Episode 188 Festival Day 4 (3)
After receiving several items from Kim Sun-ah.
Back home, I was currently changing into my cadet uniform and preparing to go to the academy.
-Sarak-
Oh, and before I returned home and showered, I texted Baek A-rin with my thanks.
I asked about the elixir that was sent, and the answer I got was as follows:
[You’ll know when you try it. Oh, but to see the full effect after taking the elixir, it’s good to breathe magic for about 2 hours, so I recommend taking it in the training center.]
‘Training Center… I was planning on staying there anyway, so this is a good thing.’
Although, in the end, I couldn’t figure out what kind of elixir it was.
I originally planned to finish up my work quickly this morning and stay at the training center until the Strongest Bicycle Tournament started, so I thought I could check the effects of the elixir then.
By the way, the reason I wanted to stay in the training center was simple.
It was to prevent the unfortunate event of Aegis’ [Guardian] being in vain, like when I encountered Cheon Yu-ha just yesterday.
‘Today is a day when Black Wing is expected to do something, so we must be extra careful… .’
Anyway, aside from the location tracker implanted in my body, the rest of the things Baek A-rin had prepared for me are currently all stored in the bin.
-Swoosh-
After that, I changed into my cadet uniform and reached out to open my desk drawer to store the things I had been planning to pack separately in the bin.
-Drumroll-
There were a total of three items in the desk drawer.
Before heading to Jeju Island, I left the teleportation bracelet at home because it was for Yeo Ji-hye.
Purifying water obtained from Seonhwa in Black City and detected by the angel detector.
And finally.
The drug stolen from Joo Jin-yong, Heaven.
“… … .”
-Snap-
I stared blankly at those three items for a moment, then quickly picked them all up and put them inside the bin.
-Shoot-
The teleportation bracelet is like I said yesterday.
If there was a difference, I planned to pass it on to Han Su-yeon and use it to help her escape.
And honestly, I didn’t think I’d ever use purification water or heaven.
But just in case, I planned to keep it in my pocket.
‘Now what I’m missing is… … .’
After I took all three items.
I was checking in my head one by one to see if I had missed anything… .
“… Oh, right. Now that I think of it, let’s go and take a look.”
I immediately thought of the VP I had, which was just 2000 VP, due to the daily settlement, and blurted out a word to use up that VP.
“<Irregular Dice>.”
-Tiring-
[Use the skill <Irregular Dice>[SS] by spending 1000 VP. Roll the dice in front of you.]
-Snap-
Immediately after that, I grabbed two dice that had popped out of the air and rolled them while uttering a word full of my earnest wish.
“Please give me luck and charm!”
-Degururur… –
***
[Strength increases by 6 due to the effect of skill <Irregular Dice>[SS].]
[The effect of skill <Irregular Dice>[SS] increases Agility by 6.]
“f*ck, this is working….”
On the contrary, the speaking strategy resulted in a great success.
Of course, I’m not sure if this is a truly credible ritual, but the results were good anyway, so I thought it would be worth trying again next time.
So in conclusion, thanks to the fact that both Strength and Agility just increased by a whopping 6.
My current ability in the status window is….
Strength: 49
Agility: 46
Stamina: 45
Horsepower: 51.5(-5)
Charm: 70
Luck: 70
If you look at it in numbers only.
It was safe to say that he had almost reached the top tier of C-class players.
In addition, Aegis’s [Transformation] and the unfortunate [Unification] could be activated almost constantly.
With the help of those armed men, it was possible to even set foot in B-class territory.
‘I’ve grown a lot, I guess… Of course, I still have a long way to go… ‘
Anyway, I am currently wearing the spirit attribute magic power I have permanently acquired through <Aurora’s Protection> as I always did, and I have landed in an alley near the academy riding the misfortune.
-Thump thump-
I was walking straight ahead and trying to pass the main gate of the academy.
‘Then first, let’s start with the blacksmith clan in Building V… … .’
At that time.
-Snap-
“…huh?”
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The moment I was about to pass through the main gate, someone grabbed the back of my neck.
I had no choice but to stop walking and immediately turn my head back to see who had stopped me.
-Swoosh-
Then there was….
“Huh…? Instructor…?”
A black-haired handsome man with cold eyes.
At the same time, my instructor, Cha Ju-hyeok, was there.
Meanwhile, I was afraid to let out a questioning voice.
Cha Joo-hyuk stared at my face for a moment… .
“… So you were Cadet Kim Baram.”
-Sarak-
With those words.
He let go of the back of my neck that he had been holding onto and gave a brief explanation as to why he had been holding me back.
“I’m sorry. I momentarily mistook you for an outsider because of the magical power that Cadet Kim Baram is currently possessing.”
“Ah… is that so?”
At that moment, as soon as I heard Cha Joo-hyuk’s brief explanation, I was able to roughly understand the situation.
‘Come to think of it, the teacher said something yesterday. Right now, the academy is under strict control by the instructors to prevent outsiders from entering.’
In addition, there is a very good reason why Cha Joo-hyuk is guarding the main gate.
It was thought that this was because he had a unique ability in the sensing category called <extrasensory perception>.
‘I tried to move while keeping my spirit magic wrapped around me so as not to get caught up in unnecessary accidents, but I ended up being misunderstood instead… .’
Perhaps Cha Ju-hyuk judged me to be a suspicious person because I passed through the main gate with my entire body covered in a magical power that hid my presence, and so he caught me.
‘Still, I guess the misunderstanding has been resolved in the end…’
“Um… Then, can I go, Instructor?”
After that, I cautiously asked Cha Joo-hyuk if I could continue on my way… .
-Nod-
Cha Joo-hyuk nodded in agreement, then added something else, unusual for his usually blunt nature.
“I can’t see you today because of work, but I’ll be rooting for all three of you. Don’t get hurt.”
And I immediately understood the meaning of what he added… .
“… Ah, yes. Thank you. I will work hard.”
After expressing my heartfelt gratitude for his warm support.
I quickly turned around and started walking towards Building V, where I had originally intended to go.
-Thump thump-
one side.
-Glance-
“The growth speed is like that, and if you add up the magic power from yesterday and now, it’s a total of five… ”
Cha Joo-hyuk muttered to himself as he glanced at the back of Kim Baram as he left…
-Smile-
At the same time, without realizing it, a faint smile that was not usually visible appeared on his lips.
For a moment, he began to think back to the clan he had belonged to during his cadet days.
‘Cadet Ko Ju-yeon, and the cadet who fought against Cadet Kim Baram yesterday. As expected, all the members of the Pixar Clan are exceptionally talented.’
***
-Inside the Academy, near Building V
About 10 minutes later.
‘I guess I’ll have to let it go first.’
-Slurp-
I arrived near Building V to do the things I had planned.
I continued walking, releasing the spirit attribute magic that covered my entire body.
-Thump thump-
The reason I wanted to go to Building V was simple.
Before that, first of all, in Building V, there is the Fixer Clan in Building Z or the Tamer Clan in Building T.
Only one clan was using the entire building, and that clan was the blacksmith clan, Cheonha Blacksmith.
And this Blacksmith Clan was holding an event during the festival that was different from the missions that regular clans would hold.
That event is where you pay a certain amount of AP to manage or repair the weapons you have entrusted to us.
That’s why I planned to leave Kaminari’s repairs here, which had been slightly damaged during the battle with Ju Jin-yong yesterday, in preparation for what Heuk-ik might do.
‘I should ask Aegis to take a look at it too. Of course, it looks like there’s no problem at all on the outside.’
However, as you can see from the fact that the weapon of Jeongsocheon that Baek A-rin had, Yehwa, was destroyed by Moo-myeong.
Even though it was Jeongsocheon’s weapon, it did not have infinite durability like the fraudulent items in the game, so constant maintenance was essential.
‘By the way, there are about two months left… .’
As a side note, it was no coincidence that the name of the Cheonha Myungjang, a weapons manufacturing company, and the Cheonha Blacksmith Clan, which they are currently heading to, both have the word ‘Cheonha’ in front of them.
Because, this clan called Cheonhadaejanggan was a clan created by Jeong So-cheon and Park Yeom-cheol, who were cadets of the first academy.
And the relationship continued, and eventually, the two people founded a company called Cheonhamyeongjang, which was the setting in this novel.
Anyway, the reason I suddenly had this thought was because I suddenly remembered the exclusive weapons for me and Baek A-rin that were scheduled to be completed in July by the hands of the current president of Cheonhamyeongjang, Park Yeom-cheol.
‘I wonder what kind of weapon it is… Since it was made by the best general, Park Yeom-cheol, there’s a chance that it’s a weapon that matches me very well… … .’
At that time.
-Stop-
‘… Wait. Now that I think about it, there’s a chance that the events that will happen in July will change like this… Oh, maybe not.’
Suddenly, I thought about the events that occurred simultaneously in July and became lost in thought for a moment.
Friday, July 7th, to be exact.
An incident caused by the villain group Black Wing.
This incident happened by coincidence, due to the appearance of an S-class dungeon the day before, and three of the eight guilds took advantage of the gap to clear it.
It was an incident where several key facilities related to players, including the famous general Cheon Ha-myeong, were terrorized by villains along with the undead army coming down from North Korea, breaking the long silence.
‘And originally, on this day, Eunho Cha would have obtained Aegis… .’
By the way, the way the incident occurred in the first round was a little different.
Because, in the first episode, the people who caused terrorism in Seoul were not Black Wing and the villains they led.
That’s because it was Seong Ye-sook, the mother of Jeong Ye-rin, who was saved for the first time in this episode thanks to my intervention.
‘Of course, after that, Heuk-ik came forward himself because Han Soo-yeon killed Seong Ye-sook before she could demonize her and made it look like suicide… .’
Anyway, in the original work, Han Su-yeon spreads the fact that the undead beasts that came out of the gate are weak to the <Fire> magic without anyone knowing.
To help S-class dungeons clear as quickly as possible, you can leave notes with hints in front of the dungeon entrance or take out villains who are causing terrorism in Seoul by surprise.
‘Even starting from the later part of the game where he becomes Cheon Yu-ha’s disciple, he even induced the Salvation Guild, which had previously participated in S-rank dungeon raids without fail, to not participate in the raids.’
We tried to minimize the damage from the incident that would occur in July through various methods.
Even after 999 rounds, there was nothing that could be done about the collapse of the world’s greatest general.
The reason was simple.
The reason was that Cha Eun-ho and Gil Ho-min, who were members of Heuk-ik and top S-class players, went to personally go and attack the world’s best fighters.
‘If Han Su-yeon had encountered those two at that point, she would have been terribly killed.’
In addition, it was difficult to expect help from Cheon Yu-ha, who had become her teacher from the second half of the episode.
It was urgent to just block the undead army coming down from North Korea.
So, I originally induced Baek A-rin, who had participated in the S-rank dungeon raid unconditionally up to the 999th time, to give up the raid under the pretext of the special weapon that would be made in July.
At the same time, he planned to borrow her power to protect even the world-famous general who would collapse every time.
‘Of course, now that I’ve revealed most of my secrets to the Master, it’s less of a hassle…’
Anyway, in conclusion.
Now that my intervention has changed the future.
There was also a good chance that the events that would occur in July would take a different turn.
But unlike this time, I thought the big picture wouldn’t change.
‘Because from Black Wing’s perspective, when three out of the eight guilds are absent due to the appearance of an S-rank dungeon, that would be the optimal timing to move the undead army… .’
Then suddenly, what if Heuk-ik came out in the semifinals of the Strongest Bicycle Tournament today and kidnapped Han Su-yeon?
Based on that, while tying up Cheon Yu-ha and Baek A-rin, a thought flashed through my mind that they might be planning to move the undead army to burn down Seoul.
-Thump thump-
‘No, that’s too much of a gamble for Heuk-ik. There’s no way they wouldn’t consider the case where they fail to kidnap him, or where Baek A-rin and Cheon Yu-ha give up on me and Han Su-yeon and go to stop the undead army.’
I judged that the possibility was significantly low….
‘What if an S-rank dungeon suddenly falls from the sky and traps Baek A-rin and Cheon Yu-ha at the same time? Otherwise, Heuk-ik would never waste their trump card.’
I started walking towards the entrance of the V-dong Blacksmith Shop, where I had just arrived, while having a baseless fantasy that had almost zero possibility of becoming a reality.
-Thump thump-
***
-In front of Building G, inside the Student Council store
The schedule at Building V didn’t take too long.
Kamanari is originally an expensive weapon for a 6th-rank lieutenant, and it may be because it hasn’t been used for very long.
The damage to the blade was not serious, and all repairs were completed in about 20 minutes.
Oh, and according to the Cheonha Blacksmith Clan Leader, Aegis was in perfect condition, without a single scratch.
‘By the way, the Cheonha Blacksmith Clan Leader was Jin Yong’s roommate… .’
[Are you right? The one who made Jin Yong’s dagger completely unusable.]
Cheonha Blacksmith Clan Leader, Geumeun Dong.
As soon as he saw me entering the forge, he thrust Ju Jin-yong’s dagger at me and said those words.
And then there’s the fact that he’s a roommate who shares the same dorm room with Joo Jin-yong.
Joo Jin-yong also revealed that he came here right after the Strongest Bicycle Tournament ended yesterday and entrusted him with the repair of his dagger.
‘But unlike my Kaminari, Ju Jin-yong’s dagger is… .’
[It took me an entire day to erase the gold that was visible on the outside, but the inside is a complete mess. It would shatter if I gave it even the slightest impact.]
Geum Eun-dong said that she informed Joo Jin-yong of that fact before fixing it.
However, it was assumed that the reason Ju Jin-yong was forced to take care of the dagger repair was because the dagger was left to him by his deceased father.
‘… … .’
By the way, I first learned about this fact yesterday through Joo Jin-yong.
Based on the original, in the beginning, Joo Jin-yong’s role was so small that it was only mentioned that he followed Shin Hae-seong around.
Anyway, I felt that I was somewhat responsible for the way Joo Jin-yong’s dagger turned out.
Taking advantage of the postpaid system, I paid Geumeundong for the repairs to my Kaminari, as well as the repairs to Ju Jinyong’s dagger.
So as a result, the current AP is 5000 AP, which is the sum of yesterday’s winner prediction and the points for advancing to the semifinals of the strongest tournament.
Excluding the 1000 AP I just spent on repairs, I had a total of 4000 AP left.
As a side note, I received a message notifying me of the minigame event that will take place on the 4th day, which is today, while waiting for the repair.
‘It’s the same event as the original, but….’
But now, contrary to the original plan, it is expected that Heuk-Ik will do something.
I guess I’ll have to give up on getting points.
Because the mini game event that will take place on the 4th day is.
That was because it was an event called <Accept My Heart>.
To summarize the rules, each cadet is given 300 AP.
This 300 AP cannot be used by oneself, and can only be passed on to others.
In addition to that.
The AP received from someone else was an event with rules that allowed you to use it.
So, in the original, cadets would exchange points with each other, or just give them to cadets they liked.
Otherwise, they have adopted a method where the winner of the bet takes it.
‘I originally planned to ask Joo-yeon or Yeo Ji-hye to exchange it for me, but… .’
However, I have already told those two people to act separately for two days in case they get involved with me.
So, I ended up being alone and had no choice but to give up on earning points in this <Accept My Heart> event.
‘Well, I bought most of the stuff I wanted, so points are basically meaningless now.’
Anyway, so before going to the training center, I was planning to use up all my remaining points at the student council store where I was currently standing to buy all the useful items.
And for now, I had already decided on one thing to buy.
-Snap-
That thing is….
[Evasion Charm: Blocks 2 critical hits. (If all abilities are used, the charm disappears.) 2100 AP]
‘In the end, I ended up getting all the things I bought in Black City… .’
Starting with Kaminari.
<Unmoving Heart> skill book, elixir nectar.
The magic circulation earrings currently hanging on my ears.
Finally, the talisman of evasion that I am now holding in my hand.
As I said before, it was definitely not my intention.
I simply picked out the most useful items from the student council store here.
For your information, all the items Shin Yul had chosen in Black City had already been sold.
‘It’s not exact, but I think the one Shin Yul chose in Black City was probably Han Soo Yeon… .’
Anyway, by using this talisman of evasion, I now have a total of 1900 AP left.
-Thump thump-
After that, I tried to get the most efficiency out of the remaining 1900 AP.
I started walking around the store, looking for useful items.
A little while later.
‘Okay, let’s do it this way.’
After much deliberation, I was able to choose items frugally, with exactly 1900 AP.
I chose a total of 4 items.
A bundle of energy bars consisting of two medium-level magic potions worth 500 AP each and 20 100 AP potions each.
Lastly, there was a set of 5 smoke grenades worth 800 AP that I bought yesterday.
First of all, two intermediate magic potions, in case you have any magic shortage.
I bought it in case I use <Wilson!> and run out of magic power.
And I bought the smoke grenade because I thought it would be useful for escaping, and I bought the energy bar because honestly, this was the only thing I could buy with 100 AP.
‘Well, I guess I can eat when I’m hungry at the training center later. I wasn’t planning on eating lunch today, but I’m actually glad.’
-Thump thump-
Immediately after that, I packed the items I wanted to buy in both hands and approached Shin Yul, who had been staring at me with a sharp gaze since a while ago.
‘I guess you’re still thinking about that story from yesterday… .’
Maybe it’s because I told Shin Yul yesterday that something ominous was going to happen at the S Stadium.
Shin Yul has been like this since the moment I entered the student council store.
He was looking at me as if he was saying, ‘Explain a little more.’
But I didn’t know exactly what would happen.
Even if I had told him that I might get involved in something dangerous at the S Stadium, Shin Yul seemed like he would stop me from going to the S Stadium.
‘The future could change again or I could get involved…’
I did this for several reasons, including to avoid making you worry unnecessarily.
I didn’t plan on giving Shin Yul any further explanation.
“Please calculate all of this, Student Council President.”
So I said nothing about yesterday.
Let’s immediately bring up the question of calculating the items we had chosen.
“… … .”
Shin Yul, who was looking back and forth between my pupils and the talisman of evasion among the items I had chosen with complicated eyes… .
“Phew… .”
He let out a deep sigh, and contrary to my expectations that he would say something.
“Hand me my smartwatch.”
“Oh, yes.”
-Tododok-
After I registered all the items I had chosen with the tablet.
-Snap-
He grabbed my left wrist and obediently scanned my smartwatch with the scanner.
-Bam-
[2100 AP was deducted due to the purchase of the consumable <Evasion Amulet>. Cadet Kim Baram has 1900 AP remaining.]
[1000 AP was deducted by purchasing the consumable <Intermediate Magic Potion x2>. Cadet Kim Baram has 900 AP remaining.]
[100 AP was deducted by purchasing the consumable <Energy Bar x20>. Cadet Kim Baram has 800 AP remaining.]
[800 AP was deducted by purchasing the consumable <Smoke Bomb x5>. Cadet Kim Baram’s remaining AP is 0 AP.]
But at that moment.
-Glance-
‘Hmm…? Just now… .’
As I was quickly scanning the messages spread out on my smartwatch, I absentmindedly shifted my gaze and caught sight of Shin Yul’s fingertips, which seemed to have blue magic attached to them, holding my wrist… .
-Swoosh-
I quickly turned my gaze back to that place again, trying to confirm that what I had seen was correct.
-Gyah-
‘Did I see things wrong…?’
When I looked again, there was no blue magic power at Shin Yul’s fingertips.
“… The payment has been made. Please check.”
“… … .”
“Wind, what’s wrong? What’s wrong?”
“Oh, no. Thank you.”
‘… I guess it was a mistake.’
Immediately after that, I was convinced that I had seen something wrong, as Shin Yul showed his usual attitude… .
“Then I’ll go and see, Student Council President. Please make sure to grant the favor I asked you yesterday.”
“… Okay, I understand, so don’t worry and go.”
After asking Shin Yul once more to do him the favor he had asked her to do yesterday, he turned around and left the student council store without any regrets.
-Thump thump-
one side.
“Whew… I guess I’m lucky I didn’t get caught.”
Shin Yul, who had been staring intently at the retreating Kim Baram, soon let out a sigh of relief… .
-Snap-
-Swoosh-
He immediately took out the crystal ball he had hidden in his bosom and began checking whether the location tracker he had secretly planted in Kim Baram was working properly.
“… Okay, I’ve got insurance on this, so it should be fine.”
***
-H Building Training Center, Room 201
After purchasing items from the student council store.
I ran straight to the H Building training center, took the elixir that Baek A-rin gave me, and focused on breathing magic for two hours.
-Tiring-
[By consuming ‘Freshmen’, your strength, agility, stamina, and magic power each increase by 3.]
“… This is crazy.”
And that unexpected result was right before my eyes.
Wow, all abilities except Luck Charm increase by 3.
‘At the current level, if the ability increases to this extent…’
Due to the nature of elixirs, their effectiveness drops sharply as their ability level increases.
With this level of increase, this elixir called Shinsundan could be said to be at least a 5th-grade or lower elixir.
-Gulp-
‘If it’s below 5th grade, it’s at least 2 billion…’
My heart felt heavy because I felt like I was always indebted to Baek A-rin.
The corners of my mouth kept going up without me noticing.
‘…I will definitely repay you someday, Master.’
Anyway, to Baek A-rin, the true teacher who gives so generously.
After expressing my endless gratitude in my heart for a while.
-Bam-
I got up from my seat right away and checked the time on my smartwatch.
-Glance-
[12:13]
“There are about 3 hours left….”
The strongest bike… no, there are about 3 hours left until the time Black Wing is expected to do something.
And while I came to this training center simply to avoid an unfortunate incident like yesterday, there was actually another reason.
-Swoosh-
“I was lucky. Maybe it was because it was the festival season, but there weren’t many people using it, so I was able to rent the largest training room.”
I planned to practice for the rest of my time.
Of course, as a cancer-causing character with zero talent, I couldn’t achieve any increase in my abilities even if I trained.
But what I was trying to do now was not training to increase my abilities.
-Thump thump-
The training I’m trying to do is swordsmanship training.
I planned to spend the remaining time practicing my own swordsmanship that I had recently developed.
‘In theory, the power and speed should be at least three times greater than what I normally swing at full power…’
-Sreung-
Standing at one end of the spacious training room, I pulled out Kaminari with my right hand… .
-Kwak-
With my remaining left hand, I held on tightly to the misfortune floating beside me and immediately shouted in a serious voice.
“[flight].”
-Tiring-
[The skill <Swordsmanship> level increases.]
***
Meanwhile, Kim Baram was training hard at the training center.
-Thump thump-
“Wait a minute, you over there. Stop.”
Cha Ju-hyuk, who was guarding the main gate of the academy while skipping lunch, stopped a cadet approaching the main gate.
-Stop-
Then, the cadet stopped walking immediately at Cha Joo-hyuk’s request and slightly raised his head.
The male cadet, who had a calm and gentle impression, asked Cha Ju-hyeok a question in a questioning voice.
“What’s wrong, Instructor?”
In response to the male cadet’s question, Cha Ju-hyuk looked at him with eyes filled with suspicion and asked him a question in return.
“Why are you going to school now? It’s already way past school time.”
At that moment, Cha Joo-hyuk was afraid to ask a question.
-Tiring-
[Player ‘Judain’s’ unique ability <Faith> is activated.]
The male cadet… no, the member of the Black Wing and the leader of the Demon Sect, Yu Da-in, activated his unique ability [Faith]… .
-Scratch-
At the same time, he scratched the back of his head and pretended to be embarrassed while telling a sly lie.
“Ah… haha… I accidentally overslept. Sorry, instructor.”
“… … .”
And after hearing the Jewish man’s answer, Cha Joo-hyuk looked at his expression…
‘… It’s not a lie.’
With your own judgment.
He opened his mouth, inwardly agreeing with the results of his unique ability, [Extrasensory Sense].
“Be careful next time. It’s a festival season, so let’s turn a blind eye.”
“Haha, thank you. I’ll be more careful next time.”
-bow-
Immediately after that, Yoo Da-in safely sneaked into the academy while passing through Cha Joo-hyuk’s security checkpoint… .
“First of all, the first button has been buttoned up successfully.”
Ending with a small muttering that no one else could hear.
“Let’s see, it’s definitely Building S… .”
He started walking leisurely towards his target location, S Stadium.
-Thump thump-
