Chapter 21: The Boss is Too Weak (1)
Hooong! Hooong!
I woke up from my slumber to find Choi Ji-won swinging her sword next to me.
The distance between us was much closer than before. Could it be that she has finally opened the door to her heart for me?
Finally, have my efforts borne fruit...?
“...No.”
No, it’s just that more people have gathered, making the vacant lot narrower.
“You’re awake.”
She sheathed her sword and tidied her hair, then looked at me.
She rummaged through the grass and threw a large shovel in my direction.
“What’s this?”
“Can’t you tell? It’s a shovel. You must have gone to the military.”
“...So why are you giving it to me?”
“The vacant lot is getting cramped. We should clear some of the outer grass.”
“...”
Though I felt annoyed, I was currently Angel Jun-ho. I chewed on an energy bar and picked up the shovel.
*Sigh*
... Did I regress for this?
Pak! Pak!
Since the grass roots were relatively shallow, removing the grass was not too difficult.
Pak! Pak!
When I was on the verge of suggesting that she, who was swinging her sword, should lend a hand as well, Choi Ji-won, maybe with a hint of conscience remaining, stepped forward and joined me in digging involuntarily.
“Um... We’ll help too.”
“That’s right. You provided us with food and a safe place...”
Some of the men also joined us, and the task of clearing the grass progressed more smoothly than I had expected.
Now that I remember, that old man who was digging… what is he doing now?
Oh, he’s still digging over there. But he seems a bit stressed because there are many people around.
I’m sorry, old man.
And so, the size of the training ground expanded by about 20%.
Choi Ji-won said it was enough and sent the other men away.
“Phew, we did well...”
“You should stay.”
“Huh?”
I was planning to take a break, but Choi Ji-won grabbed my shoulder.
“We need to get food.”
“Oh.”
.
.
.
Three days later:
If I were to describe the past three days, it felt like being in the military.
I had regular meals, went out to get food, and followed Choi Ji-won’s instructions diligently, just like a diligent soldier.
So, was I just taken advantage of like a fool?
Definitely not.
I, the pragmatic and rational Kim Jun-ho, bent my principles temporarily but gained some benefits.
I gained two major advantages.
First, I managed to gather sufficient information about “that person” Choi Ji-won longed for.
It turned out to be her late father and master.
I think he died while saving someone else... But she didn’t reveal any more details.
Even with just this information, I could make good use of it in the next round.
Secondly, swordsmanship.
“I’m here to help people, not you. If you want me to help you, teach me swordsmanship!” I put on a tough act, and Choi Ji-won reluctantly agreed.
This time, she didn’t treat it as a mere pastime, and her advice was truly invaluable.
With Choi Ji-won’s sincere guidance, my skills naturally improved rapidly.
It felt like I was a dish with great potential, and Choi Ji-won’s advice was like a spoonful of rich sauce, completing the dish with a delightful taste.
When this round began, my skill level was 1.0 Kim Jun-ho, but now it feels like I’ve become 1.25 Kim Jun-ho.
In stock market terms, it’s almost like hitting the daily limit. If I were an investor, I’d invest in Kim Jun-ho right away.
“Huff... Huff...”
So, what am I doing now?
I’m running through the forest following Choi Ji-won.
It’s been three days since I started doing this, but it’s still tough.
Choi Ji-won’s running speed is impressive, but her stamina is incredible as well.
We were running together, but every time I regained my senses, she was far ahead, and the situation repeated.
“Ugh...”
Thanks to my achievement level, my stamina has improved dramatically, but it’s still only at a human level.
However, she’s not human. She’s a monster who knows how to handle a sword.
“...You’re late.”
“Heh, heh. You’re fast.”
By the time I arrived, Choi Ji-won had already severed the neck of a mutant goblin.
The goblin’s lifeless body was gradually disappearing, revealing a small box containing rations and golden beads.
Choi Ji-won naturally hid the golden beads in her pocket and handed me a bundle of rations.
“You can’t carry rations all the time, so find a good hiding spot. If you’re confident, you can carry them.”
After saying that, Choi Ji-won dashed off again.
‘Damn it…’
I instinctively wanted to swear, but she might hear it even from this distance.
I roughly hid the rations on a tree and followed Choi Ji-won.
“You’re late.”
“...Sorry.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
This time too, she swiftly beheaded another mutant goblin.
Doesn’t she think this pattern is strange?
A question I had hidden deep in my heart wriggled.
Well, it’s been about three days since I followed her around, so I guess it’s okay to ask.
“...Choi Ji-won. Didn’t you run straight here?”
“Yes.”
“But how did you know there would be mutant goblins here? And not just today... It’s always like this every time.”
“...”
Choi Ji-won didn’t respond and had a usual blank expression, but her eyes were flickering.
“...Wait a moment.”
After telling me to wait, Choi Ji-won whispered something softly. I couldn’t understand the meaning, but her tone seemed like she was consulting with someone.
What’s this? Does she have an imaginary friend or something?
After mumbling for a while, Choi Ji-won finally said, “Alright. I’ll be honest. From what I’ve observed so far, you don’t seem like a bad person.”
Finally, she seemed to have finished consulting her imaginary friend and looked up slowly, meeting my gaze.
“Kim Jun-ho. You asked me how I find the location of mutant goblins. It’s a power I possess.”
“What kind of power is it?”
“I have the ability to sense the strength of enemies even from a distance. However, I can only detect those who are considerably stronger than me.”
Choi Ji-won willingly answered my question. It seemed like a different ability from her sharp senses... I decided to ask more regarding what I was curious about during this opportunity.
“In that case, can you feel monsters nearby who are stronger than you, or are they all weaker?”
“There’s one monster at a similar level as me.”
“Then, is that one the boss?”
“No, it’s not. That one... is too strong.”
I see. Choi Ji-won must have sensed the presence of the Minotaur.
But then, a question arose.
“Then, can you feel the presence of the ‘boss’?”
As I repeated my regressions, this message always appeared at a certain point.
Tutorial Stage
-Clear Condition 1: If you swallow the ‘Golden Beads’ hidden somewhere in the forest, you can proceed to the next stage. However, there are only 50 golden beads in existence.
-Clear Condition 2: Once you defeat the boss, Goblin Shaman, a portal to the next stage will appear.
The boss I’m talking about is the Goblin Shaman mentioned here.
If you have the ability to sense strong enemies, wouldn’t it be easy to find the Goblin Shaman?
Just defeat the boss, and then we can proceed through the portal.
Even if the boss is strong, it doesn’t seem like it’s stronger than Choi Ji-won. At best, it would be on a level around 3 ‘Kim Jun-Ho.’
“...”
Surprisingly, Choi Ji-won didn’t give an immediate answer and seemed lost in thought.
She scrutinized my face carefully.
“What... is your purpose? Why are you following me and enduring all this hardship?”
Choi Ji-won used the way of answering questions with more questions.
Until I answer, she won’t open her mouth.
...What is my purpose?
It’s simple.
“To climb the tower and save the world. To become stronger.”
“Ha.”
Choi Ji-won chuckled softly as if she interpreted my words in her own way.
“Words are easy.”
She turned away cynically.
Sigh.
She asked something that seemed significant, and I thought she would give me important information, but it was just her whim.
As I was picking up rations absent-mindedly...
Thump.
A small wooden box fell in front of me.
Since it was a familiar design, I felt like I knew what was inside without even opening it.
It was a box containing golden beads. But why...
“There was someone like you. In reality, he was at rock bottom, but his gaze was fixed high up in the sky.”
Choi Ji-won said while turning her back to me. Her tone was different from the blunt and tough way she usually spoke; she sounded like an ordinary college student.
“When a crisis comes... just use it. Even if you die for others, it’s still death.”
“...”
“No need to think of it as a favor. I have plenty of beads, so I scatter them here and there.”
With those words, Choi Ji-won casually distanced herself with an indifferent attitude.
Did that woman just give me a precious golden bead?
Once again, I must have overlapped with her father.
I felt a complicated mixture of emotions.
“Wait, wait!”
I had something to say, but Choi Ji-won had already walked far away.
No... I already have three golden beads stashed away...
And the boss... Where is the boss, you damn girl! Why do you keep talking about what you want without answering!
“I don’t know.”
“What?”
“I don’t know. In the first place, finding the boss is my objective.”
On the way back with the rations… The answer to my question about the boss was surprisingly, “I don’t know.”
“Well, you said you can sense strong opponents, right?”
“That’s right.”
Choi Ji-won can roughly sense the location and level of strong opponents.
Hence, she was able to feel the presence of the Minotaur and the mutant goblins.
“The problem is... there is no one in-between.”
“No one in-between?”
“The boss is not as strong as the extremely powerful monster far away, nor should it be weaker than the mutant goblins. But there is no such opponent. My ability doesn’t detect the location of the ’Goblin Shaman.’”
“...”
So, she didn’t know because Choi Ji-won’s radar only worked on opponents above a certain level.
There are two possibilities.
First, the boss may be at a similar level as the mutant goblins, making it hard to differentiate.
In this case, I could just kill all the mutant goblins to find it...
And the second possibility.
The boss... may be so weak that it doesn’t even register on Choi Ji-won’s radar.
“Haah.”
I let out a sigh unknowingly.
I thought Choi Ji-won would know the boss’ location...
One of the reasons I endured so far seemed to disappear. I didn’t go through all this trouble for this.
I’ve already gathered everything I need, and soon the Minotaur will appear too... While considering trying a different route through regression...
“Wait.”
Choi Ji-won stopped me while I was lost in thought.
Her gaze was fixed on a certain tree.
“Come out.”
With a rustle, a man appeared from behind the tree.
“So, what I heard was true.”
The man who revealed himself... was the fireman Ajusshi who led a group of about 20 people and left the vacant lot on the second day.
Was his name Park Cheol-jin? I remember his face was scary, like a tiger.
But what is this ajusshi doing here?
“Are you in charge of the group in the vacant lot?”
“Um, not exactly, but I am responsible for managing it.”
Surprisingly, Choi Ji-won used polite language to the elder. She must be the type who strictly adheres to proper manners.
“...My name is Park Cheol-jin. I was a fireman.”
It seemed difficult for Park Cheol-jin to get the words out.
“You two. I heard you are incredibly strong… We… we need your help.”
“What kind of help?”
“...We found the boss.”
Day 6 after the regression. Daytime.
The plot began to flow differently from the previous regressions.
--- END OF THE CHAPTER ---
