Chapter 24
The Academy’s Time Stop Player
—“So this is why it’s not easy?”
I’ve been walking around the island now, killing all kinds of magical beasts in a way.
I think I killed about 60 or so.
The reason I was still walking around even though my quest achievement target had exceeded 50 was due to Piraten’s strict personality.
“How about this?”
— You can’t.
“Then what about that?”
— Too weak.
Literally, it seems that the magical beasts I have defeated so far are not very satisfying in Piraten’s eyes.
When explaining the trials before, she said she wouldn’t raise the counter unless I defeated a magical beast that satisfied her, which I don’t understand. But even including that point, it was too harsh.
— No good. The magical beasts on this island are too weak. You better give up here.
“Huh…, is that so?”
It seems that she gave up, too, after the number of magical beasts I had almost defeated exceeded 80.
After all, it’s an artificial island that was mostly built for student training, so how can it be inhabited by magical beasts that the students can’t handle? Almost all the magical beasts look weak even to my eyes.
Of course, that didn’t mean I was going to understand her.
“…If you’re going to say that, just say it quickly, are you asking me to give up on my 80 magical beast kills?”
— But master, isn’t it easy for you?
“This and that are two different things…”
— …
It was a Pilaten who shamelessly did not reply to my words.
I glared at such a Piraten for a while, then quickly sighed and opened my mouth.
“Well, then, you tell me when you see a one, that catches your eye.”
— Ummm, I shall.
I had no choice but to give up the job change quest and return to the cave .
Still, I had completed one sub-quest, so I decided to be satisfied with that.
[Sub-quest].
Questable character: Kim Ha-Jun
Description:Defeat magical beasts. (80/70)
Rewards: 400 experience.
[Success!!!]
[Rewards awarded].
[More than a limited number killed].
[Additional rewards will be given!]
[Additional rewards: experience +200]
[Level increased!]
“By the way, why are the rewards so lenient?”
The rewards were strangely generous, as were the other quests as such.
I had some doubts about the reward, which seemed to be some degree of 400 experience, but I soon began to understand.
Ah, that’s it.
Don’t tell me you changed your strategy too, because you can’t raise the main system?
It seems to be a strategy to move me by making the rewards more generous instead of removing the coercion.
(I guess it’s been like this from the beginning.)
Of course I was satisfied.
Yes, at least if you’re going to give me quests, shouldn’t you give them to me so that I’m motivated?
It’s like using force to be king.
I grumbled inwardly and checked the status window to see the level that was.
Name:Kim Ha-jun
Level: 4
Occupation:Student Title:None Fame:300
Vitality:15(+2) Magic:0 Strength:14(+1) Agility:9
Stamina:21(+1) Defense:0 Magic Resistance:999(Max) Mental Strength:999(Max)
“It’s level 4 now”
It is time to start getting closer to level 5, where you get the sub-skills.
Indeed, the sub-skills you get once you reach level 5 are—.
[1. 500P for Unlocking (Can be purchased when level 5 is achieved.)]
Unlocking, which can be purchased once you’ve raised just one more level.
Of course, I could predict what the skill was by just looking at the name, so it was a skill I wanted.
“Then all I needed to do is raise it just one more level…”
To be honest, I have saved up 1160p in points that I have never had to use before.
There are enough points left over to buy a skill.
So then all I have to do is level up…
I quickly checked the remaining experience and sub-quests needed to level up.
[Sub-quest].
Questable character:Kim-Ha-Jun
Description:Cook food from the squares you have defeated.
Rewards:200 experience.
[Experience:200/400]
“It fits perfectly…”
The experience required fits perfectly, to the point where it’s strangely pleasing.
If I didn’t get even a little bit more, I would have given up and gone home right away.
“But all these weird quests are coming up. Like, what’s cooking?”
The quests were a little out of the ordinary.
Why would I suddenly be asked to cook…?
Of course, if I think about the quests the system has given me so far, there have been big or small ones, but they have had their reasons. In any sense, it’s like the system is telling me in a quest that this is the right way to behave?
“Anyway — I have to cook it, don’t I?”
I have salt and pepper, so I should just dismantle one magical beast, which is generally scattered nearby, and take it with me.
I’ve never dismantled before, but if you cut it into pieces and grill it with salt and pepper, isn’t that cooking too?
“Huh…”
My body is stiff, and I want to lie down and sleep, but I decide to solve the problem quickly while I’m moving anyway.
To be honest, lying down in a sleeping bag and just lounging around watching a film is also getting tiresome. Wouldn’t time pass more quickly if I was at least active and moving my body in this way? I moved my body, forcing myself to turn the happiness circuit.
***
-Splash.
Haruna-Ruel, meanwhile, was dipping her feet in the shallow water trough, carefully glancing at something. Her target was a fish drifting in the valley.
The island was, as the saying goes, devoid of mundane flora and fauna, inhabited only by magical beasts containing magic powers. It was the same with the fish, but the fish matured with magic power, had outgrown then normal size, and tasted excellent.
“U, u…”
However, the water in the valley was so cold that Haruna was shivering.
She honestly wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, but she was hungry.
She had eaten the entire bag of nuts, the food she had been provided with, only three hours ago, probably because she had been starving so many times yesterday evening and this morning, and because she had been sleeping so much.
She began to concentrate, stroking her starving stomach and glancing at the fish swimming in the stream again .
That’s when it happened.
With a zap-.
” Wow!”
Then it was Haruna who caught a huge fish as big as her arm.
Haruna smiled and tried to go outside, squeezing the fish she had caught…
“Ah! Oh, no! Ugh!”
With a jerk-…
The scales were slippery and she missed the fish in the end.
At the same time as she lost it, the tail even smacked her in the cheek.
Haruna glanced with narrowed eyes at the fish, which quickly disappeared into the distance, and rubbed her belly in hunger with a sigh.
That was when.
“…Hm?”
Haruna’s nose twitched at the smell of savory meat coming from somewhere and she padded along the scent.
She continued up along the valley, and saw a familiar-looking boy grilling the legs of a giant magical beast, while humming.
However, her gaze was solely on the meat.
Haruna approached the bonfire where the meat was grilling.
*
(…?)
Meanwhile, Ha-Jun was looking at Haruna-Ruel, who had naturally settled in front of the bonfire.
(When did this girl come again?)
Despite the fact that Ha-Jun was looking at her, she was only watching the meat being grilled while swallowing down her saliva that was leaking out.
Ha-Jun caught the grilled meat and lifted it up as it was.
When he shook it around this way and that, her eyes also started moving this way on the meat.
Goo-goo—.
And even a strange sound was heard…
“Are you hungry?”
Haruna was nodding her head with a twinkle in her eyes at Ha-Jun’s words.
I don’t know why this girl is here, but I decided to share the meat anyway, as it was too much for her to eat alone.
Not for free, of course.
“Then give out bell points.”
In fact, the target student for Bell Point was Haruna-Ruel, so I was wondering how to rob her, but luckily she visited me here on her own.
To be honest, I was half joking and half-serious when I told her.
“… Are you really going to give it to me?”
She passed the bell point all too easily .
When I looked at Haruna with a slightly dumbfounded gaze, she was still just concentrating on the meat being grilled with a twinkle in her eye.
“Huh…”
I was a little taken aback, but I figured it wasn’t so bad since we were trading.
I concentrated on grilling the meat again .
To be honest, I was also curious about the meat.
According to the game’s setting, the meat of a magical beast that has been infused with magic power tastes several times better than normal meat. Then I thought it would taste roughly like beef, but something was unusual from the smell of it grilling.
To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations, but once I smelled it, I couldn’t help but get my hopes up.
I just put salt and pepper on it, but I had to wonder why on earth it smelled so good.
(Wow~ what on earth could that smell be?).
The savory smell began to spread, as if I had buttered them, even though I had only sprinkled salt and pepper on them and grilled them.
I immediately took my camp knife and stabbed the thick meat to see what was inside.
I just stabbed it once, but the juices started pouring out and flowing.
Seeing this scene, Ha-Jun knew intuitively.
He had to eat it now.
[Sub-quest].
Reward: 200 experience.
[Success!]
[Rewards awarded]
[Level increased!]
“One done.”
Ha-Jun immediately cut the meat in half and gave half to Haruna, then took a big bite of the remaining half as it was.
And the moment he tasted it.
A smile began to draw in Ha-Jun’s mouth.
“Not bad.”
The meat boasted a taste that was not bad for meat cooked with salt and pepper.
Of course, there was a little bit of peculiar smell of beast…
I cut off part of it and gave the rest to Haruna, then sat down to chew the remaining meat.
She actually received the meat, and her eyes only glistened at the meat she received, not caring that I was going.
“Then do your best.”
With only those words left, I immediately activated the time stop and headed back to the cave.
***
Liam and Yoo-Seol wandered through the forest until they reached a small cave.
This was because this cave was the result of tracking the location of the target object displayed on the bell point.
However, when they actually arrived at the cave, the scenery inside the cave was spectacular.
“This is…”
“Wow…”
A small home was created inside the cave, including a sleeping bag, cup noodles that could easily be bought and eaten at a convenience store, and even a film playing from a smartphone fixed to a tripod.
“It must be Ha-Jun… right?”
“It seems so…..”
And they seemed to know who the master of this cave was without even needing to look around.
Obviously, it was because Ha-Jun was the only student who brought a sleeping bag among the students.
It was at that moment.
Tok! Tok!
The sound of footsteps coming from the cave entrance made them both turn their heads quickly at the same time.
Kim Ha-Jun.
As soon as she saw Ha-jun, Yoo-Seol broke out in a cold sweat, feeling nervous for unknown reasons.
“Hm? What is it?”
Towards them, Ha-Jun approached with a frown on his face.
And for some reason, the closer Ha-Jun got, the more intimidated they began to feel.
The protagonists of the rumor in the video.
Anyone who is not an idiot would have noticed.
It was Kim Ha-jun who was in the video.
The hammer in his one hand proved it, so Liam could not easily relax.
As Ha-Jun approached closer to them, Liam cautiously stepped forward with his spear.
Ha-Jun, who felt suspicious at the sight of him, immediately twisted his expression in a troublesome manner and asked Liam.
“Are you…?”
“Haha, How did this happen….?”
Liam pointed the spear at Ha-Jun and began to raise his mouth in a smirk.
“I want you to fight me one-on-one.”