IRNH C33

Chapter 33

One hour earlier.

The party was lined up at the city gates, awaiting entry.

The surroundings were exactly the kind of medieval scene he had once imagined while reading novels, yet imbued with a mysterious atmosphere as if touched by magic.

The city walls looked as though they were merely built by stacking stones, but at the ends were cannons that seemed to be powered by magic, and on the outer walls, massive magic circles were carved in relief.

“Hey, you there! If you step out of line, get back to the very end!”
“Don’t be ridiculous, when did I ever step out?”
“You bastard…”

Naturally, there were also trivial quarrels scattered about.

After surveying the surroundings for some time, Sihyeon finally held out the token in his pocket—whether it was the gate’s minimal conscience or whatnot—and easily gained entry into the territory.

‘I figured there would be residents since there’s a city, but not to this extent.’

And he couldn’t help but be surprised at how noisy, bustling, and lively it all was.

“No way… It’s so… vibrant and bright…?”

“Well, it makes sense. Hunters who have only been clearing monsters in instant gates are always amazed when they first enter a place like this. Even I find it fascinating every time I see it.”

“But strangely, there don’t seem to be many children.”

“Hmm… Maybe this place has its own version of compulsory education. We all go to school during the day too, after all.”

As Kyu-min and Sihyeon exchanged small talk, they continued walking further into the city.

Thankfully, the system seemed to have changed their clothing appropriately as well, so they didn’t stand out much compared to the locals passing by.

‘But why do they keep staring like this?’

Still, the constant sidelong glances gathering around him gave Sihyeon an uncomfortable feeling, and he quickened his pace.

Before long, the people he encountered along the streets began to change. At first, they had mostly looked like ordinary folk with no power, but now, hulking figures who seemed capable of considerable strength filled the area.

[Periodin Mercenary Guild Office]

Before long, the party came to a stop in front of a large building. Though somewhat old, it was still kept in good condition.

The nameplate on the door bore indecipherable letters, but from its outward appearance alone, it was unmistakably a mercenary office, signaling that they had arrived at the right place.

‘Please, let us pass without incident.’

Sihyeon looked at the slightly swaying nameplate and prayed earnestly that his wretched Luck stat wouldn’t come into play this time, as he grasped the handle and turned it.

Creak—

Perhaps because it hadn’t even been properly oiled, the wooden door groaned with a faint metallic squeal.

At the same time, the raucous noise inside fell into a brief, heavy silence. But it didn’t last long, and the interior soon returned to its former noisiness.

Even so, Sihyeon instantly recognized that the atmosphere had not truly relaxed.

Though they seemed to be pretending to watch discreetly, within the range of the sensory field he had deliberately expanded, even the smallest tilt of their heads felt like exaggerated movements, making their efforts futile.

Of course, Sihyeon needed something here and had no intention of causing trouble, so he ignored the overly cautious behavior and quietly turned toward the counter labeled “Reception.”

“Newcomers from another city, are you?”

At that moment, a burly man even larger than Taewoon stumbled forward, reeking of alcohol and clearly looking to pick a fight.

As he swaggered closer, the surrounding noise grew louder.

—Tch, Floyd’s at it again.
—Those outsiders, why’d they have to bring a woman? Things are going to get messy.
—What do you think? Want to place a bet? The outsiders or Floyd.
—Obviously Floyd. He might be a thug, but his skills are solid.

The voices of the onlookers reached Sihyeon’s ears with sharp clarity.

But a woman…? What was that about?

“Miss, I can see you’re a magician. How about ditching these weaklings and joining our party instead, huh?”

Haaaah…

At that, Sihyeon covered his face with his hand and let out a sigh loud enough for everyone to hear.

‘Just because the setting is fantasy, does it really have to reenact clichés like this?’

But soon, the man’s filthy gaze drifted toward Taewoon behind him, sliding over him as if to devour, and veins bulged on Sihyeon’s forehead in an instant.

‘This son of a bitch, how dare he.’

He told himself over and over not to get too immersed in the situation, but the anger kept rising uncontrollably. Narrowing his eyes, Sihyeon opened his mouth, intending to drive the man away—

Squelch.

No, he had to stop, dumbfounded, at the sound of something sharp piercing through soft flesh.

The man, who had been swaggering so confidently, now had holes riddling his shoulders and arms as if they had turned into a honeycomb. Yet the people around hadn’t even realized what had happened.

Splatter—

Then, belatedly, the man’s body caught up, spurting diluted blood in a fountain.

“Uh, wh-what? Kkyaaagh!!!”

Clutching his shredded arm, the man collapsed, screaming, before falling into shock from blood loss.

Sihyeon felt a chill for a moment at the fact that the attack had pierced flesh before he even realized it—but as soon as he understood it was Taewoon’s doing, his racing heart calmed down in an instant.

And then, as if to confirm it was indeed his work, Taewoon stepped forward and once again began to raise all manner of sharp objects from within the room.

If there had been even one martial artist nearby, they would have fainted at the sheer level of mastery—but Taewoon’s expression remained serenely indifferent.

“Die.”

Shaaah—

“Wait! No, stop! Taewoon!!!”

Hesitation.

Dozens of sharp projectiles halted an inch away from the bloodied man.

Then, as if drained of power, they all clattered to the ground. For a moment, the wide space was struck by a chilling silence.

Clack.

And then the burly men filling the hall began to stand one by one, weapons in hand.

‘We’re screwed.’

“Yeon Taewoon. Kyu-min, Jeonghoon—carry him.”

Sihyeon squeezed his eyes shut and then snapped them open, his voice firm. He hoisted the frozen Yujun, mouth agape at his side, onto his shoulder in one swift motion and turned.

“Run!”

“Wh-what?! Hey! Catch those bastards!!!”

Fuck. First thing I’m buying when I get out is some item that raises Luck. But… does such a thing even exist?

Sihyeon felt his eyes begin to burn at the thought.

And so, at present—

The party stood before him like children in detention, while Sihyeon sighed heavily again and again.

Of course, the one in the worst state was Yeon Taewoon, most of all because he was in shock at the fact that Sihyeon had just addressed him with the formal honorific.

“I’m sorry, Master…”

In truth, Sihyeon knew that Taewoon had held back. If he had truly intended to kill, he wouldn’t have resorted to such a cumbersome method—just one casual hand-blade strike cloaked in energy would have sent a head rolling.

Looking at Taewoon, shoulders hunched, Sihyeon swallowed back another sigh that threatened to escape and patted his shoulder.

“…No, it’s fine. I was angry too. But next time, I’d like you to speak first before acting.”

“You were angry? Because of me? Because you were worried about me? I was so scared.”

At that, Taewoon folded his massive body into Sihyeon’s arms, pressing his forehead against his shoulder and rubbing against him. And so, Sihyeon’s voice, which had started out firm, slowly melted into softness.

Meanwhile, the three who had witnessed the entire scene silently swore to themselves never, ever to do anything that might provoke Yeon Taewoon.

‘…Surely it won’t get to the point where some noble lord suddenly shows up and makes a scene, right?’

Already wearied by the unfolding situation, Sihyeon muttered aimlessly as he pressed a hand to his forehead.

Even though the compass had given them a direction, there might still be wide valleys or treacherous terrain in the way, and the risk of problems along the route couldn’t be ignored.

If it were just him and Taewoon, that would be fine, but with the whole group, a map was essential.

‘And of course, the damn thing has to be sold only at the mercenary guild… haah.’

But now that route was smashed, and he needed another plan. A detailed map wasn’t even necessary.

If they could just find something with the topography recorded, then surely there would be a way outside of the mercenary guild.

And if not… they would just have to brute-force their way through.

“Uh, shouldn’t we at least find a place to rest for now?”

At that, Kyu-min, standing stiffly like a scolded child, spoke cautiously. Lifting his head quickly, Sihyeon looked at the earnest faces gazing at him one by one and nodded.

“For now, those of you with hoods, put them on.”

“Huh, why?”

“…Just put them on. Especially you, Taewoon.”

Only then did the other three, excluding Taewoon, nod vigorously in understanding.

Passing his own robe to Taewoon, Sihyeon pulled up his hood, and soon everyone except Kyu-min—who hadn’t had one to begin with—did the same.

As he had said before, if they were to avoid being exposed as outsiders, they would have to move as quietly as possible.

Sihyeon found a tavern tucked away off the main street.

Then, as if he were a local, he dropped naturally into a seat at a table inside.

The innkeeper neither stopped them nor looked at them with suspicion. Instead, he greeted them warmly with a broad smile.

‘Phew, thank god.’

In truth, Sihyeon had worried that the same trouble as before might flare up again, but fortunately, he had chosen the right place. Inside, it was filled more with elderly folks and ordinary people than with fighters, which gave him some relief.

“Hello! What can I get for you?”

At that moment, a scruffy-haired boy who looked to be a serving lad came bustling over and greeted them energetically. He was the first child Sihyeon had seen since arriving here.

Sihyeon offered him a faint smile.

‘Hmm, what should I order… ah, right.’

But the smile vanished instantly the moment he looked at the illegible menu. It hit him then that he had struggled to read the writing earlier too.

‘Damn it, they’re all watching me—I can’t embarrass myself here….’

Rolling his eyes slightly, Sihyeon quickly calmed his flustered heart, closed the menu, and opened his mouth as if nothing were wrong.

“Bring us the most popular dish you have here, enough for everyone.”

“Yes, adventurer! Our boar stew is the most popular dish in the house! I’ll serve you that! You can look forward to it—our head chef is famous for that dish if nothing else! That’ll be 10 rubens for five people!”

‘Boar? Ruben…?’

Once again, his tongue tied.

Come to think of it, aside from the mercenary token, there was nothing in his pocket.

For a moment, silence descended over the table.