Chapter 4

A famous line he had learned in school once flashed through his mind. For a moment, Ivan felt as if he had become Kim Cheonji. A domestic abuser, the original tsundere, and the bane of high school students. When Ivan muttered incomprehensible words, the party members all glanced at him. A party member who suddenly exhibits strange behavior during a mission is always a cause for suspicion.

“I don’t like the feeling. We need to quickly identify the cause of the anomaly or abandon the mission and hurry out of the forest.”

The other party members looked uncomfortable upon hearing this.

They had all been hired for a substantial fee, and it was awkward to have a comrade spout ominous words right at the start.

“You were supposed to be great, having slain a hydra in the west. But you seem to be a coward.”

“Has there ever been a risk-free mission? If you want to touch gold, you must be prepared to risk your life.”

“We’ve just entered the forest. We can’t turn back without investigating the cause.”

As each of the other party members chimed in, their gazes were far from friendly. When five people gather, there’s always one who’s a waste.

A famous saying Ivan held dear.

He thought Emin, the blue tower’s mage, would take on that role, but from the others’ looks, they seemed to think it was Ivan. ‘Damn, bad luck.’ The more he spoke, the worse the atmosphere would get, so he tried to close his mouth, but the guide Sven took his side. It seemed Sven found it impressive that Ivan knew the complex signaling methods typically used by rangers.

“Hold on, you wouldn’t say such things without any basis. You seem to have received ranger training, so there must be a reason.”

In the forest, even the smallest thing could be a clue. Reporting any anomaly, no matter how minor, was a rule for rangers.

When Sven, a former ranger, spoke, the others’ expressions eased.

If the forest expert said so, they had no choice but to follow. Ivan began to rack his brain.

He couldn’t say that the quest was suspicious and that there was bound to be a dangerous event.

“The mission is to investigate why the forest monsters have become more aggressive. So we moved into the forest as cautiously as possible.”

“We all know that. So what?”

“What I mean is, isn’t it strange? We’ve come quite deep into the forest, but we’ve only encountered two blade-horned boars so far.”

“That’s because we moved cautiously and avoided them as much as possible.”

Ivan looked at Sven, the guide, instead of answering. Sven would have noticed something was off.

“That’s right. The forest is too quiet.”

“What? Sven! What do you mean by that?”

“We did move while avoiding battles as much as possible, as I led. But even so, there are too few traces.”

Ivan quickly interjected.

“All the traces we’ve found are days old. If the monsters had become more aggressive, there should be more traces. It seems the number of monsters in this area has decreased.”

As people looked at him, Sven nodded heavily.

“I’m not sure yet, but that could be the case. You really did receive proper ranger training, didn’t you?”

“I learned a few things to stay alive. I’m not at a level where I can boast about it.”

By the time the conversation reached this point, the others understood.

“Damn. They must be gathering. Is it a monster wave?”

“Did a monster leader emerge near the lake?”

Monsters are not a single species.

It’s impossible for different species to coexist harmoniously.

If they are showing the same behavior, it means a powerful monster leader has emerged after a fierce struggle for survival. The blue tower had commissioned this mission.

People’s gazes turned to Emin. They meant for him to make the decision since he had come from the blue tower to investigate the anomaly. After a moment of contemplation, Emin spoke heavily.

“We can’t just turn back. We need to at least confirm evidence of a monster leader’s emergence.”

Everything is still speculation. Emin was right. Since they had been paid, they had to do their job.

The tower is not a pushover.

The commission fee was generous, and the contract was thorough.

Failure is acceptable, but giving up halfway is not.

“Then we need to hurry. If it’s really a monster leader, the longer we stay in the forest, the more dangerous it becomes.”

They scoured the forest until just before sunset. However, they didn’t encounter any proper monsters. They couldn’t simply be happy about not encountering any monsters. Crack! Crack! The bonfire burned quietly. Ivan and the party members stared at it, shoving jerky into their mouths. They chewed the cheap, tough, and dry jerky with effort. It took a long time to swallow just one piece.

If it were high-quality jerky, seasoned and tender, they would have devoured it with delight, but no one was indulging in such luxury.

“Damn, I wish I could have a spoonful of hot broth.”

Everyone nodded at the muttered words. Chewing the cheap jerky was a real ordeal. Finding a decent cave and entering it was good. Blocking the entrance with rocks, dirt, and branches prevented the firelight from leaking out.

But even with the fire, they couldn’t use it for cooking. In the forest, the sense of smell is more powerful than sight. The smell of food would spread, making it impossible to warm the jerky. They had ventured deep into the forest. It was dangerous to take any risks, as monsters could appear at any time.

“Damn, now I can tell something is off. Has the forest ever been this quiet?”

Ralph, the sword-and-shield warrior, shook his head after staring outside.

“I can’t even hear a single wolf pup. What’s going on?”

“We need to figure that out now. How about the watch schedule?”

“Let’s do two-hour shifts, excluding the mage.”

The order, determined by drawing lots, was Ralph, Yulia, Ivan, and Sven.

Despite the unease, Ivan climbed into his sleeping bag and fell asleep immediately. The ability to fall asleep quickly, anywhere and anytime, was crucial.

To maintain stamina.

Ivan had invested a few valuable skill points into sleep. It might seem like a foolish choice, but it had saved his life more times than any decent attack skill. Four hours passed quickly, and Ivan snapped his eyes open.

Yulia was about to shake him awake.

“You’re up.”

“No abnormalities. The forest is quiet. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.”

“It’s good for now. At least we didn’t wake up to a blade.”

Ivan got up and checked his equipment, but Yulia didn’t go to sleep and kept looking at him. There was definitely something she wanted to say.

Ivan stared at her, and Yulia finally spoke.

“I’m sorry. I took your warning lightly.”

What the heck. I thought she was about to make a love confession. Ivan felt a strange sense of disappointment as he replied.

“It’s nothing. I’ve already forgotten about it.”

“I thought I should apologize, even if it’s just a simple one.”

“If you really think so, get some sleep. You need to be well-rested for tomorrow’s fight.”

“Right.”

Yulia returned to her spot, and Ivan, left alone, stared blankly outside. The same scenery, the same silence. The sound of branches and leaves rustling was still loud, but the forest, devoid of life, felt eerily quiet.

‘A forest devoid of life?’ The magical reaction at the lakeside.

The blue tower’s commission, the strange behavior of the forest monsters.

The blue tower suspected it was not a natural occurrence after confirming the magical reaction.

A quest connected to the main story, a forest devoid of life, and the movements of the forest monsters.

The pieces of the puzzle clicked into place in Ivan’s mind.

“Damn! Undead!”

Ivan leaped up and stared outside. The forest was no longer quiet. Something was approaching. The smell of death brushed past his nose. Ivan quickly began to wake the others.

The mercenaries, half-asleep, rubbed their eyes and then all had sharp gazes.

“What’s going on?”

“There was a reason the forest was quiet. Undead.”

“What? Undead?”

“I’ll explain the details to the mage later. Quickly pack up and get ready to move.”

Undead are terrifying beings who show an immense obsession and hatred for the life they have lost. They constantly crave the blood of the living to warm their cold, dead blood. If they don’t keep moving, the undead will find them. The number of undead is unknown, but being surrounded means certain death.

“Damn, what a nuisance. If I had realized this a bit earlier, it would have been better.”

Ivan drew his sword and held a throwing axe in his other hand. Swoosh! Swoosh! Rotten flesh, broken bones, and stopped hearts.

Beings that should not move, now moving. Unnatural entities filled with death instead of life. Creak! The eyes, already clouded from the loss of life, finally found Ivan.