Bab 3
“Hyung-nim, ini adalah C-rank yang gugur bersama kita. Dan Hyung-nim ini… yah, tentu saja, kau tahu, adalah Guildmaster dari Cheongrang (靑琅) Guild.”
Cha Si-hyeon memperkenalkan Lim Yuchan, yang baru saja terbangun setelah tertidur selama pertengkaran mereka, seolah-olah itu bukan urusannya.
Mengesampingkan betapa menakjubkannya dia tidur nyenyak dengan bersandar pada pohon saat mengenakan jas, aku teringat sesuatu yang selama ini menggangguku.
“Mereka berasumsi saya secara alami tahu siapa mereka.”
Aku mungkin tidak kehilangan ingatanku…
Saya ingat dengan jelas semua kejadian sehari sebelum terjatuh di sini.
Jika situasi ini bukan mimpi atau kehilangan ingatan.
Sepertinya saya benar-benar jatuh ke dunia lain.
Dan para S-rank ini adalah orang-orang yang cukup terkenal di dunia ini.
Tapi tunggu sebentar…
“Engkol?”
“Halo, saya peringkat C… tidak, saya Yoo Yi-joo.”
Sekalipun aku lemah, bagaimana mereka bisa mengenalkan aku berdasarkan pangkat!
Saat aku menggertakkan gigi dan menahannya, Lim Yuchan menatapku dengan tatapan kosong. Matanya yang mengantuk, mungkin karena baru bangun tidur, menggelitikku tanpa alasan.
“Senang berkenalan dengan Anda.”
“Ya, aku juga…”
“Cukup untuk perkenalannya, mari kita cari solusinya dulu.”
Baiklah, apa pentingnya apa yang dikatakan seorang C-rank.
Mengingat spesifikasi mereka yang mengesankan, kemarahan saya yang sempat memuncak pun mereda.
Tentu saja, perkenalan yang panjang tidak akan membantu dalam situasi ini, jadi seperti yang dikatakan Cha Si-hyeon, kami memutuskan untuk mencari solusi terlebih dahulu.
Namun ada satu hal yang mereka dan saya abaikan.
“……”
“……”
“……”
Sekalipun mereka peringkat S, mereka juga baru saja dijatuhkan ke ruang bawah tanah ini.
Bagi saya yang hidup di dunia normal, dan bagi mereka yang menghadapi situasi absurd ini, terbangun di ruang bawah tanah, jalan di depan tampak tidak jelas.
‘Hmm…’
Melihat para petinggi S kehilangan kata-kata, aku dengan hati-hati mengusulkan sebuah ide.
“Karena kita mungkin tidak bisa keluar hari ini, haruskah kita mencari makanan dulu?”
“Boleh juga.”
Baek Doha langsung menyetujui.
Cha Si-hyeon mengangguk lalu bertanya sambil mengangkat alis.
“Tapi bagaimana kita mendapatkannya?”
Bagaimana lagi?
Sebelum menjawab, aku melihat sekeliling bagian dalam penjara bawah tanah yang telah aku periksa sebelumnya.
Sebagian besar wilayahnya berupa rawa-rawa terpencil atau hutan belantara, tetapi memiliki semua yang dibutuhkan.
Seakan menyuruh kami memfilmkan acara bertahan hidup, di hadapan kami terbentang lautan tak berujung, pepohonan tinggi, dan…
‘Rusa.’
Pergerakan binatang kadang-kadang terlihat di semak-semak.
[Keterampilan, ‘Otak Luar Biasa (E)’ diaktifkan secara otomatis.]
“Kita harus berburu.”
Baek Doha bertanya lagi.
“Berburu apa?”
“Ayo kita tangkap dan makan itu.”
Aku menunjuk ke arah rusa yang berkeliaran di semak-semak, dan pandangan ketiga lelaki itu pun mengikuti.
Kalau tidak ada yang bisa dimakan, kita tinggal cari saja, kan?
“Ini hanya acara bertahan hidup, ada baiknya dicoba.”
Saat aku bangkit dengan berani, tubuhku bergoyang.
‘Hah?’
Saya segera mendapatkan kembali keseimbangan saya, tetapi ada sesuatu yang terasa aneh.
Tadi, bukankah pasirnya tenggelam di bawah?
Saat aku mengambil langkah berikutnya,
Gemuruh gemuruh…
Tanah tempat aku melangkah mulai bergetar sedikit.
Gemuruh gemuruh…
“…Didn’t the ground just shake?”
It happened twice, so it couldn’t be my imagination.
Cha Si-hyeon calmly said.
“Ah. It’s a monster. A monster.”
…Although the content was far from normal.
Before I could ask if it was a joke, the ground shook violently again.
“Found it.”
At the same time, Lim Yuchan spoke. He was looking beyond my back.
When I turned around, following his gaze.
“…..”
I barely swallowed the scream that was about to burst out.
A huge snake head had suddenly appeared behind my back!
[SYSTEM] ‘Main Quest-2’ triggered!
Even in this wretched situation, the fact that a quest could appear?
[SYSTEM] Main Quest-2 [First Battle with a Monster]
▸You’ve encountered a monster in the dungeon. You’re not going to hide behind your companions, are you? Let’s attack the monster.
▸Benefit: One-time item, ‘Dead Gentleman’s Cherished Gun (E)’
▸Time limit: 1 hour
▸Failure: Death
▸Reward: Item, ‘Dead Gentleman’s Cherished Gun (E)’ becomes permanent.
A gun appeared out of thin air and fell into my hand.
‘Haahh…’
To make matters worse….
Everyone has something they dislike. I’m no exception.
If asked right now, I could list a string of things I hate.
However, among all those many things, there’s one I hate the most.
Something I’d probably hate even if I died and came back to life…
“It’s a sand python.”
Snakes.
Especially ones like that right in front of my eyes.
“It’s been a while since we’ve seen one of those.”
“Hyung-nim, do you want to kill it?”
“Too bothersome. You kill it.”
Lim Yuchan and Cha Si-hyeon’s conversation made my head spin.
Even with a monster suddenly appearing right in front of them, these S-ranks were incredibly nonchalant.
“Ah~ I’m too lazy as well.”
Cha Si-hyeon grumbled as he stepped forward.
He looked like he was going for a neighborhood stroll rather than to fight.
He raised his head to look at the python, then spoke as if surprised.
“But this one’s bigger than I expected?”
Of course, even his voice was incredibly calm.
While the three were dawdling, the python fully revealed itself.
‘Wow, really…’
And it was a disgustingly large python at that.
Glossy scales and huge teeth.
As it shook its head, sand fell off in showers.
At the same time, its red eyes focused on Cha Si-hyeon, who was at the front.
‘Damn it.’
I felt like I might foam at the mouth and faint any moment.
Nevertheless, I tried hard to stay alert.
Because I had to complete the quest.
‘To think I can’t even collapse freely in this situation.’
Grasping my fading consciousness once again, I clutched the item called ‘Dead Gentleman’s Cherished Gun (E)’.
▸A gun used by a gentleman until his death, it fires using magical power.
Is it fortunate that it provides a good explanation even in this situation?
As I gripped the gun, I heard a rattling sound. This doesn’t feel good from the start.
However, I wasn’t in a position to be picky.
I swallowed dryly as I watched Cha Si-hyeon evading the python through the gun sight.
Since I might accidentally shoot Cha Si-hyeon, I should fire when there’s a bit more distance between them.
‘I just need to help.’
I don’t need to kill it perfectly. The quest said to ‘attack’, not to kill.
So, if I can just land one hit…
Hisssss!
Just then, through the gun sight, I saw the python shaking and twisting its head.
“Ah, damn. How annoying.”
Cha Si-hyeon, looking irritated, stepped back a bit and finally drew his sword. At the same time, I placed my finger on the trigger.
‘Now.’
Bang—!
A bullet of pure white light was fired.
It wasn’t hard to realize that this light itself, rather than a bullet, was ‘magic power’.
‘No wonder it feels like part of my body is being pulled away.’
The bullet, too fast for human eyes to follow, cut through the air and eventually,
Screech!
It hit the mark.
The bullet lodged exactly in the back of its head.
However, perhaps because the bullet wasn’t powerful enough, the creature that hadn’t died yet turned its head towards me.
Its torn red eyes were looking directly at me.
As I instinctively stepped back in fear, thunk!
Cha Si-hyeon plunged his sword in.
With incomparable skill to mine.
The huge sand python’s body tilted and then collapsed sideways with a thud.
The impact raised a small cloud of dust.
However, the problem wasn’t that…
“A gun?”
The three men’s gazes focused on me.
‘If I stutter here, I’ll definitely look suspicious.’
While internally swallowing dry saliva hundreds of times, I outwardly smiled naturally.
“I just thought I should help.”
Silence lingered.
I could feel how implausible my excuse was.
But what else could I do? I said I wanted to help.
As I just smiled brightly without saying anything, Cha Si-hyeon let out a disbelieving laugh.
“Help me? You?”
Come on, is it not allowed for a weak person to help?
Still, it seemed to have passed relatively well, so I raised my head with relief.
[SYSTEM] Main Quest-2 [First Battle with a Monster] completed.
The awaited blue window immediately filled my vision.
[SYSTEM] Item ‘Dead Gentleman’s Cherished Gun (E)’ status has been changed to permanent status.
The reward was there as expected.
I looked at the gun still in my hand, not disappearing.
Although the name was a bit unsettling, considering situations like just now would continue to occur, it was definitely necessary.
“But are you okay?”
It was then that I heard a voice while tightly gripping the gun.
I raised my head to see Cha Si-hyeon looking at me.
“Me?”
“Yeah. You just made eye contact with that thing.”
He gestured with his chin, towards the direction of the monster’s corpse.
‘Come to think of it, the eyes…’
I think I did make eye contact. Carefully recalling those bright red eyes, I asked.
“Is it bad to make eye contact?”
“It’s not that you can’t.”
Cha Si-hyeon looked at the monster’s corpse, scratched his cheek, and said.
“That thing has the ability to put those who make eye contact with it to sleep.”
What? I blinked blankly at this shocking news.
Baek Doha, looking at me, shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s okay. Since Cha Si-hyeon killed it quickly, any decent resistance should work.”
Ah, aku ingin berteriak ke belakang kepalanya saat dia memalingkan mukanya seolah-olah tidak ada masalah.
‘Pantas saja saya tiba-tiba merasa mengantuk.’
Kau seharusnya memberitahuku tentang itu lebih awal, dasar orang gila.
[SISTEM] Memasuki kondisi tidur karena spesies monster kelas 7, [Sand Python].
