Chapter 15: Mission Board (3)
RvFPNm“Corn syrup. Put corn syrup in.”qnu
f5WlHere comes the Hero.nBp8
JPSR7k“Well then.”ErT
65PAnd there he goes.RJuk
7GGsuN“????”xM6
ab3bSeeing the young man leave after telling him to put corn syrup in, it was natural for Mr. Yoon to be flabbergasted.helbmp3
ucbaax“……Is he sick in the head?”EIP
L66He wanted to ignore the words of a mental patient, but his words telling him to put corn syrup in were echoing around his ears.xfjdII
cgk14J3“Should I try it?”LrmucBr
9JA2AZBListening to the words of the young man, he made a new sauce by adding corn syrup. The seasoning that was now thick due to the addition of corn syrup looked nice and sweet, and when he plastered it over the fried chicken…bouM
4ryKPV“What! T, this flavor?!”dTine
44txQThe crust of the fried chicken went beautifully with the thick sauce and had a soft yet glutinous and chewy texture. The sweetness of corn syrup mixed into the spiciness of chili powder and garlic…!Wnan
Uhbcc“Spicy, sweet and salty… SSS!”XrHJJ
JL88E7Was this the perfect form of chicken?7JOSg1
ztgf2zI“W, who in the world is that young man?”8N3
G9A6CFkWas he like an apostle sent by the Chicken God or something?WvZcLPq
z7gReflecting on the words left behind by the young passerby, Mr. Yoon quickly started adjusting the recipe.XwT
pbQhZgs****8aT
Vc2WUT『Duty Fulfilled – Yoon Gyejo』
※ Difficulty: EIHkvrC
3AMa96H※ Reward: Even distribution of 5 pointsvM2MW
7B5YrW“Ohh~. This actually worked.”ufK
eOvY4DMr. Yoon was the owner of the fried chicken store who was the protagonist of the Side Quest: Finding the Origin.ZiIPudN
b8MbfWHe would succeed in finding the correct recipe for spicy and sweet chicken by himself, but starts a lawsuit against Mr. Yang who was in the same industry as him, due to the betrayal of his staff and Mr. Yang’s claim that he was the original owner of the recipe. It was a realistic yet messy story.TLF
a44XThe spicy and sweet fried chicken had been introduced 1 year earlier than the original plot, and the staff traitor wasn’t even hired yet.xDs
U4fcvO“Of course there’s going to be fried chicken in a Korean game.”64DAk
exwlYkIn any case with this, the holy and lofty marinated chicken will be introduced to this world. Both Park and I were people who couldn’t give up on fried chicken so this side quest was one of the ones we prioritized over everything.olfMbF
xsIW‘About 25 points from yesterday and today, huh.’cpo
8GrLAfter completing the quest to find Navi the cat, I ran around the city and resolved a few more incidents.GYaI8rs
6Qhs1Those quests ranged from finding the lost ring of a widow to guiding a son who fell to the wrong path back to the correct one – they were all from citizens who the system labeled as ‘Good’.Bn1eV
LWP‘That chicken quest confirms it. ‘Neutral’ is also okay.’ff5Oq
FGzFVThe last quest I cleared about Finding the Origin, was a form of test.7Zj
jHYfXIn the game, Mr. Yoon’s character was sitting at Neutral.SxeA
Z0pHowever, I personally considered him a nice person because he forgave the traitor and often distributed chicken for free.EtDqsV
zmhrf5Was the game status an absolute indication? Or was my perception more important?TWW
vAXoMy Duty was activated even with the completion of the quest of Mr. Yoon, who was at a Neutral status in the game.1lt
Slu‘So that means my perception is more important than the system.’MXx8e3
6PoSO6That was actually a very good sign because around the 3rd Arc, there would be systemically ‘Good’ characters who were a bit hard to consider as nice people. The fundamentalists of the Old Faith – they had a clear standpoint which was in complete contrast to the priests of the New Faith who had put on the talismans and the seals on Hua Ran.MoB4P
EdCkS‘Those damn fundamentalists. You can’t speak logic to them but they’re technically not bad people.’6wMefCz
rbfkFortunately, completing this mission proved that I did not have to prioritize them, and that would give me a fair amount of freedom.O8eaU
fvaYgeIs this what they call selective justice? It was great that the system was somewhat flexible.JTwN3Vf
ah7taMore importantly, the biggest return from this mission was that I could pretty much infinitely earn stats!cPX2oAU
GIvvdHahaha! There is a dope bug on my stats!!p18BHl
p4enKUV“Huhihihi…!!”eIzaJvv
QhvP****hyH5lvC
PzhThere was a girl standing on top of the clock tower, a place where people weren’t supposed to reach. Standing on the roof of the best place to gaze down at the whole city, the girl with red eyes looked down on the ground.o6Ldai
8itFcXn“Strange person.”6Pqco26
I76LueRFor the past two days, she had been observing the man called Korin Lork.NkjQlY
tNT5XZnHe was a unique type of person just like herself, who had two souls existing in one body. But unlike her, those souls ended up merging into one…LPer2rK
57SHe was like her senior, and she thus couldn’t help but feel intrigued.5TGQ
sSveOqIt was the first weekend of the semester. She was wondering where he was running off to so early in the morning, and most of them were about helping people.hb4Tp
ie96lhGFinding a missing cat, taking the boy who was with a group of delinquents back home and finding a lost ring.1k2Nu
2FNRSwhAlthough he was getting a few silver coins as reward, Hua Ran now had some idea of the currency system in this continent, as well as how meaningless that small amount of money was to superhumans.ja0p
BKV『Huhihihi…!!』MaH0bmq
o1nBYIISeeing him give a bright smile at the end despite getting such worthless things in return made her frown.TxsJ2
GtNbm1Why was he working so hard? Was he just born as a nice person?BSX8a5
Sjt5‘There’s no way a person like that would exist.’nxTihb
qD5On top of the clock tower with her sleeves fluttering in the wind, the girl closed her eyes. The image floating in her mind which was in a striking contrast to the quiet and peaceful scenery of this city was that of an apocalypse; a world swallowed by flames and the hideous side of humans.s4iN18
Ds9jPIt was an old memory of her original body.DJXo
PZbGDhC『Oh, my. Ran? Did you come out with your dad?』MaKpLO
7ThQlFQThe housewife who was greeting with a baby in her arms;W05
d42『Are you shopping for your parents? Take this with you.』JAj
uThThe tofu seller who greeted her with a smile;3asim3
Rix『Listen, can you help us out? We have a problem.』mRa
UjanAnd even the officials who were there asking master for help–y5aI
5MDbu5qEvery one of them changed their attitudes in the blink of an eye. They cursed the girl and nonchalantly encouraged her demise.XUGT
9C46『Die! You monster!』oxAXkM
sGFg『Please die. We’re begging you.』Tf3s
QLlR5『We have shredded the limbs of your father to death. We will now subjugate you in the name of the Royal Palace.』nUb
c1ccvGaGoodwill was something that was as easy to flip as a piece of paper.7F3fzn
lRCkDepending on the necessity and comfort of oneself, people easily changed their minds and killed others. That was what humans were.TyAAo
jicFrom the start to the end, all of them were in the gray zone. Some were jet black but none of them were pure white.SzAmvc
eWyHAThat was why she couldn’t hide her confusion upon seeing Korin Lork with her astral eyes.MpB
yNwGrade 5.dav
5aH1rVThe very bottom of the Academy.iyqTUv
PPCHe was probably the weakest out of everyone in this academy which she was dragged into. He was so weak that he might snap from her single grip.xxpl3hW
bkDCmvSo… why was he so diligent at helping other people? What was it that was making that boy smile?udeRj1R
v05mThe faint smile he showed to the child after finding the missing cat, and the bright smile on his face after helping others… The boy was dazzling.mCy
5WZqIt was a naively happy smile. He wasn’t forcing himself to smile nor was he trying to deceive other people. And most importantly…jg9if2I
yuq『Like Mr. Bruce and the green boss, I think it’s possible for two souls to coexist in one body.』5vOdF0U
PIjulShe flinched after hearing that. His words appeared to be about her. That violent green giant sounded like a representation of herself.7Kw
hVnoCE———c6VrH5c
CPFk“Shut up. Stop mumbling.”We6m
cm2QGWas the guy called Bruce the same as the weak life inside me?RfZNG
yeXL8No. That’s not it. I’m different from them.TN6ozw
bNFThis guy was begging for life and wanted to live forever.yftG
rwqfIO2This is that price – I have the right to accept it.j8vW
Q3ie6roThat must have been the same for Korin Lork. A stronger soul must have swallowed the weaker soul that was inside his body.8Kj
ApgsYLdWere his current actions for atonement? Was he helping other people to be self-righteous?tqIQ
SQm7xCan’t I do the same thing then?psXyQ
W7uiI can just get rid of this weak little girl inside me and become a knight or a guardian in her stead. Guardians are heroes that save and protect people. If I listen to lectures and become a hero, would everyone look at me in a different light?O6GUZ
gXbKyj– Jiing!h9YHzo
I9fdSoo“You’re here.”6Hn
XWNJTOThe sound of a dimensional contortion woke her up as a blonde-haired woman walked out from a fissure in the air.IEJjXh
LDeWZFJosephine Clara.8Tsl
93YieShe was the witch who brought her here with Chairman Eriu from the east.cwhT56K
3G9“I’ve been leaving you alone because you weren’t leaving the city, but please ask for permission to leave if you want to leave the campus.”eEGUJ
kJh“…”QvD0WF
XzI2zSeeing the silent and unresponsive Hua Ran, Josephine heaved a sigh before opening a new dimension. Hua Ran stood up without retaliating or replying to her.YdS
0On『Because being born is never a sin.』ntIFP
omE6T『Someone like you shouldn’t have been born!!』NHvxC
ExTNQBWho is right?tdk0y
jsFUAOHer sharp eyes looked akin to the vigilant gaze of a wounded beast.80mRU
5Yrz****nnwATd
HuL8The next day,bP2
dcykWAround 400 freshmen were standing at the entrance of the hunting grounds located at the north of the Academy. As its name would suggest, it was a broad and extensive forest that was also sometimes referred to as the Emerald Forest. This place was often opened for the realistic fighting experiences of the students and was a place I had visited quite often myself.L92NK
VFd39With the expansive woods in the background, Chairman Eriu and Senior Professor Josephine were glancing across the students.AkJSEf
R7TS“Good morning everyone. I will make it quick.”4QmLtm
JoqBChairman Eriu’s voice managed to reach the entire group of 400 students without fail.WnPuz
6sV“Today’s lesson is very simple. It will be a real life practice and experience for everyone.”q0xNd
p2chG9It was still early in the morning so there were a few students that were dozing off. Normally, the words of the Chairman were meant to be heard in a sleepy state but this was the Merkarva Academy.rXKL6A
Ch9NymbChairman Eriu suddenly stopped his words as Lady Josephine struck the whip in the air.u9Fq
o0EZ– Slapp!gQJNb
cAs5pI had no idea why it made such a loud slapping noise even though she was swinging it in the air, but in any case, one of the students suddenly rose to the air.TOhX1UB
tiqgn“U, uaahh…!”RUs
PUSZQVV“Student Jaeger Hinzpeter. Sleeping during the lesson. Minus 1 point.”0fDO7UM
EubShe soon retrieved her gaze that seemed like a ray of laser beaming through her monocle, and Jaeger fell back on the ground as Chairman Eriu continued his words.9drfNM
fSCH“Today, your survival skills will each be evaluated at the hunting grounds. Your job is to head to the northern end of the forest.”Y7F97
En0JF“Do we just have to head to the end of the forest?”xZ5D
wB2“Yes. If you arrive at the shed located at the north, you will ‘pass’ the test. But it won’t be easy. Senior Professor?”YtN
XsaIn response to Chairman Eriu’s summon, Lady Josephine struck the air with her whip as a large basket dropped in front of the students.BZko2
3BmcxThe basket was divided into four, with different-colored armbands inside them.ffK49
ykO9G15“Please wear the armband that corresponds to your Grade.”22pGk
XsrtThe students walked up and wore their respective armbands.XvdYtr
yYL“Blue for Grade 2, huh.”rJGQD0
0yKSI1“That looks fancy as well.”HaPb
HMXQ“And it’s also eye-catching.”fhvoaXq
WrZgL75It was definitely eye-catching considering how there were only four Grade 2 students. Alicia seemed clueless about how dangerous that would be for her and was grinning to herself after seeing the pretty piece of cloth.5xNn
BWWA‘Hua Ran… is probably not going to participate.’HLAQcQf
RUlbThere was one girl who stood out the most among the students, who was quietly holding her breath like a beast.BwVUic
iGcX8E5As the one and only Grade 1 Knight among the freshmen, there wasn’t even any armband for her, and even in the previous iteration, Hua Ran had shown an uncooperative attitude to most of the lessons including practical lessons.kgNo0
AdpApShe was too overpowered. Although she was weakened because of the seal, most of the other Grade 1s would still be unable to create a single wound on her body.QsC4S9
ANJomEven the strongest 2nd year student, Marie, would not be Hua Ran’s match unless she was in her final boss form.9rOFJX
7lurmc“How does that look? It looks great right?”FicZsn0
ELn“This doesn’t come off that easily. It’s probably not going to come off unless we pull it as hard as we can.”BRVbB
1PjME“What is this even for though?”d66XsBf
mRnPXGkAfter wearing the armbands, the students bragged about it and showed off.qA3
w0VMost of those boasting students were in Grade 3, and the Grade 5 students wearing black armbands were still crest-fallen. Even Lark…Odcuu1
QKh1dI“Hoh~”nQZ8Puw
y9T9WfThere was actually a competitive spirit in Lark’s eyes. It was a completely different expression compared to how he looked on his first day at the Academy.Nhf
IKXACIt seemed that learning a medium-ranked spell with the grimoire had definitely been a big help for him.uzi
ZHyEOLe‘He might even pull off a big one here.’1RPO0
aasbYtEWell, that was up to him though. Let’s wish him good luck considering how close we were now.IOzIQUM
pxB“Now, attention. Those armbands are the same as your lives. When that armband comes off, you will be disqualified on the spot.”TDKmQK
qLw4rHearing that, the students double-checked their armbands to make sure it was nice and tight.6NZu8b
u0TzUGB“You will now move to the hunting grounds. Defeat everything you see on the way, because otherwise, you might be the one that ends up dying.”Qtm
wku9vk– Gulp!glaGQ
Pp5bNThe students tensed up upon hearing those scary words, but unlike what his words suggested, there were actually professors in the forest that ensured students would not die an unfortunate death.lTQWl5
7GIBesides, the biggest enemies of this practical lesson weren’t the demonic beasts but students: the senior students who would be waiting in the woods.MqOvf
BLGNFo“How do we use the armband?”BRIm
c3mVKAFIt was a sharp question and was perhaps the most important of all.EeJiDI
bfikMGV“You can return the armbands that you’ve acquired to the shed at the end of the forest. You will receive points depending on your armbands and the time of your arrival, and those points can be substituted for items.”m442TK
VsKiZbOThis event was an important one that hardcore players would retry time after time because obtaining 100 points, which was an extremely difficult feat, would directly lead to the acquirement of a hidden piece.HJd
BT8W6K“…”sUU
JaF“…”Unm2ky
E5w1The students created a buzz. Quite a lot of them appeared to have noticed that the armbands would each have different points.YRUbl
ypQ4PfSeeing those freshmen students glare at other students like predators while licking their lips, I was once again in awe of how bright the future was for this Academy.EcBmb
PkhJJKHIn any case, the reason why the practical lesson at the hunting grounds was so famous for being a tough challenge was because gaining 100 points was absurdly difficult. You had to at least defeat one or two Grade 2 named characters and obtain their armbands. Considering my current level, that was obviously imposs… hold on.hbi
cCz1Hpp“Wow! What’s going to be the first prize? Is it food?”KhKIN
ITGsMAlicia muttered in excitement with her eyes sparkling like stars.qOJF1
NC5EShe was the prime example of all brawn and no brain, and currently, she was incapable of properly using both the Eyes of the Boundary and the Domain Severance.7D6
fGxCUnlike other named characters whose special abilities were monstrous, she was a purely physical character… It might actually be possible!mYhDiv
vr6DM4XEven though my current physique wasn’t even in the realms of a Grade 3 Knight… it should be possible to defeat all the Grade 2 students except for Yuel and Dorron as long as I played around their weaknesses.77MX
DMyQAy, whatever! Either go big or go home!lcMdl
x5O“Alicia. Did you complete your mission?”vZ6
yCIKYj1“Mr. Korin! Thank you for your help on the weekend! Thanks to that, I have enough money for the time being.”BpUcoa
QTHu“Really? That’s awesome. Oh, right, do you want some candies? It’s way too sweet for me.”T9u3
3uvb4d“Hukk…! This is…!”rACi
y9YIjcSThe packaging which had the drawing of a child-like bee was that of the renowned honey bomb candies which all the girls loved these days including my younger sister. I was carrying a few of them around in case I needed some sugar and wasn’t expecting them to come in handy like this.TzOK7Je
dxbwS“Thanks for the food.”YQ1
dsgAlicia didn’t turn them down which was as expected considering how there was a text on the profile back when it was a game that Arden sisters liked honey bomb candies.FEI
N852– Munch munch.ONrvJt1
Qzfbv“Wow, it actually explodes like a bomb inside the mouth and has honey coming out from inside.”Mn5D
mIj6“I bought them for my younger sister, but they’re too sweet. Do you want some more?”IgR3Z
P52j5p7“…I will not turn your kind offer down.”1B4
7Uqq5What she didn’t know was that there was a tiny tracking rune letter engraved on the candy she ate just then.lVA3t
N06kg“Let’s get moving now.”m3yL3CS
0GVWhen it was time, Lady Josephine struck the air with the whip.Gfnj2
QJuB– Slap!emq29x
5ve2lgxIt gave off the same sound as usual but the result was completely different.q29v
DoZ5JOThe afterimage left behind by the whip turned into a cluster of mana that sucked in everything nearby like a black hole.0q87Hu9
RzdzDg“Uh, uhhh…?”TPOvhH
PwsP“I, I’m getting pulled in!”dW06J
tQBdh“Kyaaaahh…!”Hjw
wq5JKodAfter being pulled into the black hole, I opened my eyes and found myself in the middle of an expansive forest.vXBT6
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