NOVEL WEB 90. Hide and Seek (3)
‘Could they actually be together?’
I thought there was no way that could happen.
Just in case, before checking the contents, I sent a message to both of them simultaneously asking if they were together. Their responses arrived quickly.
[- Sender: Yun Su-ho
We are.]
[- Sender: Park Shin-ju
Yeah, of course. But why?]
“What’s this? They’re actually apart. Liars, the both of them.”
I had them figured out. If they were really together, I’d have gotten a reply from only one of them. More than anything, Shin-ju’s uncharacteristically brief response was the strongest confirmation. It’s not like I don’t know you two.
“‘Of course,’ my foot. If they were really together, Yun Su-ho would’ve started dissing Shin-ju the moment I opened the conversation. I know full well they don’t get along.”
I wonder if Han Cha-hyun knows about this? It doesn’t seem likely he reported this properly. Still, as the party leader, I should let him know, I decided as I checked the messages they sent.
“Yun Su-ho’s message… nothing worth looking at.”
It was his usual nagging message when we’re apart. Don’t meddle, call if there’s danger, eat your meals properly…
I quickly dismissed the commanding sentences on my Hunter Watch.
“Would it kill you to send messages as concisely as you speak?”
Shin-ju’s message didn’t have much content either. If I had to comment, I’d say her writing skills were impressive, varying her expressions of “I miss you.” As I was reading through this with bleary eyes, my Hunter Watch vibrated again.
“It’s Park Shin-ju again.”
I opened the new message with a disinterested attitude. A loading screen appeared briefly, indicating attached photos, before the content showed up. No wonder the loading took so long—there were two photos attached.
One was of people gathered in a forest, and the other was of a tree trunk.
“Wait a minute, this is…”
Two engraved lines on the top of the trunk. It was the same as the pillar where Shin-ju had placed her marker. I hurriedly looked down at the message written below the photos.
[- Sender: Park Shin-ju
You know exactly what this is, right?
I stumbled upon this, and lo and behold, hunters are swarming around it!
Super Shin-ju will track them, so our Gaho can rest easy (ﾉ*ФωФ)ﾉ
+ If you have time, check out the mountain behind that palace.
Who knows? It might be there too!]
I had a feeling it wasn’t just an ordinary pillar, and it seems I was right. By the way, who are these hunters? The purpose of hunters coming to this floor with its annoying debuff was generally one thing.
“The main—no, it’s a subquest now.”
Originally, this floor was a wave-type level where hunters had to deal with yokai endlessly climbing over the eastern wall and corpses animated by their dark arts. The main quest was concluded when the conquest team beheaded the five commanders, but they couldn’t completely root out the yokai.
As if telling the hunters to handle the cleanup, the World Tower assigned them a new quest. It was called “Guardian of Dawn.”
The objective was simple: Eradicate the yokai in the east. This weekly refreshed quest could be undertaken by multiple people simultaneously, with rewards distributed based on merit.
“The merits of first place must be significant for them to rush in despite the debuff and mental shock. The reward must be…”
In other words, there’s no reason to come to this floor without that level of reward. This is why there were no hunters outside of Sohan.
‘Did these people come after seeing Shin-ju’s post? No, they might be the same ones who went to Cheonsan.’
Didn’t Yun Su-ho barge into the linked quest during the Sea People floor? We immediately received a hidden quest, but there might be other ways to enter. If those guys are after it, we really need to hurry.
“For now, let’s leave those hunters to Shin-ju.”
Focusing on progressing the hidden quest was the best I could do right now. Thanks to Shin-ju, I had a good idea, so I needed to move immediately.
“I hope Lee Kang-to is awake.”
Perhaps because a solution had appeared despite the not-so-great situation, my footsteps across the rooftops were as light as the wind. With the moons brightly illuminating the way, I arrived at the lodgings in the blink of an eye.
Fortunately, despite the late hour, the light in Lee Kang-to’s room was still on.
“It’s me. Do you have a moment?”
“J-just a second! Don’t open the door yet!”
A shadow behind the paper door busily cleared the floor. Was the room that messy? He tidied up other people’s houses so well, and yet… This was so typical of Lee Kang-to.
A moment later, Lee Kang-to poked his head out through the door crack.
“What brings you here at this hour…”
“I think this might be a long conversation. May I come in?”
“Y-yes. Please, come in.”
Though they say we’ve become sturdier since awakening, it doesn’t mean we’re completely immune to the cold. Entering the warm room, I felt my frozen nose tip beginning to thaw.
‘It looks perfectly tidy. What was he cleaning up?’
The bedding was neatly spread out, as if in anticipation. I leaned against the wall, avoiding it, and Lee Kang-to, who had been crouching with his knees up, also sat down.
However, just a moment later, Lee Kang-to, with eyes wide open, jumped up from his seat.
“You want to aim for that?”
“Yes. If it’s you,, it should be possible, right?”
“…I am quite exceptional, after all!”
“Then I’ll be counting on you.”
I guess being an A-rank hunter does come in handy at times like these. I smiled slightly as I watched Lee Kang-to nod, falling for the flattery.
◆◇◆◇◆
The next morning, in front of Seora Fortress, which envelops eastern Sohan,
“…Only yokai of commander rank take human form, but they were all exterminated a few years ago. However, if you happen to encounter them, you must flee immediately.”
The administrator, who had been mechanically rattling off explanations, finally asked:
“Will you participate in the yokai subjugation?”
[Do you want to accept the subquest, Guardian of Dawn (C~)?
– Remaining time: 09:51:13
– Clear condition: Subjugate yokai near Seora Fortress
– Reward: ??? (Reward varies based on merit points)
– Penalty: None]
“Yes, I’ll participate.”
“Here, take these first.”
I accepted the shabby basket and firecrackers handed over by the administrator. He went on to explain that when we defeat yokai, we should collect the black beads they drop and put them in the basket. They calculate merit based on the weight, so he warned us not to miss any.
“When you return, set off the firecrackers in front of the barbican, and we’ll lower the bridge.”
“Ah, one moment. I heard it’s possible to participate with companions. Is there any separate procedure for that?”
“Just bring the beads together when you return.”
It seemed like a sloppy yet reasonable rule. Shrugging my shoulders, I went over to where Lee Kang-to and the goblin were. They must have quarreled again, as they were standing far apart.
“Let’s hurry. If we delay any longer, it’ll be cutting it close.”
“This level of lateness isn’t even a penalty!”
They say the rewards are good, but that’s only relative to the floor number. High-ranking hunters like Lee Kang-to don’t fixate on places like this. On higher floors, they can get better rewards more easily.
But for us, there was no better reward than this.
In the weekly tally, the first-place winner receives a reward personally bestowed by the royal family of On. We couldn’t know who would appear, but it was a golden opportunity to make direct contact with the royal family.
‘We can also keep other hunters in check.’
Sarome’s testimony, and now Shin-ju’s message. It was as good as fact that there were others besides us aiming for the hidden quest.
In this situation, we couldn’t let other hunters into the palace, which was deeply connected to Baek-a. Who knows if those people were among the twelve teams said to have received the quest before us?
“Just trust my beautiful tail. I’ll sweep them all up in a day!”
“Hmph, don’t go making big promises and then not even get to see a royal toe.”
“I’m telling you! I’ll definitely take first place, so watch closely!”
Lee Kang-to’s enthusiasm seemed almost visible to the naked eye.
‘Well, I welcome his hard work.’
This plan was only possible because of Lee Kang-to’s confidence in close combat.
If we didn’t get the first-place special privilege, even ranking in the top wouldn’t mean anything. And today was the last day of the tally. We had to defeat more yokai in just one day than others had in a week. Despite this, Lee Kang-to was confident.
“If you don’t hurry, I’m going ahead!”
I quickened my pace to catch up with Lee Kang-to, who had suddenly moved far ahead, and took out my bow and quiver.
Come to think of it, what weapon does Lee Kang-to use? Seeing him standing there empty-handed, he might be a hand-to-hand combat type like Cha Taeyang. Having never fought alongside him, I couldn’t gauge his abilities.
“Whatever it is, as long as he fights well, that’s all that matters.”
Right in front of the city gate, an NPC standing on the barbican spotted us and raised a black flag.
“Lower the bridge!”
Creeak— The unpleasant sound typical of an unoiled machine rang out. The drawbridge must have been lowered over the wide moat created from the diverted Cheonhwa River.
“Everyone, stay alert.”
After a final check to ensure there were no issues with our equipment, I stepped forward with my companions.
“Ugh, what in the…”
“The inside was better in comparison. Mr. Kim, are you alright?”
As we passed through the barbican and crossed the bridge, an unbearably foul smell began to assault our senses. And the sight that unfolded before us was even more terrible.
Layers of straw mats and corpses piled beneath the city wall, an endless expanse of ashen wasteland, trees blackened like charcoal, and yokai lurking here and there, watching us. Not a single speck of color could be found.
Only the stream of the Cheonhwa River flowing through the moat retained its blue hue.
Kiyaak!
Perhaps thinking us easy prey, a red-eyed yokai immediately lunged at us. Its head was that of a monkey, but its body was like a grotesque rag doll with four pairs of limbs.
I barely managed to block its mercilessly swung claws, which had exploited an opening. The claws were so hard that upon impact with my bow, a strong vibration numbed my grip.
As another arm swung towards me, I quickly retreated.
“Tch.”
I barely managed to create some distance, but with its multiple legs, its speed was surprisingly fast, making it difficult to aim. The yokai seemed to be gauging my skills, circling around me in a large arc.
“What is Hunter Lee Kang-to doing… oh.”
I wondered why he wasn’t helping, but he was already surrounded by three other yokai.
“Huh, looks like this won’t be as easy as I thought.”