Chapter 144
Chapter 144
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 144
Chapter Title: A Startling Question
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Well, I suppose it doesn't matter.”
“……?”
“It's not like you'll be fighting monsters with your mouth. As long as you can hold a weapon, it's fine.”
“……”
…She'd been strangely misunderstood, but Ji-a decided to let it slide.
The other person didn't seem to think much of it either...
Besides, she found this more comfortable anyway.
Even knowing the other person wasn't real, conversations were still a burden.
Sera said.
“The weapons for beginners are over there. Go and pick what you want.”
“……”
Ji-a nodded and headed to a corner of the training ground.
Just as Sera had said, various weapons like swords, bows, and axes were laid out in the corner.
Ji-a looked them over for a moment before choosing a rapier from the far corner.
[Your choice of weapon will affect future training and class advancement.]
[Are you sure you want to use the rapier?]
“?”
The number of classes available in Avala Online was immense.
However, the number of classes players could directly choose was smaller than one might think.
Following the standard advancement path would lead to classic classes like rogue, warrior, or mage, but if something 'special' happened during the process, things would change.
Like Lee Shin, who raised his infamy to win Kilgeo's favor.
Or Arthur, who used poison during a duel with an orc.
When such deviations from the standard path occurred, Avala Online's AI would compile all the data, select a suitable class from its vast library, and present it to the player.
Naturally, the weapon a player used was also a factor in the AI's consideration.
If a player was aiming for a specific class, they needed to be very careful with their initial weapon choice.
“……”
[You have chosen the rapier.]
But Ji-a chose the rapier without much thought.
It was the most similar in form to the fencing foil she used to wield, so she figured it would be comfortable to use.
Considering her existing skills, getting a class in this weapon's tree didn't seem like a bad idea either.
Sera asked.
“Have you chosen?”
“……”
“It's so hard when we can't communicate... Right. From now on, nod if you mean yes.”
*Nod, nod.*
“Good. Then let's begin your training immediately.”
*Ting.*
[Sera's Training – 1]
Sera wants you, a novice adventurer, to grow strong enough to pull your own weight.
Let's grow step by step by using the training monsters prepared for novice adventurers.
If you overcome the first training session, Sera will guide you to the next.
• Training Slime Cores: 10/10
• Completion Reward: Experience, Health Potion.
“I'll be waiting here, so go hunt the monsters and bring back proof.”
* * *
[Entering Training Ground 1.]
[Slime Hunting Ground]
The training ground was nearby.
When she entered a room with a large number 1 written on it, a spacious area appeared inside.
It was a training ground made for beginners like Lee Ji-a, who had just started the game.
‘…….’
Ji-a looked around.
Fortunately, there was no one else inside.
It might have been because the kingdom had so few new players.
Instead, small, squishy things were crawling on the training ground floor. These were probably the training monsters Sera had mentioned.
[Training Slime.]
‘…I just have to hunt these?’
A status window popped up as she got closer.
After a moment's hesitation, Ji-a gripped her rapier.
She then extended it toward a stationary slime.
It was a very slow monster, and though it was gross, she thought it would be easy to kill since it was just crawling around slowly.
…But she was wrong.
*Swoosh!*
“!?!??!”
The slime vanished in an instant!
It had already repositioned itself to her left.
It was so fast that for a moment, she thought it had actually disappeared.
‘Wasn't this for training!?’
This alone was bewildering enough, but the slime even launched a counterattack.
It squirmed and leaped, flying straight at Ji-a's face.
*Gurgle!*
“!?”
Lee Ji-a panicked.
And that panic soon turned to self-blame.
Self-blame for all the time she had wasted so meaninglessly.
Just how weak had she become?
A training monster should be something others could easily hunt as beginners, yet she was panicking against one.
At this rate, she'd have a hard time catching up to that Jeong Yu-ra player, let alone Lee Shin.
‘…….’
*Whoosh.*
After barely dodging the slime's attack.
Ji-a gripped her rapier tightly.
“……”
Her eyes had long since turned serious.
She steeled her resolve, determined not to lose to a mere slime!
No matter how weak she had become, at this point, it was a matter of pride.
…However, this was her own misunderstanding.
No matter how much weaker she was compared to her past self, she was by no means weak enough to lose to a training slime.
These slimes were intentionally weakened to teach players how to hunt; normally, it would be harder to lose to one than to win.
The problem was that this was the Eteun Kingdom.
A kingdom overflowing with crime and corruption.
Just as Jeong Yu-ra had been forced to become a Dark Priest because she couldn't find a proper religious order, other public institutions were in a similar state of disrepair.
And the Adventurer's Guild in the starting town was no exception.
Funds meant to support new adventurers were being openly embezzled...
*Stab! Stab, stab!*
[The impact is absorbed.]
[The impact is absorbed.]
“……!?”
…Normally, the slimes should have been weakened with a special chemical, but these hadn't been weakened at all.
As a result, they could simply deflect the attacks of low-level adventurers!
And from this alone, anyone could tell that these were not for training.
It was obviously strange.
‘Is there something wrong with my attacks…?’
But Ji-a was different.
This was her first time playing a game, and her self-esteem was at an all-time low.
Thanks to this, instead of thinking, 'Why is this opponent so strong? Something's weird,' she concluded, 'I'm trash...'
A ridiculous misunderstanding!
But.
“……”
But there was no one here to correct her misunderstanding.
She silently continued the fight.
* * *
The fierce battle with the slime lasted for nearly ten minutes.
It was because the slime deflected most of her attacks.
The battle only ended after she went through countless trials and errors, finally realizing that she had to attack the slime's core to deal damage.
*Stab!*
[You have perfectly targeted the slime's core!]
[Dealing critical damage! The slime's core is destroyed!]
[You have defeated the slime!]
[Experience acquired.]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
“Hah, hah……”
The slime crumbled into dust and disappeared.
Ji-a collapsed in front of it, panting for breath.
The problem was the excessive concentration she had expended to accurately hit the slime's small core.
Ji-a thought to herself.
‘I didn't think it would be this hard…’
Honestly, at first, she'd thought, 'It's just a game, isn't it?'
No matter how difficult, it couldn't be as hard as a physical sport.
But she was wrong.
It was harder than the youth competitions she'd participated in as a child.
Of course, her competition experience was a distant memory, making a direct comparison difficult, but that's how it felt to her right now.
[You have faced and defeated an opponent stronger than yourself in your first battle!]
[This is a great achievement. You have acquired the title, <Fearless Pup>!]
“?”
<Fearless Pup>
A new adventurer is naive.
Because of this naivete, they make many mistakes and face many crises.
These are the growing pains that anyone who wishes to become a seasoned adventurer must endure.
But remember.
There are things you can do precisely because you don't know any better.
You, who have achieved victory against an overwhelming opponent.
Do not forget this beginner's spirit, unafraid of defeat.
• All stats increase against an enemy encountered for the first time.
• The title's effect is enhanced the higher the opponent's level.
“……”
Seeing this title pop up confirmed it.
A Fearless Pup.
How weak must I be to get a title like that just for fighting a slime?
If it had been Lee Shin, he would've already moved on to the next quest without struggling against a slime.
‘…It's okay.’
I still succeeded.
For now, that's enough.
Ji-a reached for the ground.
[Perfect Slime Core: (1/10)]
‘Nine more to go.’
She had gotten the hang of it.
After a short rest, Ji-a picked up her rapier again.
* * *
[Perfect Slime Core (10/10)]
[<Sera's Trial – 1> completed.]
“You're late.”
“……”
“Hmm, it shouldn't have been that difficult an opponent……”
[Sera likes talented adventurers.]
[Sera is disappointed by your weakness.]
[Sera's affinity has decreased.]
“……Well, you succeeded anyway, so that's that. Let's move on to the second training session.”
“……”
Her voice was a little colder now!
Ji-a felt it was a bit unfair, but she didn't argue.
It would be strange to suddenly speak up just because she heard something she didn't like, after being silent all this time.
Besides, she was still under the misunderstanding that this happened because she was genuinely weak.
As a result,
“The second training is to hunt training mini-golems.”
“……”
“Normally, I'd ask you to hunt ten... Tsk. You seem to be a slow learner, so bring me twenty. That should get you up to speed.”
“……”
The difficulty was already high, and now it had increased even further!
A series of misunderstandings had unknowingly thrown Lee Ji-a into a training regimen dozens of times harder than anyone else's.
And at that moment, she had no idea.
What form this misunderstanding would take in the future.
* * *
[Tax collection complete.]
[Tax collection complete.]
[Today's collection is complete.]
[Daily task finished.]
[Territory Contribution Points acquired.]
[Gold acquired.]
[Experience acquired.]
“What, is it over?”
“Yeah.”
“You said all we needed to know was how to beat people up, but it doesn't seem like that's necessary.”
Yu Han-seong remarked as he collected taxes with Lee Shin.
As he said, contrary to Lee Shin's expectations, no situation had arisen that required them to raise their clubs.
There weren't any residents who refused to pay in the first place.
‘Hmm.’
Lee Shin scratched his cheek.
But on second thought, it wasn't that strange.
Duke Martinez's tax rates weren't high enough to be a burden on the residents.
So there was no reason for them to refuse.
‘What is this?’
This only deepened the mystery.
Was he not a corrupt lord after all?
From what Gillaim and Count Aaron had said, he was the worst of the worst, a villain who absolutely had to be killed...
But judging by the state of his territory, he was one of the best lords in the Eteun Kingdom.
Looking beside him, Lee Shin could see that Gillaim was also confused.
“……Umm.”
“What is it?”
“This is a bit different from what I expected. I thought we had to kill the duke for the future of the kingdom... But it seems the residents of this territory would be more miserable if they lost him.”
Lee Shin thought so too.
As a lord, he really wasn't bad.
Lee Shin asked bluntly.
“Should we call it off, then?”
“Pardon?”
“I asked if we should call it off. If you're having second thoughts, we can find someone else.”
“N-No, that's not it. There are political issues involved, so this man must eventually be killed.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
“Yes. However……”
However, something was bothering him.
“What is it?”
“It's just so different from what I knew. I think we need to investigate the duke more thoroughly.”
“…Hmm.”
Lee Shin agreed.
The work finished quickly anyway, so they could use their spare time to rummage through the guild's document archives.
“Let's go back.”
“Yes.”
Lee Shin and Gillaim started walking back to the guild.
As for Yu Han-seong, he disappeared the moment their pre-arranged task was over, as if to say he didn't want to be around Lee Shin a moment longer.
His intentions were obvious, but Lee Shin found it more comfortable without him around, so he didn't say anything.
However.
“……”
“Hm?”
Kang Woo-jin was different.
Unlike Yu Han-seong, Kang Woo-jin was still following behind Lee Shin.
He looked like he had something to say...
‘……What is he doing?’
But he just stared at Lee Shin with a constipated expression, as if he found it difficult to actually start the conversation.
And finding this extremely annoying (he hated having someone at his back), Lee Shin spun around and asked.
“What is it?”
“Y-Yes!?”
“……What is it? Aren't you following me because you have something to say? Spit it out and go. Stop being so distracting back there.”
“Uh, uh……”
Kang Woo-jin stammered, flustered by Lee Shin's sharp tone.
Lee Shin was getting annoyed by his frustrating behavior, but...
‘…Tsk, well.’
Thinking back, this was just how the man was.
Wasn't that why he had targeted him and made him Lee Si-eun's accomplice back then?
Recalling that memory, Lee Shin waited patiently for Kang Woo-jin.
Thanks to that calm patience, the hesitant Kang Woo-jin finally spoke.
“……Um.”
“Yes.”
“By any chance, with Si-eun……”
A question about Lee Si-eun, as expected.
Just as he'd predicted.
…However, the question that followed was completely beyond Lee Shin's expectations.
“Yes.”
“…A-A-are…”
“…? A-a-are what?”
“……A-Are you two dating!??!”
“Pfft!!?!”
Lee Shin spat out everything that was in his mouth.