Chapter 46
Chapter 46
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: The Twenty-Fourth Fragment, Carpediem
-----------------------------------------------------------------
──────────────────────
*Settlement
[You defeated five leaders leading the Black Wolves. Stamina increased by 2.]
[Through consistent training in Shadow Swordsmanship/Heresy Arts, you can now use them more efficiently. Magic power increased by 2.]
[Surrounded by a large number of wolves but refusing to give up and fighting alongside your companion, you achieved a new record. Strength and Agility each increased by 1.]
──────────────────────
*Title
[Acquired 〈Black Wolf Slayer〉.]
〈Black Wolf Slayer〉
A title given to those who have hunted hundreds of Black Wolves.
-Additional 3% damage when striking Black Wolves, 20% reduction in howling effects and duration from wolves.
-Instills intimidation when hunting all types of wolves. However, named monsters and bosses are unaffected.
└Intimidation (Passive): 5% reduction in movement speed and attack speed.
──────────────────────
「Status Window」
[Name: Judah Arsher]
[Title: Black Wolf Slayer (1)]
[Level: 19]
[Class: Black Claw _ Shadow Magic Swordsman (Hidden A)]
[Revival Count: 1]
[Strength: 41 (C) / Potential A]
[Stamina: 40 (C) / Potential S]
[Agility: 42 (C) / Potential SS]
[Magic Power: 43 (C) / Potential B]
[Magic Resistance: 52 (C) / Potential S]
[Knowledge: 17 (F) / Potential B] ◀ Special
[Luck: 84 (A) / Potential S] ◀ Special
[Remaining Points: 4]
──────────────────────
After a long time of about one year and eight months hunting only wolves, the results were not satisfactory. Levels and stats had risen, but the increases were smaller than expected. Of course, acquiring a title and having Jeanne join as a temporary companion made hunting wolves relatively easier, so it was natural for the gains to be this minimal. Still, it was just disappointing to realize there was no more honey to suck here.
'Whew, I guess it's time to move on.'
Yes, it seemed like time to leave. Watching his temporary companion Jeanne depart today made it feel even more certain. Thinking about it, he was already fifteen, and it was March, with the fresh spring breeze blowing. In just three more months, his birthday would arrive.
This birthday held special meaning. Celebrating his birth and eating delicious food was the same as always, but on his fifteenth birthday, unlike other days, he would undergo the coming-of-age ceremony.
And it was also the day Judah could open the fortune pouch left by the First Monarch Sian. That would mark the true beginning. Once he obtained the fragment, it would automatically save, so from that point, he could steadily follow the original game story. After getting the fragment, his first step would be to find the Blue Window Knight Jeanne and head to the western forest. Then, after recruiting her as a true companion, he planned to leave Serenia Castle in search of the next fragment.
Leaving Tia behind.
The choice to leave her tormented him, but there was no helping it. Ignoring the bond built over years together wasn't easy. Naturally, he wanted to take her along—that was his honest feeling—but coldly considering it, bringing her wasn't a good option.
Tia— if only her potential stats were a bit higher, he wouldn't be agonizing like this.
With her current ambiguous potential stats, taking her out of affection was... risky, and he lacked confidence.
Of course, her current level was quite high for the early game, so story progression would go somewhat smoothly, but that limit would come quickly. And if a fight to obtain a fragment broke out, she could die in the process. That risk would only grow with each fragment acquired.
'I don't care if I die.'
If possible, he didn't want to see her die. Especially not someone he'd grown fond of.
'If she died because of my mistake...'
He was certain it would deliver a tremendous shock. Thanks to his 〈Player〉 trait, he wouldn't go mad, but the impact might sap his will for everything. It terrified him. Just thinking about it tightened his chest. Without a doubt, to revive her, he would kill himself to turn back time.
At that moment, Judah's eyes narrowed. His thoughts spiraled, assuming worst-case scenarios one after another. Not just if she died, but every time a companion he'd grown fond of died, repeating suicide to revive them—how long could he keep that up?
What if, at some point, companions dying became familiar?
If he had to think about inevitably giving up, and eventually grew numb to their deaths, that would be torment in its own way. At the very least, he wished Tia wouldn't be part of that process.
Just then, the bathroom door burst open with a bang. Tia glanced at Judah lying on the sofa, entered the room, changed into casual clothes, and came out. Judah set aside his recent thoughts and smiled at her.
"You have to bring back something delicious when you go."
"Hmm— Got it~, I'll bring some, so don't fall asleep waiting."
Tia approached Judah, who was lying on the sofa waving lazily, and planted a kiss on his forehead. The fresh soap scent from her freshly washed body wafted over. But she seemed unsatisfied, giving him a wistful look.
"Not going?"
"Wait. Yeah, this isn't enough."
This time, she pressed her lips to his in a light kiss, finally showing a satisfied expression. With a wave and a cheerful "I'll be back~," she left the house with light steps. Watching her go, Judah touched his lips. The soft sensation lingered. His heart, already pained by thoughts of leaving her, grew even heavier.
Letting out a small sigh, he checked her status window. The affection rating over 90 stood out first among the numbers. Entering the spouse stage from lover, she now naturally showed skinship and affection matching that high value.
A few times, her overly tempting advances nearly made him give in, but she would always pull back hesitantly with an anxious face, so they'd never fully consummated.
Thanks to that, the stimulated Judah had to recite the national anthem in his mind every night to fall asleep—a daily torment. Even after years here, he hadn't forgotten the anthem because of her. Hearing the door click shut, Judah let out a deep sigh and sank deeper into the sofa.
'If this were just a game, I wouldn't have these worries.'
In the game, you could take up to five companions, so he could leave with Tia early on, drop her at an inn when the slots filled, and pick her up later when progression eased to raise her affection...
The problem was this world wasn't a game with such systems.
It borrowed some system elements but was utterly real. All NPCs lived, breathed, thought, and acted independently. There was no inn function to swap companions freely.
His head throbbed from the tangled thoughts, so Judah shook his head. His mind was made up.
He wouldn't take her.
Instead, as he'd said before, he'd leave the house to her. He just hoped she'd wait for him here, in this house. If she found another man she loved... it would hurt, but he'd bless her willingly. Asking her to wait indefinitely when he didn't know when he'd return felt too selfish. But call it greed or selfishness—he wanted her to wait.
'...No. Think of something else, something else.'
Dwelling on leaving her soured his mood. He'd steeled himself for this, but the heart wasn't so easily swayed. He decided on other thoughts. While checking status, skills, items, he remembered the quest from the lord.
「The Lord's Request」
[The lord, greatly annoyed by the Black Wolves expanding into the eastern forest, hopes you will reduce their numbers.]
[It's not something to ask an individual, but this is an opportunity. If you hunt the wolves and even defeat their leader, you'll be welcomed by the lord and the castle's residents.]
[This quest's rewards vary by the number of wolves hunted and ends when you claim them from the lord.]
Come to think of it, there was this request. A quest over two years old. Since he couldn't claim rewards immediately, he'd ignored it. Scrolling down the window revealed the wolves hunted.
[Number of Black Wolves Hunted So Far]
[Regular Wolves: 698]
[Leader Wolves: 5]
"That's a lot..."
He'd hunted them like crazy, but living Black Wolves remained plentiful. They no longer appeared near the eastern forest, but heading south, you'd see them easily.
Despite hunting this many, the Black Wolves' boss 〈Requiem〉 hadn't appeared since that day of 1:1 duel with Kalkan. Even if encountered, lacking confidence in a solo win, he had no desire to meet it.
Anyway, with this many, the reward—whatever it was—seemed worth expecting. Armor would be nice, a weapon too. Money above all.
After 〈Twenty-Fourth Fragment, Carpediem〉 obtainable in Serenia Castle, the next was 〈Tenth Fragment, Altemia〉. Acquiring the tenth fragment was incredibly easy.
Just have money. With money, you could buy it from the fragment's owner. But no one in this world knew that. So wealthy tycoons sought acquisition routes in vain, failing to obtain it.
'I wonder what the lord will reward...'
He should set a day soon to visit the lord.
Yaaawn—
Lying there brought a yawn. He'd planned to wait for Tia.
Should he get up, move around to wake up, or just drift off lazily?
...Too bothersome. Just sleep like this. He didn't know when Tia would return, but figured at least an hour or two. With nothing else to do, Judah closed his eyes.
+ + +
Bang bang bang!
"Mmmuuuugh. Open uuup. Jujuudaaah!"
Judah, asleep on the sofa, woke to the rough pounding on the door and sat up. The voice sounded like Tia's, and she seemed drunk. Sighing at the house-shaking bangs from outside, he rose. Unsure how long he'd slept, but system check showed 22:47:32 in his view.
'Back sooner than thought.'
Turning the knob, the door opened smoothly without catching.
Oh, right—she'd left and he hadn't locked it. Too lazy to go to the entrance, he'd left it, so of course it wasn't locked.
...?
Then why hadn't she come in?
Opening the door revealed her slumped against the wall. The alcohol smell confirmed she'd drunk a lot. Seeing Judah, she beamed.
"Judah! Guess what your master, this big sis brought!"
Heeheehee, giggling as she raised her hand. In it was a well-packaged paper box from a familiar shop they occasionally ordered from. Pretending ignorance, he asked.
"Chicken?"
"Exactly!"
With a leap, she pounced on him like a cat. Judah braced somehow against her weight. Instinctively tightening his lower body to avoid dropping the chicken if he fell. Fortunately, she gripped the box firmly and didn't topple.
"How's that, how's that? Good, right? Cute, right? Happy, right? My sense in buying chicken is amazing!"
Clinging to him, she peppered his cheeks with kisses—smack smack—while her hands roamed his body. Blushing and saying it tickled, she burst into laughter. Drunk and loose, but this defenseless side was reserved solely for Judah. Happily receiving her kiss barrage, he carefully supported her. She pointed "That way, that way!" to the sofa. Reaching it, she flung herself down, tossing the chicken box onto the table with a whoosh.
"Let's eat deliciously!"
Beaming proudly from the sofa, arms wide for a hug. But hugging would mean no chicken, so he nudged her aside with his hip to claim a seat and opened the box. Inside was warm, freshly fried chicken—surprisingly, all boneless tenders with meat stripped and deep-fried. Chicken was always right. Joyfully, Judah grabbed a piece with his fingers and started eating.
"Thanks for the meal!"
Chomp chomp, devouring it like possessed, Tia watched fondly. Too hungry and focused on eating, Judah missed her dreamy expression—like a woman gazing at her beloved man.
"Tasty?"
"Yeah, want some, Tia?"
"Hehe, you'll feed me?"
Tia opened her mouth like a baby bird, gazing at Judah with moist, tempting eyes.
========== Author's Note ==========
A few episodes left~
Q. Really really curious, but why does beastkin Tia only like cigarettes, alcohol, veggies, bread, sandwiches, grains and stuff? As a beastkin, tiger-human hybrid, shouldn't meat alone not satisfy her?
A. The sandwich Tia likes has meat, and she eats mostly grains usually because she goes hunting and gorges on wolf meat. It's said she pays attention to her health and figure.
Q. Could you compile those Tip things that appear every few chapters by Ja-kka-nim and post them in the work settings section once you have a bunch?
A. Sure, I'll post them once I have about 20~30.