Episode 13: The Goblin Marshlands (4)
It was an unexpected reaction.
Contrary to his expectations, Akan took a hard stance.
Go Changhyeok stammered, seemingly flustered.
“Ah, n-no. Akan, Hyung-nim. Are you saying you’ll leave the party now? How will you manage alone?”
“That’s something I’ll handle myself. I have no intention of staying with those who obviously disrespect me.”
“No, but still…….”
“Changhyeok. I’ve let slide however you lot treated me up until now, but you’d better know when to stop. Because I’ve stayed quiet, do you seriously see me as a cripple? It’s one thing to survive, but coveting my items with absurd logic?”
Akan bellowed in anger.
He acted as if Go Changhyeok wasn’t even worth his attention.
At Akan’s unhesitating display, Go Changhyeok showed visible signs of fluster.
‘This isn’t how it was supposed to go.’
He had never imagined the situation would unfold this way.
Jang Minho, the instigator of this incident, was also anxiously watching Akan’s mood with eyes full of tension.
A hair-trigger situation that felt like it could explode at any moment!
By Go Changhyeok’s nature, he would have flipped this table, Hyung-nim or not, but right now was a special situation unlike usual.
‘Damn it. Excluding Hyung-nim Akan from the party is too great a loss. He’s skilled, sure, but more than anything, his situational judgment is the best among us.’
Because of today’s mission, though the others hadn’t expressed it outwardly, they were acknowledging Akan’s abilities.
When everyone had fallen into despair after receiving the mission, the one who presented a solution was Akan.
And as the battle wore on, while he wasn’t quite on Jang Minho’s level, everyone could feel that Akan’s skills were remarkable.
Go Changhyeok had also tried his hardest to deny Akan’s abilities, but by now he had no choice but to accept that Akan was someone the party needed.
‘It’s not yet time to discard Hyung-nim Akan. Let’s clear at least three missions, then think about it.’
Go Changhyeok clenched his teeth.
The fact that he had to back down brought him unbearable humiliation, but the mission was directly linked to survival.
No matter how angry he was, he had absolutely no intention of driving himself to death through an impulsive choice.
“Come to think of it, I think Minho is largely at fault. Minho shouldn’t have said that…… Hyung-nim has every right to feel upset. Minho. Apologize quickly. Since this is your fault, you should clean it up.”
“Ah, Hyung!”
“Jang Minho.”
Go Changhyeok’s face twisted at the resisting Jang Minho.
At the murderous glint in Go Changhyeok’s eyes, Jang Minho’s mouth snapped shut.
He wanted to vent countless complaints right away, but if Go Changhyeok was taking this stance, there was no longer anyone on Jang Minho’s side.
“I’m sorry.”
Jang Minho bowed his head.
Though it wasn’t sincere, Akan smiled at the sight.
‘Interesting fellows. Those with such strong pride know to bow their heads first when the situation turns unfavorable. I’ll let your behavior slide just this once. I need meat shields for at least three missions to accurately grasp this world. If something like this happens again when I judge you to be useless……’
Smirk.
He did not accept the apology.
Akan smiled wordlessly and returned to his seat.
At that sight, Jang Minho’s expression twisted horribly, but he couldn’t say a single word to Akan.
It was a situation he had salvaged by swallowing his pride; he didn’t want to cause another problem.
Watching Jang Minho and Go Changhyeok barely suppressing their rage, Akan’s lips kept twitching.
‘When that time comes, I’ll make sure they can’t even meet my eyes.’
The countless people on the continent of Macedonia who had envied Akan’s talent and mocked him as a freak.
Their endings had all been the same.
Ruin.
Akan never showed mercy to his enemies.
* * *
The party briefly creaked under the strain of the dispute, but it didn’t cause any issues with mission execution.
Everyone was merely watching Akan’s mood.
The battle proceeded normally as before.
“Alright, there are only 22 goblins left now. Let’s carry out the lure operation one last time and wipe out the remaining goblins all at once. Everyone has worked hard. If we don’t lose focus until the end, we can return safely to our hometown this time too.”
Go Changhyeok comforted the people as if he were a dependable leader.
The others didn’t particularly like the human named Go Changhyeok either, but for now they nodded at his helpful words.
Just two more times.
If they finished two more battles, they could return home.
People’s eyes sparkled at the growing possibility of survival.
‘At this rate, clearing the mission is a foregone conclusion. If so…… there are things I need to check before solving the mission.’
“Changhyeok.”
“Yes, Hyung-nim.”
Go Changhyeok flinched at Akan’s call.
Normally he would have shown a nonchalant reaction, but after one clash, he couldn’t treat Akan carelessly.
“While the kids are resting, I’ll go scout the surroundings briefly. I’ll lure some goblins while I’m at it, so skip the signal this time.”
“You’re going to lure them, Hyung-nim? Goblins are faster than they look, so is that okay……”
Go Changhyeok, who had been trying to dissuade Akan, cut himself off mid-sentence.
The mission was practically solved already.
He would need Akan for the next mission too, but even so, Go Changhyeok unconsciously changed his words.
‘Drop dead while luring the goblins.’
“Understood, Hyung-nim. Please be careful.”
“Sure.”
Contrary to his thoughts, Go Changhyeok spoke with a smile.
He was the type who was weak to the strong and strong to the weak.
As Akan’s presence grew, Go Changhyeok couldn’t treat him like before.
People didn’t seem particularly concerned whether Akan went out or not, but there was one person who worried about Akan.
“Uncle! It’s dangerous to go alone!”
“I’m fine.”
“Ugh! Fine, my foot! There are still over 20 goblins over there. Do you want to die in vain?”
Lee Minyeong nagged Akan with her cute face.
Seeing her worried expression, Akan spoke in a gentle tone.
“Don’t worry too much. You remember when I saved you last time? Uncle is stronger than you think, so if it feels dangerous, I’ll run away immediately. So wait here. Got it?”
Even after Akan’s words, Lee Minyeong didn’t immediately agree.
She kept trying to hold Akan back with worried words, but ultimately stepped back at Akan’s firm attitude.
Leaving behind Lee Minyeong earnestly telling him to return safely, Akan slipped away from the party and walked into the forest depths.
‘To carry out missions in the Otherworld going forward, it is necessary to understand this mission field.’
The Otherworld’s system had mentioned that there might be unforeseen variables regarding the mission field.
In other words.
It meant the system they had built was not perfect.
If the mission field belonged to the Otherworld, unlike the tutorial stage, he thought this mission field wasn’t limited to simply the ‘Goblin Marshlands’ but could lead to other fields as well.
Of course, the probability of finding helpful information just by scouting was slim, but Akan judged it was worth investing time for any possibilities.
Had he been wandering for about 10 minutes?
Akan, who had set out to find a new path rather than the route Kim Sinho had cleared, discovered an alien existence in the dense undergrowth.
Rustle!
‘An Orc?’
A bipedal creature with the face of a pig.
Akan’s eyes gleamed at the orc’s red skin, which immediately seized his gaze.
‘This is the Goblin Marshlands. The mission briefing didn’t contain any explanation about orcs. Then my hypothesis was correct. The mission field isn’t simply an independent space, but the Otherworld itself. The Otherworld’s system merely sent us to one of its zones to solve the mission.’
It wasn’t information he could use immediately.
But with his hypothesis proven true, his mind felt clearer.
But then.
Ding!
[An emergency quest has been granted.]
\- To be continued in Episode 14 \-