When I opened my eyes, the place was covered in mist, making it hard to see. Jagged mountains soared to the sky, its peak hidden by drifting clouds. Looking above, I could even see floating lands, their shadows looming over us, almost sheltering us. I peered over the edge, a large body of water shimmered faintly at the bottom, with large chunks of rocks scattered around. It was hard to see anything else though, no matter how hard I squinted.
"This place looks almost scary, don't you guys agree?" Kyungsoo Kang's voice pierced through the silence. He was rubbing his hands together, adding friction to his already blue hands, "It's also quite cold.."
'Now that they mention it..It is quite cold?' I should've brought a cold resistance bracelet…
"Ugh! I feel like I'm going to die.." Minji-Lee wrapped her hands around herself, shivering from top to bottom. Her teeth were clattering with every breath she took. Her nose were already turned red and to make matters worse, snot began to form underneath her nose.
I was about to tease her about it, but honestly, I wasn't in a better shape. Since I was nothing but a pitiful F-rank, my entire body felt stiff, my bones clattering each step I took. I wonder if my face is similar to hers? Probably.
"This place looks cool though, it's as if we walked straight into a fantasy game!" Sungjae Woon laughed, his voice echoing across the mountains, he walked boldly to the front, his boots crunching on the dried land beneath him. "How about letting me lead?"
And without waiting for a reply, he marched onwards with the confidence of a hero. The others exchanged a look and reluctantly followed after him. And no, I was not included. I quickly joined them.
"Hey, aren't I the leader?" Kyungsoo shouted, hurrying to catch up.
Sungjae Woon slowed his pace, slung his arms around his shoulders and grinned, bright and smug. "From now on, I'll be the leader!"
"Hey!" The leader called in protest, trying to get Sungjae off of him. Their playful banter rang out. At this point, I was a bit scared that their laughs would attract nearby monsters… but it wouldn't be too bad to brighten up this place. I stared at the islands above me, hugging myself.
A fantasy game…
If I was in one, I would definitely be the protagonist. I grinned, ignoring Min-ji's strange look.
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The place around us only looked more dangerous the longer we walked. The mist gradually taking over everything, wrapping around trees like a snake refusing to let go from its prey. We had been walking for what felt like hours, but without a moon or sun, it was hard to tell how much time had passed. The sky remained the same- grey and gloomy.
"By the way, what were you grinning at before?" Min-ji suddenly spoke, breaking the silence as she walked next to me.
I blinked. "Huh, when?"
"You know..before?" Min-ji frowned, looking quite annoyed as she thought of her next words, but then she suddenly waved it off. "Ugh.. never mind!"
She looked away, her eyes flicking over to a tall figure walking quite a distance next to us. Taeyang Han. That guy hasn't even muttered a word after going through the gate, was he upset after he was scolded by his friend?
Although, that guy did look the same as always… stern and rude-looking. I shifted my gaze to Min-ji's face, and…my goodness? A faint blush painted her cheeks, and if I looked more closely…her eyes were softening. Don't tell me?
However, she seemed to be so lost in thoughts, she didn't notice Taeyang glancing back at her. For a moment, their eyes met. Well, almost. It was incredibly awkward
Should I help out?
I tapped on her shoulder, no response. Tapped again. Nothing.
"She has to be in love.." I muttered under my breath.
I waved my hand infront of her face. She startled, her eyes rapidly blinking before she shot me a glare.
'What do you want?'
I didn't say anything but pointed at Taeyang, ignoring the cold glare he was giving me.
She followed the direction of my hand, her eyes landing on Taeyang. A second. Two seconds. Their gazes lingered for a bit too long, almost in a trance. Oh ho? Do they both?..
Immediately she looked away, her face fully bright red. "Oh my, someone seems to be in love." I smirked, crossing my arms. She gave me a cold glare before huffing. "I'm going to Sungjae, don't talk to me." She turned on her heels and ran up to him.
'They both have similar personality… I have a feeling they're going to be perfect for each other…'
We continued to walk for hours. We occasionally encountered monsters along the way, beasts that were estimated B-rank. And for each beast, our team swiftly took them down. I kept in the back, making sure to not get in their way. And when they were done, I would extract mana stones from their body. Luckily, although this body wasn't quite used to it, my mind knew exactly what to do. I professionally cut the stones out cleanly before placing them inside my bag.
After that, we continued our journey.
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"Shall we rest, everyone?" Kyungsoo called over his shoulder, though he wasn't the leader anymore, he still seemed to take control over the situation.
"Taking a break is only for weaklings."
Taeyang leaned against a tree, digging into his pocket for a snack. His expression was as cold as ever, but the way he tore into the snack made it quite obvious..
'This guy wants a break too..'
Min-ji flopped down to the ground, "Ahh..finally! I'm so tired after all that walking and fighting..Gosh, i'm so thirsty…" Not even a moment later, a hand immediately appeared in front her, offering a small bottle of water.
She looked up, seeing the ever so emotionless features of Taeyang Han. However, if you looked closer, you could see the red tip on his ears and the way his eyes darted everywhere but her. He was clearly embarrassed.
"Oh…thank you!" Her smile lit up brightly, she took the bottle, her eyes shining with gratitude. Taeyang gave a short nod and retreated back to his spot. His eyes continued to linger on her, even as she opened the bottle and drank.
"That feel so much better!" She exclaimed. Her face seemed fully refreshed. Wow, that water seemed to do wonders..
We fell into a comfortable silence. I tilted my head back, staring at the unchanging sky. It still looked the same, with no sun or moon. 'How are we supposed to rest if we don't know what time it is?'
"Hey guys..isn't it strange that all the monsters we came across didn't seem to be that strong?" Sungjae said, looking up from his spot.
It seemed Sungjae Woon had similar thoughts as me.
Min-ji nodded, "I think it's strange too.. they didn't seem to have the ability to create illusions.."
"I agree." Taeyang stood, his dagger flashing in his hands as he strode closer to the bush. "It's almost like the stronger ones are purposely hiding."
"Taeyang-Oppa?" Min-ji called, confused.
He didn't answer. Instead he stabbed his dagger inside. The bush seemed to thrash violently. 'What's going on?'
And then; silent. Taeyang pulled out, grabbing something out with him.
"There was a monster" He threw the monster to the ground with disgust.
I blinked, "Hey, isn't that a type of species that always stay together?"
Kyungsoo's eye widened, "Oh yeah, doesn't that mean?…"
The others stiffened.
rustle
The bushes surrounding us shook violently. One by one, dozens of glowing eyes appeared in the dark. Growls filled the place.
The first monster crept out. At first, it was nothing but a mass of vines, moss and roots mixed together. Until it grew like crazy, the roots expanding and curling around the body.
"W-what is that?.." Min-ji trembled, holding her staff closer to her body.
Suddenly, a roar ripped out from the monster, its eyeballs filled with anger and grief. With its rotting, monstrous wood-like legs, it moved to where the dead body was.
Oh my, was that its parent?
"Hey guys, It was nice to know you." Sungjae Woon said.
Yeah, it was nice to know you too.