Chapter 8 …

Foreign Workers of the Ruined Game

The Foreign Workers of the Ruined Game (4)

“Uaaaaaah!”

A sharp dagger flashed repeatedly.

“Keerrrgh!”

The goblin, stabbed again and again in the abdomen, groaned hoarsely and widened its eyes.

“Haaah!”

At that moment, a longsword fell.

The tip of the blade wavered, but the weight and the strength behind it were real.

Thud.

In the end, the green-skinned fiend had its vital point pierced and its head crushed, ending its miserable life.

“Hoo… hoo.”

“Uuugh……”

They say humans are creatures that adapt.

After putting these guys through it over and over, their skills had improved.

Well… it looked decent now.

In other words, they’d at least reached the level where they could take a spoonful from a table someone else had already prepared.

“Not that big of a deal, is it?”

Though that bitch Reina seemed to think she was the one doing well.

Hold it in. Hold it in.

“Everyone hit level 2, right?”

“Yes!”

“Yeah….”

“Then from now on, let’s take turns finishing them.”

At Niumel’s words, Reina frowned in dissatisfaction.

She too had realized that in this world—now a reality—the higher your level, the stronger you became.

But she couldn’t argue.

After all, it was Niumel and Azov who prepared the traps and led the situation.

However—

How about this?

Reina smiled slyly to herself.

Whoosh—thud.

The arrow shot by Azov pierced the eye of the gremlin caught in the trap.

Tap tap tap!

As the gremlin screamed miserably, Niumel rushed forward.

“Die!”

Just as she was about to bring her sword down—

Whoosh.

A thrown dagger shot forward and cut off the gremlin’s life.

Thud.

Watching the corpse collapse pointlessly, Niumel frowned.

“What are you doing right now?”

Her gaze turned toward Reina, who stood there blankly.

“It looked dangerous, so I threw it. Ah—did I get in your way?”

In Dunz, experience points were calculated based on the proportion of damage dealt to the monster that was killed.

Which meant Niumel had earned zero experience just now.

Her voice dropped.

“Yeah. You did. A lot.”

“Sorry. I was just worried you might get hurt.”

“…No need to worry. I’m a paladin.”

After that, the hunt continued.

But whenever it was Niumel’s turn, Reina kept throwing her dagger.

“Ah, sorry. My hand slipped.”

“That thing just aimed for your neck! If you die instantly, healing is useless, you know?!”

At this point, only an idiot wouldn’t realize it was intentional.

Thud.

Eventually Niumel paid her back.

When it was Reina and Kevin’s turn, she suddenly interfered and smashed the goblin’s head herself.

Then Reina’s response was even more outrageous.

“Ugh!”

She suddenly threw a dagger straight into Niumel’s back.

“Are you okay?! Why did you suddenly interfere?! It was our turn!”

Reina shrugged.

“Niumel!”

Azov hurriedly jumped down from the tree and ran over.

“Shi—shit!”

Tears welled slightly in Niumel’s eyes as she pulled the dagger out of her back and tossed it aside.

Thud.

Then she swung her fist and struck Reina.

“Gah!”

The force was so strong several white teeth flew out.

“A-ah….”

Reina collapsed, rubbing her face in a daze.

It looked as if she’d never experienced such a shock before.

Right… maybe she’d always been the one hurting others, never the one getting hurt.

“Reina!”

Kevin hurriedly stepped in front of her.

Niumel snarled.

“You crazy bitch. What? ‘Are you okay?’ Anyone can see you’ve been stealing kills on purpose this whole time. What kind of bullshit is this?!”

“N-no! Ms. Niumel! Reina was just startled—”

Thud.

Kevin, who tried to defend Reina, was kicked in the stomach and rolled across the ground.

“Aagh!”

Niumel grabbed Reina by the hair and pulled her up, about to slap her—

“Stop there.”

Azov grabbed Niumel’s shoulder.

“Don’t stop me. I didn’t like this bitch from the start. Is this party play? She’s acting selfishly just so she can take everything for herself.”

And now she even stabbed me?!

“Niumel.”

“….”

At Azov’s firm voice, Niumel sighed.

She threw Reina aside and brushed off her hands, then used healing to treat her wound.

“A… ah….”

Azov glanced at Reina, picked up the dagger that had fallen to the ground—

Thud.

—and suddenly stabbed it into the ground right in front of her eyes.

“…!”

Azov spoke.

“I understand that this situation feels hopeless and makes you angry. But if we’re going to work together and fight, then act like it.”

His voice was low and dry.

“If you can’t do that, then leave the party altogether. Understood?”

The two of them hadn’t stayed quiet because they were pushovers.

They simply knew how cruel this world was.
And they knew fighting among themselves would only harm them all.

But Reina had just crossed that line.

And she received the warning she deserved.

“O-okay….”

“I’m sorry.”

Kevin helped the trembling Reina.

Niumel looked at Azov and gave him a thumbs-up.

“Nice.”

Azov placed the dagger back in Reina’s hand and winked at Niumel.

“Let’s go back.”

To this seasoned middle-aged man, one capable veteran companion was far more valuable than two greedy, inexperienced newcomers.

Later That Day

After that warning, Reina behaved herself.

Who knew what she was thinking inside, but at least outwardly she followed instructions.

The party continued hunting smoothly.

Whenever unexpected variables appeared, Niumel’s healing helped greatly.

The power of healing that only priests and paladins possessed.

Without her, someone would have died from infection or worsening wounds.

Thanks to that, Niumel reached Level 5 and learned a new skill: [Light of Radiance].

Azov reached Level 4 and learned the passive skill [Heightened Senses].

Reina and Kevin, still low level, couldn’t learn new skills yet but could increase their stats.

Unlike the shaky beginning, the party was becoming more stable.

The setting sun dyed the quiet rural village red.

Leaning against a barn, Niumel spoke.

“I think it’s about time we make a decision.”

“The dungeon?”

“No. I mean going into the forest and fighting directly instead of just setting traps.”

With more people in the party, the villagers had started watching them cautiously.

The party’s strength had increased.

But there was a problem.

With more members, the money and experience each person received was smaller.

Since everyone had leveled up, hunting one monster at a time with traps no longer gave much experience.

And maybe rumors had spread among the monsters too—
they had stopped appearing near the roadside.

“Field hunting, huh… If we keep this up, we’ll move at a turtle’s pace,” Azov said.

At their current level, normally they would already be raiding goblin villages alone while chugging potions.

That is—

If this were still just a game.

But now that the game had become reality, fatigue existed.

And they were not emotionless dolls moving frame by frame on a monitor.

They were humans who felt fear.

That difference was fatal.

“Alright. Then tomorrow, how about we check the mountain behind the village? If we go north instead of south, it should be safer.”

Azov agreed.

Kevin and Reina simply nodded.

“Okay.”

“Y-yes!”

“Alright then. Dismissed.”

Niumel and Azov went into the barn.

Kevin and Reina walked back to their inn room.

Reina lay on the crude straw bed and sighed.

“I’m dying here, seriously.”

Kevin sat on the floor.

“Hey, babe.”

“Yeah?”

“Shouldn’t we start saving money too?”

From the beginning, Niumel and Azov stayed in the barn to save money.

For equipment repairs and upgrades.

There was even a blacksmith in the village.

But Kevin and Reina had stayed in the inn from the start, spending all their initial money.

Everything they earned went to lodging and food.

Kevin meant they should prepare for the future.

But Reina frowned.

“I can barely breathe in this crappy room. How am I supposed to sleep in a literal pigsty like that?”

“But we still need to prepare—”

“We’re about to, aren’t we?”

“Huh?”

“Didn’t you hear them? We’re going hunting in the field. That means we’ll earn more money.”

“As we level up, learn skills, and get stronger, hunting will only get easier. What’s the problem?”

Reina’s plan was impulsive and ignored possible risks.

But the indecisive Kevin quickly agreed.

“Y-yeah… that’s true.”

“Now that you understand, come massage my legs. I’ve got blisters and I’m exhausted.”

“Okay, babe!”

Kevin began massaging her legs.

Reina touched her cheek.

The place where Niumel had punched her.

That bitch.

All through school, Reina had always been the center of her social group.

She had never known pain or humiliation.

Even her wealthy parents had never laid a hand on her.

But—

Niumel had shattered that.

And it left a wound on her pride that couldn’t be washed away.

Just you wait.

Young and lacking empathy due to her upbringing, Reina chose revenge instead of reflection.

“Reina.”

Kevin called.

“What?”

His face was unusually serious.

“Well… if we maybe… you know…”

Reina stared at him in disbelief.

“You’re getting turned on even in a situation like this?!”

“Hehe.”

“Get lost!”

And so another night passed in this other world.

The Next Day

Rustle rustle.

Four figures moved through the forest path.

Azov scanned the surroundings intensely.

[Eagle Eye]
[Heightened Senses]

With his learned skills and experience, he could now properly scout.

But even so, tension remained.

The unknown forest where Baek Geon-young and Kang Hyuk had died felt like the mouth of a monster.

Niumel, sword drawn, was also scanning the surroundings.

“Hmm~ the air’s nice.”

“Hehe. Feels like a picnic.”

Only Reina and Kevin looked relaxed.

“Be quiet.”

At Niumel’s warning, they shut their mouths.

Reina rolled her eyes.

Why are they acting like this? We’re barely at the entrance of the mountain.

When Reina played Dunz, she skipped minor stories and quests and rushed through the main scenario with help from others.

Even now that it had become reality, she wasn’t much different.

While Niumel and Azov carefully built strength to minimize risk—

Reina had been enjoying a comfortable environment:

• finishing off trapped monsters

• growing stronger every day

• feeling the pride of “I did it”

And that comfort allowed arrogance and carelessness to sprout inside her.

Which led to an irreversible mistake.

While Niumel and Azov were analyzing monster tracks—

“Looks like kobold footprints.”

“There are several… this size might be a clan—”

Rustle.

Reina, watching another direction, noticed something.

In the bushes, a wild boar was wagging its tail.

A small one, about the size of a child.

“Kevin, look over there.”

She pointed.

Kevin widened his eyes.

“A boar? We should tell them—”

Reina smacked his shoulder.

“Are you an idiot? You know animals give experience too, right?”

“But…”

“I’m about to level up. And something that size isn’t dangerous.”

They had already fought monsters far more terrifying than that.

Confidence filled Reina.

She calmly but powerfully threw her dagger.

Thud.

“Squeee!”

Her experience paid off.

The dagger struck perfectly.

The boar collapsed with a short cry.

[Level Up]

A surge of power rose inside her.

“What was that sound?!”

Niumel and Azov turned.

Reina proudly pointed at the boar.

“I killed it. So that one’s mine. Don’t ask for—”

She tilted her head.

Both Azov and Niumel had pale faces.

Step. Step.

They were backing away slowly.

“What? Why are you guys—”

“Shit! Run!”

They shouted and jumped into the trees.

“What the hell…?”

Reina frowned and turned her head.

At that moment—

CRACK!!

With a horrifying sound of tearing flesh, Reina’s body flew through the air as if hit by a dump truck.

“Ghah!”

Blinding pain.

Her mind shaking.

Her vision fading—

Through it, Reina saw what had hit her.

It was a boar.

A gigantic one nearly two meters tall, with bristling fur like iron spikes.

And—

“SQUEEEEEEEEEAL!”

A furious beast that had just lost its child.