My Reflector Is Invincible - Chapter 8
My Reflector Is Invincible 8
8. Lifesaver
Charlie was dead.
His face was pale.
The more he desperately ran, the faster the poison spread.
＜Hunter Jack’s poison＞
It was a potent poison for something that appeared so early on.
There was no way for mere slaves in a labor camp to undo it.
Of course, it wasn’t completely impossible to survive.
‘If I had learned the ＜First Aid＞ skill that Jack could teach, I wouldn’t have died, even if it was painful.’
I might have even managed to detoxify myself.
But that bastard had killed the goose that laid the golden eggs too soon.
I hadn’t learned anything from Hunter Jack.
All I had gained was a little comfort for betraying my benefactor.
“That’s why you’re going to die.”
“……”
Charlie, who had already breathed his last, couldn’t answer the protagonist’s words.
Of course, there were some regrets.
“Ugh. There’s still so much I haven’t tested yet……”
The enemies had died too easily.
I hadn’t been able to finish testing all of ＜Reflection＞.
But then again, how strong could a convict in a labor camp really be?
‘I wish I could have met some stronger guys, but it doesn’t matter.’
There were plenty more enemies to face in the future anyway.
“Did the others…… escape?”
There had been five enemies in total.
Two of the four I had defeated were nowhere to be seen.
“They must have been badly wounded, but they managed to escape.”
But there was no need to worry.
“If they don’t run, they might be able to live a little longer.”
They were just as badly poisoned as I was.
They would all be dead soon anyway.
I had only left them alive because I didn’t want to clean up their corpses in my bed.
The protagonist’s goal had been clear from the start.
“I’ll set you free soon.”
It was the trembling Hunter Jack.
When he cut the ropes with his dagger, Hunter Jack immediately became alert.
“Who are you?”
“Someone who has come to repay a debt.”
“A debt?”
“Yes. I owe you a great deal.”
“……?”
Hunter Jack’s eyes widened.
What was this? He had never seen this person before.
But the protagonist was sincere.
‘There’s no player in the ‘Valentino Saga’ who hasn’t received Jack’s help.’
The main character was the same.
He had always received Jack’s help.
After all, Jack’s help was something that everyone who started playing ‘Valentino Saga’ had to experience.
Of course, he didn’t intend on doing quests like before this time.
“I’ve repaid the favor from before. But I’d like to receive some help.”
“What do you mean……”
“For starters, can you let me rest in your house?”
“……!?”
Hunter Jack was confused.
Not only did he suddenly say that he had repaid the favor, but he also wanted to sleep in a space that had been dangerous just moments ago?
‘Is he crazy?’
However, his gaze wasn’t malicious.
That’s why Hunter Jack was somewhat flustered. He was a hunter, a lowly profession that was often looked down upon.
He wasn’t used to kindness more than anyone else.
However, as a man of the forest, he had to repay kindness with kindness.
Moreover, the main character was his savior.
“Of course. But before that……”
“Before that?”
“Shouldn’t you treat your injury first?”
Hunter Jack was pointing at the wound on his hand.
Blood was flowing from the hand that Joo-Heon had just stabbed with a wooden spear.
“Ah. I forgot about that.”
Joo-Heon said that he had forgotten, but in reality, he hadn’t forgotten about the wound.
‘I was waiting for you to say that.’
It was originally to obtain a skill that he could get from Hunter Jack.
‘I need that to use Reflection more freely.’
Joo-Heon looked at the spot where he had stabbed his own arm to test the poison’s Reflection.
‘＜Reflection＞ is a cheat, but it doesn’t heal my wounds.’
Using Reflection like this would ruin his body.
Of course, he wondered if he would be able to reflect even wounds later on, but not right now.
Ultimately, it meant that healing abilities were important.
He needed to recover his stamina to use ＜Reflection＞ again, and the amount he could use it would increase as well.
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And healing skills were really hard to come by.
‘Yeah. It’ll be almost impossible if it’s not Jack.’
He had clearly memorized the prerequisites to obtain that skill.
-Achievement Conditions
1. Show kindness to Hunter Jack
2. Hunter Jack’s favorability 70 or higher.
3. Receive emergency treatment
‘If this were a game, I would’ve had to do a bunch of daily quests beforehand.’
The important thing is to win Jack’s favor by any means necessary and get him to administer first aid, right?
So Jooyeon stretched out her bleeding hand.
Jack soon responded.
“Let’s go to my house for now. I think I have something I should give to my benefactor.”
Jooyeon smiled as if everything was going according to plan.
* * *
Knock, knock, knock.
Hunter Jack put firewood in the fireplace.
He generously used the firewood he had been saving so that his rare guest wouldn’t be cold.
Not only that, but he even brought out the jerky he had been saving.
However, there was something increasingly disconcerting.
“Wow, this is really delicious. How did you know I like jerky?”
In the meantime, there was one more guest.
Unlike Jooyeon, he was an extremely frivolous man.
“Haken. Eat it gratefully. It’s not common for a hunter to share his food.”
“Yes, yes. I’ll eat it deliciously. But Miss Jooyeon, isn’t this a bit too salty? I can make it taste better.”
“…….”
Don’t say anything.
The hunter looked at Jooyeon curiously.
‘What on earth does she do?’
The way she looked at her enemies and even the way she treated her wounds.
‘It’s not easy for a hunter to show his wounds.’
The hunter used poison.
‘People who use poison usually don’t show their wounds easily. You never know what might happen.’
But Jooyeon held out her hand so calmly.
She had eyes that completely trusted him.
‘When was the last time I received such trust?’
That’s why he did his best.
He brought out all the medicinal herbs he had been saving just in case her wounds worsened.
Among them was an antidote he rarely used because it was so precious.
‘My exclusive antidote.’
Haken was actually amazed.
“Oh, this is the first time I’m seeing this medicine.”
“Of course. This is something that only I…….”
“Is this an antidote made from night grass? It must be a precious medicinal herb that’s hard to find at this time of year. Thank you.”
Jack was taken aback by Jooyeon’s answer.
W-what? He knows about this?
It’s an exclusive, secret medicinal herb that only I use?
Even when the city’s pharmacists begged me to tell them about it, I didn’t?
“I’ve seen it a lot before. I was indebted to you back then.”
“……??”
What the hell is he talking about?
“If it’s okay, I’d like to borrow some clothes. As you can see, I’m soaked in blood.”
“Ah! Then please wear my clothes. I have a spare leather outfit…….”
“That’s right. It was here. I’ll wear it well.”
“……Huh?”
“Do you have any food supplies?”
“Ah, if that’s the case, please take as much as you need. They’re in a hard-to-find place, so I’ll…….”
“There were also precious food supplies here. I almost forgot.”
“……Huh??”
‘How does he know the structure of my house so well?’
That wasn’t all.
“If there were moonflowers, I would have been able to heal my wounds quickly. It’s a pity.”
“Moonflowers?”
“Yes. Their habitat seems to have changed, so I couldn’t find them…….”
“If that’s the case, they’ll be growing in the space behind the waterfall. You can only pick them when the moon rises, so if you go now, you’ll be able to get them.”
“!”
What the heck?
This man? What the hell is his identity?
Of course, I had guessed to some extent.
‘The guys who attacked me. They were definitely convicts who escaped from the labor camp.’
Joo-yeon was wearing a soldier’s uniform, but Haken was wearing a slave uniform.
He was just like those guys earlier.
‘He must have killed the soldier and taken his clothes.’
And look at the horse they brought.
That was a warhorse that not just anyone could easily obtain.
‘Could it be that he killed a knight and took his horse? Or did he steal a horse from the army and run away?’
Either way, there was no doubt that he was a dangerous man.
After all, he was a mere convict who had the ability to take a warhorse and kill other escaped convicts.
Well, it was strange that such a person was being kind to me.
Rather, what I was worried about was something else.
‘Could it be…… that pursuers are coming?’
It was not common for a slave to escape from a labor camp.
There was no doubt that a pursuit party would be formed.
In severe cases, knights would personally pursue them.
‘If that’s the case…….’
Should I report it?
No. Jack didn’t think so.
After all, he was the benefactor who saved his life.
“We must escort you to the village tomorrow morning.”
However, trouble arose that evening.
Rumble.
Something rolled toward Haken as he slept.
Thump!
“Hmm?”
Haken barely managed to identify it through his sleepy eyes.
He couldn’t help but be startled after realizing what had bumped into his body.
“……!”
The things that had rolled over were human skulls.
Haken hurriedly got up in shock. He was going to wake Juyeon right away.
But he couldn’t move.
Swish.
A sword approached Haken’s neck.
A man holding a bloodstained sword glared at Haken.
“Are you the escaped slaves from the labor camp?”
“……!!”
He was no ordinary man.
‘A knight?’
He wasn’t alone, either.
“Damn it. My clothes got dirty.”
“I told you to watch your step. A knight rolling on the floor after getting caught in a trap. Tsk.”
“How was I supposed to know there would be a trap here? This is unfair, Sir Aiden.”
There were two more behind him.
They too were heavily armed with armor, just like the man.
It seemed like the traps Hunter Jack had set up were useless.
Haken trembled at the sight.
He had realized their identities.
‘A noble, two knights… C-could they be pursuers from the labor camp?’
It was highly likely.
Count Sanders.
He must have sent them to capture them.
‘Then all that blood belongs to… the escaped convicts from the labor camp?’
It was obvious from the rolling skulls. He even recognized a few faces among them.
‘They’re the slaves who escaped earlier.’
Haken’s legs shook uncontrollably.
He wanted to run away, but he couldn’t.
He would die on the spot if he moved.
Then, the young man with the sword asked again.
“Are you deaf? I asked if you escaped slaves from the labor camp?”
Haken was too terrified to speak properly.
‘The pursuers must have followed us….’
But then, Jooyeon burst out laughing.
“What? This is an unexpected spectacle?”
……Huh?
Spectacle?