When I said I could pinpoint the boss’s location, Kim hyung nodded without a second thought.
“Oh, really? That’s a relief. Finding the boss would’ve been a job in itself, but this will definitely save us time.”
Park Jin-seong and Kim Min-ju looked puzzled for a moment, but my confident explanation soon convinced them.
“Hmm... Understood. You don’t seem like someone who would joke about something like this, Si-hyeon. We’ll trust you to guide us.”
Park Jin-seong then shifted his gaze toward his companion, Kim Min-ju.
“It looks like everyone’s already decided. For now... all right. It’s not like we have another brilliant idea.”
She nodded reluctantly, but her expression remained doubtful.
Well, as long as she didn’t object, I didn’t care.
Having been chosen as our guide, I briefly explained how it worked before leading the way.
“How should I put it? It feels like following a star... I know where the boss is, but I don’t know what lies along the way. So none of you should let your guard down.”
“Okay. I get the idea.”
“Following a star... Understood, Si-hyeon.”
“Yes, got it.”
Each member of the party answered in their own way.
A single ‘Yes’ would have sufficed, yet all three had somehow given completely different answers. I was already worried.
‘What a headache. Are we really going to manage proper teamwork like this?’
All I could do was hope they wouldn’t get in one another’s way.
“Then let’s go. It’s this way.”
Five minutes... ten minutes... We continued forging a path together for quite some time.
Had it been about thirty minutes?
The damp soil had given way to a quagmire, and the lush rainforest had transformed into a dank wetland.
“From here on, we’re definitely in wetlands. Everyone, be careful. It’ll be completely different from the forest.”
As expected, all three answered differently. I let their replies go in one ear and out the other, then suggested that we take a break.
“...Before we continue, let’s make our final preparations here. The boss is close. If possible, we’ll rest once more before facing it, but if that isn’t possible, this may be our last chance.”
With everyone in agreement, the party paused to catch their breath and prepare for the decisive battle against the boss.
Park Jin-seong raised his hand high.
“Um... may I go relieve myself?”
“...Pardon?”
He certainly had it easy.
Relieving himself in a situation like this?
‘No, maybe this situation made him need to go because he’s nervous?’
In any case, I couldn’t exactly refuse.
It could lead to a loss of combat power.
“We don’t know what might come from where. It’s dangerous to go alone. Take someone with you.”
Kim hyung readily volunteered and accompanied Park Jin-seong.
“Oh, then I’ll go with him.”
Once the two left, I had a little free time.
I used the opportunity to begin crafting an item I had only considered on the way here.
‘I have time to spare, and it seems like it’ll be highly effective for the effort involved. Let’s at least make it.’
In the past, I had briefly worked on a tidal flat as an extra pair of hands during the busy season.
The tidal flat had been a nuisance because my feet sank deep every time I took a step, so I had slightly modified my boots. The result had been quite effective.
I intended to make use of that idea again.
‘In other words, Swamp Snowshoes.’
I roughly sketched the structure in my mind and began harvesting bark for the materials. Kim Min-ju, who stood beside me, asked cautiously,
“What... are you doing right now?”
“I’m planning to make Swamp Snowshoes.”
“...Swamp Snowshoes?”
They were devices worn over ordinary footwear in regions with heavy snowfall to keep people from sinking into the snow or slipping.
The principle was simple.
All they did was increase the surface area touching the ground and distribute the wearer’s weight.
When I briefly explained it, Kim Min-ju narrowed her brow with a ‘Hmm....’
Apparently, she found the very idea of making something in an environment like this difficult to trust.
Ignoring her doubts, I moved my hands quickly and obtained two broad, tough pieces of bark.
‘That takes care of the soles. I think I can make the straps from the clothes I tore up earlier.’
All that remained were sturdy branches to form the frame.
I was looking around for something suitable when....
“H-hey! What is this? What’s happening?!”
“...!”
It was an urgent voice.
Park Jin-seong.
“Si-hyeon! Get over here, quick!”
Kim hyung’s voice followed immediately.
Something had definitely gone wrong.
“I think we should go.”
“Yes, hurry!”
Kim Min-ju had gone pale at the thought of Park Jin-seong being in danger and was already running ahead of me.
We hurried toward the voices.
We soon came upon the situation.
“Min-ju, help me...! Si-hyeon, please save me!”
The problem was the swamp.
Park Jin-seong had sunk past his knees, and the mud had already reached his thighs.
“Si-hyeon, what do we do? The ground suddenly gave way, and then this happened...! If I try to rescue him myself, I think I’ll get sucked in too, so I tried to pull him out with this....”
Kim hyung was at a loss.
The broken branch in his hand explained the situation.
“Don’t worry. I’ll figure something out.”
I spoke confidently, but Park Jin-seong was sinking faster than I had expected.
“Park Jin-seong! First, don’t do anything. Stay completely still! Struggling will only make you sink faster!”
“L-like this?”
Park Jin-seong was terrified, but he followed my instructions well.
Thanks to that, he began sinking much more slowly.
“Now lie down flat, just as you are! You need to distribute your weight!”
“L-lie down? Right here? I don’t think I should....”
“You need to increase your surface area. You’re not trusting me. You’re trusting science.”
“Ugh... Uhhh.”
After hesitating briefly, Park Jin-seong gritted his teeth and lowered himself onto the mud.
The effect was immediate, and he almost stopped sinking.
‘That bought us time.’
Now the problem was how to get him out.
‘The best option would be for him to kick his feet from where he’s lying and get out under his own power....’
But the situation wasn’t that simple.
Perhaps because he had struggled, his lower body was planted so firmly in the ground that it looked as though someone had buried him there. It was already too late for him to escape under his own power.
‘And the quick solution is dangerous.’
The remaining three of us could stand in a line and join hands to form a human rope.
The problem was that although it was simple and fast, the risk was far too great if it failed.
The instant even one person lost their balance or released their grip, all of us could fall into the swamp. It was the worst possible move.
So even if it took a little longer and was more complicated, I chose the safer move.
“Hyung, Min-ju, go back to where we were resting and bring me the cord. The one I used to secure you to my back earlier, hyung.”
“Got it!”
“Yes!”
The two nodded immediately and hurried away.
I shouted after their retreating backs.
“Go back along the exact same path we took! Watch the ground! We don’t know how many more of these there are!”
Perhaps because the situation was urgent, they hurried and soon returned after accomplishing their task.
“Here! I brought it!”
The moment I received the cord, I tore it lengthwise and divided it into three long strands.
Kim Min-ju cried out in surprise.
“H-hey...! Why are you tearing it?! It might not be enough even as it is!”
“If we use it as it is, it won’t bear the weight. It’ll tear.”
I twisted the three strands and braided them back together into one.
My practiced hands soon completed a sturdy rope.
“Twisting several strands together like this distributes the force between them, and the friction helps them hold, making the rope far tougher.”
“Oh... it definitely looks sturdier than before. Will this be enough?”
Kim hyung admired the finished rope.
“This alone won’t be enough. Hyung, may I borrow your scabbard for a moment?”
“My scabbard? You don’t need the sword, just the scabbard, right? Here.”
Kim hyung might reasonably have asked why, but he handed me the scabbard at once.
I tied it securely to the end of the rope I had just made.
The scabbard would serve as both a weight and a handle for Park Jin-seong to grip.
I swung the rope in circles a few times to get a feel for the weight, then immediately began the rescue.
“All right, I’m throwing it!”
WHOOSH!
The rescue scabbard flew in a shallow arc.
SPLAT!
Fortunately, it landed in front of Park Jin-seong on the first try, and he gripped it tightly in both hands like a lifeline lowered from heaven.
“I-I’ve got it! I’m ready!”
“We’ll all pull together! When I say ‘One, two!’ shout ‘Heave-ho!’ Got it? One, two!”
“Heave-ho!”
When the three of us combined our strength, Park Jin-seong’s legs, which had seemed immovable, began emerging from the swamp with a wet, sucking sound.
“Oh! I’m moving!”
“Again! One, two!”
“Heave-ho!”
The taut rope seemed to scream as if it might snap at any moment...!
“Almost there! One more time! One, two!”
SPLATTER!
Mud sprayed everywhere with a tremendous noise as Park Jin-seong came free of the swamp.
Covered in mud, he panted heavily as he thanked us.
“Haa... I really thought I was going to die. Thank you, everyone.”
“Whew, what a relief.”
The tension left the party, and everyone sank to the ground to catch their breath.
That was when it happened.
“Ugh! Oppa, look at your leg.”
“Ah! Wh-what is this?!”
Something black clung to Park Jin-seong’s leg and writhed.
I wondered what it was, but Kim hyung recognized it immediately.
“This... looks like a Bloodsucking Leech that lives in the Tower. This is my first time seeing one in person too, but if it really is one of those, you’re lucky this was all that happened.”
“A-a Bloodsucking Leech? You’re saying this is one of those?”
It was only a rather large Bloodsucking Leech, but Park Jin-seong recoiled in horror and frantically tore it off.
Kim Min-ju made just as much of a fuss beside him as she helped.
I was the only one who didn’t properly understand the situation.
“What’s wrong with a leech? It’s a little big, but....”
“Those things go mad the moment they smell blood and swarm in like a pack of dogs. I heard several Climbers who died in wetlands were done in by those things. Don’t underestimate them.”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
Fortunately, the incident ended after they removed the Bloodsucking Leech and Kim Min-ju treated him.
Only then could our party take a proper rest.
Of course, we couldn’t afford to sit around and do nothing but rest.
“If it continues like this... forget fighting the boss. We won’t even reach it.”
The party nodded at Park Jin-seong’s words.
Kim hyung then asked me as naturally as if he had left a solution in my safekeeping.
“Si-hyeon, do you have any good ideas?”
I couldn’t disappoint his expectations, so I grinned.
“Of course I do.”
I had been about to bring it up as soon as they had a chance to catch their breath.
“Good timing. During our earlier break, I was thinking of making something... and now I’m certain. Let’s all make them before we go.”
Kim hyung and Park Jin-seong merely blinked at the sudden declaration of craft time.
Kim Min-ju was the only one who realized what I meant.
“Ah, that thing from earlier...!”
I nodded in answer.
“Yes. Swamp Snowshoes that’ll let us tread lightly even through these wetlands. That’s what we’re going to make.”
***
A short while later.
SLICE—!
A clean horizontal slash sent the last Goblin’s head dropping onto the mire with a thud.
I lightly caught my breath and flicked the blood from my sword.
‘Whew, fortunately, this is manageable even without Flash Cleave.’
This was my first battle since imprinting Healing Touch in the place where Flash Cleave had been.
I was certainly not as effective as before, but by staying calm and facing them one at a time, I had no great difficulty.
Only Goblin corpses lay scattered throughout the swamp after the battle.
Nine severed green heads littered the ground.
Including the Goblins that had died with their heads still attached, there had been twelve in total—a considerable number.
But now that Kim hyung had recovered and joined the fight, this much was easy.
“Haa....”
Park Jin-seong panted for breath.
Relief at having survived another crisis mingled with a strange thrill on his face.
“Ha, ha ha. How was that so easy...? Si-hyeon, these really are something. I was impressed on the way here, but in battle, they were truly... wow.”
The Swamp Snowshoes I had made were fastened over his footwear.
Most of the materials were bark gathered on-site, light yet tough branches, and strips of torn clothing.
Honestly, they looked exactly like a beggar’s footwraps....
“What do you think? They’re pretty useful, aren’t they?”
“Useful? Si-hyeon, these are far beyond merely useful.”
Their appearance belied their effectiveness.
Not long ago, a single misplaced step in these wetlands could have ended a life.
And Park Jin-seong had felt that more keenly than anyone else in the party, down to his very bones.
And yet, here they were. They had stood upon the clinging swamp as though it were dry ground and cut down the entire group of Goblins. Of course he was amazed.
Park Jin-seong wasn’t the only one. The other two had nothing but praise as well.
“I wondered whether they would work during combat... but they’re truly incredible.”
“You’ve got quite a knack for this. You just whipped all of these up by yourself.”
We had gone out of our way to spend time finishing four pairs of ‘Swamp Snowshoes’ with the boss just ahead of us.
Fortunately, every pair was performing its role perfectly.
“The simpler the principle, the more reliable the effect. All right, shall we go? It’s time to hunt the boss.”
Once the party confirmed that the swamp was no longer a serious threat, everyone’s steps grew not only lighter but positively buoyant.
Thanks to that, our party soon reached our destination.
“Ugh, that smell.”
The first thing to greet us was a horrific stench.
The fishy reek of water and rank animal musk stung our noses.
‘We’re close.’
Could it have been even a kilometer away?
The red message box that had floated far off in the air was now right under my nose.
“Everyone, draw your weapons. It’s just ahead.”
The others nodded silently and prepared for battle.
In the calm before the storm, the only sound to echo softly was the quiet ‘gulp’ of someone swallowing dryly.
A moment later, our target came into view in the distance.
At last, we were face-to-face with ‘Ruler of the Swamp’.
“Th-that thing....”
Kim Min-ju’s voice trembled faintly behind me.
Of course she was shocked.
I was too.
“Hyung, that thing is... a Goblin too, right?”
“Well... I think so, but I don’t know if we can call something like that a Goblin.”
Its overwhelming bulk was truly worthy of the name ‘Ruler’.
Even at a glance, it stood well over four meters tall. Its bloated flesh sagged and flowed downward until its hide dragged along the ground.
Put simply, it was an enormous lump of green flesh.
It felt as though we were facing a low hill.
It had the shape of a Goblin, yet it was something that had transcended Goblins.
‘It doesn’t seem to have a separate weapon... Right, it probably never needed one.’
The enormous claws and teeth befitting its bulk were already weapons in their own right.
Just then, three Goblins trotted out from a blind spot behind the massive body.
All three carried armfuls of something.
“What is that? Food... maybe?”
The Goblins carefully presented the food they had gathered to the boss, as respectfully as though offering tribute.
The boss moved its massive hand and poured the food into its mouth. The enormous quantity vanished in an instant.
It made only a few motions as though chewing, then frowned and spat the food out with a sharp PTUI!
‘I suppose something wasn’t to its taste.’
Apparently dissatisfied with the meal, it looked around while making a sound like a horse blowing through its lips.
But something about its gaze sent a chill through me.
‘Something feels off....’
At that very moment, it snatched up one of the Goblins standing nearby.
“...!”
“K-kereek!”
The Goblin thrashed in the enormous fist.
“...It couldn’t be.”
The boss opened its maw wide without hesitation, and what I had feared became reality.
CRACK. CRUNCH!
The sickening sounds of rupturing flesh and noisy chewing rang out clearly.
“Uegh!”
At the sound of retching, I looked back and saw that no one was unaffected.
Kim Min-ju had gone deathly pale and was desperately looking away. Park Jin-seong was dry-heaving.
Kim hyung showed nothing outwardly, but his face had turned ashen.
As for me... I was surprisingly unfazed.
Maybe it was because I had done some grunt work at a butcher shop.
My only thought was, ‘What filthy eating habits.’ Nothing more.
“Everyone, stay sharp. It’ll come soon.”
No one answered, but their complexions definitely improved.
If we lost here, we would end up just like that. This was no time to stand around retching.
The smacking sounds soon stopped, and the creature licked its lips as though finally satisfied.
Its gaze crossed hundreds of meters and landed directly on us.
No, on me.
As our gazes tangled in the air, the bloodstained corner of its mouth curled upward grotesquely.
As though it had discovered a delicious meal.
“Were you waiting? Waiting for the special meal to walk right to you.”
I realized it then.
From the moment we became aware of each other, I had been its target.
Just as I hunted it, it was hunting me.
“GROOOOOOAR—!”
Its thunderous roar filled the vast swamp.
At the same time, message windows poured into view.
[Special Mission Triggered!]
[The Tower’s Gaze grants the Gaze Target a new opportunity.]
[Tower’s Guidance: Ruler’s Wrath]
▶ Mission Objective: Swiftly defeat ‘Ruler of the Swamp’ (0/1)
▶ Failure Condition: Gaze Target ‘Kim Si-hyeon’ dies
※ Rewards vary according to mission completion time.
‘Hmm?’
Another opportunity bestowed by the Tower’s Gaze.
The meaning was clear.
The faster I killed it, the better the reward.
I had to kill it anyway, so there was no reason to refuse.
‘Well, if it’s like this, having someone secretly watch me isn’t so bad.’
Just as the thought crossed my mind, another line appeared belatedly.
It was that same bloodred message.
[Special Condition: ‘Ruler of the Swamp’ recognizes you as its Highest-Priority Elimination Target.]
“Ha! Yes, now this is a proper trial and opportunity.”
Its Highest-Priority Elimination Target.
That was even better.
I had no intention of letting that massive bulk run wild anyway.
As long as I held out somehow, the other three would have a much easier time fighting.
This wasn’t a penalty.
If I used it well, it would make me the perfect bait....
“No. No, that’s not it.”
An idea flashed through my mind.
A far better thought than simply acting as bait came to me, and a smile spread across my lips.
“Thanks. I’ll take that opportunity.”