Chapter 20: Incident
“Hyaeyoung-ssi?”
“Yes, Jihye-ssi. Please listen to what I have to say.”
“Go with Kiyoung-ssi.”
“Pardon?”
“I believe it would be advantageous to make things more convenient for people like Kiyoung-ssi in various ways. Not just today, but going forward as well.”
“I’m not sure what you mean…”
“The decision is all yours, Hyaeyoung-ssi. You can do whatever you think is manageable. I don’t care if you’re just a pack mule… Ah! You wouldn’t make a bad handmaid.”
“……”
“That last bit was just a joke. But thinking about it seriously might not be a bad idea… The situation here isn’t that good. Not only are we lacking in rations, but there are a limited number of people who can go hunting. Hyunsung-ssi has been helping us by disposing of the monsters around here regularly, but who knows what the future holds. The reality is that we can’t afford to make a.s.sumptions about the future. We have to think about the possibility that the men who go hunting might die and never come back, and ask ourselves what we would do afterwards.”
“……”
“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to get acquainted with a capable man. Don’t you think it’s better for people like us to take out an insurance policy? If things go well, you never know what might happen. Perhaps you could get special treatment like Jung Hayan-ssi…”
“I see what you mean.”
“Ah! There’s a rumour that they’ll be taking Hayan-ssi out on the next hunt. Wouldn’t it be a good idea for Hyaeyoung-ssi to give it a try?”
“Thank you for giving me so much advice, but… is there a reason you’re being so nice to me?”
“Well. It’s just a pa.s.sing fancy. But if things go well, I’d like you to return the favour. I’m not the kind of person who likes to gamble.”
* * *
‘Sh*tty b.i.t.c.h.’
Lee Jihye, that f.u.c.king b.i.t.c.h.
She continued to curse out Lee Jihye internally, not that it changed anything.
After all, she had been the one to make the mistake. Rather, everything had been her choice to begin with.
Both agreeing with Lee Jihye’s words and following Lee Kiyoung as a guinea pig, everything had been done with the expectation that it would work out.
She had done something stupid right off the bat and had made up her mind to make up for the mistake.
Pushing herself to seem like a useful person by wielding a spear had been a huge blunder.
Unbeknownst to her, the scream that had then erupted from her mouth had been an even greater mistake.
She could see Lee Kiyoung and Park Deokgu continuing forward before her.
Lee Kiyoung never stopped chanting spells aloud and Park Deokgu rebuffed the monsters lunging at them with his huge shield.
Maybe because of her fear, her legs felt wobbly, but naturally, collapsing was out of the question.
‘I’ll die.’
She knew that she would die if she stopped running.
Glancing to the side, she saw that Jung Hayan was also following behind, muttering quietly to herself.
‘Idiot…’
She was lucky enough to catch Lee Kiyoung’s eye, and lucky enough to gain her current position amongst this group.
No other woman would be as lucky as her.
After making such a big mistake, if they made it back alive, then it was almost certain that she would have to resign from this group.
When Park Hyaeyoung thought that she was just a teaching aid for Jung Hayan, she tasted something bitter in her mouth.
In the first place…
She didn’t know how Jung Hayan could be so calm.
Kim Hyunsung, Lee Kiyoung, and Park Deokgu, who continued to unflinchingly attack with swords and spears, even in front of monsters, were also incredible.
In her case, Park Hyaeyoung couldn’t overcome the feeling of killing or her fear of dying.
It was laughable that she had thought it might be easy.
However, Jung Hayan’s case was a bit different.
It was her first time here, just like Park Hyaeyoung, and the first time she had was directly facing the monsters in person.
The lack of fear in that quiet gaze was unmistakable.
Park Hyaeyoung had wondered if Jung Hayan was crazy when she kept talking to herself, but she didn’t seem to be shaken.
‘You can’t break down like this.’
In this new reality called the tutorial, they had to build up their strength to survive. She took advantage of Lee Kiyoung and Kim Hyunsung because she knew it was impossible to do so by herself.
If you think about it, anyone branded with the label of being unable to hunt obviously would not be able to grasp the same power those two held, and over time, would become just like cold, leftover rice.
Only one option remained.
‘I have to get close to them somehow.’
If she made it back alive, ties with Lee Kiyoung had to be made at all costs.
She had to stick to him by any means whatsoever.
Of course, the presence of Jung Hayan next to him was annoying, but over time he would recognise her worth.
It was obvious that she was better than that stupid woman.
Park Deokgu and Lee Kiyoung, who were gritting their teeth and never stopped running, veered to the left.
At that moment, she realised that she could no longer see them.
‘Huh?’
She felt as though she had been possessed by a ghost. She didn’t understand what was going on.
‘When did that happen?’
Obviously, she had been running after them.
This kind of situation could be called nothing but running into a ghost wall.[1]
She couldn’t remember when or why they had vanished.
Jung Hayan was also quietly staring at the wall blocking off the pa.s.sage.
“Do you know where Kiyoung-ssi and Deokgu-ssi went?”
She cautiously tried to speak with the other woman but didn’t get a reply.
It had been a mistake to ask in the first place.
‘She’s as dull as a doork.n.o.b…’
Even Park Hyaeyoung had lost sight of them in an instant.
If she couldn’t tell where they had gone, there was no way the blind b.i.t.c.h next to her would be able to.
This woman had probably only been trailing after her.
“Gaaaeeeeek.”
The voice of a monster sounded in the distance.
Naturally, she began to tremble instantly.
She knew that she needed to leave this area but her feet were glued to the spot.
Because she couldn’t figure out where to go.
Perhaps by now, Kiyoung-ssi had noticed that they were lost.
If they hung around a little longer and waited, those two would surely come to find them.
She was sure they would.
At the ridiculous sight of Jung Hayan, who was muttering nonsense even in this situation, Park Hyaeyoung could barely hold back her laughter.
“The power, to protect myself, from my enemies, who try to steal from me.”
It seemed to be a prayer to someone, but her actions were completely beyond comprehension.
Lee Kiyoung, who had concerned himself with a woman like this, also seemed to be out of his mind.
“Wind blade.”
Shiik-
She heard a sound as though the air was ripping apart.
“Shut up, you moron. Can’t you hear the monsters?”
It was when she tried to take a small step forward.
‘Huh?’
Her balance gave way out of nowhere.
Against her own will, her body crumpled to the ground.
At the same time, she felt an unbearable pain in her left leg.
Bright red blood began to spurt from her leg and splash to the ground.
She could see her left leg had been separated from her body and was lying away from her.
‘What… Happened…’
A scream tore free from her mouth before she could even think.
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaa! S-somebody! Anybody, please… P-please help me. He-help!”
“I-I-it’s useless. Hyae-Hyaeyoung-ssi.”
“M-my leg… My leg…”
“I-I’ve b-blocked off the surrounding sound with mana. I’m not sure if you can hear me. Y-you don’t need to worry about the monsters coming here. You can relax.”
“Please h-help me, please…”
“Y-you’re m-more stupid than I thought. Hyaeyoung-ssi… Y-you caused trouble for Oppa… And y-you ruined my outing.”
“Shut up. f.u.c.k! It hurts… It hurts! Can’t you see my leg right now? Quickly bring Kiyoung-ssi here or…”
Park Hyaeyoung continued to grip her burning leg with her hands.
She couldn’t think clearly because of the blood pouring out from her body.
She took off her jacket and tied it around her leg to stem the bleeding, but it was hard to tell whether this rough treatment would be enough.
Her jaw shook.
It was only natural for her body to tremble.
She couldn’t understand why her leg had fallen off in the first place.
She didn’t even want to comprehend the truth.
However, figuring out whether this was a nightmare or reality was a more pressing matter.
The pain continued to burn as though her body was on fire.
Her vision became blurred by her tears.
When Park Hyaeyoung looked up slightly, she saw Jung Hayan smiling brightly at her.
‘Huh?’
She was holding something in her hands that was made of some strange material.
‘Wind blade.’
Suddenly those words flickered through her mind.
Park Hyaeyoung was in disbelief, but it was clear that an emerald green wind was swirling around Jung Hayan’s hands.
‘For what reason? Why? How could she?’ Even before those thoughts ran through her mind, she was filled with an instinctive fear.
“Ah… Ha-Hayan-ssi…”
“Yes. Hyaeyoung-ssi.”
“W-why are you doing this all of a sudden?”
“I-I didn’t w-want to do this. I-I couldn’t help it though. Because you keep trying to take m-my Oppa away from me. I-I couldn’t help it. I’m not d-doing this because I like it.”
“W-what are you talking about?”
“I hate it when you pretend you’re clueless.… Hyaeyoung-ssi, y-you should have known you were f-fawning over my Oppa, didn’t you? Y-y-you should have realised you were trying to take him away, didn’t you? You said you were going to take him away, didn’t you?
‘In…sane.”
She was out of her mind.
Park Hyaeyoung was baffled that she somehow hadn’t noticed it before.
The woman before her was definitely crazy. The corners of her mouth lifted up and her eyes seemed to be filled with the light of madness.
“It was… It was just meaningless chatter. “
“Lies.”
“Really…”
“You’re lying. D-do you know how much you hurt me? I-It felt like my heart was broken when you talked with Oppa, held hands with O-oppa, and leaned on O-oppa. Maybe y-you can’t even comprehend how I felt.”
“I-I can understand. Uhuh… I-I can understand. So, h-help me. I-I won’t appear in front of y-your Oppa ever again.”
“S-sorry. No matter how much I think about it, I can’t even look at you. Hyaeyoung-ssi, you should hurt as much as me. I really can’t forgive you for trying to take my Oppa away. And if you’re alive, I-I’ll feel so nervous…”
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
There was a gruesome sound as her other arm was cut off.
She felt a great deal of pain.
She writhed, but nothing changed. All she could think about was that she had to get out of there somehow.
Though she struggled to crawl away, it was impossible through the pain and fear.
“Sa-save me. Please… Please, I was wrong. Help me. Please… Ahhhhhhhh.”
“No, no, don’t do that. It will only m-make you weaker.”
“Please, I was completely wrong. It’s all my fault! It was because of my mistake. Mmf! Mm!”
“Ma-magic can do this too. It’s better to keep your mouth shut because you’re so noisy.”
Only
Her voice couldn’t escape.
It felt like something was strangling her. Tears began to pour from her eyes. She continued to struggle because of the pain wracking her body, but it was futile.
“Mm… Mm! MM!”
“T-then, I-I’m sorry.”
As she continued to struggle, she could hear a voice from somewhere beyond her line of sight.
“Hayan-ah?”
“O-oppa.”
It was the man responsible for all of this, Lee Kiyoung.