off guard at that level.

But there’s still a long way to go.

Complacency is forbidden.

“Then let’s rest for a moment and move on-”

Just as he said that.

Suddenly, a dizzying impact was felt from the side.

By the time he regained consciousness, he was flying through the air.

“…Huh?”

For a moment, he thought Yujin had attacked him.

But no.

Yujin was standing next to Yeonghee.

Even if angry, he couldn’t swing a fist at this distance.

“What…?”

A sensation of being struck by a heavy hammer.

He flew several meters and crashed onto the ground.

-Kwahng!

“Cough!”

Blood gushed out of his mouth.

Seems like he suffered internal injuries.

The injured arm reacted slowly due to the damage.

“Chulsoo!”

Yeonghee’s healing magic was felt.

Despite the excruciating pain, Chulsoo desperately opened his eyes.

To identify the attacker.

“Ogre?”

A high-level monster that requires several B-rank hunters to deal with.

The creature was looking down at him.

Upon confirming its identity, Chulsoo quickly assessed the situation.

He immediately spoke firmly towards Yeonghee.

“Leave me and run.”

“W-What are you talking about right now!”

Yeonghee retorted as if denying the absurdity.

But Chulsoo had no room for such forced reasoning.

Everyone will die if they stay like this.

Yet Yeonghee wouldn’t leave him behind.

Knowing that, even though it hurt his pride,

Chulsoo had only one option.

“Kim Yujin! Take Yeonghee and run away now! Please!”

Chulsoo shouted towards Kim Yujin.

“You don’t want Yeonghee to die either! If I disappear like this, it’s all over! You’re the one who can win this!”

Kim Yujin looked down at him with cold eyes.

At that moment, Chulsoo knew he could only rely on him.

*****

“Ah, I feel really sorry.”

Yujin’s shoulders slumped.

His original plan was to assist Chulsoo.

More precisely, to fight in place of the injured him.

But the situation turned out differently.

Shooting the gun was harder than expected.

Almost shot the moving Cheolsu.

‘What is this, it’s not helpful at all. It doesn’t do anything. I don’t know anything.’

At this rate, isn’t it getting too bad?

If I had known, I should have practiced shooting.

It seemed like the guys at home were shooting.

Would they teach me if I asked later?

These thoughts crossed my mind.

Suddenly, a loud noise rang out, and Cheolsu’s body flew.

‘Eek?!’

I was so shocked that I thought my heart had dropped.

But my body remained steadfastly calm.

Sometimes my body and mind seemed to be on different pages.

It seems like that was just his personality.

‘W-what is that?’

The monster in front of me was huge. Really huge.

To exaggerate a bit, it looked like a small truck standing there.

It was a real monster, unlike the goblins from earlier.

‘Wow, damn. This is insane.’

At this point, it didn’t feel scary but rather surreal.

No, this is too much.

Even in a world without student rights, isn’t this going too far?

Are they trying to kill someone during class?

Once I survive, I’ll report everything to the Ministry of Education!

“Run away!”

That’s when Cheolsu shouted.

Cheolsu, lying there, looked at me desperately.

“Kim Yujin! Take Yeonghee and run away right now! Please!”

Wow, he’s so cool.

I almost cried.

Thinking of a friend first in this situation.

Cheolsu, you brat! You’re really a cool guy!

“Phew.”

With trembling hands, I dropped the gun to the ground.

This probably won’t work on him.

I could instinctively feel that.

‘Honestly, I don’t want to fight.’

Yujin was a normal high school student until recently.

Just a regular student who liked taking mock exams.

It was unreasonable to risk her life for herself.

But she couldn’t just run away like this.

She couldn’t abandon the first friend she ever made.

‘Let’s hold on for 5 minutes, no, 1 minute.’

Then Yeonghee will somehow heal Cheolsu.

After that… honestly, I don’t know.

‘It’s a second life anyway. Going like this isn’t so bad.’

Clutching her fists and legs tightly, Yujin charged forward.

Fortunately, the target was wide.

She didn’t even think about dodging.

Just swinging her fist as it is.

-SMASH!!

A heavy sound echoed through the forest.

An unbelievable noise reverberated from the punch.

And the ogre, breaking trees as it fell.

“Ugh, ugh……”

As if the creaking sound was echoing through the forest, the giant collapsed.

Cheolsu and Yeonghee stared blankly at the scene.

“……Oh.”

Yujin also looked at the scene with a dumbfounded expression.

……..Our Cheolsu took that hit.