"Everyone, please gather around. I have an urgent announcement."
After the Dokkaebi swept through, Cheon Inho gathered the people in one place.
Given the circumstances, people followed his instructions without complaint.
They probably believe that if they don't follow his instructions, they won't have anything to eat right now.
"As the situation is like this, it seems we need more personnel for the scouting party. Regrettably, it will be difficult to distribute food to those who do not participate in the scouting party from now on."
His hardline stance was enough to make people harbor complaints, but they accepted his words without expressing dissatisfaction.
In such a desperate situation, it seemed they saw no other way but to obey the Mainstream Group leading them.
"Dokja-ssi. What should we do?"
"What do you mean? We have to go find food too."
At Kim Dokja's words, the group members all stiffened, looking tense.
"Then are we joining the scouting party too? There's still food on the surface..."
"No. We won't go to the surface. It's certain death there. Unless you're immune to deadly poison..."
Saying that, I waved my hand at Kim Dokja, who turned his gaze toward me.
"Even if there is such a person, I don't intend to entrust everything to them."
"But food is on the surface..."
"No. Lee Hyunsung-ssi. The world has changed. To fit the changed world, we must also change our staple food."
Simultaneously with those words, Kim Dokja turned his body toward the direction of Yaksu Station. Realizing what that action meant, Lee Hyunsung and Jung Heewon looked at Kim Dokja in astonishment.
"Don't tell me..."
"That's right."
Kim Dokja tightly gripped the spine he had been carrying and jumped down from the platform.
"We're going to hunt monsters."
After a short while, we entered the tracks and finished preparing to go deeper. Cheon Inho was watching us from the platform above.
"You're going to follow the tracks?"
Cheon Inho rolled his eyes here and there, perhaps making various calculations in his head, then finally nodded.
"That's a sound judgment. Looking at the long term, we need a team dedicated to clearing the scenario. Have a safe trip."
He must have concluded that sending us away, since he couldn't control us anyway, was the right decision.
"Instead, could you take one of our group members with you on your way? We also want to get some information about the clear method."
Saying that, Cheon Inho stepped aside, and behind him stood a man familiar to us.
"D-do I really have to go?"
"Ey, why are you being like this. Han-hyung. Didn't you say since last night that you wanted to reconcile with those two gentlemen?"
At Cheon Inho's words, Han Myungoh looked back and forth between me and Kim Dokja, then nodded with a devastated expression.
"Then if Dokja-ssi and Gang-hoon-ssi are okay with it..."
"One piece of baggage doesn't matter much."
"Yes. It's fine."
Han Myungoh looked quite surprised by our responses. He must have blurted it out expecting to be rejected. Han Myungoh.
But unfortunately, having one person like him tag along makes no difference in comfort or discomfort for me. Even if he betrays us like last time, it's not really a problem.
"Let's go."
Kim Dokja took the lead. We followed the path and went in.
After going in a little, I started to regret bringing Han Myungoh along.
He kept reacting to every little thing from behind... just noisy.
"I don't know if this is okay."
"It's fine. Hyunsung-ssi. At least he's not strong enough to harm us. Doesn't have the guts either."
At my words, Kim Dokja nodded as if he thought the same.
"By the way, I'm actually more worried about Jung Heewon-ssi."
"Rather than me, Gilyoung is more worrisome."
At Jung Heewon's words, the group all turned their eyes to Gilyoung.
"Certainly, shouldn't we send Gilyoung-ssi and the women back?"
"Excuse me? No, Lee Hyunsung-ssi. I may not be as good as you, but I fight pretty well too, you know? Despite appearances, I did Kendo!"
"Eyy."
I turned around, put my hand between Lee Hyunsung and Jung Heewon, and cut off their conversation.
"Hyunsung-ssi. Heewon-ssi. The world has changed now. It's a world where women and children can become strong if they set their minds to it. Who knows? There might be a woman or child with talent equal to mine?"
"If there's one more person equal to you at this point, the world will be under scrutiny."
Seriously... my strength is treated like a sin.
"Anyway, as Gang-hoon-ssi said, just because they are children or women doesn't mean they are unconditionally weak. Right, Gilyoung-ah. Show them yourself."
Gilyoung nodded at Dokja's words, then placed his hand on the ground and started doing something.
"O-oh my god. What is that!"
"D-damn it! It's a cockroach!"
Han Myungoh screamed, startled by the appearance of the cockroach.
The rustling cockroach was connected to Gilyoung's fingertip by a faint thread.
The cockroach wiggled as if listening to Gilyoung, then disappeared back into the darkness.
"Were there no other bugs besides cockroaches?"
"...It was the closest bug."
At Gilyoung's words, I ruffled his hair roughly.
"Don't do that..."
"Haha, it's because you're cute. Cute. Anyway, shouldn't you explain to them? Everyone looks surprised."
"Ah..."
Gilyoung removed my hand from his head and stuck close to Dokja.
Anyway... the Kim Dokja fanboy trait isn't going anywhere.
"My attribute is [Insect Collector]. I can communicate simply with insects. It says there's nothing ahead. It says it'll be safe for about a hundred steps forward."
Gilyoung got up from his spot and turned his head toward Lee Hyunsung and Jung Heewon.
"Thank you for worrying, but... I'm not weak enough to make Hyung and Noona worry. I don't intend to be carried."
"Ah, okay."
Jung Heewon made a somewhat begrudging expression and nodded.
"Let's keep going forward."
"But it's pitch black ahead like there's some kind of membrane, I can't see anything?"
At Yoo Sangah's words, Lee Hyunsung immediately touched the membrane-like thing, and the black membrane vanished before their eyes as if peeled away.
Ding.
The membrane Lee Hyunsung peeled away was a step toward our new sub-scenario.
[A new sub scenario has arrived.]
< Sub Scenario - Food Acquisition >
Category: Sub
Difficulty: E
Clear Condition: Hunt monsters that can be utilized as food and cook them.
Time Limit: None
Reward: 500 Coins
Penalty for Failure: ???
And beyond the scenario window, our eyes caught sight of what used to be a creature.
"H-hiek... M-monster!"
"Who on earth could have done this?"
Kim Dokja and I looked at the monster's corpse, glanced at each other once, and looked back at the corpse.
We were probably both thinking of the same person.
"Can't we use this as food? For the scenario clear condition..."
"Hyunsung-ssi. Unfortunately, that's the wrong answer."
"Excuse me?"
Lee Hyunsung made a face showing he didn't understand my words.
This guy. He didn't check the scenario properly.
"The scenario says 'hunt directly'."
"Ah."
Kim Dokja crouched down and examined the monster's condition.
"How do we cook this? Would grilling it work?"
Hearing Hyunsung's words from behind, Kim Dokja stared for a while, then stabbed the monster's corpse with a spine and began carving it with a knife.
"You know how to butcher too?"
"I know roughly."
Kim Dokja cut out the vertebrae from the corpse and pulled them out.
Perhaps because it was his first time, the bones were clumsily scratched.
"What are you going to use those for?"
"I remembered Heewon-ssi saying she practiced Kendo."
Kim Dokja quickly and skillfully trimmed the vertebrae and handed them out to the companions one by one.
"Gang-hoon-ssi too..."
"No, I'm good."
Of course, I refused.
There was no reason for me to fight with a spinal bone.
"It's a shame, they give Coins."
"Ey, it's fine. It's enough if you guys get a lot."
I glanced at the message window appearing on the right.
[The Constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is moved by your thoughtfulness.]
[The Constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' has sponsored 100 Coins.]
Trying to get more here would make me look conscienceless.
"Ah, speaking of Coins, if possible, invest all the Coins you currently have into Strength, Stamina, and Agility, leaving only enough for the Survival Fee. Honestly, I don't expect everyone to live. Still, everyone, please survive."
"What about me?"
"You... figure it out yourself. Don't ask and make a person embarrassed."
I smirked.
"Then I'll expect from everyone as much as Dokja-ssi doesn't expect. Let's survive together."
Grrr... The sound of monsters moving reached my ears.
"Phase, Paramita, Pillars of Light."
Gathering Cursed Energy at my fingertips, I applied the Reverse Cursed Technique and aimed toward the monsters—the Ground Rats.
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Red."
Crackle. The sphere, gathering Cursed Energy and emitting that reversed red light, immediately flew toward the Ground Rats, sweeping them all away and pushing them deep into the tunnel.
"More will come swarming. Now~ now. I blew them away to signal everyone to get ready, so stay sharp!"
At my words, Kim Dokja let out a scoff as if he found me ridiculous.
"You're still strong."
"If you want, I can do it all for you until the end. Want to take the easy way? or the hard way and grow?"
"You say that right to my face. In that case..."
Kim Dokja turned his head toward the direction the Ground Rats were swarming from with determined eyes.
"I will grow."
At his words, I turned my eyes to the group behind me.
Fortunately... everyone seems to be thinking the same thing.
Don't know about Han Myungoh though.
"Good."
Hands in my pockets, I stepped back about five paces.
After saying all this, if you get beaten up and create a situation where I have to help, it won't look cool, okay? Kim Dokja.
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