"Oh, am I alone in thinking that the monsters have disappeared today, Hyung-nim?"
"It may be because Hyunsung-ssi has cleared the perimeter. If not, it's possible that they were driven away."
"You mean there might be another group of survivors?"
"Well...." That Park Deokgu fellow mumbled as if anxious.
It was just a guess, but it wasn't without cause.
Given how quiet our surroundings were, it wasn't wrong to assume that they had been attracted by a commotion elsewhere and flocked there instead.
Kim Hyunsung seemed to have similar thoughts, but of course, he probably felt that it would be unreasonable to take Park Hyaeyoung and Jung Hayan with us to scout out the situation.
He likely judged that it was too dangerous for us to progress hastily without knowing how many of them were clustered together, their exact numbers or location.
Finally, Kim Hyunsung gave a slight nod and said,
"I think it would be best if we camped here today."
"Yes. We should."
We were able to find a good spot to set up camp and rest fairly quickly.
Of course, we didn't have any tents, but having an enclosed space gave us a certain sense of security.
"Hyaeyoung-ssi and Kiyoung-ssi will take first watch, followed by Hayan-ssi and myself. Lastly, I will also take the final watch with Deokgu-ssi."
"Will you be alright?"
"Yes. I'll be fine."
There was no reason to stop him if he chose to take that on himself.
'Taking the first watch isn't bad.'
Unlike those with high physical attributes, I, with lousy abilities, needed to get a lot of rest.
Given Kim Hyunsung's physical strength and mana, standing guard overnight wouldn't be a problem for him.
"Get some rest."
"Hyung-nim, thank you in advance for your hard work."
"T-take care."
I nodded brusquely hearing their voices.
Once everyone else, including Jung Hayan, had entered the inner stone chamber, Park Hyaeyoung slowly began to bawl.
It was as if she was losing her mind.
She pretended to be indifferent, but personally, I expected it to be a big shock to her.
The monster's screams, the terror of being guided into killing, the impact of a striking spear, and the sensation of doing it with her own hands.
It made sense that she would be scared.
Perhaps she was reminded of her time at the starting point, or the sight of blood and guts spilling out from the monster's body was too shocking.
There was still time before our watch began.
I thought it wouldn't hurt to give a few words of comfort.
"Don't think of it as a big deal."
"Pardon?"
"Now that we're here, it's something that everyone will have to go through. It would be better to think of it just as an experience you've had a little earlier than the others."
"Yes."
Compared to when we'd started out, she seemed rather lifeless.
"At first, I thought I could...."
