Editor: Cherish
After leaving the house, Kim Si Hoon headed towards the gate.
The gate that Kang Yu himself had once hunted at.
— It didn't take long to say 'once.'
It hasn't even been a month since Kang Yu himself was hunting trolls to raise his level.
'Come to think of it, that was when I met the Hellhound and started levelling faster.'
The Hell creature that Kang Yu had encountered at the Level C Gate.
After killing the dog, Kang Yu had started getting Red Rose's support and it became easier to level up.
'If he's going to the Level C Gate…' Kang Yu watched with interest as Si Hoon walked to the exit of the subway station.
That means that he, Dae Su, Eun Bi, and Han Sol have already attained level 20 and received special abilities of Rank 3.
'How quick.'
Of course, they were no match for him, but Si Hoon's rate of promotion was faster than expected.
Kang Yu smiled widely and, staying invisible in the air with one of his Powers, followed Si Hoon.
— Hello!
— Hi, Si Hoon Oppa!
— Hi, Si Hoon Hyung!
(Editor's Note: I was really surprised that Dae Su calls Si Hoon 'hyung' – term that men use to address older men they respect/have good relationship with – and after double-checking, in c38 he also calls Si Hoon 'hyung' when he rushed to fight a monster. Therefore, surprisingly, Dae Su is… young. Thought I'd share.)
After leaving the subway, he met with his teammates.
Their greeting wasn't as awkward as the first time; they greeted each other like real friends now that they've formed a close relationship.
— Did something happen to Han Sol…? — Si Hoon asked, walking up to Dae Su with a tilt of his head.
Han Sol was kicking at the innocent floor with a sad look on her face.
Dae Su put his hand on the boy's shoulder, took him aside, and said in a quiet voice:
— Because Kang Yu is so busy, he hasn't been home for a week.
— Ah… — Si Hoon made a short cry of realization and nodded his head in understanding.
'Han Sol has feelings for him.'
Only a stupid person wouldn't notice. Just one glance was enough to tell how she felt about Kang Yu.
During their hunting breaks, she often talked about Kang Yu, and when others mentioned him, her cheeks would turn red.
— So Kang Yu hasn't been home in a week…
That wasn't particularly surprising. After all, he's a high-level player.
There were many reasons why he'd be unable to show up for an entire week.
After thinking for a bit, Si Hoon asked:
— She can't reach him?
— No, they keep in contact. He sends her messages everyday and calls her sometimes, but doesn't say why he can't come.
— Hmm… So he's not at the Gate.
For obvious reasons, the radio signal doesn't reach inside the Gate.
To communicate at the Gate or send signals from there, you must use a special device made from mana stones.
— He won't answer her, even if she asks…
— Ahh… Then it's clear why she's so sad. — Si Hoon gave an awkward smile and looked at the girl. — Han Sol noona! Don't be too sad. He must have his reasons for doing that. —
— Yeah… Yeah, I'm sure he does. — Han Sol took a deep breath and sank her head even lower, continuing to hit the ground with her shoe. — Maybe my cooking isn't good enough… Or maybe he found someone else… —
Han Sol tried to be as optimistic as possible, but the more time passed, the more her anxiety increased.
They had only met not so long ago, but in that short period of time, things had changed dramatically and she could no longer imagine a life without him.
She wasn't the only one who was depressed.
Echidna, who was left home alone, missed Kang Yu many times more.
Eun Bi suddenly spoke up:
— Doesn't Kang Yu live at your house?
— Yes, he does…
— Hmm… Maybe he couldn't tolerate it anymore and left.
— Tolerate what?
— Well, Kang Yu is a young man. Being under the same roof as a beautiful girl like you… Hmm~~ Kang Yu's self-control…
— That's enough! — Si Hoon slapped Eun Bi at the back of her head, causing Han Sol to jump in shock.
He smiled innocently and turned his head towards Han Sol:
— Don't think about what Eun Bi said. I'm sure he has a good reason for doing that. Because unlike us, he's a high-class player.
— Well, yes… I guess so…
— To get to his level, the only thing we can do is keep hunting.
— Yeah… — There was a spark of hope in Han Sol's sad eyes.
She kept nodding to herself affirmatively, encouraged by Si Hoon's words.
— Well, let's go, — Si Hoon said, and started walking towards the Gate's entrance.
His teammates followed, and together, they entered the Gate.
Kang Yu, who was watching them, thought sadly:
'I feel responsible for this.'
He was only doing what he had to do, but when he saw the loneliness in Han Sol's eyes, he felt a strange wave of guilt wash over him.
'Echidna must be suffering even more.'
Han Sol feels sad, but Echidna is strongly dependent on Kang Yu.
Knowing that, he tried to call as often as possible, but the more time passed, the more she missed him despite the phone calls.
'Believe me, I want this to end soon, too,' Kang Yu thought, following them to the gate.
He hadn't been able to eat delicious kimchi jjigae or sleep in a cozy bed for a week.
They say that if a person suddenly becomes alone, it's very painful.
Even for him who already lived alone for ten thousand years, it was hard.
'But you can't just throw a fishing rod after spending so much effort and bait.'
It wouldn't make things any better.
If Kang Yu carelessly leaves Si Hoon alone and goes home to fulfill his desires, he could lose track of both Si Hoon and the Devil's Teachers. If that happened, he'd never be able to forgive himself for such a stupid act.
— Come in… — After going through the usual inspections at the entrance, Kang Yu went inside the gate.
— Ooh! They're really strong! — exclaimed Dae Su, putting up a shield to defend himself against the trolls waving their clubs.
As soon as Dae Su swung the shield off the ground, the soil started to tremble.
The troll that attacked him wobbled against his shield.
— Han Sol!
— Yes!
Si Hoon, making sure the troll had lost its balance, quickly jumped away.
Han Sol, understanding his signal, prepared to shout out the name of her magical power:
— Power Boost!
At the same time, a white light appeared from her body and headed for Si Hoon's body.
Si Hoon's movements became much faster as he fought the trolls. He jumped into the air, then kicked to the ground with force.
With a brief shout, he left a clear mark on the ground.
'Second position.'
Using flight, the power he had spread all over his body.
With it, like a dragon, he instantly went up in the air and rushed down on the monsters, cutting them in half with his shining sword.
Because of Musin Jeon Tae Hwan's soul, his body was able to move as his ancestor would.
He cut them from their chest to their shins.
A number of trolls fell to the ground in pain.
As expected of monsters, they were more resilient than humans, and even when cut remained conscious.
— Shining Spear!
However, no matter how hard they tried to keep moving, they had no chance of surviving.
An electric charge from Eun Bi's staff pierced the trolls' hearts.
As they fell to the ground, the trolls shook and black smoke began to pour out of their mouths.
— Phew, the monsters at the C Gate are strong!
— We've hunted goblins in packs of five before, but now, if more than three trolls come together, it's already dangerous to handle, — Dae Su said, stretching his arms after the fight.
— But it's been less than a month and we're on par with the trolls now. Who else is levelling up as fast as us?
— Ha-ha-ha, it's all thanks to Si Hoon. It all started right from the moment we gathered our party! I was certain we'd be a great group, but I didn't think that in less than a month we would be able to raise our level so much that we could hunt at the Level C Gate.
Dae Su, hardly able to believe that they just killed the trolls, recklessly cheered.
— If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been able to get to the Level C Gate so fast either. — Si Hoon smiled with a tilt of his head as usual. — Let's quickly gather the mana stones and continue. —
— Oh, I also heard that blood from the heart of trolls is widely used in medications, so it can be sold for a high price.
Kim Si Hoon and Party, after collecting Mana stones and blood from the trolls, went to look for their next victims.
— Oh… — Kang Yu's eyes glimmered with pride, watching his teammates.
'They've gotten much better.'
The movement and cohesion of the group was on a completely different level.
Each one of them understood and accepted the role of their teammates, so their dexterity improved as well.
'If Han Sol was only able to heal, it would be bad.'
Normally, everyone forgets about the supports in a strong party, because strong Players receive almost no injuries.
However, Han Sol could both buff and heal — a support that could perform two tasks at once.
Even in a strong party, it's important not to forget nor underestimate the value of supports.
'I'm beginning to think that they won't even need my help.' Kang Yu smiled widely, following the group.
— Hmm… — Kang Yu clicked his tongue and looked around. — It's time they noticed our bait. —
It's been a week now.
The Devil's Teachers don't have much time left to complete their summoning plan, so they should be in a panic by now.
Now would be a good time to reach out for the delicious bait.
Kang Yu used the Observer's Power to find out where Si Hoon's Party was.
'What?' At that moment, Kang Yu felt two people approaching the group, thanks to his Power.
This gate was popular, and it wouldn't be strange if they happened to run into another party here.
However…
'They killed trolls with just one blow.'
While heading towards Si Hoon's group, they each encountered a troll and killed the monster with one stone. The most important thing to note was that they didn't take any mana stones and just continued to follow the group.
'They…' Kang Yu's eyes gleamed.
At last, the week-long torment has borne fruit.
'They took the bait.' Kang Yu licked his lips and followed the group.