episode_0120

Inside the Forgotten City of Ingraved.

“…”

Silence lingered in the small shelter.

All eyes were focused on Jeong Yu-sin and Mick.

At that moment.

The cat beastkin Lumi fluttered her hand.

“Barbaroi, calm down.”

“What? I’m calm enough, though?”

“Take your hand off the sword.”

Jeong Yu-sin looked down at his hand. Before he knew it, he was gripping the sword hilt.

‘Tsk.’

It was enough to make my ears rot.

Mick kept looking at Jeong Yu-sin with his mouth shut.

He didn’t seem to be afraid of him. He had an air of “come at me if you dare,” mixed with fatigue.

“Mick got the Profanity Imprint. It’s an imprint that spews out vulgar words when he opens his mouth. Regardless of his will.”

Jeong Yu-sin frowned.

“Why not erase it?”

“Whether to erase it or leave it is an individual’s choice.”

The wolf beastkin Heather Volkman intervened.

“And Mick is with our party to earn money to erase the imprint. Don’t talk to him more than that.”

“Understood.”

The wolf beastkin’s words were correct.

Whether or not to erase the imprint was an individual matter, but in his unpleasant state of mind, he had crossed the line.

Jeong Yu-sin slightly bowed his head to Mick in apology.

“I’m sorry.”

Mick only nodded and looked back at the bonfire.

“So! What is Mas’s request this time?”

“That is…”

Mas hesitated, glancing at the Iron Mask.

The Iron Mask, reading Mas’s mind, opened his mouth.

“It’s a request to bury holy objects in a specific place.”

“Ah, that? It’s a very annoying request.”

“Have you ever done it?”

“No. We don’t do things like that. It’s not profitable, and we’re not interested. The distance we have to walk is considerable. There’s no reason to buy suffering, right?”

The cat beastkin said definitively.

“I see.”

She was someone who only looked at her own interests. Well, what explorer wasn’t?

“What request did you receive?”

Jeong Yu-sin asked directly.

“Monster hunt.”

The cat beastkin Lumi answered readily.

He thought about asking more but stopped. The holy object request alone was overwhelming enough. He didn’t want to complicate his mind by prying into other people’s requests.

“Ah! I heard that high-level monsters are appearing on the 7th floor these days. Be careful.”

The cat beastkin Lumi said in an unconcerned tone.

‘This is bullshit.’

I definitely need to ask about this.

“What kind of monster?”

“Forest Troll.”

Jeong Yu-sin’s head tilted to the side.

Forest Trolls are monsters that appear from the 10th floor of the forest area.

As with all trolls, their exceptionally high regeneration ability is a given.

A distinguishing feature is the poisonous mushrooms on the troll’s back.

Because poisonous mushroom spores fly off every time they move and enter through the respiratory system, you need to be careful when facing this guy in close combat.

In addition, they have overwhelming strength to wield a huge tree trunk.

No matter how heavily armored a warrior is, getting hit by a full swing of a tree trunk will send them straight to the afterlife.

Bones and flesh are so well-minced that recovery is impossible.

The packaging is perfect, so it’s literally perfect direct delivery to the underworld.

Since the size difference is significant from the start, the options available to the vanguard were not many.

Perhaps the only downside is their slow speed?

The knowledge gained from the book was all there was.

Suddenly, a sense of injustice surged up.

“Why the hell?!”

The cat beastkin shrugged.

“I don’t know. The forest area is vast. You don’t have to worry too much. A foul odor comes from far away. If you smell it, run away immediately.”

Tap, tap!

Suddenly, the warrior named Mick tapped his armor twice.

People’s attention was focused.

Mick sent a hand signal.

‘The weakness is fire containing divine power.’

“Of the Forest Troll?”

Mick nodded and opened his mouth.

“Vagina sex.”

Jeong Yu-sin nodded.

“Thanks, sex.”

“…”

The people sitting together in the shelter stared at Jeong Yu-sin with absurd eyes.

“Ahem! Let’s end the story here and go to sleep. We’ll take the night watch.”

The wolf beastkin Heather Volkman said.

Immediately, the Iron Mask stepped forward.

“I’ll stand watch together.”

“Do it if you want to.”

The parties gathered separately and drew lots.

Kubo had alarm magic, but I wanted to save as much mana as possible since tomorrow would be a forced march.

After a while, the drawing of lots was over.

Jeong Yu-sin’s turn was the last watch.

And that too, with Mick.

The two party members split apart, separated by the fire, and lay down.

Jeong Yu-sin didn’t take off his armor, even though it was cumbersome.

Even if he met party members with good personalities, he couldn’t completely let his guard down.

Mick also had a reason for not taking off his armor.

Jeong Yu-sin lay down and closed his eyes.

Darkness came immediately.

How much time had passed?

Someone tapped his armor.

When he opened his eyes, the guide Mas was standing there.

“Scar, it’s your turn.”

“Were there any problems?”

Jeong Yu-sin’s voice was a little hoarse.

“I heard someone going back and forth outside several times. But they disappeared immediately.”

‘Is this place a popular hot spot?’

He watched Mas return and lie down, then picked up his longsword and sat down close to the bonfire.

He faced the doorway and leaned his back against the wall next to the bonfire.

Mick was sitting a little away.

“…”

A quiet silence flowed between the two men.

Tap!

Mick tapped his armor once lightly with his hand.

Jeong Yu-sin turned his gaze and looked at Mick.

“What is it?”

‘I’m sorry.’

He was a little flustered by the sudden apology.

He soon realized what he was apologizing for.

Was he bothered by the vulgar words he had spoken a few hours ago?

“Don’t worry about it.”

‘Take this.’

Mick handed over a small medicine bottle from his chest and sent a hand signal.

“What is this?”

‘Pain relief cream.’

“Did something like this exist? Why this? Ah!”

Jeong Yu-sin immediately realized.

The laws of the forest floor.

In the forest floor, madness comes through pain. If a person is continuously exposed to pain on that floor, they go crazy.

As a vanguard, you have to stand at the forefront. That means it’s the role most likely to get hurt in battle.

The time exposed to madness was that much longer.

Is this how the vanguards lower the pain?

He felt the gap in information.

‘Indeed.’

He felt the need to interact with other explorers.

Jeong Yu-sin fiddled with the glass bottle and put it in his chest.

“Thanks, sex.”

Mick didn’t answer, only nodded slightly and smiled.

The two men sat quietly and waited until the bonfire died down.

* * *

After a few hours, he woke up the party members. After a simple meal, they packed their things.

“Then see you later.”

The wolf beastkin leader said in front of the shelter entrance.

The Iron Mask nodded.

“Okay. Take care.”

Jeong Yu-sin and the party members watched the departing wolf beastkin party.

The wolf beastkin party said they were going to the “Corridor” area.

He didn’t know what kind of “hunt” they were going to do, but he wished them well.

The party came out of the alley and headed to the central street.

After walking for a few more hours, they finally arrived at the transfer stone at the edge of the city.

Jeong Yu-sin stood in front of the transfer stone first.

“Are you ready?”

“No problem.”

“Let’s go.”

Jeong Yu-sin looked around at the party members once and then put his palm on the transfer stone.

Whoosh.

A blue portal and a red portal were created.

Jeong Yu-sin stepped forward and entered the portal.

The vision turned red, and he felt a sense of floating.

And he fell into a forest full of green leaves.

Thud!

As soon as he landed, he assumed a stance and looked around.

Waiting for a moment while looking around at the ominous green leaves, the party members came out of the red portal one by one.

As soon as Mas came out, he drew his bow and listened to the surrounding sounds.

“There are no monsters wandering around.”

“Do you know the current transfer area?”

“Just a moment.”

Mas lowered his bow and took out a map from his chest and looked at it for a while.

“…This is the central area. We landed close to the transfer stone.”

“I see. Let’s maintain the formation and go to the transfer stone.”

As before, Mas led the way.

Mas, who had been going on for a while, stopped abruptly.

“Stop.”

Mas raised his hand and stopped the party in place.

“What is it?”

The Iron Mask asked from behind.

“I think there’s a monster. It’s walking towards us slowly.”

Jeong Yu-sin raised his shield and came forward.

Rustle.

Immediately, a monster jumped out of the bushes.

No.

It’s a human.

To be precise, it looked like an explorer.

Light armor wearing thin leather armor. He has no weapons.

He didn’t seem normal. It was because he was covered in mushroom-like fungi all over his body.

Green sap was flowing from his body, which was pierced everywhere, and maggots and spiders were wriggling in and out.

‘Shit.’

The end of the loser in the labyrinth.

It was even more terrible because he was walking in front of his eyes.

“Hey, are you alive?”

Jeong Yu-sin asked a meaningless question. He spoke just in case.

“Groan.”

The explorer ignored Jeong Yu-sin’s words and waved his hand, slowly rushing at him.

Jeong Yu-sin took the lead and blocked with his shield.

Bang!!!

It was a slow gesture, but it was a powerful force. The Heat Shield instantly dented, and wood fragments flew.

‘Damn. What kind of power…?!’

Jeong Yu-sin gritted his teeth.

Is it the power of the imprint?

What kind of imprint did he get?

At that time.

Whoosh!!!

The arrow fired by Mas flew and was embedded in the explorer’s forehead.

Thwack!!!

The explorer’s head was thrown back. He didn’t fall.

The Iron Mask ran up and swung his greatsword.

Whoosh!!!

Just before the greatsword was about to split the explorer, Jeong Yu-sin stepped back and created space for the Iron Mask to swing his sword more easily.

As if switching, Jeong Yu-sin stepped back, and the Iron Mask came forward.

The greatsword emitted a fierce light, cutting through the air.

Clang!!!

The explorer was split in half.

Body fluids, baby spiders, and maggots splattered on the Iron Mask’s body from the explorer’s body, but he didn’t seem to care.

Jeong Yu-sin clicked his tongue inwardly.

‘This man also has a lot of strength.’

Where on earth does this power come from?

‘Only I am weak.’

Still, it’s reassuring.

It wasn’t a bad start to wrap up one monster with a flowing combo.

“Be careful. It’s not a monster. It’s an explorer. He must have come with a party, it’s strange that there’s only one person.”

‘Iron Mask is right.’

The party surrounded Kubo and took a stance. Mas drew his bow and listened to the surrounding sounds.

After a while.

Mas tilted his head.

“There’s no one else?”

That’s strange.

Did the party members get separated from each other?

Now that I see this explorer.

‘The equipment is also poor.’

Jeong Yu-sin approached and examined the corpse in detail.

Because he had briefly seen the iron tag hanging around his neck while fighting just now.

‘I found it.’

Swish.

He parted the mass of flesh where maggots and baby spiders were wriggling and grabbed the iron tag.

Mike.

The name written on the iron tag, which was covered in green fluid.

He picked a few leaves from the nearby bushes and wiped the iron tag, then put it in his chest.

“Was it an iron tag? He was a porter.”

The Iron Mask, who was standing next to him, said.

“Did they abandon him?”

“I don’t know why, but it looks like it. If it’s an iron tag, he must be a beginner or a lower explorer.”

“…”

While the Iron Mask and Jeong Yu-sin were chatting in front of the corpse, the other party members approached.

“It’s really terrible. Are we going to end up like this if we die?”

Kubo said, trembling slightly.

In particular, the attention was focused on the baby spiders coming out of the explorer’s corpse.

“If you pay attention and prepare, you will survive.”

The Iron Mask replied simply and led the party members.

The party members, who had witnessed the terrible tragedy, closed their mouths and walked silently.

Four hours of carefully advancing through the dark forest.

They found the same ruins as last time.

Collapsed stone walls and a lone watchtower.

“Just come out if you sense something strange.”

The Iron Mask firmly warned the rat beastkin Mas.

“And don’t get possessed by looking at the writings written on strange leather panels like last time.”

Kubo added a word.

Mas frowned.

“I understand, so stop it. I know it well too.”

“Mas, go comfortably. Don’t worry even if you get possessed.”

Jeong Yu-sin raised his fist and continued.

“Possession release by fist. You know?”

“Ah, don’t do it! I understand!”

Mas widened his eyes and trembled.

The party members sent Mas and waited for a while.

How much time had passed?

Rustle.

Mas stuck his face out of the bushes.

“It’s safe. There are no monsters. But…”

“But?”

Kubo asked.

Mas hesitated and opened his mouth.

“There’s a wooden box inside the watchtower.”

Wooden box?

Question marks floated above the party members’ heads.