The sword, swung with a force that seemed to split the earth, whizzed past Jeong Ha-yeon and embedded itself deep into the ground. After driving the blade into the earth, I infused it with magic. With a resounding “thud,” the ground around the sword surged upward, creating subtle cracks.
Jeong Ha-yeon, who had been watching me with eyes wide like a startled rabbit, let out a sigh of relief as she saw the blood seeping from the ground.
“Phew. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
I twisted the sword and pulled it out, flicking it lightly. With a sharp sound, the blood that had clung to the blade splattered onto the ground. Shin Sang-yong, who had initially looked horrified when I charged with the sword, now wore an awkward smile as he watched Jeong Ha-yeon converse calmly with me.
Meanwhile, Ahn Hyun and Yoo-jeong were running around, competing to see who could take down more enemies. Honestly, the ones standing were barely doing that, so it wasn’t much of a battle. It was more like a confirmation kill.
“I got twelve.”
“I got fourteen. Ha, I win.”
“Tch.”
Watching Ahn Hyun raise his arms in victory and Yoo-jeong pout, my companions and I couldn’t help but laugh.
This was what a real battle among skilled users looked like. It wasn’t something you could call ordinary. At least from my perspective, Jeong Ha-yeon and Shin Sang-yong had clearly worked together before, showcasing a high level of combat proficiency.
The others, who were used to fighting haphazardly, watched them with eyes full of admiration. And in Ahn Hyun’s eyes, I could see a burning emotion—frustration. I had a good idea why, so I patted his shoulder a couple of times.
The wasteland was a paradise for land moles. It was so barren that even most monsters refused to live there, leaving it to the land moles that thrived underground. In that sense, the wasteland was truly their kingdom.
The highlight of our battles was undoubtedly the fight against a hundred land moles. After two days of slaughtering them, they seemed to have had enough and attacked us en masse, right while we were camping.
But no user would fail to notice such a large group moving, and I always kept my senses sharp. With the night falling and enemies closing in from all sides, even Jeong Ha-yeon and Shin Sang-yong looked uneasy. They could handle it if they wanted, but the limited visibility made them cautious.
In the midst of this, my team stepped up. I had trained them to wake and fight even in their sleep, so they responded with agility that belied their status as first-year users. They quickly formed a defensive formation, coordinating to protect the mages and priests, showing skills that surpassed anything they’d displayed before. Perhaps they felt a bit of inferiority after witnessing the others’ prowess during the day.
Vivian’s chimera beasts guarded the rear while I took the front, narrowing the defensive range for Hyun and Yoo-jeong, but it was still impressive. Our strong performance allowed the mages and priests to cast their spells more comfortably.
“Remarkable. Are they really first-year users?”
That was the first thing Jeong Ha-yeon asked after the battle. She might not have known, but the kids were already beyond what you’d expect from first-year users. In terms of stats and experience, they had earned a title that would suit a seasoned user.
“Impressive. Forming and maintaining such a formation isn’t easy…”
They seemed to have earned high marks for quickly forming a formation and maintaining it with efficient coordination. Jeong Ha-yeon’s praise seemed to inflate their egos a bit. Ahn Hyun, in particular, was trying to hide his pride with a cough.
Still, they must have felt pretty good about it. But Yoo-jeong, ever the meddler, had to chime in.
“Unni, our dad taught us.”
“Huh? Dad?”
Yoo-jeong glanced at me, then turned away. Jeong Ha-yeon looked at me with a calm expression, sighed, and shook her head. But then she gave me a look of pity that left me feeling uneasy.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
”…You’ve been speeding, haven’t you?”
”…”
“Hoho, just kidding.”
Sleeping among corpses wasn’t ideal, so we moved to a new location to catch up on rest. The kids complained about not being sleepy, but I insisted they sleep to avoid being tired for tomorrow’s activities.
When Yoo-jeong demanded a lullaby, I gave her a light smack on the head, and she sulked as I settled down to sleep. As soon as I lay down, her crying stopped, followed by a disgruntled “Tch.”
The next day, on the third day, we reached the location I had marked. As expected, the ruins of the research lab were nowhere in sight. I activated my third eye to check for any hidden barriers, but there were none. This meant the lab was still hidden beyond my current range.
Deciding to press on, I was contemplating which path to take when Yoo-jeong’s voice suddenly called out.
“Ansol, where are you going?”
I looked up to see Sol, already shouldering her backpack and heading down a side path. She seemed to snap out of a daze and turned to us.
“Huh?”
“Huh? What’s with the ‘huh’? Huh?”
“Ouch, it hurts!”
“What if you get lost? Why are you trying to go off on your own?”
“Oww… It’s not that…”
Sol, rubbing her cheeks where Yoo-jeong had pinched them, explained with a pout. She simply felt an inexplicable urge to take that path, so she had unconsciously started walking.
Most of the group chuckled at her explanation, but not Ahn Hyun and me. Ahn Hyun turned to me with intense eyes.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah.”
Outwardly, I agreed that Sol’s choice seemed as good as any, but luck was a stat in its own right. With the information I had, getting as close as possible was all I could do. Trusting Sol’s luck stat of 100 points might be better than making a random choice. At the very least, I hoped it would lead us closer to our goal.
As we traveled, we frequently encountered battles, but no one was particularly worn out. Supplies were sufficient, and we took plenty of breaks along the way. After the battle with the hundred land moles, the kids seemed to have leveled up, moving with greater agility.
We were leaving the wasteland behind and entering a land lush with greenery. But this wasn’t necessarily a good thing. In the wasteland, we only had to deal with land moles, but here, other monsters could appear.
This was truly uncharted territory. While the map showed unexplored areas further up, the place we were in had traces of other users who had come and gone. However, there were often signs of entry without any signs of exit. Since it had been less than two months since the area was opened, it was still largely unexplored.
Sol had somehow ended up at the front of the group with me. I felt a bit uneasy, but Sol seemed unusually cheerful, grinning throughout the exploration. At every fork in the road, I let Sol lead, and she would point confidently in one direction.
Shin Sang-yong seemed indifferent, while Jeong Ha-yeon looked skeptical. But when Ahn Hyun vouched for Sol’s instincts and I backed him up, mentioning how she’d saved the group before, they began to look at Sol with newfound respect. In uncharted territory, as long as we didn’t lose our way, any path was as good as another.
Honestly, I hadn’t planned to use Sol this way, but if we found the ruins, it would give me an excuse. I could say it was Sol who led us, not me. Even if I couldn’t mention her high luck stat, I could attribute it to beginner’s luck.
As dusk fell, we reached the entrance to a forest. Calling it a forest felt inadequate, as the area had been lush with greenery since we left the wasteland. It was a scene of untouched nature, unlike anything in the modern world.
But I felt a strange unease at the entrance. There were other paths, but Sol was drawn to the entrance. I decided it was time to activate my third eye and quickly gathered my magic.
In that moment, I understood the source of my unease. The entrance to the forest wasn’t natural; it was man-made. Excited, I stepped into the entrance.
Soon, a clear path emerged. Unlike the uneven terrain we’d been traversing, there were subtle signs of human intervention. Along the way, we encountered a group of monkeys, but having hunted them extensively in the past, they posed no challenge. The kids, delighted to see the monkeys again, quickly dispatched them.
We had been marching at a normal pace before, but this time we kept up a brisk walk. When Sol, who was running beside me, started to pant heavily, I decided to stop.
I gazed quietly ahead. There, standing tall before us, was the long-sought-after ruins of the research lab. Though parts of it were old and rusted, and it was overgrown with vegetation, the building still retained its shape despite the passage of time.
The saying “hidden in plain sight” seemed apt, as the ruins were only three days’ journey from the small town of Mule. It was puzzling why it hadn’t been discovered sooner. But recalling the feeling I had at the entrance, I nodded to myself.
We had simply assumed it was just the entrance to the forest and dismissed the idea of a building being there. If it weren’t for the strange feeling at the entrance or Sol’s reluctance to enter, we might have passed it by. The ancient inhabitants who built this within the forest were truly remarkable.
“We’ve found the ruins of the research lab,” I announced quietly to the group.
Everyone was speechless as they took in the imposing sight of the lab. Shin Sang-yong and Jung Ha-yeon were particularly dumbfounded, their mouths agape. It seemed even they found it hard to accept the reality of the situation.
“This… this can’t be real. Even if it’s beginner’s luck… this is…”
“Ha, it’s… quite surprising.”
Jung Ha-yeon, regaining her composure, turned her gaze to An Sol, who stood there with a blank expression. I chuckled softly and approached Sol, placing my hands on her waist.
“Our Sol is truly a lucky charm.”
Despite my touch, Sol showed no sign of discomfort. She simply tilted her head, looking at me with innocent eyes.
“Am I a lucky charm?”
“Of course. You’re the best, Sol.”
Realizing I was praising her, Sol’s face broke into a wide smile. I lifted her up and swung her around like an airplane.
“Wow! Wow!”
Sol raised her hands in delight, letting out a gentle cheer. After a moment, I set her back down and turned my attention back to the task at hand. Three days after leaving Mule, we had discovered the ruins of the research lab.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
I’ll update the author’s note after the morning. Sorry for the delay.
Ah, apologies. I’ll write the author’s note and then update the next chapter. More details will be in the next chapter.
Thank you to everyone who recommended so many works. I’ve read a lot, but there are still many I haven’t. Haha, I must be blessed with good reading material these days.
『 Reader Comments 』
Saed: Haha, congratulations on being first. It’s a delightful comment. I’ll continue to provide enriching content.
Groin: Now that I’ve stopped what I was doing, I have a bit more free time. If I find a new job, I might return to daily updates. :)
FallenPigeon: Oh, now that you mention it, that position sounds good. Good at cooking too. I’ll consider it.
IAmJustMe: The protagonist is not impotent. Why would you say that? ㅜ.ㅠ
WeepingSoul: Whoa, you can’t do that. I’m eagerly awaiting your Norse mythology series. Please hurry with the 20-part series… ( —).
Lizad: Whoa. Um. Um. Um… I’m out of here. (ㅌㅌ!)
GradeRown: The answer was to catch the land mole underground. Thanks for the recommendation. :)
Amabel: Wow, that’s quite a long comment. I’m glad someone likes Hanbyeol. Haha, I put a lot of effort into that character, but they were quite disliked. ㅜ.ㅠ The next chapter should be updated in about 30 minutes. Please wait a little longer. :)
Apkwon: Right? That work is really fun. I’m eagerly waiting for the next chapter too. Haha.
[priest]Priest: Ah, thank you for the coupon. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I hope you enjoy the next chapter as well.
I’m going to start revising chapter 86 and writing the author’s note right away.