Chapter 36 – This Time Wasn’t Normal Either (4)

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Translated by Jinmu

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Common mass-produced mobile games each had their own ways of gathering players.

Among them, the easiest way to take money from players’ wallets was by making use of attractive characters within the story.

In one sense, it was an extremely simple and clear method, but also probably a difficult one.

But our kind Korean mass-produced mobile RPG, Miracle’s Blessing M, apparently didn’t know what to prepare, so it took the approach of preparing everything. In other words, it made each character’s personality extremely distinct.

Sometimes people said it was a bit excessive depending on taste, but what did it matter, when the sales ranking itself was proof of whether it had worked?

The reason this otherwise completely ordinary game managed to secure a place in the top five to ten of the store rankings was probably thanks to those characters, each with their own unique individuality.

Especially in a game like Miracle’s Blessing M, which had an academy setting, character charm was also a convenient tool for emptying players’ pockets. It was the kind of genre with a strong fan layer, after all.

Even I, who hated spending money on games, had ended up opening my wallet as if possessed back then because I was drawn in by the charm of a character named Abel.

…If I’d known it would drag me into this world, I wouldn’t have spent money on it.

Anyway, because the story in this world unfolded around Leon, who was absurdly handsome to the point of being infuriating, beautiful heroines flocked to him like magnets.

But think about it. The law of supply and demand. Put simply, there was only one protagonist, Leon, but there were far too many women who wanted him. By the middle of the story, there were already around five or six heroines clinging to him.

By the time the latter half came and Leon awakened as the strongest overpowered monster, there probably wouldn’t be enough fingers and toes to count them all.

That was why, aside from Abel, the main heroine, the rest gradually faded into the background.

Each of them showed off unique personalities and abilities, but the narrative of the story fully captured the process of she and Leon overcoming hardship and adversity together while love blossomed between them.

Then again, it would be hard to surpass Abel, whom the game company had specifically pointed out as the main heroine.

Anyway, even among those countless losing heroines, the one who turned into an air character the fastest was the beautiful girl in front of me, who looked like a refined young lady and yet couldn’t take her eyes off yokan.

It was Saki Ryozo, the prodigy of the Absolute Bow family.

Saki was the first to fall out of the running as a candidate partner for Leon, but her standing in the community had been fairly solid. You could say she had a thick fanbase.

That was because she had that gap-moe elite setting where she looked like an airhead but was actually first in the written rankings, and though she was a problem because all she did was sleep, she at least came through when it mattered, making her the heroine with the least amount of frustrating dead weight.

Unlike the other girls who, depending on the episode, got taken hostage or cried out for help, Saki never once showed that kind of side, and as an ally she was quite capable too.

On top of that, Saki Ryozo had her own unique trait during gameplay: for her alone, yokan restored more health than upper-grade potions.

Since that let players save on potion costs, which were expensive enough already, she had been a cost-effective performance character heroine that many players favored.

Back then, I’d only thought it was an odd little trait, but to think she was actually a yokan fanatic.

I looked at Saki. A girl with sky-blue hair refreshing enough to make you feel cleaner just looking at it, calm eyes befitting someone who used a bow, and sharp eyes reminiscent of a cat.

‘So there really was a reason Weapon was so confident….’

That fussy-looking Weapon had good reason to bring me here with such a self-assured attitude. Even if our reasons for valuing her differed somewhat, from the perspective of me, a former player, she was still a very tempting resource. Besides, having even one ranged damage dealer in a party could make it that much more reassuring.

One ranged DPS could take charge of both front and rear vigilance, which raised the party’s stability by an entire level.

And Saki Ryozo wasn’t even a character who took up much significance in the story of Miracle’s Blessing M.

As mentioned above, she was the heroine who became an air character the fastest.

Back in the community, people had protested the game company, asking why they were singling out only Saki Ryozo for nonsense like this, but naturally the devs of our Miracle’s Blessing M had coolly ignored them.

So even if she joined this party, the odds that the main route would be shaken because of it were low. At least, I wanted to believe so.

Weapon walked up to Saki and showed her another piece of yokan. When Saki Ryozo reached out to snatch it, Weapon grinned and tucked it away into his clothes.

Pursing her lips, Saki Ryozo asked primly. Her predatory archer’s eyes remained fixed on Speed Weapon’s inner pocket.

What did you come here for, Weapon?

“Mm, well, it’s because.”

“Soon Weapon began explaining things to her. His speaking style flowed like water, and it was all well and good that he explained things neatly while following the five Ws and one H to the letter….”

‘He talks too much.’

Too much talker. He talked enough to remind me of a certain baseball player back on Earth. His lips just kept moving nonstop.

It was so different from the taciturn first impression he’d given that I couldn’t help letting out a laugh.

‘Living up to his nickname.’

As if she were used to it, Saki listened with one ear and let it flow out the other, nodding without much sincerity.

When it seemed Weapon’s explanation was only going to get longer, she blinked a few times and cut him off.

So what you’re saying is that you want me to join the dungeon party you’re going to next week, right?

“Exactly.”

“Weapon, who’d been enthusiastically explaining things the whole time, wrinkled his nose for no reason and replied. Thinking with a languid tone, Saki Ryozo pressed a finger to her cheek.”

Since dungeon-clear rewards count toward grades, there was no particular reason to refuse.

“Saki’s gaze flicked toward me. Then, jerking her chin at me, she asked indifferently.”

You were that guy from the subspace duel back then, right?

“I answered by silently nodding. Saki sprawled back out again.”

You look less gutsy than I expected.

“……”

“To think I’d hear the word guts from someone who’d been sprawled out sleeping in the middle of the day. Especially when there was probably no one whose name suited the word grit better than mine.”

Sorry, but I don’t want to work together with someone who doesn’t look like he had any guts.

“Having said that, Saki Ryozo held one hand out toward Weapon. In contrast to her completely drooping body language, at least her message was clear.”

Saki, you saw the duel too. And Kang Geom-ma wasn’t ordinary, I told you.

“Then maybe his opponent was weak.”

“No, are you insane? The opponent was from Auditore! And during the midterm this bastard actually… ah, I can’t even tell you and it’s driving me crazy. Just listen for once, you bitch!”

“Am I your pet dog? Why would I just obediently listen because you tell me to?”

“Hey, if you’re drooling over yokan all day like that, then if not a dog what are you?”

“Weapon, what do you even know about yokan?!”

“For several minutes, the quarrel between Speed Weapon and Saki Ryozo continued.”

I felt my expression sour inwardly. What was this even supposed to accomplish?

Wanting her as a party member and her having no manners were two separate matters. I didn’t need her badly enough to lower myself for it.

I shook my head toward Weapon, who was trying his hardest to persuade her.

Weapon, forget it. Let’s go. That kind of uncooperative attitude is poison to a party. Let’s find someone better.

“Saki Ryozo’s eyes curved sharply.”

Guess clearing the dungeon wasn’t all that urgent for you?

“I didn’t answer. A calm sigh slipped out of me as thoughts welled up.”

Realizing it from Nox a few days ago, there really was nothing better than the carrot and stick for black-haired beasts. Mm, although come to think of it, there weren’t that many black-haired people here. Anyway.

Recalling that lesson, I silently pulled out a sashimi knife from my pocket. The two of them flinched at once. I looked toward the targets.

Whip, thunk.

A single sashimi knife shot out and stuck dead center in the target fifty meters away. The blade gleamed coldly, buried at a right angle in the small red circle.

……

“Saki and Weapon blankly looked back and forth between me and the target.”

Saki let out a low sound for a moment. I casually pulled out one more sashimi knife and threw it.

Thunk.

The streak of light that flew toward the target buried itself into the very end of the first knife’s hilt.

……

“……”

“The moment my eyes met Saki’s, she swallowed dryly.”

Want me to do more?

“When I asked, Saki Ryozo gave a small shake of her head, apparently having understood.”

Since she was smart, she seemed to have realized the unspoken meaning: the next target would be your forehead. As expected, there was no better means of communication for a blade wielder.

Weapon, give me a piece of yokan.

“After opening and closing his mouth a few times, Weapon handed it over. And she took it even in the middle of all this.”

I could already tell this party wasn’t normal either. Pressing a hand to my forehead, I shook my head from side to side.

* * *

Inside the meeting room of the Starbucks cafe within the academy.

Chloe was the first to approach me and declare her intention to join the party. And perhaps because of what had happened at the archery range, Saki Ryozo also joined the party without much fuss.

Unlike the cold first impression she’d given, Saki showed a cooperative attitude. From selecting the dungeon to the process of getting permission from the academy.

Even the parts that would’ve taken more time if it had been only Weapon and me went smoothly once she joined.

Honestly, I’d had a bad first impression of her, but thinking about it now, I felt lucky she’d joined.

She nodded off here and there, but since she handled what needed to be handled while doing so, it wasn’t really a major flaw.

Every now and then, whenever our eyes met, Saki would shoot me a sharp glance with a prim expression, but for the most part she was calm.

Her long pale-blue hair was cut in stepped layers. I thought people on Earth had called that a hime cut… It was a style that could’ve looked strange, but it suited her well.

Should I say she seemed the most lady-like among the heroines?

That said, the way she always had yokan in her mouth did break the image a bit.

Well, it was a matter of taste, so I couldn’t really say much, but every time I looked, she had one in her mouth like some kind of addiction. She claimed that people who used their brains a lot needed sugar intake, or something like that.

‘If only she’d say less.’

Sipping from my espresso cup, I looked at Saki’s profile. Beside me, Chloe shot me a flatfish-eyed glare. I immediately turned my gaze away and took another sip of coffee.

Man, that was bitter as hell.

As the name said, the Buffalo Dungeon was inhabited by C-rank monster buffaloes. They’re also commonly called ‘water buffaloes.’ They’re the type that charge from long distances, so unlike the mermen from the midterms, they’re troublesome in close combat, but they have the clear weakness of being defenseless against ranged attacks. That’s why the role of the ranged damage dealer was important in this dungeon.

“Standing up from his seat, Weapon asked for our opinions. We nodded in agreement. Then he continued with an eager face.”

Weapon’s eyes turned to Saki. She nodded as if she understood, chewing on her yokan. After moistening his throat with iced Americano, Weapon continued his explanation.

The number of individuals isn’t that large, the clear rewards are pretty good, and even second- and third-year upperclassmen come here often, so it’s a place with fewer casualty incidents. Still, let’s take the midterm as a lesson and not let our guard down. Ah, right. There’s also one thing we absolutely must not .

“Weapon raised an index finger for emphasis.”

Absolutely did not open the stone gate in the center.

“With a puzzled expression, Chloe asked.”

What happened if we open the stone gate?

“Rumor says it’s some kind of seal or something. That’s only a theory, though, nothing confirmed.”

“In response to my question, Weapon shrugged and shook his head.”

Well, the condition the academy gave for allowing Buffalo Dungeon runs was ‘do not open the stone gate.’ There’s no reason to do something we’re explicitly told not to do, right?

“That’s right. That place absolutely must not be opened.”

“The moment I said that, everyone’s eyes turned toward me.”

What? Kang Geom-ma, did you know what was behind the stone gate?

“Ah, that’s not what I mean. I just mean that if they say don’t do it, then let’s not do it.”

“Ah, I thought you meant something else.”

“At my flat answer, Weapon let go of his suspicious look. Then conversation moved on to other things like dungeon routes and schedules.”

‘That stone gate must absolutely never be opened.’

I rubbed the corner of my mouth while turning that thought over.

This was something I knew because I had what you might call a minor perk as a former player.

A hidden boss slept in the dungeon most frequently entered by academy cadets. At this table, I was probably the only one who knew that.

Still, to begin with, that stone gate was a place that would only open once specific conditions were met. It was a spot blocked by the game system itself, meaning that at this point in time, it couldn’t be opened even if we wanted to.

And besides, setting aside that dangerous element called the stone gate, Buffalo Dungeon was famous for its efficiency. It was far too useful to simply write it off because of one hidden dungeon element.

‘…But.’

A shiver suddenly ran over my whole body. My sharpened senses felt like something cold was pricking at my skin. There was an oddly chilly sensation coming from beyond the transparent glass walls surrounding the meeting room.

I turned my head and looked beyond the meeting room. Cadets everywhere were each holding drinks in one hand, laughing and enjoying their youth.

“Geom-ma, is something wrong?”

After sweeping the area quickly with my eyes, I gave a small shrug as though it were nothing.

“No, I just feel like someone was watching.”

At that, vigilance rose in Chloe’s eyes. Before I could say anything, she glared at Saki Ryozo.

Saki, who at some point had already half-dozed off, was nodding sleepily. After glaring at her for a moment, Chloe withdrew her gaze.

“…On second thought, I guess it’s nothing, Chloe.”

“Ah, okay!”

Scratching the back of my neck, I turned my attention forward again.

‘So they’re watching us.’

It felt unpleasant, but for now I decided to wait and see. When the time came, they’d show up in front of me themselves.