NOVEL NEXT Chapter 22 - First Mission (3)
{Kim Baram’s POV}
“Changbin, could you do that thing now? Everyone, take turns holding hands with Changbin for a moment.”
It seemed like the ‘thing’ Shin Yul was talking about was referring to Song Changbin’s skill.
[Commander]
It was Song Changbin’s unique ability, a support-type skill. The reason we were holding hands with him was to activate the derived skill, , from his Commander ability. Once linked, the connection would last for a good three hours, and thanks to his unique skill, we could communicate with him, no matter how far apart we were, as long as there weren’t any special disruptions. On top of that, Song Changbin could track the location of anyone linked to him.
By the way, readers often called him SCB, using the initials of his name, Song Chang Bin.
Anyway, after we all took turns holding SCB’s… I mean, Song Changbin’s hand, he briefly explained his ability to Joo Jinyong, Ko Jooyeon, and me.
“The reason we held hands was to use my unique ability. It lasts for three hours, and by either touching your ear or focusing magic on it, you can communicate with everyone linked to me, including myself. You can use it during emergencies or when necessary.”
The three of us nodded our heads simultaneously at Song Changbin’s explanation.
“All right, let’s each pick a newbie to pair up with.”
“I’ll go first! Crow! You’re with me!” Paeng Hojin announced enthusiastically.
“… Wh-what? M-me?” Joo Jinyong stammered in surprise, clearly unhappy with the choice.
‘Yeah, I’d feel the same… Paeng Hojin is kind of… well, intense…’
As I glanced at Joo Jinyong with sympathy in my eyes, I felt someone tug at my clothes near my waist. When I turned to look, Ko Jooyeon was staring at me with a slightly disappointed expression.
“Can’t we go together?”
“Ho-jin, let’s go already!”
Joo Jinyong, whose eyes couldn’t be seen clearly through his crow mask, cast a miserable glance between me and Ko Jooyeon before being dragged off into the right side of the forest by Paeng Ho-jin.
Before they left, I noticed that there was moisture on Joo Jinyong’s mask.
Was it raining?
I raised my head, about to check for rain, but then I realized something much more important.
‘Wait, now the chances of me being paired with Yeo Ji-hye just got a lot higher…’
For some reason, Yeo Ji-hye had been staring intently at Black Fang, the black sword hanging at my waist, tilting her head as if deep in thought.
The anxiety of possibly being chosen by her made me fidget nervously, stealing glances at her while waiting for the decision.
Watching this unfold, Shin Yul asked Yeo Ji-hye, “So, Cat, who do you want to go with?”
Yeo Ji-hye’s gaze locked onto me, and just as she raised her finger, Shin Yul interrupted, “Oh, right! I’ll go with Baram. I forgot I had something to ask him. I can ask while we’re on the way.”
‘Whew… saved.’
Feeling like I had just escaped disaster, I let out a sigh of relief.
With Yeo Ji-hye and Ko Jooyeon both looking disappointed, I followed Shin Yul into the forest on the left.
Step, step.
‘She said she had something to ask me, but what could it be?’
Once we had put some distance between us and Song Changbin’s group, I broke the silence, turning to Shin Yul who was walking ahead of me.
“Leader, what did you want to ask me about?”
“Oh, that~”
Suddenly, Shin Yul spun around and stepped closer to me, her expression unreadable. She closed the gap with one quick step, almost too close for comfort.
“Baram, you know who Cat really is, don’t you?”
“Huh? W-What are you talking about…?”
“Hmm, do you really not know?”
“I mean… haha… I only met her for the first time today. How could I possibly know? Her face is covered.”
Feigning ignorance, I tried to play it cool, but Shin Yul took another step forward, bringing us so close our bodies were almost touching.
She was slightly shorter than me, so she tilted her head up, looking me directly in the eyes through the slits in my monkey mask.
Her dark blue eyes, visible through her fox mask, were captivating. Just like that time in the Fixer Clan’s office, I felt as if I were being drawn into them.
Smack!
“Ow…”
“Hehe, caught you lying this time. Lying to your leader deserves punishment.”
Shin Yul stared at me for a moment, then flicked my forehead with her finger. Even though it hit my mask, the heavy impact reached my forehead, causing me to take a step back and rub the spot where I’d been hit.
As she watched me wince, Shin Yul spoke again, her voice curious.
“But why are you hiding your identity from the Empress? You fought together yesterday, so even if she finds out, it shouldn’t be a big deal, right?”
“W-What!? You saw that video too, Leader?”
“Of course. I didn’t bring it up since you seemed keen on keeping it quiet, but yes, I’ve seen it.”
It seemed like Shin Yul was already convinced that I knew who Cat really was. But based on how she referred to her as the “Empress,” she probably didn’t know that I was aware of her real name.
Still, how did she figure it out in the first place?
‘Well, there’s no point hiding it anymore. Based on what I know about Shin Yul’s character, she’s not the type to reveal secrets this easily.’
Deciding to come clean, I explained everything to Shin Yul, telling her what had happened yesterday.
“Hahaha! So that’s why you were so on edge around the Empress! You should have just been honest from the start. Hehe.”
“I was just caught off guard… I didn’t expect to meet her so soon after yesterday… Anyway, how did you figure it out, Leader?”
“Hehe, well, you kept glancing over at her, and since you already know about my disguise ability, I figured there was no way you didn’t recognize her. But you know, since you’re going to be seeing her often, I think it would be better to at least tell her your real name. If she finds out later that you kept it hidden, she might get hurt.”
“Yeah, you’re right… Actually, I was planning to discreetly take off my mask after the mission today to let her figure it out. Though, whether I’ll survive after that…”
Seeing me look anxious, Shin Yul stepped closer, stood on her tiptoes, and reached out to pat my head.
“Good, that’s the right move. You’re such a good kid, Baram. And don’t worry, if you do it in front of everyone, the Empress won’t be able to get mad at you. Hehe, ‘Cat’ is very careful about not letting anyone know she’s the Empress. She might even try to keep it hidden from you.”
‘Wow, she’s a genius.’
I looked at Shin Yul with admiration, amazed by her insight.
***
After my “consultation” with Shin Yul, we continued searching through the overgrown forest. It wasn’t long before we spotted a large Hobgoblin with green skin, accompanied by four smaller Goblins.
“There’s one Hobgoblin and four Goblins ahead. I saw you using a shield in that video yesterday, so while you take on that Hobgoblin, I’ll deal with the four Goblins and then come help you out. Can you handle it?”
“I think I can manage that. I’ll draw their attention first.”
In response to Shin Yul’s quiet question, I nodded and answered in a low voice.
‘[Transformation]’
Ding!
[Using Aegis’s special ability
I transformed Aegis into a shield, and after confirming that Shin Yul had circled behind the group of Goblins, I drew Black Fang from my waist with my right hand and banged it against Aegis to draw their attention.
Bang! Bang!
“Uwooo!!”
“Kerrrk, Kerrrk!”
The noise of Aegis and Black Fang clashing together caught the attention of the Goblin group, and the Hobgoblin at the front let out a roar as they all charged directly at me.
Ding!
[Using skill
Boom!
‘Guh…’
As the Hobgoblin charged toward me, raising its massive club to strike down on my head, I immediately activated Magic Enhancement and lifted Aegis to block the attack. Even though I successfully defended against it, the heavy impact made my left arm throb, and I stifled a painful groan.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Unlike the Dire Wolves I fought yesterday, the Hobgoblin, being a D-class beast, had much greater strength, and I was struggling just to block its blows without having any chance to counterattack.
“Kyieek!!!”
From behind, I heard the pitiful cries of Goblins. It seemed that Shin Yul had ambushed the four Goblins while I was holding off the Hobgoblin.
Having swiftly dealt with them, Shin Yul, armed with her dual daggers, closed in on the Hobgoblin, targeting its back.
Sensing danger, the Hobgoblin heard the Goblins’ screams and turned to swing its club at Shin Yul.
At that moment, I quickly transformed Aegis back into a bracelet, grabbed Black Fang with both hands and thrust it with all my strength into the Hobgoblin’s exposed side.
Squelch!
“Groooaaar!!”
Enraged that I, the seemingly weaker target, had attacked, the Hobgoblin abandoned Shin Yul and turned back toward me, swinging its massive club at high speed.
As I watched the club come at me with frightening momentum, I calmly thought to myself.
‘Heh, too slow.’
Ding!
[Aegis’s special ability
Boom!
The Hobgoblin’s attack was effortlessly blocked by Aegis’s
Looking at the decapitated head, its expression seemed to be frozen in disbelief.
‘This is the power of Aegis.’
While I proudly patted Aegis in its bracelet form, Shin Yul approached me, her voice a mix of surprise and approval.
“Not bad. You’ve got a good sense for battle. I was surprised at the end – I thought you were about to get hit. But you had a hidden trump card. You’re on a different level compared to what I saw in that video yesterday.”
“Hehe… no, it’s nothing. I just blocked, and you did most of the work, Leader.”
I tried to be humble, but I couldn’t stop the corners of my mouth from creeping up into a smile.
“Hehe, anyway, let’s collect the mana stones and keep exploring. We need to do this properly if we don’t want to get complaints from the Geumseong guys.”
With that, Shin Yul skillfully carved out the mana stone from the Hobgoblin’s chest with her dagger. Following her lead, I awkwardly used Black Fang to slice into the fallen Goblins and extract their mana stones, though my movements were far less refined.
In my left hand, I held a pale blue mana stone, slick with Goblin blood.
‘So this is a mana stone. Judging by the light color, it’s probably the lowest grade.’
In the world of the novels, mana stones varied in color depending on their grade, growing darker as their value increased. Dungeon mana stones like this one emitted a blue glow, while those from gates were red.
After collecting all the mana stones, Shin Yul and I placed them in the pouch she had brought, and we continued our search through the forest.
***
Ding!
[Aegis’s special ability
Squelch!
“Kyieeeek…”
After our first battle with the Hobgoblin, Shin Yul and I fought three more groups of Goblins, all led by Hobgoblins. However, this time, the leader wasn’t a Hobgoblin but a Goblin Shaman.
As before, we fought using the same tactic: I drew their attention while Shin Yul ambushed from behind. Oddly enough, I found it easier to deal with the Goblin Shaman than the Hobgoblin.
Looking down at the Goblin Shaman I had just slain with Black Fang, I thought to myself.
‘Come to think of it, Aegis’s
Admiring Aegis, I noticed Shin Yul approaching after finishing off the remaining Goblins. She seemed impressed that I had handled the Goblin Shaman on my own and spoke with surprise.
“Impressive. It looks like I made the right choice picking you. If the other newbies were as capable as you, things would be much easier.”
‘No, the others are way stronger than me.’
Feeling a bit deflated despite my earlier confidence, I forced a bitter smile in response to her praise.
Shin Yul noticed my slightly downcast expression and tilted her head in confusion. Then, after surveying our surroundings, she spoke again. “Baram, don’t you feel it’s getting hotter? We’re in the shade, so it shouldn’t be this warm.”
Apparently, she was feeling the heat as well, since she had taken off her hoodie and was fanning herself over the neckline of her cropped T-shirt.
Now that she mentioned it, I realized that I, too, was drenched in sweat, despite wearing a light training suit.
“I thought it was just from all the movement during the fight, but now that you say it, it is a bit weird. The wind feels warm rather than cool.”
“Wind…? Come with me for a moment, Baram.”
At the mention of “wind,” Shin Yul suddenly glanced around and began walking in a specific direction, signaling for me to follow.
‘What’s going on?’
Curious but sensing the seriousness of the situation, I silently followed behind her. As we walked, the air grew progressively hotter, to the point where it became difficult to move forward.
Shin Yul, ahead of me, was also drenched in sweat, beads forming on her skin as the oppressive heat bore down on us.
‘Damn, it’s really hot… I could really use something cold, like ice cream… wait, hold on.’
An idea suddenly came to me, and I muttered quietly.
“Inventory.”
Ding!
[Kasar’s Perfume x1: A perfume frequently used by Kasar, the greatest playboy of the 17th century. When applied, it slightly increases charm. It may have a special effect on the opposite sex. Duration: 3 hours. Uses left: 9/10.]
[Evercold Ice x1: Ice that never melts. It’s liquefied through a special magical process. Useful as an ingredient in alchemy, weapon crafting, and other materials. Do not drink, as it will instantly freeze your entire body.]
When I opened my inventory, I saw two items I had left over from before: Kasar’s Perfume and the Evercold Ice. I reached out and pulled the Evercold Ice from my inventory.
The moment I pulled it out, the chill from the bottle immediately made the sweltering heat feel a bit more bearable.
‘This thing feels like an ice pack,’ I thought, feeling slightly better as I followed Shin Yul. Before long, we emerged from the dense forest and arrived at a large open clearing, about the size of a sports field, with a massive cave in the center.
It was clear that the intense heat was emanating from that very cave.
Whiiing!
A scorching hot wind blew violently out of the cave, the kind that felt like it could cook you alive.
I glanced over at Shin Yul, and she looked like she was suffering in the heat. Her crop top and hot pants were drenched in sweat, and even her black hair, tied up at the back, was soaked. Feeling sorry for her, I acted without thinking, bringing the cold Evercold Ice bottle to the back of her slender neck.
“Ahhh!!”
Crash!
Startled by the sudden freezing sensation on her neck, Shin Yul let out a bizarre scream and stumbled forward, collapsing to the ground.
‘Wait… was that the wrong move?’