ALL NOVEL Chapter 175
The kids who received points were all startled. And why wouldn’t they be? Despite taking down quite a few monsters on the way up, each of them only had a total of 30 points.
But then, after waking up, they found an extra 80 points added!
It couldn’t be a case of points breeding among themselves, so what on earth was going on?!
They all looked at me with a mix of wonder and admiration, but I didn’t go into detail about what happened yesterday.
Explaining each little thing was a hassle… and honestly, nothing worth bragging about.
If I were to gloat about it… it’d be like I lost my mind.
Speaking of which, the points those kids had were more than I expected.
Even though they seemed to roam around all day hunting monsters, the score they had didn’t match their level.
And what on earth was up with the random 11 total?
Did it start with 15 and then four dropped out?
If so, it makes some sense with the points they accumulated.
We spent half the day just eating and resting, so if 15 people were hunting like crazy, it would make sense they could amass that many points.
Well… I didn’t need to think much about those friends. I had already taken their points, and I raided all their supplies too.
However, those friends were not the ones who followed us to our hideout. There were others who had been tailing us from the start.
Right now, they were hiding—maybe asleep, maybe not—but I suspected they’d move within two days.
Because…
BOOM—!
“Grrraah!”
THWACK—
“P-please, help me!”
CRUNCH—
“W-wait! Just a minute! I-I got hit with a bone!”
It felt like our test would finish in two days.
“U-umm, Miss, is this really okay?”
“What’s wrong with it? It’s not against the rules.”
“B-but still… I mean… um…”
“Are you trying to say it feels too shady?”
As Eurasia struggled to find her words, Silina’s low voice chimed in.
“No, it’s not like that!”
“Eurasia, even if you think it’s not, I think Eliaernes is quite the shady character. Gailan seems to think so too, doesn’t he?”
“I-I… I’m just going to follow you guys…”
“What’s so shady about it? They came at us first.”
“Anyone who tells us to hand over our points before storming into our hideout just to keep their test going will be challenged, even by nice girls like Pina.”
Eeep…?
“Oh, come on, Pina’s too sweet for that. Right?”
Eeep!
I mean, no, we had been raiding other students since yesterday. Points, supplies, drinking water, food—everything they had.
Our original plan was to hunt Captain-class Monsters. So, we set out early to wander around.
During that, we encountered other students—four groups. A team filled to the brim with twenty people. I asked them if they’d seen a Captain-class Monster, and they replied they couldn’t say anything bare-faced.
So, I offered them a fair compensation.
Food, drinking water, and toilet paper.
But guess what? As soon as they received it, they washed their hands of the whole matter like we were nobodies!
As if that wasn’t enough, they even threatened us with their numbers!
So, I responded in kind.
Traditionally, con artists would have their tongues and wrists twisted. But those kids were nothing but a bunch of loudmouths, and they weren’t seasoned scam artists yet!
So, I lightly punched the jaw of the one leading the pack and smashed it.
What came after? Naturally, they all jumped at me, and we won.
That went on for two days.
By the end, I got tired of introductions, so I just demanded points…
In the end, I had taken about 90 points? As a result, we were able to gather 270 points each in just two days.
Three days into the exam, and we’d already collected over half of a perfect score!
“And Silina—don’t you find it kind of fun? I feel like I’ve only seen you smile a handful of times, and most of those were just from yesterday and today.”
Startled, Silina touched the corners of her mouth with her fingertips.
“…If I said it was all boring, it would be a lie. Plus, isn’t there a way to end this horrible test quickly? How could I dislike that?”
“Even putting the test aside, you look like you’re just enjoying the process. To me, you and I are the same.”
Unable to argue back, Silina exhaled a sigh, while Eurasia gathered the scattered students and helped them sit up.
“Then… um, friends? We’ll be taking the points, okay?”
Grrrlggh…
“Yeah… but in this state, we can’t continue the test. Can we take everything? It’ll be easier for you too, right?”
Uuwrgg… not… the… ack…
“You say we can take it? Thanks for letting us! So, we might as well grab the drinking water and food too…”
Eurasia cheerfully collected everything from the fallen students, approaching me with a grin.
“It’s a bit disappointing, but these friends have few points, right? But there’s plenty of food. I found a live rabbit in the corner! Based on how it’s been locked up, it seems like it was meant as emergency rations.”
I nodded blankly at her.
“Uh, right… but let’s set that rabbit free in the woods.”
“Why?”
“I… I don’t really feel like eating rabbit.”
“Understood!”
Is she adapting too quickly?
Just the day before, Eurasia worried about the students… and suggested we leave some essentials for them to continue the test.
Yet today, she’s snatching everything away without mercy, doing it all while smiling brightly with her sparkling eyes.
…Am I the one getting suspiciously weird?
Or is she just like this…?
“I asked just the other day, right? If Eurasia is really okay.”
“…Don’t slander our Eurasia.”
She’d never do that…
“Such strong trust.”
Snickering, Silina took the lead as we walked.
“Let’s move quickly. It’s going to get dark soon.”
Silina, with her back to the blue sky, wore a refreshed smile brighter than yesterday.
*
The sun set, and we returned to our hideout.
By the end of the second day, we had each collected 350 points.
We didn’t bother the kids who had fewer members.
We only targeted those with 15 or more, and those who had absolutely miserable points got released.
There was no need to bother those with too few points right now. We could wait until they ripened a bit more before taking them down.
The same goes for those with fewer members.
Since they have fewer members, they have fewer points. But if they knew that someone as ruthless as me would be waiting to attack, they’d naturally band together.
Once they did that and started surviving hard, we could strike then.
Well, anyway, with those standards set, we gathered points very comfortably and quickly.
The only problem was that we caused a ruckus yesterday and today, making the kids hide.
But we just needed to collect another 750 points, so as long as we kept moving swiftly, it would work out.
By the way, five people combined meant 1,750 points.
If we put our minds to it, we could even afford to send three of them back right here. Of course, nobody was eager to volunteer for that. Just to be safe, I asked, but everyone firmly declined, saying we all would go together.
Such good kids.
“I didn’t see Stella today either.”
“She’s probably managing just fine. It’s not like she’d be at a level where she could sit still and just take punches.”
“Still, you said you missed her since yesterday.”
“Hmm… I did want to meet her.”
If Stella has more points than I thought, I wanted to meet her thinking to ‘exchange’ some through a peaceful conversation and friendship.
Of course, I wouldn’t take everything. I’d only think of ‘exchanging’ just enough points for Stella alone without touching her food, drinking water, or essential supplies.
But where on earth could she have gotten herself stuck? I simply couldn’t find her.
If only I could rob just a single point from Stella… then… uhh, what’s the word the kids are using these days? Dopamine? I bet it would shoot through the roof!
It was a little disappointing I couldn’t achieve such an incredibly cool feat.
“…You weren’t trying to rob Stella’s points, were you, Miss?”
“Huh? Of course—”
Just as I was about to answer I was planning to rob her, the full-bellied kids who had come out for some fresh air after eating a sweet dessert chimed in.
“No way Eliaernes would think to take anything from a friend without a problem, right?”
“Y-yeah. She’s been good to us…!”
[Lady Eliaernes would never think of such a nasty thing!]
Is it impossible?
“…Of course, I wouldn’t.”
I decided to change my words for the moment.
“Oh my…”
But Eurasia caught onto my lie…
“You’re really a piece of work beyond imagination.”
Thanks to Eurasia’s reaction, Silina noticed too.
Gailan didn’t say another word, and Pina happily munched on the cashew nuts we had seized.
“…Are you trying to wrap me up since you’ve drained all the honey from me?”
“Eliaernes, you shouldn’t just ignore human decency.”
“Well, if it really happens, you’ll have fun too.”
“…Only if I have enough points.”
“The princess is pretty good at virtue signaling, huh?”
“Don’t insult the princess.”
“The princess sure loves that word, doesn’t she?”
Chuckling, I teased as I grabbed a handful of Pina’s cashews and stood up.
“Now, let’s get some sleep. We’ve got to hurry and run around tomorrow to finish up quickly.”
“Are we… um, going to raid another team tomorrow?”
Gailan, cleaning his cloudy glasses with his clothing, asked.
“Raid? We will never attack first. We’re just responding. We can’t just sit back and take hits. Our priority is ultimately the Captain-class Monster. Once we find that, there won’t be any need for ‘raiding’—we’ll just deal with it.”
That was enough of an answer. Gailan nodded, looking a little conflicted.
“R-right. Then I’ll head to bed first.”
[Then I’ll head out to the entrance!]
“Thanks for your hard work.”
Tonight’s watch would be Pina first, me second, and Gailan third. We decided it’d be the three of us.
Until yesterday, Eurasia and Silina had done the watch for two consecutive days, but today they looked too tired, so I stopped them.
And Pina… well, I thought a little about whether it was okay to make her the lookout, but it didn’t really matter much.
If I sensed anything suspicious, I’d wake up. Plus, Pina had Flora with her.
“Umm… then, Pina, I’ll rely on you. Don’t overdo it. And Miss, I’ll be counting on you today…”
“Okay. Sleep well. Tomorrow could be tougher.”
“Thank you…”
Eurasia, showing signs of understanding, let her tied-up hair down and lay down.
Silina had already closed her eyes inside the sleeping bag.
For a princess, she sleeps really well in such a place.
Yesterday, she even snored all the way to goro–goro–goro.
Well… I could guess why.
The conversation between Fabiana and Silina.
It seemed like Silina knew the taste of muddy water.
She must have had some past experiences.
Anyway, it wasn’t something I needed to worry about.
Now that the mumbling had stopped, it was a good thing.
I lay down as well.
“Sweet dreams, Miss.”
“Yeah. You too.”
“Hehe… Yep.”
The sound of crickets chirping. The gentle wind rustling the leaves, and the sound of Eurasia’s breathing near my ear created a cozy atmosphere.
In that tranquility, I closed my eyes.
*
SDVIMVFoanVzY1YwSVhjamMzUkt1WlRQR2hRTEZzNGUzUkdCL0dlaDFQZ3NWV1ovN3RrVjNwT1JSYm1XcUNXUg
[…]
“… Elly!”
“Eep…!”
“I know.”
But that atmosphere didn’t last long.
Waking up, I patted Pina’s trembling head and placed the excited Flora on my shoulder.
Outside the cave, I could hear a bustling noise.
About… fifty?
“That’s quite a lot.”
Grinning, I wrapped bandages around my hand.
Habar. Bandages infused with Luna’s Divine Power.
[It seems the rumor spread widely in two days.]
“Can’t help but wonder.”
[Can you win?]
“Is that even a question?”
I replied to Flora’s voice echoing in my head.
Flora, who seemed to think I’d win without a doubt, already had a triumphant expression.
[But Ronan… is it fine for you to be this excited against kids?]
“…I’m not excited! Why would I be excited?”
[That’s a lie.]
“I… why would I feel good while getting pummeled by kids? It’s just… huh? I feel like our teammates might wrap this up soon. If they’re happy, I guess I feel good too.”
[Hngh… impressive.]
Flora seemed to think my words were a lie, but it wasn’t a total lie.
I had my reasons for rushing through the harrowing situation.
Something felt off.
The kids gathering together? A Captain-class Monster?
It wasn’t that. It was Aidelia’s warning, the hidden demon’s devices, the barrier, and Nucleksyrol.
I couldn’t fit the pieces of that puzzle in my head, but something… in my gut was warning me of danger.
So I thought it’d be best to finish this as quickly as possible.
If I had to investigate or solve things, I’d have to settle these kids in a safe place first before doing it.
After tying my hair in twin tails, I started moving. At the same time, Eurasia followed behind, prepared.
The club in my right hand radiated a fierce light.
“I’ll just subdue them like we’ve done before.”
“Still, these kids are coming at us with intent, so it’s fine to break a few bones as a punishment.”
“Yes.”
“…I want to join too.”
Silina, who had gotten up unsteadily, pulled her hood down and strapped on the two hand axes she received from our supplies.
“Are you planning to take kids’ arms and legs with that?”
Hearing my words, Silina obediently covered her axes.
“…I wasn’t aware because I’m still half-asleep.”
“Oh sure. Pina, you stay just at the cave entrance. Don’t move. Understood?”
I patted Pina’s shaking head.
“And Gailan, you stay inside.”
“…Huh?”
“If you’re standing with us, it’ll just get messy. Just hang around and say you got beaten by me.”
Gailan turned pale.
“…W-wait, L-let me…”
Though Gailan tried to say something, I didn’t listen and kept moving.
Silina and Eurasia’s curious gazes fell on me, but I brushed them off, saying I’d explain later and kept walking.
“Those kids are probably loaded with points, right?”
It’s disappointing I couldn’t steal Stella’s points.
But I think I’d still have some fun.
No, no.
It’s not fun. I think I’d get to see my teammates happy.