ReLife Player

Chapter 41

[Hound (3)]

After lunch, we walked around the perimeter. At Gae-yeon waterfall, we took a group photo with each class.

Eunhyuk wanted to see the waterfall up close, so he tripped and almost hurt himself.

«…Eunhyuk Choi.»

«…Yeah.»

«Are you really not going to listen to me?»

«I’m sorry, captain. It was my fault.»

It was Eunha who saved Eunhyuk who was about to fall down the mountain. If he hadn’t reacted quickly, Eunhyeok would have cracked his skull and died.

Eunhyuk was well aware of that fact. Even though Eunha could feel the children staring at him from afar, he didn’t hesitate to tell Eunhyuk to kneel down and sit down.

«Eunhyuk, there are no second chances.»

«…Yes.»

No second chances. He meant it literally.

Eunhyuk knew he wasn’t joking.

«Put your hands down. Stop getting up.»

«Okay.»

He stood up and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. The tears weren’t from nearly falling over the waterfall, nor were they from being yelled at by the teacher.

He was crying because Eunha had scolded him, and Eunhyuk, who was learning swords from him, knew that he was the most terrifying person of all.

«…Man, stop crying.»

«Yeah, sorry. Captain! Hehe~»

Still, the reason he liked him was that he was angry because he was worried about him.

That’s why Eunhyuk was more afraid of Eunha ignoring him because the reason Eunha ignored him was proof that he didn’t care about him.

«…It’s scary when Eunha gets angry.»

Seona, Minji, and Hayang were among the children who were far away. Seona, who was eating the ice cream that Minji had bought for her, felt uncomfortable when she saw Eunha get upset.

It wasn’t the first time he’d been like this; he’d gotten irritated when Sena had argued with him, and he’d gotten angry when Hayang had disappeared without a word the other day.

But today’s behaviour was different; She didn’t expect him to stand up in front of the children with a scary face.

Especially since Eunhyeok was his friend.

«Eunha is like that.»

Hayang took Seona’s attitude in stride; she was no stranger to Eunha’s tantrums.

«Phew, do you realize that now? No Eunha is a psycho, a psycho.»

Minji chimed in. Tossing the ice cream cone into the trash, she looked at the two walking in the distance and grumbled.

«But why….»

Then why are you playing with Eunha?

Seona froze at the words.

As an Ain, she wasn’t in a position to pry into other people’s friendships. No matter how close she got to them, she had to keep her Ain self in check.

«I don’t know why.»

Minji waved away Seona’s questions and hesitations.

She shrugged,

«Because he’s a psycho, but he’s not a bad guy, and being around him makes me feel like I can do something.»

She replied with a nonchalant tone.

«He’s a nice, a good prince.»

«A prince? Ew. He’s just a poodle.»

«No, he’s a prince.»

«Ha, ok, yeah, yeah.»

«Because princes are never on the bad side. I feel like they’ll protect you from anything.»

«…I see.»

Seona nodded, albeit weakly. She could somewhat relate to what they were saying.

She felt like she could do anything with him.

That he would never leave my side.

That’s what Eunhyeok must be feeling too. Even though he’s blunt and proud, he follows whatever Eunha says.

«You’ve been waiting, haven’t you?»

«Sorry, hehe.»

Is this a secret from him?

Yes, a secret.

Yeah, let’s do that.

The girls exchanged glances. Eunha and Eunhyuk were clueless, but the girls giggled.

☆

It was a time for treasure hunting. The first-grade students at Doan Elementary School had to find paper notes in the area that extends from Sangunsa and Daedongsa, and broadly, to the north gate of Bukhansanseong.

«They’ll never find it!»

The teachers who hid the notes insisted. They had been waiting for this moment, starving themselves to hide the note while the children ate their lunches.

Whether they did or not, their eyes lit up at the mention of treasure. Separated into groups, the children searched under stones, trees, and bushes for the note.

«I found one!»

«Ah! Here it is!»

Eunhyuk found the note taped to a pillar at the entrance to Daedongsa. Seona, who had found a note nearby, was also excited.

‘Then, we’ll do rock-paper-scissors, right?’

«Okay.»

«Captain! Give us a signal!»

«…sigh. Just do it. One, two~»

Eunha chanted.

Missing the beat, the two hurriedly opened the note.

‘Ah! It’s a dud!’

‘Me too.’

No wonder.

«Ah! It’s a dud!»

«Me too.»

No wonder.

I didn’t say anything, but I managed to find a few notes on the way to Dae Dongsa. There were limited prizes, but there were notes everywhere, so I figured most of them weren’t bad.

«…You might as well give up.»

«No, captain, I’m going to find the treasure, even if it means going one step further than yesterday!»

«Me too, me too! I want that paint set.»

«Noh Eun-ha, take off your shoes and let’s go!»

«Let’s be strong, let’s be strong!»

«Sigh…»

It seemed to ignite the kids’ willpower.

Eventually, when he wanted to relax, he was held back by Minji and forced to search for treasure.

«Shall we go a little further in?»

They scoured the surrounding area. Minji suggested to the group as they watched the other kids climb the mountain path.

«Okay, let’s go!»

Eunhyuk, still full of energy, agreed.

«Well, me too….»

Hayang, who was also fascinated by the treasure hunt, agreed.

«Yeah, I’m good too.»

Seona, who is also eager to find the paint.

«I’m against it. Girls, it’s been fun.»

«I’m going somewhere!»

Eunha was about to run back to the gathering point when he was grabbed by the nape of the neck again.

I can’t wait to get home. This is no elementary school picnic.

It wasn’t a picnic, it was a hike.

Even if it was difficult to find a picnic area in Seoul, I couldn’t understand why the school chose the remote Bukhansan mountain when there were Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changgyeonggung Palace nearby. (E/N: I have posted pictures of these places in chapters before!)

Beyond this mountain is Uijeongbu!

Seriously, they didn’t even think if it was safe. They said that the monsters that live in Uijeongbu could destroy Seoul, but they chose Uijeongbu as their picnic spot.

«Gahhhhhhhhhhhh!»

That’s when it happened.

Hearing the scream from above, the children stopped walking.

«Huh? What was that?»

«What’s that sound?»

«I think something happened.»

They looked at each other, then back at Eunha behind them.

«…Everybody be quiet.»

It wasn’t an echo.

Eunha held up his index finger to command silence.

The area became silent, as if by magic.

The birds were gone. When had it gone?

The bird sounds disappeared. When did they stop?

The wind blew, and the sound of the wind mixed with the sound of the ground being lightly tapped.

Dirt and dust flew, and the bushes shook unnaturally.

«…Of all times.»

Eunha clicked his tongue. The fading of the sound was enough to tell him what had happened.

Why was it today?

It was the incident of the flower-viewing at Bukhansan Mountain. A monster that had been living in Ui Jeong Bu broke out of its cocoon and came down to Bukhansan.

«Hey, what’s that!»

Minji pointed.

Boom.

A black figure emerged from the bushes. The monster, taller than the children, raised its long snout with a grin.

«Ah….»

Minji knew exactly what that grin meant.

It was the same look the goblins gave the children when they attacked the kindergarten a year ago.

Her mind went blank. She couldn’t feel her fingertips.

She should run, but her feet wouldn’t move.

«No… What is this? Mom, where are you?»

She couldn’t even make a sound. She denied reality by just shaking her head.

The monster could sense the panic in her.

It closed the gap with her, drawing a circle. It raised its sharp claws, ready to tear her flesh and bite her neck.

The monster was sure. Its claws would tear into her soft flesh, and then it would rip out her throat.

Its claws reached out to grab her, and─,

«─Wake up.»

─the claws couldn’t cut anything.

Since when?

No, she didn’t even feel it.

When did it start?

Out of nowhere, Eunha popped up and the fork pierced the monster’s paw covered with thick leather, breaking its claws.

Slash…

The monster went limp. He didn’t hesitate to stab the fork into its mouth, again and again.

Again and again.

He stabbed the fork until the monster’s corpse turned to mana and scattered.

«…Phew.»

Any fork not made of mana-containing metal could no longer be used. Breathless, he threw the fork he was holding to the ground.

«Are you okay?»

«…Uh, yeah. I, I’m fine….»

Minji nodded, still in disbelief.

Right now, she didn’t even know where she was. Or even what she was doing a moment ago.

Her hands were shaking. Her feet were cold.

She closed her eyes tightly as she remembered when the monster had attacked. She hugged herself with her arms in a deathly fear.

You must have been shaken up. Hopefully she’d be okay.

«Are you guys okay?»

Eunha was worried about the other children.

Fortunately, they had remained calm, unlike when the monster had appeared.

«Captain, shouldn’t we clean up the blood first?»

«Yeah, my face is a mess.»

«Here, here….»

«…Thank you.»

Eunha took the handkerchief from Hayang.

If he didn’t, Minji might die. Eunha, momentarily overcome with emotion, took it out on the monster. Then he realized he had blood on his face from the monster’s splashes.

«The towel…, I’ll buy you a new one later.»

«Oh, no, it’s okay.»

«Captain, are you okay?»

«What?»

«You just… I don’t know what to say, but you were not the captain I know.»

What Eunhyeok said after hesitating was something that caught Eunha off guard.

A little while ago, when he killed the monster, he was an <Undead>. He had succumbed to the monster’s influence.

Eunhyuk had accurately characterized him.

«…I’m just a little excited.»

What kind of face am I wearing now?

Thinking that I was showing the children the appearance of the <undead>, my mind was racing.

I wasn’t sure if I was managing my facial expressions well.

I didn’t know what face to make.

So Eunha deliberately looked up at the mountain.

We’re in trouble.

The monster he had just defeated was a Seventh Level Hound.

Hounds were monsters with a pack mentality. When they are hungry, they will pounce on any opponent, no matter how strong, and they will eat even their own kind.

Once captured, they would chase their prey to the death.

Trouble, this is trouble.

Eunha recognized the malevolent aura emanating from the mountain. His mana-sensing web was as fine and dense as a spider’s web, and he could see countless monsters travelling south.

Hell Hounds, of course…..

The Hell Hound is a sixth-tier monster that commands a pack of hounds. I couldn’t find any monsters that looked like Hell Hounds on my sensors, but they had to be somewhere in the mountains.

Dangerous.

Fields and mountain ranges were the Hounds’ staging grounds, and it was no easy task to escape from them.

«Whoa….»

«Captain, what do we do?»

«Uh, I don’t know what to do, we need to run!»

«Eunha, what should we do?»

«…I think we should run away too.»

Running away wasn’t the problem. He just wasn’t sure if he could run away and save the children from the horde, which was descending at a terrifying speed.

No doubt he would lose some of them in the process.

«…I’m Conan or Kim Jeon-il or something?»

At least if it was a murder case, the culprit wouldn’t come looking to kill the detective.

What should we do?

It was a dilemma. They couldn’t afford to wait for the player to come and subdue the monsters. They were in the middle of Bukhansan, and the Hound pack was still charging down at a furious speed.

The existence of Hell Hounds couldn’t be ignored.

They may have lost some of their strength passing through the cocoon, but the terror of the Hell Hounds was evident in their leadership of the pack.

«…It was the same before we regressed.»

Eunha couldn’t remember much about the Bukhansan Flower Viewing Incident. He only remembered that there were a considerable number of casualties and that public opinion was on the need to retake Uijeongbu.

«…We have no choice.»

It was a gamble, but it was also a sure thing.

«Phew.»

Screams came from everywhere.

The screams calmed me down.

Like I was finally back where I belonged.

«Now listen to me.»

Eunha spoke with a seriousness in his voice that they had never heard before.

«You guys run as far down as possible. Contact anyone you meet and tell them to call for the player. Don’t worry about what happens to the others, just go down the mountain.»

«Captain! You’re not coming with us!?»

«I…, I’ll go find the others.»

It was a lie.

Eunha was going to hold off the Hounds until the players arrived.

Hounds were relentless monsters, and if he could drive them away, the children would be safe.

«Then come with me! I’ve learned mana, so now I can….»

«Choi Eunhyuk.»

Eunha said in a frosty voice.

Eunhyuk, who was about to argue his point, froze.

A sharp chill ran through his body.

«Don’t be a brat.»

«…I’m sorry.»

Eunhyeok wanted to help Eunha. He wanted to be like him.

But Eunha had no intention of letting Eunhyuk do anything reckless. The reason he decided to go monster hunting now was to save these children.

«Don’t puke on my opinion. Shut up and follow me.»

The children stiffened in unison.

Under his stern warning, they nodded, each with a different expression.

Some in exasperation.

Some frustrated.

Some anxious.

Some looked nervous.

«…Phew. From now on, you’ll be a party of four, Choi Eun-hyuk.»

«Yes!»

«You’re the main dealer of the party. You’ll deal with the monsters you encounter on your way down the mountain.»

«Uh, yeah! Okay!»

«Just remember this. You’re the only one who can protect your party. You’re the strongest one of them all.»

«Okay, captain!»

Eunhyuk replied cheerfully.

«And Jung Ha Yang, Jin Seo Na.»

«Em, yeah!»

«Yeah.»

«You’re the navigators. Hayang is the main, and Seona is the sub. As you know, Hayang has a very good sense of direction, and the party must go where she tells them to go. And Jin seona. With your five senses, you should be able to tell when a monster is near.»

«Yes, I will.»

«Okay.»

«Finally, Kim Minji.»

«…Yeah.»

Minji felt uneasy. Her fear of monsters hadn’t gone away. If she had to face them again, she felt like she would collapse into a ball and cry.

«It’s natural to be scared. Maybe you’re the most normal person here.»

«What do you mean?»

Eunha didn’t answer Minji’s question; he simply continued.

«You keep an eye on the kids and make sure they don’t act rashly.»

«…Is that it?»

«That’s all. And Hayang, give me all the leftover lunch boxes and yuzu tea.»

«Yes, I understand.»