38. Time and Manpower
38. Time and Manpower
Midterm Exam Week 1
Monday
"Are you still... not going?"
"There's plenty of time and a lot to learn. Let's focus on class for now."
"Hmm... certainly. Watching the situation a bit rather than going right away isn't a bad idea."
I concentrated on class.
Protagonist's party started quests for the first time
[Goblin Subjugation]
Total Points 5p
...
..
.
Midterm Exam Week 1
Wednesday
"Do you have some kind of plan, Chrono?"
"Something like that."
"Can't you tell me?"
"Are you a spy sent by Ter?!"
"I wish....."
"...Sorry."
I concentrated on class.
Protagonist's party performed quests for three days straight
[Goblin Subjugation]
[Herb Gathering]
Etcetera
Total Points 28 p
...
..
.
Midterm Exam Week 1
Friday
"Hey."
"What."
"Aren't you going out on quests?"
"Later."
"Well, if it really gets tough, lean on me!"
"You're in a different class."
"Eh. They say it's not a crime if you don't get caught."
"Impressive."
While immersed in class, Sp obtained.
Protagonist's party took a break.
Total Points 28 p
...
..
.
Midterm Exam Week 1
Sunday
"Ter went off to hang out with Merk...."
"Why are you telling me that?"
"I wonder...."
"...Shall I buy you a meal?"
"..........."
"Come on out."
I provided mental care for my teammate.
Ter and Merk were making progress with each other.
Total Points 28 p
...
..
.
Midterm Exam Week 2
Monday
"Everyone has slowly started moving."
"Is that so?"
"So I was wondering if it might be time for us to start moving as well...."
"There's still time left."
"............"
"Just bear with it this week."
I immersed myself in class again.
Ter's party was carrying out a quest.
[Cave Slime Extermination]
Total Points 33p
...
..
.
Midterm Exam Week 2
Wednesday
"So good....."
"...Why aren't you saying anything?"
"Huh? About what?"
"No. I thought you'd be nagging me about why I'm not going out on quests."
"Mm... you have a plan for everything, don't you, Chrono?"
"So that's why, even if you send that much trust my way, it just makes things awkward for me...."
A club quest occurred, Sp obtained.
Ter's party encountered an accident while performing a quest.
Fortunately, they escaped without major issues.
Notable details: Clothing destroyed and weapons stolen.
Total Points 33p
...
..
.
Midterm Exam Week 2
Friday
"That bastard is seriously a fucking lunatic, I'm telling you! No, fuck, I told him damn well several times it's a trap, but does he think he can do everything just like you or something? Seriously, what a piece of shit, ugh, ughhh!"
"What. Are you in the same party as Ter?"
"...At least in Class A, he's the only one who can match my level."
"Don't be in the same party as that bastard."
".....Are you jealous, by any chance?"
"Yeah."
"........"
"Don't get too close with other guys either."
Uh...
Erm....
".........."
"What. Why are you suddenly silent?"
"S-Shut up!"
Sp obtained through class.
Ter's party established a period of reorganization.
Total Points 33p
...
..
.
Midterm Exam Week 2
Saturday
"I've investigated and found which quest is the most popular in our class."
"I was surprised you suddenly asked to see me, but you prepared all this?"
"It's a natural virtue as class president."
"If that's a natural virtue, then what's Merk in the next class?"
"That child's... 'that level' is her default value."
"That feels like you've given up on her."
"Because I actually have given up."
".......Whoa."
We held a strategy meeting, but it didn't really amount to much.
Ter's party spent a reorganization period together with Merk.
Yuno Infidelity Event probability Up!
...
..
.
Midterm Exam Week 3
Monday
"Today is the day we must do the quests."
"Yeah."
"There's no more room to hesita— eh...?"
"Let's go."
It was time to start moving.
In my heart, I wanted to grind skills for one more week, but there could always be an unforeseen situation.
I took Minerva and Yuno to the faculty office and told them we were heading out to perform quests.
"Questing, huh. Do your best. However, if you fail a quest, there are penalties for it, so manage it moderately well."
"Thank you."
Advice that was hard to think of as coming from an NTR villain.
At least outwardly, he seemed like a diligent homeroom teacher.
I bowed politely and stepped out of the faculty office.
"Did you get permission?"
"Yeah. Seems we can head to the quest location now."
"That's a relief. By the way, what kind of quest are you planning to go on?"
"That is, well...."
I had thought it over, but...
Will they be able to accept it?
I glanced back.
"Mm....!"
Minerva with eyes full of enthusiasm, and
"............."
Yuno, looking a little wilted.
Condition-wise, were they perhaps a bit better than average?
Anyway, this much was something I could cover somehow.
I lightly reached out for the quest forms and said,
"Here."
"Sure enough, herb gathering. It's easy but the safest—"
"—all the way to here."
"......Huh?"
I swept up the quest forms and tore them off one by one.
Now all that was left was to get the quest application approved by the staff desk attached to the board.
I immediately tried to hand the thick stack of quest forms over to the desk staff— just as I was about to,
"W-Wait. Hold on a moment!"
"Huh? Why?"
Minerva stopped it.
"...Are you in your right mind?"
"I am in my right mind."
Minerva asked out of the blue about my sanity.
Then she stammered and spoke to me,
"If you fail a quest... you become unable to accept any quests for a week per failed quest. You do know that, right?"
"Of course I know."
"And someone who knows that is right now...."
...doing this insane shit?
She didn't say it out loud, but I could tell her inner thoughts just from her gaze.
I wasn't sure how to convince her, but in times like this, the best means of conversation remained.
"Yuno, what do you think? Does what I'm doing seem untrustworthy to you?"
"....No, because I trust you, Chrono."
"Then it's settled by majority vote, right?"
"N-No, wait— ah, aah...!!"
No matter how much she raised her voice, it was meaningless in front of the majority.
Ultimately, the quest forms left my hand and entered the desk, and eventually returned together with the quest permit.
"The time limit is one day. Should you fail the quests, you will be barred from applying for quests again for one week per failed quest."
"Yeees."
Anyway, one day was enough.
In truth, what they called one day didn't mean it had to be completed within today itself.
I tucked the bundle of quest forms into my chest and spoke to the two of them.
"Two hours from now, meet me at the bus stop in front of the Academy."
****************
It's a bit sudden, but everyone,
I have one thing I wanted to ask.
What is the standard for questing?
The standard for questing, the standard for quests,
is supposedly to take on quests at a level you can handle yourself,
to approach the quests sincerely without failing...
Does anyone actually put that kind of thinking into practice?
No.
Absolutely not.
I can assert that without a doubt.
That we do not do quests 'one by one', but rather accept them 'in bulk' and clear them 'all at once'.
What I had just done was something similar.
Sweeping up all the quest forms might have looked insane, but surprisingly, there was a pattern within them.
"Oh, the kids are coming."
Since I had only grabbed from the very top row, all the quest locations were close to each other or overlapping.
There were also some high-point quests, but I possessed enough military power to cover that level.
Gathering quests could also be resolved through my 'eyes' without needing to work hard.
So what was needed?
'Time and manpower.'
I had to squeeze out as much time as possible and grind manpower into it.
And so— the thing needed for that was this 'backpack'.
"Is that... the one we saw during the Survival event?"
"That's right."
"....No way."
"Yes way!"
Minerva was quick on the uptake.
I answered with a bright smile.
"We're going to camp out!"
"....Why didn't you tell us in advance?"
"Would anything change if I told you in advance?"
"At the very least, our mental preparation would be different!"
"If I gave you time, you'd just say we shouldn't do it no matter what."
"Of course! Obviously! I would!!"
Minerva's voice rose higher than her usual self.
That was inevitable, because at least within her common sense, this 'bundle of quest forms' looked like preposterous dogshit.
Their in-game reactions were exactly like that too...
Mars would shout that it's awesome with fighting spirit,
and Minerva would fire off 'Did you lose your mind?' over and over.
As expected of the dual main heroines of Part 1.
"Chrono, isn't that backpack heavy?"
"Actually, it's disgustingly heavy."
Yuno, who had been quietly watching from the side, was looking at the backpack slung over my back with sympathy.
It was definitely heavy.
The weight of the instant one-touch tent alone was considerable, and adding food, water, and other miscellany on top of that, it really did amount to quite a load.
...But no matter how heavy this thing was, what of it?
"The stuff I carried during club activities is heavier, though."
"..........."
Because I had done stamina training until I was half-dead, this felt light enough.
No, actually, it wasn't quite light, but it wasn't to the point where I couldn't hold out.
Roughly speaking, my calculations showed it would be manageable if I rested occasionally in between and kept myself going while applying a buff with [Ur's Harp].
I bounced my waist once to adjust the backpack and explained the upcoming schedule.
"First of all, we're going to a total of three places."
The Goblin Habitat
The mountain behind the Goblin Habitat
And the Slime Cave inside that mountain
"I see... then you'll start with the Goblin Habitat first?"
"No? I'm going to hit the mountain first?"
".........."
What kind of moron does this shit?
Minerva's eyes seemed to say that to me.
Perhaps it was hard for Minerva to understand. But this was my honest experience talking.
"We could charge into the habitat right now. But naturally, moving around here and there would drain our strength. You're telling me we should fight with our strength drained like that? That would be death, wouldn't it?"
"But... camping on the mountain won't improve our condition."
"Do you really think so?"
"Huh? What do you— ah!"
A voice that sounded like something had dawned on her.
"You intend to recreate what happened during the Survival event, don't you?"
"Resting in a filthy environment causes after-effects, but resting in a good environment can actually improve your condition."
On top of that, I could give them some buffs of my own, so I had said everything there was to say.
"Therefore, first,"
I would climb the mountain first.
Gather herbs, and clear out the Slime Cave too.
After that, take a rest and finish by cleaning out the Goblin Habitat as well— that was the journey ahead.
"It's certainly not impossible, but...."
"Seems tough? It's fine. Unexpectedly, if you just try to do it, it all gets done."
"....Are you accustomed to things like this?"
"Accustomed... I sure am."
Because I came from a place where if you said you can't peel something when told to peel it, you'd get peeled yourself until you could.
My eyes grew slightly moist without me realizing it, but anyway, it was fine now.
Because that experience had made me stronger now.
...Maybe, living weakly would have been better after all.