Chapter 27 – Soldier – [One]

“So, in the end, you had to cut the expedition short and come back early because of mosquitoes?”

At Gaeulbi’s question, Seo Yun nodded.

“That’s how it turned out. We didn’t see a single monster, just mosquitoes, so I guess that Orc got really pissed off.”

“Great! Then you’ll be hanging out with us for a while?”

“Maybe. But they left some people behind to watch for monsters, so we might have to leave again soon? They said if monsters show up, they’ll head right back out on the expedition.”

Even as Seo Yun said that, Gaeulbi still wore a full-faced smile and muttered.

“Hmm… Then I don’t think you’ll be able to leave again!”

“Why?”

“Even if you go back, you probably won’t meet anything except flying monsters, right?”

Seo Yun thought back to see if she had just said she saw several flying monsters. It didn’t seem like she had.

“How do you know that?”

At Seo Yun’s question, Gaeulbi’s expression darkened slightly before she answered.

“Because there’s an army stationed up there. The monsters are probably blocked by the soldiers.”

Seo Yun raised an eyebrow.

“An army is stationed there?”

“Yeah. We were originally planning to operate up there, you know? But there’s a whole garrison post. So we had to scramble back down in a hurry. Honestly, I wanted to just shoot them all dead, but Han Siwoo stopped me, saying if we got caught doing that, it’d be a huge mess. I was so annoyed back then…”

After thinking for a moment, Seo Yun muttered.

“I have something to report to that Mister Oh Haengbok when I get back.”

“Hey, can’t you keep it a secret?”

“No way. If I hide information like this, something could happen when the expedition sets out again.”

“But still…”

Then Han Siwoo spoke.

“Well, she said she’d tell them about our existence anyway, didn’t she? Saying she’d have to explain where the sword and belt came from. We can just say we told her then.”

Seo Yun nodded.

“Right, I’ll just say you two had already left by then. Is that okay?”

Only then did Gaeulbi smile and nod.

“If you promise that…”

They were walking along, chatting about other things, when Seo Yun stopped them.

“Wait a second. Soul Detection triggered.”

Because the expedition ended much earlier than expected, contrary to the initial plan, Seo Yun had gone to find the two of them first.

So it wasn’t dark yet. Han Siwoo looked at the swaying necklace and asked.

“How strong is it?”

“Challenge Rating around 3, I think.”

“A Mothman?”

After turning a few corners, the expected monster was found. A Moth Person was sitting on a utility pole.

“It is a Mothman.”

Hunting it wasn’t difficult. They just had to follow the plan with the three of them.

First, thwack! An arrow shot by Gaeulbi struck the Mothman’s chest. With a bizarre sound, the Mothman’s chest caved in, but, true to its monstrous nature, it didn’t die instantly from that.

The Mothman’s compound eyes could see its target without turning its head. So its movements were also unnervingly fast.

The Mothman spread its wings and glided toward them. Like flying creatures often do, the Mothman with its wings spread looked several times larger than before.

Perhaps because it was such an overwhelming sight? Han Siwoo flinched, but amidst this, Seo Yun was staring straight at the flying creature.

And the moment the Mothman’s huge shadow fell upon them, Seo Yun finished the Spell she had been chanting. The Priest’s Blinding Spell.

“Spark!”

As sparks flew into the compound eyes of the approaching Mothman, it shrieked in mid-air.

It seemed the Spell was a perfect success. The Mothman’s flight path subtly changed as it lost its sight.

Just as the Mothman finally flew past, grazing the three of them, Seo Yun brought the sword she was holding above her head down in a slash. The Burning Sword sank deep into its neck vertebrae.

Crrk, the sound of a dying breath was replaced by the sound of moth-specific fur burning.

The Mothman, which had finally crashed to the ground, struggled briefly before its movements ceased.

The sensation of something filling her head, the feeling of Experience Points flowing in, announced its death. Gaeulbi, who had closed and opened her eyes for a moment, grinned and then, as if recalling the situation, shouted to Seo Yun.

“Seo Yun, you fight really well!”

Seo Yun was trying to act nonchalant to look cool again. Gaeulbi continued.

“Seeing your skills again is amazing! I heard you teach swordsmanship to the kids in Happy Village, guess it’s true… But why did you lose to Siwoo here?”

Seo Yun, expressionless, choked up and said.

“In terms of content, I didn’t lose.”

Han Siwoo, who had been listening silently to the conversation, spoke.

“People call that losing.”

Seo Yun glared at Han Siwoo, but she couldn’t see his expression because he was wearing his helm. Seo Yun considered hitting that helmeted head with the hilt of her sword but stopped herself.

She had just gained more Experience Points from killing a Mothman. She’d be Leveling Up soon, so she could get a new Spell then and properly beat him up. The Heroism Spell, with that Spell, she’d be able to overpower him with Strength too, and properly show him who’s boss.

Maybe she could even Level Up today…

Holding onto that hope, she wandered around with a monster detection Spell active, but she didn’t encounter any more monsters. Well, in games, you run into monsters all the time, but isn’t that a consideration so Players don’t get bored? In reality, it wasn’t strange to wander around all day and not even meet a single mouse.

As it grew dark, they had to end the hunt. Gaeulbi muttered in a disappointed voice.

“We should probably have dinner soon…”

Seo Yun asked.

“Speaking of which, what do you guys usually eat? Last time I saw, you hardly had any Provisions in your backpack. Do you forage from some field or something?”

“No?”

“Then?”

“With this!”

Gaeulbi exclaimed energetically and began rummaging through her leather backpack, eventually pulling out yet another mysterious object. It looked like a small figurine.

“Is that also a Magic item?”

“I don’t know the exact item name, but yeah, that’s right! This is also an Artifact. If you put a monster Soul into it, food flows out.”

Seo Yun alternated looking at the figurine and the leather backpack it had come from, feeling astonished.

For such an absurd object to just pop out like that? Where on earth did she get that bag, and how did she acquire its contents? It was utterly baffling.

Gaeulbi placed two bowls in front of the figurine, knelt down, and began to pray.”Goddess of Beauty, I offer my soul, please give me my daily sustenance…”

The statue indeed seemed to be a magical object exactly as spoken. A green liquid flowed from the statue’s hands, filling each of the two bowls.

And then, ugh…

Seo Yun smelled the odor rising from the porridge and felt the urge to pinch her nose shut. Barely suppressing her disgust, she asked:

“What does it taste like?”

“Just… porridge taste?”

“Can I try a little? I don’t need much, just a drop or two.”

Gaeulbi dabbed a few drops of porridge onto Seo Yun’s finger.

Seo Yun brought the porridge-smeared finger to her face and grimaced. Smelling it closer confirmed it was indeed terrible.

When she lightly touched it to her tongue, she was completely shocked.

“You eat this regularly?”

At Seo Yun’s words, Gaeulbi smiled slightly.

“Does it taste bad?”

“Bad doesn’t even begin to describe it… it’s terrible?”

“But they say it’s quite nutritious!”

Seo Yun looked at Han Siwoo and asked:

“You’re okay with this?”

Han Siwoo nodded indifferently.

“It becomes edible if you keep eating it.”

But Seo Yun herself wasn’t okay with it.

Seo Yun recalled the eight boys she had encountered before. These two might have better complexions than them, but weren’t they still at an age when they should be eating well? And meanwhile, they’re calling this stuff their daily sustenance?

In that moment, Seo Yun felt a kind of sense of mission that Oh Haengun must have felt that day. It was the same emotion she had felt when she met Kim Jihyeok years ago.

Seo Yun said:

“Wait a minute, don’t eat that. Just wait.”

“Are you going to bring something from the village?”

“Yes.”

A short while later, when Seo Yun returned from the village with two chickens, a pot, and various small ingredients, Gaeulbi who saw them opened her mouth wide.

“Wow!”

Gaeulbi seemed truly surprised, unable to close her mouth for a while. She couldn’t take her eyes off the things Seo Yun had brought.

Seeing even Han Siwoo, who always pretended indifference, doing the same, Seo Yun grinned.