–Thwack! Thump!
“Can’t you do anything properly? That’s why you’re stuck as a tout, reeling in those gullible fools. Isn’t that right?”
“S-sorry…”
Inside a carriage, making its way to the Purgatory Zone on the surface layer of the ‘Nether’.
Lark Roelmann, the guild master of the Golden Duck Guild, was relentlessly pummeling the stomach of a guild member—the very one who had first introduced Fay LeBlanc and Mr. Will to him.
“Do you always have to make it so obvious you’re a thug? Are you trying to advertise that we’re running an illegal business? Huh?”
“No, sir!”
“Then why the hell is your attitude like that? Do you have two minds? Do they switch back and forth?”
Lark frantically beat the man’s entire body. The gentle demeanor he had shown in front of Mr. Will and Fay LeBlanc was nowhere to be found.
Even amidst the violence, his refusal to strike the man’s face spoke volumes of his professionalism as a thug.
“Cough!”
–Thud!
The man’s body couldn’t withstand the blows and collapsed to the floor.
Only then did Lark catch his breath, reattaching the wristwatch he had tucked into his pocket.
“Hmph… Still, your quick thinking is commendable. That mage, she’s quite famous lately. You did well to bring her in.”
“Yes! Didn’t I recognize her the moment I saw her? The Archmage’s top disciple, rumored to be traveling these days! That’s why I immediately reported it to you, Guild Master! Hehehe…”
As if forgetting the beating, the man bowed repeatedly to Lark.
“Well, whether she’s a prodigy or a genius from the magic tower, dying on the surface layer amounts to the same thing… but her face is pretty enough, so I can play with her for a while.”
“Indeed!”
“Good… the scenario is set. That scrawny fellow traveling with her will have an ‘accidental death’ during a mission, and I’ll console her appropriately while exploiting her for a few more missions. With her reputation, we’ll attract plenty of investors.”
“So, it’s the usual plan… absconding with the contract money?”
“Exactly. The Association’s crackdowns have intensified recently, so we’ll pull off one big score, then lay low somewhere for a while.”
Lark’s lips curled into a sinister smile.
–Tug, tug.
Lark adjusted his clothes, which had become disheveled from the recent beating.
“Well then, shall we go and gut some more foolish men and women?”
Golden Duck.
An goose that lays golden eggs.
The name of the guild he had hastily formed was, in truth, a reflection of how he viewed novice adventurers.
His scheme involved establishing a guild, successfully completing a few suitable quests to build a reputation, and then extensively hiring laborers and transient explorers to expand the scale of his expeditions.
Once merchant groups were lured into investing, he would simply abscond with their funds.
As a bonus, he would arrange for the transient explorers to suffer ‘accidental deaths,’ securing a tidy side income.
“Hmm.”
Lark opened the carriage door and gazed at the young man named Mr. Will.
A pitiable man, about to lose his money, his life, and even his girlfriend, who was far beyond his station.
“Consider it bad luck.”
His facial muscles twitched like caterpillars before settling into a friendly smile once more.
****
“Oh, they’re here.”
As Fay LeBlanc and the laborers were idly chatting, Lark Roelmann descended from the carriage and approached them.
“Have you all been resting well? It seems everyone has gathered, so I’ll explain the mission once more.”
The quest presented to them by Lark’s Golden Duck Guild was as follows:
“The mission is simple. Starting today, for three days, we will enter the ‘Black Forest’ and harvest herbs from the Mandrake colony.”
Mandrake.
Indeed, it was that plant commonly found in fantasy novels, which screamed and killed people when unearthed.
Here, too, it was considered a rare medicinal herb, yet in the Nether, it was apparently common enough to form colonies.
“While we keep watch, your task is to collect the Mandrakes and bring them back. Simple, isn’t it?”
‘It certainly is.’
The laborers, myself included, nodded.
“Then, let’s proceed with the entry. Ah! Before that!”
–Clap!
Lark Roelmann clapped his hands, and a man emerged carrying a blank graph.
Below the graph were the names of everyone in the party, including Lark Roelmann.
“We will calculate contribution as a score. If you perform any actions that contribute to the team, please don’t forget to report them.”
“What happens if someone has no contribution?”
To the anxious party members, Lark Roelmann replied with his characteristic good-natured smile.
“Haha, don’t worry too much. Your wages won’t be cut. However, on that day, you might have to take on some odd jobs like cooking or night watch. Of course, I am no exception.”
‘Is this to prevent freeloaders?’
If you don’t contribute actively, you make it up with chores.
It was a reasonably fair system.
“Finally, I must emphasize… safety is paramount. Your lives are the most important thing. If your life is at stake, you are free to abandon the herbs and leave. As long as the reason is justifiable, we will not hold you accountable.”
“Oh…”
What a wonderfully principled stance.
It was certainly an attitude that entrepreneurs, who often treat human lives as lightly as feathers, should emulate.
“Then let’s get going! Let’s go earn some money!”
With Lark Roelmann’s cheerful shout, their first journey commenced.
****
“…I’ve definitely seen him somewhere before.”
Even as Fay LeBlanc made her way deeper into the forest, she still seemed to harbor a nagging feeling.
‘Could it be that even a prodigy of the magic tower cannot escape the pseudo-science of physiognomy?’
“Fay LeBlanc, are you alright, though? Something happened here in the Black Forest before, didn’t it?”
Instead of challenging her prejudice, I simply inquired about her well-being.
If Lark Roelmann truly was a good person, any misunderstanding would naturally resolve itself.
More importantly, I wanted to prevent a repeat of her crying and fleeing in panic from a dog.
“Of course! That was a unique situation back then! Theoretically, there’s no creature in this place that can defeat me, except for black dogs!”
“Wow.”
“What kind of reaction is that? I’m serious!”
“Of course you are.”
“Hmph… Fine! I’ll prove my skills when a monster appears this time! Mr. Will, you should be careful too! There won’t be a stroke of luck like last time, preventing monsters from appearing!”
“Understood.”
Still, it was probably wise to heed the words of an experienced adventurer.
Holding a rifle in one hand, I cautiously navigated through the dense jungle.
[39 hostile events have been censored.]
“…Why aren’t they appearing?”
And once again, nothing happened.
****
Six hours after entering the Black Forest.
As the sun began to set, Fay LeBlanc’s impatience grew steadily.
‘Why… why…’
Why weren’t any monsters showing their faces?
‘It’s strange! This is really strange! Last time I was here, I must have caught at least thirty of them!’
Had there truly been a change in the ecosystem? Had some monster-specific plague broken out?
At this rate, how could she possibly showcase her abilities to that man humming as he walked ahead?
‘Just one! Please, just one!’
Fay’s eyes blazed as she searched for monsters, but still, she found no trace.
“…Haha, we’re quite lucky today. To walk this far and not encounter a single monster.”
Fay was not the only one who found the situation peculiar. Guild Master Lark Roelmann also surveyed his surroundings with a somewhat perplexed expression.
‘Damn it, why aren’t they appearing?’
He had deliberately chosen a path known for its high monster density.
‘The scene would be perfect if that useless Mr. Will got thrashed by monsters and crawled around helplessly.’
Throughout history, women have always been attracted to capable men.
His plan was to step in and heroically dispatch the monsters while her companions trembled in fear, thereby earning Fay’s admiration.
“Hey, are you sure you’re guiding us correctly? Why isn’t anything showing up?”
“I… I don’t know either. This isn’t usually how this place is.”
He questioned the guide, but the man also looked utterly bewildered.
‘And… my score… it’s getting low…’
At this rate, he would end up in last place.
The scoreboard showed that the other members had accumulated points by doing various tasks.
Being relatively weaker and unable to perform major feats, the laborers had eagerly vied for tasks.
However, there were three individuals who proudly displayed a score of zero:
Lark, Fay, and Mr. Will, who, having initially decided to take the night watch, had ceded tasks to his seniors and was leisurely observing the jungle.
‘I should have caught a few monsters and left those laborers behind much earlier!’
Monster subjugation was assigned a high score.
Even catching just one would be enough to avoid last place.
However,
With no monsters appearing, he and Fay had become the most useless members of the party today.
“Haha, if this continues, Fay LeBlanc and I might have to take the night watch, wouldn’t we? Of course, I couldn’t possibly wake a lady, so I’d take it on myself…”
Sweet-talk.
In his desperation, Lark attempted to approach Fay with lines he wouldn’t normally utter, but,
“Oh, yes. Thank you. But could you please move aside?”
In front of Fay, who still regarded him with distaste, Lark could only force a stiff smile and retreat.
‘Damn it.’
This was all that good-for-nothing’s fault.
Just as Lark’s undirected irritation began to morph into anger towards Mr. Will,
–Rustle.
“Oh! Something’s there! It looks like a monster!”
One of the party members exclaimed, pointing towards the bushes.
“Where?”
“Where is it?!”
At his words, Lark and Fay, their eyes alight, lunged forward.
Both were at zero points, facing the prospect of meal duty and night watch. This was no time to calmly assess the situation or hold back.
However, their eagerness proved to be their undoing.
–Snag.
As Lark surged forward, he stepped on the edge of Fay’s robe,
“Kyaa!”
causing Fay to trip and fall forward.
“What are you doing?”
“Ah, I’m sorr…”
–Bang!
At that moment, a loud gunshot from behind silenced their squabbling.
“It’s a deer.”
It was Mr. Will.
While the two were bickering, he had calmly drawn his hunting rifle and shot the deer, which was charging towards the group, squarely in the head.
‘My skills haven’t dulled.’
This was a minor skill he had picked up during his travels abroad, back when Mr. Will was Kim Joo-hyuk, before his transmigration.
During his trip to America, while socializing with locals, he had mentioned he would soon be enlisting in the military. The elder brothers he befriended there had dragged him to a local shooting range and given him crash course lessons.
He remembered that both of them, despite living in America, intensely disliked the country.
‘Thank you, Brother Nacho, Brother Muhammad.’
Mr. Will silently expressed his gratitude to the two brothers who had taught him how to shoot.
“Ah, perfect timing! Since Mr. Will caught a deer, why don’t we unpack and camp here for the night? We can cook and eat the deer.”
One of the laborers, who seemed quite veteran, suggested, and the other party members quickly agreed.
“Then, the scores…”
A guild member glanced nervously at Lark Roelmann as they checked the scoreboard.
Three individuals had zero points.
However,
“Oh, since I caught the deer, I’ll get points for this, right?”
With Mr. Will successfully escaping the zero-point bracket, only Fay LeBlanc and Lark Roelmann remained.
“…What?”
“…Me? Last place?”
At that moment, the duties for the day were decided.
