Damn Hunter Life 106

Damn Hunter Life Chapter 106

I could see our team’s cargo progress on the mini-map. Two cargo models appeared in the status window.

‘Bottom lane is cruising along smoothly…’

The top lane cargo has been stuck in one spot since earlier. At a point that’s practically no different from the starting point.

It must be a total mess over there.

[Burster ▷ Sa Ye-ho]

[Clyte ▷ Ma Cheon-ah]

‘Oh no.’

I wonder if Ma Cheon-ah is doing well. Yesterday’s defeat was such a shock that just making a score bet with me probably isn’t enough…

I asked Sa Ye-ho about the situation, figuring he’d have enough energy left to chat even if everyone was dying.

Me: How’s it going over there

Snake Successor: Making a mad movie

Me: What mad movie? Looks like you’re getting your asses kicked

Snake Successor: What about you and hyung

Me: About to take a nap

Snake Successor: Ok hurry back

Even though Woo Sae-geon was watching the successor group chat with me, he didn’t add any orders or offer a single opinion.

Since we only sent 3 people against 5, even if they couldn’t push the cargo forward once and got wiped out, from Woo Sae-geon’s perspective it would still be a blessing.

But after watching the cargo model for a while, it did move forward smoothly once.

‘They won a team fight 3 vs 5? How did they do that? And without Woo Sae-geon there.’

Then a notification popped up shortly after.

[Ja Hyeong-woo ▷ Agni]

What? How did he pull that off, Ja Hyeong-woo? A healer, no less.

‘Come to think of it, he was taking out his sword for the first time in a while before the 4th set started.’

Ja Hyeong-woo must have really made up his mind. He’s always been unnecessarily responsible in the weirdest situations.

The reason why bottom lane’s me and Woo Sae-geon are peacefully—no, boringly—riding the cargo right now, while the other three on top lane are tied down and suffering like hell, is this:

‘First Call chose the most economical defensive strategy.’

The lane with Woo Sae-geon would be hard to stop even if all five players rushed over in desperation. We experienced that firsthand in yesterday’s 3rd set, didn’t we?

So they must have concluded that the best time-wasting strategy would be to first concentrate all 5 players on the lane without Woo Sae-geon, then when Woo Sae-geon finishes pushing his cargo and comes to help push the opposite cargo, they’d defend against that 5 vs 5.

Plus, since both cargos need to arrive for capture to begin, it’s advantageous to block one cargo as close to the starting point as possible.

As a result, me and Woo Sae-geon arrived at the end where the capture point was without even seeing a shadow of the enemy team.

[Bottom lane cargo has reached its destination.]

[Please assist in escorting the other lane’s cargo.]

As soon as the clearance sign appeared, I jumped off the cargo. Woo Sae-geon was already down.

“Ugh… How am I supposed to go back all that distance.”

The path we’d traveled was so endlessly long I couldn’t see the end. A complaint naturally escaped my lips.

Since only the defending team can enter the neutral zone, crossing through the shortest route is impossible for us.

The only way is to retrace our steps exactly, then from the initial respawn location again, follow the path the top lane teammates took to join up with them.

“I’ll take a while, so just go ahead and run fast—”

I turned to look at Woo Sae-geon and startled.

Far from being ready to run immediately, Woo Sae-geon was drawing his sword. Even though there was no enemy team around.

‘No way?’

That “no way” caught me. Woo Sae-geon aimed that sword at his own heart.

“You figure it out yourself. Either suicide with an arrow or walk over until the game ends.”

Team kills and suicide are both possible in this game. But even if it’s just a game, is that really something a normal person could think of doing?

Plus, Woo Sae-geon’s attitude seemed like he wouldn’t have any regrets even if I couldn’t make it by the end of the game.

“Wait!”

I was on the verge of being abandoned. My heart racing with urgency, I shouted first.

“Use that to stab me first before you go!”

I’m not a lunatic like Woo Sae-geon, so I can’t stab myself!

‘Besides, if Jin Seol-woon finds out his sword was used for that, he’d hate it too.’

At that moment, definitely, some unknown gleam flickered in Woo Sae-geon’s eyes. The man had lost it somehow.

Woo Sae-geon suddenly walked over step by step and gripped my shoulder tightly with his left hand. My body was lightly pushed back, and my back hit the cargo with a thud. Woo Sae-geon’s shadow completely covered me.

The pale scholar’s face backlit by the sun gave me chills. My body trembled with a shudder. The vibration that spread through my shoulder was swallowed up and disappeared in Woo Sae-geon’s tremendous grip.

“Why why why why are you grabbing me?”

“In case you move.”

“No, you crazy bastard, why are your eyes like that?”

“What about them?”

The blade in Woo Sae-geon’s hand flashed. The sword light also reflected with a flash in his pitch-black pupils.

I desperately understood the feelings of a herbivore being devoured. Suppressing my urge to scream, I barely managed to let out a single word.

“G-gently!”

* * *

A kill notification appeared to the top lane players who were fighting in a chaotic melee.

[Woo Sae-geon ▷ Gyeon Gang-hyeon]

[Woo Sae-geon ▷ Woo Sae-geon]

“…Why are the notifications like that?”

Because the game system hadn’t set up separate displays for team kills and suicide, the successors were puzzled.

On the other hand, First Call, who caught on to the situation, immediately hardened their faces.

Woo Sae-geon was employing the fastest method and coming at full strength.

* * *

After me and Woo Sae-geon committed our unprecedented joint suicide.

The top lane cargo was close to the starting point, but once Woo Sae-geon joined the team fight, the cargo began getting pushed smoothly.

As the cargo got closer to the stronghold, First Call was also helplessly pushed back. Soon the second cargo also reached the arrival point at the very end. Now all that remained was the large circular platform—filling the capture gauge of the capture point.

‘From here on, even if Woo Sae-geon carries alone, it won’t work. The capture gauge only goes up when two or more attacking team members are standing on it.’

This is where it gets difficult. The defending team’s respawn location was very close to this stronghold. Meaning even if we kill them, they’ll rush back immediately.

The advantage we had at the starting point would now be reversed and belong to the defending team.

With both sides’ tankers pushed forward, the two teams clashed intensely. As attribute attacks and blades collided, sword-like clanging rang out chaotically from all directions. It was completely hectic.

‘Ah, shit.’

I got hit hard by Clyte’s sword and died.

‘Ma Cheon-ah must have gotten intimidated. To let Clyte, who’s supposed to be her dedicated opponent, come after me too.’

When am I supposed to run all the way back there? This damn shitty stamina.

I was at the respawn location going “Ugh…” and holding my head when I sensed someone next to me.

“You died too?”

It turned out Ja Hyeong-woo had respawned right next to me.

Even though he’d died, Ja Hyeong-woo didn’t seem particularly distressed and was straightening his disheveled clothes with an indifferent expression. When every second counts right now, he should at least try to rush out…

I sent a chat to the teammates remaining at the stronghold.

Me: Pull back for a moment

Me: Go back in when the healer arrives

At that moment, Ja Hyeong-woo bent his upper body toward me and spoke while kneeling down.

“Get on my back.”

My face contorted the moment I imagined it.

“Are you insane?”

But despite my harsh reaction, this damn bastard took another step closer on his knees. His face got closer. I recoiled in shock, leaning my upper body backward.

“Is there a reason you don’t want to?”

Why do I feel like Ja Hyeong-woo’s eyes are smiling? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?

This was the first time I’d seen this expression on Ja Hyeong-woo’s face. It was unpleasant.

After we held our standoff for a while, Ja Hyeong-woo’s strangely-looking eyes returned to normal. Though there might have been no outward difference, I definitely felt it.

Ja Hyeong-woo muttered quietly.

“Just for today… Tomorrow I’ll know my place.”

Before I could think about what those words meant, Ja Hyeong-woo forcibly pressed his shoulder against me. In the span of “Ugh!” the position was set. My feet flailed briefly in the air. Ja Hyeong-woo’s arm supported my butt.

‘Has he carried people a lot? Why is he so skilled? …Ah, he probably carried me quite a bit when we were little.’

I suddenly felt solemn.

Anyway, since I was already being carried, for both our comfort I had to fully entrust myself to this irritatingly muscular back and wrap my arms around Ja Hyeong-woo’s body.

‘Should I just strangle him like this?’

In that position, when Ja Hyeong-woo started running, my body bobbed lightly. The writhing back muscles felt disgustingly vivid. The back felt as wide as my bed.

Bear with it. This is for the greater good. For the greater—

“Hey, wait a minute.”

I spotted something in the middle of the road. I lifted my chest off Ja Hyeong-woo’s back.

Ja Hyeong-woo asked “Why?” while obediently slowing his running pace. I took my arms off Ja Hyeong-woo’s shoulders.

Gripping Ja Hyeong-woo’s waist tightly with my thighs so my body wouldn’t shake, I summoned my bow and nocked an arrow to the string.

Twang! The sound of air being struck came from the bowstring. The arrow shot up at fierce speed and flew right into the middle of the forest. The forest shook with a thud from the dull energy imbued with earth properties.

I didn’t stop and fired several more warning shots. Like chasing away birds that were sneaking closer.

“I knew that bastard would come after me. Ha, seriously. Did he think I wouldn’t notice?”

I cursed while glaring at the forest where Agni was hiding.

‘Just because I can’t dodge doesn’t mean I can’t see. Even when he’s hiding in the forest, fire energy is flowing out like crazy—how could I not know?’

I’d love to kill him here and humiliate him, but if I unleash attacks now, I’d probably just be wasting my stamina. I can’t even see how much health he has left, and he’d run away before that anyway.

“Only you know that. Other people don’t know he’s hiding there.”

Even without Ja Hyeong-woo telling me, I know it’s something only I can do. I was grumbling internally when Ja Hyeong-woo added:

“I think it’s amazing and cool.”

…That’s sarcasm, right? He’s being snide, right?

That’s how it should be. That’s how it has to be. If Ja Hyeong-woo’s words were sincere, I’d throw up.