#6
“Next.”
Without missing a beat, Kim Gap-jun, who had been ceaselessly moving his fingers in the air, furrowed his brow as soon as he saw Se-hyun and Lee Jae-young. However, he soon let out a big sigh and resumed the finger movements that had paused.
“Both of you, when will you receive your awakening? If you’re not going to receive it, say so now. Come on, spit it out! I can’t see your positions since you’re not awakened yet. No, first tell me your positions. I need to know what they are to make the arrangements.”
“I don’t know what’s got Pithecanthropus here so talkative.”
“What, what?! Pithecanthropus?! You little bastard!”
Kim Gap-jun made a gesture as if to hit with his hand, but Se-hyun didn’t even blink, which only frustrated him further. Eventually, Kim Gap-jun grabbed the back of his neck again.
“For a young one like you to speak to an adult like that… Ah, damn! This is why I can’t live at peace, damn it! Just tell me your position!”
“I think it was a support type.”
“Which support type?”
“It’s been so long since I folded, I can’t remember. Plus, I have no intention of awakening.”
Not remembering was a lie. The village head looked at Se-hyun with suspicious eyes, but with no awakening, there was no way to verify Se-hyun’s skills or position. It was a situation where he had no choice but to believe, even if he didn’t trust him.
“Fine then, you’ll be sorted into the magic stone squad. The guy behind you too. Next.”
“How about sparing the kid?”
“Kid? In my eyes, you’re also green and young. Enough, next.”
“Please switch at least the child to something that can be done within the village.”
This time, Se-hyun responded seriously. The magic stone squad was commonly known as a climbing squad for the tower, and they were responsible for fighting monsters inside the tower. They were called the magic stone squad because they had to collect the magic stones from the slain monsters, but it was far from an easy task.
In fact, it was a job that required risking one’s life, more so than other vocations.
“Why should I? Why would I bother with you guys when you’re not even my residents? Now, move on! Next person, come forward!”
“No, this Pithecan…”
“Bro! I’m okay! Really, it’s okay, so don’t.”
Stopping Se-hyun was none other than Lee Jae-young, who had just been subjected to unfair treatment. Lee Jae-young, who had pulled Se-hyun’s arm and led him out, went to a nearby well and came back with cold water.
“Jae-young, you know what the magic stone squad is. It’s dangerous.”
“Bro, I’m combat type. It’s okay.”
“Jae-young, you’re still young. I’ll go back later and switch it to something we can do within the village, so don’t tell anyone you’re combat type, okay?”
“I won’t tell, but… you don’t have to switch it.”
Consequently, Se-hyun ended up arguing with Lee Jae-young about this matter until sunset. As a result, they were unable to reach the village chief and were forced to spend the night. As expected, the narrowest and shabbiest house in the village was assigned as temporary accommodation for newcomers.
It was just enough for four people; if there had been one more person, they might all have had to squat to sleep. Even lying down, the four of them could barely fit without touching each other’s arms, that’s how cramped it was.
“My name is Kwak Jeong-han. I apologize for my size, but please take care of me during our stay.”
The first to introduce himself was none other than Kwak Jeong-han. He glanced around the room with an apologetic expression as he spoke. Among the four, he was indeed the biggest, with muscles that appeared so solid that a needle wouldn’t pierce them.
“I’m Baek Do-hyun. I can get along just fine as long as you don’t cause any trouble. Of course, making any requests is a no-go.”
Next to introduce himself was a man who sat cross-legged with an indifferent face and spat out his words stiffly. He had been holding onto his documents the entire time. It made one curious about what he was holding onto, although Se-hyun didn’t bother to ask out loud.
“My name is Do Se-hyun. Please feel free to treat me as you wish. I’m probably younger than both of you.”
“How old are you?”
“24 years old.”
“Baek Do-hyun, 34 years old.”
Ah, okay. Se-hyun tactfully steered clear of Baek Do-hyun, who felt it necessary to include his age in the introduction, by nodding his head. Next in line was Lee Jae-young, who was sitting next to Se-hyun. Se-hyun waited, expecting a short self-introduction, but no words came even as time passed.
Only then did Kwak Jeong-han and Baek Do-hyun turn their gaze toward Lee Jae-young. That was when Se-hyun heard something rather shocking.
“What the fuck. What are you looking at?”
No, Jae-young?
Se-hyun quickly reached out and covered Lee Jae-young’s mouth. Silence fell in the tight room. Se-hyun, with the most agreeable smile he could muster, began his non-defense defense.
“This kid is 14 years old. His name is Lee Jae-young, and he seems to have connected to Elix out of curiosity. Given the situation, it’s understandable for him to be confused, haha….”
With Se-hyun’s desperate efforts, Kwak Jeong-han sent Lee Jae-young a sympathetic look, while Baek Do-hyun frowned and then turned his head away disinterestedly.
Lee Jae-young, of course, was no less displeased. However, Se-hyun’s hand prevented him from showing it with anything more than a frown.
“Let’s just sleep. From tomorrow on, we need to do the assigned tasks…. By the way, Mr. Jeong-han, why did you end up as a temporary resident instead of the village chief that you wanted initially?”
Kwak Jeong-han, picking up a bundle of dry grass from a corner, responded. It looked like he planned to use it as bedding.
“Being a village chief is a good position for being dismissed if one makes the wrong choices, at least that’s what someone next to me advised. The residents are obligated to do as the village chief directs. I don’t quite get it yet… but being a temporary resident gives you more freedom, and they said it’s a good position to demand changes or start a coup, so I thought it was a better choice.”
In other words, he chose the position of a temporary resident to step in and intervene if the village chief became tyrannical and to replace him through rebellion if necessary. He was a man who was righteous to the core.
“What squad were you sorted into, Mr. Se-hyun?”
Kwak Jeong-han asked as he spread out the makeshift grass blanket. The big man neatly unfurled even the twisted parts with deft hands, almost as capable as if he was doing some delicate handcrafting.
“Jae-young and I were assigned to the magic stone squad. The magic stone squad, well…”
“I’ve heard a general explanation from the village chief earlier. I was sorted into the food supply squad. There’s a lake nearby, so it seems I was put there since I can swim.”
Since arriving, many people’s ways of speaking had shifted subtly, especially those who had undergone awakening. It seemed that merging with the characteristics of their character’s race had an effect on the way they spoke.
As far as Se-hyun knew, Kwak Jeong-han was known for his politeness, but he wasn’t this excessively formal. That level of respectfulness was likely due to the nature of his race. Of course, judgment based solely on media appearances might be hasty.
“So you can gather without tools.”
“It seems that way, though I haven’t tried it myself.”
As soon as Kwak Jeong-han spoke, his hands transformed into sharp webbed shapes, the nails becoming unusually long and pointy. They looked sharp enough to cut even with a light touch.
Kwak Jeong-han was definitely a combat type. It was usually possible to judge whether someone was a combat or support type just by their outward appearance. If one had a muscular physique with a form capable of attacking, then that person was almost certainly a combat type.
“You’re a combat type then. But it’s better not to show that to just anyone.”
“Is it not good to reveal such things?”
“Yes. It’s better to keep it concealed. You never know what might happen in the future, and it’s to your advantage to keep your power hidden.”
“…I see.”
Perhaps due to Se-hyun’s advice, Kwak Jeong-han refrained from bringing up any combat-related topics. Instead, he diligently offered his prepared grass bed to Se-hyun.
“Mr. Se-hyun, you sleep here. And Jae-young… well, Jae-young is still very young, so I’ll just call him that.”
“Get lost.”
“Okay, Jae-young, let’s spread the grass next to brother.”
Despite Lee Jae-young’s sharp tone, Kwak Jeong-han remained unaffected. He simply offered Lee Jae-young a friendly smile as he handed over the remaining grass blanket. Grumbling, Lee Jae-young began to spread the grass next to Se-hyun. Se-hyun found the effort rather commendable and smiled secretly.
“What squad are you in for the magic stone squad?”
Se-hyun’s gaze shifted to Baek Do-hyun, who had an aloof posture with arms crossed as he looked back at Se-hyun.
“I don’t know yet. Why?”
“I just don’t want to be in the same squad.”
At Baek Do-hyun’s response, Se-hyun smiled wryly and lay back on the grass, saying,
“It seems we share the same sentiment.”
I don’t like you either—Se-hyun turned the phrase politely before closing his eyes. Considering Baek Do-hyun had been sorted into the magic stone squad, it was highly probable he was a combat type. Even so, because he said he couldn’t awaken due to “Easie,” he wouldn’t be able to use the combat skills in his character.
Now that he thought about it, in this place, the only one who wasn’t a combat type was Se-hyun himself.
In fact, support types were more valued than combat types, but they were difficult and finicky to raise early on and so were often avoided by users. Later on, they gained some attention, but getting to that point was a tremendous ordeal.
On the other hand, combat types were rewarding from the start and even more so later on. The comparison between them was simply incomparable.
Once everyone had more or less settled in and laid down, Kwak Jeong-han turned off the last candle illuminating the room and lay down. As darkness enveloped the space, Se-hyun reopened his eyes.
✧˚·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥·̩̩̥͙✧·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥˚·̩̩̥͙✧ 𝑔𝓇𝒶𝓋𝒾𝓉𝓎𝓃𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁𝓈 ✧˚·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥·̩̩̥͙✧·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥˚·̩̩̥͙✧
