novelraw Chapter 62 : Chapter 62
Chapter 62 : Chapter 62
Chapter 62: The First Mission (6)
The atmosphere of the villain duo was shifting so subtly that one might not have noticed without intense focus.
Within that tension, I approached Ryu Jin-oh, speaking to him naturally as if I were completely oblivious.
“How was it? Did you get a good reward?”
It was a truly unfitting thing to say in this current situation.
Discussing rewards while facing a duo that could bare their teeth at any moment? To an onlooker, it was an act that might make them wonder if I was a madman.
However, there was a perfectly good reason for such insane behavior.
‘I have to close the distance between Ryu Jin-oh and me as much as possible.’
As I had just noted, they were people who might strike at any time.
Therefore, it was necessary to narrow the gap between Ryu Jin-oh and myself as much as possible so that we could immediately prepare for whatever they might do. Since we were both vanguards who fought at close range, it was extremely important to maintain a short distance so we could help each other at any moment.
Furthermore, if that duo changed their minds and decided to take out one of us first, the mission would become incredibly difficult, would it not?
When considering those factors, it was only natural that Ryu Jin-oh and I had to stay close together.
Ryu Jin-oh seemed to clearly recognize that fact as well, as he did not particularly push me away when I approached him with a smirk.
“…It was alright.”
“What did you get? Mine is pretty disappointing.”
“Shut up. Do I really have to tell you something like that?”
…Of course, he only refrained from pushing me away; it was not as if he treated me warmly.
Good grief, we were supposed to be a team fighting together from now on, but he was being far too prickly.
However, since I could not openly complain about it now, I had no choice but to simply smile at Ryu Jin-oh’s words.
It was while I was standing awkwardly next to Ryu Jin-oh with a stiff smile, quietly waiting for the mission to begin and for this time to pass.
“Well now, I wonder if everyone got good rewards. For now, how about we decide on the distribution once we get outside?”
Oh Deok-pal proposed that we head out of the Gate, wearing a kind smile and speaking in his thick dialect.
That was a signal.
A signal to quickly draw out the true intentions of the villain duo.
Having noticed Oh Deok-pal’s intent, Ryu Jin-oh and I nodded in agreement, and the villain duo also nodded with mysterious smiles.
Once he confirmed that our opinion was unanimous, Oh Deok-pal nodded and began to speak again.
However, as was only natural, Oh Deok-pal’s words could not be finished.
“Great, then let us head out slowly… Guh!”
It was because of the sudden preemptive attack from the villain Sang-woo, who stabbed Oh Deok-pal from behind with a thuck sound.
He surely must have allowed the attack while having some sort of safety measure in place, but the sound of the sword piercing his abdomen and Oh Deok-pal’s pained groan made it feel as if he had truly been hit.
Moreover, Oh Deok-pal’s subsequent behavior was even more spectacular.
“M-Mr. Sang-woo… W-what on earth is this……!”
“Haha, you should not trust people so much. It seems you have lived a very naive life.”
“W-what do you mean by that…….”
“It is simple. Just think of it as being a victim of an unprovoked crime while walking down the street. I have no particular ill will, but I have to make a living too, don’t I?”
The villain Sang-woo grinned at Oh Deok-pal while spitting out lines that were the epitome of a stereotypical third-rate villain.
At those words, Oh Deok-pal put on an indignant face as if he had only just realized what was happening, even though he had known all along.
“A Gate crime……! Do you think you will be safe after daring to do such a thing?!”
“Oh dear, you are naive to the very end. If you die here, why would I not be safe? The world will never know.”
“Those two young men over there will not forgive you… You will surely pay for your crimes……”
“Haha! You are placing a lot of expectations on mere C-rank brats who have just recently become Players. Fairy tales and reality are very different, you know?”
“Guh-huhu, never… you will never be forgiven……”
Thud.
Oh Deok-pal collapsed, portraying the image of an ordinary citizen Player who had been victimized until the very end.
I was left speechless by Oh Deok-pal’s performance.
‘His acting is insane. I almost believed it was real myself.’
The way he kept speaking even while gasping for breath, and the way he screamed that they would not be forgiven with bloodshot eyes, made him look like a true victim to anyone.
If I had not seen him wink at us as his body tilted over as if against his will, even I would have doubted, wondering, ‘Wait, is this actually real and not acting?’
His acting was so crazy that had he not walked the path of a Player, he likely would have made a name for himself as an actor who would go down in history.
‘It looks like the villain duo fully believed it as well.’
If I, who knew the circumstances, reacted this way, how would those two feel when they were ignorant of our plan?
Judging by the way they were smirking, they clearly believed they had successfully taken him down.
‘This is an excellent situation.’
When things go the way a person wants, they naturally become relaxed, and that relaxation inevitably turns into carelessness.
Even if they think in their heads that they should stay tense, the reality is quite different. It is extremely difficult to force oneself to maintain tension when one has achieved psychological stability.
‘So, I have to maintain this situation.’
I was not sure if Oh Deok-pal put on such a passionate performance while thinking about this aspect or not.
Perhaps he simply did it because the reaction was fun.
However, the reason why he showed such a performance was not important to me.
What mattered to me was properly utilizing the stage he had set up for us.
‘Whatever the case, it is important to fight in the best possible situation.’
Between fighting an enemy in a state where they are relatively likely to be careless, and fighting an enemy who is clearly maintaining intense tension—which would be easier?
Without a doubt, it would be the former.
Therefore, in order to maintain that former state until the end, I slowly opened my mouth.
“W-what on earth are you doing?!”
“Hmm? Ah, you must be a rookie, since you still cannot grasp the situation.”
“Mr. Deok-pal was so good to you! Are you even human?!”
“Hahaha! Am I human? Of course, I am human. I am doing this precisely because I am human, right?”
At some point, the villain Sang-woo had completely dropped the polite speech and was mocking me with pathetic informal talk.
He looked like someone who had tossed his manners out the window, but since he must have been that kind of person from the start, I did not pay it much mind and continued.
“Do you think… you can live a decent life after hurting others? You will surely be punished.”
“Khahaha! Punished… But unfortunately, it does not look like there is anyone here who can punish me?”
Everything from his actions to the words coming out of his mouth—I felt it once again, but this guy was a typical third-rate villain through and through.
In my heart, I wanted to spit in his face, but I managed to suppress the rising urge.
My acting skills were not so weak that I would be shaken by a mere third-rate villain like him.
Thus, I maintained an expression as if I were shocked by the betrayal until the end and slowly spoke.
“I… no, along with this friend beside me, I will punish you.”
A single sentence uttered with a determined face.
At that moment, Ryu Jin-oh, who was standing beside me, scowled fiercely as if asking what kind of nonsense I was talking about.
…I did not find Ryu Jin-oh’s expression hard to understand. Even for me, the words I had just spat out were so cringeworthy that it was hard to bear, so how much worse must it be for Ryu Jin-oh, who had to listen to it right next to me?
However, unlike us, it seemed the third-rate villain Sang-woo had a taste for this kind of thing.
“Hahaha! Fine. There is nothing more enjoyable than crushing green brats like you. Well… it is a bit disappointing that there are no women, but this is not too bad either.”
The moment I heard his words, a surge of anger rose within me.
The thought of what would have happened if Ha Eun-ha or Ju Ha-yeon had been here instead of Ryu Jin-oh immediately brought a wave of irritation.
Judging by how Ryu Jin-oh’s expression was the stiffest it had been since entering the Gate, it seemed he could not tolerate that last remark either.
‘Ryu Jin-oh is not a justice-obsessed parrot like Kim Su-hyeok, but he is not the type to tolerate something like that.’
I had not acted with this expectation in mind, but somehow, it felt like I had increased Ryu Jin-oh’s resolve.
It was a very good situation.
It was an obvious fact that having one’s own will added to the mix was far better than doing something out of necessity for a mission.
I felt like I should thank that piece of trash for this part at least.
‘Good. Then, shall we?’
Ryu Jin-oh looked like he was already fully prepared to fight.
The villain duo standing opposite us was also taking stances as if they would charge at any moment.
Yet, there was only one reason why both sides remained still and felt each other out.
‘Moving recklessly carries too much risk.’
If it were one-on-one, a preemptive strike would be unconditionally advantageous, but two-on-two was different.
In a one-on-one, you only have to think about the possibilities available to the single opponent in front of you, but in a two-on-two, the number of possibilities you have to consider is incredibly high.
It meant that the saying ‘he who strikes first wins’ did not apply in a situation like this.
It was a touch-and-go situation where a heavy tension flowed, looking as if it could explode at any moment.
Within that, I asked Ryu Jin-oh in a small voice that would not be heard by the opponents.
“How are you planning to fight? I think we should coordinate.”
“Hmph, someone like me has no need for that.”
“…Right. Then I will act according to your movements.”
In truth, I had not expected much when I asked.
Since this was the current Ryu Jin-oh and not the future one, such a reaction was only natural.
How could someone who had done well without cooperating with anyone until now understand what cooperation was overnight?
Knowing that fact well, I decided to act according to Ryu Jin-oh’s movements and immediately spent points to envelop myself in a talent.
‘First, with Do Gang-ho’s talent.’
In the past, while reading novels, I used to think, ‘Why don't they just bring out their finishing move from the start?’ But the reality I experienced firsthand was not like that.
It meant that the most important thing was to slowly read the opponent’s moves and act accordingly.
Therefore, it was the right choice to start with Do Gang-ho’s talent rather than immediately using Shin Yu-hwan’s.
Besides, the amount of points required for Shin Yu-hwan was overwhelmingly higher, so there was also the fact that it felt a bit burdensome.
‘Anyway, I should do some taunting to make them attack first.’
We could not keep this standoff going forever.
In the quiet silence that felt as if it would never end, I spoke in a quiet voice.
I made it look as if I were speaking to Ryu Jin-oh beside me, but in a way that just happened to be heard by the opponents.
“For someone who is supposed to be B-rank, look at how he is too scared to attack first. Do you not think so?”
The key here was to add a smirk to my expression.
It is a bit awkward to say this myself, but I am incredibly good at facial acting.
And as I expected, the villain Sang-woo grit his teeth and glared at me after seeing my taunt.
“I thought you were just a naive brat, but I guess not.”
“…….”
“It is a blatant provocation, but there is no reason to avoid it. I will make both of you cry with your faces buried in the dirt!!”
With those final words, he charged toward us like a bullet.
I tried to react to it, but it was Ryu Jin-oh who pushed me aside and stepped forward first.
“Even my father never dared to say such things to me. You trash who are not even worth as much as an insect!”
It seemed the man’s words had pricked Ryu Jin-oh’s pride.
Indeed, who would dare say such things to Ryu Jin-oh? It would be strange if his pride was not bruised.
And the best course of action was to leave a Ryu Jin-oh with bruised pride alone.
Therefore, I stepped slightly to the side, yielding the spot to Ryu Jin-oh who had pushed past me.
Not long after I cleared the way, their strikes were immediately aimed at each other.
BOO-OO-OM!!!
It was a thunderous roar so immense that an ordinary person’s ears would have bled just from the sound of the swords clashing.
Matching that roar, I immediately charged toward the female villain standing in the distance, and the woman also participated in the battle by immediately drawing her bowstring upon seeing my movement.
The quiet standoff from moments ago vanished like an illusion, replaced instantly by a life-and-death struggle.
That was it. Finally, the first mission for Ryu Jin-oh and me, the villain hunt, had begun.