“You all go ahead, I’m going to move separately.”0

“Huh? Su-Hyeok, what do you mean?”0

“They mentioned climbers will be awarded points based on the order in which their parties reach the fortress, but they didn’t specify that every member of the party has to move together.”0

I had already thought of this explanation while discussing the plan with Ha Hee-Jeong in the waiting room. My smooth words seemed to catch the party members off guard.0

“Oh, that’s right!”0

“Gosh, oppa. Are you a genius or something? How did you figure that out so quickly?”0

“Hmm, so you’re planning to rescue the refugees and stragglers, Su-Hyeok?”0

“Yes, since we still don’t know how these side missions affect our party’s score, you all should head to the fortress as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, I’ll stay behind and rescue whomever I can to boost our score.”0

Cole, the sharpest among us, looked at me puzzledly. Of course, I had anticipated that someone might raise objections to the plan.0

“Still, won’t it be difficult for you to lead the group of refugees on your own?”0

I delivered my prepared response, “No, I won’t be leading them personally. I’ll remain behind.”0

Cole’s eyes widened, clearly understanding my reasoning. However, Seo Ho-Su and Seo Ha-Rin still wore confused expressions. They hadn’t quite grasped the full picture yet, so I added further clarification.0

“The message only said, ‘If they are successfully rescued from the invaders and arrive safely at the fortress, the responsible...0