“Cooperation?”
“Yeah, cooperation.”
Short hair swaying as if skimming past her shoulders.
Features that hinted at her mixed bloodline and eyes as blue as the lake stretched out around her.
Dosieun, who still hadn’t lost her elegant beauty despite having fought a fierce battle, asked back as if puzzled.
Well, it was only natural she’d find it strange, since I’d cut into the middle of the fight and abruptly suggested we cooperate.
‘That aside… is it because she’s fourteen? She does have a childish side.’
In the game, Dosieun never showed emotional agitation. She always responded calmly in any situation, displaying charisma.
Perhaps because she was older than Ganghanbyeol, she was depicted as cold-hearted and mature.
But the Dosieun tilting her head at my words was somewhat removed from that atmosphere.
It was a rather refreshing feeling.
Anyway.
“It’s hard to talk here. Shall we go somewhere else?”
“…Sure, let’s.”
I soon shrugged my shoulders and pointed toward the edge of the lake with a lift of my chin.
It was the water’s surface where the Chieftain and its minions were active.
We had driven away the ones nearby, but their numbers had replenished as much as they’d decreased, and while we talked, they were creeping closer.
It wasn’t a suitable situation for conversation.
So we decided to leave the spot and finish our conversation elsewhere.
[You have encountered a monster.]
[Sudong (Rank. 01) x 6]
Monsters slightly shorter than me.
Minions with child-like figures blocked the path.
“Move.”
“I’ll take the ones over there.”
But when Dosieun and I combined our strength, they were no match.
We shook them off just like that, came out of the lake, and climbed onto the field.
Then their pursuit was cut off.
“They don’t come out of the water, so now we can talk comfortably.”
“Tell me. What do you mean by cooperation?”
“Just what it sounds like.”
“….”
“If you and I join forces, we can take down the Chieftain too, right? Noona, you’ve fought her, so you know. It’s hard to face the Chieftain alone.”
“….”
“So I’m saying let’s take her down together.”
I plopped down onto the field.
Then I offered her a seat, gesturing for her to sit beside me.
But she didn’t accept the offer and simply looked down at me quietly.
Soon, she opened her mouth.
“It is hard to face her alone. But even if I cooperate with you, nothing will change.”
“Because of the minions around the Chieftain? Because they’ll stop us from approaching her?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Dosieun nodded.
There was no way I didn’t know what she was worried about.
It was a problem I’d kept in mind as well.
‘The two of us aren’t enough.’
Ultimately, with just the two of us.
“I brought it up because I have a plan, so don’t worry.”
“Huh?”
I directed my gaze behind her.
Then she felt my gaze and looked back.
Relatives who had been fighting the minions were coming toward where we were.
People who had been merely watching the situation like me were also revealing themselves one by one.
Whichever side, they showed signs of fatigue.
“I’m not saying we should cooperate among ourselves. I’m saying we should all cooperate.”
“Then….”
“I’ll leave the role of dealing with the Chieftain’s minions to them.”
“….”
“We only need to face the Chieftain.”
I dusted the dirt off my hips and stood up from my spot.
Now it was time to persuade them.
I spoke to them as they came up onto the field.
“Hyungs, noonas.”
“Ah, Gyeonu. I saw you fighting with Sieun earlier….”
“How about cooperating with us?”
“What?”
Relatives making bewildered expressions.
Soon, upon hearing my proposal, they contorted their faces as if displeased.
“Why should we? Who are you?”
“….”
Yeah, I expected this.
* * *
At that moment, atop the cliff.
Participants in the evaluation were reaching the lake bit by bit.
By then, most of the screens the clan members were watching had switched to the lake where the Chieftain was.
“They’re all struggling.”
Someone let out a groan.
At this, some of the people watching the screens nodded as if in agreement.
“Even if the Chieftain was weakened, isn’t it too early for the children to face her?”
“The children have almost no experience fighting on water, and above all, with so many monsters around, it must be hard to even approach the Chieftain.”
That was true even for Dosieun.
She had reached the lake first and sought various ways to approach the Chieftain.
But she hadn’t achieved significant results and had only managed to briefly exchange blows with the Chieftain.
But what about the others?
They couldn’t approach the Chieftain and were barely fighting the minion monsters and occasionally helping Dosieun.
It was enough for the clan members to say the difficulty was too high.
Moreover.
“The children seem quite exhausted. They must have used up quite a bit of stamina making their way through the jungle to the lake.”
“Since even Sieun was afflicted with paralysis, the other children’s conditions must be even worse.”
“Trying to face the Chieftain in that state, the situation can’t be helped….”
The participants were all exhausted from the forced march in the Gate.
The children’s faces on the screen showed fatigue that couldn’t be hidden, and the sound of their rough breathing streamed out.
[Huff, huff…!]
[Damn, stop coming out already….]
[…Puhup!]
Eventually, some participants slipped on the footholds or lost concentration while walking on the water and fell in.
[….]
Morale was falling.
Those who had reached the lake were no longer participating in battle at some point and were just standing far away observing the situation.
As things flowed that way.
“Clan Head.”
“….”
Those who had been watching the evaluation all along couldn’t help but offer advice to Doyeik.
“The children’s condition doesn’t seem good, so how about lowering the difficulty?”
Doyeik’s eldest son, Doujun.
The one most likely to become the next clan head among the current Clan Head Doyeik’s direct line stepped forward as a representative.
“It’s not that the children are weak. I just wanted to suggest that it might be better to improve the situation considering the children’s physical condition.”
“That’s right, Clan Head.”
“I think so too.”
Doujun spoke in a polite tone so as not to offend him needlessly.
Then others chimed in.
“Hmm….”
Doyeik let out a short hum.
He too couldn’t help but have similar thoughts, just like the others.
‘Was it too much for them….’
Grandchildren not yet seventeen.
Considering their age, they had already shown sufficient skill.
So he wasn’t disappointed.
He just couldn’t help feeling regretful.
‘I heard Seojeongjin took a disciple.’
A Hunter who had risen to the pinnacle with nothing but his innate strength without the backing of a prestigious family, dominating an era.
The Fighting Demon, Seojeongjin.
The world believed the combat-obsessed Seojeongjin couldn’t match the heads of the current Ten Great Clans like Doyeik, but he didn’t think so.
Surely, when it came to wielding a sword, he himself would surpass him.
But in ‘combat,’ it was different.
He couldn’t make rash claims.
‘That guy is a monster.’
Because he didn’t possess the talent to be called a genius in any field, paradoxically and amusingly, he could train himself without being limited to one field.
So he wasn’t bound by weapons and wielded all kinds of weapons, and moreover, showed himself crossing between all combat and production fields.
Although he hadn’t reached the peak in any field, one could say the Fighting Demon was an existence who had reached a certain level in every field.
That was why Doyeik couldn’t easily claim superiority in a battle where he had to pour out everything he had achieved, not just a single match.
Therefore.
‘If it’s a disciple worthy of being taken in by that monster, they must be a monster who will surpass him.’
Doyeik couldn’t help but hold considerable curiosity toward Seojeongjin’s disciple while also harboring wariness.
If by any chance that disciple’s talent combined exquisitely with Seojeongjin’s effort and tenacity.
“….”
Truly, a hero who would lead an era would be born.
A hero who would surpass the authority of the Ten Great Clans.
If that happened, a new order might take root in this country.
It was a situation the established prestigious families with firm standings wouldn’t wish for.
Of course, more than such worries….
‘I absolutely don’t want to see my grandchildren lose to that bastard’s disciple.’
In truth, that feeling took precedence.
Doyeik possessed a competitive spirit as strong as Seojeongjin’s.
Seen in that light.
His grandchildren and Seojeongjin’s disciple could be called the extension of his and Seojeongjin’s battle.
As a result, Doyeik had planned this evaluation, burning with competitive spirit.
“Clan Head, please reconsider.”
“…It would be better to do so.”
But it seemed his enthusiasm had gone too far.
Doyeik rebuked himself as he watched his struggling grandchildren.
In the end, he tried to revise the policy and ordered the Hunters to lower the difficulty of the evaluation.
It was then.
“Wait.”
Doyeik reversed his decision.
His gaze was fixed on the screen showing the outer edge of the lake.
“….”
The participants who had reached the lake had all gathered before anyone knew it.
At their center was Dogyeonu.
[Stick with me.]
Dogyeonu’s voice, sounding confident.
Dogyeonu was showing a face clearly contrasting with the participants who had faces clouded with a sense of impending defeat.
That face filled most of the screen being filmed from the participants’ point of view.
“Hoh….”
Doyeik, who had accessed several identical screens, let out a sigh.
Soon the sigh turned into a hollow laugh.
A smile curved at his lips.
“The children seem to be planning something; let’s watch that and judge.”
How confident he must be.
Doyeik decided to see for himself what Dogyeonu, with his face full of confidence, would do.
* * *
“If it were Sieun, well, I can acknowledge her. She has the skill to fight the Chieftain. But you, Dogyeonu, haven’t shown us anything. Why should we help you? What are we trusting?”
“I agree with cooperating together. I think we should do that too. But cooperating so you can approach the Chieftain is a bit much.”
“Where does a young brat get off acting like this? Did you think we’d see you differently just because you beat Doseungu?”
“We did see you differently. But you shouldn’t try to measure up to us with just that.”
“Is this complete disregard?”
“….”
Relatives my age or younger just watched quietly.
Relatives older than me openly expressed their anger.
‘Talk one at a time, it’s chaotic….’
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
It was only natural for them to show dissatisfaction when I, who had been called Rabbit and mocked in the clan all this time, proposed cooperation.
It was something I’d expected to some extent.
That’s why I could calmly accept the situation without losing my composure.
Naturally, I had prepared a solution.
‘In my heart, I wanted to say let’s not fight with words but settle it with swords, but that wasn’t an option.’
I had checked the relatives’ status windows a while ago, and to begin with, they were exhausted.
If I wanted to, it wouldn’t be difficult to challenge them to sparring and beat them.
But that didn’t mean I could waste time and stamina sparring with them one by one to get them to understand.
00:52:34
There wasn’t much time left.
So I decided to persuade them with something other than sparring.
“Then if I don’t fight the Chieftain, who is going to fight her?”
“We’ll handle that among ourselves without you needing to worr—”
“Can you even fight? In that condition?”
“What?”
“I’m asking if you have any strength left to fight the Chieftain. Is the paralysis gone now?”
“….”
At my words, the relatives who had been angry just moments ago fell silent, unable to say anything.
Those who had arrived late were the same; they knew full well that they were overexerting themselves right now.
“See, you don’t.”
“….”
“That’s why I’m telling you to cooperate with me.”
Then I laid down the card that could persuade them on the ground.
It was the Pocket Ape’s pouch.
I poured out all its contents so they could see.
Clatter.
“…”
The Fruit of Vitality, the Fruit of Energy, and the root of the Mud Spirit Herb came tumbling out.
I said to my relatives, who were staring fixedly at them.
“I’m not asking you to help me for free. If you cooperate with me, I’ll hand these over. Honestly, you’re all feeling frustrated, aren’t you?”
“…”
“If only you had stamina, if only you had mana, if only you weren’t paralyzed, you could do better than this.”
“…”
“That’s what you’re thinking, isn’t it? Am I wrong?”
I did not miss the way my relatives’ eyes wavered.
They had taken the bait.
My words had struck home.
I decided to keep talking.
“So eat these, recover your strength, and let’s show the adults watching us a sight we won’t be ashamed of. There isn’t much time left, so are you really going to end things after showing them nothing but this pathetic mess?”
Whoosh!
“…Huh?”
I suddenly threw a Fruit of Vitality at the person closest to me.
After catching it reflexively, that person looked flustered.
“Eat it, if you want to fight.”
“…”
I urged him to make a decision.
Then, after hesitating, he quickly brought the Fruit of Vitality to his mouth.
Crunch.
The sound of him biting into the fruit rang out.
As that sound spread through the silence, it shook people’s hearts.
To stoke their impatience even further, I kept throwing the fruits.
People caught them.
“Side with me.”
“…”
“Cooperate with me.”
That was all it took.
Crunch.
The relatives who had been cursing me just moments ago began turning to my side.
Soon, I handed the root to Do Si-eun, who had been quietly watching the situation.
“You eat too, noona. It’ll be hard to fight if your paralysis hasn’t worn off.”
“…Thanks.”
Do Si-eun, too, seemed to have clearly made up her mind to cooperate with me now.
She chewed the root.
Then, perhaps because it tasted bitter, her face twisted slightly.
She quickly swallowed it down.
‘That takes care of the paralysis.’
After confirming that her paralysis had been lifted, I closed Do Si-eun’s status window.
Meanwhile, the relatives who had reached the lake also decided to cooperate with me, swept along by the flow.
“This is the Fruit of Energy, right?”
“I want to get rid of my paralysis…”
“Thanks. I’ll eat it well.”
“Do Gyeon-u, you…”
“You were alive?”
Among them was Do Seung-u as well.
He was covered in mud from head to toe, so I almost failed to recognize his face.
“So? Are you going to cooperate too?”
“…Damn it.”
His condition was quite bad.
In the end, he had no choice but to cooperate as well.
The more pieces I could use, the better.
I willingly handed over a root.
“Now, attention. I’ll explain the plan.”
“…”
Perhaps because they had received payment from me,
they obediently followed my words.
I calmly explained the plan to attack the Water Spirit.
“And Si-eun noona.”
“Yeah.”
“You keep the Water Spirit’s left side in check. I’ll keep its right side in check instead.”
“Got it. I’ll do that.”
“The left side. Don’t forget.”
I made a separate point of reminding Do Si-eun.
Then she seemed about to agree, but voiced a question.
“But does it have to be the left side?”
Do Si-eun asked, blinking her blue eyes.
I answered as if it were obvious.
“That’s because you’re stronger than me, noona.”
“Huh?”
“Compared to the right, the left side is going to be harder to handle. So I’m asking you to put in some effort for me.”
“Ah, yeah… I see.”
“You can do it, right? I’m counting on you.”
“…”
The Water Spirit’s left arm had been cut off.
As a result, its defenses on the left side were bound to be lacking.
That was why I would keep the right side in check, while she kept the left side in check.
It was an extremely rational decision.
In any case, thus—
[You have encountered monsters.]
[Water Spirit (Rank. 03, Boss) x 1]
[Water Child (Rank. 01) x 17]
The raid on the Water Spirit began.
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss