Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: You're Really Pissing Me Off
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"Wolfram! We did it!"
"Yeah."
Aila, returned via Filtia's magic, approached me with a beaming smile, and soon enough, she gave me a light high-five with a smack!
It hurts.
My right arm, my right armmmm!!
Shut up!!
"We did it!"
"...Yeah."
"Why are you staring at me like you're burning up? ...Ah."
"......"
As I stared at her without a word, Aila tilted her head, glanced around, and hardened her expression.
"Filtia sis..."
No, why bring up Filtia crying on the floor with her arms propped up? My arm hurts.
"I see... Winning for us means someone else loses."
What the hell are you talking about?
"Yes. If we just celebrate victory, we might not feel the pain of the defeated. That's... like succeeding in a rebellion only to find nothing but ruins left behind."
No, my arm hurts.
Hey.
"You taught me that, Wolfram. Raise a toast to victory, but always keep the loser's tears in the corner of your memory. Wise words. Wolfram. You've taught me another lesson."
No, stop spouting nonsense and do something about my arm.
Ugh, grrr. Aila Trista...!
"I'll fight with that mindset from now on. Thank you, Wolfram."
With that, Aila lightly placed her hand on my shoulder.
Ah, it hurts. It hurts. Why does a light press hurt so much?
"Aila. Are you still under physical enhancement right now?"
"......Ah. I forgot to release it."
Wolfram will remember this day.
Forever.
After that, I helped the sobbing, collapsed Filtia to her feet.
Sorry, but we've got our own rewards to claim.
The reward for the Dragon's Trial is basically Filtia's own scale.
This palm-sized item is just an ordinary dragon scale on its own, but when imbued with the dragon's trust, it becomes a conduit symbolizing a bond with dragons.
"So, what are you two getting?"
"I have to fight a rival with 21 Magic Power."
"I see. And?"
"I heard that clearing the Dragon's Trial lets you boost your Magic Power, sis."
"Yeah. I see. Your Magic Power is... 19, right?"
"Yes. So I want something rebellious that lets me surpass my own limits."
Filtia nodded at Aila's request and summoned a scale onto her palm.
"This is..."
"It's my scale. Proof of trust. Once a day, for one hour, it lets you surpass your limits in Magic Power."
"Thank you. I'll use it well, sis."
"Good. Now, what about our little sis? A scale too?"
It's a pretty great buff item, but it's too specialized in Magic Power.
It doesn't boost everyone to 21 Magic Power; it just lets you exceed your limits. For me with 3 Magic Power, it'd only go to 4.
"I'm thinking of something else."
"Uh, okay?"
"Passing the Dragon's Trial lets you claim a treasure from the dragon instead of a bond, right?"
"...Little sis, you knew about that too...?"
"Yeah."
Do you have any idea how many times I've cleared your route?
"S-so, what are you gonna take?"
"I'll think about it slowly."
"O-okay? But nothing too amazing, alright?"
"Isn't two Trial passers better than that?"
"......That's true, but sis has to guard the gates to the demon realm, so I can't let you take too much of my power."
"Fair point."
In other words, no magic swords that count as power drain... meaning nothing below low 4th-tier gear by my standards.
"Keeping that in mind, sis will understand."
"Got it."
"And one more condition."
"Spit it out."
"Treasure vault's one-and-done. No time to think once you're in. Okay with that?"
"Of course."
"Hehe. Then I get to see little sis's eye for treasure too? Fine. Sis approves."
Filtia flashed a victorious smile, but I just shrugged.
Too bad, Super Young-jin here has your lair's vault memorized inside out.
With Filtia seeing us off, we returned to the convenience store.
Aila stretched languidly as we entered the evening store.
"Ugh, so much happened today. I'm exhausted from all the movement."
I see.
I'm hurting too much from getting hit by you.
"So what are you gonna do, Wolfram?"
"Gotta treat these injuries first."
"Eh, where are you hurt? Are you okay, Wolfram!?"
Guess who.
Aila's magic attributes could be analyzed as [Physical] and [Mineral], so she's not versed in healing magic.
"R-really... are you okay...?"
She looked at me with genuine worry. If I said it hurt, she'd probably cry.
Ah, damn it.
Hard to argue when she looks like that.
Sigh.
What can I do? It's my Stamina 2 that's the problem.
"I'm fine. A day's rest should do it."
"Okay then, Wolfram. I'll head out. See you tomorrow. Get well."
"...Yeah."
After seeing Aila off, I sat on the convenience store chair and shrugged my shoulders.
"Tomorrow's gonna be muscle pain."
Well, taking a day off, time to think about what treasure to pick.
"Most gear has equip restrictions."
Especially around 4th-tier, they demand Strength 17 or ban Magic Power under 20 for 1st-tier stuff.
"So, a Stamina elixir then."
There was one in Filtia's vault that boosts Stamina from under 10 to 1~2.
Eating that... might let me live a bit more human-like.
But...
"The story's already heading into Act 4."
Act 4 is summer break. Act 5... things get serious.
In Act 5, the undead from the Black Flag Wastelands or the Tombs of Sorrow invade Jefrin. For some reason, Wolfram's corpse is there, and Eve sees it and despairs.
......
Thinking about it, if I weren't here and original Wolfram went as in the story and got stabbed,
I'd have gotten my head smashed by Eve while she was flirting with Kelters.
You filthy couple...
No good. Gotta extend the time Eve's Filtia's plaything by two months.
Anyway.
Even if Kelters isn't there and heroines and allies can handle it, that's no reason for me to stay weak.
But where that strength is directed... that's crucial.
"Item handouts and potion features aren't enough."
But is boosting Stamina now the right move?
I start having a tiny doubt about that.
As I pondered...
"Wolfram, you there? Rudika's here!"
The assassin showed up in the dead of night.
Rudika entered the convenience store casually with a bright smile.
"Rudika. What's up?"
"Hmm. Here to change my mood! Hehe. Got a nice gift today."
With that, Rudika slid a bottle of pink liquid across the counter to me.
"This is..."
"Southern specialty drink. Supposed to be sweet, but I wouldn't know."
"...I see."
Appraising it, yep, southern specialty drink.
Probably fruit pickled in honey, then diluted honey-soaked water.
Super sweet.
"Gift. Will you accept, Wolfram?"
"Yeah. Gladly."
These kinds of gifts are always welcome.
Rudika sat down and swung her legs.
"You look cheerful. Good news?"
"Huh? Just normal. Decided to think positive, that's all."
"...Really."
"Yeah. No... wait, scratch that. Sorry, Wolfram."
"Can't follow the conversation. Why the sudden apology?"
"...I'm in a good mood right now. Met Wolfram, came to this fun convenience store."
"I see."
The convenience store's that fun for you? Makes me happy too.
"Not drinking?"
"Saving it. Gift from a dear friend."
"Wolfram always says just what Rudika wants to hear. Rudika's happy."
"......"
Rudika and I enjoyed a moment of silence like that.
This assassin's got a good heart deep down.
Even numbing her senses, even getting scolded by the professor in the original, I get it now.
"Wolfram. Rudika has a proposal."
"Go ahead."
"Last time, I said I'd try hard starting from this final practical exam."
"...Yeah."
"Thought it over deeply. I like Wolfram, like this convenience store. So..."
"......"
What is she getting at?
Rudika let out a deep sigh and opened her mouth softly with that rare serious gaze.
"Wolfram. I want you to forfeit, or Rudika to forfeit."
"What do you mean?"
Suddenly?
I'd planned accounting for a match with you.
"'Wolfram isn't weak' or anything."
"?"
"I'm scared. 'Feels like a single dagger poke would kill you right there.'"
"...?"
"My Stamina, Dexterity, Strength... 'overwhelmingly surpass Wolfram.' If even I smack Wolfram's head with a wooden dagger and he dies, what do I do?"
"...?"
"No reason we have to fight. Wolfram. Rudika doesn't want to kill Wolfram. 'Point a sword at a frail Wolfram? I can't.'"
"......?"
"So, 'I can forfeit.' 'You can forfeit.' No reason to fight. 'Point hostility at a Wolfram so frail a finger poke would kill him'? I can't."
".........?"
No.
That's a bit
over the top, isn't it?
"So I don't want to fight. What do you say, Wolfram?"
"......No. I want to."
"Why...? Do you want to fight me, Wolfram?"
"No hostility."
"Then..."
"And who knows? Could be fun results."
"You really think that?"
"Of course."
"...Got it. Rudika will hold back. See you at the match then, Wolfram."
"Yeah."
"But you can forfeit anytime. Ask me to forfeit too. ...Wolfram."
I nodded, and Rudika left the store.
Alone, I pondered a bit, then scratched my head vigorously.
Ah.
I'm crazy.
Why'd I choose this?
"Could ask her to forfeit even now."
But that scratches a vet's pride.
She's treating me like total trash.
I mean, I've rotten to the core in this game.
"Stat difference is absolute. But..."
Overcoming the absolute is what makes a vet, right?
Next day, muscle pain hit, but I gritted my teeth and went to Filtia.
She blinked at me, then nodded with an aha.
"Made up your mind?"
"Yeah. Gonna pick my treasure."
"...Okay. Heading to the vault."
With that, I headed to the dragon's lair, beyond the storm-swept desert's end—her treasure vault.
"Here. Papa's legacy and sis's treasures. Pick carefully, little sis!"
"......"
It was a mountain of treasure.
Nothing compared to the student council's warehouse.
Makes sense. This is where a real 'dragon' facing the true 'battlefield' hoards practical wartime treasures.
Not debuffed reality, but stuff that works in the main story.
Mountain of gold coins. Useless.
Dozens of magic swords. No need.
Staves aiding mana circulation and boosting spells. Useless.
"Pick one, anything."
"Not here."
"Huh?"
"Open another vault, Filtia sis."
".........Another one?"
"Why play dumb? That place. Where the greatest legacies sleep."
"Wh-what...? Huh? N-no idea what you mean...?"
You think I don't know?
"The vault burying First Emperor Hark von Loengrin's legacy. I want to see inside."
"...Th-that's Papa's and sis's..."
"Request from the little sis who passed the Dragon's Trial. You'll grant it, right Filtia sis?"
"Ugh, sob... You brat..."
Filtia sobbed.
I opened the treasure vault.