Chapter 22. The Deal (3)

The night had grown dark.

Yeonwoo and his party made light preparations for camping.

When they were inside the inner sector, there was no distinction between day and night, so they would only take a brief nap when they were tired and wake up when they were refreshed. However, since the distinction between day and night had been established, there was no longer a need for that.

Most importantly, it was Kan's argument that they needed to regulate their condition.

"The opponent we'll face next is quite troublesome. We need to be fully prepared."

Yeonwoo nodded in agreement.

Though he didn't show it to the two of them, Yeonwoo knew what Kan and Doyle were after.

Hargan, the Lizard King.

As one of the boss monsters stationed in Sector E, the creature boasted the power to easily crush ordinary players.

Even top-tier players like Kan and Doyle couldn't guarantee victory.

Moreover, the bigger problem was:

'They're not just one.'

The Lizard King consisted of two creatures: a male and a female.

The male was named Hargan, which is why the hidden piece was called 'Hargan's Nest.' However, the true owner of the nest was the female inside, not the male. Hunting only the male and then relaxing could lead to a major disaster.

'The one with the Lizard King's crown was the female. They must have figured that out too.'

To steal the crown, players needed to be assigned to the male and female separately.

Kan could only handle one, and it would be a matter of life and death.

Thus, they needed someone to take on the other one.

Doyle, who was relatively weaker in physical strength, would take on the role of stealing the crown while the two Lizard Kings were distracted.

Therefore, Kan, Doyle, and Yeonwoo all needed to be in their best condition before finding the Lizard Kings' lair.

Kan and Doyle, who had a lot of experience with this, started preparing for camping quite skillfully.

Especially Doyle, who showed a fascinating scene when starting the campfire.

Using his insect summoning skill, he called a certain bug and had it stand on the firewood. The bug burst open, emitting a brilliant flame.

"Amazing."

Doyle smiled at Yeonwoo's brief exclamation.

"They're called Flame Bugs. When a predator tries to eat them, they ignite and burn the predator as well. The tower is full of such fascinating insects."

Yeonwoo nodded, but he kept an eye on the remains of the Flame Bug as it burned.

'Sure enough, there are many things in the tower that Jungwoo didn't know about.'

The diary left by his brother didn't contain all the information about the tower.

These things definitely needed to be checked.

The campfire burned brightly.

The three of them wrapped themselves in their sleeping bags.

They decided to take turns keeping watch and then each fell asleep.

* * *

Yeonwoo was the first to take the watch.

There was no particular reason.

He just won the rock-paper-scissors.

Crack.

Crack.

Yeonwoo gazed quietly at the burning firewood, then spread out one hand.

Five blue beads rolled on his palm.

They were tokens.

'Including what I have, I've collected a total of six so far, right?'

While moving to Hargan's Nest, Yeonwoo didn't just move.

He also found tokens hidden throughout the forest.

The tokens were in different locations.

In rock crevices, by streams, on trees, in bird nests, and so on.

Finding them was very easy.

'My heightened senses could even detect the locations of the tokens.'

The tokens gave off a slightly alien feeling.

They seemed to contain some specific power, making them different from ordinary objects and easy to find.

'Tokens need to be collected as much as possible. The more you have, the higher your contribution points, especially after 100, the increase is significant, so I need to focus more.'

Of course, he found the tokens in secret.

There was no reason to show them to Kan and Doyle.

However, the two of them sometimes showed signs of feeling guilty, thinking that Yeonwoo couldn't find tokens because he was helping them.

Doyle even casually mentioned that he would give tokens as compensation if Yeonwoo wanted.

Whether it was serious or not, they were definitely good guys.

In a world where self-interest prevails in the tutorial.

'Anyway.'

Yeonwoo swallowed the five tokens into his mouth and looked up at the moon.

As if to prove that this was a different world from Earth, two moons of different sizes hung in the night sky.

'Already this far? Time really flies.'

Sitting in the night breeze like this for the first time in a while felt a bit awkward.

Was it because he had been running non-stop without rest?

Sitting still like this felt a bit uncomfortable, like wearing an ill-fitting coat.

Since entering the tutorial, he hadn't had a proper rest.

He had always been rolling, stabbing, and running.

Sleeping was just a brief respite to chase away fatigue.

But sitting still and reflecting on the past, he could feel how intensely he had been pushing himself.

It felt like just yesterday when he first entered the tutorial.

Was that why?

He felt a bit of fatigue creeping in.

While physical fatigue wasn't an issue, mental fatigue had definitely accumulated.

However, he didn't let his guard down.

The enhanced body wasn't that dull.

His senses were still finely exploring the surroundings.

He just wanted to clear his mind.

Whoosh!

Gazing at the quiet night sky and enjoying the night breeze, it felt like the mental fatigue and pressure that had built up without him realizing were easing.

'The African sky was like this too.'

Suddenly, Yeonwoo thought of his squad members and commander who were working hard on Earth in his place.

Especially thinking of his commander, who treated him like a son, made him feel a bit guilty.

'Jungwoo also liked this kind of quiet stillness.'

Then, his gaze shifted to Kan and Doyle.

They were so tired that they fell asleep as soon as they covered themselves with their sleeping bags.

'They're quite amazing.'

To Yeonwoo, Kan and Doyle were very different from ordinary players.

They were always full of laughter.

Yet, their every action was filled with confidence.

They had a 'leisure' that other players lacked.

They seemed to accept this lifestyle as a matter of course, as if it were very familiar to them.

'Where did such people come from?'

While moving to the swamp, Yeonwoo had a rough idea of their skills.

Kan's occasional sword skills were impressive.

Strong, sharp, and fierce.

They seemed to be right in the middle of technique and practicality.

They were definitely not something that could be perfected in a day or two.

They were clearly the result of many experiences and sparring sessions.

Despite their talkative and boisterous appearance, they had an extraordinary childhood.

Doyle was the same.

He always had a sleepy, hazy look, but sometimes he showed a sharp gaze.

At those times, he displayed judgment and sharpness that could even surprise Yeonwoo.

While Kan was the physical type, active in the front lines, Doyle was the strategic type, staying back to manage the situation.

Especially, his occasional insect summoning skills, which seemed unremarkable at first glance, were terrifying when used against monsters.

The bugs were very small.

If they entered through holes like the nose, ears, or mouth?

If they burrowed into the skin, eating away at the blood vessels and muscles?

Monsters instinctively preferred to attack Kan rather than Doyle.

When that happened, Kan would get annoyed and sweep them away in one go.

Still.

The teamwork between the two, like well-matched gears, was impressive.

It didn't seem like they had learned or practiced it separately.

It was just that in certain situations, they knew how the other would react, and in other situations, they knew how the other would act, showing a very familiar relationship.

They had definitely been working together for at least five years, maybe even more than ten.

Even siblings might not have such a relationship.

'What kind of relationship are they? They're definitely not brothers.'

While he didn't know why such skilled individuals, with backgrounds that were clearly not ordinary, were so close and why they were going through such hardships,

One thing was clear.

'They look great together.'

They were already completely trusting each other with their lives.

It was impossible without a significant level of trust.

Yeonwoo was a bit envious of their relationship.

Of course, he didn't want to know their relationship in detail or join them.

It was just that someone kept coming to mind when he saw them.

"..."

As the night deepened, Yeonwoo felt he was having too many unnecessary thoughts.

He had tried to clear his mind of distractions.

But instead, he had more thoughts.

However, strangely,

'Is it because I'm resting a bit?'

His mind felt clearer.

Like the sky after a heavy rain.

So when he opened his eyes again,

Yeonwoo's eyes were deeper.

Then, Kan stirred and sat up.

His tousled hair and sleepy eyes were full of drowsiness. He yawned lightly.

"Why? It's still a while before your watch."

"Can you sleep with all this noise around?"

Yeonwoo chuckled.

Contrary to Kan's words, the surroundings were actually too quiet.

As if they were deliberately suppressing their breathing.

The sounds of insects and the wind had disappeared.

Kan rubbed his eyes and reached for the sword sheath by his pillow.

The surroundings remained quiet.

Then,

Doyle had also woken up and was yawning widely.

He seemed annoyed at being disturbed from his deep sleep, with his delicate eyes slightly wrinkled.

"Yawn! How long do you plan to keep them around?"

"A bit annoying. I thought I'd wait until they got closer. Sorry for waking you up."

Doyle smiled.

"It's fine. I was a bit stiff from not moving for a while. I can get some good night exercise now, right?"

He then looked at Kan.

"Also, I suddenly wondered—"

"Hmm?"

"Do they know you're here, or did they come without knowing?"

"What's the difference?"

Kan slowly drew his sword from the sheath, his eyes cold.

"The important thing is that they dared to draw their swords in front of me."

As he finished speaking,

Whoosh!

Suddenly, Kan's shadow sank down.

Swish!

"Aaaah!"

A blood-curdling scream echoed from the bushes, accompanied by the sound of blood splattering.

"Damn! How did they know we were here!"

"Scatter! Scatter! It's more dangerous to stay together!"

The previously quiet bushes began to rustle, and several players appeared, moving frantically.

They had planned to approach stealthily and attack in one go.

But once they were discovered, the element of surprise was lost.

Staying together was more dangerous.

Their opponents were none other than Blood Sword and Fox Tail. Direct confrontation would lead to total annihilation.

However, Kan moved quickly, determined not to let any of the intruders escape.

With each swing of his sword, blood splattered and bodies fell to the ground.

Doyle also waved his hand vigorously in the air.

Buzz—

The bushes were an excellent place for bugs and mayflies to stay.

They gathered and rushed towards the nearby players.

"Damn! These annoying things!"

"Get away! Get away!"

The players, trying to shake off the thousands of bugs that were burrowing into their skin, swung their swords wildly, but the bugs kept burrowing into their bodies, eating away at their flesh.

Painful screams shook the bushes.

Even as Kan and Doyle quickly dispatched them, the bushes still felt crowded with people.

Rustle!

A group was moving stealthily and hurriedly from the back.

It seemed they were trying to take advantage of a blind spot.

Doyle, with a slightly annoyed look, was about to summon more bugs to that side.

"Huh?"

He realized where they were aiming and couldn't help but chuckle.

The sounds of movement heading quickly towards Yeonwoo.

They seemed to have targeted him from the start, thinking he was less of a threat compared to them.

Or perhaps they thought he was a porter carrying their weapons.

But no matter what,

Did they really know?

That the position they were targeting was

'Those idiots. Of all places, they chose there.'

A more brutal predator's den.