Chapter 152
Chapter 152
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 152
Chapter Title: I Didn't Die
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Chewing and swallowing something. Putting on clothes. Picking up or lifting objects. Walking, and even breathing—humans inevitably consume stamina for all these things.
And Wolfram von Loengrin's stamina is terribly low.
Of course, not everything in the world is defined by stats. For example, Milmyu's intelligence isn't reflected in her status window, and Wolfram von Loengrin, young as his body is, doesn't have his recovery completely ruined despite the low stamina.
So even if he pushes himself hard, he bounces back in two to three days.
My peers bounce back the next day, full of energy?
Tsk. No badmouthing.
That blessing of the wind spirit from Lapis Lazuli—it's like a minor buff in the actual game: [Durability slightly increased] or [Stamina consumption reduced]. But to me, it's worth its weight in gold.
I could only manage two hundred steps a day before. Now I can walk twelve hundred.
One step...
Wow. This is a whole new world.
No twisting joints when I bend my knees. No pain swinging my arms. No deep ache in my chest when my foot hits the ground.
I don't get out of breath while walking. My soles don't hurt even after three steps.
I'm... alive.
And I can keep living.
A small sense of omnipotence settles in alongside the power.
Power makes me strong! I can accomplish so much more!
"I offer my thanks, Lapis Lazuli."
"Hee hee. I'm the one who should thank you, heir of Hark. I just wanted to create a good study environment now that this child has awakened, so I'll head back."
"Do that. Ah... Next time, I'll adjust the potion so you don't have to come out."
"No need. It might even strengthen my mental resistance, so feel free to make it stronger."
"...I see."
And with that, Sylphia—no, Lapis Lazuli—returned.
After Lapis left.
Drunk on that sense of omnipotence, I clenched my fist.
"Master. What do you plan to seize with that power?"
"Everything in this Jefrin Academy."
"Planning to declare yourself the heavens?"
"I've never fallen to earth."
Right now, I could do it.
"Time to develop new products."
Before becoming Wolfram von Loengrin, back when I lived as Yi Young-jin. One thing I learned after a long, long convenience store life was that high schoolers eat an insane amount.
Beyond a crazy Engel's coefficient—they stuff so much into their stomachs that you wonder how it all fits in those bodies.
When high school kids demolish a bento, a small cup ramen, two triangle kimbaps, and a hot bar, then rinse it down with zero-calorie cola on the way out while grabbing an ice cream, you can't help but be amazed.
That's why convenience stores always, always need to stock a ridiculous amount of food.
But up until now, I couldn't.
My cooking skill was low. No fridge. Hard to source ingredients. Short on hands. No stamina.
But not anymore.
Top Store Mind! Limiter off! Level MAX! All clear!
"There's no escaping my convenience store."
Alright. Time to get to work.
"Partlash. Help me. We have places to go."
"Where to?"
The products I wanted to sell were decided from the start.
"First, send out the orders, then circle Heavenly Plateau. In the meantime, finalize product ideas, hand off meat to the butchery experts... Mountains of tasks. No time to waste."
"Ho. Quite passionate, aren't you?"
"Hmph. If stamina were an issue, maybe. But with a thousand extra steps a day? Nothing's impossible for me."
After that, I hopped on the cart and headed straight to Heavenly Plateau.
Hunted beasts at the entrance using Partlash, loaded them right onto the cart, and shipped them to the meat processing plant.
"Waaah... Amazing."
"No big deal. Save the praise for later."
"Y-yes...!"
Milmyu, who had been staring blankly at me from the side, blushed and praised me.
Ah. Milmyu learned I could walk a thousand more steps and insisted on helping when I mentioned new product development.
"Black bread orders would be cheapest, but tsk. Quality's too low. So, order flour and bake bread myself. Next, sauce... No soy sauce, so tomato base. Then the workflow... Can't take more than a minute per unit."
I endlessly ran rotations in my head, mapping out the workflow.
"Day one, sell lightly—three hundred units. Around 4,500 rin each. Keep costs under 1,500 rin. ...Tight, but it works out."
Calculations done, double-checked a few times, and Milmyu was staring at me.
"Sunbae-nim. Sunbae-nim."
"What?"
"That blessing from the fairy—it lets you walk a thousand more steps a day, right?"
"Right."
"But you seem like a different person."
"Do I?"
"Y-yeah. More... confident, I guess? ...You're so cool."
"Nonsense. I'm Wolfram von Loengrin."
"Y-yes."
Truth is, stamina at 2 eats away at all confidence.
I'd bet that with everything else the same but stamina at 13, I'd run this game to the end without stopping and succeed with the convenience store.
Of course, a thousand steps doesn't magically boost stamina, but widening my range of motion alone lets me get so much done.
Back at the convenience store, I baked massive batches of dough using Partlash's telekinesis. Timed veggies chopped and sealed in the fridge when meat arrived. Set up mini magic-stone fridge and steamer on the cart. Checked off every task from one to ten.
Alright. Showdown tomorrow.
After third period in the first-years' general class, before fourth period started.
Milmyu von Sabre had a dazed look on her face.
"Milmyu. What's up?"
"Leave her. She's thinking about Wolfram sunbae-nim again."
"Aha. Lost in thoughts of her darling. Got it."
"...I can hear you all."
Milmyu pouted at Vanilla Yogurt's teasing.
But it wasn't wrong, so she had nothing to say.
"So, what this time? 'Sunbae-nim was so cool again'?"
"...Yeah."
"Here we go again? Fine. What's the story today?"
"No, like... Do men gain confidence when their stamina improves?"
"What? What happened?"
"Spill it. How'd you know his stamina improved?"
"Uh, yeah? It's not that big a deal."
After that, Milmyu told the story as vaguely as possible.
Even for close friends, spilling that an imperial scion got a spirit's blessing could cause massive political fallout.
In the end, Vanilla and Yogurt just thought Wolfram made something amazing that slightly improved his stamina recovery.
"He was so passionate about work... Full of confidence in his words... Kinda wild, you know?"
"Stamina's important. I get it."
"Yeah. Could give him new confidence. I think so too."
"R-right...? And sunbae-nim said..."
Blushing Milmyu kept praising Wolfram, and Vanilla and Yogurt listened seriously to the Wolfram praise fest without a single frown or bored look.
True friendship.
Lunchtime.
For the first time in ages, I set up the cart and waited for the first-years to swarm.
Of course, a thousand extra steps doesn't multiply my stamina fivefold.
So I needed solid help, and there she was...
"Preparations complete! Sunbae-nim!"
"Today... it's Ne-ssi, huh?"
"Yessir! Inept Ne-ssi, reporting for duty!"
Not Nefti the royal guard, but Ne-ssi was here.
"Got the menu and workflow memorized?"
"Of course! Leave it to me!"
"Hourly 9,160 rin, plus incentives. Twenty percent of pure profits."
"Got it! Ten percent! Noted!"
"Oh."
"Heh."
Way back at freshman orientation, selling donuts.
I promised thirty percent, gave twenty.
And... this girl remembered.
Yet she never complained once.
Nefti... Truly worthy of her name of conviction.
"No, twenty percent it is."
"Hee hee. Yes. I'll take the full twenty!"
Light fist bump, fire up the griddle.
Thirty minutes before lunch rush. Start cooking now, and those gluttons will come running.
"Let's go, Ne-ssi."
"Yes, Wolfram sunbae-nim!"
Not the stiff, formal, considerate royal guard Nefti—but the bright, lively Ne-ssi from our first meeting. Fist bump, and work begins.
What I planned was hot dogs.
More precisely, steak hot dogs.
Prep is simple.
Steam baked buns in a steamer to keep warm.
Then re-grill prepped, lightly pre-baked hamburger steaks on the hot plate.
Open bun, add steak, veggies, sauce, fold, wrap in paper. Done.
Pure grilling time: one minute. Total per unit: about two minutes.
Prepped some ahead, and grill smoke will draw students in.
That's the plan. Made a ton.
My stall has donut history. Enough cred.
Reopened shop thinking that, and the result...
"Sunbae-nim! Four orders!"
"Idiot. Tell 'em two per person max!"
"No! Two customers! Oh, drinks three, sandwiches three over there!"
"...Got it! Hold on! Making now! Partlash! Speed up!"
"Mm!"
No joke.
First-years got demons in their bellies?
I know my rep. ...Wolfram von Loengrin's stall scares kids off as imperial kin.
But... nope.
Hunger overrides authority.
These maniacs wanted sandwiches like crazy.
"Sunbae-nim! Faster!?"
"Fool! No time!"
"They'll take undercooked!"
Left counter to Nefti, cooking in the back.
Partlash handles dough setup and grilling with telekinesis. I just add veggies, sauce, wrap—and my arms scream.
"...Extra steps don't boost arm strength."
Glare at Partlash's mini form, but gotta make 'em.
Reaching for a bun, trembling hand drops one.
"I'll help, Wolfram."
A reliable voice from behind.
"Aila."
"Hee hee. Wandering Jefrin after so long... and you're doing something this fun... Can't handle it alone, right?"
"Not easy."
"Good. I'll help. Trust me."
"I do."
"Alright. Let's go."
"Yeah. Let's."
With her at my back, I can lean on her.
Even hellish hour, we can survive.
Orders match output.
Thus, powering through that hellish hour with bonds. I quietly sat in the chair.
After conquering this battlefield, the four of us sat around one table.
Celebrating victory—like freshman orientation crew.
"First time we did business, I was a customer. Now I'm helping."
"I see."
"Ah... I remember. When you dueled the top freshman!"
"Yeah. Without your advice then, Wolfram... Honestly, it wouldn't have been easy."
"No, Aila. You would've done fine."
"Hee hee. Thanks."
Four sandwiches left.
Drinks split four ways.
Partlash.
Nefti.
Aila.
And... me.
Four sandwiches for our lunch, eyes blurring.
"Sunbae-nim not eating?"
"Wolfram. Wolfram...? You need to eat too."
"Ah. Right."
But my hand won't move.
Just wanna savor this fulfillment and relief.
"Wolfram..."
"Sorry. Let me rest a bit."
"Yes. Wolfram... Rest easy now."
I've eaten plenty already...
Plenty...