IRNH C36

Chapter 36

“So what will the rest of you do?”

“…As the one responsible for this mission, I can’t just sit idly by. And we’ll need faces familiar to the guild members, too.”

With a resolute expression, Kyu-min spoke his piece.

Everything he said was true. The gate was an environment that required items like the Life Watch just to distinguish people. If only the two of them went, it would likely heighten suspicion rather than ensure safety, making it harder to bring the guild members back.

If not for the condition of guaranteeing safety, Sihyeon would have simply knocked them all unconscious and carried them along….

Clicking his tongue regretfully, Sihyeon shifted his gaze toward the last remaining member of the party.

“Jeonghoon, what about you?”

“Mm… I’m very sorry, but I think I should return and report this situation on the outside. I do trust you all, but in case of another unavoidable disappearance or failed rescue, someone needs to inform the others.”

Cha Jeonghoon’s reply made sense. In truth, the only one in this group who had seen Sihyeon’s true ability was Kyu-min, and Jeonghoon had been dragged along without much explanation. There was no reason he should place absolute faith in him.

Understanding his reasoning, Sihyeon nodded and began unpacking his belongings.

He sorted through the medicines and support items he had bought just in case, then repacked the bags.

“It won’t take long from here. Pack food only minimally, and prioritize medicine, since we don’t know the guild members’ condition.”

Glancing at the mercenaries, who now numbered only about fifty after so many had been carried off, Sihyeon worked swiftly. The others matched his speed, and in no time the packing was complete.

“…Please take good care of our guild members.”

Even Cha Jeonghoon, who had appeared composed until now, extended a trembling hand in farewell.

Though his hand shook faintly, Sihyeon pretended not to notice, shook it firmly twice, then turned away.

The formation that had deceived even him was fading, loosening its grip. It was time to track the suspicious group.

“Hyungnim. Do you have a plan?”

“…Taewoon and I will each carry one of you. The problem is concealment. I can’t erase the presence of others.”

“Ah, I have a way for that.”

Sihyeon frowned slightly, then widened his eyes at Kyu-min, who spoke with confidence.

Somewhat self-conscious under Sihyeon’s gaze, Kyu-min explained his skill.

“One of my skills is Assimilation. As long as there’s physical contact, I can merge our energy with the surroundings to hide us. But it breaks instantly if we touch any living being.”

So as long as they avoided living things, it would work. It was a surprising skill. Sihyeon was reminded again that Kyu-min’s class was Assassin.

He had thought the man only knew how to torture others with chatter, but the more he learned, the more new sides of him he discovered.

“If it’s just avoiding living things, Taewoon and I can handle that before they get close. Hm… our skill set suits infiltration better than I thought.”

He was already accustomed to spreading his energy out to detect living beings as they moved, so this was trivial.

Now that even stealth was solved, Sihyeon checked the dwindling mercenaries—now about thirty left—and lifted Yujun in his arms.

“Master… How could you do such a thing yourself? I can’t allow it.”
“Hm?”

Taewoon, who had been quietly standing nearby, placed a hand on Sihyeon’s shoulder and spoke in a low voice.

“Ah, it’s fine. It’s not hard.”
“…Then let me carry him.”
“What, really? In that case, I’ll take Kyu-min.”

As Sihyeon lowered Yujun with an easy reply, Taewoon’s expression twisted darkly.

“I’ll carry them both.”
“What? That’s too much. No.”
“…Then just carry the boy. I’ll carry that man.”

Kyu-min wanted to cry.

He didn’t want to be carried by Taewoon. But before he could voice his protest, their eyes met, and his head lowered on its own. Not a word could escape his lips.

After that brief standoff, Sihyeon, amused by his disciple’s fierce protectiveness, smiled and reached to grasp Kyu-min’s hand as he was slung like baggage by Taewoon.

[You are assimilated with your surroundings. Assimilation rate: 90%]

“Oh.”

At the touch, a notification window appeared before Sihyeon’s eyes. He glanced over his unchanged body and realized another flaw of the skill: while it erased presence and appearance, it didn’t mask the internal energy a person carried.

If the opponent practiced internal energy or similar arts, they would likely notice quickly.

‘Of course, Taewoon or I would sense them first and deal with it before then.’

Preparations were complete.

Sihyeon and Taewoon exchanged a look, then fixed their eyes on the direction the suspicious figures had gone.

When they kicked off the ground, their movements were identical, like mirrored shadows.

Despite all their preparations, the suspicious group hadn’t traveled far. Instead of some secret route, they were simply loading mercenaries one by one into a line of wagons.

{From now on we’ll speak with sound transmission. Respond with nods for yes or no. Do you understand?}

From atop a tree, Sihyeon scouted the surroundings and confirmed there was nothing but the wagons. He sent a voice transmission to Kyu-min and Yujun.

Startled at first, both nodded quickly in understanding.

Satisfied, Sihyeon narrowed his eyes as the last mercenary was shoved into a wagon.

‘Wagons, huh… So the destination must be quite far.’

The surrounding vegetation was thinning. At this rate, they would soon reach open grasslands or plains.

He and Taewoon could follow safely without being detected, but if another formation lay ahead that he couldn’t sense, it could be troublesome.

On the other hand, sneaking in with the mercenaries would make travel easier, but it meant being carried straight into enemy territory.

{Taewoon. What do you think? Follow outside, or enter the wagons?}
{Don’t hesitate. Whatever we do, whatever obstacles appear, Master can handle them all.}

At Taewoon’s reply, warmth surged through Sihyeon’s chest. He scratched his cheek awkwardly, turned his gaze aside, and nodded.

When he was with Taewoon, he felt as though he were someone great, not just ordinary.

It embarrassed him a little, but it also made him want to live up to those expectations all the more, to protect him with everything he had.

His determination to settle things quickly flared up again.

Glancing at the wagons starting to move, Sihyeon signaled Taewoon and slipped inside the cramped compartment filled with bodies.

By chance, the knights had turned off in another direction to report something, so sneaking in was effortless.

“Ugh… the smell….”

The wagon stank of mercenaries’ sweat. As expected, Kyu-min wrinkled his face in misery and muttered complaints.

He probably thought he had spoken softly, but to Sihyeon, who had noticed his sensitivity to smells from the very start, it was almost funny now.

“Make sure you all pretend to be unconscious.”

“Uh… Can I really do that…?”

Kyu-min pinched his nose nervously, and just then a low, chilling voice drifted from the shadows by the wall.

“If you can’t, I’ll knock you out myself.”

It was Taewoon, shoved to the side by Yujun and Kyu-min, who had taken Sihyeon’s left and right.

Kyu-min lowered his hand meekly and closed his mouth.

‘I’ll do it no matter what.’

Sweating coldly, he squeezed his eyes shut.

The wagon rolled on for much longer than expected. Only after the faint daylight outside dimmed with time did it begin to slow.

“Dump them in there. That’ll be fuel for tomorrow.”
“That should be plenty.”

The drivers spoke briefly, then the wheels clattered more heavily as the wagons were moved deeper inside.

Fuel…

The word itself left a bitter taste in Sihyeon’s mouth. He frowned faintly.

Soon the wagons jolted to a stop, and he relaxed his expression, feigning unconsciousness.

In case they were checked or if anything unexpected happened, his hand slid stealthily through the piled bodies until it closed on the hilt of a hidden blade.

Clang! Thud, thump.

But his concern proved unnecessary.

The captors simply hauled the mercenaries out like feed sacks, dumping them carelessly on the ground without even checking, before leaving.

It was fortunate they hadn’t been discovered, but the way they were tossed aside like garbage left Sihyeon feeling oddly disgusted.

“Ow…”

As Sihyeon pushed himself upright, grimacing, Yujun rubbed his back repeatedly, groaning in pain.

It seemed he had struck against the armor of fallen mercenaries when he tumbled out.

“You okay?”
“Y-yeah, I’m fine. I just checked the compass—it’s really close now. A little further and we’ll be there.”

Though his face twisted in pain, Yujun forced himself to stand, giving a report on the guild members’ location.

He looked like a child desperate to prove his usefulness, and it was almost pitiful. But hearing that the destination was near, Sihyeon rose swiftly, sweeping his eyes around the space.

It was a vast cavern with nothing inside. Apart from a few torches, there wasn’t even proper light, and the damp smell of underground clung heavily to the air.