chapter 5
005. Carmella’s Forest (1)
Nike is a monster with a higher risk compared to goblins.
It has a deadly poison, so if bitten by an ordinary person, it will kill you in 10 seconds, and even hunters who protect themselves with magical powers can suffer serious injuries if left unattended.
However, there was something else that increased Niki’s notoriety more than that deadly poison.
That’s stealth.
It is small in size and camouflages itself in protective colors to move assimilated with the surrounding environment.
Niki is a monster that is not easy to find even for hunters with superhuman senses because its abilities are abnormally developed.
But, if only I could detect its existence in advance.
Cheak-
Cheak-
“Kirik!”
“Queek!”
It was also a very easy monster to deal with.
Go Yoon-seo, who spurred off his foot, killed two Nikes in an instant.
She returned to her hair with the magic stone and shell from the corpse of Niki.
The late Yoon-seo, who returned, still had a look of absurdity on her face.
“Wow, what a real…… ? Mr. Yuha Jin! This! How did you know!? Even when I said it earlier, I thought it was some kind of dog eating…….”
“Go Yoon-seo. Don’t think about it again.”
“Suck!”
When Lee Yu-ri stares at her, he looks at her and covers her mouth.
I answered with a smile.
“Because there is detection among characteristics.”
“…… Come on Did she have that precious thing!?”
“Yes, I just got it.”
“Keuuu, soup was right! Certainly, the Velvet Academy isn’t just for males!!”
At the moment, the conscience quota was stabbed.
“Eh, what… …. Ooh, lucky you.”
“Ah, talents are obtained through luck! It’s usually a reflection of your habits and attitude! It can’t be done with any amount of effort!”
Her expression of uneasiness until just before her appearance was nowhere to be found.
Yuna and Choi So-yeon also looked at me with strange eyes.
And Yuri Lee.
“…… Did you have a sense?”
“Yes, manager. Sorry for not telling you earlier.”
When I bowed my head and apologized, Lee Yu-ri waved her hand in embarrassment.
“Oh, no. I didn’t mean to say anything to Jin Yoo-ha. Well, it is right to be careful with the information in the status window. We haven’t known each other for a long time, and it’s the first time we’ve seen each other today!”
“If you are the team leader, can you tell me how much I can tell you about my status window?”
“…… Gee, really?”
Then, Yurii swallowed her saliva and opened her eyes round.
“Just kidding.”
“… ….”
Then she bit her lip and narrowed her eyes.
I want to say something according to my personality, but it’s awkward because I’m new to you, and I haven’t even spoken yet.
‘Oh, I shouldn’t be like this. It’s a big deal. Seeing him makes me want to bully him.’
Originally, Gukbap was famous for being a good tanker and good at hitting.
I tried to hide the laughter that was about to leak out.
“…… So, detection is possible up to several meters. Is that a secret too?”
Yuri Lee said in a rough voice.
“Kuhm, about a hundred meters.”
“…… That would be of great help.”
“At least 100 meters.”
Sensation is not a bad characteristic in that it can identify and prepare for monsters in advance,
Honestly, from my point of view, having encountered a lot of fraudulent traits in Velvetsra, it was just mediocre.
‘The limit is also clear.’
Range 100 m.
Hunters rarely failed to spot enemies within 100m.
However, I should say that the compatibility with this dungeon, Carmella’s Forest, was a bit good.
Due to the nature of the terrain of the forest, the visibility is short, and the monster named Neiki itself is a stealth-specialized mob, so it’s a bit tricky for newbies without detectable characters.
‘Still, as long as there’s one bowl of rice soup, most Neiki will notice it when they get close.’
Didn’t Lee Yu-ri spot Niki as soon as he entered the 10m mark just a little while ago?
Perhaps she would have found the same if I hadn’t told her beforehand.
But, Yuri shook her head, as if she didn’t think so.
“No. This obviously eases the burden on me as a tanker. Now I can tell you for sure.”
“Yes?”
“After this subjugation is over, I will raise Jin Yu-ha as her emergency replenishment force so that she can take a little more from her settlement.”
As if not accepting objections, Lee Yu-ri said in a stern manner.
She glanced around her, and the other party members nodded approvingly.
I agreed with a grin.
“Yes, thanks for caring.”
“Then, let’s start again.”
* * *
As soon as I learned that I had Perception as an attribute, the dungeon raid gained momentum.
It was only natural that one of the biggest nuisances in Carmella’s Forest, which slowed down the attack, had disappeared.
“Necky, one. It comes from diagonally to the right, one hundred meters ahead.”
“Yes!”
“Necky, two. To the left.”
“Ng!”
“Necky, one. They caught up from behind.”
“It’s old!”
When Niki approaches within a radius of 100m, without fail, I speak up, and Ko Yoon-seo scrambles in his place.
And the rest are goblins.
Lee Yoo-ri found the goblin first, without my having to detect it.
“Check three goblins. Waiting for Go Yoon-seo.”
“Yes!”
I stood next to Yuna and watched the battle.
Lee Yoo-ri charges forward alone holding a shield.
Seeing that, the goblins wielded the crude weapons in their hands with all their might.
Huwoong─
Weapons swinging with a heavy wind noise.
However, Lee Yoo-ri never pulls his body back.
Rather, they dug deeper and took a position at close range.
Then, the attack patterns of the three are intertwined, and the distance is so close that the weapon wielded does not have enough power.
Lee Yu-ri showed off the skill of shedding an incoming attack with only a small movement.
Dodging attacks that could be avoided, raising shields to block attacks that could not be avoided, holding on to the goblins and not letting them go.
In the meantime, if a gap opens up for the goblins.
Go Yoon-seo, who had been erasing her presence, jumps out.
Suddenly—!
“Kieek!”
Suddenly—!
“Keeck!”
Go Yoon-seo killed two of them in an instant. But because of that, her one remaining aggro was drawn to her.
At that time.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Tang-!
Yuri Lee struck the shield with the dagger in her hand.
“Look at me!!!”
‘Ah, that’s a provocation skill.’
It was a familiar motion and shout.
A wide-area provocation skill. 《The Sound of the Shield》
Because it is a skill that uses magical power, the goblin’s gaze and attack, which had been directed to Go Yun-seo, are helplessly turned to Lee Yu-ri.
Suddenly—
In the meantime, the last one is also dealt with by Ko Yoon-seo’s sword.
That’s how the battle ended neatly.
I was shocked when I saw this.
‘Actually, they fight like this.’
Should I say that I was able to realize the difference between the game and reality again?
No matter how splendid the battle on the screen of a mobile phone is, it is inevitable to repeat the same pattern in the end.
‘Evasion is not really a character’s avoidance, it’s just a miss sign.’
However, in reality, monsters do not have a regular pattern, but use a variety of attacks.
And the way you deal with it naturally adjusts to the monster’s movement.
With complex body movements such as turning his head, twisting his body, and even swinging his shield.
‘Gukbap is more amazing than I thought.’
Let’s admire this
“My older sister is really amazing.”
I heard a voice next to me as if it had read my thoughts.
When I turned my head, there was a smiling Yuna.
“Yeah, I can’t get a single hit from that close.”
“hehehe! My sister is a genius! Maybe she won’t kneel even if she goes to the velvet academy where geniuses gather?”
Yuna was proud of her older sister and she had a prouder face on her own.
“Certainly, it is.”
I also agreed.
Of course it is a 3-star that runs amok among the 5-star born.
Low evasion ability and provocation ability.
Because these two were powerful things that were not befitting her 3-star birth.
“Yuna! Magic stones and goblin fangs!”
“Yes, please!”
So we forgot the time and continued the attack.
* * *
Time flies and it’s time for lunch.
Our party set up a base camp.
“Huh. Tired—!”
Go Yoon-seo buried his face in the ground and fell flat on the floor.
Pair—!
“Ouch!”
“Stay still! I can’t live Go Yoon-seo, why did you get hurt again?”
Choi So-yeon slapped Ko Yoon-seo on the back and reprimanded her.
“Kuh, I was afraid our Healer would be too bored—!”
Then Go Yoon-seo responds reluctantly.
“Ugh, the dealer is more injured than the tanker who faces some kind of monster.”
“Today was amazing! Isn’t this the first time you’ve run so cool inside? If Hyeji saw it, she would have had a stomach ache. This harvest is really the best!!! How many of those expensive Nikes are there!”
“…… It is, it is.”
When Go Yoon-seo shouted out in excitement, Choi So-yeon looked at me with a strange look.
‘Mmm, sure. It looks a little tough now.’
Is it due to battle fatigue or the absence of one dealer?
The frequency of injuries to Go Yoon-seo has increased.
On the other hand, Lee Yoo-ri still seemed to be able to afford it.
Perhaps this party did not fully support her specifications.
‘Should I act now?’
Originally, my role was to protect Yuna.
But in the end, all I’ve done so far is detection.
It was just an advance notice when Niki appeared.
Of course, the party members praised me, saying that that alone was helpful, but for me, it was as if I had come by bus.
And the purpose of coming to the dungeon this time was also to experience defeating monsters.
As expected, I felt like I had to participate in the next battle as well.
‘I’ll have to tell Gukbap in advance.’
Because I don’t want to act alone and be stared at.
“Sisters! Brother! Please eat!”
Yuna shouted, wearing an apron, and we all gathered around.
He spreads a lot on the plate with his small hands, and his father’s smile comes out naturally.
“Enjoy your meal. Brother.”
Yuna said, scooping the soup with her ladle.
“Huh? By the way, what about the team leader?”
By the way, there was no Lee Yu-ri among the people who came to receive food.
“…… Umm, my sister always eats lunch separately. Are you saying you can’t calm down if you eat something other than what you always eat in a dungeon? Now, here’s sausage stir-fry.”
“Oh, yes. Thank you for eating well.”
I came out holding the tray like that.
‘I don’t have soup. I have to ask if I can participate in the battle.’
Sensing turned on.
Then I felt Yu-Ri sitting alone at a distance.
I turned my steps towards it.
And the appearance that caught my eye.
Lee Yoo-ri sits alone behind a large tree and looks up at the sky.
A transparent plastic bag in his hand.
It was what the military calls ‘plastic rice’.
At first glance, it seemed that the only thing in the plastic bag was red pepper paste and rice.
At a glance, it was a meager meal.
‘…… Oh, is he doing this here too?’
Since it’s not the expensive Velvet Academy, I thought I’d eat well here, but I guess that wasn’t the case either.
‘Save money on food, pay for party members, pay off debts, and keep it a secret that you will eat alone. Ha ha, he really doesn’t take care of himself.’
No matter how much debt you have at home, you don’t have to bring in all the money you earn.
As far as personal food expenses are concerned, it’s not a lot of money unless you go to an expensive restaurant.
But he saves his living expenses and sends them all home.
‘Eating a proper meal doesn’t mean that the debt to pay will notably increase.’
Gukbap that you chew on for a long time as if chewing the cud.
I quietly approached and flopped. Sat down right next to her.
Then, Lee Yu-ri’s head slowly turned toward me.
Mummum─
“… ….”
It puffs out its cheeks as if it had food in it and stares at me while constantly munching its mouth.
Mummum─
Tilt her head sideways once.
“…… !?”
The eyes that stared at me for a few seconds widened to the size of a lantern.
“Keck!!!”
She suddenly started pounding on her chest, as if her throat was choked for a moment.
Tung. Blank. Blank. Blank.
However, she was met with an iron banging as she was wearing a suit with steel padding on her chest.
‘Stupid.’
I patted her on the back and handed her the water she had brought with me.
Lee Yoo-ri hurriedly opens the lid and drinks the water.
Clap clap clap—!
Puha!
“Ji, Mr. Jin Yu-ha!? Hey, what are you doing here!?”
Lee Yuri said in a panicked voice, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
It’s like a replay of their first meeting.
Gukbap is good to have a hearty one, but after all, something like this is the best.
“I came because I have something to tell you.”
“Ha, I have to say…… ?”
Then her face hardens and she tenses up.
You seem to think I’m asking for more or something.
“Umm, before that—”
Wack-!
I snatched the plastic bag from her hand.
“My, my rice—!”
Gukbap made a desperate expression like a raccoon washing cotton candy in water.
I enjoyed her expression and put half of my meal in her plastic rice. Distributed side dishes and rice.
Well, I can’t help it with soup. If you add the soup here, it will be mixed rice instead of soup.
“…… ?”
“I can’t eat this much. I think Yuna took more care of him because he was that man.”
“Well, it must have been difficult today… …. Replenish your stamina…….”
“That man. You have to take care of your body.”
First of all, it’s a reversal between men and women, so I hit the drip like that, but will it work?
I handed her her plastic bob again.
Yuri Lee carefully took over the much heavier plastic rice.
“Is that so? Oh, anyway…….”
“It’s okay. The team leader suffered the most today.”
The corner of his mouth twitching while holding the rice as if it were precious seems quite pleasant.
“Eat a lot.”
“…… Thank you.”
Lee Yu-ri said her thanks by blushing and shaking her head.
“By the way, did you say you had something to say to me?”
Lee Yu-ri said as she kneaded her plastic bob with her hands.
“Yes, I also want to participate in the clearing from the next battle.”
“…… ? You are already involved enough.”
“Ah, I mean dealing with goblins.”
“…… Yes?”
Lee Yu-ri asked again, widening her eyes.