Chapter 53: My Brother Has Changed |
As I reached the vagrant, who was gaping with a look of disbelief, the female mage looked up at me with eyes full of terror. I, too, lowered my head, my indifferent gaze meeting hers. She was a classic cat-like beauty with slightly upturned eyes. Seeing her tremble, I was suddenly struck by a strange sense of déjà vu.
In my first life, I operated mostly in the shadows. For all my activities, not many people knew of me, but those who did once called me the Vagrant Hunter.
Later on, the line between regular users and vagrants became blurred, but originally, the term "vagrant" conjured negative images of murder, robbery, and rape. As the vagrants’ activities intensified, regular users, following the principle of an eye for an eye, secretly formed a clan. A gathering of users who hunted vagrants. That clan was the very name given to users who specialized in hunting them.
The clan, true to its name, didn't care what you did as long as your target was a vagrant. Enslaving them, using them for human experiments, murdering them, raping them—any scummy act was permitted as long as it was against a vagrant. They were granted the authority to do anything. Their deeds were so vicious that even some regular users who knew the situation began to avoid the hunters in that clan.
Though I only participated for a short time, I recalled the things I had done as a member of that clan. I let my sword, sticky with the blood of the vagrants I had just dispatched, hang by my side. Still, for a mage, she had decent skill and sense, which piqued my curiosity for information.
⚔ Player Status ⚔
Name: Lee Bo-mi (Year 0)
⚡ Strength: 36
💨 Agility: 42
💪 Stamina: 34
✨ Magic Power: 62
🍀 Luck: 40
Just as I expected, she was a user for less than a year. Her experience as a vagrant was likely even shorter. As a mage, her stats were decent enough. It was only because Hyeon, Sol, and Yu-jeong’s stats were so exceptional that hers seemed average; for her year, these numbers were above average. If I had met her during the Rite of Passage, I might have considered recruiting her as a comrade, but one way or another, Lee Bo-mi was now a vagrant who had tried to murder us.
“Haaah...”
Sensing my cold killing intent, Lee Bo-mi let out a feeble scream. As she did, her fingers twitched, a sign that the Shackles were slowly wearing off. I firmly stepped on her hand and slowly raised my sword. A drop of blood from the blade fell, streaking her cheek. Only then, as if finally realizing death was upon her, did the woman speak in a desperate voice.
“P-Please, spare me!”
I ignored her and turned my gaze to the others, who were watching blankly.
“See? You can do it if you try. Anyway, that was a decent battle. You clearly have experience fighting other users, so you showed a different side of yourselves just now. Of course, they were careless, but... it was pretty good.”
“I’ll do whatever you say! Please! We’re both from Korea, right? Huh? I didn’t want to do this. Please, please...!”
The expressions on their faces were complicated. They seemed happy to receive my praise, but they also looked troubled as they watched the woman screaming desperately while pinned under my foot. I continued to ignore Lee Bo-mi completely and went on.
“Still, it’s not enough to just be good at familiar fights. Of course, this is something that will be resolved with more experience, but you must always stay calm and do your part, just like you did now. And as I said before, never show mercy when dealing with vagrants. They’re a nuisance if left alive... Ah. Wait a minute. You’re being really loud.”
“I’ll give you everything I have! If you want, my body, no. I’ll even be your slave... Gack!”
Her incessant babbling got on my nerves, so I casually plunged my sword into her neck. As I thrust it into her slender throat, she let out a single scream before coughing up a gush of blood and dying.
“Ah...”
“Hk...!”
I casually pulled the sword from her neck and flicked the blood off, hearing the shocked gasps from the others. In that moment, I realized my mistake. A habit from my days as a Vagrant Hunter in my first life had surfaced. I had done it instinctively. Just like in my first time through Hall Plain, I had killed her without a second thought, but it occurred to me that this might create a bit of a disconnect with the image I had shown them so far.
Glancing over, I saw them staring at the woman's limp body, their throats bobbing as they swallowed hard.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The day was already drawing to a close. The faint sunlight had completely vanished, and a jet-black darkness was slowly encroaching on our surroundings. Judging by the distance we had covered, we were still only past the halfway point. Since it wasn’t a journey that could be completed in a day or two, I decided not to rush.
The kids were definitely growing with each battle. They weren't perfect, but they no longer made the same mistakes they did at the very beginning. We had fought a total of six battles in the Obsidian Forest today alone. If it hadn't been for that last fight, the day might have passed rather smoothly.
“Cure!”
“Ugh...”
I watched An Hyeon, who was lying on the forest floor, groaning in pain. Sol was hovering over him, sweating profusely as she cast the healing spell. Hyeon’s entire body was covered in bite marks from wolves. A pack of nearly sixteen Obsidian Forest wolves had ambushed us. Almost half of them, eight wolves, had charged An Hyeon, so I couldn't really blame him. He must have fought desperately, knowing that if he fell, Sol would be in immediate danger.
Wolves weren't typically difficult opponents, but with the Obsidian Forest's buff, they possessed an aggression and agility far beyond that of ordinary wolves. Despite being bitten all over, An Hyeon fought valiantly, brandishing his spear with the help of my support and proper battlefield coordination. In the end, he achieved the feat of taking down most of the eight wolves that had rushed him. However, he couldn't avoid collapsing, covered in blood, after the battle concluded.
I quickly took out a healing potion I had packed, applying half to his body and pouring the other half down his throat. Seeing Hyeon injured, Sol was also pouring an excessive amount of Cures on him, tears streaming down her face. In Hall Plain, getting injured like this was a daily occurrence. With the potion and a priest present, there was no fear of An Hyeon losing his life.
After the treatment was finished, An Hyeon let out a groan and sat up. Yu-jeong, who had been watching with a worried expression, finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Phew... You idiot. I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Pick one, a compliment or an insult.”
“It’s because I was worried, okay?”
“Hyeong. Did the sun set in the east today or something?”
Yu-jeong pondered An Hyeon’s words for a moment, then, realizing he was teasing her, narrowed her eyes and glared at him. Watching the two bicker as soon as he woke up, I shook my head.
“How’s your body?”
“...I think I’ve recovered. My joints ache and I feel weak, but it won’t be a problem to move.”
“Then we can’t continue fighting today. It’s probably best to set up camp here. The sun has set anyway. You did well. You held out strong.”
“It was nothing. If it weren’t for your support, Hyeong, I would’ve been down long ago.”
It seemed he had managed to notice my help even while frantically swinging his spear. No matter how many wolves appeared, they posed little threat to me. The reason I let An Hyeon get bitten a fair amount was for a different purpose.
When one recovers from an injury sustained in battle, it's possible to aim for an increase in the Endurance stat. I also speculated that it might help awaken one of his potential abilities, Unfaltering. An Hyeon might see it as a hardship now, but he would surely be rewarded for it later.
Since the sun had set and we had already fought six battles, I figured that was enough for one day. At my words, Yu-jeong, unlike An Hyeon, began to bustle about. I took the bag from Sol’s shoulders and rummaged through it, pulling out some magic stones.
Yu-jeong, who had been busy sweeping the ground clear of leaves and undergrowth, tilted her head upon seeing the magic stones I took out and spoke.
“Oppa. Does this mean we’re sleeping in this forest tonight?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Well, isn’t it a little dangerous? Monsters could attack during the night. The night watch alone feels a bit 불안해서.”
“Hmm. I bought some magic stones for camping, so it should be fine to some extent.”
Seeing them talk to me so casually, it seemed they didn't feel any particular repulsion towards me for stabbing Lee Bo-mi in the neck. Of course, they might just be pretending. But if they started going on about how I killed someone so casually or how scary it was, it would have been quite annoying. However, since they had been thoroughly educated about vagrants at the User Academy, the uncomfortable atmosphere from the Rite of Passage didn't reappear.
At the mention of magic stones, Yu-jeong’s expression turned strange. She glanced back and forth between her weapon, Hyeon’s and Sol’s weapons, the backpack, the empty potion bottles, and finally the magic stones, before speaking with a confused look.
“O-Oppa.”
“What is it now? If it’s not urgent, help me prepare the camp.”
“No, it’s not that. It’s not urgent, but... where on earth did you get all this?”
“Get what?”
When I asked back with a nonchalant expression, Yu-jeong pointed to each item one by one as she continued.
“The weapons. The inn fee. The backpacks. The magic stones. The potions. And everything else. Even with the money we gave you and your weekly allowance combined, it would only be around 10 gold, right? I heard magic stones alone are incredibly expensive...”
“Magic stones for camping aren’t that expensive. They emit an aura that repels monsters. And they’re not great quality, so we still need to stand watch.”
“Still. No matter how I think about it, I can’t believe you got all this with just 10 gold. Did you get money from somewhere?”
As Yu-jeong finished speaking, An Hyeon and An Sol nodded in agreement. I wanted to brush it off, but their curious faces told me they wouldn't let it go until they got an answer. Holding four magic stones, I pretended to prepare the ground for the campsite and spoke in an indifferent tone.
“The User Academy.”
“The Academy? Was there some kind of bonus for being a top performer in training?”
“No. I received it when I got clan offers.”
“Huh? But you rejected them all, Oppa. They still gave it to you?”
“Hyeong. Don't tell me you took the money and ran?”
As Yu-jeong and Hyeon questioned me one after another, I sighed again. I saw their bodies flinch at my sigh. It seemed my initial outburst of anger still lingered in their minds. I had only sighed, but Yu-jeong looked as if she regretted asking a needless question, and An Hyeon scratched his head, worried he had misspoken.
I smacked my lips once and continued.
“They just gave it to me as a gesture of goodwill. Said to come find them if I ever changed my mind. There was no reason to refuse a simple gift, was there?”
“Oho...”
What ‘oho’? It was a lie I had made up on the spot, but it wasn't an entirely unreasonable excuse, so they seemed to accept it. Lying like this never sat well with me. But I couldn't tell them about my past, so I just answered with a calm face.
“I figured it was better to just take it than to act proud. But it’s not like we have a lot to spare. They didn’t give me that much. If we don’t get a return on our investment from this expedition, we might not even be able to afford meals, let alone an inn.”
“Heeh. I wouldn’t like that. So that’s why you told us to check the vagrants’ belongings earlier. I didn’t really like that part.”
Obsidian Scorpions and wolves don't yield anything worth money. Some monsters are profitable, and some are not. One of the reasons vagrants are so prevalent is that killing another user can bring in a huge sum of money in one go, incomparable to hunting monsters. Conversely, it meant that users could also make a handsome profit by hunting vagrants.
Honestly, if the kids hadn’t been there, I would have stripped the male and female vagrants down to their underwear. But with my secret funds and their eyes on me, I only took what was readily visible. Having lived such a life of struggle in my first playthrough, it seemed I still couldn't shake off my subconscious habits.
“You're talking like someone who's never had to worry. Does gold grow on trees? Anyway, we’ll rest for today and push hard again tomorrow. Let’s set up our spots and prepare to camp.”
After making An Hyeon, who was about to get up at my words, lie back down, I reached for the backpack. Lifting it slightly, it felt a little heavier than before we set out, thanks to looting the vagrants.
Reaching inside, I took out the sleeping bags and stared blankly at Yu-jeong and Sol preparing dinner. Both looked exhausted, but they didn't seem to be in shock. There were still many areas for improvement, and I planned to watch them more, but for now, I felt I could rest easy.
============================ Author's Note ============================
Hello, this is Ro Yu-jin.
Haha. They say an author speaks through their writing, but I seem to have forgotten an important fact. By paying attention to every single comment, I think I forgot my main duty. However, I never intended to start a debate. For any questions readers may have, I will resolve them through the future development of the story. Thank you to everyone who gave me valuable advice.
『 Replies to Comments 』
1. 사람인생: Congratulations on first place! Your rate of taking first place has been increasing lately. :)
2. hohokaya1: Thank you. :)
3. Toranoanal: Haha. I wanted to cater to all readers' tastes, but lately, I've been feeling that it's impossible. Honestly, I now regret skipping the User Academy part in just two chapters. I should have proceeded with it to some extent, even if it meant getting some criticism.
4. 에인트제: Lee Bo-mi is gone. ㅜ.ㅠ
5. 드래곤음양사: Haha. I didn't intend to start a debate. I will do my best to resolve any questions through the story's development. Thank you for the advice. :)
6. vkfkd54: Oh. Thank you. I will work even harder to meet your expectations. :)
7. 이러저런한폐인: I'm glad you understood after reading the content. I was very worried while writing it. ㅜ.ㅠ
8. 쉬라야: Thank you!
9. 백인티모시: I'm glad you enjoyed it... to the point you couldn't take your eyes off it... thank you. ㅜ.ㅠ
10. 내가변해야산다: Yes. I feel the same way. I thought it would be strange if they acted too skillfully in their first life-threatening battle. :)
PS. I am writing this because a few people have misunderstood. The content written in the afterword is not included in the chapter's word count (K). I have directly inquired with Joara, and they replied that while writing an afterword in the main 'content' section could be a major issue, it is fine to write as much as I want in the afterword section. So please stop sending me messages about the afterword. ㅜ.ㅠ
I always read all the comments repeatedly. Please don't be too disappointed if your comment isn't in the re-replies. If you have any pressing questions, please send me a message, and I will reply! (Please leave lots of comments! And recommendations too... ☞☜)
Well then, I will take my leave for today.
I hope you can always read the story with a comfortable heart.
Favorites, recommendations, comments, critiques, and questions are always welcome.