The Mist Vol 2 Chapter 6

Vol 2 Chapter 6

Kran, who said he had been worried sick, of course hadn't died, and Yu-wan, who had told him not to disappear, had his attempt at creating a friendly atmosphere thwarted before it even began, but still, this situation was strangely enjoyable. It wasn't easy to feel like someone special to others.

As Kapros stopped laughing and turned his head, he saw Lucrecian looking at him with sparkling purple eyes. Only then did he realize that their conversation hadn't been concluded, and he closed his mouth.

Lucrecian, who had brought Kapros here and detoxified him. What was his true intention?

"Lucrecian."

"Yes."

"May I ask what happened to the dungeon and cave area after my quest ended?"

At Kapros's question, Lucrecian answered readily, as if he had been waiting for it.

"Well, it was all as expected. After you completed your quest, all the monsters outside disappeared. Thanks to that, it was easy to get out. Others will soon find out about this fact too."

'So I recommend you return to Tolang quickly now,' Lucrecian said with a refreshing smile. Kapros nodded in agreement for now and slowly got up. His health seemed to have recovered a bit during that time, as he felt much more mobile than before.

Yu-wan and Kran, who stood up with him, looked puzzled as if wondering why he was in such a hurry, but there wasn't enough time now to explain all the new information Kapros had learned.

"I'll explain later. Let's return to Tolang for now. It's dangerous here with so few people."

"I know a safe path, so follow me."

Lucrecian pulled his mask up to just below his eyes and walked ahead with light steps. Watching him make no sound at all even while treading on grass, Yu-wan and Kran's eyes sharpened.

Normally, in such a situation, one wouldn't so easily turn their back on strangers. But Lucrecian showed no hesitation at all. Everything seemed so light to him, as if it were all a game, making it difficult to predict his true intentions.

If I were to fight someone like him, could I really win for sure? Thinking this as he followed, before he knew it, they were approaching the entrance to Tolang, even though it didn't feel like they had walked very far.

"That guy, his steps are incredibly fast. He's never once been caught up to or fallen behind us."

Hearing Kran's muttering, Lucrecian turned back and winked.

"It's thanks to evolving my Hiking skill."

Kapros understood this explanation, as he too had developed such a skill from enjoying walking. However, he had heard that automatically generated skills like this were harder to level up than regular skills, so to even evolve it further was truly remarkable.

They decided to head to the inn where they had originally been staying. Perhaps because it was a space they had been living in for a few days, they felt more at ease as soon as they entered.

"Now tell us what happened, Kap."

Kran said, brushing back his disheveled blonde hair. He seemed more urgent to satisfy his curiosity than to relieve the fatigue accumulated from wandering for a long time.

"While crossing the field, I accidentally fell into an entrance leading to the Masters of Shadows guild headquarters. With the help of Lucrecian, who happened to be there, I was able to enter the dungeon, and somehow ended up completing the entire quest. ...Oh, Lucrecian is also performing a Seven Heroes quest like us."

As Kapros belatedly added this important introduction, Lucrecian stepped forward, raising his hand as if it were new information.

"Yes~ I'm Lucrecian, currently performing the Shadow Knight quest. But when you say 'like us'... does that mean you two are also quest performers?"

Kran opened his mouth, seemingly surprised that Lucrecian was a quest performer. However, Yu-wan showed no sign of being shaken, as if he had already noticed something.

"Dark Knight."

"Ah... To think you were fellow quest performers, I didn't know and earlier I... I apologize for my rudeness. I'm Kratos, who received the Shine Knight quest."

Following Yu-wan's brief answer, Kran responded, unable to hide his embarrassment. Lucrecian stroked his chin.

"Dark and Shine... You both resemble your quest models quite a bit. Personally, I've been very curious about the Knight of the Demon God."

Lucrecian, who had casually uttered such a bold statement, continued as he looked around at them.

"I'm not sure if it's the same for others, but in the quest I received, there's an item about automatic generation of hostile relationships with the Knight of the Demon God quest performer."

"Ah. It's the same for me. It seems to be the case for everyone."

At Kran's answer, Lucrecian nodded slightly as if he had expected it.

"Superior, the central figure of this quest, is interesting, but the Knight of the Demon God is amazing in a different sense. To have to move while bearing the risk of becoming enemies with seven users simultaneously... Unless one has considerable skill, they probably couldn't even accept it in the first place."

In Lucrecian's eyes, interest and a competitive spirit towards this unknown opponent sparkled. Kapros felt strange as he looked at that. He had once despaired seeing such emotions in Yoon Seok-ho's eyes. Because he thought he had already lost it.

But now...

"...Right. Come to think of it, I'm looking forward to seeing who the Knight of the Demon God might be."

Kapros gave Lucrecian a smile of agreement.

The weight of the sword hanging heavily at his waist felt good. For the first time in a very long time, a competitive spirit towards an opponent whose face he didn't even know raised its head in his chest. It was like experiencing the moment a small, hot spark was born for the first time.

The dojo Kapros entered for his part-time job was no different from usual. Except for the absence of Un-o, who always stood in one place swinging his wooden sword.

Kapros awkwardly looked at Un-o's empty spot before asking In-woo and Se-jong, who approached him with welcoming faces.

"...That guy who's always here, he didn't come today?"

"No! The weird guy didn't come today!"

"But the master said to come see him when you arrived, Master."

The person the children called 'master' was, of course, Kapros's master. Kapros replied with an "Okay" while barely managing to shake off the children who were trying to follow him all the way to the end of the training hall, and headed towards his master's house inside.

'I wonder why he called for me.'