Chapter 32: Flame and Feather

“He’s really cute…”

With tearful eyes, Hajun stared closely at Ber’s appearance.

At a glance, it looked like a chick, but a feather shaped like a flame sprouted from its forehead.

Not only that, but it was red—yet not a blinding or garish red.

It burned with a vivid brilliance, like the result of a master colorist’s careful craftsmanship.

Its round pupils were jet black, as cute as a doll’s eyes.

Its tiny, fitting beak was wide open, giving Hajun the illusion that it was slowly getting closer.

“Peep-yaaak!”

“Uh, uh…?”

Hajun’s eyes widened in surprise.

Ber had moved so quickly that there was no time to dodge.

“Ber, come here.”

Ber was stopped by Roy’s firm voice.

With a pouty look, Ber turned mid-air and landed on Roy’s shoulder.

“From now on, don’t attack people without my permission. That’s very bad behavior.”

Ber turned his head away from Roy in defiance, his posture and gestures more human than birdlike.

He even raised one wing and started grooming his feathers, as if deliberately ignoring the scolding.

Hajun’s jaw dropped.

Just moments ago, he had almost been attacked by Ber—but now, all was forgiven.

Ber’s behavior was just too adorable.

And somehow, Hajun got the feeling that Ber didn’t like being called cute.

“Ber, you’re really brave and cool. Like the king of all birds.”

“Peep?”

Hajun’s hunch had been right.

While Ber had ignored Roy completely, he now turned his gaze directly at Hajun, letting out a clear chirp.

He tilted his tiny head to the right, as if asking, ‘Really?’ Hajun nodded so hard it looked like his head might fall off.

“Yes! Really! You’re the coolest bird I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”

“Peep-heeeh…”

Ber covered his beak with one wing and let out a strange chuckling sound.

At this point, Roy felt more exasperated than angry.

The situation was too ridiculous.

Hajun, the almost-victim, was now desperately trying to win Ber’s favor.

Roy couldn’t exactly scold Ber anymore.

***

“If everyone’s okay, could we get some help here…?!”

The King Medhead had been dealt with, but the remaining Medheads were still around.

At Choi Jungwoo’s desperate cry, Roy, Hajun, and Siwoo sprang to their feet.

“Let’s check the King Medhead’s drop first.”

While everyone was grabbing their original weapons again, Siwoo brought up the item drop.

Roy had contributed the most to the King Medhead’s defeat, so his level had shot up by five at once.

But he was still far from reaching level 10.

It felt like hours had passed since they started the mission, but the sky was still dark.

Not much time had passed after all.

And since the King Medhead had been level 10, there was a good chance he dropped better items than the ones the lower Medheads had.

Everyone turned expectantly to where the King Medhead had died.

“Huh?”

“What is that?”

“Looks like just a piece of cloth.”

“Peep.”

All eyes—three people and one spirit—were fixed on the object lying on the ground.

It was a translucent piece of fabric.

“I’ll try using it. Equip item.”

Roy stepped forward and picked it up, bypassing the others who hesitated to touch it.

“Hyung, your hand disappeared!”

Something incredible had happened—Roy’s body, covered by the fabric, looked like it had vanished.

Roy pulled the cloth completely over his head.

The cloth was large enough to cover a grown man’s entire body.

“It’s an invisibility cloak. I’ve only ever heard of them, and I didn’t expect it to drop from the King Medhead.”

Siwoo stared in amazement at the spot where Roy had been standing just moments ago.

He cautiously reached out and touched what he guessed was Roy’s shoulder.

“Excuse me, guys…?”

“Ah, sorry!”

Choi Jungwoo called out to the team again. Kangchul was silently mowing down Medheads, and Lee Chulhun was making a fierce face—he looked like he wanted to curse but was holding back.

“For now, I’ll use this.”

“Sure.”

An invisibility cloak was a great item at their current level.

But Siwoo couldn’t bring himself to ask for it.

After all, Roy’s spirit Ber had made a huge contribution in the fight, and Roy had even been willing to sacrifice one of his legs if necessary.

To Hajun, it seemed only natural that Roy should keep the invisibility cloak, and he nodded in full agreement.

Still wearing the cloak, Roy quietly approached a Medhead that Jungwoo was fighting.

Ber, now worn out, had curled up on Roy’s shoulder and was nodding off.

THWACK!

Roy smashed the back of the Medhead’s head with his hammer.

“What on earth is happening right now…?”

The only ones who had seen Roy use the invisibility cloak were Lee Hajun and Lee Siwoo.

Choi Jungwoo, Lee Chulhun, and Kangchul were too focused on the battle to spare a glance in Roy’s direction.

Suddenly, a hammer appeared out of thin air and swung down.

Choi Jungwoo froze, thinking a new monster had arrived.

“It’s me.”

Roy lifted the front of the invisibility cloak.

As part of his body appeared in the space that had seemed completely empty, Choi Jungwoo looked even more shocked.

“It’s an item dropped by the King Medhead. When equipped, it seems to hide the wearer’s presence.”

“A-ah, I see…”

Roy’s calm explanation finally brought Choi Jungwoo back to his senses.

“What level are you now?”

“I’m… level 3.”

He had tried his best, but there was still a long way to go before reaching level 10.

Choi Jungwoo’s voice grew smaller as if he were shrinking into himself.

Choi Jungwoo had entered the survival program without the backing of an agency.

If he’d had fellow trainees with him, it would’ve been easier to connect with the other contestants—but he was completely on his own.

Though his Hunter rank was A, his class was a standard tank.

He wasn’t particularly eye-catching in terms of appearance either, and the fear that he might be eliminated early constantly weighed on him.

He wasn’t an outgoing or confident person, so he often found himself withdrawing.

“I really need to hit level 10 quickly…”

His mouth went dry with anxiety.

Roy appeared to have gained a lot of levels after defeating the King Medhead—at least judging by the fact that he was already using the invisibility cloak.

Hunters couldn’t equip items that had too high a level difference.

The King Medhead was level 10.

Any item dropped from it was likely to be close to that level.

That meant Roy had to be at least level 5 or higher.

A mix of envy and jealousy flickered in Choi Jungwoo’s eyes as he looked at Roy.

As if sensing Choi Jungwoo’s feelings, Roy spoke again in a gentle tone.

“If we all work together, we can do this. I’ll hit the Medheads first—then you can finish them off, Jungwoo.”

“R-really? Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

This wasn’t an individual mission—it was a team mission.

Even if Roy reached level 10 alone, the mission would still continue.

To complete it quickly, it wasn’t about one person leveling up rapidly.

It was crucial for everyone to grow evenly.

“Thank you.”

Choi Jungwoo gave Roy a grateful nod, his face flushed.

He felt embarrassed for having been jealous of Roy, even for a moment.

“Here comes one.”

Roy pulled the invisibility cloak over himself again and began whacking the Medheads on the back of the head, one at a time with his hammer.

Choi Jungwoo steadied himself and lifted his weapon, finishing off the Medheads Roy had struck first.

Compared to fighting them alone, the team’s combat speed was now much faster.

Lee Hajun teamed up with Kangchul, and Lee Siwoo paired with Lee Chulhun.

Siwoo was a healer, so he didn’t have much offensive power—but Chulhun was a swordsman, and their synergy worked surprisingly well.

***

“So slow…”

That said, even the ever-patient Siwoo was starting to get irritated.

Lee Chulhun kept mumbling complaints about Siwoo under his breath—so quietly, it wouldn’t even be picked up by the mics.

But the issue was the timing.

He always grumbled just as their bodies brushed during battle.

If it had been a true mutter, Siwoo wouldn’t have heard it.

But Chulhun’s voice always somehow reached right into his ear.

‘Three deep breaths to avoid murder. I can do this. I can.’

Even as he mentally recited proverbs for patience, Siwoo kept fighting.

Meanwhile, Hajun and Kangchul’s teamwork was going smoothly, just like Roy’s team.

“Watch out.”

“T-thank you!”

At first, Hajun had kept his distance from Kangchul—partly because Kangchul’s appearance was intimidating, and partly because he seemed close to Chulhun, whom Hajun didn’t like.

But once they started fighting together, Kangchul proved to be incredibly considerate.

True to his tank role, whenever danger loomed, he would throw himself in front of Hajun to block the Medheads’ attacks.

Just now, when Hajun had tripped on a rock, Kangchul had grabbed his arm to stop him from falling.

‘Turns out that whole “birds of a feather” thing doesn’t apply to everyone.’

Gaining another small life lesson, Hajun tightened his grip on his weapon.

Having leveled up recently, his body felt invigorated.

He couldn’t do much about the mental fatigue, but the lightness of his body made fighting far easier.

And more than anything, the Medheads—which had once seemed grotesque and terrifying—no longer scared him.

“Everyone, just a little more!”

Roy rallied the team’s morale.

The battle had descended into chaos now, more of a brawl than anything else.

The terrain didn’t help either—it wasn’t an open plain, but a forest dense with trees and brush.

The low visibility forced everyone to use the environment strategically, dodging and weaving around obstacles.

“Last one…!”

Just when it felt like the fight might never end, only one Medhead remained—and the battle neared its climax.

Choi Jungwoo, veins popping in his neck, slammed his weapon into the last Medhead.

The now-familiar impact reverberated from his fingertips all the way up his arm.

“Haa… huff…”

He panted heavily, lungs burning.

Just as the level-up notification popped up in front of his eyes and he took a moment to catch his breath—

“Jungwoo hyung…! Behind you!”

Lee Hajun’s eyes widened as he pointed to something behind Choi Jungwoo.

Jungwoo, who had just wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, turned in the direction Hajun was pointing.

And in that moment—

“Eek…!”