NOVEL NEXT Chapter 27
<27 - You definitely want to avoid 0.1% landmines!>
Western Noble Union.
A supporting character troupe that often appears in games.
It’s not that there are no nobles in other regions, but the presence of the nobles here is especially pronounced.
“Are you telling me you don’t know how to start a fire in that expensive armor?”
“Ah? How could I possibly know that? It’s the servants who take care of the fire.”
“……”
“What are you holding those incredible weapons for, anyway?”
“I caught the prey! Even though it’s in this sorry state…”
He was displaying the mangled remains of a mongoose while dressed in extravagant noble attire.
The expensive outfit and gleaming weapon only made the wreck of the mongoose look all the more pathetic, like a landmine had gone off.
“D-Don’t look at me like that! I am Anthony, the third-ranked of the Western Noble Union, the Swift Swordsman!”
Anthony.
Catchy nickname, but his family name is even more famous.
His last name is Soboro.
Among users, the term ‘Soboro Mentality’ refers to someone whose mental state is as crumby as the crumbs that fall from a Soboro bread.
In short, he’s a supporting character notorious for all the wrong reasons.
“Don’t ignore me! The only things I can’t cut down are mosquitoes, fatigue, hunger, and thirst!”
“……”
If he can belittle himself to that extent, I can’t tell if he has weak or strong mental fortitude.
“I heard that the heir of the renowned Soboro swordsmanship lineage is challenging the entrance exam this year. So you’re the one behind the rumors, Anthony Soboro!”
“You’re a good guy! There’s no bad person among those who grow mustaches!”
They say when you’re feeling down, a little encouragement can go a long way. His favorability with Jezel has skyrocketed. He’s probably ready to swear brotherhood!
“Anyway, can you help us out?”
“I’ll pay you back with anything!”
“You’re commoners, so you’re used to this sort of thing, right?”
“……”
He offered to repay us, and since he looks incredibly pitiful, I thought maybe I’d turn a blind eye just this once… but that thought crumbled like a cookie.
“Hmph, let’s just go.”
“I agree. There’s no reason to show kindness to someone who looks down on a child like that.”
“Wow, that little rodent actually made a good point this time!”
“So, we’ve decided we cannot assist you. We shall take our leave.”
Son Ohchun inhaled sharply and extinguished the campfire with a huff.
“Ahhh…!”
“A fire we could cook meat over!”
“A precious fire to thaw our frozen bodies!”
“You don’t want to use a fire lit by lowly commoners because of your pride, right? Be grateful I didn’t let you worry about your dignity. Hahaha!”
“Who was the fool that said something stupid earlier!”
“It’s the heir of Viscount Yutao.”
“I’ll have to write to the family. We shouldn’t invite Viscount Yutao to this year’s Harvest Festival.”
“What kind of thought do you have, speaking like a lowly commoner when you’re merely a minor noble?”
“What a dimwit.”
“Waaah! I’m sorry, please forgive me just this once…!”
Seeing him cry softens my heart.
He’s annoying, but still just a clueless child.
It’s not like he’s irredeemable.
“Enough.”
“Prince Andersen…”
“Nobles must be able to take responsibility for their words to wield power. Yutao’s child, I shall grant you the opportunity to amend your mistake.”
Did he realize my heart had softened?
The first-ranked of the Western Noble Union.
Second son of Duke Pretzel, the founding hero.
Andersen Pretzel, a character with a fair amount of weight, has offered him a chance.
“I’m sorry… sniff My thoughts were short-sighted, and I upset you…”
“Hurtful words are bad. At the Academy, everyone is equal, so please be careful in the future.”
By now, the malignant factions must be stirring into action.
If he gets caught up with an unpleasant dropkick, the Western Noble Union might just be halved by the time the exam ends, huh?
“I’ve got a bargain! I’ll forgive you in exchange for a snack!”
“R-Really?”
Viscount Yutao’s child, thrilled, pulled out four perfectly wrapped breads from his pocket.
“This is emergency food we keep in our family’s magical backpack. It’s fried bread, high in calories and fairly tasty.”
Just as a side note, ‘Yutao’ is an actual food item.
In this world, noble families often incorporate real dish names as their family names.
Players often say that the production team was inspired by the noble tale of the Earl of Sandwich, who made a sandwich.
“What kind of food does this Papa make?”
I feel an odd twinge of fear about what kind of surname someone I’ve never even seen might have.
“Oknodie Glutinous Rice Donut.”
“Oknodie Kimchi.”
My imagination runs wild…
Of course, names that rural wouldn’t pop up randomly either.
Remembering all the servants assigned to Jonnas, Leef, and me were Westerners means a name resembling Korean food is unlikely.
[Common Dish [Yutao] has been collected in the Cookbook.]
Family Name Candidates, whatever.
If you do a favor for a scion of a noble family, you can add food to your collection.
When you climb up to a high noble family, you even get rare recipes.
“Our little lady really has a kind heart, doesn’t she?”
“She’s become a mushball just like a rat.”
“If you don’t want to receive an apology, why not give that bread to me?”
“Hahaha, do you think I’d give it to you?”
chuckles Silly people.
Not even knowing about my evil plan to fill the Cooking Handbook, they treat me like a nice kid.
Isabel seemed to have been misled so much that she gently patted my head with her warm hands.
“I hope you grow up to be this nice in the future.”
“Hehe.”
There was a lovely scent around Isabel.
Should I try being a good child for just a few more days? One week. No, two more weeks!
Having become well-stocked with food, we found a cozy spot to settle down and snuggled up for a good night’s sleep.
Remembering that the forest is quite long and inefficient, we’ll take a leisurely break.
Unbeknownst to us, the examinees were growing increasingly anxious.
Around the forest, screams echoed.
Most likely the screams of people who fell victim to score-hunting.
“Are you going to attempt the second challenge as well?”
“Looks fun! Let’s do it.”
“It’s dangerous. The screams aren’t stopping.”
The second auxiliary challenge is a scuffle.
A giant ball made of intertwined vines with a golden ball placed at its center.
The instructor responsible for judging stood in front of the ball, resting his chin on an outdoor table, checking the admissions.
“This challenge allows a maximum of six participants at once. Once you’ve participated, you cannot retry. The score is worth 40 points. Getting knocked out means elimination.”
This quest favors groups while being unfair to individuals.
Examinees who had been acting individually now made attempts to team up or quickly give up to seek the next challenge.
Since we had already collected 10 points each, everyone was feeling relaxed.
“What do you think, Oknodie?”
“You want me to decide?”
“You’ve shown exceptional wit in every challenge you’ve faced, from the ticket exam to the First Gate, and in the previous auxiliary challenge as well. I trust your judgment, Oknodie.”
“What are you thinking, employer? Trust and whatever, we’re just four here.”
“That’s the issue. We stand out among all the examinees, and no one will take on a 4 to 2 challenge.”
Gathering six people to score is impossible.
To take the exam, we’ll need to split up.
“As long as you know that, it’s all good. Just send one over.”
“Coincidentally, we’ve got five solo examiners here.”
“Let’s go fair and square, one-on-one.”
The examinees tried persuading us to join in.
“Ooh, does that mean it’s my turn?”
Son Ohchun confidently stepped forward, but I grabbed his arm to stop him.
“No way.”
“What? You want to go instead?”
“Not at all. Just let’s tackle the next challenge.”
“Why? Are you just going to let those easy targets go?”
“You’ve never regretted listening to me, have you?”
Son Ohchun glanced back, clearly displeased, then abruptly turned his head away.
“Looking back at the first exam, your judgment was indeed more reliable than my instincts. Fine, I’ll specially tolerate this once.”
“Seriously, I put in a little effort; why do you act so generous all of a sudden? If you want to do it, go for it.”
Snippily replying made him huff with annoyance as he strutted off.
“Do you think I’d just go because you said so? No way, you silly rodent. Absolutely not.”
“…… Next time, I’m not giving you any hints.”
“Ha! It was obvious, wasn’t it? You guys must have been in cahoots or something?”
A camouflage solo-play strategy.
One of the methods to clear the secondary auxiliary challenge.
It’s true that there were four contestants employing that strategy.
A rare 9.9% chance of appearing in that group.
If that were all, I would have had no issue stopping it.
But I was stopped by the 0.1% chance of stepping on a landmine.
“It’s an unbeatable confrontation.”
The bigger bulky characters are bound to get outclassed by the muscle of the challenges.
With Oknodie’s smaller frame, there could be a slim chance of survival, but even then the difficulty is exceedingly high.
0.1% of the landmine is an encounter with malevolent supporting characters.
And they’re not just any petty foe.
Just aiming for a few points might result in us losing even the ticket watch.
“Ahhh! Let us go! Let us gooooo!”
“I can’t get down! I can’t get down!”
“Did he realize that we’ve formed an alliance?!”
The screams of examinees stuck to the vine ball echoed.
A girl wearing a mask with a blank expression chuckled, mocking them.
“No matter how many teams there are, or who is challenging, it was all the same. I meant to catch all you little rats in the trap, make you immobile.”
“W-Wait! Don’t mess with the tickets! There’s no need to go that far!”
“Please, just this one time!”
“Sorry, eliminated. Lower-grade examinees like you shouldn’t be hanging around with us.”
snip went four tickets torn effortlessly.
Did one of them happen to score? It went up by 10 points.
10 points of plunder and 40 points for the golden ball acquired.
I gathered all 50 points needed for passing.
“H-Hey! I’m not part of their group! They probably gathered all the points; can’t you cut me some slack?”
“Should I?”
“Phew.”
“I almost said yes, but why would I let go? The thought of having to see such trivial opponents in the upper class for the next few years instantly churns my stomach.”
“Aaaaah!”
snip
The girl eliminated all five of them with a flourish.
Leaving behind the worthless ticket watches, she skipped away cheerfully.
Any cries for a rescue faded behind her as memories of the first gate’s top scorer flashed through her mind.
“I bet she noticed my ability. How did she find out?”
To have someone catch on before she even shows her skills was a first for her experience.
“I must ask her next time we meet.”
A technique known only among assassins.
If she recognized this skill, could she also be an assassin?
scritch scritch
“And don’t forget to ask how she managed to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes too.”