Chapter 170. Scenario Gate (4)

"Then, as promised, I'll show you the way!"

As we got up, that damned fairy spoke again. It said that there was a secret forest in this kingdom, one only accessible to the citizens. Perhaps beyond that forest, there might be the exit we were looking for. After all, "they" had also appeared through the forest.

"Them?"

When the raider asked, the fairy responded.

"Giants."

The fairy shuddered as if it had emotions.

"They're bad creatures. The giants like to eat fairies. And their skin is so tough! The light we use doesn't work on them at all."

The "light" mentioned here must refer to the magic missile we saw earlier—the same technique that pierced Seonwoo Yeon's abdomen.

"Seriously, you're calling the giants bad? Hey! Damn it, you're doing the same thing! You've been capturing and hurting us, and now you're shamelessly taking nonsense?"

At that moment, one of the analysts couldn't hold back his anger and shouted in disbelief, causing the fairy to rapidly blink its almond-shaped eyes.

"Are you saying fairies and giants are the same? What we do is just a game, though..."

"Shut up!"

"Isn't that the same for you? Don't you have rules in your games that make the loser hurt?"

"If there is, it's just a flick on the forehead or a pat on the back! Seriously, you're insane—!"

"W, wait, calm down. Provoking the fairy too much might not end well for us."

The fairy didn't seem to understand what the analyst was saying until he was stopped by another raider.

"Is it just a cultural difference? Is it different?"

However...

"Then I'm sorry."

Not long after, the fairy began to offer a kind apology. We were momentarily surprised when we heard this.

"I didn't know our guests disliked this kind of thing."

"H, huh...?"

"If you didn't like it, we won't do it again. Really."

The fairy now lowered its head with a face that almost looked like it was about to cry. Seeing this, the awakened ones exchanged awkward glances, surprised. They never expected a dungeon monster to act in such a manner...

"I'll guide you to the forest now. It's a bit far!"

A moment later, the wingless fairy showed an unexpected behavior throughout the journey to the forest.

"By the way, aren't you thirsty? I have some fruit. It's sweet. I'll give it to you."

Are you hungry? Are your feet tired? It showed genuine concern for its guests, offering all sorts of kindness while keeping an eye on those following them.

"Hmm."

The analyst who had been angry just a moment ago soon spoke hesitantly.

"If I'm not mistaken... it seems like the fairies living here are quite friendly compared to other dungeon creatures."

I agree with this part.

"E, excuse me, Fairy... I have something I'm curious about. May I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Do you happen to know what a gate is? After all, you're a resident living here."

But in the end, that was all. The analyst, likely due to his scholarly nature, tried to extract some information from the fairy. However, as expected, the residents of this place knew nothing beyond its background story.

"I don't know."

Every time the fairy spoke about the kingdom outside, it repeated the same phrases. I knew this would happen the moment I realized the true nature of this dungeon, so I didn't bother to ask them useless things.

"You all are chatty. That's why I like you."

Prrrr.

The wingless fairy raised its voice with amusement, watching the raiders ask questions one after another. Finally, the forest in question came into view.

"T, this..."

"Do you know this place?"

"It's the place we passed by on the first day. It was blocked by some kind of barrier, so we couldn't get inside."

I listened attentively to Seonwoo Yeon's words while looking ahead. The mysterious boundary surrounded by dense mana. It certainly looked like it would be difficult to break through with ordinary methods.

"To pass through this place, you need fairy dust! I can give it to you."

But at that moment, the fairy, who had been floating at a high altitude, approached and suddenly fell silent. Fairy dust or whatever—just hurry up and get it ready. Why was it suddenly standing still, hesitating?

"Umm. But..."

It was around the time we were starting to feel puzzled. After a long silence, the wingless fairy finally spoke the next words.

"First, I've shown you the way as promised, but... could you please reconsider entering here?"

"What did you say?"

"As I mentioned earlier, this is the forest where the giants live. Giants are really scary. I'm worried about you all."

The fairy dropped its body, expressing something resembling sadness. However, even hearing such words, we couldn't stop investigating. Our home lies just outside that forest.

"That's enough, take that powder out quickly."

I'd rather leave before I get too tired. I thought, determined to get out of this gate quickly. I pressed the fairy for an answer, and soon, a reply came back.

"You're firm."

Why did her eyes seem a little brighter?

"Aren't you afraid of giants?"

Before we could say anything, the fairy clasped its tiny hands together delicately and continued speaking.

"You all seem brave. Alright. Then I'll gather my courage and do my best to guide you to the end of the forest."

"Yeah."

"In return, I have a proposal."

"What?"

"If you have the strength for it, I would appreciate it if you could defeat the blue giant living inside. But you don't have to do it if you don't want to."

"..."

"But if you do, I will be very happy and will definitely thank you."

It was a new proposal. The C-rank Hunter at the back was horrified, insisting that we should never fulfill such a request from a fairy again. However, I quietly decided to go ahead and carry out this request.

"To defeat a giant. Do you even know what that means...?"

"If it's a monster that eats fairies, doesn't that mean it's stronger than these?"

"Oh my, then what are we supposed to do..."

Contrary to their worries, the fairy's natural enemy was indeed an incredibly easy opponent. It felt a bit awkward to say such things after just struggling in a game of tag. Nevertheless, this side of me was the soul of an archmage. Without even entering the forest, I could still sense the magical power of the creatures living within it.

"It's around rank D. Moreover, the order to hunt it down even came from the villagers."

Struggling to maintain the image of an S-rank I shamelessly told them not to be afraid because there was a top-tier Hunter present. Then, the survivors were all moved at once.

"Oh."

"Hunter-nim..."

"If they're so easily deceived like this, it almost feels like I'm doing something bad by taking advantage of innocent people."

"Hmm."

Fortunately, the discomfort didn't last long. After a while, we took our first steps, covered in the white powder that the wingless fairy had given us. And so, at the entrance of the forest, this scene unfolded.

"This, this, this... Could it be...?"

Bent plate mail.

A broken staff.

And other such things. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"It's the work of a giant. It seems they only left behind the clothes they couldn't eat!"

Before long, we discovered a pile of magical tools, likely belonging to a hunter. Seonwoo Yeon examined the items and quickly confirmed the situation.

"These are the equipment of the missing treasure hunter team."

"It seems that the advance party was annihilated in this area."

"What's this? They're all broken to the point of being useless."

I confirmed that there was nothing useful among the belongings and clicked my tongue, when Seonwoo Yeon quietly spoke next to me.

"Giryeo-ssi."

"Yes."

"Isn't that strange?"

"What is it?"

"The fact that the treasure hunter team entered this forest means they were guided by that fairy, the only one who knows the way in the kingdom."

But why did Asa say it had never met the treasure hunter team? Seonwoo Yeon realized the contradiction and tensed up. However, even after hearing that, I calmly changed my supporting posture.

"I'm not sure. Could it be that fairy betrayed the hunter team that went ahead?"

In a typical gate, they might do something like that to draw out fear, but this place has a special set of criteria.

"A scenario-type would usually avoid the death of its prey, right...?"

It's probably just a minor mistake. I shrugged my shoulders and changed the subject. After all, it's not something we can get an answer to right away.

"By the way, how's your body? If you're okay, try walking on your own for a bit."

"Ah, yes."

We collected the traces of the advance party and continued our investigation. This meant we were following the fully white fairy as it led us to explore the exit.

"Which planet did that fairy originally live on?"

Of course, as the guide had warned, we didn't get far before we encountered that "giant."

"Huh?"

"Is that a giant?"

"Yes. It's a giant!"

The fairy's natural enemy had a form that was far from majestic, befitting its low rank. It had a rough, square appearance, as if it had been made of clay. It was only a head taller than an Earthling. Its volume was not that big, so it felt small.

"It's so, so big! Isn't it scary?"

Even to the fairy, it looked like a huge beast, but anyway.

"Seonwoo Yeon-ssi."

"Yes?"

I gestured in the direction of the giant with my chin.

"Please catch it."

"Yes?"

"Now that we've met it in person, I can tell. It's a D-rank monster. You can see it clearly too, right, Analyst?"

At that, one of the survivors with an appraisal skill nodded. The monster that had once seemed so terrifying in the forest turned out to be nothing more than a low-level monster!

Swoosh, swoosh!

Seonwoo Yeon heard our words and activated her awakening ability. As the giant's body was easily sliced by the wind she summoned, cheers erupted from behind us.

"It's weak!"

"That's right. A weak monster!"

"Well, this is EX-rank, so of course, it should be like this...!"

The mood brightened in an instant. For now, the strategy itself seemed promising, but there were still issues to resolve on this side, so we couldn't just smile carelessly.

"Hunter Seonwoo Yeon, I'm sorry, but could you possibly continue dealing with the giants from here?"

To hide the forged rank, unnecessary actions needed to be minimized. Of course, I could handle a monster like that using [Hybrida], but it would be too strange for an S-rank to rely solely on the power of deadly poison. If I kept doing that, the reaction of "Why other?" would accumulate and eventually turn into suspicion.

"Let's try to handle the Earthling carefully for now. Hmm, if I make up an excuse saying I just want to check if she's properly applying the skill usage I taught her..."

I wanted to assign the giant hunting to the B-rank hunter next to me. However, the response I got was surprising.

"Ah... Is that why?"

"Yes?"

"You mentioned before, that Giryeo-ssi's awakening ability is dangerous to use in places with people."

Whispering.

Soon after, Seonwoo Yeon whispered as if making sure no one could hear.

"But there are definitely many people here who are close to being unawakened, so I can see why you'd be cautious."

"Hmm."

"Some might even faint if exposed to the magical power of an S-rank."

She nodded as if making a promise.

"Anyway, I understand what you mean, Hunter-nim. From now on, I'll take the lead."

Huh? I haven't even said anything yet... Did she just understand everything on her own...?

For a moment, I felt relieved, but that feeling quickly sank. Suddenly, I wondered how much I had exaggerated up until now for things to reach the point where misunderstandings would start rolling on their own, even if I stayed silent.

"I don't even remember when I told the lie that Seonwoo Yeon is believing right now."

I briefly pondered the sense of doubt that I had felt throughout my life.

Author's Thoughts

Hi, from now on, I will update this novel 3 chapters/week. Thank you for all your support so far:)