Players

Chapter 9

—–CROW—– 

“Huddle in the corner! If we get flanked, we’re done for!”

It was a group of three men. The red-haired man at the front, holding a large shield, shouted as he swung his sword.

He was tall and broad-shouldered.  Equipped with the shield and clad in dark blue full plate armor, he resembled a sturdy fortress wall.

The man with a somewhat stoic expression—Kim Kang-san—gritted his teeth and glared at the Knolls.  A total of six were slowly closing in.

The two men behind Kim Kang-san, one with blue hair and the other with orange, retreated to the corner, brandishing their respective weapons, a spear and a sword.

Their clothes looked rather shabby, and unlike Kim Kang-san, their expressions were closer to sheer terror.

All six Knolls were armed with swords and shields.  Kim Kang-san’s mouth felt dry.

Even if the two men behind him each took on a Knoll, four would remain.

The thought that this time, they might actually die, lingered in his mind.

“Khyung!”

As if tired of the standoff, one of the Knolls suddenly roared.  The other Knolls followed suit, and the men, including Kim Kang-san, flinched and stepped back, overwhelmed by their气势 (qìshì – imposing manner/momentum).

Intimidating the enemy.

Two Knolls simultaneously pushed off the ground.  The man with the spear let out a shriek and squeezed his eyes shut, even though their weapons hadn’t even clashed yet.

Kim Kang-san raised his shield. But he was alone, and there were two leaping Knolls.  Four more Knolls were waiting for an opportunity.

The moment when a choice had to be made.

Someone charged in between the Knolls.

Not a single, common battle cry was uttered.  Only the sound of studded boots hitting the ground echoed harshly.

Clang!

One of the leaping Knolls struck Kim Kang-san’s shield with its greatsword.  The other tried to bypass Kim Kang-san and attack the men with the spear and sword. But it couldn’t.  The consecutive sounds from behind prevented it.

One Knoll yelped and fell to the ground.  As if its legs had been swept out from under it, it momentarily hung in the air before landing on its back.

The Knolls looked back.  The one standing next to the fallen Knoll saw the heel of a boot descending towards its head.

Crack!

A sickening crunch, and the Knoll’s face caved in.  Immediately after kicking the first Knoll’s legs, Kang-seok spun around and delivered a downward kick, then quickly surveyed the situation.

Two Knolls.

The man in full plate armor and the Knoll in front of him.

Another Knoll, looking back at him with a bewildered expression.

His hand went to his back.  The moment he grasped Durandal’s hilt, the white light he had been waiting for erupted from the direction he had initially come from.

[Provoke Lv1]

It was Sung Yoo-jin. The Knolls’ attention momentarily shifted away from him.

And he didn’t miss that opening.  Charging forward, he drew Durandal and swung it as if throwing it.

Blood splattered.  The tip of Durandal pierced the Knoll’s chest without fail, and he used the momentum to throw himself forward, slamming his shoulder and back into the fourth Knoll.

It wasn’t like the Iron Mountain Crash from Bajiquan.  It was less of a proper technique and more of a reckless body slam.

But it was effective enough.

The Knoll staggered back, and Kang-seok, regaining his balance, lowered his body and swept his right leg across the ground.

The fourth Knoll fell pathetically from the same technique used to take down the first one, and that was the end. The tip of Durandal plunged vertically into the Knoll’s chest.

“F-Fast!”

The orange-haired man with the sword exclaimed belatedly.  It was a natural reaction, considering he had taken down four Knolls in the blink of an eye, killing three of them.

But he didn’t stop.  Instead of going after the first Knoll, which was trying to get back on its feet, he dashed towards the one standing in front of the men with the spear and sword.

This time, the Knoll was intimidated.  Its movements faltered in fear, and Kang-seok, with a sudden vertical jump, soared over the Knoll’s head. He finished it off with a backstab, which had become his specialty.

Four Knolls defeated in an instant.

Sung Yoo-jin, who had caught up, plunged Almas into the first Knoll.  Everyone’s attention naturally turned to the last remaining Knoll.

“Uooooh!”

Kim Kang-san roared, shoving the Knoll back with his shield.  He swung his sword with all his might at the Knoll’s chest, which was momentarily disoriented by the sudden deaths of its companions.

“Bash!”

The most basic attack skill. Kim Kang-san’s sword shattered not only the Knoll’s crude armor but also its chest.  It felt less like a slash and more like a bludgeoning with a blunt weapon.

Kim Kang-san gasped for air, his breath ragged. The men with the spear and sword collapsed on the spot.

Kang-seok blinked, a bewildered expression on his face.

It wasn’t because the man in full plate armor—Kim Kang-san—had defeated a Knoll. It wasn’t because he recognized Kim Kang-san’s face.

There was only one reason for his bewilderment.

He had seen a command when Kim Kang-san had struck the last Knoll.

Bash

←←+P

What was going on?  Weren’t commands only visible when *he* held a weapon?  No, could it be that he had just understood the command by watching someone else use the skill?

“Kang-seok?”

Sung Yoo-jin’s call snapped him out of his thoughts.  Everyone was looking at him, not just Sung Yoo-jin.  Kim Kang-san seemed slightly wary, while the men with the spear and sword looked terrified.

As if to reassure them, he took a step back and said, “I’m Choi Kang-seok. Are you alright?”

He was strangely reminded of his first encounter with Sung Yoo-jin.

At his introduction, the orange-haired man with the sword hesitantly asked, “A-Are you Korean?”

“Yes, I am.”

Did it feel like meeting someone from your hometown in a faraway land?

As if greatly relieved by those words, the men with the spear and sword simultaneously let out a long sigh.

He almost let out a wry chuckle, but managed to suppress it.  Sung Yoo-jin smiled secretly.

“I’m Kim Kang-san.”

The man in the dark blue full plate armor—Kim Kang-san—stood in front of him and said this.  Sweat dripped from his forehead, and his breathing was ragged, but his eyes were clearly smiling.

Was he grateful for being saved?

A hand extended as if offering a handshake.

Sheathing Durandal, Kang-seok took Kim Kang-san’s hand.

* * *

“I’m Kim Nam-young.”

“I’m Ahn Jae-min.”

The men with the spear and sword introduced themselves.

Kim Nam-young, the blue-haired man with the spear, had a slightly chubby face.  He was wearing crude armor, presumably taken from the Knolls, over sturdy-looking leather clothing.

Ahn Jae-min, the orange-haired man, was rather thin in contrast to Kim Nam-young, and his face was etched with exhaustion.

‘Something’s…strange.’

Looking at Kim Nam-young and Ahn Jae-min, he couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion.

They looked ordinary. Not ugly, not handsome.  Slightly chubby or thin people were common enough in real life.

But that was precisely what was strange.

Player characters and NPCs in games were mostly attractive.  Not nine out of ten, but ninety-nine out of a hundred.

So what was going on?  Did Kim Nam-young and Ahn Jae-min have unusual tastes?

‘Does their real-life appearance have some influence?’

“I’m Sung Yoo-jin.”

As if interrupting his thoughts, Sung Yoo-jin introduced herself with a bright smile.  His eyes instinctively went to her face, and feeling slightly embarrassed, he cleared his throat.

As he had noticed several times over the past few days, Sung Yoo-jin was a striking beauty. Ahn Jae-min’s eyes lit up as if captivated by her bright smile, and Kim Nam-young swallowed hard.

Kim Kang-san, who seemed to be their leader, looked at them with friendly eyes, despite his stoic expression.

He had a masculine face with strong features and a red beard, but his aura was unique.  He couldn’t judge by appearances alone, but he seemed to be a considerably older player.

In any case, they had at least exchanged names.  To move the conversation forward, he turned his attention back to Kim Kang-san.  And that was when it happened.

“P-Park Han-young.”

The voice came from above.  He instinctively drew Durandal and threw himself in front of Sung Yoo-jin, while Kim Kang-san stumbled back. Kim Nam-young and Ahn Jae-min looked up at the ceiling with blank expressions.

A dark figure was clinging to the ceiling. Clad entirely in black from head to toe, like a ninja from a Japanese anime, its face was completely covered, leaving only its eyes visible.

Its voice was also distorted, making it difficult to discern its gender.  As everyone stared, the ninja clinging to the wall stammered, finally managing to speak.

“I…I was hiding. I’m not good at fighting…”

Trailing off, the ninja—Park Han-young—crawled further along the ceiling to a secluded spot before carefully descending to the floor.  Despite dropping from a ceiling over three meters high, it made no sound.

‘A stealth class?’

When one thought of a ninja, one usually pictured tight-fitting clothing, but Park Han-young wasn’t like that.

Its flowing robes made it impossible to tell if it was male or female based on physique alone.

Its height was also ambiguous, making it a complete enigma.

It could be said that it perfectly embodied the stereotypical image of a ninja from subculture.

Park Han-young hesitated, unable to approach the group.  It looked almost pitiful.

Kim Nam-young showed his displeasure towards Park Han-young, and Ahn Jae-min’s expression wasn’t very pleasant either.  It seemed they were thinking about how Park Han-young had just been watching while they were in danger.

This wasn’t good.

They had barely exchanged names, but they were likely to be “companions,” at least until they escaped the dungeon.  It wouldn’t do for them to start off on the wrong foot.

“Um, excuse me!”

Sung Yoo-jin suddenly raised her hand and spoke up.  Naturally, everyone’s attention shifted to her.

He looked at her too.  Her red ears and slightly stiff cheeks clearly showed that she was forcing herself.

But she spoke again with a bright expression.

“Um, this might sound crazy, but—”

She trailed off slightly and glanced at him. It was a clear plea for help, but he was struggling to contain his laughter.

He knew exactly why she was doing this, what she was about to say, and how flustered she must be feeling inside.

Sung Yoo-jin glared at him resentfully before taking a deep breath.  After looking at Kim Kang-san, Kim Nam-young, Ahn Jae-min, and Park Han-young, she put on a charming, if somewhat forced, customer service smile and asked, “What game were you all playing before you came here?”

—–CROW—– 

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