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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Carmela's Forest (2)
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"You… you want to exterminate goblins, Mr. Jin Yu-ha?"
Lee Yu-ri raised an eyebrow, expressing her doubt.
"Ah, I don't mean I won't use Detection. I still plan to report Naeki appearances. But beyond that, I want to help with the goblin extermination."
"Hmm… There's no real need for you to…"
"As you know, Team Leader, Abilities don't consume mana. Honestly, until now, it's been no different from taking a stroll."
This was sincere.
All I had used on the way here were my neck and my legs.
My neck for pinpointing Naeki locations,
And my legs for walking here.
Yu-na, who was just carrying the bags, seemed to be working harder than me, a so-called 'dealer.'
She was walking, drenched in sweat, carrying a bag as big as herself.
I felt awkward and tried to help her carry some, but she refused, saying, "This is *my* job!"
"Mr. Jin Yu-ha. First, to avoid any misunderstanding, the reason I'm hesitating right now isn't because I don't trust you."
Lee Yu-ri hummed as she chose her words, then spoke again.
"First of all, Yoon-seo, Soyeon unnie, and I have worked together as a team for quite a long time. And the dealer before you also had a long history with us."
"That's why I've been watching the Team Leader from behind. Constantly."
"…You've been watching me. Constantly."
"Yes, there were moments during combat when you were open. Especially when the Team Leader used a goblin as a shield and passed it to the dealer. I imagine that's when the dealer who deserted yesterday would have handled the monster… And it was usually then that Go Yoon-seo got injured."
Lee Yu-ri's mouth dropped open in surprise.
"Gasp! You noticed that!?"
"I told you I'm good at reading people."
"No, that 'reading people' skill isn't quite…."
"I won't get in the party's way."
I cut her off and spoke firmly.
"So, please give me a chance, just this once."
When I met her gaze seriously, Lee Yu-ri subtly averted her eyes.
"Do all the male students from Velvet Academy come like this…? Hah, seriously. He's truly captivating."
Lee Yu-ri muttered to herself in a small voice, then sighed heavily and slowly nodded.
"Alright, since you put it that way… I understand. But only on the 'way back.' There are almost no monsters appearing then, so we'll have some leeway if you make a small mistake."
"…Huh? The way back? Are we going back now?"
When I asked, flustered, Lee Yu-ri tilted her head as if I'd asked the obvious.
"We came. So, we have to go back, right?"
"Ah."
This was another difference from the game.
In games, dungeon extermination usually only involves pushing straight forward; you don't typically retrace your steps.
You just defeat the boss, the [STAGE CLEAR] message pops up, and it's over.
"…Hmm, but I don't know how this will turn out."
"Yes?"
"Ah, first, I'll accept your participation in combat, Mr. Jin Yu-ha. However, there's another part that requires agreement with the rest of the party members."
With that, Lee Yu-ri opened the plastic bag she had been fiddling with.
Inside were gochujang and various side dishes, deliciously mixed together.
A small smile spread across her face.
But she quickly composed herself and spoke again in a businesslike voice.
"Then, Mr. Jin Yu-ha. I apologize, but could you please go finish your meal now and gather the party members? I'll finish my meal and be right there."
"Yes, understood."
I left, leaving Lee Yu-ri to eat.
After I quickly finished my meal, I gathered the party members.
"Huh? Gukbap-i called a meeting? Why?"
"Yeah, I wonder if something else happened."
"Maybe it's because Oppa Yu-ha wants to help out?"
"Oppa Yu-ha!? You little rascal! When did you two get so close on your own!?"
"Ah, ow, ow!"
While I watched Go Yoon-seo and Yu-na's brief comedic banter, Lee Yu-ri soon returned.
Everyone's gaze turned to her.
"First, we've achieved all our extermination goals for today. Despite some inconvenient situations, everyone did well."
Lee Yu-ri spoke with a not-unhappy expression.
At her words, a small round of applause broke out.
"However, we have a lot more time than we expected. So, we need to make a choice now."
Her sudden, unexpected words.
*Time left over.*
What did this mean?
The Carmela's Forest route we entered today was originally a 10-hour round trip.
The goal was to reach this base camp, which took about 5 hours one way, and then return.
However, today, thanks to my use of Detection, we didn't have to worry about Naeki and arrived at the base camp in just 3 hours and 30 minutes.
In other words, what was a 10-hour round trip was reduced to 7 hours.
Considering that we were essentially short one dealer, it was an astonishing achievement.
"…Wow, holy crap. No wonder dinner felt so early today! Are you serious? Mr. Jin Yu-ha, what exactly is your true identity!?"
Go Yoon-seo rubbed her arms repeatedly, exclaiming, "Goosebumps—!"
I let out a hollow laugh watching her. I was slowly getting used to her antics.
"Ahem, ahem."
Lee Yu-ri cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention back.
"You can be satisfied here and go back now. We finished the extermination quickly, so going straight home to rest is an option."
"But… that means we'd have three hours hanging around."
Choi So-yeon said, touching her lips.
"Yes, Unnie. That's why we need to agree. Whether to end the extermination here. Or to venture into the uncharted route ahead, the 'Unknown.'"
The Unknown (未知).
Exploring an uncharted route inherently carries risks.
Under normal circumstances, it would be unwise to attempt it.
We had already used a lot of stamina just getting here, and since it was unfamiliar territory, hardly anyone would force themselves to do it.
They lacked the time and leeway for it in the first place.
However, if there was ample time to recover stamina
And even time left to invest in exploration, it became a quite appealing option.
"Unknown, Unknown, huh… Gukbap-i, if we explore the Unknown route, do we get more performance bonuses?"
Go Yoon-seo, who had been contemplating with her arms crossed, asked Lee Yu-ri.
"Yes, you do."
"Hmmmm— To be honest… our pace was faster than usual, so I'm a *little* tired, right? But what makes me hesitate is… there are barely any monsters on the way back anyway, right?"
"Right. And Mr. Jin Yu-ha has also agreed to participate in goblin extermination on the way back."
"Eh, really? Mr. Jin Yu-ha did?"
Go Yoon-seo whipped her head around, her eyes wide, and stared at me. I nodded in response.
"Yes, my Ability doesn't consume mana, so I haven't used much stamina until now. That's why I specifically asked the Team Leader."
"Whoa, wait a minute, if that's the case, we're golden… This is an 'all or nothing' situation. Let's go! Uncharted, here we come!"
Go Yoon-seo raised her arm and shouted.
Then, Choi So-yeon, who had been deep in thought, also expressed her agreement, seeming to think it was feasible.
Yu-na, who was tidying her already full bag, also made some empty space, saying, "I can pack a bit more with this!"
Seeing them accept my participation in combat without much fuss
It seemed they no longer distrusted me just because I was a man.
That fact made me feel quite pleased, as if I had been recognized as a full party member.
"How about you, Mr. Jin Yu-ha?"
Lee Yu-ri asked me this time.
"I'm fine too. As I said, I have plenty of stamina left."
With all party members agreeing to explore the Unknown, Lee Yu-ri readily nodded.
"Alright. Then we'll decide to explore the Unknown route for the remaining time. Now, everyone, please get plenty of rest and replenish your stamina."
And once the party members' stamina had recovered to a certain extent through rest.
Lee Yu-ri raised her shield and shouted.
"Everyone, formation! We're starting the Unknown route exploration!"
* * *
"I apologize, Mr. Jin Yu-ha, but on the Unknown route, you'll have to perform the same role as before, even on the way back."
Lee Yu-ri said as she advanced with her shield raised.
"Yes, that's fine. It's best to minimize variables in unexplored areas."
"Thank you for understanding."
"By the way, I don't see any goblins. No Naeki either."
It had already been 30 minutes since we began advancing into the Unknown route, our tension high.
Aside from two goblins we found at the very beginning,
We hadn't encountered a single monster.
Even those two had immediately fled into the forest as soon as they saw us.
After that,
It was just the continuous scenery of the green forest.
The sound of the party members' hearts beating and footsteps, tense in the unfamiliar place,
And the rustling of leaves in the wind were the only sounds filling the silence.
*This is too quiet.*
"Kuh, if it stays like this, we'll get the Unknown exploration for free. Isn't today just a super lucky day?"
At that moment, Go Yoon-seo broke the silence.
*Tsk, tsk. Her tempting fate like that just makes me more uneasy.*
Even before this, something had been itching in my head, an unpleasant feeling.
Nothing had registered on my aura sense, so it wasn't due to Detection.
*Maybe it's just an unfamiliar place, and everyone's tense, so I'm catching their emotions.*
Then, suddenly,
*Oh, wait a minute. Is this… Intuition?*
The random Abilities I had gained from the three "Ability Recommendation Letters" were:
"Detection", "Clairvoyance", "Intuition"
These three.
Among them, "Detection" was the ability to sense monsters within a 100-meter radius in advance.
"Clairvoyance" was the ability to see as clearly as day, even in darkness.
And the last, "Intuition".
*'An Ability that warns you in advance before a boss monster appears in the game.'*
Now that Velvet Sra was reality, I didn't know if Intuition would work the same as in the game.
Unlike the screen warning of a boss appearance, I still didn't know how it would function.
Perhaps it was just an excessive worry.
However, I couldn't ignore it.
Everyone was exhausted from excessive tension right now.
We lacked preparation, personnel, and stamina to face a boss monster.
It seemed best to stop here for now.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
I tapped Lee Yu-ri's shoulder, who was walking ahead.
"Mr. Jin Yu-ha?"
Just as she turned her head towards me.
Thump—
*Shit.*
In the distance, a single red goblin entered my sight.
The moment I saw it, my intuition sounded an alarm.
*Swish—*
And simultaneously,
Monsters began registering on my Detection from all directions.
I turned my eyes to look around, and
Before I knew it.
We were surrounded by goblins, armed with various weapons.
"…"
As I looked around with a bewildered expression,
Lee Yu-ri's head slowly turned as well.
Lee Yu-ri looked around at the monsters surrounding them with a flustered expression.
Soon, her face hardened.
And.
*Inhale—*
She took a deep breath.
"Everyone━━━━!"
She gripped her shield tightly.
"RETREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
She let out a loud shout, ordering everyone to retreat.
And while shouting for her comrades to retreat,
She,
Alone, charged forward.