Chapter 44

Chapter 44

[Hound(6 )]

Huff, huff, huff! Run!

He was out of breath. Eunhyuk had the urge to stop and catch his breath, but he forced himself to keep going.

It had been so long since he abandoned his bag.

The same was true for the children behind him. They had abandoned their packs to make themselves as light as possible.

Uh, how much further do we have to go!

I dont know!

Eunhyuk nervously responded to Minjis protest.

I want to know!

I dont know.

How much longer we have to run.

How far I have to run.

Eunhyuk didnt know. Even now, he was thinking about it countless times.

Kaaaaaaaah-!!!

Ugk, players! Call the players!

What is the Changhae Clan doing!

He could hear the sounds of death coming from up above, the same place he had passed by earlier.

Part of him wanted to run to save them.

But he had made a promise to Eunha.

To lead the party and protect his people.

To put his own life first.

Im sorry, Im sorry!

He gritted his teeth.

Maybe this could help.

He had learned to wield a sword and learn mana to become a player who saves people in danger.

Eunhyuk resented the fact that he had to use what he had learned from Eunha solely to protect himself.

Dont look away.

It was Minji who grabbed him when he was about to turn his head at the sound of another scream.

Come on, run away. We cant help them.

Ugh!

He couldnt argue.

He knew it too. That even though he had gained strength since that day last year when he almost lost his life to the goblins, it was still not enough to deal with monsters.

I know, I know, I know, but!

Im frustrated. I want to be stronger, stronger, stronger.I want to grow up.

The screaming never stopped.

A throaty scream for help.

The sound of monsters scratching their throats and growling.

It was hell. The mountain trail where Id been running with my friends at lunch had become a deafening inferno.

Dont look back, dont look back. Dont look back, dont look back.

Minji muttered over and over again under her breath. It felt like she was mumbling to her friends, but it was more like she was brainwashing herself.

She couldnt wait to get home, tears welling up in her eyes every time she heard a scream, and the sound of a dog barking in the distance startled her.

She could hardly believe her ears. If Eunha hadnt been there to comfort her, if her friends had been as terrified as she was, she wouldnt have been able to get away.

Dont look back. Never.

She repeated again.

You watch the kids and make sure they dont do anything rash

Is that it?

Thats it

The only thing that kept her sane was the last thing Eunha said.

I cant help..!

She knew why hed told her to watch her friends.

He knew she wouldnt help the party, but hed forced her into a role to keep her sane.

Im a hindrance. If it werent for me, they could go faster.

I shouldnt even be thinking that.

Frustrated. Im angry.

She would have been a real obstacle if her pride hadnt reared its ugly head.Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience

Hayang, where do we go next?

Minji scanned her surroundings through her fevered mind. Eunhyuk, who was leading the party, was in no position to look around. Neither were Seo-na or Hayang, who were doing their own thing.

In the end, Minji was the only one who could coordinate the party.

It was ironic: the moment she was pessimistic about her situation, she became the leader of the party.

Haa, huuf, ha! I dont think the left side will work!

Hayangs mana sensing had always been excellent, as she had subconsciously taken in the information that mana conveyed.

However, it was not easy to consciously do what she was doing subconsciously.

She knew that her role could mean the difference between life and death for the party.

Her head was pounding. The information Mana was conveying was vast.

It was like reading several books at once.

If she let her mind wander, shed never be able to pull herself out of the lake of information.

Still, she desperately sifted through the information. She tried to take in the information as if she were choosing which book she wanted to read.

Outside, to the left, something ominous!

She couldnt describe the process of interpreting the information in words.

An uncomfortable sensation ran through her body.

That was all she could say.

Theres a sound coming from the left.

It was Seona who reconfirmed the uncertain information. Still not used to feeling mana, she relied on her animal senses.

To her left, she heard a series of hounds breathing. Human screams mingled with them.

She must not tell them. This sound.

You must keep the sounds in the distance to yourself. There was no point in telling my friends about this horrible sound.

It would dampen the mood of the party.

So you keep it to yourself. Keep your mouth shut. Dont tell them.

It was Seona who was mentally backed into a corner. If Minji hadnt regained her composure, Seona could have lost her cool and made a bad decision.

More, more, more! Push through it!

The childrens stamina had long since been drained. They didnt have the strength to run anymore.

Nevertheless, they squeezed what little strength they had left. If they stopped, they would be caught by the horde running from the top of the mountain.

Why, why!

Why cant I see the player!

Minji was right. The hounds threat had only been dispelled once.

The pack still surrounded the children.

Uh, what can I do.

Terrified and unable to stop her tears.

Everywhere she looked, there was no life. She couldnt see a corner to escape.

Boom!

Eun-hyuk was running away from the hounds, but the end was near.

They were telling him to dodge one more time.

Dodge one, dodge two, and so on.

They could have killed him at any moment, but they were going to keep playing this game until he collapsed from exhaustion.

It was a hounds habit to bite its preys throat and cut off its breath the moment it gave up on life.

Ugh, damn it

Once he crossed three dogs, he couldnt stop them.

Eunhyuk knew. What their intentions were.

Still, he didnt bend his knees. If theyre looking for the moment when he gives up, then paradoxically, it means that he can live until he doesnt give up.

So even if he fell, he would get up.

Fall, get up, fall, get up

He wouldnt let go of even a straw of hope.

Because

I am a dealer! Cough!

Eunhyuk!

Four dogs. He barely avoided two, but one stabbed him in the side. From the opposite direction, another one jumped out and trampled on him.

As if they were telling him to try to stop this too.

Kerr, kerr!

He couldnt breathe. The fourth hound had squeezed his windpipe.

He struggled with all his might, but the more he did, the harder it pulled.

Eunhyuk!

No!

At this rate, its all over.

Seo-na repeatedly shouted to herself to calm down.

Anyone, anyone?

Help, please!

They were friends that I first made. They were friends that I could share my heart with.

I didnt want to lose everyone here. I didnt want to die. Not with my friends.

I wanted to live. With my friends.

So I prayed desperately.

For [mercy] that I had given up on long ago.

Please come and help me.

For [salvation] that I had resigned myself to never having.

[Whoever] it is, [please help me.]

With only the desire to live.

Whoever it is, [please help me.]

With only the desire not to lose.

Magic is the combination of concrete imagination and mana to manipulate the laws of the world.

And concrete imagination is the product of a desperate mind.

[Whoever it is,]

There was a crackle of electricity,

And golden fur shot up.

[Whoever it is, please help me!!!!]

A shot rang out.

The wind blew.

It was the order of nature for the wind to blow.

For the first time, the flock thought so.

The wind was blowing.

The wind blew.

The wind blew?

Like an inescapable wall.

Like a cage they were trapped in.

The herd suddenly realized they were caught in the wind.

The wind had picked up.

The leaves that had fallen and the flowers that had bloomed in the fields were scattered by the wind. It blocked their vision.

The smell of blood, sweat, and their own scent mingled with the wind. It disrupted their sense of smell.

The wind was bitter.

Trees with weak roots were uprooted by gusts.

The ground shook, and even the rock walls were torn apart.

Eh?

Only the children were unaffected by the wind.

The tree they were leaning on didnt sway in the slightest.

Im sorry, you were scared, werent you?

In a world where petals and leaves fluttered about.

Isolated from the gusting world, the children couldnt take their eyes off the woman who appeared with the wind.

A short-haired woman with a leather jacket draped over her shoulders.

Her hair was fluttering in the gusts of wind.

And-.

Can you close your eyes for a moment?

The sound of a rattling folding fan echoed.

Because Ill punish these bad dogs for you.

Shin Seoyoung.

Shin Seo-yeong of Shinpung. (1)

It was the appearance of the Twelve Guardians.

Notes!

(1) Shin Seo-yeong of Shinpung: Shinpung is a Korean name that can mean different things depending on the Hanja characters used to write it, so the exact meaning of the name may vary. However, Shinpung can generally be interpreted as a reference to a divine or spiritual wind, which is fitting given that the first character of the name <()> also means divine wind. I dont know if this was the authors intention but Ill rather go with the exact translation of it.

E/N: I just realize that for me to catch up with the manhwa as quickly as possible I will need to update 4 chapters per dayomg.Ill try!!