The End of Practice
I looked at her with a puzzled expression for a moment. Sensing my confusion, Go Yeon-ju widened her eyes and asked again.
“Oh my, you didn’t know? We’ve had a tail since we left Mule. Didn’t you speed up the march to shake them off?”
“Ah, I see.”
It was only after Go Yeon-ju’s detailed explanation that I understood. Indeed, I had sensed the presence of a few users trailing us when we left Mule. I had assumed they were envious of our rapid progress rather than mere vagrants. After all, Mule was practically deserted, and every time we returned from an expedition, we were decked out in high-quality gear. Any user with a bit of sense would have taken notice.
Still, I couldn’t help but tilt my head in thought. I hadn’t intentionally sped up to lose them, but it could be seen that way. The fact that they were keeping up with our pace meant they weren’t complete novices. After a moment of contemplation, I asked her calmly.
“We must have put some distance between us in less than a day. Are they still following us? And how did you know?”
“Rather than chasing, they’re maintaining a certain distance. They seem to have a skilled archer tracking us by the traces we leave. And have you forgotten who I am? I attached a shadow to them from day one.”
Her soft voice made her initial words clear to me. Whether to keep the tail or shake it off. It meant that if we camped here, they could catch up to us.
I still couldn’t quite tell if they were just users following us or actual vagrants. But I had a strong dislike for being tailed. After a brief moment of hesitation, I made up my mind without much difficulty.
“We’ll camp here.”
“Shake them off, huh? But they seem pretty cautious. Will they fall for it so easily? We have eight people on our side.”
“Not everyone needs to move. If they don’t come to us, we’ll go to them.”
“Hmm?”
Go Yeon-ju let out a soft hum at my words, narrowing her eyes as she scrutinized my face. After a while, she spoke in a low voice.
“We could get help from the others. Or I could help you.”
“No need. At the start, maybe, but we’re nearing the
“What about me?”
“User Go Yeon-ju, please stay at the base camp. We need to be prepared for any possibility. Anyway, I can handle them alone.”
”…Is it that you want to do it alone?”
Her sudden, pointed question made me fall silent. It felt like she had hit a nerve. Seeing my reaction, a knowing smile spread across her lips.
I looked at her with calm eyes before turning away. I didn’t want to exchange any more words with her. Because Go Yeon-ju and I were similar in some ways. Similar thoughts, perhaps. She had accurately pinpointed my inner thoughts.
“You know, this is the first time I’ve seen you smile since we started this expedition.”
I smiled? I hadn’t even realized it. I touched my lips with a calm hand. Her words reached me again from behind.
“Well, as long as the others aren’t a hindrance, that’s good enough. Be careful of the bats.”
I raised my hand in acknowledgment of her words.
Then I approached the group gathered a little distance away and spoke up.
“We’ll camp here today. It’s a bit early, but the timing is awkward.”
When I announced that we would camp after today’s march, the group looked at me with surprise. But they seemed relieved, as if they didn’t mind the decision.
We set up the campsite and decided to have an early dinner. Since I mentioned we’d leave early the next day, everyone would likely go to bed quickly. Watching the group eat with brighter faces, I spoke in a quiet voice.
“Tonight’s watch will be the same as yesterday, but with a slight change.”
The group perked up their ears at my words. After discreetly sensing a presence, I raised my voice as if to be heard.
Previously, we had one person on watch, but this time, we decided to extend the time and have two people per shift. There was a reason for this change. I hoped there was someone smart among them who could figure out what we were up to, making it easier to deal with them.
“So, the first watch will be with me and User Go Yeon-ju. The rest of you can pair up as you did yesterday, excluding us.”
“Kim Soo-hyun, is it necessary for two people to be on watch?”
Vivian raised her hand to ask, and I nodded in response.
“Yes, we need to strengthen our vigilance, especially in the mountains. And the standard for a watch is two people. We had to make do with one before because of our numbers, but not anymore. I meant to implement this from the start of the expedition but forgot. It’s better to change it now.”
“Hmm. Two people are indeed better for a watch. I was debating whether to suggest it, but you were already thinking about it.”
“Yes. And with the dense foliage and trees around, our visibility is limited. One person can guard the base camp while the other patrols the area for maximum efficiency.”
“Sounds good. I agree.”
With Shin Sang-yong, who prioritized safety, chiming in, a quiet ripple spread among the group. Despite my intentions, there was nothing wrong with what I had just said. Eventually, everyone agreed on the watch arrangement.
A bit of commotion followed as everyone figured out their pairs. After some time, they resumed their meal. An Sol, who seemed relieved not to be paired with Go Yeon-ju, suddenly turned her head towards the dense foliage with a puzzled expression.
“Hmm…?”
“Sol, what’s wrong?”
“I just feel like someone is watching us.”
As soon as she said that, a flapping sound came from the bushes, and a black bird flew out. Watching the
“It’s just a bird. Nothing to worry about. Let’s eat. Try this soup; it’s delicious.”
“A bird? I don’t think so… I can eat by myself.”
An Sol pouted, refusing the spoonful of soup Ahn Hyun offered. As he lowered the spoon, I exchanged a meaningful glance with Go Yeon-ju.
After finishing dinner, we prepared for bed. The group chatted for a while, but the warm meal seemed to make them drowsy. Watching them crawl into their sleeping bags one by one, I leaned against a tree. There was still some time before nightfall.
Being in the mountains, darkness fell quickly. Watching the twilight settle, I sipped my tea. Enjoying a cup of tea in the midst of an expedition on the brink of life and death seemed out of place, but I couldn’t ignore Go Yeon-ju’s gesture. Besides, the tea she brewed was excellent.
As I took another sip, I noticed Go Yeon-ju giving me a subtle nod. I continued to drink, maintaining a nonchalant demeanor as if I knew nothing.
Go Yeon-ju was the first to break the silence.
“Standing watch is quite boring.”
“Boring, but it’s an important duty.”
“Not a single monster or even a mouse in sight.”
At her words, I stretched and yawned, speaking in a sleepy voice.
“Well, that’s true. It’s almost time for the shift change. A quick patrol should do it.”
“Do we really need to? It’s a hassle.”
“You never know. I’ll do a quick round. Wait here, and we’ll switch with the others when I return. But I’d like to finish this tea first.”
Our conversation was purely for show, just enough to be heard. I drank the tea slowly, savoring each drop. Honestly, I had put Go Yeon-ju and myself on the first watch to see if they’d try to rush us while we slept, but they hadn’t. It meant they were either waiting for an opportunity or had another plan.
After wrapping up the conversation, I lazed around for nearly thirty minutes before finally getting up. I casually mentioned to Go Yeon-ju that I was going for a walk and stepped into the thicket. Almost immediately, I sensed a presence stealthily trailing behind me.
Though I claimed I was just taking a short stroll, I had actually put some distance between myself and the base camp. This meant I was now completely separated from the group. For a moment, I considered pretending to be lost, but that seemed a bit too suspicious. So, I decided to just walk calmly. I deliberately refrained from activating my third eye or any other senses. If I knew what was coming, my body might instinctively react defensively. I was determined to play along perfectly.
About ten minutes into my patrol, I started to wonder how they would make their move.
“Kyahhh!”
A piercing screech shattered the air as a dark shadow leapt from the bushes, about knee-high. So, they were finally making their move. The shadow was a bat that had been lurking around our group. I turned around with a startled expression, and the bat brushed past my shoulder.
“Ugh! You little…!”
I grimaced slightly and quickly drew my sword. The bat, as if mocking me, soared gracefully into the air and began to flit around, causing chaos. I swung my sword clumsily, and the bat dodged skillfully, occasionally threatening my arm.
It seemed the person controlling this bat knew I was a rookie. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have devised such a sloppy plan. Even though I hadn’t engaged in combat much in the past week since leaving Mule, this was downright insulting. I bit my lip and swung my sword wide. Even though I was playing along, it was still infuriating.
Then it happened.
“Kyahhh!”
The bat let out a cry of pain and flew erratically into the air, eventually veering off to one side.
Despite my random swing, one of the bat’s wings had been hit by sheer luck. I was dumbfounded. This was too obvious. I was curious about who the master was, but for now, maintaining the act was more important.
“Stop right there, you!”
I shouted loudly and chased after the fleeing bat.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Hello, this is Ro Yu-jin.
Mysterious users (or perhaps vagrants) executing blatantly obvious plans.
And our protagonist, Kim Soo-hyun, who plays along despite knowing better.
Look forward to the next chapter for some satisfying developments. :)
PS. I’ve received a lot of messages. I’ll reply to them one by one. If my response is slow, please understand that I’m answering others first. I appreciate your patience.
『 Reader Comments 』
Eumwolyeonggeom: Congratulations on being first! You’ve finally made it. :) I hope you enjoy this chapter too.
SanIkerJIN: Thank you. I felt a bit better today, so I pushed myself, and now it’s acting up again. ㅜ.ㅠ
Saramin: Indeed. Every cough feels like my throat is tearing. I can’t even swallow water. Sob.
Jeonyeoknoreul: Hahaha. Please save me. If I do that, I’ll definitely end up bedridden.
Offitour19: Whoa.
Rerikool: NO. There are users from four continents: East, West, South, and North. (This was mentioned before.) Among them, Koreans mainly operate in the North Continent. :)
Rkfmak: Hmm. Seraph is such a pitiful character. Honestly, it’s a bit tricky to handle. -_-a
Kkoya: Ahem. Ahem ahem. (__ )* I strangely enjoy service scenes. There’s something subtly nice about them. Hahaha.
Yeoljeongeul: NO. As a golem-type monster, Magoyle has a small core inside. First, Ha-yeon used a water-based spell to create a path to the core, then delivered a direct hit with electricity. However, as you mentioned, it didn’t completely destroy the core due to elemental compatibility. It only managed to stop its movement. But that was exactly what the two users intended.
Repil: Oh. Hmm. In previous chapters, it was mentioned that users from Korea, Japan, the USA, and the UK are currently in the whole plane. ㄷㄷ I can’t believe someone as thorough and sharp as you would forget. ㅜ.ㅠ Oh no.
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