Chapter 27

00027 A Meeting with Familiar People.

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Four people emerged, pushing through the dense undergrowth. Three were men, and one was a woman. All of them had disheveled hair and tattered clothes, looking like beggars. Of course, our appearance was no better, so I had no intention of mocking them.

I quickly observed the characteristics of the four. The man standing on the far left had a short sports haircut and held a long bow in his right hand. He seemed to be skilled with the bow. His tight-lipped expression and deep-set eyes suggested a taciturn personality.

'Hmm...?'

At that moment, I felt a strange sense of familiarity. If he was a user I knew, he must have been active in the Hol Plain. Though his face was somewhat common, I decided to move on and began to shift my gaze clockwise.

The person standing at the forefront had hair that reached almost to his waist. His face was slender, and his body was slim, making him easily mistaken for a woman from behind. However, his strong jawline and sharp eyes revealed that he was a man.

In the center, there was a woman who seemed to be under their protection. Her delicate features caught my eye. She was looking at us with a worried expression while scanning the surroundings, seemingly searching for something.

On the far right, a man was twirling a dagger and showing his teeth in a smirk. At first glance, his rebellious attitude was not particularly appealing.

A moment of silence passed, and the man at the forefront glanced at us. Then, with a hoarse voice, he spoke.

"You seem to be survivors like us."

"We've met survivors before, so there's nothing surprising about it," the man with the bow replied in a stiff tone. The man playing with the dagger then turned to us, grinned, and predictably started to act up.

"Tsk tsk... You look to be in your early twenties? Just a bunch of kids... Poor things."

At this, Anhyun bristled, raising his shield and taking a step forward. I quickly grabbed his shoulder and shook my head, signaling him to stay calm. Fortunately, he understood and clenched his teeth, stepping back. The rebellious man, seeing this, let out a hollow laugh and widened his eyes.

"Did you see that? That thug-like guy. He got angry at what I said. Man, what a wimp. Scary."

"You started it. Leave it to Jungmin for now."

"Whatever."

The man with the bow scolded him, and he pouted, falling silent. However, the tension between the groups was already palpable. It was understandable that we were frustrated, as they seemed to ignore us and talk among themselves.

At that moment, the man with long hair spoke up.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Jungmin. As you know, we ended up in this wretched place by chance."

'Jungmin. The Red Fang Clan Lord?'

A memory flashed through my mind, and I was startled. The man known as the devil, with dual daggers as his trademark. Could this man in front of me be Jungmin?

I quickly activated my Third Eye.

『User Information (PLAYER STATUS)』

* Name (NAME): Jungmin

* Gender (SEX): Male (26)

* Height • Weight: 177.9cm • 65.7kg

* Alignment: Neutral • Chaos (True • Chaos)

『Abilities』

* [Strength 51] [Endurance 43] [Agility 59] [Health 48] [Magic 55] [Luck 36]

Jungmin's user information shattered my assumption that no one in the group would surpass Anhyun. The fact that this man would later become the leader of the Red Fang Clan, a key force in the coalition, left me in shock.

"...Anhyun. And the rest of you."

Anhyun answered curtly, and the tension in Jungmin's group increased. I naturally heightened my senses. If this man was indeed Jungmin, I had a good idea who the man with the bow might be. He was surely one of the top ten in the later stages of the Hol Plain...

For a moment, I considered killing him. But I quickly dismissed the thought. If I were alone, I would have done it without hesitation, but with the others present, it was impossible. Our groups were already facing off, weapons drawn. The rebellious man sneered at Anhyun with a displeased voice.

"Kids these days. You shouldn't be treated well. Anhyun, right? If you don't want to die, you should speak more politely."

"Bro. We don't have time to fight."

"Is this the first time? It's quick to kill. Just wait quietly."

The woman in the center finally spoke, but the rebellious man cut her off. His response made her glare at him with a frightening intensity. The rebellious man licked his lips and nodded, continuing.

"Alright, alright. Don't glare at me. Before I eat you. Ah, just kidding. Just kidding. This guy can't take a joke... Anyway, listen up, kids. I'm Seung-hyun. I have a question for you. These five monkeys. Did you kill them?"

"What if we did?"

Seung-hyun. If I met you in the Hol Plain, you'd be dead. As I thought this, a clear voice echoed in the air, sharp with thorns. I hoped Yoojeong wouldn't step forward, but of course, she did. With her strong sense of pride and Seung-hyun, who seemed to be an upgraded version of Park Dong-geol, it was inevitable.

"Ha! What a lunatic. What a damn fool. What will you do if I don't warn you? You think you're something, don't you? You're just a piece of trash."

Yoojeong's words were as refreshing as always. Seung-hyun, who was somewhat similar to Park Dong-geol, laughed loudly at her words.

"Hahaha. Oh... Calm down, calm down. Haha, this damn thorn. I'll let it go this time. We're not in a good mood, and we're really, really busy. So, just answer our questions honestly and get out of here. Oh, and be polite. Not that you have to, but I won't warn you again."

Yoojeong's face twisted into her characteristic smirk.

"Psycho. What will you do if I don't warn you? You think you're something, don't you? You're just a piece of trash."

Seung-hyun, who was unexpectedly calm, sighed and picked up his dagger. I tensed my left hand.

"Kids and women, you need to be beaten to listen. Anyway, have a good day."

Seung-hyun, muttering under his breath, raised his right hand and struck at Yoojeong. At the same time, the dagger he had been playing with shot towards her forehead at lightning speed. Just as I was about to pull Yoojeong back, Anhyun, who had been on high alert, quickly moved forward, shielding her with his shield. And I...

Clang!

Swoosh! Thud.

"Aaaaaah!"

The dagger hit the shield with a loud metallic sound and fell. At the same time, Seung-hyun, who had been hit by an arrow in his right hand, collapsed. The situation was simple. While Anhyun was blocking the dagger, I had adjusted the trajectory and shot an arrow at Seung-hyun.

Of course, I didn't expect the others to stand idly by. The man with the bow quickly drew his arrow and aimed at me, but I had already shot my arrow. The bowstring snapped with a twang, and I quickly drew three more arrows, aiming at his forehead. I also activated my Third Eye.

『User Information (PLAYER STATUS)』

* Name (NAME): Yuun

* Gender (SEX): Male (25)

* Height • Weight: 180.9cm • 78.4kg

* Alignment: Neutral • Neutral (True • Neutral)

『Abilities』

* [Strength 45] [Endurance 48] [Agility 62] [Health 54] [Magic 50] [Luck 50]

Click! Clank!

Yuun. It was him. The user who, as an archer, held one of the top ten spots in the Hol Plain. He had drawn his arrow and was reloading, but my ability points were significantly higher. Yuun and I aimed at each other's heads almost simultaneously. He seemed to realize this, as his eyes wavered.

A cold tension filled the air. We remained silent for a while, but I could feel Anhyun, Yoojeong, and Kim Hanbyul gripping their weapons tightly. Despite the tension, I felt a sense of pride in their determination to fight if necessary. Meanwhile, Seung-hyun was rolling on the ground, screaming.

"Aaaaaah! Kill! Hey! Kill that bastard! Kill him!"

"...You were the one who threw the dagger first. Seung-hyun. Please shut up. You're the one who lost your cool."

Seung-hyun, who had been causing a commotion, clutched his right hand and whimpered at Jungmin's stern words. I glanced at Yoojeong, who was trembling slightly, probably not expecting the dagger to be thrown. Jungmin, who had been observing the situation, turned to us.

"Let me apologize first. Can we stop this here? This isn't benefiting either of us."

"I'd like to, but the guy with the bow isn't lowering it."

"Yuun. That's enough. Release the bowstring and lower your bow."

Jungmin, hearing my words, raised his hand and forced Yuun to lower his bow. Fortunately, Yuun looked at me for a moment and then lowered his bow. After confirming this, I slowly lowered my left arm. However, neither of us had released the tension in our stances. Jungmin looked at our group, raised his hands, and took a step forward, speaking in a tired voice.

"I'm sorry. They're not usually like this, but we've been through some tough times lately. I have a question... We're short on time. Can we get to the point?"

The group looked at me. Even Anhyun. I nodded slightly.

"Sure."

"These monkeys have been the ones we've been tracking since yesterday. We were away for a short while due to some circumstances... During that time, one of our group was kidnapped by these monkeys. We appreciate that you dealt with them, but have you seen a woman around here?"

A female user... Could it be?

I recalled a woman who had committed suicide after being raped by the monkeys at the entrance.

"Bro. Could it be the woman with the yellow cloth and long hair? Yeah?"

I sighed and covered my face with my hands. Does this girl ever think before she speaks? How could she be so stupid? I inwardly scolded Yoojeong for her thoughtless words. The other group's faces brightened, and they immediately asked us. The woman who had mentioned the lack of time was the one who spoke the loudest.

"Yes! That's her! Yellow clothes and long, flowing hair! Have you seen her?"

"Ah... Well..."

Yoojeong stammered, trying to evade the question. The others exchanged glances, not answering. The woman they had seen at the entrance was likely the one they were talking about, but it felt wrong to say she had been raped and killed by the monsters. As we hesitated, the men's expressions hardened, probably guessing what had happened. The woman, however, continued to plead.

"Did you see her on your way? Or even a glimpse?"

"..."

"Please. I beg you. Where did you see her? She's my younger sister. She's really kind and... innocent... Sob..."

Seeing the woman on the verge of tears, the group turned to me again. The ones who had been ready to fight a moment ago were now leaving the difficult task to me. I sighed inwardly and slowly spoke.

============================ Author's Note ============================

1. Typos and context corrections.