Chapter 53: Grandia – Part 1 Complete

Despite being in an unfamiliar situation, our situation was positive.

“First of all, we have food.”

Yu Ayeon shrugged her shoulders, showing off the backpacks hanging on her back.

It’s no exaggeration to say that food is one of the most important factors inside a gate.

However, the others had left all their backpacks to Yu Ayeon, and thanks to that, Yu Ayeon’s backpacks were overflowing with food and daily necessities.

Also, I separately brought food in my inventory. With this, it became impossible for us to starve to death inside the gate.

“Ah, don’t step there. It’s a trap.”

Secondly, the gimmick of this gate was a very advantageous gimmick for me.

The floor inside the gate in the dark was a mixture of tiles and bricks, and among them, there was a trap where arrows or stone pits would come down if you stepped on them randomly.

And I could grasp even that trap thoroughly with my mana detection, like a map hack.

“…This is a trap?”

But even if I told him, believing it straight away was another matter.

The man looked at me with a suspicious face.

“…Ugh.”

Yu Ayeon believed my words completely and carefully avoided the trap-laden floor.

“Hmm, okay. I’ll trust you once.”

Fortunately, the man was a good listener.

It was convenient because the party members listened well. It’s a good thing because party members who don’t follow orders and only insist on their own opinions are cumbersome.

We began to explore the gate at a faster pace than we thought. The chaotic atmosphere at the beginning was gone, and they were following the pace better than I thought.

“Maybe it’s not a big deal after all?”

Damn it. Just as things were going smoothly, the man set a flag.

“Grrrrrrrrr!”

“Four Hounds in front!”

As if responding to his words, monsters appeared. Despite their grand name, their difficulty was the lowest of the D-rank monsters.

I wasn’t surprised because I had roughly detected them.

• Wooooong.

The greatsword Cutie♡Angel trembled and vibrated.

Yeah. You’re excited about the thought of slicing meat. I’m excited too.

I swung the greatsword at the guys rushing roughly.

• Swishhhhh!

One of the dogs that rushed in boldly became Hell/Hound by Cutie♡Angel.

“Support!”

• Swoosh!

The man wasn’t just standing still. He provided appropriate support at the appropriate timing.

The only one who could stand still in this party was Yu Ayeon, the porter.

“…It’s easier than I thought?”

“I think so too. Something’s strange.”

The battle ended more trivially than expected. Hell Hounds are the lowest-ranked D-rank monsters, but they are still D-rank monsters.

It means that it’s a monster that several D-rank hunters have to gang up on.

But two D-ranks simultaneously sliced up four of them. I’m strong, but it wasn’t a monster that could be defeated this easily.

“…Uh… I-Isn’t it… a good thing? It means that the probability of us surviving… and getting out has increased…”

“That’s right. It’s a good thing. But bad things always follow these situations.”

For example, sudden mutant monsters, double gates…

I just hope that such a thing doesn’t happen.

“First, let’s search the inside of the gate and find the boss room, and look for the scattered people?”

“Yes…!”

“Good.”

The first goal became to find the boss room, and the second goal was to save the scattered party members.

Honestly, they weren’t people I really wanted to save, but I showed them the least amount of warmth.

“But before that, let’s take a break.”

We set up a suitable base camp, and I started to use the power of the inventory to my heart’s content.

Warm food that can never be obtained inside the gate. Hot soup that seemed to have just come out of a restaurant.
“Crazy… Am I seeing things? Is this even possible?”

“It’s possible. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“That’s true…”

Sitting on a functional chair that snugly supports the buttocks and eating hot soup.

It’s an unbelievable luxury that ordinary hunters can never afford.

But it’s possible for me.

We took a break like that, and then started exploring the inside of the gate again.

“Th-This is my food! It’s the energy bar I brought!”

“If you don’t put that down quietly, there won’t be any bloodshed. Give it to me while I’m saying it nicely.”

Do Jihun pointed his staff at Bang Doso, who dared to commit the crime of hiding precious food in his coat.

It had already been three days since he was stranded inside the gate. His face was haggard because he hadn’t eaten any food during that time.

Do Jihun’s fat body consumed a lot of calories even with small movements.

Had he ever been this hungry in his life? His eyes were blinded by hunger and he couldn’t see anything.

“P-Please calm down, everyone. Put down the shield and staff.”

Chang-yeori tried to mediate them, but she was also half out of her mind. Her eyes were also following the energy bar that Bang Doso had.

Just one energy bar. An energy bar worth about 1,500 won.

But in a situation of extreme hunger, that one energy bar becomes the seed of the party’s annihilation and has a value greater than a billion won.

“Shut up, Chang-yeori. If you’re a woman, shouldn’t you give some to men? How can a person be so unscrupulous?”

“…Yes?”

“I mean, it’s true. If you’re a woman, you should give some to men. How can you be so selfish even in this situation?”

Chang-yeori felt like she had been hit on the head with a mallet. She couldn’t understand what kind of sophistry she was listening to.

At the same time, she felt it intensely. Ah. Men are really the worst.

No, this man in front of her is disgusting.

“…Haha… I-Is that so? I’m sorry.”

But she thought as rationally as possible. She was in an unfamiliar situation. This gate is very different from the gate she was briefed on. It’s not a wetland, it’s some strange meadow.

‘A graveyard? What is this place?’

In such an unfamiliar place, in an unfamiliar situation, there is no existence as valuable as a mage who handles convenient and powerful abilities. Regardless of the gender situation, he occupied a very important position in this scattered party.

“Tsk. You should have given it to me earlier. What are you so proud of.”

Bang Doso also knew him. In the end, only the pig-like mage’s belly was filled a little. It was the worst situation. If they encountered a monster here, there was no hope.

“Wait a minute. That’s, light…?”

Literally right before the end game, Bang Doso discovered a light approaching from afar.

At those words, Chang-yeori and Do Jihun each held a spear and a staff in their hands. They couldn’t identify the enemy at this distance. They had to stay vigilant until the end.

Soon, the light arrived.

Yu Ayeon quietly looked at the man in front of her.

Even though she had seen his face for a long time, she couldn’t get used to the man’s appearance.

She couldn’t shower or bathe in the labyrinth, but the man’s appearance was always neat and beautiful as if it had been managed.

“Why are you staring at me so intently, Ayeon?”

“Ah, uh, i-it’s not that… I-I was just looking…”

“Pfft. What is that?”

Even when she blurted out something random in embarrassment, he smiled kindly and responded.

“Three Hell Hounds in front. I’ll take the two on the left. Hyung, you take the one on the right.”

“Okay.”

At some point, the party began to revolve around Han Suhyeon’s orders by chance.

At first, the man who doubted even stepping on a trap tile began to follow Han Suhyeon’s orders straight away.

“In my half-life as a hunter, this is the first time I’ve had such a comfortable gate raid.”

“Is that so? You must have only met incompetent people.”

“Haha! Haven’t you thought that you might be outstanding?”

“I don’t know. My old colleagues all did as much as I did.”

Yu Ayeon felt a strange sense of helplessness as she watched Han Suhyeon laugh self-deprecatingly.

She, a woman, couldn’t protect him, a man.

Of course, there was a big difference between him and Yu Ayeon, a hunter and an ordinary person, but she felt like even a shred of her self-esteem as a woman was scattering.

“Ayeon. Are you okay? Aren’t you tired?”

“Ah, n-no… H-Huff… I-I’m… H-Huff… okay now…”

“What do you mean you’re okay? You look like you’re about to die. Hyung. Let’s take a break here. We have to pace ourselves well.”

“Aish, tsk. What kind of woman…”

“Ah. Don’t create conflict. Sit here and eat some soup.”

“Aish, tsk. Soup again?”

“This Hyung is really full, huh? Do you want to taste some dried food?”

“I’m sorry…”

The man began to eat the soup that Han Suhyeon handed over without saying a word. Soup. Warm food. It was a blessing-like situation that could never be eaten inside a hellish gate.

“Here. Ayeon, you eat too.”

Yu Ayeon received the spoon and soup container that Han Suhyeon wiped.

‘…It’s warm…’

It’s not just the soup container. Which man in the world would take such good care of a woman?

Han Suhyeon treats me, who has no value, with such a warm smile.

“…T-Thank you… Suhyeon…”

So I said it with courage. Thank you.

“Heh. You’re welcome. Eat up.”

A gentle attitude as if he did something natural. I felt my heart melt softly.

“Well, shall we go after everyone has eaten?”

After a while, with full stomachs, they began to explore the inside of the gate again as if they were taking a walk.

‘How can I repay Suhyeon’s kindness?’

There are too many considerations I’ve received so far. It won’t be easy to repay all of his kindness.

‘What I can do. What only I can do.’

Only for Suhyeon, I do my best to do what only I can do.

That’s the only way to repay the favor.

Yu Ayeon quietly closed her eyes and began to use her ability.

-Ziiiiiiing.

The floating camera began to capture Han Suhyeon.

“I found it. There’s something strange?”

“…It seems… like a double gate…?”

“This is probably the cause of the gate mutation.”

I found what was presumed to be the cause of the gate mutation more trivially than I thought.

“What should we do? If we clear the boss room, the gate will collapse and we won’t be able to investigate. Is it okay for us to go in?”

“…I think it’s okay. Your level is already hard to see as D-rank, and our stamina is still fresh because we ate a lot of food. Besides, we searched the entire inside of the gate and didn’t see any other party members. They must have been sucked into this gate.”

“So. You’re saying we should go in?”

The man nodded.

“What about you, Ayeon? What do you want to do? If you don’t want to go in-“

“…I’ll go in! Let me… follow you!”

Yu Ayeon also actively expressed her opinion, which was rare.

The party’s opinion was decided.

“Shall we go in carefully this time?”

They began to cross the gate inside the gate one by one, carefully.

‘…Why do I feel so good?’

It was unsettling that I felt good. Originally, things didn’t go so smoothly for me. No matter what I did, something always went wrong somewhere, but this time, I felt strangely good.

“Will this be a gamble, or will it be a dead end as usual…”

I’ll have to try it to find out.

Han Suhyeon hesitated and crossed the gate.

As soon as he crossed the gate, what he saw was a vast blue sky.

And numerous tombstones placed under it.

And.

• Wooooong.

Cutie Angel trembled.