The hunt for Yor had already dragged on for over a month.
It had been about that long since Yoo Chaerin shared the quest on her stream as well.
Naturally, the day Chaerin announced the quest had sent the community into chaos.
Shared quests were rare enough, but the one sharing it was none other than a high-profile figure, and the quest itself had evolved into something far more contentious than a standard raid.
Discussions flooded the community forums.
Some questioned if the quest was even real, others worried it was too dangerous and should be called off altogether.
There were even informants tipping off the Knights, making the entire situation a tangled mess.
Arguments became so frequent that days without fights on the forums were now the exception rather than the rule—not that this was new.
Still, there was one positive: the number of participants was steadily growing.
But so were complaints and rising anxiety.
[Is Yor even alive at this point?]
[We haven’t seen any signs of him for nearly a month since he entered the Deep Layer. Isn’t it safe to say he’s monster chow by now?]
[Take that back, you bastard.]
[For real, though. What if we get caught before even fighting? I accepted the quest, so I can’t back out now!]
[He’s alive. He has to be. If he were dead, there’d be traces of it, right?]
[Yoo Chaerin, you crazy b**.]**
[You said you’d update us later! When the hell is “later”?!]
[For real, though. She got everyone hyped up and left us hanging.]
[Come on, would you give updates immediately? The other side’s obviously monitoring too.]
[Still, a whole month is way too long...]
Of course, news of the quest had reached the Knights as well.
On the internet, secrecy was a foreign concept.
Although the Four Knights stationed in the Forbidden Forest couldn’t do much beyond their post, the cities were a different story.
Guards had been ramped up to unprecedented levels, and they treated any interdimensional travelers who’d accepted the quest as potential rebels.
Guards routinely stopped travelers to demand whether they’d taken the quest.
As for Yoo Chaerin, whose face was publicly known, she was in hiding somewhere.
Just as the grumbling about the lack of updates was reaching a fever pitch, the skies opened up.
Chaerin seized her chance.
She quickly recorded a video and uploaded it to her stream’s message board and various community forums, making a brief announcement:
[The operation will take place tomorrow.]
She spent the rest of the day in a whirlwind of activity.
That night, the rain poured relentlessly.
The once-clear skies seemed to have been saving all their storms for that moment.
Rain fell so heavily it obscured visibility, pooled on the ground, and chilled the air. Even the savage monsters of the Deep Layer seemed to forgo hunting that night, unwilling to waste energy in such conditions.
“Hoo...”
Perhaps because of that, I reached the Deep Layer’s outskirts without much trouble.
However, I didn’t go further.
The faint presence of a Knights' encampment ahead told me I was close.
I decided to rest nearby, catching a brief nap.
By morning, the rain had vanished as if it had never been there, leaving only puddles and the damp smell of earth in its wake.
Thick white fog blanketed the area, so dense it was nearly impossible to see ahead.
My skin felt clammy, and the soggy ground sucked at my boots with each step.
It wasn’t just a bad day for movement—it was the worst weather for it.
I stretched sluggishly, taking in the dreary landscape.
Let’s see...
My condition wasn’t ideal.
I felt stiff and tired, and my body felt heavier than usual, likely from the previous night’s rain. Physically, I wasn’t at my peak.
But my senses had never been sharper.
More importantly, I wasn’t the only one affected by the weather.
If anything, it might work to my advantage.
Feeling the faint thrill of anticipation that comes before a fight, I approached the Knights’ camp.
My goal was to repel the Knights, not kill them.
As much as I resented them for coming after me, I couldn’t bring myself to truly hate them.
After all, they were only here because it was their duty.
I remembered one knight in particular—a face filled with regret as they moved to surround me.
If I could capitalize on that kind of sentiment, there might be room for negotiation.
Killing knights would only create bigger problems.
These were influential figures, and carelessly eliminating them could make things worse.
Lost in thought, I eventually came upon their camp.
Through the fog, I saw two sentries chatting while cleaning up their post.
“Man, what’s with this weather? Haven’t had to camp out in weather this bad in years.”
“Seriously. Sometimes I envy those interdimensional travelers—they can just log out and sleep in comfort.”
Most of the camp still seemed to be asleep.
It was the perfect time to strike.
Gripping my spear tightly, I charged at the sentries.
Their focus on idle chatter and the limited visibility delayed their reaction until my spear was already swinging.
Thud!
“Urk!”
The first sentry crumpled to the ground.
The other, wide-eyed with panic, opened their mouth to shout—
“W-we’re under atta—!”
Thud!
My spear silenced them before they could finish.
Two down.
With that, only a few hundred more to go.
I dragged the unconscious sentries aside and slipped into the nearest tent.
The humid weather must have discouraged them from wearing armor to bed; most were in light sleepwear.
And since this was a reversed world, the majority of these knights were women.
...Ahem.
Clearing my throat, I swiftly knocked them unconscious with my spear, sending them deeper into their dreams.
At one point, a knight stirred, mumbling sleepily as they noticed me.
“Wow... Am I dreaming? Why is there a man in my tent...?”
“This is a dream. Go back to sleep.”
Thud!
I sent them back to dreamland.
Unfortunately, this peaceful takedown phase didn’t last long.
“Wake up! We’re under attack! The sentries have been taken out!”
A knight from another tent spotted the unconscious sentries and raised the alarm.
One by one, the camp began to stir.
“Damn.”
This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
I clicked my tongue.
It was nice while it lasted.
Armored knights began emerging from a larger tent.
As expected, they had prepared for this scenario.
Several knights, fully armed and in formation, stepped forward, large steel shields held high.
Despite the fatigue etched on their faces, their determination was evident.
I sheathed my spear, recalling something one of the Four Knights’ captains had said to me before:
“Your spear strikes are crude at best.”
She wasn’t wrong.
Having never received formal training, my attacks were purely improvised, born out of necessity.
But even an untrained fighter could learn a few truths through experience.
Weapons had distinct traits.
Spears were easy to handle and had long reach, which made them my go-to weapon. But they struggled against opponents who got too close.
Knives were short and light but offered speed.
Axes were heavy and slow, but their first strike delivered unparalleled power.
Simple truths, but when used correctly, they could be deadly.
I hefted the massive warhammer I’d looted from an interdimensional traveler long ago.
Its weight settled heavily in my hands, a satisfying heft.
Last time, during my standoff with the Knights, I’d hesitated to use it.
The crowd was too large, and the risk of retaliation was too high.
But now?
The fog provided cover, the enemy numbers were fewer, and I was confident in my reactions.
I swung the hammer down with all my strength.
Crash!
The ground shook, and the knights in front of me were sent flying.
The lead shield-bearer collapsed, unconscious from the impact.
More interdimensional travelers began arriving at the scene.
“Wow, the atmosphere here is intense. Good morning, everyone—huh?”
“Call for reinforcements!”
“Get him!”
Knights charged toward me, but I felt no concern.
This time, I was the hunter, not the hunted.
Drawing my spear once more, I lunged toward them.
Before they could fully mobilize, dozens of knights were already out cold.