Chapter 6 - The Beginning of the Conflict
It was a cold feeling.
An anxiety like a dagger flew in and struck me.
The perfect angle for a confrontation had been set.
Hyung-seok, wounded like this, would now have his corruption arc, go back to his room, and make a deal with a demon.
Hyung-seok, having surpassed Hong-seop with the demon's power, would drive everyone to ruin, but a supporting character is still a supporting character.
In the end, he either wouldn't be able to defeat Hong-seop or, in a worse case, would self-destruct because of the demon's power.
It was a cliché story.
But there was a problem with this story.
The first was that this was reality.
The second was that Hyung-seok was a pretty useful guy.
Besides Hong-seop, the highest-level person was Hyung-seok.
If he were to leave, the party would be that much weaker.
This was a big problem.
I was someone who had to get to Shita Castle.
I desperately needed the kids who would light the way for me.
'I have no choice.'
If the ones who had hurt Hyung-seok were vicious and useless girls, there was also a girl who stood on the opposite side.
A girl who warmly accepted even an existence as invisible as me, So-young.
So-young would surely be able to soothe Hyung-seok and get him back on track....
"Sob, sob sob..."
No, why are you crying now?
So-young wasn't the only one crying.
The kids were all wailing like students at a candlelight ceremony on the last night of a school trip.
"I want to go home..."
The words, uttered by who-knows-who, spread like a wave.
The atmosphere, which had already sunk because of Hyung-seok and Hong-seop's fight, became thoroughly drenched in sorrow.
'They should be figuring out how to survive instead of wasting time crying.'
Of course, I wasn't kind enough to actually say that out loud.
Whatever, f*ck it.
Even if Hyung-seok falls to the dark side, he won't come after me.
If Hong-seop is the main character, Hyung-seok is a supporting character.
They each have their own class, so they wouldn't stoop to associate with an extra with no presence like me.
It was a shame that our overall strength would weaken, but there was nothing I could do about it.
I went straight to my lodgings.
This was another one of the good things about having no presence.
Since no one cared about my whereabouts, there was no need to awkwardly tiptoe around.
'There's no choice now. I'll have to sneak out and solve the swamp problem myself beforehand.'
If I revealed myself half-heartedly, I would only raise suspicions. I'll worry about tomorrow's problems tomorrow. I went to bed, more comfortable than one could ever imagine being in a foreign land.
The next morning, amidst the awkward atmosphere, practical problems began to surface. We had just arrived on the Lumos Continent yesterday. And we had experienced our first battle.
While there were kids like Hong-seop and Hyung-seok who adapted well, there were also those who couldn't adapt at all.
"I want to go home..."
The kids who repeated yesterday's words sat huddled on the ground. At this rate, they would be nothing but baggage for the journey ahead, let alone for combat.
I might have to split from them sooner than I thought.
In any case, I planned to go as far as Shita Castle.
A castle would be better for adapting than a village, and more importantly, the "opportunity" the goddess Ruin had mentioned was there.
Since it was an opportunity the goddess had barely managed to give while going on about causality, it must be something useful.
The only reason I wanted the kids to get stronger was so I could get to Shita Castle comfortably.
But what if they were just baggage instead?
There was no longer any reason to travel with them.
The one who solved my dilemma was Ronan.
"Did you all have a good night, heroes? I imagine your first battle was not entirely pleasant."
"..."
"But you do not need to worry too much. The goddess foresaw even this and made arrangements. You have all been given the blessing of growth, have you not? The thing called 'levels.'"
Ronan was just like a tutorial quest NPC.
He explained what was necessary very well.
"That is a systematic summary of your strength. Through that blessing, you can not only see your overall strength but also find and utilize your own advantages."
"What about people who don't have any advantages? I-I'm not suited for fighting."
A frail voice trembled uncontrollably.
The boy, who had his head bowed low with his hair completely covering his face, was Chae Geun-ho.
If I was an existence that no one could see, Geun-ho was the type that everyone could see but wouldn't bother talking to.
He always spoke in a voice so quiet it was barely audible, yet for some reason, he had so much to say that he would often mumble to himself during class or while other kids were talking.
Eh, he's a different type of ah-ssa (outsider) than me.
I'm not weird.
I just don't have a presence.
"Naturally, arrangements have been made for such heroes as well."
Ronan smiled benevolently.
"The goddess is one who has arranged everything. When you all reach level 5, you will obtain a skill. A 'skill' will make even a hero who has never experienced combat strong."
"Level 5..."
Most were level 3; they felt a glimmer of hope that they could learn a skill with just a little more effort.
Of course, Geun-ho was different.
"B-but. I can't raise my level. I couldn't even kill a single one yesterday."
Geun-ho clung to Ronan like a student begging a teacher.
Well, that reaction wasn't strange.
Until two days ago, we were university students.
Just because we were given weapons and a bit of power, it was only a few chosen kids who could suddenly soar.
"That too is within the goddess's arrangements. Now, come this way."
The place Ronan led them to had a goblin, beaten half-dead, trapped in an iron cage.
"The goddess has said that the first time is difficult for everyone. Thus, we have prepared this so you can experience that first time. It is a goblin on the verge of death, so if you stab it, you will immediately receive experience points. And you will know. That no matter how wicked a monster is, it is not greater than a hero of the goddess."
I found myself nodding unconsciously.
Although I had moved after watching the others succeed, there was a world of difference between before and after I killed my first goblin.
The moment I knew it posed no threat, the tension melted away.
Geun-ho could probably do it too.
In fact, if he couldn't, he wouldn't be able to survive on the Lumos Continent.
Goblins existed even in this tiny village.
Who knows what would pop out when we moved on to a bigger town.
"Jin-woo! You come over here too."
"..."
So-young took care of me this time as well.
It seemed she couldn't even imagine that I had the highest level among them.
Well, there's no reason to refuse free experience points.
I went closer to the cage.
"Kik… Kkigik, kkigigik!"
The moment the goblin saw me, it began to tremble like a leaf in a storm.
This must be the effect of the Goblin Slayer title.
Terrified like that, it would obviously be unable to fight at its full potential.
"Huh? I guess this goblin is a particular coward."
"Looks like it."
Whether I stabbed it from the front or the back, a goblin was no longer a match for me.
"Wow… amazing. How did you do that in one go..."
"Just got lucky. More importantly, aren't you going to do it?"
"I have to."
So-young's arms were trembling pitifully. If I were the type to be even slightly swayed by her looks, I might have stepped up and offered to do it for her.
Of course, I harbored no such feelings and was a person who knew very well that good fortune would never come my way.
"Shoot. Staring at it won't make it any better."
"C-can I do it?"
"Yes."
So-young's weapon was a crossbow. A weapon that wouldn't injure her even if she missed. Moreover, as long as she aimed properly, it didn't require much strength.
"Hyaaaap!"
I don't know why she was shouting just to fire a crossbow, but the bolt pierced the goblin.
"I did it. I did it! My level went up too."
"Yeah, yeah. Keep working hard from now on."
"Okay! I'll work hard! Thanks for cheering me on."
Did I cheer her on?
So-young seemed to be a very generous person.
Anyway, this wasn't the end of the goddess's arrangements.
For everyone who had set foot on the hero's path by hunting their first goblin, there was one new blessing.
"It is the blessing of the Party. Those who have made a pact will share the experience of hunting monsters. I have heard that you heroes call that experience points."
If you form a party, you share experience. In other words, a way had appeared for Geun-ho to level up just by breathing. At a glance, it was a good way to make everyone grow.
But there was no way it would work.
The 21st century was an era conquered by democracy and the even more potent capitalism.
There was no way an argument to share things equally would be accepted now.
"What's that? So no matter how hard I hunt, I'm just doing good deeds for others?"
"Hmph. Who would want to be in a party like that?"
"Let's just us form a party."
Naturally, those who objected to this communist-like system appeared. They began to gather in groups of three and five. Those who were left out trembled like the goblin before me, but there was no need to worry much.
"Want to be in my party? I'd appreciate your help."
Ahh, an era where everyone's individual benefit comes first. Among them, the Republic of Korea, where capitalism has reached its peak. Can a citizen of that Republic of Korea be so pure-hearted?
I thought a saint from some novel had descended. For the strongest one to embrace the lowest and perform the noblest of deeds.
Thanks to him, all sorts of riff-raff flocked to Hong-seop's party. But I wasn't worried at all. The great Kim Hong-seop and Choi Joo-hye were there. There couldn't be a safer place.
"Jin-woo, what are you going to do? About the party."
"Me? Of course, I have to join Hong-seop's party. Assuming he'll have me."
There was a distance limit for the party effect to apply. In other words, if I wanted to hunt alone, I could go outside that range, and when I wanted to rest, I could come back and leech the party experience.
It was truly the best possible environment for me.
"Why don't you join too?"
"Is that okay? I feel like I'll just be a nuisance."
"Being ambiguous is more of a nuisance. It's not like Hong-seop is the type to just leave the weak kids behind anyway, so it's safer to be gathered under his wing."
"O-okay."
And so, while most people formed a party with Hong-seop, there was one exception.
"Hmph! I'll go separately."
It was Hyung-seok, who had already gathered his five friends and separated himself.
"I have no intention of participating in that pathetic child's play. Instead, I'll surpass you fair and square. You."
To pick a fight with someone like Hong-seop.
It was truly the spirit of a great hero.
However, there were more people who saw it unfavorably than favorably.
"There he goes again. Does he have no shame?"
"I know, right. Is he still drunk or something?"
"Shut up, you dead weights."
Hyung-seok immediately snarled.
"Just you wait. You'll definitely regret your choice to embrace all that baggage."
"Whichever path you take, the goddess's blessing will be with you. For now, please try heading to the nearby village, Carroty. It is a larger village than this one. You will be able to experience much more there. Of course, the goddess's arrangements will be plentiful there as well."
Elder Ronan handed out a map to each person and packed them necessary food and supplies.
Like the wandering peddlers of old, we each shouldered a pack and set off on our journey.
But it wasn't entirely joyful. The road was teeming with monsters nearby, and finding our way with a map instead of a smartphone was inconvenient, but the most inconvenient thing was the forced companionship that began because we shared the same destination.
'Hmm, will this be okay?'
I tried my best to ignore Hyung-seok.