Chapter 16. Mercenary (2)
After the incident with the bag of mana stones...
“Is your awakened ability super strength?”
The female mage named Yu-bin kept following me around and asking questions.
“...”
I silently nodded.
“You're the quiet type, aren't you?”
“...”
“How long has it been since you became a Hunter?”
She kept chattering away.
All I could do was silently nod.
There's nothing I can actually answer...
Was my awakened ability super strength?
Of course not.
I hadn't awakened even during the last abnormal Gate.
But I couldn't exactly tell her that I wasn't awakened.
And I definitely couldn't answer when she asked how long I'd been a Hunter.
So I had no choice but to become the quiet type.
Then Choi Yoon-seo called the mage over.
“Yu-bin! Come here for a second!”
“Ah, what now?”
“It's about time to eat.”
“Fine. Si-hyeon, right? Come on, let's go.”
I was about to follow the mage when someone blocked me.
“Porter, why don't you stand guard? It'd be a problem if Orcs suddenly attacked us.”
It was party leader Choi Yoon-seo.
“Why do we need a guard? We already set up alarm magic and everything.”
The female mage, Yu-bin, complained again.
But I was already heading toward the cave entrance.
“Sure.”
He really is a good person.
Choi Yoon-seo must have realized that Yu-bin's questions were making me uncomfortable and deliberately sent me somewhere else.
Grateful for his consideration, I went to the cave entrance and sat down.
I had already checked the terrain.
I had also installed a few simple traps while skinning the Orc earlier.
The cave entrance was definitely safe.
“...”
Orcs.
Hunters who fought Orcs.
I had seen and experienced a lot today.
Magic.
This world was definitely different from the one I had lived in.
I never thought I'd see someone create flames with empty hands and make them explode.
This was why practical experience mattered.
The difference between learning from books and experiencing something firsthand was enormous.
There was something else I'd learned.
Orcs... were weak.
Despite their appearance, Orcs were surprisingly weak.
They were slow.
And large.
They carried weapons, but it felt like they didn't really know how to use them.
They charged bravely, but that only made their intentions obvious.
If I had to give my honest impression...
They're basically strong zombies.
Dark Elves were different.
They had genuinely been difficult opponents, with traits that required caution.
They were more like special infected.
Orcs, on the other hand, were only slightly stronger zombies.
And there was one more thing.
“...”
Hunters.
They were definitely superhuman by this world's standards.
They had ridiculous physical strength.
Their stamina was also monstrous.
But that was all.
I closed my eyes.
If Choi Yoon-seo were dropped into my old world, how long would he survive?
When I quietly opened my eyes again, I had my answer.
“Two months.”
If he lasted two months, he'd have done well.
Then...
Twitch.
A sensation like needles stabbing into my skin.
“Aaaaaah!”
The female mage's scream echoed from deep inside the cave.
While Kim Si-hyeon stood guard...
“I don't like that porter bastard.”
Choi Yoon-seo complained.
“Why?”
“I don't like his eyes. He's only D-Rank, but he acts like he's something special.”
“What's wrong with him? He's reliable. Besides, he carried that spatial backpack full of mana stones like it was nothing.”
Yu-bin answered.
“Isn't that amazing?”
“...Amazing, my ass. He's still just a porter.”
“But with contribution-based distribution, he won't get anything. Contribution only counts monster hunting, not mining. I think we should at least give him something.”
“Hey. Kim Yu-bin.”
Choi Yoon-seo's expression darkened.
“Come on, stop. Either way, this place is incredible. A mana-stone mine this rich could pass for an A-Rank Gate.”
Another party member hurriedly changed the subject before the mood worsened.
“Yoon-seo, seriously, how did you get a place like this?”
“Whew. I told you. I used to belong to the Baeksu Guild.”
“So Baeksu handed you the clearing rights?”
“Yeah. And not just from anyone...”
BOOOOOOM!
An explosion shook the cave as part of the mine collapsed.
“What the...?!”
The party members hurriedly stood.
But...
CRUNCH!
An Orc charged through the debris, grabbed one party member by the head, and crushed it.
“Chwik... chweeeek.”
Orcs.
Not one or two.
There were dozens of them.
“C-Crazy!”
“Prepare for combat!”
Everyone hurriedly tried to arm themselves.
But they had already removed most of their equipment.
Worse...
“Our weapons!”
They had retreated during the surprise attack.
Their main weapons were now lying on the other side, near the Orcs.
“Damn it! Damn it! Why are Orcs suddenly coming from there?!”
The Orcs hadn't come from the entrance.
They had appeared from deeper inside the collapsed mine.
“They're coming!”
The Orcs attacked.
The party desperately drew backup weapons and fought back.
“Fire... Ball!”
Kim Yu-bin's spell exploded.
Choi Yoon-seo drew a dagger and prepared to charge.
Then...
BOOM!
An Orc fist burst through the flames.
It slammed into Choi Yoon-seo's chest, crushing his ribs and launching him backward.
