Chapter 92: The Price of Stubbornness and a Red Bean Bun

“Everyone, were your weapons ready and drawn? You weren’t thoughtlessly keeping them in your inventories when coming to a place like this, were you?”

Hadongwon’s gaze swept coldly over those who flinched. While most had crossed the Dragon’s Ascent with weapons in hand, many others had crawled in without even a single piece of auxiliary equipment, let alone their main weapons.

Of course, weapons were crucial. However, in a situation like this, the most vital resource was ‘food’.

Could enough provisions possibly exist here to last for at least ten days, perhaps even half a month, or longer?

As one surveyed this land of bitter cold, all that met the eye were trees stretching out their gaunt, skeletal branches. Beasts?

They had long since vanished, their very lineage withered and dead. Perhaps the only thing remotely resembling food might be the monsters.

Dokyeom briefly lifted his gaze to the swirling snow in the air.

The powers bestowed upon this ‘Grand Historical Reenactment’ were the ‘Power of Wrath’ and the ‘Power of Mercy’.

The ‘Power of Wrath’ lay within the grasp of the First Witch.

Meanwhile, ‘Mercy’, one of the Seven Virtues, was embedded in the chest of the Second Witch.

And the Third Witch, the youngest—

“Gate measurement readings are in!”

In truth, there were no particularly well-known rewards associated with her.

“Based on the gate readings, it seems there’s a boss in each of the three snow mountains. Two of them boast decibel readings equivalent to SS-rank, while the remaining one has a reading roughly on par with a B-rank boss.”

The explanation, delivered by an association official whose breath plumed white in the frigid air, reached all the hunters, including the three guild leaders.

The ‘B-rank’ mentioned by the official referred to the Third Witch’s grade. A B-rank, rarely seen even in Red Gates. Naturally, the rewards for defeating her were negligible, at least under normal circumstances.

The skill, which Dokyeom needed to acquire, lay dormant within that Third Witch.

Therefore, it was only logical that he should head there, but—

“How about we split into two teams to tackle the SS-rank bosses? Guild Leader Geon Ita and Representative Tae each take one, and I’ll stay here with my guild members to patrol and look after the injured.”

Hadongwon’s suggestion blanched the faces of the others. Their reactions were precisely as he had anticipated.

Medica Guild, ostensibly an A-rank group comprised more of support-type hunters than combatants, possessed a superior medical system compared to other guilds. Consequently, they were frequently deployed for medical aid.

As such, Medica Guild had earned its renown by typically assisting from the rear rather than the front lines. Of course, their guild leader, Hadongwon, was a combatant who wielded an axe as large as a man.

Yet, he was also a person who, ironically, avoided killing. It was rumored that his profession before awakening as a hunter had been a safety officer.

“Let’s have the person who finishes their conquest first take care of the remaining B-rank boss as well. I’m truly not skilled in combat, so I can’t participate. You know that.”

What a load of nonsense. This was the man who, once provoked, would swing his axe first.

All the hunters inwardly bristled with indignation at his words. Outwardly, however, they spouted useless platitudes like, “That’s a great idea!” and “As expected of Medica Guild!”

“Alternatively, since there are so many of us, we could just split into three teams and each handle one. I’ll join whichever team has the most casualties and offer assistance.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to just split into two teams? In this situation, many people are unprepared, so dividing the personnel further might actually make it more dangerous.”

The association official bravely chattered, though he was slated to remain in this safe zone under the protection of Medica Guild.

Above all, staying near Hadongwon offered a high chance of survival. Before being an attacker, he possessed skills that could heal people.

Thus, the teams were split: Geon Ita’s ‘Woohwa Guild’ and Taeseongyeon’s ‘Sahyeon Guild’ factions.

Each team comprised forty members.

Naturally, Dokyeom found himself on the side of Taeseongyeon’s Sahyeon Guild.

“There seem to be too many people to move all at once… Association official, is this really alright?!”

“You shouldn’t be asking me that…”

Hadongwon’s words caused the association official to mumble vaguely. Hadongwon clicked his tongue in annoyance, then waved his hand dismissively at Geon Ita and Taeseongyeon, as if telling them to handle it themselves.

“As for me, I’m just taking my people to deal with the injured, so what do I care? You two sort it out amongst yourselves.”

Geon Ita and Taeseongyeon were already exchanging words, their expressions etched with deep thought. They were likely deciding which path to take.

According to the original story, Geon Ita would obtain the ‘Power of Wrath’.

True to the original, Geon Ita chose the path where the ‘Power of Wrath’ lay, progressing the story in the foreseen direction.

Dokyeom watched Geon Ita’s resolute back as he headed into the forest without a glance, then shifted his gaze to Taeseongyeon.

Their eyes met clearly in that instant.

As Dokyeom sharply raised an eyebrow, Taeseongyeon paused, gazing into the air as if in thought, then chuckled and approached Dokyeom. Despite wearing nothing more than a coat, his apparent immunity to the cold was enviable.

“You seem quite cold, Han Dokyeom.”

His gentle voice was quite tender. Yet, Dokyeom’s expression remained utterly sullen as he looked at Taeseongyeon.

“Then why don’t you melt this snow? Someone’s about to lose an ear to frostbite, so why are you the only one dressed like that and perfectly fine?”

“Why are you so stubborn, hmm?”

Taeseongyeon tilted his head, speaking in a whisper. Though his tone was coaxing, his demeanor was one of reproach. The reason was simple.

Before coming here, Dokyeom and Taeseongyeon had a heated argument over the Red Gate deployment issue.

Initially, Taeseongyeon had staunchly opposed Dokyeom’s intention to come here. He had even excluded Dokyeom from the deployment roster and restricted eligibility to A-rank hunters, thoroughly barring anyone B-rank or lower. When Dokyeom brought the official document to the representative’s office and had a massive argument, the secretary’s office had to tread on eggshells, creating a frigid atmosphere for a time.

Without a doubt, everyone there had likely been gritting their teeth.

“Ah, I won’t do anything reckless. It’s been ages since we agreed I’d stick right by Agon and Dali, so why are we talking about this again?”

Listening quietly, Taeseongyeon slowly extended a hand. His well-formed fingertips brushed against Dokyeom’s snow-laden eyelashes. The moisture, melted by his body heat, trickled down the corner of Dokyeom’s eye.

Taeseongyeon wiped it away with the back of his hand.

“You’re so conspicuous; how can you say that?”

“Yes, because I’m E-rank. Now, enough of this. People are waiting, so why don’t you lead the way?”

Dokyeom shook his head, dislodging the snow from his hair, and gestured with his chin towards the hunters standing idly behind Taeseongyeon. As he casually turned his back, before he had even taken a few steps away, Dokyeom heard words like shattering breath.

“Han Dokyeom.”

Instead of answering, Dokyeom merely turned his head slightly to gaze at Taeseongyeon. Snow had begun to accumulate quite noticeably on his jet-black hair. The instant he moved, the snow was swept away by the wind.

Taeseongyeon, who had swiftly approached, pulled something from his coat pocket and tucked it into Dokyeom’s outer pocket. Dokyeom tilted his head, a question mark hovering in his mind, as the rustling plastic material brushed against his bare skin.

The softly whispered words followed.

“Don’t starve, and stay warm. Don’t make me worry.”

Generously, and yet with a warning tone.

“I’ll come by once in a while.”

He thought he caught a faint smile on Taeseongyeon’s lips, but by the time he realized it, Taeseongyeon had already turned his back. Dokyeom quickly pulled out what was in his pocket to check.

It was a perfectly baked bun. But, wait—

“…A red bean bun? Really, a red bean bun?”

Dokyeom grumbled, yet carefully tucked the bun back into his pocket, ensuring it wouldn’t get crushed.

Suddenly, his body stiffened. A sudden discomfort, like finding a black bean among white ones, surged within him. It was a noise-like sensation. His gaze returned to Taeseongyeon’s back.

‘I’ll come by once in a while.’

The tone suggested that Dokyeom would somehow be separated from the team. And with such certainty.

Taeseongyeon spoke as if he knew that it would happen soon, and that it would be done discreetly.

What made him so certain?

Perhaps Dokyeom’s stubborn insistence on coming here had seemed profoundly meaningful to him. Or perhaps he had just tossed out a casual remark.

Whatever the reason, Dokyeom couldn’t shake the feeling that his inner thoughts had been laid bare to Taeseongyeon.

****

“Beom Yeonhu, you bastard! You should have contacted us when you arrived, man! You gave us a fright! And you crazy son of a b*tch, why are you even here?! What nerve does a C-rank like you have to come to a place where even we are freezing to death?!”

No sooner had they finalized their teams and embarked on their journey than someone smacked Beom Yeonhu’s back and erupted. The man had a rather fierce impression and wore a baseball cap. He, along with Kang Taesan, looked quite familiar, allowing Dokyeom to recognize him at a glance.

They were the self-proclaimed friends of Beom Yeonhu.

Hunters gathered from across the nation had also split into teams, joining either Geon Ita’s or Taeseongyeon’s faction. Among them, Kang Taesan and his friend had joined the Sahyeon Guild’s side.

And the man now liberally spewing curses under the guise of familiarity was the same one who had previously belittled Beom Yeonhu by bringing up his rank. His name was Byeon Yeongchan.

‘Our little puppy is getting roasted again.’

“Stop it, Yeongchan. There are other hunters nearby; it’s impolite to speak like that. And Yeonhu’s rank isn’t actually that low.”

“Hey, are you saying B-rank and C-rank are the same? Is that because you’re A-rank yourself?”