“Wait? That bearded uncle, he came back with us from the wolf den…”
“Ah, right. The man who was riding on someone’s back is over there too. Has he already recovered? Must have spent some money, huh?”
A man with a thick moustache and beard.
He was the leader of the party that returned with us from the wolf den. Was his name Park Kwang-bae when he came to ask for a favor? Anyway, it was something like that.
Park Kwang-bae, the bearded man who stepped forward, spoke to a middle-aged man who looked like a party leader.
“Um… by any chance… are you considering trying that…?”
“……… Huh? And who are you?”
Even though Park Kwang-bae asked very cautiously, his words were laced with thorns. They probably wouldn’t like the idea of others showing interest in something they found first.
Though he was smiling weakly, Park Kwang-bae must have calculated things out. He was probably prepared for battle if things went south.
‘Get lost… You are not at the level to challenge us.’
With two more members than the middle-aged party, and two skilled individuals mixed in that they hadn’t seen last time, it seemed like a probing move… but it was a futile one.
Facing off against the four members of the middle-aged party would be at most a trade of injuries.
Glancing over—
Although Park Kwang-bae was talking to the man, his gaze was on the back where the sorcerer party and the Ilseom party stood.
‘Are you really planning to do nothing while I help you like this?’ His eyes seemed to convey that message.
The sorcerer and Ilseom parties also saw the situation and looked tense, their brows furrowing in deep contemplation.
They were already gripping their weapons tightly, but their destination still seemed undecided.
It sort of went as Park Kwang-bae expected, but from my perspective, the balance wasn’t as easily broken.
If the middle-aged party was overwhelmingly strong against the other two teams, it would have played out as Park Kwang-bae thought, but the combat powers of the three parties were pretty much equal.
Rather than the thought of teaming up to take one of them down, they were likely to think about the possibility of getting ambushed if I moved first.
Just a little bit of thinking would lead to a more likely outcome, but you could only see that Park Kwang-bae’s judgment was clouded in the heated moment.
He must have been tempted. At the very least, he hoped they could be the bottom tier among the opposing forces.
“Ahem…”
Sweat began to bead on Park Kwang-bae’s forehead.
The two skilled individuals standing behind him were also biting their lips.
Unlike me, who had sharp senses, they probably only realized the disparity in strength once they got up close or within striking distance. Ah, this is bad.
The two skilled individuals were at a level comparable to mine, but it didn’t matter since not all of Park Kwang-bae’s party reached that level.
If they had some extraordinary skills or traits, it would be a different story, but that wasn’t the vibe I was getting.
‘Should I jump into the box?’
There were too many eyes watching to turn such a thought into action.
For a moment, a tense standoff unfolded between them and the party by the wooden box. Although there was a team that discovered it first, as time went on, that fact became less significant.
Which party is stronger?
If they fight, which side will come out on top?
Is it worth the risk to engage in a battle?
These thoughts swirled around in their heads, with reason and desire being eagerly evaluated on a table.
Twitch- Twitch-
With the wind brushing past their necks, the sound of leaves rustling caused the shoulders of the hunters in confrontation to flinch numerous times.
If things went haywire, it would surely turn chaotic. As the longest-serving hunter here, I can assure you that the moment even one person draws their weapon, this place will turn into a battlefield.
Sss-sss-sss-
Yeon-hee finally summoned the entire Lizard Squad. The onlookers all rose from their seats, waiting for the signal to sound.
We were clearly seated as spectators, but with nearly 70 hunters gradually increasing their magical energies, it had escalated to the level where fighting seemed inevitable.
Glance—
Sweat droplets hung from Park Kwang-bae’s chin before they plopped down below. At that moment, there was a chilling silence. 150 pairs of eyes bore down on him.
If he hadn’t expected the situation to unfold like this, that would be an experience in itself.
‘Back off. Being embarrassed for a moment is better.’
Park Kwang-bae shifted his lost gaze around until it landed on the summoned Lizard Squad.
Over 30 summoned creatures. It was an impressive force that warranted the term “squad.”
Gulp—
Park Kwang-bae’s Adam’s apple bobbed widely as he turned toward the middle-aged party, deeply bowing.
“Ex, excuse me.”
“Haha, this is absurd. Why don’t you just hurry and leave?”
I thought there was no way someone from the audience could handle this, yet someone dared to speak up.
Stopping him from speaking?
The man who received the apology must have been thinking something like that while looking at Park Kwang-bae.
But Park Kwang-bae wasn’t someone to be easily dismissed. The man who turned his back was somewhat courageous in a way.
Turning like that in front of an opponent who had been trading threats back and forth isn’t something easy to do.
Of course, Park Kwang-bae was sweating profusely from the ominous energy rising on his back, but that was something no one else would know.
“Isn’t it against the rules for me to concede first and then try again afterward?”
At this point, it’s hard not to think that way. Just give up to another team, and if they fail, can’t we go for the next opportunity?
However, everyone knows that once you are sucked into the space, the Mimic disappears whether you succeed or fail.
So you might be tempted to wait for the person who went into the space and then steal the loot afterwards.
But it is said that when you come out after your match with the Mimic, you will land in another random spot within the dungeon.
This is just a rumor, but I was sure because I had heard it from an experienced person.
Tap- Tap-
The six hunters, including Park Kwang-bae, soon left their spots and began moving to the hunting grounds. Their faces were filled with regret as they glanced at the wooden box.
Of course, they might wait from a distance for another chance, but once a dog tucks its tail, it can’t stick around any longer.
“Tsk— What a pitiful sight. When they asked for help, they acted so naïve. What a scheming person. Is it any wonder that I’m struggling with mistrust toward humans?”
“I don’t like people like that either.”
Well, at any rate, one team was out. The fewer competitors, the better.
“All gathered hunters! And everyone else currently joining us, please listen carefully!”
‘Is he planning to start a fight?’
The middle-aged man, who appears to have the upper hand, raised his hand high. Seeing the flies buzzing around him, he must have decided enough was enough.
“This box was discovered by us first! I’m sure you all understand that attacking monsters while another party is in combat is a taboo!!”
“Excuse me, uncle. When did you fight? We saw you just watching from behind.”
“I was strategizing. This Mimic isn’t your ordinary monster, you know? And I’m speaking right now, can you not interrupt?”
“Strategizing, huh? Yeah, right…”
“Anyway, it makes sense for us to choose first! But these two teams have interfered with our intentions! We didn’t want to fight! Truly!”
‘That guy talks too much…’
As the middle-aged man cleared his throat to ramble more, the wooden box began to show signs of disturbance.
Thud—! Rumble rumble—!!
The box shook violently on the ground, and the rusty lock shattered and fell away.
Then the lid of the box ever so slightly opened, and a tongue the size of a human palm flopped out with a slapping sound.
Flap- Flap-
The rapidly shaking tongue.
Soon after, two legs emerged from the bottom of the box, and an arm peeked out from the side of the box.
With its stubby, thick limbs, it looked as if four screaming mushroom bodies were tacked on to the box.
Being the size of a small refrigerator, it was tall enough to have some monster presence, but those comically short limbs completely erased any sense of danger.
The people felt a mix of awe and fear but were irresistibly drawn toward the box as if enchanted.
After a moment, the box that had been wobbling in place came to a stop and rattled loudly.
– Ah. I am! Tiny, the faithful servant of the Golden Mimic Tanya! I can no longer watch your pathetic behaviors, so here I am! Or, should I say, “I’m here?” Did… I…?
―!!
Everyone knew monsters could talk, but it was the first time they actually encountered one.
The Mimic, which seemed to have a screw loose, tilted its boxy body and repeated “Did I?… Did I?” over and over again.
‘What is this addicted-looking Mimic…’
– The language of humans is truly confusing…! Anyway!! Among you, one, no, just one will earn the right to meet our great Golden Mimic Tanya!!
――!!
It was a ridiculous Mimic, but its words threw all the hunters into confusion at once.
With the audience suddenly swelling, a staggering hundred hunters were now watching, turning the scene into a market.
“What is this?! What is it!! What’s happening? The Golden Mimic?”
“Ahhh!! What does that mean?!”
“Uh, this doesn’t really concern us, but… just to be clear…! We don’t know anything…”
Just looking at the reactions of Yeon-hee, Ah-rin, and Joo-ah confirmed that.
It was certain they had hit some exciting event, but it felt incredibly dangerous, and they couldn’t just sit still, yet on the flip side, jumping in could land them in hot water.
But since nothing was being offered, it was entirely understandable to feel confusion.
Thankfully, the commotion didn’t last long. The Brown Mimic was quick to lay out clear criteria.
– Our Golden Tanya delights in fascinating battles!! So all of you here, fight! No, engage in battle? Anyhow!
――!!
‘Battling sounds good, but who should we fight?!’
“What are we supposed to fight against!!”
Thankfully, someone shouted loudly, and the Mimic seemed taken aback, as if it didn’t expect anyone to speak to it.
– Uh?! Um… So, you all have to fight, but how you fight… uh… the guidelines are quite…
The chubby arm of the Mimic opened the box and rummaged around for a while, but the Brown Mimic couldn’t provide any answers.
‘…… So, nothing is actually set?’
Clearly, the method was entirely different from what I had heard, but one thing was clear.
‘Only one team can enter!’
In an instant calculation, my body reacted first.
Like a bullet, I shot forward, kicking the ground hard and leaping high into the air.
“Uh? Why is Il-wol acting like that?”
“What is he trying to do?!”
“Il-wol!! No way?!”
‘Perfect! I’d been so annoyed since earlier!’
Soaring in mid-air, I hurled a barrage of bombs toward the guys who had previously caused trouble for Ah-rin.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!
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