Chapter 13
Chapter 13 – Hero in disaster (2)
Late at night.
Everyone was exhausted after a day that had literally come at them like a storm.
But the survivors on the 7th floor gathered to discuss what to do next.
“What do we do now…”
“If we just wait a little, the soldiers will come and solve this.”
“That’s right. We have Kang Hyeon with us too.”
The last one was the words of the man who had shouted at Kang Hyeon, ‘You go find another place’.
In the meantime, Kang Hyeon’s title had risen vertically from ‘you’ to ‘Mr’.
-Bang, bang…
Gunshots could still be heard outside. It seemed it would still take time for the situation to calm down.
“How much food is left here?”
Kang Hyeon, who had learned the importance of food from the tutorial, spoke up.
No one knew how people might change when they were tired and hungry.
“We have a few snacks and some leftover boxed lunches.”
“What about water?”
“I filled up as much water as I could from the purifier, just in case.”
It was confirmed that the water supply had not yet been cut off.
“Then let’s also collect tap water. We don’t know how long this situation will last.”
“Okay.”
‘Even if we have water, there’s nearly not enough food.’
There were about twenty people on this floor.
All the food they had was a few snacks and some partially eaten boxed lunches.
‘With just water, we can hold out for a week, but…’
Kang Hyeon’s gaze turned to the body of the goblin.
‘Let’s keep that as a last resort.’
“It’s late, so let’s take turns standing guard as we go back.”
Everyone nodded at Kang Hyeon’s words.
“Two people per shift, one and a half hours each. I’ll decide the order by drawing lots.”
Then a middle-aged man raised his hand.
“Ahem. Listen here.”
“Yes.”
“I’ll sit this out. I’m too old for that kind of thing.”
The man said, clearing his throat.
‘Is he serious right now?’
Kang Hyeon recognized him at a glance. He was the one the others called ‘manager’.
“Hey.”
“What, what is it?”
“Are you joking around right now?”
Anger began to slowly well up in Kang Hyeon’s eyes.
“In this situation, how can you…!”
Kang Hyeon was about to scold the man when Kang A-hyun grabbed his arm, stopping him.
‘Right. Kang Hyeon, calm down…’
“Sigh… If you don’t listen to me, I’ll just take Kang A-hyun and leave.”
“What?! Are you threatening us?!”
The faces of the watching employees turned ugly.
At first they had been hesitant to say anything, but at the mention of Kang Hyeon leaving, they chimed in one by one.
“That’s right. Where do you think you are right now?”
“Manager, you’re being too much.”
“You people! Have you all lost your minds?!”
The manager jumped up, placing his hands on his waist.
Now I’m angry! The posture was.
“Don’t you all still want to go back to the company?”
The manager shouted with determination, and the employees quickly fell silent, heads bowed.
“If you think this situation will just continue, you’re very mistaken. All of you… Wow!”
As the manager was ranting as if in his own home, Kang Hyeon approached him and roughly grabbed him by the collar. He then slowly began to lift the manager into the air.
The suspended manager flailed in pain.
“Impressive manager. I’ll only say this once, so listen carefully.”
Kang Hyeon pulled his arm close and whispered in the boss’s ear.
“You bastard. One more time you give me trouble, I’ll throw you to the monsters. Until only your bones are left. Did you understand?”
“Ugh…! Ugh!”
“Nod if you understand.”
At Kang Hyeon’s words, the manager frantically nodded his head.
Kang Hyeon then forcefully threw the manager to the ground.
“Cough, cough!”
Though the sight of the boss coughing as he fell was pitiful, the gazes of the people were ice-cold.
“Alright, that’s enough for today. Now let’s draw lots.”
“Okay.”
“And as I said before, you need to be quiet. Be careful not to let any light leak out.”
***
Ippotranslation
***
It was deep at night, and Kang Hyeon and Kang A-hyun were lying down in a place a little apart from the people.
Kang Hyeon had been swinging a sword all day long, and he was literally soaked in fatigue from even shedding blood.
‘I can’t sleep…’
But he couldn’t fall asleep because of all the thoughts wandering in his head.
“Hey. Are you asleep?” Kang A-hyun spoke.
“No.”
“You were pretty cool today. I saw it again.”
Kang Hyeon smiled slightly.
“Did you fall for me?”
“You just don’t know moderation when it comes to taking people on flights, do you.”
“Hehe…”
“But the other people don’t seem to be like that, huh.”
At Kang A-hyun’s sudden words, Kang Hyeon turned his body to look at her.
“What are you talking about?”
“Today, a senior was asking if i could introduce you to her, saying you looked cool when you grabbed the manager by the collar. Seems like she’s totally into you.”
“Ugh!”
Kang Hyeon almost burst out laughing loudly, but quickly covered his mouth.
“Really?”
“I want to ask, is it true?”
“Then ask if she’s okay with a guy who curses every morning when he wakes up.”
“Haha, hey. Don’t be funny. Everyone’s asleep.”
For a moment, she giggled while covering her mouth to hold back the bursting laughter. In the distance, a loud explosion made her flinch.
“It’ll be okay, right?”
“Of course. The ones who just came out aren’t much, so don’t worry. The soldiers will take care of them soon.”
‘But there’s no guarantee it will be like that going forward…’
Kang Hyeon swallowed his words and comforted Kang A-hyun.
“You’re quite brother-like today. Phew… Are you tired? I’m sorry for making you talk. Let’s sleep now.”
“Okay. Sleep well.”
“You too, sleep well.”
It wasn’t long before Kang A-hyun’s snoring could be heard. But Kang Hyeon couldn’t fall asleep.
‘I have to hurry up and clear the tutorial…’
If he had been able to use his skills today, or at least use some equipment, he could have saved Kang A-hyun much more easily.
So far, there hasn’t been a big deal, but if something like a skeletal knight shows up, it would be absolutely impossible in his current state.
‘I have to level up, or at least raise my stats more. I have to bring my parents here too.’
Fortunately, it seems there hasn’t been a big incident in the neighborhood where Kang Hyeon’s parents live. But this luck won’t last forever.
“Phew…”
Gazing at the sleeping Kang A-hyun’s face, Kang Hyeon eventually fell asleep too, continuing his worries.
***
Ippotranslation
***
[Welcome to Kang Hyeon’s tutorial entry]
[So far, you have completed tutorial stage 4]
[Would you like to enter stage 5?]
“Seems like I finally fell asleep.”
Kang Hyeon, who arrived in the familiar space, muttered.
“Gotta go. Let’s finish this quickly.”
[May your courage save the Earth]
For a moment, the flickering in front of his eyes and the sensation of his body rising up. Kang Hyeon found himself standing in an unfamiliar space.
[Fifth Stage (Stage 5)]
[Prove your wisdom that can overcome any difficulties]
[Clear Condition: Eliminate the succubus, the dream demon disguised as a human]
[Failure Condition: Death]
[Tip. The succubus is hiding its identity. The being that realizes its true identity will be the first target]
‘Prove my wisdom, huh…’
Wisdom was the thing farthest from Kang Hyeon. Since his school days, he had been a rather unusual student who thought the spoon-fed education suited him well.
‘That’s why I hated math so much. Basic problems were just a matter of memorizing formulas, but I couldn’t solve the difficult ones.’
He didn’t know what the connection between math formulas and wisdom was, but it was certain that Kang Hyeon was a person far from wisdom.
“Ugh…”
Letting out a sigh at the perplexity, Kang Hyeon looked around.
‘There are more people than at the leadership stage.’
He could see ten people, including himself, walking along the forest path.
‘The succubus couldn’t possibly be a man, right…’
Dream Demon succubus. A name known to anyone who plays games a bit.
A female demon that attacks sleeping men and sucks out their life force.
‘There are a total of 4 women in the party.’
Of the people walking, six were men, including himself, and four were women.
‘That should be enough.’
With his thoughts organized, Kang Hyeon began to examine the women one by one.
[Kim Yeon-ji]
‘Why is that dog-like name popping up again?’
Kang Hyeon was startled to see the name floating above one of the women’s heads. Fortunately, the appearance was completely different.
She had a neat short bob cut above her jawline, wearing comfortable leather clothes, and had a long sword equipped on the side.
‘Seems like a general warrior position…’
[Han Song-ju]
She had long red hair flowing down and wore leather armor with steel plates. She also had a small shield on her back.
‘This one must be the tank.’
[Jeong Ye-jin]
She had a sharp expression and was wearing a white metal armor, carrying a mace and a large shield on her back.
‘She must be a holy knight, a paladin-type.’
[Jo Na-yoon]
She had the typical appearance of a pure and innocent woman, with her hair tied back. She was carrying a dagger at her side and a bow on her back.
‘The last one must be an archer.’
Kang Hyeon carefully examined them one by one, but he didn’t feel anything special just by looking at their appearances.
‘They’re all unnecessarily pretty!’
Succubuses are commonly known to possess captivating beauty and ensnare men.
So Kang Hyeon simply thought the most beautiful one would be the succubus, but he faced an obstacle right from the start.
‘Right. It can’t be this easy.’
It took over 3 weeks in the previous stage. No one knows how long it will take this time.
Kang Hyeon steeled his mind.
‘Even though I’m in a hurry, I was told to retreat. Acting too hastily might end up ruining everything.’
Kang Hyeon decided to first walk around and gather more information about the situation.
“Tae Sung,Should we rest here?”
Kim Yeon-ji flirtatiously asked the man walking in front of her, fluttering her big eyes in what seemed like a charming manner.
‘Ah… I remember that Kim Yeon-ji.’
Thinking about the Kim Yeon-ji who had killed him several times, Kang Hyeon felt like he was going to vomit at the sight of her flirtatious behavior.
“Seeing her putting on such disgusting airs, that girl is definitely the succubus.”
It was the words of Jeong Ye-jin, whom Kang Hyeon had guessed to be a holy knight. Her voice was as cold as her sharp expression, which Kang Hyeon found incredibly attractive.
‘That’s one hell of a girl crush. But do they know there’s a succubus among them?’
Contrary to Kang Hyeon’s expectations, the group seemed to already be aware that there was a succubus among them.
“Hmph. What, are you jealous? It’s not like she’s all that special.”
“Hey, don’t fight. The succubus’ real goal must be to cause discord among us. If we do that, we’ll just be playing right into its hands.”
The man called Tae Sung stepped in to stop the two.
“It’s gotta be Han Song-ju, right? She just joined the dungeon this time. It’s so obvious.”
Kim Yeon-ji pointed her finger at Han Song-ju, the one with red hair.
‘Hmm… She just joined. She’s too obvious of a suspect, so she might not actually be it. But I can’t completely rule out the possibility either.’
At that moment, Kang Hyeon’s eyes met Kim Yeon-ji’s as he was looking around.
[Resisting Charm]
‘Huh?’
A message suddenly appeared.
“What? Is there something on my face? Did my beauty get on you?”
“Yeah, seems like it. You look even prettier than usual today.”
Kang Hyeon replied with a smile.
‘You’re done for.’
***
Ippotranslation
***
While walking on the path, there were a few battles, but the party members were all skilled fighters. Kang Hyeon didn’t get the chance to take any significant action as the day drew to a close.
“Let’s camp here!”
At Tae Sung’s words, the party members began setting up the camp with familiarity.
‘How do I deal with Kim Yeon-ji…’
After the evening meal, Kang Hyeon crouched in a corner, lost in thought.
‘It’s almost certain that Kim Yeon-ji is the succubus. I’m at a complete loss.’
At first, he considered just recklessly charging in, but Kang Hyeon didn’t do that.
‘I still don’t know how strong the enemy is. And it seems the men have mostly already fallen for her.’
If the attack failed, it would be practically game over for the clear.
“What do I do…”
“What are you thinking about?”
“Shit, you scared me!”
Kang Hyeon was startled to see Kim Yeon-ji suddenly speaking right in front of him.
“Why are you swearing like that?”
“Ah… Sorry, I was just lost in thought.”
“What were you thinking about?”
“Nothing… It’s nothing.”
“Aww, won’t you tell me?”
Kim Yeon-ji pouted her lips and made a sulky expression. At the same time, Kang Hyeon’s heart sank.
‘What? How can she be this cute!?’
[Resisting Charm]
Thanks to the ring of strong spirit, Kang Hyeon was able to snap out of the momentary trance.
‘Phew, I almost got screwed.’
Kang Hyeon gathered himself and responded as calmly as he could.
“I was just talking to myself, that’s all…”
“Hmph, Kim Yeon-ji is upset now!”
“Ugh!”
As Kim Yeon-ji spoke with a half-bitten tongue, a retching sound could be heard from afar, where Jeong Ye-jin was vomiting.
“Sorry, I’ll be right back, I need to use the restroom.”
Kang Hyeon made an excuse to get away from there.
‘How can I let the others know that Kim Yeon-ji is the succubus…’
Blurting it out carelessly could just cause unnecessary conflict.
“Think, Kang Hyeon. This is a gateway that must be overcome with wisdom.”
“Should I just rush in like a madman and strike her down?”
“No. If I fail at that moment, this tutorial is guaranteed to end in failure.”
Kang Hyeon muttered to himself like a crazy person.
“Right! Since there doesn’t seem to be a time limit, for now let’s just let this slide for today. The more hurried, the more you should retreat.”
After all, he can’t really die.
Even if he fails to clear this stage, there will be another chance next time.
It would be wiser to gather as much information as possible rather than hastily making a move and losing the opportunity.
“Oh, you’re back.”
“Yeah.”
“It’s about time we get some sleep.”
As Kang Hyeon returned to the camp, the party members were one by one crawling into their sleeping bags.
“Kang Hyeon, you know you’re the last one on night watch, right?”
“Yeah.”
Kang Hyeon nodded at the man’s words and climbed into his sleeping bag.
‘I can’t fall asleep, can I?’
‘But with the night watch system, it should be fine, right?’
Feeling mentally exhausted, Kang Hyeon debated whether to sleep or not.
‘No no! In this situation, how can I even think of sleeping? I might get killed right away.’
‘But if I stay up all night, I’ll be exhausted tomorrow and who knows what could happen then…’
As Kang Hyeon continued pondering, his eyelids gradually fell shut.
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