RE: Player again

274

[Chapter 092] [Evil for Evil (3)]

On the night the middle school academy students set foot on Seoraksan.

In the village, those except for Slayers deploying detection nets gathered in one place for the first time in a while.

People of different genders and appearances.

But they were all gleaming with predatory eyes.

As if ready to tear apart anyone who showed weakness.

The concept of a group existed vaguely for those who broke the law and fled from society.

The village was formed out of necessity, but their world was based on thorough survival of the fittest and independent reproduction.

Such people gathered in one place.

It meant a need arose for them to act as a group.

"I don't think we need to say why we've gathered here today."

In the village where only snickering and the sound of bonfires burning lingered.

While everyone was wary of each other, the first to speak was a female Hunter.

Kwon Ji-na.

The woman leading Slayers based in Gwidun-ri and Osaek-ri was once a Ranger judged as S-rank by the Mana Management Organization.

She who had her upper body tightly wrapped in a thick jumper continued speaking regardless of the gazes pouring on her.

"The number of crows is 342 in total. They've currently set up base camp between Daecheongbong Trail and Yaksu Trail."

Crows was slang used by Players to refer to themselves.

Players often wore dark-toned clothes for complex reasons, and it came to be used as slang because it looked like crows.

"Oh, that's quite a large number? Can we overwhelm the crows with this number?"

"Most of them will be assigned to dummies anyway, right? Ji-na, how many young crows are there?"

People who heard the number exceeding 300 snickered among themselves.

A man who leaned forward and raised his hand high asked with a seemingly light smile.

Kwon Ji-na relayed information received from the Navigator.

"300 young crows. The rest are black crows and red crows."

In short, it meant there were 42 Players the Slayers needed to be wary of.

It was quite a large number.

A number that could become troublesome if mishandled.

But what the Slayers were aiming for wasn't killing them.

It was stealing the food they had.

And quickly disappearing without leaving traces.

Therefore, damage had to be minimized as much as possible.

"The crows are currently moving in 10 classes."

"Then divide and conquer would be advantageous."

She nodded at those words.

No matter how much they were academy students, if they tried to face all the students at once, they would have to accept severe damage.

If casualties occurred among the students, the damage could become even greater.

In the worst case, the Mana Management Organization could move.

Then it was clear the entire Seoraksan area would become a sea of fire.

That's why divide and conquer was the answer.

To minimize damage to both the Slayer side and student side as much as possible.

"...Tch, boring. I thought we were going to kill them. Now we have to steal food from snot-nosed brats?"

Some Slayers grumbled.

But Kwon Ji-na ignored their opinions.

Anyway, their opinions were only an extreme minority.

Slayers living in the Seoraksan area were worried about the current situation where it was difficult to obtain food.

Above all, winter was approaching.

They wanted to avoid hell like last year where they fought over food if possible.

They needed to prepare for winter.

"I agree with divide and conquer. But how are we going to divide and conquer?"

"That's right. They're moving by class, but it would be a problem if one disappeared, right?"

"And if those guys group together it's over. We might have to give up then."

"It's okay, don't worry too much about that."

Kwon Ji-na answered those expressing doubts.

She was worried about that too, but fortunately luck was on their side.

They happened to be able to hear the academy students' schedule for the next day.

So Kwon Ji-na had a smile on her lips.

"─We just need to cut them off one by one from the rear."

She shared her plan with the Slayers.

Soon those who heard the story lifted the corners of their mouths like her.

Their expressions with the corners of their mouths lifted to their ears were reminiscent of monsters wearing human masks.

☆

Day broke.

What greeted the students from early morning was fog filling their vision.

Seoraksan mornings were often like this with surroundings enveloped in fog.

Because dungeons individually located here and there were influencing providence. Mana was also scattered around.

We have to depart right after eating breakfast. Today's schedule will be non-stop too.

Nevertheless, the middle school academy students began the mountain march.

Eun-ha who cleaned up the base camp complained briefly before chasing after group members advancing ahead.

The Class 6 president leading the group members was waiting up ahead gasping for breath.

This morning, the instructors instructed them to act in groups by class saying there was a risk of getting lost due to the fog.

If the path is dangerous we shouldn't climb.

The instructors' trick was obvious.

Eun-ha glanced at the fog drifting around.

The students didn't seem to notice at all, but looking into the fog drifting around, one could see it was composed of two natures.

One was fog generated by distortions.

The other was artificially created fog.

Fog of opposing natures was drifting around.

"This is bad! I can't see the instructor!"

"Huh...? The older guys who were with us suddenly disappeared too!"

It's begun.

Eun-ha quietly looked around while watching the panicking group members.

The flow of the fog changed.

The artificially created fog soon hid the path they needed to advance on right before their eyes.

"Don't panic."

The comprehensive ability evaluation was a test to comprehensively evaluate what students learned each semester.

There was no way the comprehensive ability evaluation was just marching on Seoraksan.

To evaluate what students learned during the 2nd semester.

The instructors were manipulating fog like this to tell students.

To find the right path in a situation where they couldn't see even a foot ahead.

"You all remember the test where you had to find your way through a maze during the entrance exam, right? This isn't much different from that. You just need to track the path the instructor took through the fog."

Eun-ha stared intently at the fog touching his hand.

The structure of the magic was easy to look into.

It was nothing more than simple illusion magic.

Magic that makes you go in circles if you don't step on the set path.

However, if you could deploy detection nets, finding the set path wasn't too difficult.

To the extent students could sufficiently break through.

So Eun-ha decided to deliberately step back and wait for the group members to break through the magic.

If he needlessly helped, he would only deprive them of a chance to grow.

Fortunately, the group members got their bearings and started looking into the fog.

At this rate it won't take long.

Surely the same thing must be happening in the classes at the front.

Of course, in classes 7, 8, 9, 10 following behind too.

He was briefly worried about his friends but decided to put aside the worry.

His friends should be able to break through.

If they can't, they'll just have to roll.

Before he knew it, the fog was lifting.

The group members had broken through the magic by stepping on the path that was the answer.

Deploying detection nets, the instructor who suddenly disappeared was waiting up ahead.

"We made it out! We did it!" "Hey! Wait! Let's go slowly!"

"I can't take it anymore!"

Group members who escaped the anxiety of not knowing what was right in front were so happy they ran forward.

He clicked his tongue seeing students already running far ahead.

They were still kids.

"Eun-ha, what are you doing not coming? The instructor is waiting, let's hurry too." "Oh, okay."

The Class 6 president walking a step ahead of him now urged him too.

He had sufficiently felt the stuffiness of being trapped in fog too.

So Eun-ha was about to step into the scenery with clearing visibility when─

─Huh?

The flow of the fog changed again.

It wasn't too strange for an instructor manipulating fog somewhere to newly change the flow since the group members escaped the fog.

But something felt off.

There was a strange sense of discomfort.

Something inexpressible in words.

While intuition was alerting something.

"Eun-ha, what's wrong?"

"Aha, I get it. Could it be you're scared because you got lost in the fog? So even you Noh Eun-ha have things you're afraid of."

"...No, that's not it."

"What do you mean it's not? It's okay! The fog has all cleared now!"

Ha-yang and Min-ji who arrived before Eun-ha.

Eun-ha ignored Min-ji who was putting on airs and glared at the fog behind.

The fog was composed of two natures.

That hadn't changed.

"...Ha-yang, did you feel anything?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Ha-yang tilted her head.

Eun-ha told her who was excellent at reading information through mana to look beyond the fog.

She who became quite serious at his words put strength in her eyes and grasped the structure of the technique forming the fog.

"...Sorry, I can't tell." "Why? What's going on?"

Even Jung Ha-yang shook her head.

Nevertheless, Eun-ha looked for a while before eventually turning his back on the fog unable to withstand Min-ji's pestering.

I must have seen wrong.

It's probably just my imagination.

Eun-ha decided to let it go like that.

But an unsettling feeling that didn't fade even as time passed was creeping up from inside his chest.

"...But aren't the other kids coming in too late?"

Around lunchtime.

After all the Class 6 students arrived, Class 7 students arrived.

There was no one after that.

Even though the naturally occurring fog was gradually lifting, there was no news at all from other classes.

In the end, Classes 8, 9, 10 didn't show up even after lunch passed.

Parang hyung and Su-bin too.

Mok Min-ho and Cha Eun-woo too.

Eun-hyeok and Seo-na didn't come either.

Something must have gone wrong.

Eun-ha thoroughly searched the surroundings with detection nets out of anxiety.

No familiar presences were felt.

Moreover, Seoraksan with dungeons existing here and there was a difficult area to use detection nets.

"Could they have leaked into a dungeon?" "There's no way they'd come in this late..."

"Who's the person using illusion magic now? Try contacting them once."

"...Currently communication is not possible due to thick mana concentration." "Then just ask a Telepath!"

The instructors seemed to have recognized a problem occurred too.

Several people jumped into the fog, while the remaining people tried to recall the instructor who was using illusion magic.

"Didn't you pass the baton to the Class 2 instructor earlier?"

"Huh? So I passed it to the Class 3 instructor, right? Shouldn't it be the Class 7 instructor's turn at this time?"

"That's right. So I left the rear to the Class 7 instructor..."

"Wait, the Class 7 instructor left for advance scouting at Small Waterfall."

That's when the instructors' stories diverged.

The instructors who just now recalled a forgotten fact looked at each other with unbelieving faces.

Especially the Class 6 instructor to the point of opening and closing his mouth with a pale white face.

"I-I definitely passed it..." "Hey, think carefully. Who did you pass the baton to now?"

"W-Well, to the Class 7 instructor..."

"I'm telling you the Class 7 instructor isn't here right now?"

""""......"""""

The Class 6 instructor lost strength in his legs and collapsed on the ground.

There was no one here to support him.

Their faces were clearly filled with dismay.

Soon their fear spread to the students.

"Eun-ha... the kids will be okay, right?" "They just got lost, right?"

"...It's okay, don't worry."

Ha-yang and Min-ji tightly grasped Eun-ha's hands out of too much anxiety.

Eun-ha deployed detection nets while taking his eyes off students who were scared and looking around.

Still nothing was caught.

"...It's okay."

Time passed and Players who were searching the fog returned.

The Players just shook their heads without saying anything.

In the end, the students had to set up base camp at a different place than planned.

Where on earth did all those people disappear to?

Meanwhile, Eun-ha thoroughly searched the surroundings with Avenir's Cloak too.

Areas where the fog had completely lifted had clear visibility, but still nothing was gained.

Occasionally only students' footprints were imprinted on the ground.

But that didn't become any meaningful trace.

Because students who got lost in the fog only left footprints with inconsistent directions.

The only conclusion Eun-ha could draw

was the inference that students suddenly evaporated at some point.

If they were attacked by monsters, they should have left some traces.

But no bloodstains, corpses, or anything is visible.

The only fortunate thing was the guess that the students were still safe.

Although he couldn't be completely certain.

But as if denying their hopes─

"─Emergency─!!"

That evening, the corpse of the Class 8 instructor in charge was discovered.