ReLife Player

Chapter 46

[Hound(8)]

There is so much to say, but.

She swung the resonance folding fan once. There was no need to chant a spell. The wind was familiar to her.

She didnt need to understand how the wind, which existed everywhere in the world, was generated.

I wont just let those brats be.

She swung the mana alloy-made palm-leaf fan.

With only the sensation of the wind cutting through flesh.

They want me to do this kind of work?

She, Shin Seoyoung, couldnt contain her anger. Her dignified and beautiful face twisted.

Those brats are really!

One of the twelve seats of Koreas best players, The Twelve Seats. <Shinpoong>, who occupies one of the twelve seats, could not maintain her composure.

Theyre all dead.

The wind shook for a moment, and the compressed hunting dogs exploded out to the sides.

It was an absurd event that ignored the laws of physics, but it was a collision of winds.

The wind that rotated clockwise and the wind that rotated counterclockwise collided without yielding to each other.

It was possible because she was <Shinpoong>. Even though she distorted the principles of the world, she didnt even let out a breath. Rather, she gave impetus. The hunting dogs, caught in the storm as if they wouldnt leave a single seed, were torn apart one by one.

This, too, was her completing a disharmony that did not fit with what she had distorted.

Severed corpses and a silver-red storm stained with blood.

The sky was the epitome of beauty, and the world was dark red.

Ah.

This was not good for the children.

Recovering, she summoned a new wind. Rising from the ground, it blew the grotesque storm over the mountains.

Im sorry, kids, your noona scared you, didnt she?

Internally, she cursed the clan members who were on the land the players called exile, while worrying about the children surrounded by the hound pack. They must have been very scared.

They must have been scared.

They were barely out of kindergarten, and they were about to lose their lives to a monster that frightened even adults.

They were lucky not to have a mental breakdown.

You dont have to be scared anymore. So-.

Dont worry.

Seo-young, who was trying to calm the children with such words, felt something strange.

Youre so cool! Who are you noona? Are you also a twelve?

The boys eyes were full of stars.

You idiot, you should first thank your noona for saving us, ah, thank you so much for saving me.

The girl who scolds the boy and then bows her head.

Amazing.

A girl who looked up at her with relief and thankfulness.

Whats so amazing?

Thank you so much, thank you so much, thank you so much.

A little girl with tears in her eyes, bowing her head again and again.

Am I the only one uncomfortable with this?

Seoyoung was at a loss for words as she looked at the children who didnt seem to mind what had happened.

She didnt know what expression to make, so she just twitched the corners of her mouth.

Are they crazy?

They could be. There were plenty of people who lost their minds in the face of monsters. But these kids were young, and the monsters they faced were in packs.

They must be crazy.

Wow, youre a twelve, twelve!, my God, have I just met the best player in the country?

Please, be polite!

Its amazing.

Thank you so much, thank you so much, thank you so much. Thank you.

Why does he seem so sane?

Ha.

Crazy or not crazy.

It was urgent to get them to a hospital.

The state of the kids was beyond words. There wasnt an inch of them that wasnt injured, like theyd just jumped off a mountain, and they were covered in leaves, like they hadnt walked down a normal path.

I checked them for internal injuries and-.

Just as she was about to give them a quick scan and send them to the hospital, she was at a loss for words again.

Crazy, crazy.

She had to be crazy.

Not the children, but herself.

She looked at the girl with the abnormally large amount of mana.

The same girl, Hayang, had been staring at her for a while now.

She looks like Eunhas sister.

Seoyoung couldnt understand the words Hayang had muttered a moment ago.

She was simply distracted by the mana in her body.

Wow.

Huh?

Saying what Eunha had said in the past, she grabbed Hayangs cheeks and stretched them, even kissing her on the cheek. She didnt mind that her face was covered in sweat and dirt.

Do you want to be a player?

P, player?

Yes, player.

If this child becomes a player

Shin swallowed hard as if to suppress her excitement.

If this child becomes a player, she might take the seat of the Twelve in the future.

No, she would make it happen.

She wanted to.

But there was a child standing between them.

Ill be the player!

It was Eunhyuk, who was unhappy that Hayang was getting all the attention and not him.

Ah.

Seo-young suddenly remembered Eun-hyeok protecting the children until she showed up.

His mana levels were good enough even if he became a player. He was not a child who had to live a destitute life even if he became a player.

Above all, she liked his character. She admired his determination to protect the children, even if he had to sacrifice his life, unlike the subordinates who caused problems even in exile.

At least, thats what a man should do.

Yes, a man.

Eh, eh?

Aww, pretty one!

To clear her mind of passing thoughts, she showed the same behavior to him, even if it was just for show.

Uh, me, why?

Minji was flustered.

Seoyoung hugged her anyway.

The child was adorable, a seed that would blossom into a flower in the future, and her reason for becoming a player wasnt just her hatred of monsters, but also her desire to protect the future.

You sent the telepath, didnt you? It wasnt hard for me to find you.

Finally, Seoyoung walked over to Seona, who was rubbing her reddened eyes.

She reached out and wiped the tears from her eyes. She stroked her hair.

Then she relaxed and let herself be touched.

Good, very good.

Telepathy was a natural ability for Ain, but it was rare for her to awaken to it at such a young age.

Perhaps it was the urgency of the situation that caused her telepathy to blossom.

And the reason for her awakening must have been a desire to protect these children.

Her telepathy seemed to echo that sentiment.

Thats great.

The childrens desperation to protect each other was glaring.

She looked at them with a bittersweet smile.

So she didnt realize.

Why, despite their young age, they were not afraid to face the monster.

Just go down the mountain. There will be rescuers at the bottom.

Isnt our noona coming with us?

Minji asked anxiously.

Seoyoung smiled awkwardly, noticing a normal reaction from the children for the first time.

Because I have to go save the others.

And she wasnt going to leave them alone.

But I cant let you go alone, so, ah, here he comes.

Seo-young pointed in the direction of the sound of clanking armor.

Mr. Bear?

The first child to respond was Hayang. A surprised reaction came from her voice.

Wow.

Eun-hyeok and Minji looked at the man with a different reaction from Hayang.

He was big. If they hadnt looked up from far away, they would have only seen his protruding belly.

Overall, he was a middle-aged man with a cuddly impression.

The atmosphere emanating from him reminded them of Winnie the Pooh. It wasnt unreasonable for Hayang to call him Mr. Bear.

Yeah, if it werent for the mechanical arm.

A machine arm was attached from where the collarbone started on the right shoulder of the middle-aged man. On his left shoulder, he was equipped with a large circular shield, but he didnt seem to be showing any signs of difficulty.

Lady, what about me going first? It was so hard for me to climb up here alone!

The middle-aged man was boiling. He seemed to be dissatisfied with having climbed the mountain with his heavy body.

But he didnt show any signs of hardship even though he complained.

It was really urgent. You know that too.

Well, thats true. Are those kids those kids?

The middle-aged man glanced at the children. He seemed to be interested in the little girl who had sent the telepathic message. The way his eyes swept over her was uncharacteristic.

Do you happen to be pl.

I already told you that, dear.

Hmm, hmm. So, all I have to do is take these kids down there?

Sounds easy, doesnt it?

Easy to say.

The middle-aged man sighed.

The children were surely mentally exhausted. It wouldnt have been an easy task to take them down alone.

But as if to put an end to his worries,

These kids arent as problematic as you think. Ill vouch for them.

Lady, youre talking so much about guaranteeing that you have no credit.

What?

Hmm, hmm.

Apparently, the kids werent scared. It didnt seem like it would be too difficult to get them downstairs.

The problem was Shin Seo-yeong.

Are you going to be okay, Nuna?

What do you mean?

Arent you going to cross over to Uijeongbu on this road? Those damn bastard dogs might attack you.

In front of the kids.

Um, um. Anyway, will you be okay by yourself?

Shin Seo-yeong was one of the Twelve Chairs. She was one of the players who was considered the best in South Korea.

But she wasnt the strongest. Even though she could freely control the wind with her vast mana, she was only a caster at best.

If she allowed a player to ambush her even once.

How do you see me? Do you think Im a joke?

Well, no, but I mean, youll handle it on your own, right?

It was a pointless thought.

Shin Seo-yeong. Wasnt she the figure who made the Changhae Clan the second most prominent clan in South Korea?

Moreover, hasnt she been acting independently frequently since becoming one of the Twelve Chairs?

So, the kids will be okay.

Well, okay, then Ill send them down, and then Ill go see the bastards who allowed the monsters to invade.

Sure. Youll have to deal with them later.

Uijeongbu was at fault for not reporting the movement of the Hound pack, but they also failed to properly deal with the monsters that had crossed into the Bukhansan Mountain.

The Changhae Clans local city dispatcher, Bukhansan Management, was also at fault.

They must have gotten complacent and thought that monsters wouldnt come over, and this division was born.

Haaa

Now it wasnt just that the clan was festering internally. It would be a huge loss of image externally as well.

Frustrated, she let out a sigh.

Still, try to calm them down for now. There were probably a lot of casualties among them too. We can punish them after we hold funerals for the dead ones.

Well, if you say so, well do that. Alright, then. Kids, lets go down.

The middle-aged man who finished talking called the children.

The children were chatting amongst themselves.

Among the children called by the middle-aged man, Eunhyuk raised his hand and said,

The captain hasnt come yet!

Captain?

Whats that fool talking about? Theres a kid named No Eunha. Hes still on the mountain.

If the captain doesnt come, we wont go either!

Eunhyuk lit a torch.

The middle-aged man was perplexed. Shin Seo-youngs face also darkened.

Being on the mountain meant the outcome was already predictable. Unfortunately, the boy named Eunha would have lost his life to the monsters.

Of course, they couldnt tell the children that. They had to think about the shock the children would receive.

So Seo-young said,

Then Ill go find him. Do you guys want to go down first?

She told a kind lie.

If its Seo-young unni, she can find him. (1)

Yeah, I think so too.

Hayang and Seona nodded in agreement with Seo-youngs lie.

Well, then, lets go down.

Eunhyuk, who put his arm behind his head, crossed over obediently. He hadnt forgotten Eunhas instructions to listen to Hayang.

Oh, wait a minute, kids!

The middle-aged man, who was about to take the children down, stopped.

As if something had just occurred to her, Seo-young clapped her hands and smiled happily.

Do you know what his name is?

Ah, no, lady, why are you suddenly.

I want to know!!!

Seoyoung smiling happily.

And the middle-aged man with a sad face.

It is Kangcheol. Kangcheol. It means a <bulldozer>, which means it can crush anything. A quite a famous guardian around here.

They said above.

Seoyoung searched the mountain to fulfill her promise to the children.

Riding the wind, she flew into the air, spreading the wind everywhere. She defeated monsters and rescued people based on the information the returning winds gave her.

But she couldnt find the child.

She couldnt.

He must be dead.

The thought of the children crying made her feel unnecessarily sad.

But where are the Hell Hounds?

If there was a pack this big, there had to be a Hellhound of the sixth rank.

But the wind hadnt given her any information. She couldnt find any sign of the Hell Hound.

She decided to go over the mountain to Uijeongbu.

And at the top of Mount Bukhansan,

What is this?

Seo-young looked down with a stiff expression.

It was a corpse.

There were bodies everywhere.

They werent human corpses. They were all monster corpses.

As if they had been mauled.

The monsters didnt seem to have died nicely.

Who did this?

That was the natural question.

When the Hound was hungry, it would prey on its own kind, but it was not a monster engaged in senseless slaughter.

This was human behavior.

A very ugly, cruel man.

She descended to the ground to get a closer look,

Hey, hey!

She didnt recognize him at first. There, in a pool of blood, lay a child covered in blood.

I wouldnt have recognized him if he hadnt been moaning in pain.

Hey, are you okay, huh?

Seoyoung ran over in a panic.

Saving this child was her first priority.

The thought of going to Uijeongbu was out of her mind.

Notes!

(1) Unnie: () is a Korean term used by women to refer to an older sister or a female friend who is older than them. It is typically used by younger females to address older females, and is a term of respect and affection.