Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: The Siblings' Way
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Before entering this world, back when I was living as Yi Young-jin.
In online slang, the word "run" didn't mean sprinting—it meant grinding.
Farming runs, trash runs, strength runs, and so on.
And naturally, D/Z SAGA had a few of those runs too.
The most famous one was in Act 2: the armor run, where you farm Mosmen until you get the armor that matches your growth route.
Then there was the farming run where you consume materials, check their options, toss the trash ones, and stuff your inventory full of high-end options.
After that, there's the Emil run—to speed through to the next playthrough when your growth goes bust, you rush the Emily route ending.
I remember countless newbies asking, "What if I mess up my first playthrough?" and me replying, "Level up your cooking and go see the Emily ending."
Unlike the other bad endings, the Emily ending was quick to reach and counted as a proper conclusion.
If you dove in earliest, you could even plant flags back in Act 1.
Anyway, I tuned Emily's affinity breakpoints to bulldoze the field.
I had no plans to exploit her or anything. Emily Haimelody couldn't unlock this map on her own, and story-wise, she'd never be saved without it.
But if you ask whether this counts as salvation... well, let's call it a win-win.
We both teamed up to unlock a map packed with materials, that's all.
"...Thank you, Senior. I'll never forget this kindness for the rest of my life."
"Hm."
"Ah, and... I still haven't learned flight magic. May I come see you again?"
"Do whatever you want."
"Yes! Thank you! Truly, thank you so much. For life... I'll never forget you for the rest of my life."
Saying that, Emily bowed her head deeply.
This was the one line Emily drops if you enter her route.
'Kelters. I'll never forget you for the rest of my life.'
Not that I'd ever enter her route, of course.
I smashed every flag in sight and snagged the perks. A route? Please.
[Heaven's Plateau].
The sacred land of ingredients prepared by the founding emperor for cooks who tread neither the path of the sword nor magic.
The seas are calm, fishing spots abound, fruits and spices overflow. Edible beasts roam in plenty too.
"Hm."
Of course, the difficulty scales accordingly.
Like the Fairy's Paradise in Act 1, this place is something of a hidden map.
Each act hides one like this, and they're brutally tough overall—so it's often smarter to clear just the early bits in sync with your growth rather than rushing a full.
"...Hm. A shame."
But as a hardcore vet, I've got a totally different approach.
Grab the fixed-position treasure chest and bail with a Tier 5 return spell, [Escape from Field]. It's basically a chest run. Except I'd die flat-out trying it.
Not even that level, honestly. Wander around picking stuff up, bump into a goblin, and you're done.
Sure, I've got Patrasche, but even our combo could get steamrolled by the wrong monster encounter.
So here, we go with a completely different strat!
"Master. You're really saying we do it like this...?"
"Hm. No other way."
"......I see. Understood."
Shove Patrasche through the portal solo, telekinesis-snag the loot we need.
Monsters aggro with a Kraaaang! inside the portal? Yank Patrasche back out.
Dumb mobs can't peek outside, so they spawn a question mark overhead and wander off.
"Head in, Patrasche."
"...Ugh, hm. Got it."
This is entrance cheese farming.
No skills? Grind like this to survive.
"...This feels wrong, Master. Pride on the line?"
"Hm."
"That silver-haired girl Emily was steeling herself for fights right at the entrance alone, but you...?"
Well.
That's Emily's problem.
What can I do?
Who's compensating if I get hurt, huh?
By the time I'd hauled countless ingredients into the store, the sun hung high overhead.
Patrasche muttered something about not being able to stomach it and wandered off for a stroll. Cold-blooded fairy.
"...Hm. About time for a cleanup."
Not skills or stats—time to tidy up the episodes.
I flipped open my notes and started jotting down the timeline.
"I know who the Act 2 boss is, but still."
Act 2's theme is lovey-dovey academy life. Just max flirt with the heroines, that's it.
Kelters adventures from 2-1 through 2-4 alongside Eve and the likes of Regina and Isolde.
Heroine charms get spotlit, you form parties, snag party skills, and on Eve's expedition, you even score the party skill Heart Link.
And as mentioned, every act's finale has a boss—and there's definitely a for Act 2's.
Still early-game, so not brutally hard. Just kinda creepy.
But from Wolfram's perspective? Tricky.
"Boss fight timing's a nightmare. Triggers off who?"
The problem is the boss spawn trigger locks strictly to Kelters' actions.
Spawns in front of whichever heroine has the highest affinity, cueing his "one knight protecting her" epiphany.
Miss the save or time it wrong?
Nothing immediate.
But trauma damage stacks up inside the heroine.
Eve loses her nerve, Regina her will to live, Isolde goes insane.
No matter how hard you grind, despair—no happy end.
Not just this boss, mind you. This kicks off four total bosses that chip away at their psyches.
"That's the Flag Breaker. Ending Pulverizer D/Z SAGA's true darkness."
The batshit game that drops this hook starting Act 2.
Totally deranged.
"Boss is nasty enough, but not knowing who it'll spawn for? That's the killer."
Scritch—my pen halted.
"Doesn't matter if I ignore it. Doesn't, but..."
The people around me? Mostly not canon heroines.
Nefti was unrecruitable, Rudika's the apex assassin, Aila was a boss, Mille-feuille the original's dropout scrub.
But among those at my side, just one.
One who canonically trips this vicious trap.
"...Tch."
Bloodline mate.
The name right below Wolfram von Loengrin's on the family register.
Smart but dense, annoying to chat with, zero respect—Student Council President.
Once I became Wolfram von Loengrin.
Survival first, thin ice walking.
Now? Aila relations friendly, Nefti and Rudika, even the chicks drop by.
Unfulfilled convenience store manager dream.
Store's barely stocked. Miles to go.
So Wolfram lives for Wolfram.
"Just babysit that dumb little sister, huh."
But ignoring someone I could plainly save? Sounds like nightmare fuel.
"This meat suit pulls all-nighters, low stamina turns mornings into hell."
Yeah. That's it.
Next day.
Mounted the Black King Tiger and headed for the Student Council headquarters.
Lugging the well-packed container from yesterday's untouched lunch.
......
Do I really have to go this far?
What, like her fate's got anything to do with me?
"W-Wolfram-nim, hello."
Students murmur the second they spot me.
Glance around—not my face they're eyeing. The bento box in my hand.
That black three-tiered bento container.
Precious lunch inside: big bro packed for lil sis...
Yeah, no. Gonna lose it.
"That's a bento box, right?"
"...Y'know, that celeb proof you only eat in the crew..."
"Heard the rumors. What's even inside?"
"They say Haimelody princess is chasing Wolfram-nim..."
"The bento that made a princess fall at first bite..."
Argh, seriously! Enough!
Can't make out the words clearly, but man, these kids love their gossip.
"Eve here?"
"Y-Yes... Probably in the council president's office."
"Got it. I'll head in."
"Sure!"
Swooshed past the council room door.
Locked eyes with Sylvia en route, but no words exchanged.
She mellowed out too, huh?
"Eve. You in?"
"What brings you here?"
In the office: hollow-eyed Eve, scribbling through paperwork.
Top-grade mana potions littering the side.
Eve can convert mana to stamina, sure—but the efficiency sucks.
If it didn't, she'd loop stamina-to-mana recovery for infinite power. Proof positive.
D/Z SAGA's most broken character's built-in penalty.
Penalty? Debatable. Anyway, she canonically faceplants from overwork and wakes up in the infirmary now and then.
Kelters pities her, joins the council, fights alongside, uncovers her loneliness, supports from the side—their bond deepens.
Kelters nails the savior role. Me? Not going that far.
"Eaten yet? Let's eat together. Got something to discuss."
"...No appointment, though?"
"Appreciate the prep effort. Pretty sure it'll suit the palate of one Eve von Loengrin, who always scarfed my meals down."
"...Ugh. Who told y—"
"Don't want it?"
"Didn't say that."
Eve flushed red with indignation, fists clenched tight.
Even if trouble hits her, no need to Kelters it up.
Just Wolfram-and-Eve style.
"Another sandwich?"
"No griping."
"Never griped. ...Itadakimasu."
As Eve put it, lunch was sandwiches again.
But they hold shape on the move, layer tastes beautifully, nutritionally balanced to boot—and perfect for flexing those Heaven's Plateau ingredients.
"...Yeah. Good as always."
Eve clutched the sandwich in both paws like a squirrel, munching away.
Skipping repeat flavors mid-bite? Definitely savoring it.
The sight was infuriating... nah, kinda cute. I just chuckled.
"What're you laughing at?"
"Nothing. Soup's here too."
"...Thanks."
Eve slurped the soup I'd made and finally exhaled in relief.
"Rumors live up to the hype."
"Flattery."
Total flattery. If word really spread, the store'd be mobbed.
"Hm. Hate to admit it, but... yeah, solid taste. Thanks. Body feels lighter already."
"Not your imagination. Actually lighter."
"Huh?"
"Stamina restore, stamina buff. Stacked a few others too. Full three sandwiches? You'll feel it."
"...Magic food again? Always whipping up weird crap."
"And."
"?"
I paused there, deep in thought.
What to even tell Eve.
A nauseating boss is gonna spawn in your face—bulk my meals to jack mental resistance?
Or crash properly so your psyche's ironclad—tough it two weeks?
Okay, smart guy. How to explain that?
Act 2 boss is a Black Flag exec, that Black Market abyss dweller's lackey!
Eve'd rally a strike team and raze the Market. High odds.
But first: "How do you know?" Cue total shakedown.
Shakedown turns up my Market pass and Flag exec badge?
Bye-bye Wolfram head?
Whatta happy ending!
"Spit it out properly. Why'd you clam up?"
"......Just picking my words."
Full rundown's a no-go.
Go direct, then.
"Eve von Loengrin."
"Yes? What?"
Act 2 boss unleashes a brutal curse.
Then pounces on the heroine's traumatized gaps.
Canon Act 2 Eve von Loengrin's trauma? Straight-up "dead Wolfram."
"I'm right here. Wolfram von Loengrin is right here."
"I know."
"Good."
"Know you're squatting there all creepy, off doing pointless crap somewhere."
"Spot on."
"Yeah. So how do people not... seriously don't get how annoy—"
Eve's grumbling trailed off, swapped for soft snores.
"Eve von Loengrin President... Oh."
"Hm. President's catching some Z's. Let her rest."
Right then, a council exec popped in hunting Eve. I blocked him.
"Ah, um... I."
Sighed softly at the fidgeting exec.
"Urgent?"
"...Post-lunch meet with the Maestro folk. Everyone booked a month ago expecting Eve... What to do."
She's handling that too, huh.
"Hm. I'll cover it, then. Explain why, same imperial blood—we'll save face all around?"
"Pardon? ...Yes. Of course."
I stood, mid-step to follow the exec, when a grumbled mutter slipped between her sleepy breaths from behind.
"...Idiot, Wolframm... seriously..."
"...Sheesh."
What a handful.
High-maintenance bloodline mate.