RIM Chapter 24: Calculating Killer (2)

“How many people went out?”

“Seven people.”

The one in the lead and coming towards us was obviously Yoo Seokwoo.

It was difficult to make out the features of the three people walking behind Yoo Seokwoo due to the distance, but at the very least, I could tell that I had never seen them here before.

Seven people went out, including Yoo Seokwoo but six of them didn’t come back, and now three different people were heading towards the shelter.

The natural assumption was that something happened to Yoo Seokwoo’s party while they were out hunting, and that they were helped by the people who were coming our way.

In the process.

‘Everyone other than Yoo Seokwoo died.’

The probability of that was likely very high.

Just by looking at their equipment, you could tell that they weren’t some ragtag group.

One of them was holding a small shield and sword, another carried a spear, and the last was holding a bow.

Going by the atmosphere surrounding them and the bandages wrapped around their wounds, I was certain they had already fought several battles.

‘Mind’s Eye.’

[Checking the status window and talent levels of the player Jung Jinho.]

[Name: Jung Jinho]

[Title: N/A ]

[Age: 29]

[Disposition: Calculating Killer]

[Class: Battlemage – Rare grade]

[Stats]

[Endurance: 25/Growth potential: heroic or higher]

[Agility: 23/Growth potential: heroic or higher]

[Vitality: 24/Growth potential: heroic or higher]

[Intelligence: 20/Growth potential: rare or lower]

[Endurance: 23/Growth potential: heroic or lower]

[Luck: 15/Growth potential rare or lower]

[Mana: 08/Growth potential rare or higher]

[Attributes: N/A ]

[Overview: An undeniable talent, it’s impossible for him to develop badly. Overall, he’s so amazingly well-balanced, naturally, there aren’t many things he couldn’t do. If he dutifully pursues growth, it’s possible that he will be able to rise to the top. His disposition is the kind I can get behind. I recommend not getting any closer. This person could be too dangerous for player Lee Kiyoung.]

‘Battlemage?’

Just a glance at his abilities was enough to gain a rough understanding. His stats were perfectly balanced, and what stood out most was the existence of mana and his class.

‘Mana?’

This was the first time I had seen someone who still had mana despite not being a Wizard, outside of Kim Hyunsung.

My eyes were constantly drawn to the rare grade class, Battlemage.

His mana stat was eight, even higher than mine.

The mere fact that he had mana meant that he had the capacity to ascend to the ranks of the strong.

The most noticeable piece of information was his disposition.

Calculating killer.

I had seen many dispositions thus far, but this was the first time I had seen such a disposition.

The two guys next to him weren’t much different. Their stats in themselves were only either better than mine or slightly below Park Deokgu’s, but overall, their abilities weren’t bad.

These guys’ dispositions also did not seem to be as positive as Well-Meaning Arbitrator or Pure Advocate.

“We’ll have to prepare to receive some guests. They look like people who are capable of fighting… I don’t know if this will turn out well.”

“Go inside and get Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan.”

“Sorry?”

“Quickly.”

Instead of responding to her question, I grimaced and immediately began to cast a spell.

Thinking about what might happen, Lee Jihye’s expression also hardened and she began to head into the shelter.

I also backed up little by little.

“Lord, answer, my, wish, my call, please give me, strength, to burn my enemies.”

They didn’t seem to have any particular animosity as of yet.

For starters, it looked like they were at ease whilst walking towards us.

Just as Jung Hayan possessed a disposition of Pure Advocate, there was a possibility that there was a discrepancy between their dispositions and actual behaviour. However, I thought it was better to be on guard for the time being.

‘Shit.’

I had already built up a tower of mana and chanted the spell.

In this case, all I had to do was say the spell, but I suppressed myself from saying it.

“It’s nice to meet you. My name is Jung Jinho.”

It was because he said hello from a distance. When I saw him take a step towards me, I took two steps back.

‘Range.’

I was well-aware of just how fast someone whose agility level was in the 20s could move.

In reality, even this distance was dangerous.

The two people at Jung Jinho’s side may not have noticed the mana I was restraining as much as possible, but Jung Jinho, who possessed mana, had to be aware that I was suppressing a spell at that moment.

At his greeting, I responded while maintaining the distance between us.

“Pleased to meet you. My name is Lee Kiyoung.”

“Ah! I’ve heard a lot about you from Seokwoo-ssi.”

“Pardon me?”

“I heard you became a Wizard this time. You made flames rise from your hands… I’d really love to see that just once.”

‘Yoo Seokwoo, you douchebag. Useless son of a bitch.’

“Yes.”

“It really is amazing. I already knew that this place gave us new abilities, it’s just… This is my first time seeing a wizard… Ah! You don’t have to be so wary.”

It was a strange situation where one wrong move could land me dead. It would be more strange if I wasn’t on my guard.

The sword, spear, and bow they were carrying agitated me.

When I snuck a look at Yoo Seokwoo , he had a slightly nervous expression on his face.

I didn’t know the cause behind his nervousness, but I thought it couldn’t be a positive sign.

“Really, this place is amazing. I had heard that there were a lot of survivors remaining, but I didn’t believe it. If it’s a place like this, it makes sense that over 30 people could survive together.”

“I was also very surprised when I first saw this place. It’s all thanks to Hyunsung-ssi. How did you….”

“Oh. Actually, I found Seokwoo-ssi along with a few other people surrounded by monsters nearby. Unfortunately, I discovered them too late to save the rest of them, but… Somehow I was able to save Seokwoo-ssi. It was good fortune.”

When I looked at Yoo Seokwoo once again, that punk’s nodding face came into view.

‘Really….’

Out of everyone he could have brought back, the fact that he had brought these bastards was almost embarrassing.

There was an ominous feeling emanating just from his person alone.

That kind of ominousness was in this guy.

Perhaps it was an effect of the luck stat. My senses were screaming at me to not get close to him.

“That’s a relief. Actually, I was extremely worried when I heard that Seokwoo-ssi had left to go hunting. The rest of them… It can’t be helped….”

“If I had found them a little earlier, I could have saved them all… It really is such a shame.”

While I was glancing around restlessly, I could sense Jung Hayan and Park Deokgu coming out.

“What happened? Hyung-nim.”

“They’re newcomers.”

Only then did I relax a little. The way this guy looked, emerging with a heavy shield, was definitely a menacing sight for others.

Of course, that was without even mentioning his stats. I thought that even Jung Jinho might not be able to overcome his endurance and vitality levels.

Lee Jihye’s profile, as she made a statement of siding with me, clad in shoddy leather armour and showing hostility to the three men before us, was quite reliable.

Jung Hayan was also muttering something with her head lowered.

I couldn’t feel any significant amount of mana yet, but she had to have been preparing herself for whatever happened.

“I thought we’d be welcomed… This is a little unexpected.”

It was then that I realised I was making it too obvious that I had my guard up.

“My apologies. Given the circumstances… Even without realising it, I can’t help but be wary of those I meet for the first time. If I was rude….”

“It’s fine, Kiyoung-ssi. I completely understand. We have also been attacked by people looking for food.”

“Ah.”

“I think there’s a group of bad guys moving around this area. We just barely managed to get away from them, but I don’t think the same was true for their other victims. I spotted many murdered women on the way here.”

I wanted to ask if these guys had been the ones responsible.

My attribute didn’t tell lies.

I didn’t know whether this guy really had blood on his hands, but there was definitely a possibility that Jung Jinho would cause trouble somehow.

To claim that a normal person could have a disposition like Calculating Killer was incomprehensible.

“It really was a terrible sight. The corpses were already half-eaten by monsters, so I couldn’t check them properly, but I could see marks that were made by humans, not monsters, all over the bodies. There’s no doubt that they were knife-wounds.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. There were also traces that arrows had been lodged in the back, perhaps while they were trying to escape. There were signs of resistance…. One of the bad guys had to have been an archer. There were also stab wounds, possibly from a sword… It’s probably fair to say that one of them was carrying a sword. By any chance, have you seen anyone matching this description?”

“Yes.”

The guy quietly holding a bow next to him was, naturally, in my line of vision.

I couldn’t grasp his intention in making that remark. However, one thing for sure was that a strange tension was forming.

‘Are you picking a fight with me?’

I wondered if he really wanted to start a fight.

Park Deokgu must have seen my expression, as he also stealthily took up his shield and moved forward.

I moved aside to let him go in front of Jung Hayan and I.

I wondered if he couldn’t see Park Deokgu.

Maybe this guy….

‘Are you confident?’

It was highly likely.

Perhaps it was nothing but a figment of imagination, but it definitely felt like his target was me.

The way Jung Jinho’s arm kept moving to his waist bothered me. Park Deokgu was probably also paying attention to that guy’s arm.

“Perhaps they’re active in an area where Kiyoung-ssi’s men don’t frequent.”

“It’s possible. I’ve never heard stories about those kinds of people, nor seen any signs of them.”

At that moment, he was touching his waist, and his arm moved towards the handle of his sword.

I spat out the spell right away.

Rather, to be exact, I almost spilled out the whole spell.

Kim Hyunsung’s voice was the only thing that stopped me from summoning a fireball.

“What’s going on?”

That guy’s hand, which had stealthily been heading towards the handle of his sword, moved to the side.

It was quite a spectacle to see him wipe his hands on his pants then approach me with his hand outstretched for a handshake.

I wasn’t sure if this had been his intention from the start, but it was certainly true that Kim Hyunsung’s appearance had changed the mood somewhat.

I cancelled the spell I had been preparing, then clasped that guy’s hand.

“Regardless, it was a pleasure to meet you, Kiyoung-ssi.”

“The pleasure was all mine. Jinho-ssi.”

I turned my head slightly and saw Kim Hyunsung’s face as he came towards us.

He must have had a hard time during the past few days, but he didn’t look very tired.

I could see his eyes trained on all of the people who had come with Yoo Seokwoo with an indifferent expression.

“It seems nothing happened. It’s a long story. Seokwoo-ssi brought these….”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Jung Jinho.”

It was then that I thought that the look on his face seemed off.

Only

Kim Hyunsung’s expression as he looked at Jung Jinho was a bit stiff.

I had a strange sense of deja-vu. His expression was a bit different, but it was similar to the time when he had met Jung Hayan.

‘Do you know him?’

Kim Hyunsung might know the Jung Jinho of the future.

Of course, I had no way to confirm this, but the rigidity of his expression and the anger in his eyes gave me a bit more certainty.

Even his body was shaking.

‘Kim Hyunsung… Why’s he acting like this?’

He looked a little different from the Kim Hyunsung I knew.