The expedition continued smoothly. Nothing happened on the first or second day after they passed the border. The marching was also easy since there were very few hills, but as time went by, Chi-Woo began to feel mental fatigue. Everyone was on extremely high alert. Before, they were able to breathe easily whenever they took a break, but as soon as they crossed the border, the atmosphere among the expedition team changed dramatically, and everyone was tense whether they were marching or resting.
The chatty Jin-Cheon had also stopped talking and instead put all his attention on surveying his surroundings. He seemed so serious that Chi-Woo couldn’t even jokingly ask what happened and tell him to lighten up. It was different when he had been in the rescue team; the rescue team was a large group, while this expedition team was small. A single mistake could bring about the death of the whole team. Thus, everyone was careful to not make the slightest misstep. And knowing this, Chi-Woo tried to adjust to the current atmosphere rather than making any attempt to relieve his tiredness.
As the sun set and dusk arrived, the wind became chilly. Because it had rained not long ago, the grasses were wet with dew, and the meadow cold to walk on. Some time later, Nangnang picked a spot between the hills and announced, ‘This place seems good for today.’ While his companions prepared the campsite, Chi-Woo offered to make dinner for the day. Since it was cold, he wanted to make some hot, spicy soup and warm his stomach to help him endure the cold of the night.
‘I should make broth with the meat first,’ he thought. He felt a bit nervous as he dropped a whole chunk of meat that Noel had given him to eat in secret into the bowl. Ever since coming to this world, the only thing that really captured his interest was cooking. Not only because being a chef had been his dream in the past, but there were also new ingredients he had never seen scattered everywhere in this world. Among Liber’s food supplies, some resembled the ones on Earth, while others were completely alien to him.
Chi-Woo couldn’t forget how shocked he had been when cutting up a stem stalk-looking plant, and something that tasted like soybean paste flowed out. And because Chi-Hyun had gotten him many different ingredients after seeing how interested he seemed in cooking, Chi-Woo was able to accumulate knowledge about Liber’s food culture quickly. In the end, Chi-Woo succeeded in creating today’s dinner by refreshing his memories: it was Liber’s version of gukbap—hot soup with rice. Hungry, the expedition team looked at Chi-Woo’s home food with interest.
“Hm, it seems quite spicy.”
“Oh, it smells good…”
Nangnang looked at it curiously, while Jin-Cheon salivated with his nostrils widened. However, not everyone reacted favorably to the dish; a particular someone was looking at it with unease.
“Urgh.” Apoline appeared disgusted by the oil floating on top of the red soup. It seemed Chi-Woo had made the soup by mixing all sorts of ingredients together, and it didn’t look edible to her. “What is that? It looks like dog food.”
“It’s not dog food,” Chi-Woo said.
“Ah, never mind. I won’t eat it.”
“It’s good though…”
“Whether it’s tasty or not, I can’t eat it because of how unhygienic it looks.”
“So damn picky,” Noel muttered from behind, and Apoline turned to glare at her.
“What did you just say?”
“Nothing. I was talking to myself.” Noel shrugged and puffed up her cheeks, looking peeved as she ignored Apoline’s glare. She wasn’t the only one who didn’t like Apoline’s attitude.
“People who are picky with their food are the worst,” Jin-Cheon murmured under his breath, “Don’t you think so too, Ru Amuh?” Then, he quickly stopped when he felt a sharp gaze on him.
“Yes, it’s important for one to eat different kinds of food to gain a good balance of nutrients,” Ru Amuh answered with characteristic sincerity.
“Even the light of the Celestial Realm is choosy with their food. Why don’t you try taking just a bite?” Nangnang also intervened.
“No, that’s not…”
“It’s not made with revolting ingredients, and I think it will be better than you think, Apoline,” Nangnang reiterated.
Apoline looked around her expedition team in astonishment.
“You should eat a bit at least. It seems like we will arrive at our destination tomorrow, and we can’t have our precious mage too hungry to use her powers,” Nangnang said in a soothing tone and shoved his face back into his bowl. Apoline’s face reddened as she heaved.
‘Why…!’ She didn’t know why everyone was always taking the side of this nameless hero, but she decided to back away, and Jin-Cheon murmured quietly again, “How come she told me to not address her informally, but she lets the cat be?”
“Tch, give me some then,” Apoline said and reached out with a hand. After getting a bowl of soup, she sat down and glared at it for a while. ‘Could I really eat this?’ She wondered and carefully took one sip.
“?” Apoline’s eyebrows rose. Her expression seemed to be asking what this dish was, and she quickly took another spoonful to taste it better. She chewed with the spoon in her mouth and gulped. Then she looked at Chi-Woo, baffled. She was confused. Why was this tasty? It was spicy but savory and smooth like cream…! Her hand kept getting another spoonful, which was unbelievable for a picky eater like Apoline, who got sick of most delicacies after a bite.
“Does it suit your taste?”
Apoline stopped moving, and after a pause, responded with a small nod. It was infuriating, but the food was good. Soon afterward, the camping site was filled with the sound of people eating. Jin-Cheon gulped down his meal by lifting the bowl directly to his mouth.
“Kuaaah,” he said afterward.
“Yeah, that’s it.” Nangnang also finished his meal and bared his teeth. Even Apoline ate with sweat collecting below her nose.
“I didn’t know Boss also had talent in cooking. It’s been so long since I had such a hearty meal.”
Hearing this, Chi-Woo once again realized how right his brother had been about clothing, food, and shelter being top priorities. After being on high alert the whole day, Nangnang finally appeared to relax. Besides Nangnang, it seemed everyone had enjoyed their meals, and Chi-Woo smiled in pride. There was nothing more pleasing to a chef than for people to enjoy their dishes. After dinner, the expedition team chose who was going to do night duty and went to sleep.
Chi-Woo slept in a sleeping bag until he felt someone shaking him to wake him up.
“It’s time to change shifts, sir,” Ru Amuh said. “It’s very quiet. There’s nothing to report.”
Chi-Woo yawned widely and crawled out of his sleeping bag. When he got out, there was already another person sitting before him. It was Hawa, and she was staring into the distance.
“Did you sleep well?” Chi-Woo asked while sitting next to her.
“Yes,” she answered in a monotonous voice.
“How was the meal today?”
“It was good,” she replied tartly again. Chi-Woo smiled awkwardly. He thought he could relieve boredom by talking, but it seemed Hawa didn’t want to, as she did the entire march—she had been this way ever since her conflict with Jin-Cheon’s companion. Thus, Chi-Woo quietly focused on guarding when he heard a faint groan. He got up and went to where the noise came from to find Apoline. Was she having a nightmare?
Urgh, urgh—she looked tormented and pained to the point that sweat collected on her forehead. Chi-Woo reached out to wipe her sweat away, but stopped. She might hate it if another touched her without permission. After thinking for a bit, Chi-Woo took out Steam Bun from his pocket and left it on her forehead.
“…Ppyu?” Awakened from its sweet dream, Steam Bun wondered what was going on suddenly. But Chi-Woo simply wiped the sweat on Apoline’s forehead with Steam Bun. Apoline’s groans lessened as she felt the bun’s cold touch. Her eyelids fluttered until they opened. Chi-Woo flinched as he met her eyes, and Apoline looked up at the lump on her forehead without saying anything.
“Ppyu!?”
Apoline clutched Steam Bun with both hands and pulled it down.
“Mm…M…”
“Ppyuppyu!?”
Then, she wrapped Steam Bun around her cheeks and fell asleep again. Chi-Woo sighed in relief. It seemed she had only woken up temporarily. After giving a thumbs-up to bun, who looked frantic at everything that was happening, Chi-Woo turned away. When he returned, Hawa was sitting in the same spot as before. She hadn’t moved an inch. Her head was slightly arched in bemusement.
Chi-Woo asked, “A nickel for your thoughts?”
Hawa looked up slightly, “I’m thinking about you.”
Chi-Woo’s eyes widened; had he heard her right?
“I’m thinking about why you brought me along.”
“Ah.” Chi-Woo almost misunderstood and thought she was interested in him. “It’s because—” Chi-Woo was about to answer, but quickly shut his mouth at her following words.
“Are you going to give me another chance? To prove myself?” Hawa had never forgotten for a moment what he had said to her before—that he'd help her become a hero if she proved her worth and accomplished achievements.
Chi-Woo looked at Hawa’s emotionless face. He hadn’t realized it, but there was intense passion blazing deep inside her eyes.
“Ms. Hawa.” Chi-Woo thought that he might have spoken too hastily before and cleared his throat. He thought he should use this opportunity to talk to her properly at least once. “This mission is dangerous. No, it’s extremely dangerous.” He hoped that she would understand him and softly continued, “We’ve moved past the border, so we can’t expect help or support from anyone else. Moreover, we’re not in a large party like last time, but a small party with few members.”
Hawa’s eyes slightly shook.
“I…don’t want to see you break your back because you’re so intent on becoming a hero.” Chi-Woo could have just said yes and moved on, and Hawa might have felt better. However, he told her his true thoughts. Making achievements meant Hawa had to be on the front lines. Even though he acknowledged her ability, she had a 9 out of 10 probability of dying if she couldn’t awaken her energy. And Chi-Woo didn’t want her to die. “I asked you to join us because no one knows the way better than you. But even then, I think you’re taking an overwhelmingly high risk.”
“…”
“Ms. Hawa, you should focus on your task and your survival. Leave the rest for when we go back.” In a roundabout way, Chi-Woo was telling her to not put herself in harm’s way as much as possible.
Hawa didn’t reply. She stared at Chi-Woo for a while and finally said, “You…”
“?”
“You said you’d speak informally to me, but…” Her lips were crooked. “You reverted back to your old way of talking.” After saying this, she turned away and fell silent, her stare no longer on him.
Chi-Woo tried to say something, but simply let out a soft sigh in the end. And like this, the night quietly passed.
* * *
The next day arrived. Apoline looked unusually happy for some reason. She was even humming. It was all because of the dream she had last night. Technically, it was a nightmare, but it didn’t scare her. Apoline thought the dream was probably a real-life event she had experienced as a child that manifested to her as a dream. Even though it was a frightening, almost traumatic event, Apoline didn’t dislike this dream; other than the last part, it was a good memory. In this dream, she stepped into a new world for the first time while holding her father’s hand. Then they reached a playground after passing an alley. A boy around her age stood alone and stared up at the sky blankly. Then her father suddenly disappeared, and the boy slowly turned around. And…
Apoline, whose gaze had become sentimental, abruptly stopped walking. They all did. After passing through the meadow, they found themselves in a dense forest.
“Bloodlust.” Nangnang, who was at the forefront, said while looking at his front and sides. “One in the front. One on the left. One…no, two on the left?” Then the bush in front of them shook.
“It’s coming!” Nangnang shouted while raising his tail straight-up. A shadow jumped in front of them, and the expedition team immediately got into formation at once.
“Kyararall!” The monster in front of them shook its head vigorously in the air and plummeted to the ground. Even after its crash, it floundered and tried to move back because Hawa had thrown daggers at it one after another as soon as she saw it. Nangnang clicked his tongue and ran forward. He hit the ground and cut the floundering monster’s neck with his sharp claws. Even before its severed head fell to the ground, another pair of monsters emerged from the bush on each side.
Jin-Cheon, who was in charge of the left, raised his foot as he saw a gray figure sliding out like someone riding a slide. Thud! He stepped on the ground and hit the monster with his fist.
Pop! The sound of a balloon popping rang out, and a large hole appeared in the monster’s body. When Jin-Cheon raised his foot and was about to kick its neck, the monster made a sharp cry and collapsed. Hawa had lowered her body and stabbed its ankle with a dagger.
When the enemy fell, Jin-Cheon hurriedly changed his direction and slammed down his foot. The monster’s head burst before it could even make a sound. Ru Amuh easily killed one monster by himself and turned back at the same time because he sensed another quickly moving towards his back. A sharp stem stretched out through the trees, and the stem, which had a sharp end like a sickle, shot forward like an arrow. Even though Ru Amuh could have blocked it, he didn’t.
Tap! The stem aiming straight at the middle of Apoline’s forehead was easily caught by Chi-Woo’s grasp. When Chi-Woo yanked on it, his opponent came flying towards him by force, and Chi-Woo threw a fist full of exorcism mana towards the flying monster, pulling his hand back as soon as he made contact.
Bang! The sound of a grenade exploding rang in the air, and the monster scattered like a spray of water. Scraps fell to the earth like rain and disappeared without a trace.
“I thought you were a priest, but were you a…monk?” Apoline, who had been quietly chanting a spell, stopped her incantations and glanced at him. Chi-Woo shrugged and turned around. Panting heavily, Hawa stared intently at Chi-Woo, as if she was asking him to judge her performance.
After a brief silence, Ru Amuh moved his gaze from Chi-Woo and Hawa to the ground and said, “They disappeared immediately.”
“They weren’t very strong, but it’s my first time seeing monsters like them.” Nangnang agreed and voiced his thoughts.
Jin-Cheon also smacked his lips and asked, “I’ve never seen them before, but I think we’re almost there. Have you seen their traces?”
“I was just about to mention that. Unknown traces are showing up little by little. We definitely have to be careful from now on…” Nangnang stopped mid-sentence, and after looking at Hawa, he coughed and began to move forward.
And Apoline, who had been staring at them in turn, raised one of her brows and followed.
Nangnang asked, “How long did it take for you to get from here to there?”
“It didn’t take very long. About half a day?”
“Half a day. Half a day…”
Apoline stared at Nangnang and Jin-Cheon as they conversed and glanced at Chi-Woo. Then she said, “Let’s take a break.”
Nangnang looked back. “Huh? So sudden?”
“Five minutes will do.”
“…Well, if it’s just five minutes.” Nangnang roughly guessed Apoline’s intentions and accepted her request with a cough.
“Over there.” Apoline turned around at once. “Ms. Native?” She approached Hawa. “Why don’t we talk for a bit?” She crossed her arms. “Considering that you’re a native, your skills are quite good.” Apoline started with a compliment and then went straight to the point, “But there’s no need for you to step forward.”
She continued, “You came here as our guide. Not a guide doubled as a fighter. We need someone who can guide us since we aren’t yet familiar with this planet.”
Hawa’s face stiffened as she looked at Apoline.
Apoline said, “You just have to stick to that role. From now on, please stay safe in your lane under our protection.” After making her point clear, Apoline turned around—no, she tried to.
“Why?”
Hawa’s question stopped Apoline, and Apoline blinked at Hawa.
“…Why?” Apoline repeated what Hawa had said and gently raised the corners of her mouth—as if she found Hawa’s question humorous.