The Mist Vol 2 Chapter 30

Vol 2 Chapter 30

Back then, Kapros thought it was natural to have that level of confidence, but now, even though it was just confidence in magic that could only be used in a game, that one thing was so precious. There was an emotion he hadn't known when such things were taken for granted. It was the emotion called gratitude.

After a while, Kapros couldn't help but laugh out loud at the unfamiliar feeling.

"Hahaha..."

He must have changed like this without realizing it.

As he looked around while laughing, he noticed that not only Yu-wan and Kran, but also Kion-hyung and Palton were staring at him. None of them were laughing.

"...Ha."

Suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed, Kapros quickly wiped the smile off his face. Only then did Kion-hyung startle and let go of his hand, opening his mouth.

"You..."

He seemed shocked to see someone who never laughed suddenly laughing. Feeling a bit sorry, Kapros spoke gruffly.

"Let's continue what we were talking about."

"Kap..."

Hearing Kran's sigh-like sound, Kapros looked at him to see Kran making a rather strange face.

"It's really nice to see you laugh like that. Really."

"Yeah. Know that you're amazing for surprising even me."

Following Kran's words, Palton got up with a grin, put his arm around Kapros's neck, and lightly pretended to choke him.

"I thought your facial muscles had completely stiffened, but you can make such expressions too. I like you."

"Cough, cough, what..."

"You're scaring the kid. Get off him, you bastard."

As Kapros was swaying and feeling confused, Kion-hyung threw a punch at Palton and then spoke with a much more relaxed face than before.

"Anyway, the important thing is that the quest I'm currently progressing and the quest your friend Kar is progressing are connected to each other. Along with that bastard's too."

At the mention of "that bastard," Kapros turned his head to find himself making eye contact with Palton.

'He too...'

It wasn't entirely unexpected. So he was also part of the quest.

'He's probably not the Knight of the Demon God, and he doesn't use a bow either, so the quest he received is probably Bloody Knight...'

Although there was no surprise, Kapros struggled for a short time. In a situation where he still didn't know why Kion-hyung had reacted sensitively to the fact that Kran was a quest recipient, should he trust and reveal his and Yu-wan's identities?

He knew Kion-hyung was a good person. But even with someone he trusted, Kapros had learned through painful experience in the past that it was arrogant to easily assume that the other person would feel the same way. Since then, a fundamental distrust towards others had always remained deep in his heart, and it now held him back, wavering uneasily.

"You're surprised, right?..."

As Kion-hyung began to speak while Kapros was intensely pondering in his mind, he was able to gain a little more time to think.

"As I said earlier, this is originally not a bad thing at all. However..."

Kion-hyung suddenly hardened his face as if about to emit an intimidating aura.

"However, the problem is that the place is this city."

This city? Why Zagreb?

As if sensing his confusion, Palton suddenly answered following Kion-hyung's words.

"The introduction is a bit late, but as you know, my name is Palton. I'm also the master of the guild [Giant] based in this Zagreb. My job is... well, as you can see, I use a sword."

Palton said, patting the greatsword on his back. While Kapros was giving him a skeptical look, wondering if he could really use that, Kion-hyung mercilessly kicked Palton's leg.

Whack!

"Ouch!"

"Don't be fooled. This guy isn't a swordsman. He's crazy."

Despite the cold tone, Palton, clutching his leg, grinned and agreed.

"Yeah, that's right too. ...By the way, Kion, you've gotten a bit stronger, huh? My health points are dropping rapidly."

"Want me to kick you again?"

"I'll pass."

Looking at them, it seemed they were really close friends. Seeing one hitting without hesitation and the other taking the hits without complaint, it was clear that they both trusted each other, which made Kapros a bit envious. He and Kion-hyung from before weren't like that.

No, thinking about it again, maybe Kion-hyung was like that, but it would be more accurate to say that Kapros hadn't fully opened his heart. It was something he felt sorry about now when he thought about it.

As he recalled those times, Yu-wan and Kran beside him also caught his eye. Kapros thought he had met these guys and become really good friends, but did they feel the same way about him?

Kran was the type who made people around him comfortable with his unique cheerfulness even when Kapros couldn't speak well, and because he often acted so pathetically, Kapros often responded by playfully hitting him with magic without hesitation, making them feel incredibly close despite the short time they had known each other.

'At first, I thought he was such a burdensome guy.'

Just as Kapros was about to think about how Yu-wan was, he suddenly remembered Yu-wan's noticeably hesitant appearance when Kapros had told him to hit him lightly before. Wasn't it normal for friends to playfully punch each other as a sign of affection? It wasn't much different even with Jung Seung-jo... Come to think of it, Yu-wan and Kapros had never properly put their arms around each other's shoulders.

'...'

Thump...

Suddenly, his heart started beating so quietly that no one else could notice. But even Kapros himself didn't know why his mood had sunk.

Anyway, although he spoke nonchalantly, Palton shook his head, seemingly not wanting to be hit by Kion-hyung's terrifying fist again, and Kion-hyung grinned at him.

"You bastard, you only listen when I hit you. Continue. Kar is waiting."

"You think I'm a pushover, don't you? Anyway, where was I? ...Ah, right. So, who am I? I'm the great Palton who received the Bloody Knight quest."

"..."

As soon as those words ended, only after Kion-hyung's brilliant combo attack that rushed in again was over could Palton properly open his mouth.

"Well... The place was definitely bad. I don't know how loudly that Shine Knight guy was making a fuss..."

"My name is not Shine Knight, it's Kran! ...I really can't understand what you're talking about. Can't you explain it in a way I can understand from the beginning? Even if I did something wrong, I should at least know what I did wrong, right?"