Chapter 27

The men moved in a rush at Kim Jong-kyung’s shout. However, they were stunned by Jun-sang running up the mountain as if it were flat ground. All of them were, to some extent, skilled in handling their bodies, but far from catching up to Jun-sang’s pace, they fell behind one by one in less than thirty minutes. Soon, the sturdy men in sportswear began to lie around the mountainside like corpses.

“Huh…” Kim Jong-kyung, who only much later realized the catastrophe, could only stare in dismay. If he could arbitrarily send people to that other world, he would never have chosen a rebel like Jun-sang as his son’s bodyguard. He already had many reliable people who had helped him before. That was why, despite his reluctance, he had personally sought out Jun-sang, but upon actually seeing Jun-sang run up the mountain, he had no choice but to admit that his judgment had been somewhat flawed. The skill to easily defeat the four bodyguards he had sent before, combined with the stamina to run up such a mountain without tiring… it was at least a superior ability to anyone he knew.

Kim Jong-kyung secretly began to covet Jun-sang. He wasn’t someone who had idly passed his time either. If he had, he wouldn’t have been a three-term assemblyman and a key figure in the ruling party.

“Well, now…” Someone like Jun-sang, if suppressed, would only rebel more fiercely. It might be different if he could be forced into submission, but if not, it would only deepen resentment. Moreover… what if he agreed to be a bodyguard and then caused trouble in that other world? The most important thing was the safety of his son, Kim Seong-jin. Even though Jun-sang’s actions, completely disregarding his words, were vexing, acting rashly towards him in the current situation could actually have a negative impact on Kim Seong-jin’s safety. Kim Jong-kyung sighed as he watched the men being carried out like corpses, and finally made a decision.

“We’re going back.”

Jun-sang returned home after his training, as usual. He had thought there might be people waiting outside his house, but unexpectedly, there was no one.

“Hmm…” Jun-sang was somewhat puzzled by their unusually clean retreat, but he found it difficult to understand Kim Jong-kyung’s thoughts, nor did he intend to. However, it wasn’t just Kim Jong-kyung and his son who were paying attention to Jun-sang. The police were truly in a bind due to the large-scale disappearances and returns, and the deaths of those who had returned. With investigations falling into a quagmire due to situations that defied common sense, there was growing sentiment within the police force that a high-intensity investigation into the returnees was necessary to understand what exactly had happened.

But Jun-sang wasn’t particularly interested in the surrounding situation. For him, the only important thing was how to become even stronger to survive future quests, and most other survivors felt the same way.

“Huff… huff…” Through the deadly mountain run with the men Kim Jong-kyung had brought, Jun-sang was already becoming a sort of legend among other people climbing the mountain. But Jun-sang himself didn’t care about such things and was still pushing hard on his mountain run today. When he first started mountain running, he would run out of stamina and collapse before even reaching the halfway point, but now, Jun-sang’s stamina had increased to the point where he could ascend the mountain in a single sprint.

“Phew…” Reaching the summit, Jun-sang took a deep breath and looked at the slightly hazy view below the mountain. Others wouldn’t know, but a faint heat shimmered from his body as his regeneration ability was active, and with each such process, Jun-sang was becoming even stronger. Jun-sang briefly stretched, then prepared to run back down the mountain.

But just then, the notification sound of a message arriving on his phone in his pocket began to chime. Jun-sang quickly reached in and checked his phone screen.

New Quest Arrived!

• You will be transported to the quest location in 10 seconds. Please move to a safe place. (Time remaining: 10 seconds)

“It’s here.” Jun-sang quickly moved off the hiking trail and hid behind a rock where people couldn’t see him. He looked at the still hazy sky and took a light deep breath. Soon, the countdown ended, and the transfer began. When the transfer finished, Jun-sang found himself in a shabby back alley.

“This is…” For Jun-sang, who had not encountered intelligent beings other than Inia until now, he was slightly surprised by the sudden appearance of civilization. But when he thought about it, it wasn’t that surprising. Mines, and even the existence of zombies, were ultimately proof that human life existed. Jun-sang quickly checked his phone as another message arrived.

Defend the Village.

: A cursed army, moved by overflowing dark power, is invading the village. Defend the village until reinforcements arrive from the city. [Time remaining: 72 hours 36 minutes] [Multiple participants are involved in this quest.]

A multi-person quest. And not just defeating enemies, but defending a single point. In a way, it was similar to defending the bonfire from beasts during the tutorial, but the only difference was that this time, there was no means to guarantee absolute protection like the bonfire.

“Hmm…” Jun-sang first stepped out of the alley. Immediately, the chaotic atmosphere of a battlefield reached his senses. A group of people in shabby clothes, under the direction of a few individuals wearing leather armor, were busy repairing palisades and mending stone walls. Others were also busy preparing for battle, locking doors and windows and cleaning their weapons. Jun-sang silently watched it all. The villagers glanced at the suddenly appearing foreigner, but perhaps overwhelmed by Jun-sang’s aura, they dared not speak to him.

Jun-sang quietly looked to see if there were any other people transferred besides himself. And sure enough. A man with a crossbow in his hand, looking around, caught his eye from the alley over there. From his clothing to his carbon crossbow with a scope, everything about him made him seem even more alien. The man, with narrow eyes and a somewhat frivolous impression, looked around, then finally spotted Jun-sang and cautiously approached to greet him.

“You seem to be from the same place as me… is that right?”

“…” When Jun-sang nodded, the man shifted the crossbow to his other hand and offered a handshake.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lim Seo-yoon.”

“Park Jun-sang.” Lim Seo-yoon examined Jun-sang, then spoke again.

“Your equipment… is that all of it?”

“…” At Jun-sang’s silent nod, Seo-yoon scratched the back of his head in embarrassment and stood beside Jun-sang, looking at the bustling villagers. As the two men stood awkwardly, a short-haired woman in jeans, a cotton T-shirt, and a black jacket appeared. She also looked around, then spotted Jun-sang and Seo-yoon, strode over, and greeted them.

“Hello.” At her somewhat cheerful demeanor, Seo-yoon, who had been crushed by Jun-sang’s strange silence, brightened up and returned the greeting.

“Hello. Nice to meet you. I’m Lim Seo-yoon.” The woman smiled brightly and replied to Seo-yoon. “Nice to meet you. I’m Jin Sea-ah.”

After exchanging greetings with Seo-yoon, Jin Sea-ah spoke to Jun-sang. “And the serious-looking one?”

“Park Jun-sang.” Jin Sea-ah tilted her head for a moment, then clapped her hands as if she just remembered something. “Ah! The first person to return in Korea?”

Seo-yoon also brightened up at that, saying, “Ah, I thought I’d heard that name somewhere… so it was him.”

Jun-sang chuckled inwardly at Seo-yoon’s interjection. “Heard of it? My foot.” Jun-sang thought that this man, Seo-yoon, probably hadn’t heard his name before. Anyway, the woman named Sea-ah examined Jun-sang for a moment, then cautiously asked, “By the way… is that all your equipment?”

“…” When he nodded silently, the questions continued. “Magic? Or hand-to-hand combat?”

“What about you?”

“I use magic. Fire element.” Jin Sea-ah said so and conjured a flame in her palm. The villagers, who had been glancing at these three strange foreigners, looked surprised when Jin Sea-ah conjured a flame in her palm. Jun-sang thought that, judging by the villagers’ reactions, magic users might not be common even in this unknown place.

Despite showcasing her ability, Jun-sang showed no particular reaction, so Jin Sea-ah slightly frowned and asked, “Wouldn’t it be good to know each other’s abilities if we’re fighting together?” Only then did Jun-sang reply, “Bare-handed.”

“Ah…” Jin Sea-ah looked relieved. It seemed that for her, who had to fight from a distance, a reliable person to block enemies in the front was desperately needed. As they were talking, another person shambled towards them. Her ghost-like movements were so subtle that everyone except Jun-sang failed to notice her until she was close.

“Hello… there.” Lim Seo-yoon and Jin Sea-ah, who hadn’t sensed her presence until she spoke in a faint whisper, finally jumped in surprise and turned around. She had long, flowing hair that seemed almost cumbersome and wore a white dress. As people noticed her, she seemed shy, shrinking into herself as she introduced herself.

“I’m… Seo Yoo-mi.” And then, she suddenly pulled something wrapped in cloth from her clothes and unwrapped it.

“My weapon… is this.” The weapon she revealed was… a chef’s knife with a gleaming, sharp blade.