NOVEL NEXT Chapter 58
Chapter 58: Goemi Cave (2)
A Goemi Cave exploration team centered around the Rank 3 Party led by Kang Si-wook.
While the initial purpose was to investigate the inside of the Goemi Cave, the intent of the Hero Department was to exterminate as many Goemi as possible.
Kang Si-wook, leading the group, came to a halt in front of the entrance assigned to the Goemi Cave.
“Be alert.”
At his brief command, the warriors of Kang Si-wook’s party spread out to maintain distance.
Each party member found their designated position without needing further instructions, showcasing their training.
Yoo Ji-han, who was towards the back, thought to himself.
‘They’re well-trained.’
A strict command structure akin to the military, where the leaders and subordinates were clearly distinguished.
Their swift and accurate actions indicated this wasn’t their first practice.
From this alone, Yoo Ji-han could grasp the personality of the party leader, Kang Si-wook.
After confirming there were no other monsters around, Kang Si-wook turned back.
“I’ll give a brief explanation, and then we’ll proceed.”
“Yes!”
“We have a maximum exploration time of 2 hours. If we fail to clear within that, we will return the way we came. Considering the return time, it’ll take at least 4 hours.”
“…….”
“Once inside the Goemi Cave, Kang Si-wook’s party will take the lead…”
Kang Si-wook scanned the Rank 4 Heroes assembled around him.
Then he fixed his gaze on Yoo Ji-han, who was at the far right.
“Everyone should refrain from engaging in combat if possible.”
“……?”
“What?”
Refrain from combat, they thought.
The Rank 4 Heroes looked confused.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I heard that you refused to level up before coming to Gye-yang Mountain. But honestly, more members in a narrow cave tends to hinder rather than help.”
We can penetrate the Goemi Cave without the assistance of a Rank 4 party.
While they understood the situation, the order to stay back was clear.
Naturally, discontent emerged.
“Even a Rank 3 party…!”
“It’s fine to come out like this. All command on-site belongs to me.”
“Ugh…”
“Anyone truly confident can step forward. But if you interfere even once… I will submit the names of the parties that obstructed our efforts to the Hero Department as soon as we exit the Goemi Cave.”
Kang Si-wook’s eyes were icy.
It was a declaration that he would not tolerate disturbances.
Anyone present knew that this was no empty threat intended merely to scare them.
‘Would I have done the same?’
Yoo Ji-han could empathize with him.
Fighting in the cramped terrain would indeed be extremely challenging.
“Only the mages from each party, please step forward. We will enlarge the entrance to be passable for people.”
The sloped entrance of the Goemi Cave.
The mages, including Kim Si-hu, used magic to dig out dirt while Kang Si-wook’s party provided support.
The remaining members followed suit.
“Look at that Rank 3 party boasting.”
“Should we just ignore them and fight?”
“What if we catch their attention?”
“If it gets reported to the Hero Department, we might face repercussions later.”
The Rank 4 Heroes were discontented but couldn’t confront Kang Si-wook’s party directly, murmuring among themselves.
At the center were the acquaintances of Moon Kyung-jin.
Not wanting to be mixed up with them, Yoo Ji-han kept his distance.
As they moved deeper inside, the sunlight faded, plunging the area into darkness.
[Light]
Two mages digging the ground illuminated the surroundings with light magic.
Some even turned on portable lanterns they had brought.
About 10 minutes later, a spacious area revealed itself, no longer in need of digging.
“There it is!”
In that space, there were Goemi.
The creatures were startled by the unexpected guests, halting and staring at the heroes.
‘A Soldier Goemi.’
Yoo Ji-han recognized the soldier Goemi mixed among the ordinary Goemi.
It was slightly larger in head and chin compared to the regular Goemi.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
As several ordinary Goemi regained their senses and scampered away, the Soldier Goemi stood its ground against the heroes.
With its sharp jaw split into two, it threatened noisily.
While roaming with ordinary Goemi, it was a creature that handled combat rather than labor.
Kang Si-wook, glaring at the Soldier Goemi, spoke.
“Everyone, remember what I said.”
“……!”
Although he didn’t turn around, the words were directed at the Rank 4 parties behind him.
The heroes, now wielding weapons, had no choice but to watch Kang Si-wook’s party from a distance.
Clang! Clang!
Kang Si-wook’s party of six positioned themselves around the remaining Soldier Goemi, excluding the mages.
Party leader Kang Si-wook attacked the Soldier Goemi’s eyes and forelegs, blocking its counterattacks.
Nearby, the warriors either held off other Soldier Goemi or struck the remaining legs of the already engaged Goemi.
Thus, they incapacitated up to two monsters at a time.
“Next!”
As the heroes took down all of its legs, they immediately aided other party members.
The final blow was dealt by the mage, who had been backing up the party from behind.
The incapacitated Goemi couldn’t dodge even the slowest-approaching magic.
“You’re doing well.”
“Should we give it a try?”
“Is there even a chance to enter?”
A stable strategy with a low probability of mistakes.
The other Rank 4 parties had to stand back and watch the clean combat displayed by Kang Si-wook’s party.
Though they didn’t want to admit it, each individual member indeed surpassed the norms of their party.
If they jumped in with their pride on the line and disrupted the balance of battle, all blame would fall squarely on them.
They had no courage to risk such a venture.
“Hmm?”
However, Yoo Ji-han was a bit different.
The other Rank 4 Heroes were observing him as he stepped forward.
‘Got it.’
He memorized the repetitive movements of Kang Si-wook’s party.
How they acted when preemptively attacking a Goemi.
Conversely, how they responded when a Goemi attacked first.
He had read the pattern in the brief battle.
Of course, it didn’t mean he understood everything about Kang Si-wook’s party…
But it was enough for him to blend in during this fight.
Swish!
Yoo Ji-han dashed forward, avoiding interference with the ongoing fighters, moving to where Kang Si-wook’s influence was minimal.
There, a single warrior held off the Soldier Goemi’s attack.
“Stay still!”
Seeing Yoo Ji-han engaging in the fight, Kang Si-wook’s party members grimaced.
They believed whatever he did would interfere.
Slice!
Yet, Yoo Ji-han cut the back legs of the Soldier Goemi just like Kang Si-wook’s party had shown earlier.
The injured Soldier Goemi turned around.
Its attention had been diverted.
Thud!
Yoo Ji-han pierced its eye with his sword, obstructing its vision.
Then, he exchanged glances with the warrior who had been facing the Goemi.
A silent signal shared among experienced heroes.
An unspoken cue to attack together.
Clang! Clang!
Afterwards, Yoo Ji-han mirrored the actions of Kang Si-wook’s party.
Instead of flashy movements, it appeared like he had been with them since the beginning of the battle…
He blended seamlessly into Kang Si-wook’s party.
“Next!”
Perhaps due to the increase in forces, the remaining Goemi were dwindling at an accelerated rate.
Some couldn’t withstand the pressure and fled deeper inside.
Swish!
As the last Goemi in that area was hunted down by Kang Si-wook, he wiped the Goemi’s fluids off his sword.
Then, he walked towards Yoo Ji-han, who had intervened earlier.
“……”
“……”
Everyone tightened their expressions while watching them…
But the first to speak was Kang Si-wook.
“Which party are you with?”
“Sweet Fun. I’m Yoo Ji-han of the Yoo Ji-han party.”
“Are you the party leader?”
“Yes.”
“A Rank 4 party, correct?”
“That’s right.”
“You’re quite adept at fighting. It’s hard to believe you’re Rank 4.”
“……!”
The members of Kang Si-wook’s party gazed in surprise at their leader.
Kang Si-wook, ever meticulous and stingy with praise.
For him to compliment someone with such generosity on the first meeting was almost unprecedented.
“If you don’t mind, would you like to join us?”
“Yes, I’d love to.”
At Kang Si-wook’s request, Yoo Ji-han moved from the back to the front.
It was as if he had become the seventh member of Kang Si-wook’s party.
“I feel like I could do that too.”
“Then give it a shot.”
“Okay, let me prep my mind for a moment…”
As the other Rank 4 Heroes couldn’t step forward and were just observing, Kim Si-hu, busily digging ahead, secretly chuckled to himself.
*
About an hour after entering the Goemi Cave.
They had fought several battles with the Goemi, but the end of the cave was still nowhere in sight.
‘It’s too deep.’
The creatures had entrenched themselves deeper within Gye-yang Mountain than expected.
After yet another battle, the heroes looked up at the ceiling of the Goemi Cave.
“It seems they’ve been preparing for a considerable time.”
“Where did all the dirt inside go?”
“That’s a mystery to me as well.”
For a cave to form, the dirt inside must be removed.
And for a cave to be this deep, a significant amount of dirt would have to have been transported out.
Thus, there should have been signs of the Goemi carrying dirt or piles of dirt transported somewhere.
Up until now, no party visiting Gye-yang Mountain had seen such things.
Dirt doesn’t just evaporate into thin air; the more they thought about it, the more questions arose.
Kang Si-wook, pondering while facing the forward passage, said.
“Let’s change our plan and move another 15 minutes ahead. If nothing special occurs, we’ll return the way we came.”
They had already gone quite deep.
Choosing to return earlier than the initially planned 2 hours might be a bit disappointing, but…
With many entrances and the danger of continuing to explore an endless space, it made sense to head back.
Moreover, they entered only one specific path rather than splitting their forces at the multiple forks they encountered.
This wasn’t the territory where the elusive Queen Goemi awaited; they might have entered a completely wrong road.
“What’s this?”
At that moment, as the mages were excavating the ground.
A large space resembling a chamber created by the Goemi appeared.
The floor was littered with wooden fruit and small animal bones.
“It looks like a storage space for food.”
“A food warehouse.”
Each time they came to a fork in the path, Kang Si-wook gathered opinions from those nearby to decide which direction to take.
Fortuitously, it seemed they weren’t on a completely wrong track.
“Hmm?”
As Kim Si-hu illuminated the area with magic, he picked something resembling gray cloth off the ground.
It was a rag showing signs of having been gnawed by a Goemi, stained with red marks.
As he dusted off the dirt, a familiar brand logo became visible.
“Uh?”
“What’s wrong?”
“This is climbing gear.”
“……?!”
At Kim Si-hu’s response, everyone’s expressions turned icy as they gazed at the clothing scattered around.
This wasn’t just a simple food storage; it was a space for keeping humans captured from the mountains.