Chapter 8
Yiun put the sponsorship quest on the back burner for now.
*‘There’s no time limit, so there’s no reason to rush.’*
In that brief time, he had already discovered a loophole in the quest and realized it wasn’t a priority.
Which was why, just as he was about to run—
something unexpected happened.
“Why are they doing that?”
The goblins had started attacking the Blood Wolves instead of the humans.
As if they were mortal enemies.
What was the reason?
“Could they be fighting while ignoring us?”
He thought it might be possible, since they viewed humans as prey.
“Or maybe it’s a territorial dispute. The wolves showed up where the goblins were staying.”
True to her upbringing as a gangster’s daughter, Cha Suyeon had spoken from a different perspective.
Either way, this was an opportunity.
“Hyungnim Jaemin. See you later.”
“Got it. If anything happens, come to Bibong Middle School.”
“Yes.”
The group Jeong Jaemin belonged to hurriedly left the area, and Yiun and Cha Suyeon also attempted to slip away quietly.
But then.
“Wait.”
Yiun stopped in his tracks.
“What are you doing! Oppa!”
When he stopped, Cha Suyeon called out to him anxiously.
A human who was utterly impossible to read.
That was Yiun, through and through.
“Kiiieeeek!”
“Kik! Kieek!”
“Grrrr!”
“Kraaaa!”
The clashing groups of goblins and Blood Wolves.
Yiun watched them without taking his eyes off.
*‘This could be an opportunity. They definitely said it possesses intelligence comparable to a human’s, right?’*
Meaning it could communicate, or was more rational than goblins.
*‘Worth a shot.’*
He quickly hid on the first floor of a nearby building.
Of course, Cha Suyeon followed right behind him.
“What on earth are you doing?”
She scrunched up her face, clearly frustrated.
“Wait a minute. Let me see how strong those wolves are.”
Honestly, how could he tell her he was trying to tame the Wolf King?
She would obviously think he was insane.
“Ah? Are you studying their weaknesses and fighting style for later?”
She was a smart girl; that was the nice thing about her.
That she misunderstood on her own.
“Yeah. Exactly.”
“Got it. They don’t seem to care about us anyway.”
Having easily accepted his words, Cha Suyeon and Yiun quietly observed the battle.
*‘Level really can’t be ignored.’*
Perhaps due to the basic level difference, a single Blood Wolf could handle up to two goblins.
And then there was the Wolf King.
It moved at overwhelming speed, swinging its powerful forelegs to batter goblins to death.
*‘If this keeps up, my plan becomes meaningless.’*
The situation was turning into the exact opposite of what he wanted, so the moment he was about to give up—
Kwaaaaang!
A sudden mass of flames engulfed the Wolf King.
It rolled backward, glaring at the enemy that had attacked.
There stood a new goblin holding a wooden staff.
*‘Info.’*
[Lv.15 Goblin Shaman]
A level 15 powerhouse had appeared.
*‘Perfect.’*
Yiun inwardly cheered and began focusing on the battle once more.
“Kraaaang!”
Roaring as if furious, the Wolf King charged at the shaman.
At that, goblin soldiers blocked the front of the shaman with their bodies to protect it.
Seizing that opening, the shaman’s mass of flames flew through.
Puaaaang!
It was cunning.
The shaman was aiming not at the Wolf King, but at its subordinates.
Reducing their numbers until the Wolf King was left alone.
*‘Just wait a little longer.’*
The situation was changing exactly as Yiun wanted, so he quietly held his breath and bided his time.
The Blood Wolves gradually dwindled.
Though the Wolf King fought desperately, it was eventually left alone.
Puaaaang!
It began to be ravaged by the flames and daggers of the Goblin Shaman and its soldiers.
“It looks like it’s almost over. Shouldn’t we run away soon?”
Cha Suyeon asked at the sight, but the time was not yet right.
“A little longer.”
“What on earth are you thinking? Let me in on it, will you?”
Honestly, it must be suffocating.
Because Yiun hadn’t told her anything, unable to trust her.
“Wait here.”
And without a single explanation, he moved alone.
His destination was behind the Goblin Shaman.
Using Silent Steps, he was approaching without being detected.
*‘It’s on the verge of death. The timing is perfect.’*
There was only one thing Yiun was after.
To become its savior.
To rescue the Wolf King from death and earn its favor.
But what if it seemed like the type to have no interest in something like that?
Since it was already injured, he would simply kill it, or flee if the situation turned unfavorable.
That was why the first strike against the Goblin Shaman right now was crucial.
Given the level difference, one might assume he needed raw strength for the attack to succeed.
*‘But this is reality.’*
It wasn’t a game where you blindly swung your weapon.
He only needed to aim for the vital spot instead of the tough hide.
That was exactly why he had invested everything into Agility.
Yiun closed the distance right up to the shaman.
The shaman and the goblin soldiers were screaming as if celebrating victory while watching the collapsing Wolf King.
“Kieeeek!”
“Kikikik!”
“Kiiieeeek!”
Judging by how ecstatic they were, this was definitely a territorial battle rather than a fight over humans as prey.
And then.
*‘It’s dirty… but I have no choice if I want to live.’*
Taking advantage of the noise, Yiun’s dagger quickly shot toward the shaman.
His target was the anus, crudely covered by a patch of leather.
If he had been in front, he would have aimed for the eye, but since he had positioned himself behind it, this was unavoidable.
Puuk!
“Kieeeeeeeek!”
It was the first time in his life Yiun had heard such a sound.
Since he had stabbed it, he sprang back.
He locked eyes with the Wolf King before turning his back on the shaman and fleeing.
To make sure it knew exactly who had saved it.
“Kieek!”
“Kieeeek! Kieeeek!”
The goblin soldiers busily fussed over the shaman’s wound and began chasing Yiun.
*‘You lot are nothing but a piece of cake now.’*
Hit and run.
Yiun quickly fled, occasionally slowing down to plunge his dagger into the hearts of the pursuing goblins.
*‘Nine left.’*
The remaining number of goblin soldiers.
Plenty.
Then.
“Oppa! Watch out!”
Cha Suyeon’s urgent voice reached him.
If she was shouting despite hiding?
Without a moment of hesitation, Yiun kicked off the ground and rolled across the floor.
Kwaaaaang!
Simultaneously, scorching heat engulfed where he had been.
Was the anus not a vital spot? Or was his strength simply too low?
If he had been even a moment slower, his body would have burned to death in the shaman’s flames.
*‘I’m running.’*
This was a failure.
“Cha Suyeon! Run!”
Yiun shouted at her and hurriedly tried to leave the battlefield.
But he seemed to have underestimated the shaman too much.
*‘This bastard predicted—’*
Kwaaaaaang!
The area in front of the fleeing Yiun exploded, sending him tumbling across the floor from the impact.
Then the goblin soldiers rushed at him like mad dogs.
He tried to get up quickly, but his brain rang from the shock and he collapsed again.
Yiun hastily raised his head.
*‘Damn it.’*
Another mass of flames was flying from the shaman’s staff.
*‘No time to dodge.’*
The moment he was sinking into despair, unable to see any way out—
A transparent barrier surrounded Yiun, and a welcome voice came from behind.
“I’ve repaid my life debt.”
It was Cha Suyeon.
“You didn’t run?”
“I’m not that disloyal of a bitch.”
And then, powerful flames engulfed the barrier.
Kwaaaaaang!
“It was this strong?”
He had thought it would be lucky if it reduced the shock at all, but to block it perfectly?
Not a single crack was visible.
“Could this be an incredibly broken ability?”
Seeing that even Cha Suyeon was surprised by the unexpected situation—
*‘That can’t be an act.’*
She had definitely risked her life and put herself in danger for him.
*‘I’ll think about that later.’*
Cha Suyeon’s barrier lasted ten minutes.
They had to resolve this within that time.
*‘There’s no way out.’*
Enraged goblins surrounded the barrier to destroy it, and the shaman was ready to cast another spell at any moment.
If they stepped outside, they could die instantly.
Then, an unexpected being moved.
Kkwa-deu-deuk!
The Wolf King, whom Yiun’s intervention had prevented from being finished off, dragged its injured body over and opened its jaws to tear off the shaman’s head.
“Grrrr.”
Then, looking at the remaining goblins, the Wolf King let out a threatening sound.
They began to flee without hesitation.
Because even injured, the Wolf King was not an existence that a mere seven goblins could handle.
Kuuung.
As they disappeared, the Wolf King collapsed on the spot, as if having expended every last drop of its strength.
From here on was the important part.
“Drop the barrier.”
“What for? It still looks dangerous.”
“I want to try talking to it.”
“Talking? With a monster?”
“Yeah. I’ll tell you everything later.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay.”
When the barrier dropped, Yiun stood before the panting Wolf King.
“Can you understand me?”
It slowly lifted its eyes to look at Yiun.
Eyes deep as a lake, completely unlike the cloudy eyes of a goblin.
As he had felt when he first saw it, this was absolutely no ordinary monster.
—*Human. Why did you save me?*
Then, a deep, heavy resonance rang in his mind.
“Huh? Did you just speak into my head?”
To be precise, it was not words, but an expression of will.
—*So it is.*
Regardless, it was surprising. They could communicate?
Judging from that, things could become much easier.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
Yiun looked at it worriedly and examined the Wolf King’s body.
—*What is your reason?*
It asked blindly, seemingly uninterested in such matters.
“Is that really so important? Why do you keep asking?”
—*To humans, I am naught but a monster. I ask because I cannot fathom it.*
“I just killed them because I hate goblins more than you. You reminded me of a dog I used to raise. It doesn’t mean much.”
—*How dare you compare me to a dog… Hoo… So, will you kill me now? I have expended my strength.*
It was quite the straightforward one.
“No. I won’t kill you.”
—*Why not? Once my wounds heal, I will kill humans.*
“I know. But I don’t feel like it right now. Killing a creature that’s already dying.”
—*You do not feel like it. Is it pity?*
“Yeah. It’s pity. So, shall I watch over you until you can move?”
—*Watch over? Me?*
Despite bearing the name King, it was still a wolf.
*‘It sure puts on airs.’*
Still, he had to hide his thoughts as much as possible.
“Is that okay? If goblins come, I don’t think I can stop them.”
—*Interesting.*
It slowly rose, planting all four paws on the ground.
—*I am fine.*
But its legs and body were trembling.
It was quite the prideful one.
*‘I’ve seen plenty like this.’*
Beings who never did as others told them and acted solely on their own stubbornness.
In that case, he had no choice but to wait until it came to him on its own.
*‘If I push any further here, it’ll only backfire.’*
“Got it. Then I’ll be going.”
As Yiun turned to leave.
—*You would truly leave just like this? Without killing me?*
The Wolf King asked, as if it could not understand.
“So what? It’s not like we’re close enough to sit down and swap life stories, right? And even if I’m not killing you now, I’ll kill you next time we meet. Let’s go, Suyeon.”
Leaving only those words behind, Yiun truly left that spot with Cha Suyeon.
After putting some distance between themselves and the Wolf King, they entered an empty building to recover.
While resting there briefly, Cha Suyeon asked.
“What on earth did you do? Talking to yourself as if you were having a conversation with a monster, weighing your words all unnaturally.”
To her, it must have looked like that.
“I talked to him. He spoke in my head.”
“In your head?”
“Yeah.”
“So what was the point of the conversation?”
“The point was to tame him.”
“Tame him? Why?”
“I’ll tell you everything.”
*‘Because you’re a perfect score now.’*
Yiun had decided to trust her.
*‘Or my eyes are frozen fish eyes.’*
And so Yiun began his tale.
It had been a short time, but it was the first time he had ever seen it.
Cha Suyeon with such a look of shock on her face.
“There’s such a ridiculous trait? Isn’t that broken?”
“It’s not that great either. If it fails, you die.”
“That’s because you did the quest alone, oppa. I’ll help you now.”
She had a point.
If you had trustworthy companions, the quest difficulty would plummet.
“Got it. Let’s go find Gim Chihoon now. We only have two hours left.”
“Yes.”
Once Yiun’s condition had stabilized somewhat, the two headed toward Noblesse Apartment.
They encountered goblins a few times on the way, but dealt with them without issue.
“We’re here.”
They had finally arrived where Gim Chihoon was.
“How are you going to find him now? It looks like everyone’s hiding in there, so we can’t exactly ask one by one.”
As Cha Suyeon said, quite a few human silhouettes were visible beyond the apartment windows.
They were watching Yiun and Cha Suyeon, the sudden visitors.
“It’s hard to ask one by one and we don’t have time, so I’ll have to tell a bit of a lie.”
“What kind of lie?”
In response to Cha Suyeon’s question, Yiun smiled and stood at the center of the apartment complex.
It was a somewhat risky method, but the best he could do right now.
“Huu…”
Yiun took a deep breath.
And then shouted at the top of his lungs, loud enough to nearly blow the apartment complex away.
“Mr. Gim Chihoon! We’ve come from Bibong Middle School to escort you! We will protect you safely until you reach the school! Please come out!”
If flyers had reached Jeong Jaemin, who lived even farther away, the people here would naturally know about it too.
There was no reason not to come out when someone had come personally to escort him.
The only problem was the goblins that would flock over after hearing the sound.
*‘Please come out before they do.’*
He simply hoped Gim Chihoon would emerge faster than them.
Roughly three minutes passed?
A man appeared at the entrance of the building on the right.
A very handsome man with messy hair, dressed in black training clothes and dragging three-line slippers as he walked out.
The moment Yiun saw his face, he got a feeling.
*‘Somehow, I get the feeling he’s going to be hard to get along with.’
And the way he yawned gave off an intense impression of someone who lived exactly as he pleased.
Like a free spirit?
By the way, just what kind of trait did he possess for the system to issue a quest and send Yiun after him?
“Uh? I’m Gim Chihoon. Are you seriously taking me all the way to Bibong Middle School? Did my father send you?”
He was speaking informally from the very first meeting.
“Are you really Mr. Gim Chihoon?”
Yiun didn’t like it, but since he needed to recruit him as a companion, he held back for now.
“Yeah. I’m Gim Chihoon.”
“It’s really you, right?”
“Would my father send someone who doesn’t even know my face? That doesn’t make sense.”
He tilted his head as if puzzled.
It didn’t seem to be a lie.
“To get to Bibong Middle School, first you’ll need to join my par—”
“Huh? Jackpot?”
Gim Chihoon ignored Yiun’s words and approached Cha Suyeon.
“You got a boyfriend?”
Asking if she had a boyfriend in this situation…
*‘As expected, we don’t click at all.’*