Beginning of the Request
“Ah, you're the adventurer from Baruk here for the request, right?”
“Baruk? It's nice there. Which district in Baruk are you from?”
“I'm from District 3, but I doubt you'd know it.”
“Hmm, to be honest, I was just asking.”
He was a simple man, as I thought.
So, I smiled kindly and started to talk a little more.
I needed to get information from this guy.
I had already looked around, and now it was important to find out about tomorrow's mission.
“By the way, do you know if there's a place nearby where monsters gather in large numbers? I heard I was assigned there.”
“Oh, there? It's the complete opposite direction of where I work. It's quite a distance; it'll be tough.”
“How far is it to warrant such a reaction…”
“It'll take a whole day to get there.”
I was a little flustered.
Old Man Faithful had brought me here, so I thought it would be nearby, but to think it would take another day from here.
My thoughts of quickly finishing the mission and returning home were already dashed.
“Ah… Thank you for telling me.”
“Hmm? Well, it's not really a secret. By the way, want a bite of this? It’s delicious.”
Saying that, Cthulhu tore off a piece of the meat he was grilling and handed it to me.
It looked really delicious.
So, I took a bite without refusing.
I was hungry anyway.
“It’s good.”
“Right? This thing is delicious. I caught it nearby. By the way, you must be strong to be dispatched there, huh?”
“Ah… I’m not that strong, but I can handle myself.”
“That’s strong enough. There are so many people here who can’t even protect themselves.”
“Ahaha… Is that so?”
As we were talking, I started to feel sleepy again, so I excused myself and went back inside the tent to sleep.
*
And when I opened my eyes—
It was already morning.
It seemed like the day was already breaking when I was talking with Cthulhu, so I couldn't have slept for that long.
Thinking that, I slightly opened my eyes and checked my surroundings.
If everyone else was getting ready and I was the only one still asleep, it would definitely draw attention.
‘…Poro said he would be here today…’
I figured I could wait until the Poro arrived.
With that thought, I checked my surroundings.
And then—
‘Hmm, everyone’s gone.’
Maybe because I woke up a little late, everyone was gone.
Just in case, I checked the surroundings with [Lightning Bolt], but there was no one.
Relieved, I got up.
“Hmm…”
[Purification]
I used Purification to cleanse my body and came out of the tent.
And then—
“Oh, you’re awake.”
“…How long have you been here?”
“I’ve been here for a while.”
“Ah, I see.”
I was a little taken aback.
He’s been here for a while?
I clearly used [Lightning Bolt] to check for people around, but he wasn’t detected by my magic.
He was certainly skilled.
I had felt it before, but it seemed like he had incredible stealth abilities.
Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense that he could escape my detection.
Thinking to myself, I continued speaking.
“So, where should I go? I heard from a guy yesterday that it would take a day to get there from here.”
“Ah, that’s by the standard of ordinary people. Those of us who can use mana can arrive quickly.”
“Ah, I see.”
That was a relief.
I thought it would take a whole day even with Haste and all sorts of support magic.
As I was relieved, Poro stretched and said to me.
“Now that you’re awake, let’s depart. Try to keep up.”
“Um… Okay.”
I wasn't sure how fast Poro would be, but I figured it was best to go as fast as possible.
So, I used all sorts of magic.
[Haste]
[Lighten]
[Accelerate]
These were spells that greatly increased movement speed.
In between, I modified the formulas to be able to move even faster.
Seeing me use all this magic, Poro muttered to himself.
“…Your magic is quite advanced.”
“Ah, well… It’s just a little trick.”
“…Just a trick?”
It was true.
Making minor modifications to formulas could be considered a mere trick.
It wasn't that big of a deal.
As I was thinking that, Poro suddenly vanished from his spot.
[Enhance Vision]
Simultaneously activating Enhance Vision, I grasped Poro's direction and immediately gave chase.
Keeping up wasn't difficult.
With the various spells active, my movement speed was incredibly fast.
It was as if I could move at high speed without even being conscious of it.
As I continued following, a sense of boredom washed over me.
It wasn't even that challenging.
So, I decided to open up the forum, Poro unaware.
Since the forum couldn't be seen by others, there was no harm in browsing.
Moreover, I was currently concealed beneath my robe.
Opening the forum, I began scrolling through some posts.
‘I wonder if Cthulhu made a post…’
I was curious about his impression of me.
Using the nickname search, I looked up his name.
There, I found his most recent post.
[Think I found the guy staring me down?][14]
The title alone was chilling.
He found the one who was staring him down.
And that too, after meeting me.
A shiver ran down my spine, but there was a chance it wasn't me, so I cautiously clicked on the post.
[Author: Cthulhu]
[Title: Think I found the guy staring me down?]
[Content: While I was on guard duty today, I struck up a conversation with this new guy, and he reeked of the same mana I felt scanning me. Pretty sure it's him lol. But talking to him, he's a nicer guy than I expected, so I don't think I'll rough him up too bad?]
L: Just how nice is he that Cthulhu bro won't even rough him up?
ㄴ:Seriously, isn't it standard for martial artists to wreck everything when they're pissed?
ㄴ:What the hell, why are you making martial artists sound like wild beasts? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ:Actually, a martial artist is pretty much a beast lol
ㄴ:This is ridiculous ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ Cthulhu: Stop badmouthing martial artists.
L:But dude, it's annoying when someone scans you with their mana, and you're just letting it slide? You a saint?
ㄴ:He must be a saint lol
ㄴ:This is hilarious ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
L:How'd you hold back? ㄷㄷ
ㄴ Cthulhu: He was well-spoken, humble, and just seemed a bit cautious.
ㄴ:What if he stabs you in the back?
ㄴ Cthulhu: I'd win anyway lol
ㄴ:That confidence is insane ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
‘…He noticed.’
I had minimized my mana leakage as much as possible, yet he still noticed.
He was definitely skilled.
It seemed best to refrain from posting on the forum for the time being.
Who knows what kind of strange post I might make and raise suspicion.
Just lurking for now would be ideal.
Continuing to tail Poro, I read another post.
“How much further?”
“About 30 minutes ahead.”
“Alright.”
Thirty minutes, huh?
Enough time to read one post and do something else.
I picked a random post and started reading.
[Author: Ferus]
[Title: Am I the only one getting a weird vibe near Koruntum?]
[Content: It’s like there’s this bad smell in the air.]
L:Seriously, me too.
ㄴ:Is something weird happening lol?
L:I don’t smell anything.
ㄴ:Isn’t this just an overreaction?
ㄴ:I doubt anything strange will happen.
ㄴ:Yeah, it’s just an overreaction.
ㄴ:Overreaction my ass lol. Ferus is usually spot-on about these things.
L Decadent: I did feel something strange too.
ㄴ Ferus: Hmm… Something is definitely off.
ㄴ:What’s so strange? It’s just an overreaction lol.
ㄴ:I don’t know about anything else, but you gotta trust Ferus's gut feeling, and you’re calling it an overreaction lol.
‘What’s going on?’
It seemed something strange was happening in Koruntum.
Of course, I was a bit away from Koruntum, so I couldn't smell the strange scent the forum users mentioned.
It was just a passing thought.
Continuing to follow Poro, I finally—
“Oh.”
Saw tents and people in the distance.
Since it was still bright out, they could see us approaching.
They were observing us closely, but as we drew nearer, they lowered the bows they were holding.
They must have recognized Poro and relaxed.
Thud-!
As we arrived, Poro exchanged a few words with the others and swiftly departed in the opposite direction.
A moment later.
“Hey, you the mage here for the request?”
“Ah, yes, that’s me.”
“Then follow me. We need your help somewhere.”
“Alright.”
If they tried anything funny, I was confident I could handle them.
They were strong, but I didn't sense anyone on par with me.
Trailing behind the man who addressed me so casually, I couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation for what lay ahead.
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