CH 18

“It was in my inventory without me realising it.”

With that, Jung Yiheon said that as soon as he recognized the item, a system window popped up.

“If I kill 800 more, the gate will be clear.”

Irregular gates sometimes have hidden conditions like this.

Jung Yiheon patted his chest in relief.

At the same time, Han Cha-soo was relieved in a different way.

‘Then we can deal with Geum Myeong-yeol without worrying.’

Ever since the attack, Han Cha-soo had been waiting for this moment.

The Exilis Guildmaster, Geum Myeong-yeol, had been cautious since entering the gate.

“Heavenly Spirit Guildmaster, don’t mess with his temper. Unless you want to become a burnt piece of cursed meat.”

“Alright.”

If you couldn’t tell from the crowds of people on the half-snow bridge, they were inside the Irregular Gate.

I was already in trouble for messing with Jung Yiheon’s guild.

He had no intention of making things worse and returning home a half-corpse.

“You’re good at what I tell you to do.”

“I’m good at what you don’t ask me to do.”

“Ehey, you’re talking like that again.”

Even as he argued with the bratty secretary, Geum Myeong-yeol didn’t take his eyes off Han Cha-soo.

He was just about to ask him something.

“Did anything drop after the death of the ‘Unstoppable Iron Bull’ earlier?”

Jung Yiheon let out an exclamation of admiration at the same time.

‘For a researcher, you have a good head on your shoulders.’

As if that weren’t enough, Jung Yiheon soon pulled out something from his inventory.

“If we kill 800 more, we can clear the gate.”

A gate of some sort. Geum Myeong-yeol nodded and prepared to go back into battle.

‘800 in total.’

So, what do we do after we kill them all….

‘I guess we’ll have to start with Jung Yiheon, huh?’

Beneath his black hair, his golden eyes were cold as he looked at the two of them.

“Guild Leader Exilis.”

As if waiting for him, Han Cha-soo approached him.

He had finished talking to Jung Yiheon and was holding a potion bottle in his hand.

“I’d prefer it if you called me Master.”

Geum Myeong-yeol blinked, then smirked.

“In Exilis, they call me Guild Master, not Guild Leader.”

Despite the teasing tone, Han Cha-soo only looked up at him with impassive eyes.

His curiosity was piqued by the way he seemed to have no time for him.

‘You really aren’t afraid of me.’

Was it his personality or the presence of Jung Yiheon that made him so bold in the face of an attempted kidnapper?

Geum Myeong-yeol swallowed his curiosity and asked Han Cha-soo.

“I don’t mind if you call me Guild leader if it sticks in your mouth more. So, did you bring that for me?”

“Yes. It’s a health potion I didn’t use up in the Frostgiant Dungeon. I thought you might want to drink it beforehand.”

Han Cha-soo glanced over his shoulder. Jung Yiheon was drinking the potion he had just received.

“Eight hundred monsters is nothing to you two S-class players, but you’re bound to get tired in a long battle.”

It was true. Geum Myung-yeol nodded and accepted the potion.

“Have some for your secretary, too. He must have had a hard time driving.”

“I’ll take this…. Thank you.”

After a few moments, the four ended their guard and stared beyond the barrier of fire.

Beyond the red-hot wall, they could see black shadows. The monsters had gathered. The secretary sighed deeply.

“Let’s get back to work, then.”

His voice trailed off, and sparks flew down.

Whoosh!

The howls of the beast-like monsters, accompanied by a gust of wind, assaulted my ears.

Kuuuuu!

Kieeeek!

“Oops, it’s loud, too.”

Laughing, Geum Myung-yeol stretched out his hand.

The searing air brushed the back of his hand.

Swoosh. In an instant, a black thread stretched out, piercing the throats of dozens of monsters.

Their heads rolled on the grassland as Geum Myung-yeol withdrew his hand with an impassive expression.

The ruthless slaughter continued until only one monster remained.

“This is the last one.”

Jung Yiheon grabbed the last remaining monster by the scruff of the neck and burst into flames.

Looking around, Geum Myung-yeol saw that there were no more monsters and walked over to him.

“That was a really neat kill, no more of them. If I had known this would happen, I would have used…….”

Boom!

“……!”

With a flash of flame, Geum Myung-yeol fell to the floor.

So did the secretary who was reaching for his boss.

“Gasp!”

Thud, thud, thud.

Jung Yiheon snapped his fingers as he passed the harshly breathing secretary.

With a roar, sparks lit up the crisp sky like a flower.

“Jung Yiheon, you crazy bastard….”

Geum Myung-yeol struggled to his feet, but it was no use.

“This, ugh!”

The blood coursing through his veins felt heavy.

His mind floated, feeling as if his body was no longer his own.

“This is…!

Geum Myeong-yeol smirked and cast a sharp glance in Han Cha-soo’s direction.

“Why do you keep flirting with other guilds’ members, Guild Leader Geum Myeong-yeol?”

“Ugh!”

“Don’t be gross.”

With a bang, Jung Yiheon, who had placed one foot on Geum Myeong-yeol’s back, looked back at Han Cha-soo with a gentle face.

“Now, let’s hear the unscrupulous attempted kidnapper’s excuse.”

Han Cha-soo, who had watched the whole violent process calmly, nodded.

Then a scream erupted from beneath Jung Yiheon’s feet.

“Mr Han Cha-soo, I have mistaken you for a man. How hard I have protected you, how can you repay the favour with a betrayal…. Ack! Don’t step on my spine!”

I don’t know where this feeling of betrayal came from, but Geum Myung-yeol shuddered at the thought.

“You said your sleeping pattern is the opposite of normal people, did you also put your mental head in reverse?”

Jung Yiheon clicked his tongue and stamped his foot on his back.

A muffled scream rang out for a moment.

“Okay, okay.”

With a long sigh, he finally raised the white flag.

“Ouch, no joke. It hurts when you tie me up like this.”

“Stop being so creepy.”

The reason why Geum Myung-yeol couldn’t resist and was overpowered by Jung Yiheon was because of the potion he drank.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with the potion given to Jung Yiheon.

It was a trap designed to subdue only Geum Myung-yeol and his assistant.

“I’ll give them a paralyzing potion, so use your timing to take them down.”

This was the best I could do to take him down without incurring the penalty of being undercover.

Use the potion maker trait to your advantage, without having to physically move or do any backstabbing.

“By the time you defeat the last monster, their body will be hardened.”

Han Cha-soo moved his lips without sound, and Jung Yiheon laughed very softly.

“I see.”

What a good boy.

He nodded without asking me why.

He even apologised, saying that he should have brought it up first but had forgotten because of the situation.

‘You’re too nice, I’m afraid.’

Han Cha-soo clicked his tongue but told him he didn’t have to apologize.

“This is the person who threatened a Class B Hunter on the side of the road in the middle of the day. Hit him hard.”

Jung Yiheon smiled trustingly and nodded, and this was the result.

“Ah… Han Chasoo-ssi, I didn’t see him like that, but you were a very scary person.”

Sprawled out on the meadow, Geum Myeong-yeol grumbled through his lips.

He was tied to a rope made for restraining hunters.

Beside him, the secretary sighed in frustration. He, of course, was as good as dead.

“That’s why I told you not to do it.”

“Who knew an irregular gate would pop up there?”

The only thing free was his mouth, and he talked nonstop.

“Guild Leader Geum Myeong-yeol.”

“Huh?”

“You don’t want to paralyse not only your body but also your mouth.”

Han Cha-soo shook the reagent vial with a dry gaze.

Seeing the small bubbling liquid, Geum Myeong-yeol’s lips tightened.

“If it’s a request from Guild Leader Exilis, I’ll be happy to concoct a proper paralysing potion for you, just say the word.”

The grave tone of the man’s voice made Geum Myeong-yeol frown.

For some reason, none of the people in the Heavenly Spirit Guild were sane, despite their good looks.

He sighed and shook his head.

“Never mind, never mind. I was going to ask you why you were raiding anyway. Eh, I was going to go out there and tell you the truth, but everyone’s in such a hurry…. Argh!”

After being stomped on by Jung Yiheon once more, Geum Myeong-yeol got to the point.

“It’s because of the item Han Cha-soo has!”

“What?”

“The frost giant shaman’s wraith.”

Geum Myeong-yeol said.

“If you beat the hidden boss, you must have gotten a corresponding item… and I need it.”

I had such a thing?

Han Cha-soo quirked an eyebrow at all the eyes on me.