The place Samuel led the group to was none other than the very inn Alex introduced to Seol Ji-Hu.
They climbed past the floor he stayed the night before and went up to the third floor. Seol Ji-Hu got a huge shock once he saw the three individuals waiting for them at the meeting room.
“Hugo?” (Seol Ji-Hu)
“Huh? Seol?!” (Hugo)
Hugo, too, showed a similar reaction. Cho Hong’s eyes went round as she spat out a surprised groan herself, and meanwhile, Dylan let off a wry chuckle as he crossed his arms.
“Oh my god. I had no idea we’d meet each other again less than an hour later.” (Hugo)
“They were searching for a porter when I was in the pub, so I applied right away.” (Seol Ji-Hu)
A bitter smile floated up on Seol Ji-Hu’s face. He recalled Dylan’s advice from earlier on.
“What’s this? You know folks from Carpe Diem already?” (Samuel)
“Well, something like that. Let’s say that we know who each other are.” (Dylan)
“Huh, this fella.” (Samuel)
After hearing Dylan’s reply, Samuel took a sweeping look at Seol Ji-Hu with a renewed interest.
“Naught we can do but to take it as a trick of fate, I guess.” (Dylan)
Dylan raised his hands up in defeat.
“In any case, time is money. We’d like to hear that delicious deal of yours right away, if possible.” (Dylan)
“Hehe. Gimme some time to start cooking, will you? However, I’m sure you can pick up on the delicious scent already, yeah?” (Samuel)
Samuel joked for a bit and dragged a big table to the middle of the room. He then spread out a map on it.
While the crowd gathered around it, Seol Ji-Hu stayed in the corner, unmoving. He wondered whether a porter like himself was even allowed to butt in here.
“Hey, you. What are you doing?” (Cho Hong)
Cho Hong looked at Seol and pointed at the table with her chin.
“Hurry up. Meeting’s about to get started.” (Cho Hong)
She even took a step to her side and opened up a spot, too. When Seol stood next to her, Hugo began giggling hoarsely.
“Whenever she owes someone an apology, she suddenly becomes so considerate to that person. It’d be simpler to say sorry once, wouldn’t you say?” (Cho Hong)
Keuk, the tip of Cho Hong’s nose reddened slightly, but she kept her mouth shut. Samuel began his explanation while pointing at a spot on the map, that was why.
“Since I know how you guys are like, I’ll make my explanation as brief as possible. Our starting point will be the South gate. From there, we will use carriages to travel along the Rahman river for a day or two.” (Samuel)
Samuel’s finger traveled along the river as marked on the map.
“This road is comparably safe, so we’ll travel as fast as we can on this part of the journey. Well, we need to conserve our stamina for what’s to come, anyway. If we don’t run into an incident, we should safely disembark around here. And then, after we go over the Napal hill….” (Samuel)
His finger stopped by the image of a huge, sprawling forest.
“The Forest of Denial. Our ultimate destination. Most likely, we will have to go past the entrance and carry on until some sort of an interruption halts our progress.” (Samuel)
The moment he heard the words ‘Forest of Denial’, Dylan’s complexion hardened, but he didn’t say anything. Samuel licked his lips and formed a confident smile.
“I’ve heard this information from a very reliable source. Apparently, there is a pretty sizeable tomb within the Forest of Denial.” (Samuel)
“A tomb, you say?” (Dylan)
“That’s right. And no, it’s not your regular tomb, either. There is a very good chance that it’s a tomb related to one of the destroyed kingdoms from the past.” (Samuel)
“Are you suggesting that we raid the tomb and loot the grave goods?” (Dylan)
“Indeed! If it’s true, then we might be able to acquire some serious artifacts for ourselves!” (Samuel)
Dylan rubbed his chin in contemplation.
“I was wondering why we were going so far down South, but I see now. It’s plausible. You could say this location is at the frontier of the kingdom.” (Dylan)
“It’s not only that. You know that Sicilia has put up a mission of scouting the Forest of Denial, yes?” (Samuel)
“I’m aware of it, yes.” (Dylan)
“There is also that mission from the royal family to consider, too! If everything goes smoothly as planned, we will be able to receive rewards from three sources!” (Samuel)
“Okay. I see what you’re trying to say here, Samuel.” (Dylan)
Dylan calmed down Samuel as the latter began jumping up and down in excitement.
‘So, this is how an expedition is arranged.’ (Seol Ji-Hu)
Seol Ji-Hu had been listening in very attentively as he didn’t want to miss out on a single thing, but now, he was feeling somewhat confused.
This sounded like a tempting offer, indeed. However, he found it rather suspicious that no one had conquered this Forest of Denial, seeing that it was no more than four, five days of travel from the city of Haramark. Unless no one else knew about Samuel’s information, that was.
In other words, there must have been some kind of a problem to worry about.
Dylan took his time deliberating on things, before raising his voice.
“There are three things I want to ask you about, Samuel.” (Dylan)
“Go ahead.” (Samuel)
“This information…. Who else knows about this, besides us?” (Dylan)
“Let me be honest here. I went to speak to Kahn’s team first before calling you. They refused, though. But, they will definitely keep it as a secret.” (Samuel)
Dylan nodded his head.
“Fine. Then, can you tell me the identity of this reliable source?” (Dylan)
“When are you going to ask me for what my countermeasure for the Forest of Denial is?” (Samuel)
The corner of Samuel’s lips arched up. Dylan was taken aback, before a wry smile formed on his face.
“Well, aren’t you a surprising one. Ever since High Priest Rebecca barely managed to return alive from that place, I was thinking that Forest of Denial is pretty much impossible to tread.” (Dylan)
“From the get-go, their method of approach was all wrong. The Forest of Denial isn’t about curses. No, it’s magic.” (Samuel)
“Magic?” (Dylan)
“That’s right. You gotta counter magic with magic, but Rebecca failed because she relied on divinity. No, wait. Because it was her, should I say that she managed to walk out of that place alive?” (Samuel)
Samuel spoke up with a certain amount of confidence, before taking a cautious look around him. It was as if he was being very careful of making sure that there was no one listening in on them, even though they were inside a room.
“Dylan? I’ll answer the last two questions in one go. The person who told me about the tomb is none other than Sir Ian.”
At this declaration, the trio of Dylan, Cho Hong and Hugo displayed a bit of shock.
“Sir Ian, is it?” (Dylan)
“That’s right! Not only that, he’s planning to join us on the expedition himself!” (Samuel)
“Hmm. Hmm….”
Inwardly, Dylan hadn’t been too sure of it until then. But now, he was slowly tapping on the table with his fingertip. Seol Ji-Hu lightly poked the side of Hugo as the big guy’s mouth bobbed up and down like a goldfish.
“Hugo.” (Seol Ji-Hu)
“Uh, uhm?” (Hugo)
“Who is this Ian?” (Seol Ji-Hu)
“Hey, man. How come you don’t…. Oh, wait. It’s your first time here, ain’t it.” (Hugo)
Hugo began whispering to Seol as if he understood the youth’s plight.
“Sir Ian a level 4 Alchemist. He’s a skilled Sorcerer who is this close to entering the upper levels.” (Hugo)
Only then did the youth more or less understand. No matter which Job it was, reaching level 4 afforded some amount of acclaim, but what if the person with the rarest Job, Sorcerer, reached that level? No need to even mention it.
Dylan finally opened his mouth to speak.
“So, it’s not scouting the Forest of Denial, but an expedition, instead. However, since we’re nominally scouting the area, we don’t even have to apply for the expedition licence, is that it?” (Dylan)
“Fufufu. It’s a really delicious deal, don’t you think so?” (Samuel)
“I agree. I’m already salivating at the prospect.” (Dylan)
Samuel began stamping on the floor with his feet as if he couldn’t wait anymore, causing Dylan to form a toothy grin as well.
“Good. What about the finer details?” (Dylan)
“Don’t be like that. You know how I operate. I’ll take the lead and guide you forward, but Dylan, you take over during the battles. As for the loot, the first refusal goes to the person with the best compatibility with his or her Job. If there are two or more with the same Jobs, then higher level gets it. And the reward distribution is equally split.” (Samuel)
Samuel recited everything as if he had memorised already.
“Excellent.” (Dylan)
As soon as Dylan agreed, Samuel turned his head to look at the others.
“What about you two?” (Samuel)
“Why do you even ask? The decision’s been made already.” (Cho Hong)
“I approve!” (Hugo)
Cho Hong agreed disinterestedly, while Hugo was very energetic.
Samuel formed a satisfied grin and shifted his gaze over to Seol Ji-Hu.
“My man! You’re also okay with this, yeah?” (Samuel)
“Oh, I’m…..” (Seol Ji-Hu)
Seol Ji-Hu stopped himself from speaking further.
Inwardly, he definitely wanted to be a part of this expedition. However, didn’t he promise Kim Hahn-Nah that he’d not go any further south than Haramark?
Sensing his hesitation, Samuel’s eyes opened up wider.
“Hey, is there a problem? This isn’t an exploration, you know. It’s an expedition parading around as an official mission. I’m sure that you’ll earn a c**p ton of experience points by accompanying us.” (Samuel)
“The Forest of Denial is pretty close to the frontier, so won’t it be too dangerous?” (Seol Ji-Hu)
Seol Ji-Hu pointed this out, causing Samuel to let off a soft chuckle.
“Aha. That is true. However, you don’t have to worry about that one! Technically, you could say that the Forest of Denial is on the border of the human territory, but actually, that place is much closer to a neutral zone more than anything else. The magic found in the Forest is so strong that not only us humans, but pretty much all the other species don’t even think about getting close to it.” (Samuel)
Samuel explained it at length, before clenching his fist tightly.
“However, we’re different. We have the high-leveled Dylan and Sir Ian in our midst. That ancient magic cast over the forest or whatever? We’re going to break it apart, for sure.” (Samuel)
Rather than placing his trust in those words, Seol Ji-Hu activated his Nine Eyes instead. Samuel remained devoid of any colours even then.
“So, how about it? You’re coming, yes?” (Samuel)
A short deliberation later, Seol nodded his head.
“Yes, I will.” (Seol Ji-Hu)
“Okay!!” (Samuel)
Samuel slapped the table’s surface and stood up.
“We depart tomorrow! Let us meet up by the South gate early in the morning!” (Samuel)
*
The morning had come.
Seol Ji-Hu woke and lightly washed up, before hurriedly putting on his gear. Now that he thought about it, his sense of time had become a bit blurry ever since he started his life in the Paradise. Since there was no clock here, it couldn’t be helped, but still, it was pretty tough to figure out when this ‘early in the morning’ for their meeting would actually be.
He picked up his bag and left the inn. He then headed straight to the South gate via the route he memorised yesterday.
He was unsure until then, but his fears turned out to be true. Nine people were already waiting for him by the gate. Thinking that he was late, Seol ran with almost everything he had, before Samuel noticed him and waved his hand at the youth.
“Woah, woah! Calm down, calm down! You are not late, so you don’t have to rush like that.” (Samuel)
“Oh. That’s how it was.” (Seol Ji-Hu)
“Sir Ian hasn’t arrived yet, you see.” (Samuel)
Samuel lightly tapped on Seol’s shoulder, before going Oops, and handed over a pretty large bag.
“This is the luggage you’ll be in charge of. Please look after it. We might encounter a big trouble later on if you somehow misplace it.” (Samuel)
“Is this all?” (Seol Ji-Hu)
“Yeah. We also hired two other porters, you see. But, they are local residents, so you don’t have to worry too much about them.” (Samuel)
Seol Ji-Hu nodded his head, easily picked the luggage up, and slung it over his other shoulder. He felt its weight, but it wasn’t heavy enough to impede him. Meanwhile, Samuel stared at the youth with a slightly dazed expression.
“Is, isn’t it heavy?” (Samuel)
“Not really, no.” (Seol Ji-Hu)
“Hoh…. As expected, I was right to trust Alex’s judgement.” (Samuel)
While Samuel was sagely nodding to himself, Seol Ji-Hu took a look around his surroundings. Near the gate, he saw two carriages, members of Carpe Diem, as well as Samuel’s team.
If there were some things different from yesterday, then that would be how they were kitted out today.
Seol Ji-Hu had already seen Hugo’s large battle axe and the hefty armour during their journey to Haramark. Samuel in front of him looked rather cool with a brightly-coloured studded leather jacket on him, as well as a blue cape extending down to his waistline.
Dylan was supposed to be an Archer, but he was decked out in a coat-style brigandine that Warriors should be wearing. The way it softly reflected silver light under the morning sun’s glare, the armour couldn’t have been a simple item, either.
By the time Seol Ji-Hu noticed the coldly gleaming longsword and the silver buckler as wielded by Grace, he couldn’t help but feel that his own equipment looked a lot shoddy in comparison.
It was as Cinzia had said before; the gap in quality between the Neutral Zone and the Lost Paradise was noticeably wide, without a doubt.
‘One day, I will….’ (Seol Ji-Hu)
The youth made up his mind to raise his level, get himself better equipment, and jump in among these amazing individuals as soon as he could. It was then, Cho Hong walked over to where he was. Her outfit was so unique that Seol Ji-Hu couldn’t help but do a double take.
She wore a white robe similar to Alex’s, but then, there was a layer of chain mail on top of that. Also, her chest, arms and legs were all covered in layers of metallic protection as well. It was a somewhat complex arrangement of equipment, to say the least.
‘Is she a Priest, or a Warrior?’ (Seol Ji-Hu)
Cho Hong didn’t even take a second glance at the confused Seol Ji-Hu and tapped on Samuel’s shoulder.
“So, when is that pervert coming?” (Cho Hong)
“Uh-huh. What do mean, ‘pervert’? You should watch what you say in front of Sir Ian.” (Samuel)
“It doesn’t matter, does it? He’s not here yet, anyway.” (Cho Hong)
“Well, I wonder about that.” (Samuel)
Samuel grinned refreshingly and began waving his hand around. Seol Ji-Hu followed his line of sight and spotted a man walking towards the group from afar.
His height was about average, his physique on the lean side. His hair wasn’t completely ash-white, but much closer to salt-and-pepper. Seeing all those wrinkles near his eyes, he must’ve been way past the forties and well into the fifties.
Most importantly though, the long, long white beard that extended down to his navel reminded the youth of a certain wizard from a famous movie franchise.
“Oi~ii!”
The man wearing an ivory-white robe waved around his hand carrying a wooden staff with its slightly bent tip. This man was none other than Ian.
“You’ve come, Sir Ian.” (Samuel)
Samuel greeted the Sorcerer with a clean-cut bow.
“Sorry, sorry. I got held up slightly. Been a while since I’ve been in Haramark, and the streets felt so refreshingly open, you see.” (Ian)
“Well, I hear you. I’ve been to the royal palace a few times myself, so I know how stuffy that place can be.” (Samuel)
“Very true. If it weren’t for the princess’s appearance, I’d have died from stuffiness.” (Ian)
“Ah~. You mean, that prim princess, yes?” (Samuel)
Ian began chuckling as he chatted to Samuel. Seol Ji-Hu had formed something of a general impression on the older man from the story he heard yesterday, but today, he couldn’t help but think that Ian’s easy-going personality came across as slightly more friendlier than expected.
“In any case, let’s depart. If I stay here any longer, the royal family might try to hunt me down. They have been persuading me to change my mind right until this morning, you see.” (Ian)
“Oopsie daisy. That definitely won’t do. Shall we get going right away, then?” (Samuel)
“Should I get on that carriage over there?” (Ian)
“Yes. Oh, and by the way….” (Samuel)
Just as Samuel spotted Seol Ji-Hu and hesitated slightly, Cho Hong grabbed the youth’s arm and spoke up.
“This kid is riding with us.” (Cho Hong)
“Oh, that should be fine.” (Samuel)
Samuel nodded his head. Ian smiled brightly as soon as finding Cho Hong, though.
“Oh~, Cho Hong! It’s been too long. You look good as always.” (Ian)
“Shut up, you perverted geezer.” (Cho Hong)
Cho Hong raised her mace and growled in a threatening manner, before spinning on her heels. Seol Ji-Hu was helplessly dragged away by her and ended up climbing aboard the Carpe Diem’s carriage.
And shortly afterwards….
“Let’s go!” (Samuel)
Along with Samuel’s shout, two carriages slowly departed from the South gate.
It was the beginning of Seol Ji-Hu’s first expedition.
*
The inside of the carriage was silent.
Dylan said he wanted to feel the passing breeze on his face and climbed up to the roof; Cho Hong only stared outside ever since the trip got on the way. Meanwhile, Hugo was grinning like a fool for some reason on the side.
Cho Hong then suddenly spat out a lengthy groan and began rummaging through her inner pockets, before a frown formed on her face. A cuss leaked out from her lips next. Seol Ji-Hu had been watching her quietly until then, and pulled out a packet of cigarettes out before pushing it to her.
“Here.” (Seol Ji-Hu)
“Eh?”
Cho Hong blinked several times, before her head creakily turned towards him.
“No… I’m fine. I don’t like those flavoured cigarettes….” (Cho Hong)
“If you don’t like the flavour, you can avoid it by not breaking the capsule inside the filter.” (Seol Ji-Hu)
“….R, really?” (Choi Hong)
Hmm, hmm. Cho Hong fake coughed and took one cigarette out of the pack. Right away, Hugo covered his eyes and began laughing out loudly. He grasped Seol Ji-Hu’s shoulder and spoke.
“Seol, you gotta be more understanding here. She’d been living a hard life until now, so when she’s on the receiving end of a nice treatment, she becomes all shy like that.” (Hugo)
“Shut up, Hugo.” (Cho Hong)
Cho Hong shot him down and began puffing on the cigarette while complaining.
“I’m surprised, though. You don’t look like a smoker.” (Cho Hong)
“I’m a chain smoker, actually.” (Seol Ji-Hu)
“That’s nothing to be proud about. In any case, thanks. By the way, why did you look like you stepped on sh*t back then?” (Cho Hong)
‘I did what?’ (Seol Ji-Hu)
It kinda felt like that she was trying to change the subject, but still, he shrugged his shoulders and replied.
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“Well, it’s…. I was just looking at everyone’s equipment. They all looked pretty cool to me.” (Seo Ji-Hu)
“But, your own stuff isn’t so bad, either.” (Cho Hong)
Cho Hong rested her chin and primly narrowed her eyes.
“Isn’t that boiled leather armour? That’s the best one available among the leather armours, isn’t it? I see that you also wear a chain mail underneath too, although that’s rare. A bit cheap looking, but you got all the important parts covered up, too. And your spears, they look kinda okay, you know?” (Cho Hong)
“Really?” (Seol Ji-Hu)
“Yeah, really. Didn’t you see Klara? Your equipment is many times better than hers. Especially that spear, I think you can use that right up to level 3 if you maintain it well.” (Cho Hong)
“Pu, puhaha~hahaha!!” (Hugo)
As soon as Cho Hong was done with her speech, Hugo began laughing his head off again. She began gritting her teeth.
“Why are you laughing? Did you forget your brain or something?” (Cho Hong)
“Hey, you. Why don’t you just say that you’re sorry? It’s just one word, but is it that difficult for you? Do you have any idea how funny you look from the side?” (Hugo)
“What are you talking about? I’m just telling him what I see.” (Cho Hong)
“My~ a*s. It must be really tough on you to sound so considerate to someone, right? What with your personality and all.” (Hugo)
Cho Hong’s eyes became blurry and madness began to settle in.
“There’s something I’m curious about, though.” (Seol Ji-Hu)
It looked like a fight might break out if things were left as it was, so Seol Ji-Hu hurriedly intervened.
“What is Miss Cho Hong’s Job?” (Seol Ji-Hu)
Kyyaachk! Cho Hong suddenly cried out loudly and stood up from her seat. She rushed to Seol Ji-Hu and grabbed his shoulders, before yanking him closer. The cigarettes in their mouths nearly touched and he flinched from the sudden closeness.
“Hey, man…. I was going to not mind it, you know? But, I gotta ask you for a favour. Can’t you do something about the way you speak?” (Cho Hong)
“The way I speak?” (Seol Ji-Hu)
“That’s right!! It’ll be fine if it’s just me, okay? Please, please speak informally, okay? Calling me Miss Cho Hong?! Hah, it’s not even Mad Cho Hong, too! You’re creeping me out, you know!!” (Cho Hong)
Seol Ji-Hu had no idea why she hated it so much, but it wasn’t a difficult favour to begin with.
“Okay, I will.” (Seol Ji-Hu)
Cho Hong returned to her seat only after that. She formed an expression that said she’d finally be able to survive now.
“Fuwooo….. Ah, right. My Job? It’s ‘Divine Champion’. I’m level 4.” (Cho Hong)
“Divine Champion?” (Seol Ji-Hu)
“Yeah. You start from level 1 Priest, then in level 2, Combat Nun. Then, in level 3, Holy Warrior.” (Cho Hong)
“You gave up on the path of a Priest?” (Seol Ji-Hu)
“There’s a reason for that, though.” (Hugo)
Hugo suddenly butted in there.
“You see, this girl’s starting Magic Power stat was pretty high. I hear that she could have been a Sorcerer, even.” (Hugo)
Seol Ji-Hu was surprised by that revelation. The minimum requirement for becoming a Sorcerer was that one’s Magic Power stat must be at Mid-High or higher. Of course, both the personality and the talent had to be there, too.
“But, to become a Sorcerer, she was far too unrefined for that. Gods were apparently unhappy about the missed opportunity here and decided to make her a Priest, instead. However, even then, gods have made a big mistake there.” (Hugo)
“A mistake?” (Seol Ji-Hu)
“Yup, a mistake. I’m sure you’ve basically figured it out after seeing her walk the path of a Warrior even though she’s supposed to be a Priest, right?” (Hugo)
“Hugo, I told you to shut up. This is your final warning.” (Cho Hong)
Cho Hong began glaring at the big man. However, Hugo didn’t even pay her any mind and simply tapped on his head with his finger.
“You see, even the gods had no idea that this girl was completely soft in the head! And with that rough personality of hers, never mind being a Sorcerer, you think being a Priest suits her? Ah? Puhahahaha!” (Hugo)
Hugo threw his head back and began guffawing again. It was right in this moment that Cho Hong, with her nails all ready to attack, pounced on him.
The carriage rocked hard, so much so that Dylan on the roof enjoying the breeze nearly fell off from there.
“Dylan!! Dylan!!” (Seol Ji-Hu)
Dylan could hear someone desperately calling for him from the carriage, but he just quietly gathered his hands together and murmured.
“Sorry, rookie.” (Dylan)
< 51. Forest of Denial (1) >
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