chapter 17

“Oh, am I alone in thinking that the monsters have disappeared today, Hyung-nim?”

“It may be because Hyunsung-ssi has cleared the perimeter. If not, it’s possible that they were driven away.”

“You mean there might be another group of survivors?”

“Well….” That Park Deokgu fellow mumbled as if anxious.

It was just a guess, but it wasn’t without cause.

Given how quiet our surroundings were, it wasn’t wrong to assume that they had been attracted by a commotion elsewhere and flocked there instead.

Kim Hyunsung seemed to have similar thoughts, but of course, he probably felt that it would be unreasonable to take Park Hyaeyoung and Jung Hayan with us to scout out the situation.

He likely judged that it was too dangerous for us to progress hastily without knowing how many of them were clustered together, their exact numbers or location.

Finally, Kim Hyunsung gave a slight nod and said,

“I think it would be best if we camped here today.”

“Yes. We should.”

We were able to find a good spot to set up camp and rest fairly quickly.

Of course, we didn’t have any tents, but having an enclosed space gave us a certain sense of security.

“Hyaeyoung-ssi and Kiyoung-ssi will take first watch, followed by Hayan-ssi and myself. Lastly, I will also take the final watch with Deokgu-ssi.”

“Will you be alright?”

“Yes. I’ll be fine.”

There was no reason to stop him if he chose to take that on himself.

‘Taking the first watch isn’t bad.’

Unlike those with high physical attributes, I, with lousy abilities, needed to get a lot of rest.

Given Kim Hyunsung’s physical strength and mana, standing guard overnight wouldn’t be a problem for him.

“Get some rest.”

“Hyung-nim, thank you in advance for your hard work.”

“T-take care.”

I nodded brusquely hearing their voices.

Once everyone else, including Jung Hayan, had entered the inner stone chamber, Park Hyaeyoung slowly began to bawl.

It was as if she was losing her mind.

She pretended to be indifferent, but personally, I expected it to be a big shock to her.

The monster’s screams, the terror of being guided into killing, the impact of a striking spear, and the sensation of doing it with her own hands.

It made sense that she would be scared.

Perhaps she was reminded of her time at the starting point, or the sight of blood and guts spilling out from the monster’s body was too shocking.

There was still time before our watch began.

I thought it wouldn’t hurt to give a few words of comfort.

“Don’t think of it as a big deal.”

“Pardon?”

“Now that we’re here, it’s something that everyone will have to go through. It would be better to think of it just as an experience you’ve had a little earlier than the others.”

“Yes.”

Compared to when we’d started out, she seemed rather lifeless.

“At first, I thought I could….”

“It will be the same for everyone. You’ll probably feel better once you’ve gotten used to it.”

“What was it like for Kiyoung-ssi?”

“I don’t really remember it. The only thought in my mind was that if I didn’t do something, I would die, so I took it down with a rock. It was terrifying… But looking back, it was what I needed to do. My hands and entire body were covered with brain matter and guts, and the smell made me gag.”

When it came to living or dying, there was no choice.

Doing things half-heartedly, when my life was on the line, was a gamble I didn’t want to take.

I figured that Park Deokgu wouldn’t run away without me, and I wanted to inspire him into action.

At that time, blood had rushed to my head.

“Ah… It’s funny, I thought you wouldn’t have been bothered by it.”

“Well, since you’re helping us out, I’m saying that you don’t really have a choice in this.”

As I’d expected, she seemed to be a little bit disappointed.

“I wasn’t lying, I thought I would’ve been able to do as well as you wanted me to….”

I thought so too.

Her disposition wasn’t bad and she acted within her abilities. I thought there would have been some returns if I showed her kindness, so I had forced one more person into our group. However, reality left a lot to be desired.

Seeing Park Deokgu, Kim Hyunsung, and I casually going back and forth outside, what we had set out to do might have seemed easy.

From my point of view, there was no reason to invest in Park Hyaeyoung.

I had Park Deokgu, who was a strong guy. Though he was a bit nervous at times, he could hold his own.

I’d only intentionally tried to help Park Hyaeyoung as insurance.

However, if she kept getting frightened like this, she wouldn’t be of much use to me either.

“I was a little happy when you held me from behind earlier.”

Thinking back to it, I also remembered her shaking and trembling like an idiot.

At that time, I had been cursing her out in my mind as well.

But I couldn’t do anything but nod my head sharply.

“I was a little out of it, so I might have come across a little coarse… I hope for your understanding.”

“Yes. O-of course.”

“In addition, that will be the first and last time I’ll help you. You will be on your own next time.”

“Yes….”

I could see Park Hyaeyoung watching me.

Well, I didn’t know if she wanted to have a staring match.

The silence stretched on. After a while, when I was about to speak again, a voice came from behind us.

“O-oppa….”

“Kiyoung-ssi, Hyaeyoung-ssi. It’s time to switch.”

Kim Hyunsung and Jung Hayan came out. I hadn’t expected time to pass by so quickly.

“You’re here a bit early. You should sleep a bit more.”

“No, it’s fine. I just woke up… I’ll try to wake you up in the morning.”

“Thank you very much, Hyunsung-ssi.”

I approached Jung Hayan, who stood at a bit of a distance from Kim Hyunsung, and patted her head lightly. She ducked her head and blushed.

Jung Hayan was back to normal.

Seeing that the look in her eyes when she saw Park Hyaeyoung didn’t seem unusual, perhaps what I had seen last time was just my imagination.

“Thanks in advance, Hayan-ah.”

“Sorry? Yes… Yes, Oppa!”

Her exclamation was a bit loud. She clasped her hands over her mouth, perhaps out of surprise. It was a little cute.

Nodding faintly, I immediately moved inside. At a glance, I could see Park Deokgu snoring away.

‘You sure sleep peacefully.’

It would be a blessing to be able to sleep like that in this kind of environment.

Park Hyaeyoung went over to the spot she had claimed earlier and lay down, and I also settled down a little ways away from Park Deokgu.

My head was full of idle thoughts.

I wondered if, after this hunt, the group in the shelter would follow in our footsteps.

What Kim Hyunsung was thinking.

If there really was a way out of this place.

When it came to our final assault on this place, what would we do and how would it turn out?

Jung Hayan, who had already gained a class; the truth about Kim Hyunsung’s regression, what had happened in the past, what kind of relationship I would have with Lee Jihye after the tutorial…

I asked myself what I would do if I was unable to fall asleep, but I guess that concern was completely groundless.

We’d walked a lot to begin with, and mentally, I was a little stressed, so my eyes closed quickly.

‘What time is it.’

Perhaps because my bed was slightly uncomfortable, I woke up in the middle of the night.

I could hear Park Deokgu slowly getting up. He was probably going outside to stand guard with Kim Hyungung.

There was the sound of Park Hyaeyoung tossing and turning for a while, and then that of Jung Hayan coming back inside once more.

“Sleep well, Noonim.”

“Deok-Deokgu-ssi, thank you in advance for your hard work.”

I felt like they talked a little more after that, but my eyes had slowly drifted shut once again.

As their voices grew quieter and quieter, my consciousness grew dim.

What woke me up again was a strange sensation on my lips.

It was as if there was something gripping onto my hands. I tried to get up right away, but I couldn’t move my body. Rather, there was a sense that someone was staring fixedly at me.

Jung Hayan’s voice came to me in an almost imperceptible whisper.

“Mm…… Ahn……”

I couldn’t make out what she was saying because I wasn’t fully awake.

Of course, at that point I realised who was watching me.

My hazy mind became clear.

Naturally, my drowsiness fled instantaneously.

I opened my left eye slightly and, glancing upwards, I made out a black shadow looking down at me.

I didn’t know what it was, but I wasn’t so stupid as to get up in this situation.

I knew then that Jung Hayan’s quiet whisper didn’t mean she was talking to me.

‘What’s happening?’

Even after I tried to squeeze my eyes shut, I kept hearing noises.

There was the sound of rustling clothes, the sensation of a body brushing against mine, and even the soft touch of lips.

“Haa… Haa.…”

‘What is this.’

I had never been so bewildered.

I wasn’t sure if she had some strange kink or if this was a side effect of being pushed too hard lately, but one thing for sure was that she was having a really good time.

“Haa….”

Only it was a little too much of a good time.

For now, it seemed best to cheer her on.

It wasn’t a bad result, as building a close relationship with Jung Hayan had been the top priority in the first place.

However, the ideal relationship I’d had in mind was that of Oppa-and-Dongsaeng.

I never wanted to be in this kind of situation.

It wasn’t until a little while later that Jung Hayan collapsed a little way away from me.

There was a rustling sound that kept me awake.

Whether it was a good idea or not, out of curiosity, I opened my eyes slightly.

I could see Jung Hayan’s back as she silently looked down at Park Hyaeyoung.

“…….”

She watched Park Hyaeyoung sleep for a long time.

She just stood there, staring at her, without moving an inch.

‘Is she sleepwalking, or what.’

I wasn’t sure when things had started to get messed up, but it was clear that something had gone wrong.

First of all, there was the fact that she hid the truth about her class. The look on her face when Park Hyaeyoung was selected to go on the expedition with us was also on my mind.

At that moment..

It occurred to me that there had to be a cause for this abnormal behaviour.

It was then that Jung Hayan’s head swung in my direction.

It was only for a second, but our eyes met.

I felt a familiar sensation.

A shiver ran down my spine.

‘Gah….’

I shut my eyes reflexively, but I couldn’t tell if I’d been caught or not.

Wait, but why was I hiding?

‘Why am I afraid?’

I didn’t know why, but I had flinched.

Was it the influence of mana? If not, was this similar to the concept of killing intent shown in manhwa?

Subconsciously, my mind kept replaying the expression that Jung Hayan had worn before.

Since she wasn’t saying anything, it seemed like she hadn’t realised I was awake. Still, something felt off within this space, which had fallen terrifyingly quiet.

‘Shit….’

I didn’t understand how things had turned out this way.

I couldn’t hear the sounds of rustling, breathing, moans, or movement that I had heard before.

I could hear Park Hyaeyoung breathing intermittently, but no sound left Jung Hayan’s mouth.

I tried to fall asleep, but something kept me awake.

Not far from me, I could sense someone quietly lying down.

“…….”

“…….”

Perhaps it was Jung Hayan.

A second felt like a minute.

After who knows how long, a voice came from outside that spelled either fortune or disaster.

“It’s time to wake up.”

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