Chapter 14: Mission Board (2)
IUa6There were the so-called demi-humans in this world.7ENsyDA
CAUNedThe ones affected by the molecules of demons were referred to as demonic beasts, demonic spirits and demi-humans depending on who they originally were.3NB
B0BAoAn example was the demonic spirit, Sebancia Duke.4fAI0EP
4JdWG5lHe was someone who awakened as a ‘demi-human’ after becoming a vampire. After that, he lost his physical body, then sealed himself and became a demonic spirit.G658x9l
qhqGYDid that mean he was an enemy of humanity? Was he a vengeful spirit that endlessly scattered killing intent?zHbdW8p
JTPEThat was the same for demi-humans. Although people might awaken as demi-humans, some still maintained their nature as a human while some lost their rationality.tYykw
T2W4lvQAnd the Heavenly Yaksha, Hua Ran… was a time bomb that could go either way.jAeNIUJ
SV79q“…”OvYlE0
tynVSjBHer cynical expression and gaze appeared brutal with not a hint of tenderness. The inside of her hair had turned crimson red like the symbolic color of demons, and the nun clothes covering her body were more like restraints than religious clothing.CO9ekK
RhgUAV“Hi I’m Korin Lork. We saw each other during the entrance ceremony, didn’t we?”E8xD
dV2yS“…”onCJuhe
68ogvShe didn’t say anything in response and instead silently gazed at me with the eyes of a beast.Ckda4Z
yLyDMvIn fact, her showing some type of reaction was a positive sign, because that meant the ‘seal’ was still working properly.au5Q
5JFf1“You…”rzft7
GN1YvN0“Nn?”F6Xz
nrkt“You merged into one.”1ByPKN3
2DpS“…”rFrb3
Cb9xrDid she see through me?dXn
JnUj4yA living corpse with two souls: the soul of a human and the soul of a demon. That paradoxical existence was what Hua Ran was as a living Jiangshi.6rgDv
1mNEQjThose in the perilous middle grounds of the boundaries of life and death had the power to see the color of souls. It wasn’t strange for her to perceive the abnormality of ‘Korin Lork’ and the combination of my two souls.hHC1
brGLog“How does it feel to crush and swallow the original soul?”vgA
rYjWell, I wasn’t expecting to get condemned like this but to be fair, this was something only Hua Ran would ask.3Vc
ItaL3“No idea!”edINR
DnA“What?”k7J0
lrD“You probably know better than I do, but this is not something we can solve with ease. It just naturally happens over time.”bWy01cg
ocSjRF“…Naturally?”1NzhQ
FzkT9r“What can we even do? We just have to focus on the present.”suPtWMO
dBbI used to contemplate this topic quite a lot in the previous iteration.7jO2
mO3Were ‘Korin Lork’ and ‘I’ different people?g0xJ
h5xVWhat if the memories of Korin Lork were my actual memories? But if so, then who was the person that went through a Boys Middle School, a Boys High School, a Physical Education College and the Military on Earth?mHl
rI24GBut in the end, it was all meaningless.6r65z
8keY4The previous souls of both myself and Park Sihu did not appear till the very end, even until my death.TSQLzUA
R3yOvCuHowever, it was a different issue for Hua Ran, because the ‘true original soul’ was actually still inside her body.NbTWmAZ
l4oQhaSShe opened her mouth with a scowl.6lk
8a4rJ“You are not the owner of your body. You’re just a thief and a robber. You have no right to claim that body.”3YsUA
RZV2QV“…”ppRRqnL
1ippqRdWho was she saying those words to? Even though it sounded like a vicious criticism, I knew the agony and trouble this 3-year-old child was going through.FwMR
FFHuxfLHer answer to that agony would be what decides the turning point.mLwtOkG
3YO4k“Back in my hometown, we had someone who turned into a green giant when he got angry.”zIiu3mx
Ziw“……What are you talking about?”JXnklp
A6HnX7g“He’s called Mr. Bruce. Normally he is a smart person but when he turns into an angry green giant, he breaks everything around him. They hated each other.”vZYVnEh
jFT“Isn’t that bad?”LQixW2
jJR6“No, that was good instead. The two of them excelled at different things. So I was disappointed when he became a smart green man later on. He was neither this nor that.”XcFB
085S9PvWhy did you have to do that, Russo Brothers!kfGr12p
cNJSI8“Anyway, what I noticed from that person’s story is that it’s not important who the original one is. The two souls are different after being formed, and they each have their individual personality.”sYf
7uFThis was the example I wanted her to follow.d83FN
c6z7bD“Like Mr. Bruce and the green boss, I think it’s possible for two souls to coexist in one body. Because being born is never a sin.”mpi7
rd4YqXr“…There are things in this world that shouldn’t have been born.”MeE0
3frw7Leaving those words behind, Hua Ran flicked her head and turned away from me which was unfortunate, because that wasn’t the reaction I wanted to get from her. In the previous iteration, I didn’t have many interactions with Hua Ran. It was mostly Park Sihu who talked to her.eyBw
pFcs9G3Although Hua Ran was supposed to show interest in the player, Hua Ran was mysteriously unconcerned about him. It might have been because of that but Park Sihu desperately wanted to kill her but… he failed.7LW
rKl2eFeIt was because he had already killed Alicia Arden – Hua Ran’s greatest counter.Dv2h2Ab
k9NlmY5Things would get extremely easy after pulling her into the party. Her ‘Unbreakable Vajra Body’ and her ability to use demonic aura easily placed her among the top strongest characters of ❰Heroic Legends of Arhan❱.mPw5BvI
kPaOne thing to be concerned about was her chains and the talismans being removed and her seal being broken. At this current point in time, it was impossible to physically stop her if she were to go into that state.8tG
q1AwDgIt was a bad call to get greedy for an uncontrollable bomb.AfxV
WD5“See you later.”3c8
Ddm4I walked away after giving her a normal farewell, not knowing that her eyes were still fixed on my back.amKCHPY
pKR3P****iKuY
tcvThe next day, I left the dormitory before the birds even marked the start of a weekend with their songs.IaYM5x
JhxBI walked towards the Mission Board located at the southern regions of the Academy.rr5Ujz
rLqIn the early stages of ❰Heroic Legends of Arhan❱, there were two things which the player had to do to progress the main story line. The first was lessons, and the second was the Mission Board.IXXinUp
h6i15xIA variety of missions existed on the board in the form of papers, which students of the guardian academy were able to undertake at any time. It ranged from small missions like those requested by citizens of the city to large ones like the official missions given by the Guardian Alliance.wcMZ
Ro8Fq1The player had to receive missions from here to gain EXP points and reputation to meet the level requirements of the main quest. But of course, there was no need to do these in the previous iteration because it was no longer a game.L6Lx
4ds5“Hmm?”QhAxPF
k3MJ9xEven though it was still very early, I saw another student looking at the Mission Board. She was wearing a specially designed martial uniform and the blade hanging on her waist was a hidden piece that was incomparably more valuable than my mass-manufactured spear.gbKQ
GnBy“Alicia Arden?”VcEC27
wjhuPa8“Uht? H, hello. Nice to meet you.”uE12i
ci3TgPIShe greeted me with a deep bow.Lepn
Za7“We’re in the same year so you can be more casual.”uoTV
cKm“No no. No thanks. I prefer this.”qPRt
JswJWas she always such a polite character? I didn’t get to see her in the previous iteration because that damned Park killed her in the blink of an eye, and my memories about the game were vague considering how it was already 3 years ago.X3c
OrG1PsW“Are you taking a mission already? It’s the first weekend though. You’re in Grade 2 so you don’t need money or merits, do you?”caTrl
ZTrj86“Uhh… I, I need money.”9HtTz
IVaj1G“Ehng?”Zp5vs
ZcpWhat was this about?g2940sO
EcGD“There is actually a non-interference principle in our household. We have to earn living expenses for ourselves at least…”EOyTt
5zpDhz“Don’t you get support funds from the Academy?”gN7
nxtcAAlicia Arden was someone who hit Grade 2 straight away without even having to go through the grading test. Considering how the living support funds increased exponentially depending on the Grades, the amount she received per month should be around the same as the amount I received per year.SAs
jIn“I don’t get any funds…”sIeWa
JcY“Uhh… Why?”0Yst
RVP“My parents are in the top 10 percentile of wealth…”68eH
hNnmdO“……Ah.”BCR
vXYAThe support funds were formed by the donations of nearby kingdoms and the Kingdom of El Rath, which provided Merkarva Academy with the land. They were giving out living funds without even taking in any tuition fees, so they did not give any financial support to the wealthy households.KeTtzj
Z2eS03KIt was similar to how rich people didn’t get any national scholarships in Korea.pbBAc
RzS3BIy“If you’re looking for some immediate cash… I recommend this patrol mission. All you have to do is go around the outskirts of the city. You don’t have to do much but the pay is good because of the risk, and if you come across a monster, you get an extra bonus.”2O3rv8o
DhGg“Wow~ 20 silver coins a day! My month’s worth of allowance!”1ut
6ZsA3Alicia took off the mission paper from the board with a bright look on her face.PldTLIF
60AbslLA daughter of a rich family getting 20 silver coins a month…x6h
Hxu3K“It seems they take up to 3 people! Would you like to join?”jlmLJ
eSp“No. I have something else to do.”i2v
wK3SnCIt was a precious weekend. I had to complete as many of the necessary missions as possible to increase my stats.rJOjT0
OYkaXNOI scanned across the Mission Board and found the one I wanted.g4sxQ
jebRg“Uhh… ‘Please find Navi’?”IwIlIs
58Rl“It’s about finding a missing cat.”0W4wK7P
57nV5O“Hmm… the reward is 40 silver coins, but isn’t it too unpredictable?”Pe4a
OmsrdfIt was a mission with a difficult rank of Grade 5 that was about finding a missing cat. There were 40 silver coins on the line which was higher than Alicia’s, but there was no way finding a cat who had been missing for 3 days would be an easy task.4LjTD4s
64Po“It’s alright. I’m very good at finding missing animals.”ppO6
X2R7r“Hmm… You gave me an amazing piece of information so I would love to help, but I’m really short of money so…”cuMn
Q8lLPm2“Ah~ You don’t need to worry about it.”0GQ
TmhpJ1Leaving Alicia behind, I walked past the main entrance of the Academy as the security guard, Mr. Will spoke to me.DqZl
OvH4“A mission already? What a diligent young man.”sOXjwzr
FI7JLJ“Thank you, Mr. Will.”EVjJ7X
CQP“Nn? How did you know my…”23DB
jLxmFU“You have a name badge right there.”JehvZ4
VUmS2vN“Aha I see~. Good luck on your mission, Student Korin.”Frq
JJEbWalking past Mr. Will, I headed to the client’s house.Kqp7n
orE“Knight Uncle. Please find Navi! Please!”VZT
GHrB“…It’s oppa – oppa. Ms. Anna? You can call me Knight-oppa.”GILK
u70“Knight Uncle! Good luck!!”F97QO
5wil0“Hey Anna! I’m sorry Mr. Knight, and thank you. Please have this as a snack.”Vhc
qofpFAi“A sandwich~! Thank you very much.”EWcq4
5fR3Although I heard a few things about Navi from the client, Anna, including Navi’s favorite streets, that was just an act of formality.6ugn
HsSHVSI already knew where Navi was.DLWmMX7
LSqThe reason I picked this mission was because of my Precept.2MTE3M
9SWbkThe result of this quest leads Anna to misfortune. It was a seemingly trivial misfortune compared to the ones of the main scenario, but it would be a shocking event for a child that was depressing enough to make her cry for 3 days and 3 nights straight.gqls
uuMYP3This was the chance to find out how exactly my Precept worked.etdJma
k5yq“Navi~”lkA
1QvThe sewers which were barely ever visited by the maintainers of the city were filled with a disgusting odor and a dirty stream of water.asEVHZB
MzdKp“Navi~ Here’s some sausage for you~”8F9ONRY
Uk8LVThe side quest, ｢Please find Navi｣ was a simple mission given to rookie knights and mages. It appeared in the game as well, and was one with a fair bit of story.yTOD
P0D‘It is possible to find the cat, but the problem is that it will already be dead by then.’ZJpKxyC
pjsAccording to the original story, 2 days after asking around the favorite streets of Navi, the player would finally discover that Navi had entered the sewers.VFH
42s“Navi~ Hurry up and come outside!”0Au08
UbNhhThe only things you could find in the game were cat bones with everything else digested and a name badge… It was quite a horrible story.bK91BoT
9kHlDd9Why the hell was the quest so brutal even though the client was such a cute child? It was like a savage fairy tale.NmxB1u
Pb9ZXvCIn any case, in the game, it was a quest that only left the player feeling uncomfortable due to the phrase that the dung including the bones were still warm, which meant that the cat was eaten recently but…4mdfU
URz2U“Meeooow~!”cJ9I
Rcfbij“Good.”WvPyt
ACdtWQrIt seemed that the cat really did adore the smell of vienna sausages. It was remarkable how it managed to smell this in this damn sewer.n34
iRAmiU“Navi. Come here~”oyq
SDWEven though it was too dark to see properly, I could see the dirty furs of the cat as well as a necklace and a name badge… It was perfect.64Dnl
CBSG“Navi. I won’t hurt you. Come on~. Here is your favorite sausage~”GKouej
7JnI didn’t know how to deal with cats, because I used to have a cat allergy back on Earth.9UZG
gzUb“Nya!”R4M
Ux4“Uht!?”2J9Q
8jpFtZSDid it sense my killing intent? Navi turned away from the sausage and dashed into the sewers.rvSJdf
tUgcwAd“Where are you running! You damn little cat!!”o0uEjH
T8RI knew it! I quickly dashed after it.pzYZ
aHyKHowever, it was too dark to see what was a meter ahead in the sewers and the only things I could feel were the disgusting odor of the water and a cold gust of wind.XFaQ0N
wfBIt was hard for human eyes to get used to the darkness like that of beasts, but there was a way around it.uQaDo
6nHZcT〚ᛞ〛- DagazAigzRpN
npGIn an instant, I etched the rune letter onto my skin. It led to a momentary improvement of vision – to be exact, it was something that slightly helped with night vision.hxla7
rcr“Come here!”hB7Tl
TNSbp“Nyah!”Cmt
ZEitBut that was more than enough to let me catch a running cat in the sewers.P4K1gs
8eyQz“You are nothing but a damn beast.”wfcNS
KgPtZI was still a superhuman even though I was at the bottom. Catching Navi was nothing difficult.3lu3
tI73lH“Nyahh?!”smzh1v
t6nYU“Got ya!”fDmY
vNVI snatched Navi into my arms. It gave a somewhat menacing growl but soon turned calm after having sausage.NRc
RXtW8“There will be no misfortune for Little Anna now.”gtZC7
hnQcpMLIt was an easy success – that was what I was thinking but the cat was in a strange state. Navi was shivering, but coldness didn’t seem to be the reason.ibB
FTSjo3– Shhrkk…!mkqrJ4a
yOaThe water rippled. It was rather strange for it to be considered a current, and my hands quickly reacted.3QJ
BKtYdS– Kwajik!dlw6Mg
M4zo– Bam!QpWpB
NBjSI pierced the spear into the water all the way to the ground with one arm, and felt something twitch before turning loose. Raising the spear, I found a mysterious humanoid figure with a hole in the head.yB8
Tn0There was an immensely ill-tempered look on the face of the humanoid monster, and it was thin yet had a big bulge in its stomach.HhMQe
4lYYh“Water demon.”tHTKZXH
3DMIt wasn’t too big of a surprise because water demons tended to be found quite often in sewers. Armed guards cleaned up the sewers regularly and they were not that big of a threat.qAxNZ
JGBGgTV‘The issue is that they travel together to make up for their weakness.’iBY
2txThey were probably the ones that had eaten Navi the cat. Looking back at how things transpired when it was a game, there were also water demons in the fields near the city, so it wasn’t strange for them to be here.1eR
C790Jzt“Gweeekkk!”vCi
xK6Eq“Gyaa! Gyaaa!”ytd
Rw8LTwo more water demons crawled out of the water. They were actually quite clever in the real world.Q2Mh
W8yCgl“Making sound on purpose to let another one attack, huh.”Sf6lfhu
C1RXAfter getting rid of the water demon that was stuck on the spear, I thrusted the spear behind my back towards the ceiling.jVj6
XXqtHBh– Pukangg!7uy4f
tMgpM“G, gugeek…”VACbDrz
scVThere was no need to even turn around because the water demon that was crawling up the walls of the sewers for an ambush from behind had died immediately after a stab to the heart.5ud
Alp“I mastered how to fight you guys at the Roteon River already.”pOR4
k8DwEven though that damned Park broke the dam and wiped out most of the monsters alongside the villagers, it was still true that I had fought them a lot.KODNc
ONFkza“G, gyaaa!”qkAi
R5LI could see the water demon was trying to use its brain, but it was just a low graded monster and it was obvious what its best plan could be.AzR
KStK– Slam!NLj
rK4951Kicking the water demon that was trying to crawl up, I stabbed at the head of the other one that tried to grab onto my ankle. The fallen water demon tried to stand back up but I thrusted the spear into its mouth and stabbed it deeper into the water.LptS3
kGvk– Uhpupu! Uhpp!kZE
FaErp0“Funny how water demons can’t even breathe underwater.”S4q8
v2sATheir skins turned dry unless they were in humid and wet areas, and that was the only reason they lived near sources of water. The remaining water demon struggled but soon turned silent.Af95td
faYLCAi“N, nyaa…”UzMT8
SrEEHNavi seemed frightened after seeing how powerless the water demons were even though they were the predators in its eyes.R0MYa
4AOM“I saved you from becoming dung, you know that.”e51LfoK
67yPQzAfter safely sending Navi back to Miss Anna, a message soon appeared on the system window.W5J7p
vIlxfLV『Duty Fulfilled – Anna McMilan』
※ Difficulty: EXX4csq
szRG※ Reward: Even distribution of 5 pointsOeQRXed
idVL“…That’s tiny.”zi2XLBO
YD0“Knight Uncle! Thank you for finding Navi!”X36x
tfcndgP“Girl, it’s oppa. Korin-oppa. Can you call me Korin-oppa?”a87
wlBMy mind was soon to be 30 but my body was that of a teenager, so I wasn’t asking for much was I?Pvv
EeB“Korin Uncle, would you like to have a meal with us? Mom’s an amazing cook!”hrGgM2x
0NX“…”c8J
Gq73YIt seemed that the smile of a wretched girl who would most certainly grow up to be a beauty was about 5 points.2CTQe
yCUlqI****76ayZ
COtqx“This is not it!”Ps4f
np6WMr. Yoon, who was running a small fried chicken store in Merkarva City, was spending another day enthusiastically coming up with a new menu.Wqg
jSKThe store was smaller than 10 square meters. Even though most of his sales were at night, the reason why Mr. Yoon was here so early in the morning was because he had been searching for the right sauce to go with fried chicken for over 6 months.tS6
BN3“This is not it either!”Fb9c
NRjThe sauce with over ten ingredients including garlic, carrot and chili peppers that he brought from his hometown were astonishingly good by itself, but when he actually fried it together with deep-fried chicken, it made the crust soggy in an instant.Azxx9EW
FEJUGb“Ugh… what’s the problem?”nba
sxCscOEHis goal was to make chicken that was delicious even when it turned cold. That became his stubborn ambition which he had been delving into for the past 6 months.JW8Ufu
y9ehMr. Yoon changed the ratio one more time, and was just about ready to cook it again with chili powder and crushed garlic.N6x
Yh7sGq– Creak!MSHd7
jqlZixr“That’s not it.”QVjecEY
WkVmj“Nn?”vVZ
zM1xeuA boy appeared after pushing the door wide open.d3y3
D4Co“Corn syrup. Put corn syrup in.”I2tXalc
aamC2uHe was like a passing scholar.iWJ
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