Chapter 57 – LV.Two Priest Park Taeyang – [Six]

Seo Yun stared blankly at Arnold and Oh Haengun before turning her gaze back to the man in military uniform.

The man was scrambling to get up and flee in a hurry. He stumbled forward on all fours before rising to his feet and breaking into a run.

“You bastard, where do you think you’re going?”

Lee Jongho was about to give chase when another gunshot rang out—”Bang!”—stopping him in his tracks.

From the direction of the gunshot, a shout followed.

“Don’t come any closer! I’ll shoot if you follow!”

It seemed the Invisibility Spell had worn off when he fired.

Ahead, a blue Porter truck began to materialize.

The men on the Porter truck were all dressed in military uniforms. Perhaps because it was mosquito season in summer, they all had their faces covered, but true to people in military uniforms, they had brought guns with them.

Seo Yun groaned inwardly as she assessed their armaments.

‘Three armed with guns. Two with handguns, two with rifles… Five with crossbows…’

Although there was Oh Haengun here, who was high-level like Oh Haengbok, a Mage could die even from a Goblin’s arrow if they didn’t protect themselves with all sorts of Spells before entering combat.

In the end, they were only glaring at each other in a standoff when the man who had just fired the gun limped toward the front of the truck.

Should they just let them leave like this? It seemed they’d only feel at ease later if they captured and interrogated them about why they attacked…

Mid-thought, Seo Yun was startled when she looked at Gaeulbi.

Gaeulbi had aimed her crossbow. She seemed about to shoot the man trying to board the truck.

Oh Haengun saw it too. His eyes widened, and he shouted angrily.

“Hey! What are you doing! Don’t shoot! They’ll shoot back!”

Gaeulbi turned her head. She shouted back in an aggrieved voice.

“But that bastard!”

“Put it down!”

In the end, the truck drove off with the assailants aboard.

After the brief assault ended, Seo Yun turned her gaze to Arnold.

Arnold was gripping his Greatsword, glaring at the receding truck. Perhaps those assailants had given up their attack out of shock at the trick the Barbarian Warrior had shown.

‘I thought he’d chase them, but he didn’t. Well, he’s an Orangutan who can’t wear Armor, so even if he’s high-level, it must be dangerous if bullets fly in rapid succession, right?’

Even trying to belittle him in her mind didn’t work well. What she had just seen was too shocking for that.

Just what had that guy done? What had she even witnessed?

Oh Haengun seemed equally astonished as he approached and whispered.

“Didn’t they say that gentleman was petrified by a Basilisk? I heard that might make him high-level, but I thought it would be within a reasonable range. But that…”

“I didn’t know he was that capable either.”

Even upon reflection, it was absurd. Even if it was a handgun bullet, catching it barehanded? Considering he was Invisible and launched a surprise attack, it made even less sense.

Just how high must his Agility Stat or Dexterity Stat be for that to be possible? She couldn’t know. She could only guess that both must be at least 9 or higher.

Oh Haengun approached Arnold.

“Thank you. Just now, that, how did you…”

Arnold answered with his characteristic impassive expression. For once, his attitude didn’t seem like a bluff.

“Something felt dangerous. My body moved reflexively.”

“Is that so? I don’t really understand how you did what you did, but thank you very much anyway. Their Souls were so small that the Soul Detection Spell barely reacted…”

“It’s fine. It’s the duty of a guest who has received hospitality.”

“Still, I should return this, right? If anything, we’re the ones who received a favor.”

Oh Haengun said, taking out the Meteor Fragment, but Arnold shook his head.

“No, it’s fine. Anyway, I’ll be keeping watch. I hope everyone can calm their startled hearts.”

As Oh Haengun bowed deeply in renewed thanks, Arnold began to glare into the distance where darkness was settling.

Oh Haengun approached the village Players and said.

“Everyone, don’t mention this when we return to the village.”

Lee Jongho raised an eyebrow.

“Huh?”

“Just let it be. Our Chief is already trying to settle his mind after the last incident. If he hears about this, he’ll be properly furious, won’t he? No need to make him develop pent-up anger.”

“But wouldn’t it be a big problem if something like this happens again? It seems that Dawn Corps or whatever they are retaliated. If we need to prepare some countermeasures, we should report…”

Oh Haengun shook his head.

“The ones who attacked just now probably aren’t Dawn Corps. They’re not soldiers either.”

“Why do you say that?”

“What skill would soldiers have to track us here? Besides, K-1s and K-2s are safely stored in the vacationers’ armory, right? And what’s with bringing revolvers?”

Coincidentally, the revolver handgun dropped by the fleeing man remained. Oh Haengun picked it up and continued.

“This is a nostalgic item. Police used to use these back in the day, right? We used to snatch these from the local police stations and use them often too. They’re not very effective for needlessly provoking Monsters, so we don’t use them nowadays…”

Oh Haengun’s words implied the assailants were from the civilian side. Lee Jongho muttered.

“Then, could the assailants be from the neighboring village?”

“Neighboring village?”

“Well, last time our Chief took people there and growled at them, so they must hold a grudge against our village, right? Besides, they targeted Uncle Haengun first; that’s suspicious in itself. Why target the scrawny-looking Mister, leaving behind big guys like me, Mister Kim Ak, and the burly Barbarian Warrior? It seemed like they recognized he was a Mage just by looking at his face.”

“Because I look the oldest? They might have assumed I was the leader and targeted me.”

“Plus, just the fact they tracked us here suggests it. If it’s the neighboring village, they usually have lookouts scattered everywhere to monitor Monster movements, right? They might have seen us moving and followed.”

To Seo Yun’s ears, that speculation sounded plausible. Moreover, the assailants were all wearing military uniforms, weren’t they? The fact they disguised themselves that way was suspicious. Only someone who knew Happy Village had been badly treated by the military recently could come up with the idea to pin the blame on them.

Oh Haengun cleared his throat.”That sounds plausible, but I still don’t think so… I know the player composition there well, and the neighboring village only has pure Warriors? There’s not a single Priest or Mage. Didn’t you see that guy use Invisibility just now?”

“He might have used a Magic Item.”

“That makes even less sense. Those guys from the neighboring village can’t even properly get Armor for their newbies, so they just give them weapons and make them fight—what kind of Magic Item? Suddenly Magic Items seem common to you, but those are really rare. Excluding items Mages make by consuming Experience Points, there’s no way to get them…”

After that, Oh Haengun continued listing all sorts of reasons why the neighboring village wasn’t the culprit, but to Seo Yun, the explanations felt somewhat shoddy and his voice lacked confidence.

It seemed less that he truly believed they weren’t the culprits and more that he didn’t want to think so. Seo Yun could guess his underlying thoughts.

‘He doesn’t want to stir up trouble. If that Oh Haengbok guy really gets pissed off, he’d actually invade.’

Seo Yun quietly observed Oh Haengun. Oh Haengun approached Arnold again, expressed his gratitude once more, and then said:

“We should probably head back now. We need to leave this place before it gets too late. But, Warrior, do you have somewhere to go?”

“Not particularly.”

“Then perhaps…”

“If you’re suggesting I go to your village together, it’s settled. Judging by your hospitality toward outsiders, it must be a good place, but still, it’s no place for an outsider like me.”

Oh Haengun, having been rejected, looked both relieved and disappointed. After all, bringing a man who might be as strong as their Chief, or perhaps even stronger, to the village would be burdensome.

Oh Haengun didn’t press further and instead addressed the other Players.

“Anyway, let’s all head back quickly. We need to leave this place.”

However, it turned out they couldn’t return quickly by car.

Seo Yun tried to move the Two-and-a-Half-Ton Truck, but it wouldn’t budge. After getting out and inspecting the vehicle, Seo Yun said:

“The tires are flat. And the fuel’s been completely drained.”

“Damn it…”

Then Arnold, who had said he was leaving, approached and spoke up.

“Did the carriage you rode here break down?”

“Carriage? Yes, carriage. That’s what happened.”

“Then the journey back will be more dangerous. Accompanying you all the way to your village might be too much, but I’d gladly guard you on the way.”

It was an offer they couldn’t refuse in their current situation. Oh Haengun nodded.

“Thank you. Then… I’ll have to ask for your help.”

“But if the carriage is broken, what about those Stone Statues loaded on it?”

“I originally planned to have the Golem push it, but with the tires like that, that won’t work either. We’ll have to leave them here for now and come back for them later.”

“Coming back here would be burdensome, wouldn’t it?”

“That’s true, but…”

Arnold stared at the broken truck and said:

“I’ll move it.”

With that, Arnold positioned himself behind the Two-and-a-Half-Ton Truck.

He gripped the truck’s cargo bed with both hands and pushed forward, causing the vehicle to move.

‘Creak…’ Just from the sound, it was clear it wasn’t rolling smoothly but being forced to move. Yet the fact that it was somehow moving forward made Seo Yun’s eyes widen.

‘Strength of at least 10? Probably elephant-level…’

Since Oh Haengbok could also do this, there was no need to doubt his eyes anew, but still, he couldn’t remain calm.

As everyone watched in awe, the Two-and-a-Half-Ton Truck kept moving.

Surrounding the Barbarian Warrior and the truck he was pushing, they all began their march.

Seo Yun was walking at the front as the guide when a voice came from behind.

“Gaeulbi? Let’s talk for a bit.”

The day darkened quickly. Illuminating the cold, dark street with a single Flaming Sword, Seo Yun walked at the head of the group.

If the attackers were watching this situation, they’d probably only see this side. He felt tense, worried that another bullet might lodge in this shoulder, but that tension shattered in an instant.

Had she finished her conversation with Oh Haengun? Gaeulbi approached, whining.

“I got scolded so much…”

Her voice sounded like she was about to cry any moment. Surely she wasn’t acting like this at her age just because she got scolded by an adult; it seemed she was frustrated by the fact she got scolded itself.

Seo Yun sighed.

“You shouldn’t have acted recklessly. If you provoked them unnecessarily, we could’ve really had a fight, right?”

“Even so, aren’t you angry?”

“I am angry, but you can’t just act on emotions. Everyone’s lives were at stake.”

“But being treated like this… getting pushed around again and again…”

“You’re not a soldier, are you?”

“I could be a soldier!”

Gaeulbi shouted, clenching her fists. Seo Yun pondered how to console this vengeance-filled girl.

Honestly, he wanted to tell her to forget about revenge and all that. If left unchecked, just as she once tried to shoot an arrow at him, she might kill several people, and letting a seventeen-year-old girl shoot and kill someone wasn’t something an adult could feel comfortable about.

But he knew that advising her to calm down or to ditch useless revenge and do something productive would only fuel her anger. He’d just look like a hypocrite pretending to be good.

So he gave another reason.

“But if you keep doing that, Siwoo and I, who are traveling with you, will also be in danger. Just endure for now, okay?”

“How long do I have to endure…?”

“You said you’d get stronger at Level 15, right? When you become a monster like that Barbarian Warrior who can even catch bullets, then you can deal with them. Until then, endure, okay?”

Gaeulbi sniffled, and after a long while, muttered in a deflated voice:

“Fine.”

Patting her shoulder, Seo Yun thought:

‘Anyway, not a hint of wisdom in every word she says. Until now, I thought her Intelligence was around 3 or 4 points. This creature has higher Intelligence than me?’

Gaeulbi sniffled, as if tears and snot were coming out. Seo Yun took a handkerchief from his backpack and handed it to her, feeling indignant.

‘The Detection Spell must be broken. Definitely.’

Meanwhile, it seemed Han Siwoo had overheard his name being mentioned during their conversation.

Han Siwoo hesitantly approached. He walked silently alongside them for a while before suddenly opening his mouth.

“About today’s incident.”

“The attack?””No, not that. You know what I mean. When we fought that… Buchu Khan Ilas, or whatever his name was. You…”

This guy is really persistent. Seo Yun frowned as she spoke.

“If you’re about to say you’re sorry or that you don’t need to do that again, just drop it.”

“But still, isn’t it weird to just act like nothing happened?”

Seo Yun sighed and said,

“Then praise me. That’s better than saying you feel ashamed or something negative like that.”

“Praise?”

“Yeah, praise. I don’t really like being complimented, but whatever. Even if it makes me cringe right now, I’ll bear with it. So go ahead, say something.”

Then Seo Yun looked at Han Siwoo. Seeing his tightly shut lips refusing to open, she urged him.

“Why aren’t you praising me?”

“It’s a bit awkward to compliment you outright…”

“Just say I was cool or something.”

“Alright… you were cool.”

“You should say I was fucking cool.”

“You were fucking cool.”

Gaeulbi stared at them incredulously, then grinned and shouted,

“I, too, applaud our little Goddess!”