episode_0028

“Ha… That sucks.”

My feelings were similar to Belita’s.

When I saw dog heads drooling with stupid faces in a dark mine, I couldn’t help but think of that.

Especially if those bastards are carrying weapons.

“Yu, Mr. Yoosung…”

Seris called me with a trembling voice. Yet, the shield and sword are held properly. It meant that I had grown more than before.

gulp.

Kara swallowed. She was uncharacteristically nervous.

“Guys, don’t be too nervous. There are seniors. Don’t worry too much…”

-Kung! Sprinkle water!!

The kobolds immediately sprayed water. More than ten kobolds sprayed water at once, and everyone, including us and our seniors, got soaked.

“What the fuck…”

I wondered what the hell I was doing, but then I realized that our torches had gone out. These bastards used their brains more than expected.

“This is not good…”

It was just as Patrick said. As soon as the torch went out, complete darkness came. It was because the kobolds weren’t holding torches either.

Whirling. I heard something flying. It was dark so I couldn’t see anything flying. I just heard the sound and moved my arm.

Pop!

Seris raised her shield and blocked the flying ax. If it had stayed there, it would have gotten stuck in her shoulder.

“Hi..?!”

“Calm down. Because it’s okay.”

I calmed down the surprised Cerys and blinked.

‘It’s about time I started to see it.’

I have always had strangely bright eyes at night. No matter how dark the place is, as long as there is a little light, you can see clearly.

In the past, I went to the hospital because of this, but the cause was unknown.

‘Perhaps this is the good feeling that the discriminator said.’

I blinked a few more times. Slowly, I began to see clearly ahead. I looked around.

“Kara, stay close to your sister. Mr. Yoosung? Where are you…”

Seris and Kara were close together. I left it alone because it seemed safer for now.

Next, I turned to my seniors. They were also like the Seris sisters. Because they couldn’t see in front of them, they were huddled together in one place.

The only difference between them and the Seris sisters is that they have each other’s backs and cover up their weaknesses.

‘I guess this is the difference in experience.’

This time I looked around at the kobolds. They just stared at us and didn’t move.

‘Can’t you see these bastards too?’

Why did they turn off the fire when they couldn’t even see it? I suddenly remembered a story I heard in the past.

The story goes that dogs have bright eyesight at night.

Right now, their eyes are probably less accustomed to the dark. But that too is coming soon. If they can see clearly ahead, they will rush at us.

It will be difficult for seniors to deal with it because they cannot see, and of course, that number is unreasonable for me alone.

‘I wonder if there is no way…’

I spotted a small fireball beyond the group of kobolds. It was a torch hanging on the wall.

’10 meters beyond those guys…’

If you go past the group of kobolds and run 10 meters, you can pull out the torch hanging on the wall. The problem is that we have to get through that group of kobolds.

How should I break through? As I looked around, the body of the guide caught my eye. Seris next to me.

‘…is it possible?’

I’m not sure. I have no choice but to trust Seris.

I approached Seris, dragging the guide’s body.

“Yu, Mr. Yoosung? This is… hehe?!”

“Seris Calm down. Calm down and listen to me. Got it?”

“Yes, yes… Well, what is it?”

“Throw this with all your might in the direction I’m pointing.”

“This? But buy this…”

“Seris.”

He placed his hand on her cheek. He spoke in a serious tone.

“Trust me.”

Seri’s eyes wavered, but then she nodded as if she had made up her mind. She accepted the guide’s body.

“Over there. When you say one, two, three, throw it over there as hard as you can.”

I moved Cerise’s arm to give her direction. She got into position to throw.

“One… Two…”

I’m ready to run too.

“Three!”

“Hey, what are you guys doing now…”

“Eight!”

It was before Belita finished speaking. Seris threw the body with all her might.

Whoa!

The guide’s body flew away, windmilling in the air.

-What?!

The kobolds that hit the body fell down like bowling pins. I’m glad it worked out as I thought. I kicked out of my seat.

“Hey! Where are you going?”

“I’ll bring a torch!”

I avoided the kobolds and jumped over those who fell. But then someone grabbed my leg. This is the guy who hit the body earlier and fell.

‘Have you come to your senses yet?’

I roughly stabbed the guy in the face with the dagger. The kobold let go of my leg. As I tried to move again, a heavy blunt object was aimed at my head.

“Ugh?!”

I barely avoided it by leaning to the side.

“Yuseong?!!”

“It’s okay! Don’t come!!”

He stopped Cerys, who was startled and tried to jump out, and threw herself on the floor. He rolled around and dodged the spear knife.

This was possible because the kobolds were still blind.

After getting away from them, I got up and ran towards the torch. He snatched the torch hanging from the wall and threw it hard.

The torch rotated and flew away.

Tup. The kobold jumped up and grabbed it. Danggang. The kobold’s head was cut off. Belita snatched the torch.

“ The chews are all behind.#◦ ◦

Belita stabbed and slashed the kobolds. When things don’t work out, I kick it. The kobolds collapsed helplessly in front of her inaction.

“Ugh! Wow!”

Other seniors behind us also started to move.

Each time Andrew’s sword moved, the kobold’s limbs fell off one by one.

Joey assisted Andrew, and Patrick stepped in and protected the group with a shield whenever they were in danger.

Although there was only one torch, the difference between having that one torch or not was enormous.

The kobolds began to lose out little by little to the veteran adventurers.

I ran towards Seris and Kara. He stabbed the back of the neck of the kobold that was approaching them, kicked the kobold next to him and knocked him down, then got on top of him and slashed his dagger.

[5 Karma has been obtained.]

[5 Karma has been obtained.]

“Seris, Kara, are you okay? Come to your senses. You just have to fight like before. Kara, never get excited. Slow down, okay?”

I was speaking in a hurry so I couldn’t make up my mind. Still, they seemed to understand what I was saying.

The kobolds begin to move actively.

This is the beginning of a dog fight.

* * *

“Haa… haa… There’s no one left behind, right?”

Belita took a deep breath and looked around. I approached each person with a torch to check if they were alive. After checking everything, I sat down on the floor.

“It’s so fucking hard…”

Thick kobold corpses were scattered around her as she sighed. No matter which direction I looked, right or left, there was no place I couldn’t see.

These are traces of a brutal dog fight.

“Seris, Kara, are you hurt anywhere?”

“Yes, we are okay… Yoosung?! My head is bleeding! are you okay?! Doesn’t it hurt?!”

Cerys stopped to wipe the blood with her sleeve. This is because what she is currently wearing is quilted armor. If I wiped it with that, the wound could have gotten worse.

“Oppa, are you okay..?”

Kara wiped it instead. Her sleeves were soaked with my blood.

“It’s okay. It’s just a little torn, so there’s no need to do this.”

He carefully pushed Kara’s arm away. Although I was grateful for her kindness, it was difficult to remove the blood when doing laundry.

“I was worried, but I’m glad you’re all safe.”

Patrick said as he approached us.

“Yes… Rather, Patrick, how did this happen? Didn’t the village chief clearly say that it wouldn’t be more than fifteen at most?”

“It’s either a lie or you really don’t know. I’ll have to look into the details once I get out of the mine.”

With those words, Patrick clapped his hands.

“Now, take a break and stand up slowly. There may be other kobolds. Take a break once you get out of the mine.”

We headed to the mine’s exit. We got a little lost because our guide was dead, but we got out safely without encountering any other kobolds.

After leaving the mine, we walked straight to the village chief’s house.

“Ah, is it already over… Huh?!”

The village chief’s eldest son was scared when he saw us. This is because they are all covered in kobold blood. In particular, Belita was the worst.

“Hey.”

“Yes, yes?”

“Call your dad and fuck him.”

Belita got nervous.

* * *

“What’s going on?”

The village chief, who came into the room, looked at our faces and his eyes widened.

“You won’t know it if you look at it?”

“Stop Belita.”

“Ha… fuck.”

Patrick stopped him. Belita seemed to be irritated and roughly wiped her head with a towel. Blood, darker than the color of her hair, was wiped away on a towel.

“I’m sorry, what happened inside?”

The village chief asked cautiously. Patrick said, placing his clasped hands on the table.

“Are you asking because you really don’t know?”

“…Yes?”

“You’re asking because you don’t know.”

Patrick didn’t act like his usual good-natured uncle.

A stern face, a low voice, and kobold blood all over the body.

It was enough for the village chief to feel the pressure.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about… If you could please explain…”

I looked closely at the village chief’s face. My eyes widened and my mouth opened slightly. It was a truly unfair expression.

“The guide appointed by the village chief has died.”

“…Yes?”

“Because I was hit by a kobold’s axe. The number of kobolds was greater than expected.”

I looked at each and every face in the room. Among them, my eyes lingered on a man who was the second son of the village chief.

He was glaring at Patrick with a disapproving look on his face.

He looked around at the other adventurers with that expression, and when he made eye contact with me, he clicked his tongue.

I whispered that fact to Belita just in case. Patrick couldn’t join in because he was in the middle of a conversation.

Belita turned her head and looked at the village chief’s second son. Then he got up and approached him.

“Hey.”

“What are you talking informally?”

“Look straight into my eyes.”

“Truly, this is why adventurers…”

“Look straight ahead.”

Belita grabbed the village chief’s son by the collar and forcibly lifted him up. I forced his face to turn and make eye contact.

“What, what?!”

“Nudge? You lied about the number of kobolds written on the request, right?”

“Hang? Don’t talk nonsense, why did I do that…”

“But why can’t you look me in the eyes? Is there something wrong?”

He kept lowering his eyes at Belita’s harsh eyes. Then, perhaps in anger, he pushed Belita’s chin and said.

“Yes, I did that. So what should I do?”

“Merrick… What do you mean?”

The village chief looked at his son with a surprised expression. It seems like the village chief really didn’t know. The village chief’s son spoke to his father in frustration.

“Father, isn’t it worth the money? How much money have you spent on those idiots? If it weren’t for that money, we wouldn’t be in such a tight spot and wouldn’t have to worry about taxes!”

“So that’s it? So you lied to the people who risk their lives to work?”

“We also risk our lives to work! How many miners died from leaking gas and falling rocks in the mine? I heard before that Zen also died. If we don’t pay taxes, our lives will be ruined! We are risking our lives too, so why do they get so much favors from us and we have to live like this?!”

“You bastard… no matter what…”

“Do you think I’m the only one who thinks this way? All my friends think so too. A lord who only collects taxes and ignores our requests! Those bastards who eat their fill while draining our blood!”

He grunted for a while. Then he spit out something he shouldn’t have said.

“You damn bastard… That’s the kind of thing they say about collecting taxes and asking the adventurer’s guild to do it. I got sick and lost my mind…”

Wow!

The village chief slapped his son hard on the cheek. My son’s jaw turned. He opened his eyes wide and looked at his father.

“This guy has finally gone crazy?! I decided to kill everyone in the village!!”

“Ah, father…”

“Noisy! I don’t want to see you, so get out!!”

The village chief’s son clenched his fists, glared at us once, and left the room. Belita followed him out.

“I’m sorry. It seems like the young people in the village are a little crooked. I apologize. I will pay you generously, so relax…”

The village chief held Patrick’s hand and bowed his head.

“We’re okay with it as long as you pay the right amount for the job.”

“Thank you… And what that guy said earlier…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear it.”

Patrick said, looking back at us. Sister Cerise, me, and even the other seniors nodded.

“Thank you… Thank you…”

The village chief repeatedly lowered his head.

I looked at that for a moment and then came out of the room. Outside the window, Belita was seen beating the second child.

She looked around, grabbed the second child by the hair, and dragged him into the alley. The second one noticed me and waved his hand as if to save me.

I looked back. The chief was still bowing his head to Patrick.

I quietly closed the door.

* * *

After that, we entered the mine to see if there were any remaining kobolds.

Fortunately, there were no other kobolds in sight, perhaps because they were all the kobolds that fought at that time.

We received compensation from the village chief and left the village. He gave me a large sum of 10 silver, which probably included hush money as well.

‘Because you insulted a nobleman…’

Insulting a noble is a truly dangerous thing. If a commoner did something like that, the entire family could be executed.

I remembered the image of the village chief bowing his head. I felt frustrated because I kept seeing it overlap with my mother who passed away.

“You must feel uncomfortable.”

On the way back, Patrick, who was sitting across from me in the carriage, looked at me and said, I smiled bitterly.

“I guess that’s what I saw. Does this happen often?”

“Often… I don’t say it that way, but it happens often. Because everyone wastes their money. You better get used to it.”

I leaned back against the backrest.

‘You have to get used to it…’

It was as he said.

I had to become stronger to complete the main quest, and I chose to be an adventurer based on that.

“If you keep thinking about bad things, you will get buried in them. Now forget about that and think about the money you will receive.”

Patrick grinned and clinked his money bag.

-lol…

Cerise was looking at her money bag and fidgeting.

I stopped laughing.