Transferred to an SSS-rank Production Class

“Ugh, what in the world……”

As I waved my arms to dispel the smoke, something bluish flashed before my eyes. The weight of my clothes felt subtly different from usual. I fully realized the change only after seeing Han Cha-hyun’s silhouette beside me.

Noticeably widened sleeves, an outer garment cinched at the waist then flowing to the ankles, and most tellingly, a gat perched atop his head. Even from the side, he was unmistakably dressed as a scholar.

‘Come to think of it, the goblin did say “little clothes” earlier.’

Soon after, the smoke cleared completely.

Behind the goblin, who was clutching his stomach with laughter, I could see the other party members in their changed attire. My own clothes, previously all techwear, had also transformed into an outfit nearly identical to Shin-ju’s. The only difference was that the parts that had been crimson on hers were now a deep blue on mine.

To borrow the goblin’s expression, it was truly a marvel.

“This, this is not beautiful at all!”

Lee Kang-to was the first to speak up. His once-glorious robe had vanished, replaced by what looked like a coarse sackcloth. He jumped up and down, demanding his original clothes back.

“That’s perfect for a Mr. Kim with bad energy!”

“How, how is this awful garment suitable?”

“Ha! The energy you’re giving off is way more awful than those clothes!”

“What kind of trick did you pull?”

Even Yun Su-ho, who had been enjoying his solitude, chimed in.

‘Like Han Cha-hyun, he’s got quite an eye.’

Although the clothes reminiscent of a chief constable suited him perfectly, his expression was far from pleased. Wondering what the problem was, I looked closer and realized that compared to his usual attire, this outfit was more restrictive. He’s always disliked constricting clothes. Even with one sleeve torn, he still looked uncomfortable.

I didn’t mind, as the stats of our original equipment remained unchanged and these new clothes were easy to move in. However, the two women who took great interest in my appearance seemed to have different thoughts.

“Unni! It suits you perfectly!”

“Couple outfits for the first time. Well then, for commemoration… Look here. Cheese!”

“Don’t.”

Shin-ju draped her arm over my shoulder, forcibly lowering me to her height as she held up her phone. The goblin flew in, asking to be included in the picture, turning the waiting room into even more of a chaotic scene.

“Mr. Kim, me too, Sori too, cheese!”

“This, this goes against my aesthetics. Change it back immediately!”

“This attire is not suitable for combat.”

“Come on, everyone’s looking good, so don’t push.”

“I want to wear the same clothes as the unnis! Change my outfit too.”

With Shin-ju joining the already boisterous party, it was enough to give me a headache.

Just as the commotion was about to reach its peak, Han Cha-hyun, who had been fiddling with his gat, stepped forward. He held out his palm to quietly silence Lee Kang-to, and with his other hand, he took Shin-ju’s phone. Simultaneously, he shielded me behind his back, stopping Cha Taeyang’s whining.

“As expected.”

The situation was resolved in an instant. Unlike his scholarly image, his broad back drew an exclamation of admiration from me. Hearing my words, Han Cha-hyun smirked and asked Cha Taeyang for an explanation.

“So this is the goblins’ ‘magic’.”

“Taeyang, then was it this magic that helped Atera find her voice before?”

“That’s right. Oh, it’s something we’re not supposed to show carelessly… Cha Sori, if you keep this up, I’m really going to tell the Great King everything.”

As soon as the words “Great King” were uttered, the goblin clamped his mouth shut like a clam.

Han Cha-hyun then politely asked the goblin to change Lee Kang-to’s clothes. His manner of speaking, praising the goblin while making a courteous request, was so skillful that even the stubborn goblin accepted immediately.

“If the clever Mr. Kim says so, I have no choice!”

“Thank you for going to such lengths for us, Sori-ssi.”

“This, this is somewhat more acceptable.”

Lee Kang-to, now dressed in the colorful attire of a traditional musician, spun around on the spot. He seemed particularly pleased with the tricolored sash that swayed like a tail behind him, constantly glancing back at it. His inner thoughts were so transparent that I couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘Is he really that happy about what’s essentially a tail?’

Yun Su-ho also backed down at my warning glance, not wanting to disrupt the newly settled atmosphere. Though he kept fidgeting with his collar, unable to bear the discomfort, it was no longer my concern.

While Shin-ju seemed somewhat dissatisfied, Han Cha-hyun easily ignored her and began the briefing. As he continued with the information prepared by the guild and Shin-ju’s explanations, the faces of our companions grew darker. Ilseon was a more dangerous level than we had anticipated.

“The gate to Ilseon is in Sohan, the capital of On. We’ll use Hunter Park Shin-ju’s marker there to move directly to the vicinity of Cheonsan.”

Han Cha-hyun, habitually rubbing his glasses frame, spoke in an uncharacteristically rigid tone.

“The good times end here. Everyone, brace yourselves.”

◆◇◆◇◆

It was an era plagued by an epidemic more bitter than death.

With contagion rampant everywhere, wailing never ceased in the alleys, and children tossing their parents’ corpses outside the city walls became commonplace. Yet the king, fearing the yokai drawn by the plague, hid in the western palace, called a natural fortress, and refused to show himself. Day by day, the public sentiment grew more turbulent.

Some hunters likened Sohan, situated between the western mountain range and the eastern city walls, to a petri dish cultivating the plague. Now I could finally understand why such comparisons were made.

“I never imagined it would be worse than the rumors……”

Despite our mental preparation, the overwhelming aura of death permeating the entire level left us breathless. Add to that the bitter cold that happened to greet us, and our bodies instinctively shrank back.

The goblin shuddered, saying he couldn’t tell if this was the world of the living or the dead. Even Cha Taeyang, sensitive to such energies, seemed to sense something, clinging to me and saying she needed stability. Seeing this, Shin-ju spoke in a cynical tone.

“Not exactly the best place for a child’s emotional well-being.”

The rare hunters we saw, with their ghastly blue-tinged eye sockets, put the final touch on the ominous atmosphere. Without our detoxification items, we probably wouldn’t have looked much different.

The NPCs’ gazes towards the players weren’t friendly either. When spoken to, they responded reluctantly, their distaste evident. But was it just my imagination, or did their wary eyes soften slightly when looking at our group?

“Could it be thanks to these clothes Sori-ssi made for us?”

“Ahem, how’s my handiwork?”

“It’s excellent.”

The goblin hopped up and down at Han Cha-hyun’s praise. I looked around, worried that people might find the moving bell strange, but the NPCs passed by us with indifferent faces. It was quite a different reaction from Atera’s.

My doubts were finally resolved when we arrived at the tavern. The reason we didn’t head straight to Cheonsan, instead stopping at this tavern on the outskirts of Sohan, was due to my suggestion.

“We should establish a base in Sohan as well.”

Although Cheonsan was said to be the source of the epidemic, ultimately, everything in this level revolved around Sohan. I couldn’t explain why, but I had a feeling we would inevitably return here. Fortunately, my opinion was accepted as it wouldn’t take much time.

“We don’t serve play-“

“Hostess, I’m back!”

“Oh, it’s you, lass? That’s different then. Come on in!”

This tavern, which became our base on Shin-ju’s strong recommendation, was perfect for discreet comings and goings. I’m not sure how she had persuaded the hostess, but it worked out well for us.

“Hello, Mr. Kim!”

The goblin, greeting with his usual cheek, bounced up and down as if to show himself off. The hostess’s eyes, which had widened in surprise, soon curved into a smile.

“It’s been ages since I’ve had a spiritual beast as a guest!”

“I’m not a spiritual beast, I’m a goblin.”

“Goblin? Never heard of that. Weren’t you a bell spirit?”

It seemed that the reason other NPCs didn’t find the goblin strange was because of this ‘spiritual beast’ entity. Listening to the hostess’s chatter, apparently they were quite common until a few years ago.

“Oh my, look at me. I forgot to bring that out.”

“That?”

“Ah, hostess. Wait a moment!”

Ignoring Shin-ju’s call, the hostess disappeared and soon returned with a barrel of makgeolli.

“My, aren’t you quick. Oh dear. What should we do? We didn’t come to drink today.”

“Huh? The lass is turning down alcohol? The sun must be rising in the west.”

“Still, the thought is appreciated… Ugh, fine. I won’t drink. Is that back house empty? We were thinking of renting it for about a week.”

Shin-ju, who had been licking her lips, corrected herself after noticing the gazes from me and Han Cha-hyun.

‘I can guess how she spent her time here.’

Shaking my head, I offered a bundle of herbs we had prepared instead of money, and the hostess hurriedly handed over the key. This too was a method Shin-ju had told us about. They say herbs have become as valuable as gold due to the plague…

My thoughts were interrupted as soon as we reached the inner house, when Yun Su-ho grabbed my shoulder.

“Yun Gaho, you really should withdraw……”

“Aren’t you tired of this?”

I stretched my hand up to cover his mouth. I was wondering why he hadn’t said this yet. I thought he had quieted down after hearing that he was hindering me, but it seemed his overprotectiveness had flared up again.

“We’ve gained another A-rank, and we’re wearing detox items. What’s the problem?”

“……I have a bad feeling about this.”

“When have you ever had a good feeling?”

Perhaps learning from our previous arguments, Yun Su-ho didn’t add anything more. Maybe he realized how weak his reasoning was. But that didn’t mean he was letting go of me.

“Isn’t it rude to put your hands on someone’s body so casually?”

Shin-ju, who had been placing a marker inside the room, swatted away Yun Su-ho’s hand from my shoulder as if shooing a bug. A battle of nerves was about to unfold between the two, but it was all dissolved by Han Cha-hyun’s urging to move to Cheonsan.

‘They say a hunter’s intuition shouldn’t be ignored, but this is Yun Su-ho we’re talking about.’

I deliberately ignored Yun Su-ho’s clinging gaze and the faint sense of unease. There’s nothing good about being overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the level. Steeling my resolve, I squeezed Shin-ju’s hand that I was holding.

“Hmm, what’s the matter?”

“Everyone’s waiting. Use your skill already.”

“……Alright. Everyone’s hands on me, right? I’m not responsible if you get left behind.”

Shin-ju nodded after confirming the party members clustered around her like cicadas on an old tree. Then, with some nonsense about the Park Shin-ju Express, a brief moment of darkness fell.

I opened my eyes, feeling the air had become distinctly colder.

“Oh my, it wasn’t like this before.”

Shin-ju had said she placed the marker on a hill a bit away from Cheonsan. But all we could see was fog. It was so thick that we couldn’t even tell where each other were unless we stayed close together. Worry immediately took over.

“Everyone made it here safely, right?”

“We’re all here, so don’t worry, unni!”

If Cha Taeyang, who always uncannily picks up on things we can’t sense, says so, it should be safe to believe her. Following Han Cha-hyun’s suggestion, the party members gathered in a circle.

“This is troublesome.”

“I don’t think so. Let’s just proceed carefully, Hunter Han Cha-hyun.”

“The situation has changed since Shin-ju-ssi was here last. We can’t act recklessly. Gaho-ssi, could you use your detection skill to check the surroundings……”

Even though I knew Han Cha-hyun was addressing me, I couldn’t focus on his words at all. Because before he could call my name, I heard a familiar voice in my ear.

[My, it’s been a while since I’ve encountered such a sophisticated barrier.]