Chapter 179
Chapter 179. Chase (5)
“Did you just make this?”
“Yes.”
Yoo Ji-han received the ring from Nam Ho-yeol and examined it.
It was a ring made by weaving part of a large feather into a round shape so it could be worn on a finger.
It didn’t feel heavy at all, and at first glance, it looked like a child’s toy.
Slicing—
The moment it was put on his finger.
Just like what Nam Ho-yeol had shown, the hand wearing the ring turned transparent.
‘I see you’ve been fiddling with it since yesterday.’
It was undoubtedly the invisibility skill of the Invisible Bird.
Although the duration was short, and the skill was deactivated after just a few seconds.
With a slightly excited expression, Yoo Ji-han spoke.
“Could you make more of these?”
“Uh… I’ll give it a try.”
“If possible, can you make a bracelet instead of a ring?”
Yoo Ji-han requested a thick bracelet instead of a ring since it required fewer materials.
It was to broaden the application range of the invisibility skill beyond what it was now.
‘If everything goes well, it could become a powerful weapon.’
Thinking of this unexpected artifact, Yoo Ji-han’s mind began to race.
He was even considering stealthy infiltrations or surprise attacks using the invisibility skill.
Given he had to create more artifacts in a harsh environment, it was a very hopeful observation.
Watching Nam Ho-yeol burn with determination made it feel feasible.
*
About an hour had passed since they began moving from Goheung to the hideout of the people from another world.
“I found it!”
“……?!”
As the expeditionary force detected spatial distortion upon arrival,
the heroes, who had been quietly expressing their dissatisfaction, were all taken aback.
Because what Yoo Ji-han had said, which seemed like a lie, had now been proven true.
“Is it done now?”
“Ahem! …Yes.”
Yoo Ji-han led them with an awkward smile and stormed the hideout.
Crash!
There were devices like those from Yeosu that required fingerprint or mana authentication.
But this time, he smashed everything down as if declaring war.
“How dare you think this is your territory……!”
“Don’t know how you got here, but this is the end for you!”
The people from another world were on high alert against the heroes who had infiltrated the hideout.
They had already set up their formations as if they anticipated that heroes would come.
They must have been tracking the heroes at the terminal through maps.
“Attack!”
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The hideout crumbled, and the people from another world fell screaming.
With the combined firepower of the Goheung expeditionary force, it didn’t take long for the hideout to be destroyed.
Even if they mobilized monsters, the basic combat power was still superior with the heroes from Korea.
Swish!
Yoo Ji-han stood in front of the monsters and swung his sword without a break.
Like a painter’s brush staining a white canvas with color.
His sword was dyeing the place red with the monsters’ blood.
—Kya-ha-ha!
Above, the Sylph dazzled with light as it unleashing spells left and right.
Whoosh!
Thanks to the magic crystal, the total amount of mana increased significantly for the Sylph.
Spreading a fierce gust of wind around Yoo Ji-han, it disrupted the enemy’s balance.
Now, it moved as it wished without needing individual commands.
—Catch me if you can!
With its mouth opened, the Sylph’s loud, playful nature was revealed.
However, the unpredictable timing of the winds from the Sylph made it impossible for even the nimblest birds to avoid them.
There was no doubt that it was a huge help.
“Yuri noona!”
“Got it!”
Next to him, Min Yu-ri and Kim Si-hu were harmoniously coordinating.
Yoo Ji-han’s party was catching the attention of the members of the Goheung expeditionary force.
“Those people fight well.”
“They’re rank 3, right?”
Seeing the movements of Yoo Ji-han’s party, people began to murmur.
A positive perception of them spread among the expeditionary force.
Meanwhile, as the situation stabilized somewhat, Yoo Ji-han clicked his tongue.
‘This isn’t right.’
From the levels and reactions of the enemies captured in the hideout,
it seemed like the people from another world who came from Yeosu hadn’t made it here.
The elites must have moved with stealthy routes.
‘If I were them, where would I go…?’
In a mindset of empathy, Yoo Ji-han began to predict the elite’s movements.
Just then, a report came in.
The search team had spotted very suspicious movements nearby.
“A large number of monsters are on the move?”
“Yes! They all seem to be heading upwards.”
In Yeosu, thanks to Park Jae-kyung’s efforts, the IUPC’s plans had gone awry.
But in Goheung, where not much had happened, the enemies were completing their preparations and started moving in earnest.
It was an unprecedented situation where monsters controlled by humans were all heading towards the capital area.
Since the situation couldn’t be resolved with just barriers alone, various opinions emerged from the expeditionary force.
“We must stop the IUPC from moving!”
“But the fundamental issue lies with the people from another world, doesn’t it?”
“So you want to just watch that?”
“Rather, let’s join forces with the rear guard….”
“No, it’s not that….”
While everyone was bickering over direction,
the consensus gradually leaned towards joining the rear guard.
At that moment, Yoo Ji-han, deep in thought, spoke.
“Everyone should go up and join the rear guard.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’ll chase after the people from another world.”
“……!”
Yoo Ji-han’s party declared that they would separate from the expeditionary force to continue pursuing the people from another world.
Currently, Yoo Ji-han was the one who knew the most about the enemies.
But as time passed, the information he held would become worthless.
He intended to find the people from another world before the value of that information completely faded.
Then Park Jae-kyung stepped forward and said,
“I’ll go with you.”
“No. Jae-kyung and Yoon Do-ha’s party should go with them.”
“That’s…!”
“This isn’t the time for you to fight.”
Due to the side effects of her unique skill, Park Jae-kyung’s condition and combat power had significantly weakened.
In a situation where she couldn’t even display her full strength in battle against monsters.
It would be more appropriate for her to focus on recovering her body immediately.
“But it’s dangerous!”
“If it gets dangerous, I’ll step back.”
“Still….”
“If you really want to help, let’s take a healer along.”
Park Jae-kyung nodded with a slightly frustrated expression.
Realizing that now was not the time for her to step up.
Then, upon her request, a young male healer joined Yoo Ji-han’s party.
Next, Yoo Ji-han turned to Nam Ho-yeol.
“Unfortunately, Ho-yeol, it might be best for you to go with them too.”
“Then please take this!”
“……!”
Nam Ho-yeol, who was assigned for safety reasons to follow the Goheung expeditionary force,
handed Yoo Ji-han a bracelet made from the feathers of the Invisible Bird.
After several failures, he had finally succeeded in crafting an artifact.
“I wanted to make it more perfect….”
“This is enough.”
Yoo Ji-han accepted it and wore it on his arm.
Thanks to it being made with the assumption that he would wear it, the wrist size fit perfectly.
Overjoyed with the new artifact, Yoo Ji-han said,
“I’ll see you again in a safe place later.”
*
As the Goheung expeditionary force retraced the path to join the rear guard,
Yoo Ji-han’s group, which had separated, moved in the opposite direction.
Kim Si-hu looked around nervously.
“It got really quiet.”
The expeditionary force that had started with about a thousand members when they first boarded the train
had been continuously split up due to incidents.
Eventually, aside from Yoo Ji-han’s party, only one healer remained.
“Is it alright with just us?”
“Chirp chirp….”
Min Yu-ri worried about the party’s safety.
Even when a thousand were moving together, there had been several confusions.
Now, even with Chilla and outsiders included, there were only five left.
While she didn’t oppose Yoo Ji-han’s intention to keep pursuing, her concerns were very valid.
“No problems.”
Yoo Ji-han reassured his party members.
He had confidence that he could run away at any time if things got risky.
Of course, it was confidence based on reason.
Not only on land, but he could also cross through water using the Sylph’s magic.
For him, the limitations of movement had vanished.
‘I’ve truly become a Spirit Master now.’
Yoo Ji-han looked up at the Sylph above him.
This playful spirit had become a source of confidence for him.
He even felt a sense of pride that it had begun to speak.
The title of Spirit Master, which people referred to him as, no longer felt so out of place.
“Um….”
“……?”
At that moment, the healer moving with Yoo Ji-han’s group spoke up.
His gaze was fixed on Yoo Ji-han.
“What’s wrong?”
“Don’t you recognize my face?”
“Uh?”
“No, it just feels like you haven’t picked up on it at all.”
“What do you mean…?”
It seemed as if he was familiar with Yoo Ji-han.
But Yoo Ji-han couldn’t recognize his face.
Perhaps feeling frustrated about that, the healer introduced himself directly.
“I’m Lee Dong-gil.”
“Lee Dong-gil?”
“Yoo Ji-han, I’m your classmate from Hero Academy, Lee Dong-gil.”
“……Ah!”
Only then did Yoo Ji-han’s eyes widen in realization.
When he was in the second year at Hero Academy,
there was definitely a healer named Lee Dong-gil in his class.
He had even temporarily formed a party for a month during the first semester of the second year to complete an assignment.
“Wow, it’s been a really long time!”
“You recognized me even if it took a while.”
“It’s been so long since graduation that I barely remember.”
Yoo Ji-han scratched his head.
They weren’t particularly close, and they hadn’t exchanged contact information before graduating, so he couldn’t recognize his face.
Then he glanced at the logo engraved on Lee Dong-gil’s equipment and said,
“You joined Happy Time, huh?”
“Got lucky. There was a huge shortage of healers back at Happy Time seven years ago.”
“Did you come because you knew me?”
“Pretty much.”
Yoo Ji-han talked with Lee Dong-gil, who had risen in presence in the party after their long-awaited reunion.
Lee Dong-gil expressed wonder at Yoo Ji-han.
“I was surprised when I saw your name in the news!”
“If I were you, I would have been surprised too.”
Yoo Ji-han had always maintained mid to low-tier grades at Hero Academy.
His movements and weapon skills weren’t bad, but he was the student who consistently scored the lowest in skill application classes.
That was how the people around him evaluated Yoo Ji-han.
And yet, after several years, he had become well-known as a movie star and Spirit Master.
For someone who had known him in the past, it was something to marvel at.
“Do you remember when we formed a party for that assignment?”
“A bit.”
“Honestly, I thought you were just leeching off the party.”
As a hero who couldn’t use even a single skill,
Yoo Ji-han had no outstanding abilities at Hero Academy.
He wasn’t a favored hero to be a part of a party for the assignment.
“But after experiencing society, I realized. That wasn’t the case.”
“…….”
“The reason I bring this up now is… well, occasionally that time comes to mind.”
Lee Dong-gil, who had spent a month together during their student days, was finally acknowledging Yoo Ji-han.
It was simultaneously a redemption for his own past dismissiveness towards others.
“I understand what you mean. Thank you.”
Yoo Ji-han felt that Lee Dong-gil’s honest confession wasn’t so bad.
It felt as if his past efforts were being recognized.
‘Yeah, that’s nice but….’
Yoo Ji-han, leading the way, wore a bittersweet smile.
The acknowledgment he had never received from Kim Hyun-tae, who had stuck with him for seven years at Keroes,
was now being given to him by an old acquaintance whose face he couldn’t even recognize. It felt incredibly strange.
