Chapter 8: The Extra Wants to Live (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 8: The Extra Wants to Live (1)
"Mmm..."
Chloe rubbed her half-open eyes like a hamster.
"Huh? Where did Geomma-kun go?"
It seemed Geomma-kun had disappeared while she was briefly knocked out. The window, which had been letting in the cold night wind, was also tightly shut.
Chloe let out a soft groan and pressed her hand to her temple. She remembered washing the dishes, but her memory after that was completely blank, as if it had been abruptly cut off.
She definitely remembered stealing glances at Kang Geomma sitting on the windowsill while she washed the dishes, but...
Unlike her family members, who were always cold and distant, he was the first person to ever throw himself in harm's way for her. Every time she thought of him, her face flushed as red as a ripe persimmon.
While gently massaging the back of her throbbing head, Chloe reflexively looked for her katana. Its blade was leaning against the white wall, just like before.
She let out a sigh of relief, patting her small chest. Her family had often told her that she talked and thrashed around in her sleep quite severely, so she had been secretly anxious, but fortunately, nothing seemed to have happened.
When did it start? Perhaps due to the harsh Auditore-style assassin training, she frequently lost consciousness without realizing it.
For some reason, whenever she woke up after losing consciousness, the members of the Auditore family would treat her with an unusually satisfied attitude.
Although they told her not to worry about it...
She felt as if her true self was being denied, so she wanted to avoid losing consciousness as much as possible. Moreover, the family's encouraging looks directed at her afterward only left a lingering, anxious discomfort settling deep within her.
"Chloe! You dummy, you idiot! Why did you have to faint at a time like that?!"
Once her thoughts cleared, a wave of embarrassment washed over her. Chloe buried her face in her pillow, pounding it repeatedly as she scolded herself.
"Geomma-kun..."
She let out a squeak and buried her face in the pillow again.
She lost her memory from time to time, but of all times, it had to be during her moments with Geomma-kun.
Then, suddenly sensing a strange discrepancy, she peeked her head up. Something felt different.
Chloe slowly got out of bed and looked around. The few pieces of furniture were exactly as they had been. If there was any change, it was the utility knife lying on the floor.
Chloe tilted her head.
"Huh?"
Only then did Chloe notice. Her hair, which used to reach below her ears, was shorter. Feeling it with her hands, she realized that not just the sides, but her hair overall had been cut short.
Chloe stood dazed, pondering for a moment, before shaking her head. She must have cut her hair for a change of pace.
'Did I use the utility knife back then?'
Seeing the hair discarded in the trash can, it seemed Geomma-kun had cleaned up after her even in the midst of everything.
"Oh, Geomma-kun... he's really too sweet."
Her voice trailed off as she worried if she had said something stupid while she was out. Her cheeks grew even redder from embarrassment.
Clasping her hands to her chest, she shook her head slightly, then sat down at her desk and opened her diary.
Tucking her hair behind her ears, she felt much more refreshed than she did with her previously messy hair.
Her small, delicate hands scribbled with a pen.
I love you, Geomma-kun.
A shy, girlish smile spread across her face.
* * *
I ran out of the dormitory, covering my mouth, and leaned against the building's wall.
"Ugh—blegh—"
My stomach churned, and a sharp pain, as if my optic nerves were being squeezed, forced me to throw up the entire dinner I had so thoroughly enjoyed.
I had exceeded the nine-second limit by a mere five seconds, and yet I ended up like this.
After emptying my stomach, I sat down on a nearby bench. Come to think of it, this bench was where I had first manifested the 'Blessing of the Sword God'. Feeling a strange sense of unease, I leaned back, resting my neck on my arm as if lying down.
Only the chirping of insects filled my ears. My racing heart gradually settled. Nursing my exhaustion, I closed my eyes halfway and fell into thought.
'Chloe... what on earth is she?'
Generally, swordsmanship aims to end an opponent's life in a single strike or subdue them.
But the sword Chloe wielded persistently targeted only my vital spots.
It wasn't a head-on clash, but a flurry of consecutive strikes that seemed specialized for assassination. Thinking back, it was a miracle I managed to parry that rapid onslaught. If I had been ambushed in the dead of night, my throat would have surely been slit.
Feeling my life threatened, I had reflexively aimed for the nape of her neck. Fortunately, my blade was short, so it ended with only cutting her hair.
'I cleaned up before leaving, so there shouldn't be any issues.'
I let out a sigh of relief.
Reflecting on the events of the past week, it hit me just how insane of an academy I had enrolled in. I tried to deny reality, but in the end, I had no choice but to accept it. Any variable here was a matter of life and death.
'Ordinary, peaceful, safe.'
I muttered the principles I had set for myself during the entrance ceremony.
They say being ordinary is the hardest thing of all, but this extreme, out-of-bounds unreality stung like a sharp pinch to my skin.
To be honest, when I was first thrown into this outrageous game, it wasn't that I lacked ambition. Before coming here, having ruled at the peak with nothing but a sashimi knife, giving up a man's romance wasn't an easy choice.
But everyone has their own role to play.
'Miracle Blessing.'
The name of the game, and the unique blessing of this world's protagonist, whom I had yet to meet.
If I remembered correctly, it was one of only two legendary-grade blessings in the game, alongside the blessing of the Hero of the Origin, Balor Joaquin.
The description of the blessing was concise, just like mine, but its content was extremely straightforward.
'Please save the world from the Demon King.'
Above all, the protagonist is chosen by 'Balmung', a sword that is both a holy sword and a demonic sword.
In contrast, I can only use a sashimi knife the size of a metal chopstick.
Did I need to say more?
I clenched my fists and slapped my cheeks twice. It was a habit of mine since childhood whenever I needed to snap out of it.
Ever since entering the academy, it had been nothing but unrealistic events. Was it because I had been complacent, thinking it was just a game set in Korea?
To uphold the three principles I established at the entrance ceremony, I had to cast aside my weak self.
To clear my heavy mind, I massaged my temples with my thumbs. Then, slowly sitting up and leaning against the back of the bench, I leisurely gazed at the night sky. A cluster of stars twinkled as if gold dust had been scattered across the heavens.
It was an unfamiliar night sky, unlike anything seen on Earth. I felt comforted by a comet falling, drawing a golden thread across the dark canvas.
'I should visit the library tomorrow.'
Although I had a vague knowledge of the key figures in the game, it was true that my understanding of this world itself was lagging far behind.
Besides, it had already been about a week since I entered the academy. According to the storyline, this was around the time the protagonist would manifest their blessing and go through the late enrollment process.
I needed to prepare in my own way to brace for any unforeseen circumstances. I knew the general outline of the narrative.
Of course, it would have been great if I knew what happened in the very end, but...
Regretting it now was useless. Still, knowing the 'canon history' of the story up to the mid-game was a clear advantage.
Whatever happened, I had to stick to the 'canon history'. If I got involved in all sorts of things, I would just be throwing away the only advantage I had.
Suddenly, I recalled why I had quit the game after playing only up to the mid-point of the scenario. The end of a cheerful academy life comes sooner than one would think.
Having sought the charming, cozy youth life I never got to enjoy in my teens, I lost interest at that turning point and boldly deleted the game.
If my memory served me right, starting from the final semester of the third year, the story began to take a sharp, dark turn.
Sensing the birth of the Hero, the Demons, led by their Corps Commanders, united their forces to stir up trouble and threaten the academy. Eventually, the scale escalated, turning into a typical mass-produced webnovel plot: a world war between demons and humanity.
However, the thought of a living hell actually unfolding in the world I now inhabited sent a sudden shiver down my spine.
I ruffled my hair, almost shaking my head, to dispel the grim thoughts.
I still had a grace period of nearly three years. Rather than the escapist three principles, I needed a realistic goal.
To get stronger and survive.
After all, the narratives of mass-produced games usually end in a happy ending, and the protagonist will save the world. There was nothing more foolish than rushing to an early grave driven by some pointless hero complex.
I didn't need a noble strength to save the world like the protagonist; I needed the power to protect my own skin. I couldn't live like a fallen autumn leaf that could be swept away at any moment.
I had to train myself while keeping as low a profile as possible. If I caught anyone's eye, there was a chance I'd be conscripted to fight the Demons. I absolutely refused to let such a disaster happen.
Furthermore, the extreme nature of the 'Blessing of the Sword God' was a double-edged sword, so I needed to exercise restraint in using it.
Although I always held the sashimi knife out of necessity, I could feel my body—which was already poorly nourished—slowly breaking down.
'The performance is definitely solid, but...'
I opened my 'Status Window'.
Flash—
* * *
[Blessing of the Sword God]
If you cut, it will be severed.
◎Body Rank: 2 ▷ The sword's specifications are relaxed.
◎Mental Rank: 3 ▷ An aura of intimidation is infused into your words and actions.
◎Armament Rank: 1 ▷ Unlock conditions have not been met.
☆Synchronization Rate: 1.5%
★【？？？】
[※ The blessing is only activated when the sword is 32 cm or less in length and less than 6 cm in width.]
* * *
The messages on the Status Window had clearly changed. Fortunately, it seemed this world hadn't abandoned me yet. Even though I was just a background character, perhaps it had granted me growth elements, telling me to struggle and survive.
I stroked my chin, closely examining the Status Window.
The 'Ranks' written next to Body, Mental, and Armament were likely concepts replacing the levels found in typical games.
Naturally, Body would represent physical growth, and Mental, judging by the situation earlier, seemed related to wit or intelligence. The last one, Armament, literally referred to the weapon's performance.
The problem lay in the Synchronization Rate and the '？？？' written at the bottom.
Unlike the terms above, the Synchronization Rate was displayed as a percentage. If there were even a single character written next to it, I might have been able to make an inference, but there was no explanation whatsoever. Besides, why was it a decimal instead of a clean 1 or 2?
But more than anything, what piqued my curiosity was the entry with nothing but three question marks. No matter how many times I tapped it, only a sharp beep sounded, and a dry font reading, 'Access denied. Conditions have not been met,' floated before my eyes.
I stroked my chin, racking my brain. As if this blessing weren't already shrouded in mystery, another question had popped up out of nowhere. Since it was an ability engraved into my body like a tattoo, I definitely needed to understand it.
However, racking my brain without any information would only yield a branch of hypotheses, not a clear answer.
Well, it wasn't urgent right now. I'd naturally find out as time passed.
For now, physical training was a must for survival, and I had to gather information to quickly integrate into this world.
Fortunately, the reward for the practical subjugation training next month, which would replace the midterm exam, was a longsword called Murasame.
Its rank was B-rank. If I could wield it proficiently, that level of armament would be more than enough until graduation. Since its dimensions fell outside the activation conditions of the highly risky Blessing of the Sword God, it wouldn't be a burden to use as my primary weapon.
I couldn't rely on the 30 seconds of the 'Blessing of Painlessness' forever. I had to train my swordsmanship with a sword that didn't meet the blessing's conditions.
'I have more to do than I thought.'
I was lost in thought, staring blankly up at the stars for quite some time.
"Excuse me, but that's my spot."
At the sound of a crystal-clear voice, my gaze shifted reflexively.
Neatly combed blue hair, and an appearance that transcended beauty to evoke a sense of mystery.
A girl with stars in her eyes, standing against the backdrop of the night sky's Milky Way.
Abel von Nibelung.
The moment the narrative shifted was at midnight, amidst the chirping of insects.