Chapter 102
Chapter 102
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>Translator: Lord First
>Chapter: 102
>Chapter Title: Practical Application is Common Sense (7)
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*
There are certain laws in RPGs. They are like level design rules for game developers.
For instance, when designing a map, make exploration varied, but lay out the main path with high-visibility tiles to guide progression.
You don't have to follow them, but they are pieces of advice best heeded for the sake of convenience.
And Ivan, naturally, knew all of this.
In his past life, Kim Seon-woo’s hobby was leaving 5,700-character "critiques" and "advice" on all sorts of content. To advise a creator, one must have a fundamental understanding, and his advice spanned all genres.
Meaning, he didn't discriminate between games, comics, or webnovels. He had spent his life leaving malicious comments on every piece of content he could find.
Therefore, he possessed extensive knowledge about this type of game as well.
Now, let's hypothesize.
Here we have a beginner party with an average level of 5 to 10.
It’s a party composed of a warrior, a bard (berserker subclass), a knight (thief subclass), and a mage (mind sorcery)—a combination with an incomprehensible design philosophy.
They are novices who haven't learned a single proper attack skill. They've barely made it past the tutorial content.
At this point, what kind of enemy should they encounter in the hunting grounds?
"It would have been nice if there were goblins."
Ivan watched the horde of orcs and pressed a button firmly.
With a loud *thump*, trees came crashing down, splitting the horde in two.
He could hear the orcs screaming. Watching them from a distance, Ivan once again drew a map in his mind.
Orc warriors, specialized in close combat, are difficult opponents for beginners. With numbers like that, the current party could never win.
So, this is where "level design" comes in.
First, yes.
Random encounters should be less than five monsters at a time, adjusted so that the ratio of combat to rest to travel is 2:3:5.
Intermittently, just enough for growth.
And.
"You're too strong for this stage's boss."
Ivan muttered under his breath, looking down at a gagged orc that was struggling and screaming.
The orc looked up at Ivan with tears in its eyes. There was fear of the incomprehensible, of the unknown.
It was only natural. It would be difficult for the small minds of orcs to understand civilization and common sense. Ivan studied the orc's eyes, smelling the cortisol mixed with its body odor.
Vertebrates that feel emotions share several common mechanisms. When the amygdala awakens survival instincts in the face of fear, the hypothalamus is stimulated, triggering a series of physical reactions.
Typical responses include pupil dilation, increased heart rate, muscle tension, and vasoconstriction due to sympathetic nervous system activation, which leads to a loss of color, increased trembling, and cold sweat.
Meanwhile, the endocrine glands begin to secrete cortisol. That's when it starts. The characteristic smell of a terrified creature.
In the Annihilation Squad, they called this state "prone to honesty." Ivan uncorked a potion and placed his hand on the orc's mouth.
"You must have many questions."
Ivan whispered, gripping the orc's head tightly.
I can guess.
How I was able to abduct you alone, so secretly.
And since when I've been lying in wait here.
How I knew you would come here and was waiting.
Yes, you must be curious about such things.
The answer to all those questions is one and the same: 'common-sense situational judgment.' And I have no way, nor any intention, of teaching such common sense to this demi-human.
Therefore, as an efficient agent, his job is not to answer. It is only to ask.
"I also have many questions for you."
Ivan had devised this plan with only the certainty that 'attackers' would arrive. This meant that he, too, did not know who the attackers were, or how they had managed to penetrate so deep into the southern Krasilov region.
Therefore, who opened the way for them? At what level did someone join hands with the demons? How many more demon strike teams are there? Have the demons formed a unified coalition, or are they still divided?
How did they predict that the 'children of the Hero's Party' would gather in this rural area at the start of the break? Where did they get that information? This was, in fact, a very serious problem.
Because he had not yet received approval from Elizaveta for this situation.
His sole superior was Elizaveta, and she was not one to share this information with anyone else.
Then how in the world did these vermin manage to infiltrate the heart of Krasilov and strut around openly, fully armed for close combat?
As you can see, the Counter-Intelligence Command is, by nature, very curious.
And unlike most other 'curious mischief-makers,' the Counter-Intelligence Command was equipped with various means for active information gathering.
Ivan let go of the terrified orc's head and slowly began to unpack his things.
*Clink, clank.* Taking out completely unsuspicious tools.
"Fortunately, there's plenty of time."
The students' training is scheduled to proceed very slowly.
Hearing this, the orc squeezed its eyes shut.
*
"St... Stop. Phew... hah... The sun, the sun is setting."
"Already? Is it that late? What time is it?"
"Does anyone have a watch... *pant*... Let's just... rest for a bit."
The party members collapsed, looking ragged. Elfihera was about to conjure a spark in the chilly forest air but flinched and stopped.
When darkness falls, a flame is too visible. That's common sense.
Elfihera mumbled with a terrified look, fidgeting with her fingers.
"I'll try setting up some booby traps around the campsite."
"You know how?"
"I learned after getting caught in a few."
Esidis staggered to her feet and disappeared into the woods. Isabelle nodded.
After all, setting traps around a campsite is common sense.
"Oskar. I'll take the second watch today."
"I'm still fine, Lady Isabelle."
"Come on, don't be like that. Did you even get three hours of sleep?"
"...Thank you."
It was, of course, common sense to rotate the night watch schedule when camping. If you stood a tiring watch like the second or third, you deserved consideration the next day.
This was basic party common sense, so Isabelle casually dropped her pack and started crunching on a 'nutrition bar.'
It was fishy, bitter, and sour, yet sickeningly sweet and sticky, and felt gritty in the mouth.
A taste too difficult to describe, but it was emergency food that required no cooking. Field rations that could be eaten on the spot when you couldn't make a fire.
Now I finally understand why he packed this stuff for us.
That madman...!!
-*Crunch!*
Isabelle unconsciously crushed the nutrition bar in her hand and looked up at the sky.
The sun was setting.
"What day is it today?"
"Three days... oh, it's been five days since we entered this forest."
"This is relentless. Why hasn't the army come?"
"I don't know... It's so remote that... maybe they don't even know the demons attacked here?"
Oskar replied bitterly.
He was right. This was a remote mountain, not a logistics hub, with no major cities nearby, and not even any houses in the vicinity.
How many mountains like this must there be in Krasilov? There wasn't even a military garrison in the area.
It seemed the training location was chosen based on those factors, but conversely, didn't that also mean it was an ideal environment for demons to infiltrate?
"How on earth did the demons get this far?"
"I wonder..."
"And what are they hoping to achieve by coming all this way?"
Isabelle's eyes were still fixed on the sky.
The purple-tinged sunset was gradually deepening into ultramarine.
Amidst it all, counting the clusters of stars that glowed blue, Isabelle continued speaking softly.
"Oskar, what do you think? You took 'Knight' classes in Tyles, didn't you?"
"...Perhaps. Could it be us? If they're demons, they might want to eliminate the children of the Hero's Party."
"How would they know that?"
The moment he heard Isabelle's words, Oskar felt a chill run down his spine.
"Lord Yeremov. I mean, Mr. Ivan wouldn't have leaked it."
"With his personality, he'd split a demon's head open on sight."
"Yes, and Lord Yeremov is likely a very high-ranking officer in the Counter-Intelligence Command."
"Right. So..."
There's a spy within the Counter-Intelligence Command?
Or.
"What if we aren't the target?"
"Pardon?"
"Remember the orcs that attacked us? They were a bit too... much to be assassins sent on an infiltration mission."
"Loud?"
"Does it make sense that they would struggle to infiltrate all the way from the distant demon territories, looking like that, only to kill the four of us? Isn't it strange?"
"Lady Isabelle. Our lives are more..."
"Valuable?"
Isabelle scoffed. She gestured around them with her chin.
It was a gesture that said, *If we're so valuable, why are we still in this mess?* Then, she smiled and turned her head away.
"Let's say you're right. Then why are they attacking in waves instead of all at once?"
"That... is."
Oskar berated himself for not thinking of something so simple.
It was obviously strange behavior. Assassins who infiltrated deep into enemy territory, slowly attacking their target over three or four days, sending only two or three at a time?
Does that make any sense?
"This means... we aren't their target."
Isabelle looked back at Oskar. Her eyes were shining with a blue light.
What if their goal isn't us, but some larger, more sinister plot?
And what if we simply encountered and fought their patrols while they were carrying out that plan?
The demons are plotting something in these mountains.
And we and the Counter-Intelligence agents got caught up in it by a stunning coincidence.
And if the old man is unable to save us now because he's gone off alone to stop this 'grand demon plot' in the process.
Just as her thoughts reached that point, Elfihera suddenly muttered.
"A seal, once discovered, will inevitably be broken in the near future...?"
"What?"
"That's what Lord Yeremov said! He called it the 'common sense of seals'...!"
At the mention of "common sense," the entire party flinched.
"If we 'discovered' something... then..."
"An unstoppable catastrophe will occur in the near future?"
"It's not just us who are in danger. Lord Yeremov is, too. Think about it. If Lord Yeremov had even a little leeway, would he really have left me... ah, no. Us, like this?"
Ignoring the strange slip-up in the middle, it was a rather plausible assumption.
Ivan was not the type of person to abandon the students he was in charge of and run away to save his own life in a situation like this.
So, the fact that Ivan still hadn't appeared after they had fought at least five fierce battles with orc combat groups...
...didn't that mean he was in a situation where he couldn't appear?
Her thoughts having reached this conclusion, Isabelle nodded silently.
"This time, let's save the old man."
"With what? How?"
Oskar's question was reasonable.
If demons had infiltrated and were carrying out a large-scale operation, and even a powerful agent of the Counter-Intelligence Command like Ivan couldn't stop it...
...it wasn't something that a mere four university students could handle, was it?
It would be better to stick to the original plan, descend the mountain quickly, and call for reinforcements...
"Elfihera's right. If the old man taught us that as 'common sense,' there must have been a reason. We might not have much time."
"Isn't that all just an assumption?"
"At least, the old man doesn't have much time. He might even be dying right now."
Isabelle's eyes shone brightly. Anger, impatience, and worry flickered within them.
"Let's save him. Didn't you say we all owe the old man our lives?"
"..."
"Let's save the old man. And, Oskar."
"Yes?"
Isabelle's eyes were still blazing, but she smiled serenely.
"The demons have appeared, and we have our swords. Just as our parents did. Oskar, son of Gilles Vert. A knight of Tyles. Let us raise our swords not for strength, but for goodwill."
*
Listening from a distance, an agent choked up, tears welling in his eyes as he finished his report.
*