Chapter 47 (1/2)

He wasn't imagining things.

*SFX for winds blowing across*

The gust of wind blowing past Seol Ji-Hu's ear stung as if a piece of sandpaper was dragged across his face. Two horse-like creatures were already running at full-tilt, yet Maktan was still whipping them hard, his urgent voice roaring out.

”This doesn't feel good, does it?”

The big African warrior clicked his tongue and put on a battle helm with a flat top that kind of resembled a bucket. He then shouted out.

”Did you have to use this road through the forest?!”

”This road is my lifeline! There was no problem nine days ago!” (Maktan)

Maktan replied without looking back.

”How long have you been using this road, then?”

”Three months!” (Maktan)

”G.o.dd*mn it! You'd have spread lots of your trace around here within those three months!”

The Warrior complained under his breath and lowered his body.

”Seol, you should get down, too.” (Alex)

Alex bent down and pulled Seol down to the floor as well.

”Listen to me. From now on, do not leave my side. Understand?” (Alex)

Not a hint of mischievousness could be seen in Alex's expression now as he spoke in a grave voice. His serious, focused eyes only served to further tighten Seol Ji-Hu's chest.

Seol Ji-Hu knelt down on the floor and lowered his body, his grip on the two spears tightening. At the same time, he activated Nine Eyes.

‘Son of a….'

He somehow held back the cuss from escaping from his mouth. The entire forest was in the shade of vermillion; the immediate vicinity all in the shades of deep, deep orange.

Do Not Approach.

However, he was already inside the danger zone. This would be his first time encountering such a situation.

He should've prevented the wagon from entering this forest in the first place. But, he fell asleep and didn't even know that he was being delivered into the open mouth of a tiger.

Seol Ji-Hu was about suggest that they needed to get out of here real fast, but shut his mouth after seeing Maktan whipping his rides hard while sweat continuously poured down the guy's frowning face. The wagon was already running at full speed way before he even woke up.

‘What should I do now?' (Seol Ji-Hu)

It should be considered something of a happy occurrence that the forest wasn't in black or complete shade of red - ‘Escape Immediately' or ‘Immediate Retreat Recommended'. But this vermillion colour presented enough of danger already. After all, he nearly got burned from underestimating the threat posed by the 'yellow' colour in the past, didn't he?

As his complexion hardened, Alex to his side was in the middle of taking out a palm-sized crucifix.

The surroundings were rather eerily quiet… other than the sounds of hooves pounding on the ground and Alex's quiet murmuring as he chanted his spell.

As this unbearable silence continued on, the big African guy began gritting his teeth. Meanwhile, the Tracer woman didn't show any hints of moving from the position of her ear glued to the floor of the wagon.

”Say something.”

”……..”

”Hey! The distance, the direction, the number of them! Anything is fine, so say something!”

”….I don't know.”

”What?”

”I don't know. I can't tell.”

She lifted her head back up and formed a confused expression.

”I can definitely hear a strange noise mixed in among the rest, but…. it's too faint and I can't grasp it.”

”Hah?! Are you sure you're a Tracer?”

The Warrior spat out some words of exasperation, causing the Archer woman to narrow her eyes in anger.

”What are you trying to imply?”

”F*ck, man. You say you're a level 3, but how can you not know anything?”

”Shut your mouth! Do I look like a high level ranker to you? What do you expect me to do here, when I need to be on the actual ground to hear anything?”

Her pride must've been wounded, because she shot right back at him. The Warrior looked as if he had nothing else to say and only spat out lengthy groans.

”Decide fast! Do we keep running or do we stop? Hurry!” (Maktan)

Maktan asked with an anxious voice.

”D*mn it. What choice do we have? Stop the wagon!”

”No! Keep running!”

As soon as the big man voiced his opinion, the woman sharply opposed him. Maktan was about to yank on the reins to stop the wagon, so quite understandably, he ended up spitting out a cuss word.

The big black dude looked at the woman with a dumbfounded expression, before growling at her like a wild beast.

”This crazy b*tch. You want to fight me when we're in this situation?”

”It's you who don't know sh*t. What will you do when we stop and get surrounded?”

”How do you know that there ain't no ambush waiting for us up ahead? So, we stop and get down from the wagon!”

”Stop, both of you!” (Alex)

Unable to take it anymore, Alex finally intervened. The crucifix in hand was emitting a calm, gentle light now.

”Doesn't matter whether it's a team or an expedition, Archers always take the lead. Let's just listen to her for the time being, okay? What do you say, Hugo?” (Alex)

Seeing that Alex addressed the big man by name, they must've known each other.

After pacifying Hugo, Alex then turned to study the Archer woman.

”I should place priority on your opinions as you're an Archer, but even I think it'll be better for us to stop at an adequate place and find out what we're dealing with first. We can only come up with a strategy if we know what we're up against.” (Alex)

”I know that, too. But look around, there aren't any adequate place to stop.”

The Archer woman replied unhappily before biting her lower lip.

”It's like we're being led around. I can feel that something isn't right.”

Alex's brows quivered.

”F*ck me! Did you hear her just now? You're supposed to be an Archer, yet you're busy mouthing off about your gut feelings?!” (Hugo)

Hugo cried out in anger. If it weren't for that fact that he was crouched real low to the floor, he might have jumped up and down with that big physique of his.

Alex maintained his patience as he opened his mouth.

”If you're relying on gut instinct, I can't place my trust in you. The odds are half-half. It's better for us to stop the wagon immediately and figure out what's going on right away.” (Alex)

The Archer woman snorted and turned around to face the other direction.

”Fine. However, you need to give me 30, no, 15 seconds. I can't be certain, but we might be facing a group of Riders.”

Alex didn't disagree with that. What she said made perfect sense, but also, in case the Archer's words were proven to be correct, then stopping the wagon would be tantamount to committing suicide.

”Maktan! Don't stop the wagon abruptly, but slow down gradually! So you can set off at a short notice, got it?” (Alex)

”Got it!”

”Alright! But…. what…?” (Alex)

Alex turned around to face the Archer once more, before falling into a state of dazement from what he saw. The eyes of the woman were gleaming in soft light before that light disappeared. She then cautiously raised her torso up and peeked her head past the railings.

”What the f*ck? What the h.e.l.l are you doing?! Lower your head, now!” (Hugo)

Hugo freaked out. She utterly disregarded him while surveying her surroundings, before nodding her head.

”I think we aren't being herded around. It should be fine to slow down.”

”Herded or not, I said, lower your G.o.dd*mn head!” (Hugo)

”Seriously, stop shouting, will you?!”

The Archer covered her ears and showed how annoyed she was.

”Are you an idiot? If I were to get sneak attacked, then that driver would've been hit first!”

Hugo became even more dumbfounded than before. His mouth opened and closed a couple of times, before an expression of suspicion formed on his face.

”You…. You really a level 3?” (Hugo)

”Hah.”

The woman spat out a groan. It was as if she didn't know what to do with him. She then placed a hand on her waist and opened her mouth.

It happened then.

*SFX for things flying*

Along with the faint whispers of air being split apart…

”In any case….”

….Her words came to a sudden stop.

Her eyes that had been mocking Hugo suddenly spun around. She then began faltering theatrically. Her head and her shoulders slowly trembled, before she fell face first to the floor.

Her body trembled only for a second before it went limp. She was dead.

Alex's face crumpled unsightly as soon as spotting a lengthy needle sticking out of back of the woman's head.

”This stupid b*tch?!” (Hugo)

Hugo angrily cried out as well.

Seol Ji-Hu couldn't wrap his head around on what just happened. The woman who was so full of confidence only until a second ago died in the blink of an eye. It was as if he was having a bad nightmare.

Alex extracted the needle out and frowned deeply.

”Wait a minute. This, can it be….?” (Alex)

Next, they heard the pained cries of animals coming from the front.

Just as Seol went, Oh, c.r.a.p, the wagon tilted, and then, overturned on the side.

”Uwaaahhh?!” (Alex)

Alex was flung away, both of his arms helplessly flailing in the air.

Seol Ji-Hu, too, was thrown in the air. Before he knew it, he was sent flying. He was still gripping his spears tightly; as the sensation of his tummy being sucked in hit him, he clearly saw ‘it' - Maktan's neck thrown backwards and his arms powerlessly dancing in the air, with a needle stuck in his forehead.

The wagon overturned and the surviving trio was thrown out from the back. Seol Ji-Hu managed to land safely in the bushes and rolled on the ground to dissipate the momentum.

”F*ck this sh*t!! Riders my a*s!! It's the gdd*mn Moles!!” (Hugo)

Seol heard Hugo roar out at the top of his lungs, but the youth had no time to mind that. Before he had the chance to take a breather, four pale-white hands shot out from the earth below, each of them carrying sharp daggers.

He didn't even have the time to see them take a swing at him; he let go of the spears and rolled further away. He bounced right back up at the end of the tumbling action and took a look at the spot he was in and saw the four daggers stabbing there. He felt a chill run down his back.

However, picking up his spears took priority over him freaking out and asking what the h.e.l.l were those.

He s.n.a.t.c.hed up the nearest spear and rapidly stabbed the ground where those four hands jutted out from.

STAB!!