I suppose all there is to do now is wait and hope for a miracle.
Storm(X!sa!
...
'Elves,'
Or more specifically,
'Ice Elves.'
Also known as the Hyakki or Ice Slayers.
Those who never met them in person refer to them as ice elves. However, those who have faced them directly in battle call them Hyakki. Their reasoning is that a pretty name like "elf" is not fitting for these creatures. I could understand why the Hunter sunbaes called them Ice Slayers. And I was excited to have them in my army while they were looking at us gritting their teeth.
'...They're laughing at us.'
The two elves had lowered their bows and were laughing disgustingly at the Hunters. It was as if they were deciding which food to eat first at a buffet.
'And this was your decision?'
My eyes became sharp. An arrow to the right of the party. An arrow to the left of the party. Their targets were not random. The Hunter killed by the arrow was a newly Awakened C-ranker in his 30s. Other than Han Songyi, he was the weakest of the group. And the other arrow was aimed at...
'Han Songyi.'
The elves had targeted the two weakest members of their party.
'If it wasn't for the System, I would've been the other target. And if they sense magic presence, then why aren't they running?'
As I'm sure, for any A-rank, my presence scorches the mana around me.
Then why aren't they running? Does it mean the system even has control over this?
The Ice Slayers' calculating ways annoyed me. Making sure they could see me, I held out the arrow and crushed it in my hand.
Crack!
Accepting the challenge, one of the Ice Slayers slid a finger across his throat. Even between humans and magic beasts, it was a universal gesture.
My mouth formed a smile. My eyes were not smiling.
'...You. I will kill you myself.'
At a mere magic beast's taunt, my eyes filled with cold fury. The Ice Slayers quickly disappeared behind the tree.
"I don't think they're here to be friends."
Kim Cheol finally opened his mouth. As he was the sole A-ranker of the party, everyone turned their eyes to him. He was technically the leader of this Raid, after all.
"I'm sure some of you noticed. This is a Red Gate."
Kim Cheol spoke in a condescending manner, but nobody dared to complain.
"That means that until we are all dead or a Dungeon Break occurs, no one will be coming for us."
Many of the Hunters groaned in defeat. Some of the ignorant ones had hoped for a rescue, and the fact that no such help would be coming crushed their spirits. Kim Cheol continued,
"If we stay here, we'll either freeze to death or be ambushed by those bastards. I will go and clear this Dungeon to leave. Who's with me?"
With wide shoulders and a powerful look in his eyes, Kim Cheol looked rather dependable. After a brief pause, the Hunters approached the man in unison.
"I'll go."
"Me too, please."
"Let's leave here alive."
"I'll help as well!"
However, Kim Cheol shoved a man who had approached him.
"Ow!"
He had held back, but it was the power of an A-ranker. The man walked backwards while clutching his chest in pain.
"Not you."
"Huh?"
"And you, you, you, and you."
In addition to the man, Kim Cheol pointed to several others, including me and Han Songyi. My eyes twitched; I didn't know why, but I felt like he wanted to die. The musclehead had pointed to a total of five people. They were the C-rank and below Hunters.
"Unfortunately, we cannot take you with us."
"What?"
"What do you know about Red Gates?"
The man shook his head.
"A day here is an hour outside. In the worst-case scenario, it'll take months before we take down the boss or a Dungeon Break occurs. With that in mind, we can't babysit you all."
"What do you mean by babysit us?!"
The excluded Hunters tried to protest but were silenced when Kim Cheol gave them a fierce look with his eyes. With false kindness, Kim Cheol continued,
"Don't feel bad. All you have to do is survive until we take down the boss."
"Still..."
The excluded Hunters looked towards the other Hunters in Kim Cheol's group pleadingly, but not one of them stepped forward. They all looked away, except one.
"Excuse me."
A female B-ranker in Kim Cheol's team raised her hand.
'...?'
When Kim Cheol turned around, the woman gestured to me.
"We can go from here to there, right?"
"...If you want."
Without hesitation, the woman walked over to my side. Kim Cheol looked back and forth between the woman and me. The A-ranker snorted and then spoke with a loud voice,
"Well, looks like we have a spot open. We'll take one more from your end."
"M-me!"
The man who was shoved earlier quickly ran over to Kim Cheol's side. That's how it should be, I thought.
'This woman's the weird one.'
I stared at the woman at my side with a suspicious gaze. Meeting my eyes, the woman quietly spoke so no one else could hear,
"That man, Kim Cheol, didn't see the arrow coming."
Just because you were a high-ranker didn't mean that all your stats were evenly distributed. Kim Cheol's agility stat might have been low. Knowing the power of the different stats, I didn't give it much thought.
"So?"
"You are the only one with such a chill attitude in this chilly, deadly place, as if you don't care. The ice elves are only looking at you while completely ignoring us, as if we don't exist."
The woman smiled widely,
"You. You're not an E-rank, are you?"
...
POV Switch
*3rd Person POV*
Meanwhile, outside the Red Gate.
Baek Yoonho's expression darkened again. Ahn Sangmin gave a brief explanation of who Sung Jinwoo was, but the Guildmaster was not convinced.
"In the end, it's just a theory, isn't it?"
"Yes, sir."
The chief agreed. After all, there was nothing official on Sung Jinwoo yet.
'If only the Guildmaster had seen Hunter Sung Jinwoo in person, he would've understood.'
There was something definitely different about Sung Jinwoo; his presence somehow felt overwhelming. Unfortunately, Ahn Sangmin was frustrated at the fact that he could not explain this in words. Baek Yoonho glanced at the Gate.
"Then the person we have to place our hopes in is Kim Cheol."
Another voice spoke up,
"There should be no problems with that."
Another person had joined Baek Yoonho, Ahh Sangmin and Hyun Gicheol. The three men turned their gaze towards the newcomer. It was the First Management Division Chief, Joo Sungchan. He looked over at the three men and continued with confidence,
"We've already firmly educated Kim Cheol to prepare for any circumstances."
While new recruitment training was the Second Management Division's job, the First Management Division directly managed the education of A-rank new recruits. For the talents that would be placed in Baekho's main raiding party, their starting place would be different in the Guild. At Joo Sungchan's confidence, Baek Yoonho relaxed a little.
"How were Kim Cheol's scores?"
"They were very good. His combat abilities weren't lacking at all compared to our main raiding party members."
"Is that so?"
A smile finally returned to Baek Yoonho's face. Kim Cheol was an A-ranker, an existence among high-rankers that should be treated valuably. If that man was leading the B-rank Hunters of this raid, he just might be able to clear this Dungeon. It was a shame about the C-rank Hunters, but to Baekho, the most important asset was the high-rankers.
"Thankfully, it looks like Hunter Kim Cheol's abilities are top-notch..."
The flickering embers of hope lit up again in his chest. Having reassured his Guildmaster, Joo Sungchan turned to Ahn Sangmin,
"I heard something about a Reawakened E-rank Hunter?"
Joo Sungchan snorted derisively,
"Compared to a baseless theory like that, our Hunter Kim Cheol will be infinitely more reliable."
Ahn Sangmin's expression hardened. The man was being blatantly condescending. However, Ahn Sangmin did not stoop to arguing with Joo Sungchan.
"The results will prove who is right..."
The four men all turned to the Red Gate in unison.
The color of the phenomenon looked like an ill omen of today.
...
Black in the dungeon
"You. You're not an E-rank, are you?"
The woman asked brazenly. I replied,
"Then let me ask you something."
"Sure."
I looked over at Kim Cheol's party. They were making various plans before heading out.
"All of you, how could you be so calm as new recruits?"
"The first thing they teach us is that 'Anything can happen in a Dungeon'."
Anything can happen in a Dungeon. I knew this better than anyone else here.
"We've all already received some education. Especially that man, Kim Cheol. He's received special training. They say he'll enter Baekho's main raiding party."
They were unafraid just because they had received some education. I was aghast. I realized that there was little difference between them and Han Songyi. So they sat down in a classroom and were taught a few things, but how useful would it be in a real situation? They were arrogantly puffing out their chest, not knowing the terror of the Dungeon.
"There is a huge difference between hearing about it in a classroom and experiencing it in real life."
In fact, walking around as if they knew the Dungeon, the slightest crack in their confidence would bring down the dam of their arrogance. It takes time to build up something so fragile but an instant to break it all down. So it doesn't take a smart person to know the fate of Kim Cheol's party. They looked confident and fine on the outside, but I knew they were all beginners.
"You didn't answer."
"Hmm?"
I turned my gaze back to the strange woman.
"My question, you didn't answer."
Was he really an E-rank. She was a rather persistent and observant woman.
"Why do I have to tell you that?"
Although I had chosen not to answer her question, the woman, Park Heejin, pumped a fist inside her mind. She had met many people in her life, and she was able to understand their minds. Just now, his answer was meant to deflect, but it had betrayed the confidence beneath the man.
'I was right about him!'
There was one other reason why she was sure. In the past, she had trained with the high-rankers of Baekho and remembered the speed of their movements. But Jinwoo's hand just now, the hand that caught the arrow, was faster than any of Baekho's high-rankers. Not only that, but the Ice magic did not do any harm to his hand.
'I was barely able to understand what happened.'
She was an athlete who Awakened as a Fighter-class. She was confident in her visual acuity but was unable to fully see Jinwoo's movements. Park Heejin's eyes were sparkling.
'At the very least, this man is a higher rank than an A-ranker.'
No, perhaps...
"Could you just tell me?"
"No."
The casual conversation would stop here. Jinwoo turned his head. He did not want to continue this back and forth that would go nowhere. More importantly, Kim Cheol was walking towards them. Jinwoo and Kim Cheol's eyes met.
"We."
Because of his gruff and low voice, no matter what his intentions were, the man's voice was threatening.
"Will be heading down the road."
He was not here to simply let them know of their plans. Kim Cheol's eyes were asking him what Jinwoo's party would do. A subtle indication of "don't follow us" was hidden beneath the words.
'...'
Jinwoo looked around then replied,
"We'll be heading down the forest."
"...Good luck."
...
*Jin-Woo POV*
"Well, the ones who'll need luck are you guys."
I clearly replied to him, which shocked everyone, but I ignored their looks and moved forward.
While the man just glared at me as he swallowed his anger.
...
POV Switch
I headed into the forest followed by whoever was following me. After watching them disappear in the distance, Kim Cheol let out a laughter he had been holding in.
"Morons. If you live long enough, I will be the one killing that guy, but I don't think it's necessary."
"What do you mean?"
"Look over there."
Kim Cheol uncrossed his arms and pointed from tree to tree. It wasn't just in one place. Wherever he pointed, there was a territorial marking placed by some large beast.
"Th-thats...!"
"Bears."
"Ice bear!"
Of the beast type magic beasts, the bear types were especially dangerous. The marks on the trees signified their territory. The Hunters in Kim Cheol's team clicked their tongues.
"Tsk. Tsk."
"Should've just waited here."
"Looks like that E-ranker's going to get everyone killed."
"What does an E-ranker know?"
Kim Cheol looked towards the forest mockingly.
'Of course, what does an E-ranker know?'
...Wait.
The smile disappeared from his face.
'Their team has two C-rankers and even a B-ranker...'
So why did he consider Jinwoo to be their leader? He had not realized this until now. Kim Cheol shook his head.
'...Well, whatever.'
They'll all be dead soon anyway. Kim Cheol decided to focus on himself and put the weaklings out of his mind. The dead are dead, but the living should strive to live. Kim Cheol turned to the road and spoke with strength in his voice,
"Let's go."
...
*Jin-Woo POV*
I walked in front of the group. However, I had only taken a few steps when Park Heejin ran ahead of me and blocked my way.
"What is it?"
"Are you crazy?"
I did not hide my annoyance and crossed my arms. "Choose your next words carefully" was the message. Reading the mood, Park Heejin lowered her voice,
"Sorry, but I have to say this."
She gestured at the trees around them.
"Do you see those?"
A large claw mark on a tree.
"And there. Over there too!"
In fact, it was harder to find an unmarked tree.
"The bears' territorial marks are all over the place! This entire forest must be the home to bear magic beasts!"
In the animal kingdom, dogs and cats were weak compared to tigers and lions. It was the same with magic beasts. A dog type or a cat type magic beast was far weaker than a tiger type or a lion type. And what about a bear type? Doubly so when it was a polar bear, a top predator among animals. And right now, I have led my team into the territory of those terrifying magic beasts. It was understandable that Park Heejin was mad.
"We have to go back right now! Before the magic beasts come!"
Tsk tsk.
I clicked my tongue.
'What?'
Park Heejin had expected one of three responses from me: anger, surprise, or acceptance. Her expectations were off. Instead of acting like the one at fault, I was instead looking down at her condescendingly.
'Why-why is he looking at me like that?'
Feeling embarrassed, Park Heejin's face turned red.
"W-What!"
Her voice was raised again. I sighed deeply and opened my mouth,
"Since you saw me catching arrows, do you think I won't notice them? It's hard to find an unmarked tree, that means there are a lot of ice bears, right?"
"E-exactly, so we have to quickly-"
"That's why we're heading into the forest."
"Huh?"
Park Heejin's eyes were wide open.
'Does she still not understand?'
I decided to take the time to explain,
"In the forest, all we have to worry about are the ice bears."
"Ah!"
Park Heejin finally understood the meaning of my actions. If this forest was home to many ice bears, that also meant that there was nothing here that threatened the ice bears. It meant they didn't have to worry about any magic beasts stronger than ice bears.
'Why didn't I think of that...'
She felt embarrassed at yelling knowingly at the man. She could not raise her reddened face. I clicked my tongue in my mind again. One of the scariest things about a Dungeon was that you did not know what kind of enemy waited around the corner. Knowing the enemy was half the battle, after all. And in this forest, the information about the enemy was all over the place.
'Magic beasts in the form of a bear.'
No matter how strong these ice bears were, I was sure that they were weaker than the ice elves earlier. It was because the elves' clothing was made of bear pelts. That's why I selected the forest. My plan was to level up here while keeping an eye out for Kim Cheol's team and the Ice Slayers. That was the safest path I had determined. But I am not sure if I could level up with bears after all. My current level is 84, and now I require a lot of EXP to level up.
'...?'
I stared suspiciously at Park Heejin,
"Why is your face so red?"
Her face was really red. She spoke with her head lowered,
"I...I'm cold."
"Whew-"
With a deep sigh, I pulled up to the shop and purchased several articles of clothing made out of thick fur and some winter-use shoes.
ring~
Warm Fur Coat
Rarity: N/A
Type: Junk
It's really warm.
Cost: 10 gold
Warm Boots
Rarity: N/A
Type: Junk
It's really warm.
Cost: 10 gold
'Fur coat and boots, ten gold each.'
Compared to items with special effects, ordinary use items like these were not expensive. Compared to my gold, they were rather cheap.
Current Gold: 3,225,954
'Still, to think that I would actually purchase junk items...'
I confirmed the transaction. Since I could not discriminate in their current situation, I spent 100 gold to buy a set for each of the 5 Hunters.
shooo-
Five sets of fur coats and boots appeared out of thin air in front of my feet. Other than me, every one of my party members opened their eyes wide in shock.
"What the!"
"W-what the hell? Spatial magic?"
Park Heejin was also shocked and raised her head. Ignoring their gasps, I calmly spoke,
"Everyone, pick one up and put it on."
And with that, I reached for the nearest fur coat when I felt a tug on my sleeves.
'...?'