Chapter 56 Part 1: Cooperation
TL NOTE:
Hello~
It’s a Holiday in my country, so to celebrate the start of may, I present to you a double update!
Have fun~
* * *
It was a pretty sleek move for an Assassin Guild.
Besides, no matter how urgent the situation was, I didn’t even realize their presence until they touched my body…
‘I’m still lacking a lot.’
As a guild specializing in reconnaissance, it was probably a natural occurrence.
Assassins’ stealth skills are often undetectable even to high-ranking hunters.
Min Seo-Yoon dropped me off when we had gained some distance.
Soon after, the gate was finally declared clear.
「Notice: The boss monster, the Red Mist Spider, is dead!」
Apparently, red mist is a characteristic of its habitat.
「Calculating contribution points!」
「You have 4,612 contributions.」
「Congratulations, you are tied for first place in contributions!」
Apparently, Hye-Won and I got a high score because we were able to hold off the spider alone.
Lee Hyung-woo, who only managed to hit a few, got second place.
I stepped out of the gate and faced reality.
I was relieved to see that the red haze that had been stifling my vision was finally gone, but I didn’t have time to breathe.
It was urgent to identify the remaining survivors.
The process of ripping and checking the cocoons lasted a long time.
“R.I.P. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.to the deceased.”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
“Myeongchul! Hah, hah……”
“Hoowhoo…”
Each opening was a mixture of sorrow and blessing.
There was no greater tragedy than unwrapping a cocoon containing a dead body.
I, too, was nervous that I would find a dead Kim Tae-byung inside the cocoon.
Time passed for a long time, but he was nowhere to be seen.
When I finally opened the last cocoon, I saw a man with short shaved hair and a strong jaw that gave the impression of strength.
It was the Kim Tae-Byung I remembered, albeit with a few scars.
‘So he’s here..’
I put my finger down to his chest, and to my relief, I could feel his heart beating.
‘He’s Alive.’
With that realization, my legs eventually went limp.
Someone caught me as I swayed.
After a moment, my exhausted body loses its balance and I lean back a little.
I was about to say thank you when I suddenly recognized the familiar face of a person.
It was a man with sharp features and a pair of glasses that were no longer cracked.
“… Seol Min-Joon?”
“You remember.”
When I first saw him, I thought he must have been the type who would often read a book, but now that he was dressed as a Nightwalker, he finally had the look of a hunter.
‘The two of us, the twins, and Seol Min-Joon have turned into hunter aspirants, and it looks like Lee Chan-Song decided to carry on his family tradition. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Actually, I haven’t heard from him in a while…’read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
I suddenly remembered what Da-jung told me at the training center.
Of course, I thought it would be fine if he changed from a Ranger to an Assassin, since Assassin’s usually specializes in Agility and are often required to have the unique skill ‘Reconnaissance’, but I felt a little weird because he had become more like a Hunter than I thought.
“Long time no see. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Thankfully, Kim Tae-byung seems to be okay.”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
It seemed that he, like me, had heard about Kim Tae-byung’s disappearance.
They must have kept in touch.
I moved away from Seol Min-joon.
I was actually surprised to meet him here.
“I want to thank everyone for their help. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.The survivors have all been identified!”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
Lee Hyung-woo shouted loudly.
I was about to say something, but I got distracted by Lee Hyung-Woo’s speech.
“A total of 30 people were tasked to clear on this mission, and The number of people who survived… is 11…”
A survival rate of less than half.
It was actually fortunate that Kim Tae-byung was among them.
Lee Hyung-woo’s face stiffened as he briefly reported.
“The 11 lives saved are all thanks to you. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
He bowed respectfully. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Out of respect, we bowed towards him as well.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
The sun was slowly setting by now. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.It was setting behind Lee Hyung-Woo’s back, and the backlight made it hard to see his face.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
“We can all depart now.”
There was no confusion, but… there was one thing that bothered me…
Hye-won thanked me for my hard work and asked me to go home, but I was too lost in thought to respond.
I thought to myself that the spider was surely… Hungry because he’s been eating sparingly.
So, in the middle of the fight, It tore off one of the cocoons and ate it.
Even when we were fighting, I felt a little uncomfortable.
Perhaps the math is strange.
‘If It ate 10 out of 30 people and kept only 20 in its cocoon, can it say that it was ‘Wasteful’…?’
Of course, since it’s a new monster, its feeding habits need to be studied in more detail, but monsters that have this method of storing food often have the characteristic of not being able to eat much at once.
‘Besides, it seems quite intelligent. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.It’s not like it can’t do math.’read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
Something’s wrong.
❖
“You called me earlier than I thought.”
Baek Mok-Ryeon smiled slightly. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.I didn’t know what to say either.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
I took her business card, hoping I wouldn’t have to see her again, but I didn’t expect to call her less than a week later.
“I figured you’d call me at some point, when you finally realize that you can’t carry everything on your shoulders alone.”
It’s pretty creepy when my behavior is within her expectations.
“So. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.What information did you bring with you?”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
It’s like being treated like an informant.
But I have my doubts, and since I don’t have access to the government’s data, I don’t have a choice.
I took a sip of my coffee and pull out my Bon Ron.
“How many Hunters go missing at the gate?”
Baek Mok-Ryeon paused for a moment after hearing my question, as if to think, then spoke,
“It’s hard to tell the difference between a dead hunter and a missing hunter inside the Gate, so statistically it’s not meaningful to count ‘Missing hunters’ alone, because they’re usually lumped together. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.If they go missing inside the Gate, they’re probably dead anyway, and their bodies are probably eaten by monsters.”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
That’s the general theory.
A “Missing Hunter” is implicitly synonymous with a “Dead Hunter”, because if they’re not dead, they’re going to show up somehow as soon as the gate is cleared.
“Is there really no way to distinguish between just ‘Missing hunters’?”
“… Where did you get that information?”
“Huh?”
Baek Mok-Ryeon snapped, while clicking her tongue.
“Maybe we should pay more attention to security. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Where did you pick that up?”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
“What?”
I had to repeat myself.
“Data on missing hunters. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.It’s a field I’ve only recently started paying attention to… and you just happened to know about it?”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
“I didn’t realize the lab was conducting such research.”
For once, I was sincere, but she was still glaring at me, as if her trust in me had been shattered after the thousandth linguist theory.
I glared back.
Chapter 56 Part 1: Cooperation
TL NOTE:
Hello~
It’s a Holiday in my country, so to celebrate the start of may, I present to you a double update!
Have fun~
* * *
It was a pretty sleek move for an Assassin Guild.
Besides, no matter how urgent the situation was, I didn’t even realize their presence until they touched my body…
‘I’m still lacking a lot.’
As a guild specializing in reconnaissance, it was probably a natural occurrence.
Assassins’ stealth skills are often undetectable even to high-ranking hunters.
Min Seo-Yoon dropped me off when we had gained some distance.
Soon after, the gate was finally declared clear.
「Notice: The boss monster, the Red Mist Spider, is dead!」
Apparently, red mist is a characteristic of its habitat.
「Calculating contribution points!」
「You have 4,612 contributions.」
「Congratulations, you are tied for first place in contributions!」
Apparently, Hye-Won and I got a high score because we were able to hold off the spider alone.
Lee Hyung-woo, who only managed to hit a few, got second place.
I stepped out of the gate and faced reality.
I was relieved to see that the red haze that had been stifling my vision was finally gone, but I didn’t have time to breathe.
It was urgent to identify the remaining survivors.
The process of ripping and checking the cocoons lasted a long time.
“R.I.P. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.to the deceased.”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
“Myeongchul! Hah, hah……”
“Hoowhoo…”
Each opening was a mixture of sorrow and blessing.
There was no greater tragedy than unwrapping a cocoon containing a dead body.
I, too, was nervous that I would find a dead Kim Tae-byung inside the cocoon.
Time passed for a long time, but he was nowhere to be seen.
When I finally opened the last cocoon, I saw a man with short shaved hair and a strong jaw that gave the impression of strength.
It was the Kim Tae-Byung I remembered, albeit with a few scars.
‘So he’s here..’
I put my finger down to his chest, and to my relief, I could feel his heart beating.
‘He’s Alive.’
With that realization, my legs eventually went limp.
Someone caught me as I swayed.
After a moment, my exhausted body loses its balance and I lean back a little.
I was about to say thank you when I suddenly recognized the familiar face of a person.
It was a man with sharp features and a pair of glasses that were no longer cracked.
“… Seol Min-Joon?”
“You remember.”
When I first saw him, I thought he must have been the type who would often read a book, but now that he was dressed as a Nightwalker, he finally had the look of a hunter.
‘The two of us, the twins, and Seol Min-Joon have turned into hunter aspirants, and it looks like Lee Chan-Song decided to carry on his family tradition. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Actually, I haven’t heard from him in a while…’read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
I suddenly remembered what Da-jung told me at the training center.
Of course, I thought it would be fine if he changed from a Ranger to an Assassin, since Assassin’s usually specializes in Agility and are often required to have the unique skill ‘Reconnaissance’, but I felt a little weird because he had become more like a Hunter than I thought.
“Long time no see. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Thankfully, Kim Tae-byung seems to be okay.”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
It seemed that he, like me, had heard about Kim Tae-byung’s disappearance.
They must have kept in touch.
I moved away from Seol Min-joon.
I was actually surprised to meet him here.
“I want to thank everyone for their help. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.The survivors have all been identified!”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
Lee Hyung-woo shouted loudly.
I was about to say something, but I got distracted by Lee Hyung-Woo’s speech.
“A total of 30 people were tasked to clear on this mission, and The number of people who survived… is 11…”
A survival rate of less than half.
It was actually fortunate that Kim Tae-byung was among them.
Lee Hyung-woo’s face stiffened as he briefly reported.
“The 11 lives saved are all thanks to you. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
He bowed respectfully. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Out of respect, we bowed towards him as well.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
The sun was slowly setting by now. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.It was setting behind Lee Hyung-Woo’s back, and the backlight made it hard to see his face.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
“We can all depart now.”
There was no confusion, but… there was one thing that bothered me…
Hye-won thanked me for my hard work and asked me to go home, but I was too lost in thought to respond.
I thought to myself that the spider was surely… Hungry because he’s been eating sparingly.
So, in the middle of the fight, It tore off one of the cocoons and ate it.
Even when we were fighting, I felt a little uncomfortable.
Perhaps the math is strange.
‘If It ate 10 out of 30 people and kept only 20 in its cocoon, can it say that it was ‘Wasteful’…?’
Of course, since it’s a new monster, its feeding habits need to be studied in more detail, but monsters that have this method of storing food often have the characteristic of not being able to eat much at once.
‘Besides, it seems quite intelligent. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.It’s not like it can’t do math.’read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
Something’s wrong.
❖
“You called me earlier than I thought.”
Baek Mok-Ryeon smiled slightly. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.I didn’t know what to say either.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
I took her business card, hoping I wouldn’t have to see her again, but I didn’t expect to call her less than a week later.
“I figured you’d call me at some point, when you finally realize that you can’t carry everything on your shoulders alone.”
It’s pretty creepy when my behavior is within her expectations.
“So. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.What information did you bring with you?”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
It’s like being treated like an informant.
But I have my doubts, and since I don’t have access to the government’s data, I don’t have a choice.
I took a sip of my coffee and pull out my Bon Ron.
“How many Hunters go missing at the gate?”
Baek Mok-Ryeon paused for a moment after hearing my question, as if to think, then spoke,
“It’s hard to tell the difference between a dead hunter and a missing hunter inside the Gate, so statistically it’s not meaningful to count ‘Missing hunters’ alone, because they’re usually lumped together. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.If they go missing inside the Gate, they’re probably dead anyway, and their bodies are probably eaten by monsters.”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
That’s the general theory.
A “Missing Hunter” is implicitly synonymous with a “Dead Hunter”, because if they’re not dead, they’re going to show up somehow as soon as the gate is cleared.
“Is there really no way to distinguish between just ‘Missing hunters’?”
“… Where did you get that information?”
“Huh?”
Baek Mok-Ryeon snapped, while clicking her tongue.
“Maybe we should pay more attention to security. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Where did you pick that up?”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
“What?”
I had to repeat myself.
“Data on missing hunters. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.It’s a field I’ve only recently started paying attention to… and you just happened to know about it?”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.
“I didn’t realize the lab was conducting such research.”
For once, I was sincere, but she was still glaring at me, as if her trust in me had been shattered after the thousandth linguist theory.
I glared back.
