I became a childhood friend of the middle boss. - chapter 24

Episode 24

“Cooperate?”

“Yeah, cooperate.”

The bobbed hair brushed lightly against her shoulders. Her features hinted at mixed heritage, and her blue eyes resembled the lake surrounding us.

Despite having engaged in fierce battles, the elegant beauty of Do Si-eun remained intact, and she looked puzzled by my suggestion.

Well, it was understandable since I had suddenly brought up the idea of cooperation in the midst of the chaos.

‘By the way, is she only fourteen? She does have a youthful appearance.’

In the game, Do Si-eun was depicted as someone who remained calm and charismatic in any situation, showing no signs of emotional turmoil.

Perhaps because she was older than Kang Byeol, she was portrayed as cold and mature.

However, Do Si-eun, tilting her head at my words, seemed somewhat distant from that image.

It felt refreshingly different.

Anyway.

“Since it’s not the right place to talk, shall we move somewhere else?”

“Sure, let’s do that.”

I shrugged and gestured toward the edge of the lake.

The surface where the boss and its minions were active.

Although we had defeated some nearby monsters, their numbers had been replenished, and more were slowly approaching while we talked.

It wasn’t a suitable time for conversation.

So, we decided to move away and continue our discussion.

[Encountered monsters.]

[Subordinate (Rank 01) x 6]

Monsters slightly shorter than me, resembling children, blocked our path.

“Get out of the way.”

“I’ll handle the ones over there.”

However, with Do Si-eun and me working together, they were no match for us.

We pushed them aside and climbed up from the lake to the grass.

The pursuit from the monsters ceased.

“They won’t come out of the water, so we can talk comfortably now.”

“Tell me. What do you mean by cooperating?”

“Just what it sounds like.”

“…”

“If you and I combine our strengths, we can take down the boss, right? You know from experience that it’s tough to face the boss alone.”

“…”

“So, let’s take it down together.”

I plopped down on the grass and invited her to sit beside me.

But she didn’t take the offer and just looked down at me silently.

Eventually, she spoke up.

“It is hard for me to handle it alone. But even if I cooperate with you, the situation won’t change.”

“Is it because of the minions surrounding the boss? They’ll prevent us from getting close to it.”

“Right.”

Do Si-eun nodded.

I knew exactly what she was worried about.

It was a concern I had too.

‘Two of us wouldn’t be enough.’

After all, just the two of us.

“I have a plan, so you don’t need to worry.”

“What?”

I directed my gaze behind her.

She felt my eyes and turned around.

The relatives who had been fighting the minions were approaching us.

People who had been watching the situation like me were also revealing themselves one by one.

Everyone looked exhausted.

“We’re not just cooperating between the two of us. We’re all going to cooperate together.”

“Then…”

“I’ll leave the task of dealing with the minions to those people.”

“…”

“We only need to face the boss.”

I brushed the dirt off my backside and stood up.

Now it was time to persuade them.

I called out to the relatives coming up from the grass.

“Hey, everyone.”

“Oh, Gyeon-woo. I saw you fighting with Si-eun earlier.”

“How about cooperating with us?”

“What?”

The relatives looked confused.

After a moment, they frowned at my proposal, appearing displeased.

“Why should we? Who are you to ask us?”

“…”

Yeah, I expected this reaction.

At that moment, on the cliff.

The participants in the evaluation match were gradually reaching the lake.

By then, most of the screens the family members were watching had switched to the lake where the boss was located.

“Everyone seems to be struggling.”

Someone let out a sigh.

Several people watching the screen nodded in agreement.

“Even if they weakened the boss, it might still be too early for the kids to face it.”

“The kids have almost no experience fighting on the water’s surface, and with so many monsters around, it would be hard to approach the boss.”

Take Do Si-eun, for example.

She was the first to reach the lake, trying various methods to get close to the boss.

However, she hadn’t achieved much success and had only briefly mixed it up with the boss.

But what about the others?

They couldn’t approach the boss and were only dealing with the minion monsters, occasionally helping Do Si-eun.

The family members could easily say the difficulty was high.

Moreover.

“The kids seem really exhausted. They must have spent a lot of energy getting through the jungle to the lake.”

“With Si-eun also paralyzed, I can only imagine how the others are faring.”

“Trying to face the boss in that state is bound to lead to trouble.”

All the participants in the initial rush through the gate were exhausted.

The faces of the kids on the screen showed undeniable fatigue, and their heavy breathing could be heard.

[Huff, huff…!]

[Come on, get out already.]

[…Phew!]

Some participants even slipped on the platforms or lost focus, falling into the water while walking on the surface.

[….]

Morale was dropping.

Those who reached the lake began to observe the situation from a distance without participating in the battle.

As the situation unfolded.

“Head of the family.”

“…”

The watchers of the evaluation match had no choice but to speak to Do Ye-ik.

“The kids don’t seem to be in good shape; perhaps we should lower the difficulty.”

The eldest son of Do Ye-ik, Do Woo-jun, who was considered the most likely successor among the direct descendants, stepped forward to represent.

“I’m not saying the kids are weak. I just think it might be better to consider their stamina and improve the situation.”

“Right, Head of the Family.”

“I agree.”

To avoid ruffling feathers, Do Woo-jun spoke politely.

Then others chimed in.

“Hm….”

Do Ye-ik let out a short hum.

He, like the others, couldn’t help but think similarly.

‘Was it too much for those kids?’

His grandchildren, none of whom were yet seventeen.

Considering their age, they had already shown sufficient skill.

So he wasn’t disappointed.

But it was still regrettable.

‘Seong-jin has taken on a disciple.’

A hunter who had risen to prominence purely through his own strength, without the backing of a prestigious family.

Tugwi, Seong-jin.

While the world viewed Seong-jin as someone who couldn’t match the heads of the current ten great families, Do Ye-ik didn’t think so.

In terms of wielding a sword, he would certainly surpass him.

But in ‘combat,’ it was different.

He couldn’t make light of it.

‘That guy is a monster.’

He didn’t possess the talent to be called a genius in any field, which ironically allowed him to train himself across all disciplines.

Thus, he had handled various weapons without being tied down to one and showed prowess in all types of combat and production.

Even if he hadn’t reached the pinnacle in any one area, he could be said to have reached a certain level in every field.

That was why Do Ye-ik couldn’t easily claim superiority in a battle where he would have to pour everything he had achieved into a single fight.

Therefore.

‘If that monster has taken on a disciple, it must be a monster that can surpass him.’

Do Ye-ik couldn’t help but feel a mix of curiosity and wariness toward Seong-jin’s disciple.

If that disciple’s talent combined perfectly with Seong-jin’s efforts and determination.

“…”

A true hero leading an era would be born.

A hero who could surpass the power of the ten great families.

If that happened, a new order might take root in this country.

It was a situation that the established prestigious families would not welcome.

Of course, more than that.

‘I absolutely don’t want to see my grandchildren lose to that kid’s disciple.’

In truth, that thought was more prominent.

Do Ye-ik had a strong competitive spirit, comparable to Seong-jin’s.

In that sense.

His grandchildren and Seong-jin’s disciple could be seen as an extension of the competition between him and Seong-jin.

As a result, Do Ye-ik was driven by his competitive spirit to plan this evaluation match.

“Head of the family, please reconsider.”

“It would be better to do so.”

However, it seemed his enthusiasm had gone too far.

Do Ye-ik scolded himself as he watched his struggling grandchildren.

Ultimately, he decided to command the hunters to lower the difficulty of the evaluation match.

Just then.

“Wait a minute.”

Do Ye-ik reversed his decision.

His gaze was fixed on the screen showing the outskirts of the lake.

“…”

Participants who had reached the lake were now all gathered.

At the center stood Do Gyeon-woo.

[Stick with me.]

Do Gyeon-woo’s voice was confident.

Unlike the participants with downcast faces, he displayed a starkly contrasting expression.

That face filled most of the screen from the participants’ perspective.

“Huh…”

Having seen the same scene multiple times, Do Ye-ik sighed.

The sigh quickly turned into a chuckle.

A smile crept onto his face.

“It looks like the kids are planning to do something; let’s watch and judge.”

How confident was he?

Do Ye-ik decided to observe Do Gyeon-woo’s confident face.

“If it’s Si-eun, I can accept it. She has the skills to fight the boss. But you, Do Gyeon-woo, haven’t shown us anything. Why should we help you? What do we have to believe in?”

“I agree with working together. I think we should do that. But cooperating so you can approach the boss is a different story.”

“Where do you get the nerve to act so cocky at your age? Just because you beat Do Seung-woo, do you think we’ll take you seriously?”

“Well, we did take you seriously. But you shouldn’t act like you can match us just because of that.”

“Are you completely disregarding us?”

“…”

Relatives around my age or younger were quietly watching.

The older relatives were openly expressing their anger.

‘One at a time, please; it’s chaotic.’

I clicked my tongue inwardly.

Having been mocked as a rabbit in the family, it was understandable they would show dissatisfaction when I proposed cooperation.

I had anticipated this reaction to some extent.

That’s why I managed to stay calm and accept the situation.

Of course, I had a solution ready.

‘If only I could suggest we settle this with swords instead of words, but that’s not possible.’

I had already checked their status screens, and they were utterly exhausted.

It wouldn’t be hard for me to challenge them to a duel and win if I wanted to.

But I couldn’t waste time and energy trying to convince them by sparring one by one.

00:52:34

There wasn’t much time left.

So, I decided to persuade them with something other than a duel.

“Then if I don’t fight the boss, who will?”

“You don’t need to worry about that; we’ll handle it.”

“Can you even fight? Do you have the strength left for that?”

“What?”

“Do you have the energy to fight the boss? Has the paralysis worn off yet?”

“…”

At my words, the relatives who had been angry moments ago fell silent.

Even those who had arrived late were aware of their own limitations.

“See? You don’t.”

“…”

“So you should cooperate with me.”

I then laid down the card I could use to persuade them.

It was the stash of Pakit Ape fruits.

I dumped the contents for them to see.

Crash.

“…”

Vitality fruits, energy fruits, and the roots of mud grass appeared.

I looked at my relatives, who were staring at them.

“I’m not asking you to help me for free. If you cooperate with me, I’ll give you these. Honestly, I think you all want them, right?”

“…”

“If you just had stamina and mana and weren’t paralyzed, you could do better than now.”

“…”

“I’m sure you’re thinking that. Aren’t you?”

I didn’t miss the way their eyes flickered.

They were hooked.

I had hit the nail on the head.

I continued speaking.

“So let’s eat these, recover our strength, and show the adults watching us that we’re not embarrassing ourselves. There’s not much time left; do you want to end this looking pathetic?”

Whoosh!

“…Huh?”

I suddenly threw a vitality fruit to someone nearby.

That person reflexively caught it, looking surprised.

“Eat it if you want to fight.”

“…”

I urged them to make a decision.

Then the hesitant one quickly brought the vitality fruit to their mouth.

Crunch.

The sound of biting into the fruit echoed in the silence, shaking the hearts of those around.

I continued throwing fruits to stir their impatience.

They caught the fruits.

“Stick with me.”

“…”

“Cooperate with me.”

That was all it took.

Crunch.

The relatives who had just been insulting me began to turn to my side.

I then handed a root to Do Si-eun, who had been quietly observing the situation.

“Here, eat this. It’ll be hard to fight if you don’t recover from the paralysis.”

“…Thank you.”

Do Si-eun now seemed to have made up her mind to cooperate with me.

She chewed on the root.

Then, perhaps tasting something bitter, she subtly grimaced.

She quickly swallowed it.

‘With this, the paralysis will be gone.’

I confirmed that the paralysis had lifted and closed Do Si-eun’s status window.

In the meantime, the relatives who had reached the lake also decided to cooperate with me.

“So this is the energy fruit?”

“I want to get rid of the paralysis.”

“Thank you. I’ll eat it well.”

“Do Gyeon-woo, you.”

“Are you still alive?”

Among them was Do Seung-woo.

He was covered in mud, almost unrecognizable.

“So? Are you going to cooperate too?”

“…Damn it.”

His condition wasn’t good.

In the end, he had no choice but to cooperate.

The more usable voices, the better.

I willingly offered the roots.

“Okay, listen up. I’m going to explain the plan now.”

“…”

Maybe because I had given them something in return.

They obediently followed my words.

I carefully explained the strategy to take down the boss.

“And Si-eun.”

“Yeah?”

“You’ll cover the left side of the boss. I’ll handle the right side.”

“Got it, I’ll do that.”

“It’s the left side. Don’t forget.”

I emphasized this to Do Si-eun.

She seemed to agree but then raised a question.

“Does it really have to be the left?”

Do Si-eun blinked her blue eyes and asked.

I replied as if it were obvious.

“Because you’re stronger than me.”

“Really?”

“Relative to the right side, the left will be tougher. So I’m asking you to use your strength there.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Can you do it? I’m counting on you.”

“…”

The boss’s left arm had been severed.

That meant its defenses on the left side would be lacking.

So I would handle the right side, and she would cover the left.

It was a perfectly rational decision.

Anyway, thus.

[Encountered monsters.]

[Boss (Rank 03) x 1]

[Subordinate (Rank 01) x 17]

The battle against the boss began.