‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen her.’
I had no choice but to sit back and watch as Juliena’s charge unfolded before us.
‘Shit, why is she so fast?’
Juliena moved even faster than when I was using it myself.
With multiple enchantments cast on the sword, it was only for it to be faster and stronger. He probably hadn’t bonded with it much, as there was no materialization at all, but he clearly had his own way of handling Juliena.
A surprise attack like that could have easily taken out a low-rank adventurer, piercing their throat in a heartbeat, but Yoo Ah-Young was no ordinary adventurer.
She hadn't earned her off-tank position in the Blue Guild by a mere fluke or through a stroke of luck. To be blunt, she wasn’t tougher than the pig, but when it came to skill and precision, she had the upper hand.
Naturally, she responded in an instant, pulling me closer while scanning the surroundings. Juliena was dashing around, trying to confuse her, but her eyes never wavered and remained fixed on Juliena.
And then, clang!
Yoo Ah-Young caught Juliena with her bare hand.
‘Wow! What was that?!’
The way she caught Juliena with her bare hand without even blinking wasn’t just impressive, it was awe-inspiring. She was so focused that it seemed like she hadn't noticed the blood trickling down her hand.
‘How did she catch that?’
I could see the muscles in her arm bulging slightly as she held onto Juliena. Well, she was a blacksmith who swung a hammer every day, so her Strength was bound to be high, but even so, it was an incredible transformation.
Her arms looked slim, but her muscles became extremely hard and firm when she flexed them.
“Miss Ah-Young?” I said.
“Y-You said to handle it quietly...” Yoo Ah-Young mumbled.
I never imagined that she’d actually go along with that request...
‘Well, that settles it.’
Juliena alone wasn't enough to break through Yoo Ah-Young, and I was sure Jung Jin-Ho would understand that. Saying that it was hard to control Juliena from a distance or that he prioritized stealth over power to avoid making noise were just excuses.
What mattered was that he knew that the party chasing after him couldn't be taken lightly.
“Ahh!”
The trembling Juliena finally escaped Yoo Ah-Young’s hand. It had to have decided to run instead of charging at her again, and it was proven by how Juliena changed directions and disappeared.
Obviously...
“There’s no need to follow that sword,” I told her.
“What?” Yoo Ah-Young questioned.
“It’s a trap. It’s such an old-fashioned trick that it’s almost laughable... but I can’t deny that it’s somewhat effective,” I said.
Tracks were visible even beyond the brush where Juilena had disappeared.
Whether it was created by magic or the decoy of an assassin from their unit, the tactic was too clumsy to fool either Mind’s Eye or the Telescope. The assassination attempt had failed, and they couldn't shake off the pursuers, which left them with only one choice.
‘No... they don't have just one option.’
They had to have realized by now that we had a different objective. In their eyes, our party probably looked suspicious. Despite following them along the correct path, we had yet to call for reinforcements.
For whatever reason, it looked like we were trying to handle things as quietly as possible. Naturally, that would make them think that we had another goal. The question was whether Jung Jin-Ho and his group could accept that.
However, they stopped in place, so it seemed they were trying to figure out what our mysterious group actually wanted to do.
“We’ll stop for a moment by that big tree and get ready for battle,” I ordered.
“Yes, sir.”
“Just maintain that stance until I give further orders,” I added.
“Okay.”
“Okay, hyung.”
I kept my instructions simple, but everyone understood me perfectly. They were semi-elite in the second life, so they were definitely sharp enough to know that the enemy was waiting.
‘We can’t let them look down on us.’
The party tensed up bit by bit. Since we were about to enter the heart of the enemy’s territory, each member adjusted their formation in their own way. For a team thrown together at the last minute, they worked together surprisingly well.
Their solid coordination made even me hesitate to attack them carelessly. Jung Jin-Ho surely sensed this as well, so there was no risk of a sudden ambush. No one wanted to be discovered by an encircling enemy.
“...”
“...”
During the strange silence, some brigade members finally appeared.
“...”
“...”
There were five people perched on the tree branches up ahead.
There were probably more who had yet to reveal themselves, but I figured there were about ten of them in total. Since their faces had already been exposed, they probably thought that there was no need for masks anymore, as everyone was staring at us with bare faces.
Upon seeing the enemies, the party members instinctively adjusted their grips on their weapons, and then, a figure appeared between the trees.
Rafael, who once clashed with Jung Jin-Ho, was openly hostile.
‘Psychopath killer Jung Jin-Ho.’
I hadn’t seen him since our first encounter during the tutorial dungeon, but he looked the same. A few more scars marked his body, but overall, nothing had changed. At this waist, along with Juliena, were multiple swords, all seemingly Legendary items.
“You...” Rafael muttered.
“Can I ask why you came all the way here?” Jung Jin-Ho asked.
“One of you seems familiar...” he added.
“...”
“If you’re looking for your comrades who fought us, then you’ve come to the wrong place. They all fled right after you disappeared,” Jung Jin-Ho said.
“Why should I believe you?” Rafael questioned.
“I understand that you find it hard to believe, but it's clear that we both want to avoid unnecessary commotion... Please understand that we didn’t have the capacity to chase your party members.
'You seem to know our situation... so think about it. Why would we risk so much to go after your party members?” Jung Jin-Ho asked.
“Do you know where they went?” Rafael asked.
“Well, we did confirm that they disappeared into the west... but beyond that... we’re not sure ourselves,” Jung Jin-Ho answered.
“...”
“But...” Jung Jin-Ho paused.
“...”
“Why do you keep talking down to me? You immature blond brat,” Jung Jin-Ho continued. He bared his teeth, revealing his killing intent. It was an intensity completely different from what I experienced in the second life.
I had no idea how many people he had killed so far, but the unsettling atmosphere was enough for Rafael to instinctively reach for his sword. Perhaps they realized that a battle was imminent, as I heard the voices of the brigade members.
“Can we kill them?”
“Are we going to kill them? Boss?”
“The only option is to kill them as quickly as possible. Judging by how far they chased us, they’re clearly skilled... Letting them live will only get in the way down the road,” a member said.
‘The atmosphere is definitely intimidating.’
Felis Hanest and Kim Myung-Won probably felt the same way when they witnessed the fake brigade. Lines like, “Can we kill them? Are we going to kill them? Boss?” sounded like something the Moon Breakers would say, but those words couldn't be ignored, as they were coming from people who killed hundreds or even thousands of people.
“That kid looks tasty... Boss...” a member mumbled.
‘Am I a monster or something?’
The twins and Sun Hee-Young were missing. Perhaps the visually striking members had decided to sneak away beforehand.
‘Yeah, they definitely have the looks.’
The one-legged guy was missing as well.
One of them was a guy who was as lanky as a pole; one looked like Park Deok-Gu but with sixty percent less muscle and ninety percent more fat; one seemed like just an ordinary human at first glance, and there was also a short woman wearing a mask.
Some looked decent, but the twins and Sun Hee-Young, who stood out for their visuals, were nowhere to be found.
I wasn’t sure what the real criteria were for choosing sides, but it wasn’t skills, at least.
The people in front of me had impressive abilities, even by the standards of the continent in the second life.
I knew our party was strong, but we wouldn’t be able to overpower them without paying a price. Naturally, I had no choice but to take a step forward. The tension felt like it could snap at any moment, and neither they nor I wanted to clash here.
“I’ll do the talking,” I said.
“Hyung?” Rafael said.
“Neither of us has time to waste on this power struggle. I’m sure you have your own reasons as well,” I continued.
“Looks like there’s at least one who gets it,” Jung Jin-Ho commented.
‘Looks like it’s our first time meeting.’
“Staying in one place for too long probably isn’t very beneficial for you. I’d like to have a quick chat... Could you send someone over?” I requested.
“I don’t know... Can we really trust you?” Jung Jin-Ho questioned.
“If you didn’t trust me, you wouldn’t have waited around like this. I can at least answer some of your questions. Shouldn’t you know who I am and why these people came looking for you before you go?” I asked.
“...”
“You can decline if you want. Though I’m not sure you’re really in a position to do that...” I added.
“...”
“You guys... were betrayed, right?” I asked.
Hostility flared up instantly.
“I suggest you calm down a little if you want to negotiate...” I suggested.
‘No, you can’t kill me.’
Jung Jin-Ho was impulsive, but he was not irrational. That psychopathic killer knew his situation and position better than anyone else.
If he were just some dumb murderer, he wouldn’t think about forming a group or recruiting the brains behind it. He would have been caught and killed like the other fools wandering the streets.
The small group’s notoriety on the continent wasn't just thanks to Ji-Hye and Ki-Young. The one acting like a glue that was keeping things together played a crucial role as well. He acted like he was in control, but Jung Jin-Ho knew better than anyone that one with the real power here was me.
“Hyung, he’s dangerous,” Rafael said.
‘Get away from me, man.’
I had got Park Lian as well. If things were to go south, someone was ready to take a hit for me, so it was fine. And he wasn't that dumb either.
“Since I’m a kid... I’ll bring one person along. Just in case you try to kidnap me. Mr. Ki-Mo?” I said.
“Okay.”
I raised both hands to show that I had no intention of fighting and walked forward.
I saw Jung Jin-Ho doing the same, walking straight toward me.
“It looks like there are two people with you... but it doesn’t matter,” Jung Jin-Ho commented.
‘Looks like he sensed Lian’s presence.’
A table would have been nice, but of course, there wasn’t a table around here. I was worried about how I looked, as my face was wrapped tightly in bandages, but it was clear that Jung Jin-Ho couldn't care less about that.
Then again, the whole situation was weird enough that he probably had no time to worry about the small details. Strange faces, a group with unknown power, a blond kid calling the bandaged kid "hyung," and my suggesting that we talk while everyone around them was ready to attack.
I was sure all these were bizarre enough for anyone to avoid thinking about the trivial details.
“You look like you have a lot of questions,” I said.
“Not really,” Jung Jin-Ho answered.
“To get straight to the point...” I paused.
“...”
“You appear to be in a bit of a difficult situation...” I said.
“...”
“I think we can help,” I told him.