Chapter 148: Supernatural Ability
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 148: Supernatural Ability
“What’s your favorite food? What about your least favorite? Any hobbies? What do you usually do in your free time?”
What a pain.
As soon as I identified myself as her guardian, Akane stuck to my side and unleashed a barrage of questions.
The organization that sent a girl like this as a spy is definitely a bunch of morons.
Compared to Yukina, who was a spy before, she’s incredibly clumsy. At the same time, her sincerity and passion for the mission make her exhausting to deal with.
Looking at Akane reminds me of a certain passionate but incompetent assistant manager who got fired shortly after I joined my old company. My team leader and I went through hell cleaning up the messes that guy left behind.
I suppose you could say it’s the exact opposite of Yukina’s situation.
Back then, Yukina was the elite and the Geukryu Society was a total joke; this time, Akane is the joke and the organization behind her is the elite.
Actually, no—if they were truly elite, they wouldn't have sent Akane.
Seeing her diligently jotting down my answers in a notepad app on her phone, it’s impossible to think of her as a spy.
Still, since she’s set up as an antagonist, her combat ability is top-tier among the transfer students.
“Do you like blue? What about purple? Do you hate yellow?”
Oh, for God’s sake! Why are you even asking about my color preferences?
I felt like I was going to die of frustration, but when I turned my head, the Comedy Duo was glaring at me with bloodshot eyes.
“Why is it always you…?”
“How dare you hog Akane-chan, who’s ranked 7th in the transfer student beauty rankings…”
Where the hell do they even find those rankings? And 7th is… well, isn't that a bit of an awkward rank?
I mean, being in the top ten is impressive, but it’s not exactly a rank you’d brag about in front of the person.
Before they could stab me in a back alley out of blind jealousy, I quickly introduced her.
“As you might know, this is Akane. For the record, she’s Rank 4 Black, so don’t even think about messing with her.”
Rank 4 Black means she’s near the top of the active agents, and given her young age, she has the potential to aim for the 12 Zodiacs.
Well—even for a Black license, they aren't just evaluated on combat, so skill levels vary from person to person.
At the mention of Rank 4, everyone’s gaze shifted, seeing Akane in a new light.
In particular, Yukina, who hadn't cared whether Akane was clinging to me or not, gave her a spirited look that said, ‘Let’s have a match to check your skills.’
If it’s the Yukina I’ve invested in and grown, she might actually stand a chance in a one-on-one.
“Akane-chan, you’re so small, yet you’re so strong!”
“It’s that gap moe, so cute~”
Stop with the ‘-chan,’ we’re not in Japan, you bastards.
And why does everything you guys say sound like something girls would hate? There’s a reason you’re unpopular.
With Yukina and Angelica around, and by hanging out with me, the Comedy Duo’s contact with women has naturally increased, so they aren't as awkward as before. But now that they’ve found their voices, women find them even more repulsive.
“Anyway, the people gathered here are the members for the next request.”
The roster now included the regulars—Yukina, the Thug, and the Comedy Duo—plus Angelica, who joined last time, as well as Bukgeuk-jwa and Akane.
God Sayoshi always pulls his weight, so he’s fine. Aside from Rio and the Thug, this is actually a pretty luxurious lineup.
Thinking back to the days when I was struggling and putting on a desperate one-man show, I’m deeply moved.
“Seeing how many team members we have, it must be a difficult mission?”
As expected of God Sayoshi. He catches on immediately and sets the stage for me to explain to the group.
“It won’t be harder than the last one. Last time, we only got approval because Greyhound came along.”
“Ah! Lady Frey! Lady Frey said she would evaluate me, so why hasn't she contacted me yet? Did you trick me?!”
Rio, you bastard, I’m briefing the mission and you’re ruining the mood with that nonsense.
Annoyed, I turned on my phone and sent the video Frey had sent me to the team members.
Even though Frey had nagged me, asking why she had to do something like this, she had analyzed each team member in detail and meticulously provided ways to compensate for their weaknesses.
“Don’t watch it now; watch it after the meeting.”
“What kind of drinks do you like? What kind of training do you usually do?”
“You’re banned from asking questions for now, too. Do it later.”
I take back what I said about this being a luxurious lineup. It’s a total circus.
Rio, the Frey otaku, goes without saying; Yukina also seems secretly eager to watch Frey’s analysis video; Bukgeuk-jwa has zero interest in me and is sitting between Angelica and Yukina, happily sniffing their hair.
Angelica is wearing a troubled smile, and surprisingly, only the Thug is quietly listening to me.
Still… they’ll do well once we’re on the mission… right?
Suppressing my anxiety, I continued the explanation.
“This time, we aren't going outside the Barrier. We’re going to City D.”
“The Shrine Maiden Clan!”
Rio, this guy knows nothing about anything else, but he’s incredibly well-informed when it comes to women.
Perhaps because of her own history, Yukina also looked at me.
It is indeed that same Shrine Maiden Clan that provided Yukina’s virginity-unlocking event.
“Yeah. There’s a vast forest managed by the Shrine Maiden Clan there—”
“The Tempting Forest! Where elegant shrine maidens seduce men—”
“Shut up. Let me explain. You start blabbing the moment something you know comes up. The name of the forest isn't important.”
Wow! Shrine maidens! You know the Tempting Forest! For those who don't know, let me explain blah blah blah—
If it weren't for his affinity perk, I would have smacked this guy in the back of the head long ago.
Originally, Yukina’s virginity-unlocking event proceeds by meeting the Shrine Maiden Clan through this request.
What makes Yukina’s route complicated is that if you don't open the path early on, she disappears without a trace. Even if you do open the path, the story won't progress unless you take this request and meet the Shrine Maiden Clan.
On top of that, you have to obtain the Soul Vessel item—which doesn't even boost stats much—equip it on Yukina, and wait a long time. You have to infer this entire process from dialogue, so it’s difficult without a walkthrough.
“This request is a large-scale one. We need a lot of people because we have to scout a wide forest.”
Although the Shrine Maiden Clan was granted the forest by the government, they aren't the only ones living there.
Small, countryside-like villages are scattered throughout the forest, and the Shrine Maiden Clan protects and manages them.
The thread produced there is often used to craft high-end items, so the government considers it important.
The content of the request is to identify the mysterious entity attacking the residents of the village that produces the thread.
The Shrine Maiden Clan is strong enough to guard the Barrier, but most of them are deployed for Barrier defense duties, so they lack the manpower to scout the entire vast forest.
“Remember, this is scouting, not subjugation. Once we find it, the subjugation will be handled by Aki… I mean, the Shrine Maiden Clan. Rio, check the data I just sent.”
“…Is this a magic tome?”
“Yeah, it’s magic that detects vibrations in the ground for scouting. Learn it before the mission.”
“I-I appreciate it, but… there’s less than a week left before the mission.”
Rio stared at me with a blank expression.
Why? There’s a whole week left. Are you busy? Do you have something to do?
I didn't understand either, so I tilted my head and asked.
“A week is plenty of time, isn't it?”
“No, how is that plenty?! I only took a quick look, and it’s clearly high-level magic. How am I supposed to learn this in a week!? You try it!”
“I already learned it. I learned it from my master yesterday.”
“… …”
At my words, everyone in the room stared at me in silence.
Bukgeuk-jwa, who had been disinterestedly burying her nose in the crown of Angelica’s head, Masayoshi, who had been organizing data, and Angelica—all of them stared at me blankly with their mouths slightly agape.
Why? Did I say something wrong?
“You learned this… in a single day?”
As Rio muttered this, Masayoshi and the Thug, who were standing near him, glanced at the tablet screen he was holding.
“There’s a limit to how much bluffing we can take. How could anyone learn this in a day?”
“What are you talking about? It’s hard to come by, so I only saw it for the first time yesterday, too. A day is enough. Isn't it like that for everyone?”
“… …?”
“?”
As our common sense clashed, question marks appeared on everyone’s faces.
And usually, in these situations, the one with the outlier opinion is the weirdo.
That would be me.
In the game, you just give them a magic tome and they learn it instantly.
Since this is reality, it’s natural for it to take a few hours, and as long as your stats aren't lacking, you can learn it easily.
In fact, because it’s reality, it’s even better because you can learn it regardless of stat restrictions, even if the power is lower.
But apparently, that wasn't the case.
From what they were saying, although it varies from person to person, difficult magic can take over a year to learn.
…I learned Frey’s original magic, Magnum, in three hours, though?
It’s not like Magnum is some low-level spell.
Come to think of it, August’s expression had stiffened back then, too… Had I been mistaken, thinking that only creating new magic took a long time?
It was the moment I realized that I was clearly the strange one.
“Hey, then try learning this. I’ll tell you the incantation.”
As if he couldn't accept it, Rio demonstrated a spell and told me to try it.
It wasn't just him; in fact, everyone here didn't believe me.
Yukina, who affirms everything I say; the gentle and kind Angelica; even God Sayoshi, who gave me a perk after maxing out his affinity… though they didn't say it, a look of disbelief was visible in their eyes.
And thirty minutes later, I perfectly replicated Rio’s magic.
“… …”
“…Hahaha, seeing it in person makes it even harder to believe…”
Masayoshi looked at the magic floating in my hand with a look of disgust, as if he were fed up.
It was a binding spell where stones shaped like—well, like poop—no, like long snakes, intertwined with each other to form a sphere, which would explode upon impact and cling to nearby enemies.
“This is the only high-level magic I know…”
I refrained from asking the cruel question of how long it took him to learn it.
Just by looking at his devastated face, I could tell how much he had struggled to learn this spell.
I’m starting to feel a bit bad…
Why didn't Frey tell me I was unusual?
Akane was looking at me with sparkling eyes, her hands busy scribbling something in her notepad.
“It’s only natural. Because it’s Yeon-woo.”
“… …”
Though she was surprised, Yukina affirmed it with pride.
But perhaps because the shock was so great, everyone else either ignored her or just gave a bitter smile.
Honestly, if I were in their shoes, I probably would have ignored Yukina’s words immediately, too.
“I heard about it from my grandfather, but… it was true…”
Bukgeuk-jwa looked at me with a look of despair similar to Rio’s.
Come to think of it, the Geezer knows too, since I learned how to break barriers from him.
But why didn't any of these people tell me?
Frey, August, the Geezer, and even Turk, who watched me train by his side—none of them told me I was strange.
Is there a reason for that?
Anyway, after a brief commotion—well, it was a bit long for a ‘brief’ one—I calmed everyone down and ended the meeting.
*
“Hehehe… I learned it. I learned it. I can do it, too.”
On the day of the request, Rio appeared looking haggard from pulling all-nighters, bragging that he had learned the scouting magic.
I probably shouldn't say the cruel thing about how it only took me an hour to learn it, right?
Regardless, his passionate learning is commendable.
I secretly nudged Bukgeuk-jwa in the ribs, and she immediately understood and stepped forward.
When Bukgeuk-jwa showered him with flowery compliments, the malice and fatigue that had filled Rio’s face drained away, and he returned to his usual ugly self.
Leaving the two of them alone, I turned around to see Akito and his followers standing among the many people gathered for the request, looking at me.
Their roster has become quite impressive, too.
In addition to the original members, including Chika, they’ve added an elf, a beastkin, and Kaira.
In the midst of that, he didn't bring Redick, his rival who also joined the Magic Research Club.
As expected of the Harem King, despite his innocent act.
“I’m counting on you for this request.”
“Yeah.”
Akito gave a short reply with a nod and then went back to talking with his followers.
…What’s this? His reaction is a bit lukewarm.
Every time he saw me, he used to cling to me like a possessed puppy, but today he’s a bit cold.
Well, it’s better than him acting all chummy like a gay guy.
I didn't pay it much mind and looked at the forest before me.
The request itself is nothing special, but how am I going to endure Akito losing his mind and babbling about ‘forced lines’ the moment he sees a woman?
It’s not a request where I have much to gain, and Akito won't be in any danger, but I came to repay the debt I owe to the Shrine Maiden Clan for helping me get Yukina.
“Whoa—”
Suddenly, a wondrous sight unfolded as the trees moved on their own, and the crowd let out a collective gasp as the forest opened up.
Then, a shrine maiden with a familiar face walked out, and upon spotting me, she broke into a beaming smile.
Hmm… I’m here to repay a debt, but I was also looking forward to this just a little bit.
How could I ever forget the wild sex I had with the shrine maidens?