Chapter 88: Catching a Thief (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 88: Catching a Thief (1)
* * *
[Practical Exam Announcement for the First Semester of 2034]
Please be advised that due to unforeseen circumstances, the details of the upcoming practical final exam have been changed as follows.
◉ Changes: External Dungeon Raid ▶ Team Tournament
Exam Period: June 2, 2034 (Tue) – June 6, 2034 (Wed)
Exam Location: Joaquin Academy Special Pavilion
Team Composition: One 2nd-year cadet, two 1st-year cadets. (Randomly assigned.)
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[* Team assignments will be sent via text message the day before the exam.]
[* The exact details of the exam will be announced verbally right before it begins.]
* * *
"Wha' the fuck? They're thuddenly changin' it with only three dayth left?"
Weapon said, caressing his swollen cheek. His slurred pronunciation and the tear welling in the corner of his left eye made him look strangely pitiful, just like before.
Why does this guy get beaten up so much lately?
Chloe must have put some serious weight behind her blow. But she claimed she was just swatting a fly on his cheek... yet his face was perfectly clean, without a trace of any bug. What was that about...?
Well, that's not what's important right now.
I shook off the stray thoughts and stared at the text message. Honestly, though I didn't show it, I was just as flustered.
The exam content has deviated from the original story.
Most of the variables so far had stemmed from interpersonal relationships.
The incidents involving major characters like Leon, the Sword Emperor, Abel, and Rachel. Back then, I grumbled because interfering with the original story felt uncomfortable.
But to be honest, since my very existence—as Kang Geomma—is an anomaly, I've come to accept it by now.
Aside from Agor's death, things hadn't strayed too far from the game's storyline.
But this situation was different.
Normally, this final exam should have been clearing the 'Goblin Dungeon' located in Gapyeong. There were no magical beasts with magic stones, but it was a dungeon with great materials, so I had been looking forward to it.
...The story is starting to change.
Then again, considering everything I've done so far, this was bound to happen. In fact, it would be stranger if nothing changed amidst all those major incidents.
......
My fingers holding the phone trembled slightly. I had prepared myself for this, but actually facing it made my mind a tangled mess.
An anxiety crept in, whispering that I might have kicked away my greatest advantage—my experience playing Miracle Blessing M.
The fear that the tiny hairline cracks forming in the original story might lead to a massive rupture. Countless unknowable scenarios flashed through my mind over a single announcement text.
I stared at my phone with a stiff expression. Seeing this, Ryozo looked at me with a strange gaze and spoke up.
"What's with you? Why are you so tense? It's not like you."
Her clear voice seemed to sweep away the suffocating air. Startled, I turned my gaze to her. Ryozo smiled faintly and continued.
"I was flustered by the sudden change in the exam too, but if you think about it differently, it's not completely unreasonable. Think about it. During the midterm exams, a Majin popped out, and even during the uninhabited island survival training, the Sword Emperor got injured. Every time we have training outside, something crazy happens. It only makes sense for the Academy to change the venue. And where is safer for the cadets than the Academy itself?"
"......"
Ryozo explained, even scribbling with a pencil. It felt as if she was waking up my brain, which had gone numb from panic. For a moment, my rationality had been overwhelmed, preventing me from thinking clearly. If I had been alone, I probably would have spiraled into all sorts of wild scenarios.
But with Ryozo smartly breaking it down, the situation finally began to make sense.
That's right.
The original story is changed by people. This wasn't some artificial manipulation, but a natural flow of events.
Just a simple shift in perspective, yet my head felt so much clearer. As expected, she truly excelled at her role as an anti-frustration character.
But why is a girl like her hanging out with Weapon?
Weapon is definitely a good friend, but his recent behavior is... how should I put it, a bit too frivolous.
Well, I suppose girls see some other charm in him. They say women like humorous and gentle men. I suddenly turned my gaze toward Weapon.
Weapon was pitifully caressing his swollen cheek. Chloe had rushed off to the infirmary to get a cold pack.
......
Shaking off my stray thoughts, I nodded at Ryozo.
"Now that you mention it, that makes sense."
"Right?"
Ryozo set her pencil down. When I stared at her, she leaned back, looking slightly flustered.
"W-what are you staring at?! You're making me self-conscious."
"Thanks to you, I've sorted things out. Thank you."
Ryozo stammered so hard her lips trembled. Her light blue eyes darted all over the place. Feeling proud of her, I gave her a warm smile.
"I-it's not like I said that because I was worried about you or anything!"
Ryozo suddenly raised her voice, spitting out a line that sounded incredibly familiar. She then pointed a long, slender index finger at me.
"Kang Geomma, if you lose your composure, it throws me off too!"
"You? Why?"
When I asked back, Ryozo's face flushed even redder. Even though it was summer, it felt like steam was about to rise from the crown of her head.
"I mean, all of us, including me! The Travel Club members! You're the president. If the president is spacing out, everyone else loses their focus too!"
"Ah."
So that's what she meant.
A single reminder that perfectly recalled my responsibility as the president. She was proving to be incredibly dependable in so many ways today.
I let out an impressed sigh. Ryozo stared at me with a strange look before letting out a deep sigh.
Oh, right.
Talking to Ryozo reminded me of a favor I needed to ask.
"Ryozo, I have a favor to ask."
"Huh? What is it?"
"That Academy staff list you hacked before. Do you happen to have a saved copy?"
"Oh, I deleted the digital copy to avoid data tracking, but I have a printed paper version."
Ryozo answered, sounding a bit bewildered. I spoke again.
"If you have that, this will be easy."
"Huh...?"
Ryozo tilted her head, not quite catching my meaning. When I gave her a faint smile, she let out a soft groan.
"What's with that look?"
Seeing her shoulders tense up made her strangely fun to tease.
"Ryozo."
"Yeah?"
"Hack the Academy network one more time."
* * *
I gave her a brief rundown of what I had heard from Choi Seol-ah.
The core of it was that villains had infiltrated the Academy under fake identities. However, I omitted the fact that Leon was their target.
I figured dumping too much information on her at once wouldn't be wise.
I didn't intend to keep it a secret forever, but the timing wasn't right. The final exams were right around the corner, and it might cause unnecessary misunderstandings regarding Leon. It wouldn't be too late to reveal it once the facts were fully verified.
After hearing the whole story, Ryozo closed her eyes and nodded slowly, as if processing the information. Soon, having finished her contemplation, she asked me:
"Mmm, so basically, you want to cross-reference the previous list with the current one?"
"Yeah, exactly."
My original plan was to investigate on foot with the club members. But after thinking it through, I concluded that it was physically impossible.
There's barely any time left before summer break.
Once the final exams are over, summer break begins immediately. During that period, not only the cadets but also most of the staff—excluding essential personnel—go on vacation.
Realistically, checking everyone before then is out of the question.
The staff numbered in the hundreds, and we had barely a week left.
I had to settle this before the break, or the plan would inevitably be pushed back to the second semester.
On top of that, there would be no better timing than now, right after recruiting Choi Seol-ah. Thus, I modified my plan to avoid unnecessary legwork.
"...Geomma, if what you're saying is true, cross-referencing the lists is indeed the most efficient way. Staff information is updated monthly. If we filter out the people who weren't on the previous list, the pool will naturally shrink."
"Yeah. Even if we just narrow down hundreds of people to dozens, it'll be way easier. Plus, during the exam period, classes end before the fourth period. And—"
"—and all the staff will gather in the faculty office to grade the exams, meaning we can save ourselves some useless effort, right?"
As expected, Ryozo caught my drift perfectly. I nodded.
At Joaquin Academy, staff information is automatically updated every month. To use Ryozo's words, it had something to do with backups in subspace and a cloud hub.
Simply put, updating the staff's identification info was like a monthly auto-save. By Earth's standards, it was a rather contrived setting.
But the foundation of Miracle Blessing M was a mobile game.
It was a measure to minimize file size by dividing the story into short, bite-sized segments.
Periodically updating the saves was necessary to reduce dummy data. It was what players commonly referred to as 'optimization.'
Of course, I was probably the only one looking at these phenomena from this perspective.
Even if the original story has changed, my in-game experience is definitely still useful.
Utilizing the system's blind spots instead of dwelling on a storyline that had already derailed. This was another way to apply my memories as a player.
In fact, once I let go of my obsession with the narrative, I felt my thinking become much more flexible. I smiled with satisfaction and added,
"Anyway, I think that's the best we can do."
"Yeah, I agree."
"Then, back to the main point. When can you have it done?"
At my question, Ryozo narrowed her eyes. With her eyelashes half-lowered, she spoke slyly.
"Doing you a favor isn't hard, but... aren't you working me a bit too hard?"
"......"
I was left speechless because she was absolutely right.
I had gotten so used to it that I'd forgotten, but I had benefited immensely from Ryozo's abilities. The hacking, the promotion of our club booth during the festival, and even catching Weapon using the CCTV.
Ryozo's role and abilities were invaluable. They were far too precious to just exploit under the pretext of being in the same club.
Naturally, I was always grateful for her hard work deep down. The only reason I didn't say it out loud was...
Because it's embarrassing.
But working for free has its limits. People perform better when there is achievement or reward. In a community, proper compensation is even more necessary.
...But the problem is.
I have nothing to give Ryozo. Think about it.
Ryozo is the daughter of Japan's prime minister-for-life.
A mere commoner like me talking about giving back to a princess who grew up wanting for nothing? Me, who has no money, status, or honor? I have nothing to show for myself other than knowing how to swing a sashimi knife. Even a passing dog would laugh.
What should I do?
I let out a low hum and carefully opened my mouth.
"Is there... something you want?"
"...Something I want?"
Ryozo's eyes widened at my formal question. She furrowed her brow, falling into deep thought. Soon, she slowly raised her head and spoke.
"Then, do me a favor later too."
"......"
I felt unnecessarily tense. Since she was hard to read, there was no telling what she might ask for.
Would it be a box of yanggaeng? But considering the Academy's insane prices, that would be quite a burden for me.
"Don't worry. It's nothing material."
"...What kind of favor?"
Ryozo wore an enigmatic smile on her lips.
"I'll tell you when the time comes."