NOVEL NEXT Chapter 29
29 – The Taste of Trust
I was lucky.
If all four of us had been caught by the tagger, it would’ve taken quite a while to find the runaway, even with a good strategy. But our team had only one person caught.
“Are you really okay?”
“I’m fine. After all, I had 0 points anyway.”
That’s right, that’s me.
“What a little mouse. How can you be so nice? I thought all kids these days were crafty. Sometimes you need to look after yourself a bit; it makes life easier, kid.”
“Like how you look after the ‘Baby Deer’?”
“……”
Hmph. No matter how much you tease, it’s your own fault.
Did you say I bothered you first by using the ride?
“Still, our strategy was for all four of us to gather as many points as possible and then escape. We need to help Oknodie find the runaway quickly.”
“Hah. Is there even a way? Everyone’s trying not to make contact. How are we supposed to know who the runaway is?”
Maybe because they were conscious of the tag game, the examinees who had been cautious about points until now had hidden themselves so well they couldn’t even make eye contact.
Thanks to rich hiding experience, I found the hiding spot [Under the Big Rock].
Observation Experience Points +1
I found a previously experienced hiding place [In the Tree].
Observation Experience Points +1
I discovered an examinee cleverly disguised as a bush.
Observation Experience Points +1
I confidently walked towards the bush.
The examinee disguised as a bush jumped in shock.
Hummm~ Hurm humm~
“Oknodie, what are you doing over there?”
“I was just wondering if there were any fruits.”
So are you a runaway or a tagger?
I casually fished around beside the bush wearing my ticket watch.
Thump. Thump.
I could hear my heart racing.
The examinee disguised as a bush had a determined look in her eyes.
“Yap!”
“Yes, I dodged, right?”
“Gasp, Oknodie!”
“Uh… But do I need to stop this?”
“We’ll just keep watching for now.”
The attacker cleverly stuck a piece of the cut bush into the joints of her leather armor to disguise herself.
The idea was good.
The attempt wasn’t bad either.
Those who felt danger would hide using disguises, while those who felt it was easy would just charge in.
However, at that level of skill, it wouldn’t work against someone like me who had a good sense.
“You knew from the beginning, didn’t you?”
“The way the leaves swayed was only different for me.”
“Ugh, it’s frustrating. As a forest keeper, I can’t believe I was seen through by such a little kid.”
“Your disguise wasn’t bad. It’s just that my skills were better.”
“This is the first time someone has seen through my disguise so perfectly. Would you like to shake hands?”
She grinned and extended her hand.
As I shook her hand, she shouted out in excitement.
“Hehe! You fool. I saw the way you all went to take the 3rd auxiliary task earlier. A handshake counts as a ‘touch.’ You’re the tagger now!”
“Pfft. Are you stupid? What happens when the tagger catches the tagger?”
“What?!”
The tagger steals points from the runaway.
The true identity of the [Runaway] is the [Black Hat Instructor].
When an examinee touches an examinee, it essentially becomes the tagger touching the tagger. It’s a hidden rule not explicitly stated in the rules.
The same rules apply.
Points before change
[Dorothy -82 points]
[Oknodie -25 points]
Points after change
[Dorothy -107 points]
[Oknodie 0 points]
Even if the tagger touches the tagger, they still take points.
Instead, if the points being taken were already negative, it just increases the negative.
“Aaaah! What is this?!”
“Pfft pfft~ totally a fool!”
“This is cheating! How can a tagger wander around casually with other examinees?!”
“We’re comrades, right?”
“Comrades? What makes you think you’re not going to betray each other when you’re not an aristocratic union bound by solid interests and trust?”
“Do comrades need reasons to trust each other?”
These people are all fools and gullible.
If there’s betrayal, I’ll be the one to do it first. Giselle, Son Ohchun, or Isabel won’t betray me first!
That would never happen!
Dorothy looked at me with sincere envy at my bold response.
“Sigh… I admit defeat. I can’t believe you can trust someone like that. It’s almost admirable. I wish my comrades were as nice as you.”
“Did you have comrades too, Dorothy?”
“I was betrayed. The tagger said she didn’t need a forest keeper like me and touched me, then ran off with the others. She said I should be grateful just for not ripping my ticket watch.”
That sounds pretty unfair.
“I trusted them because they were friends from my hometown, and look where that got me.”
“That’s rough.”
“So be careful. Your comrades all seem to come from different backgrounds, and if friends from your hometown can betray you, there’s no guarantee that strangers won’t either.”
I don’t really worry about those three, but I appreciated the advice.
There’s no reason to hold bad feelings against someone who gives good advice with good intentions.
“Where did those betrayers go?”
“Over there. A pair, both real troublemakers. If you are going to catch one, it’s better to go after the guy than the girl.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s my friend from my hometown. The girl is the merchant’s daughter who comes to buy fur from our forest; she’s a nice girl who helped with an adventure. It’s clear she’ll be stubbornly dragged along by that blockhead.”
“… The merchant’s daughter?”
A character from a merchant background had popped into my mind, someone with a high frequency of appearance who made me uneasy.
Well, I’ll find out when I see them!
“I’ll remember that. Then as a token of gratitude, I’ll give you a bonus.”
I whispered in Dorothy’s ear.
“Go back the way you came and look for the Black Hat Instructor at the entrance.”
“!”
“Don’t give up, and if luck is on your side, you might just manage to pass.”
“… How do I know if that’s true?”
“I just provided information. It’s up to you how to use it.”
There’s no reason for me to be this kind-hearted.
Dorothy was practically guaranteed to fail, and helping her wouldn’t benefit me at all.
But Dorothy’s circumstances touched my heart.
‘I don’t dislike earnest people.’
The ‘workarounds’ that dealt with the events of seasoned players were all the results of countless trial and error, efforts, and research.
Dorothy endured the shocking experience of being betrayed by her friend from her hometown and still didn’t give up on the exam.
It was a consequence of her admirable persistence.
Bows.
Dorothy lowered her head and started moving toward the entrance.
Giselle looked on with curiosity.
“Is the instructor really at the entrance?”
“Yes.”
“Your information skills are impressive.”
“This is just basic!”
“Hehe. It seems that if I’m going to be of help to you, Oknodie, I need to put in a lot more effort.”
Isabel also chimed in.
“What a nice girl.”
“Then give me a snack!”
“Shall I tell you about the snacks adventurers love?”
“I want to know!”
“When it’s hard to find food in a forest like this, we sometimes eat black ants.”
Ew. Ants?
“The formic acid from them is sour, but the acid produced by the small ones is quite tasty.”
“No way!”
“It’s true. But don’t eat ants bigger than your pinky. The acid gets too strong, it’s dangerous. Just the right size is perfect for eating.”
Isabel poked a single ant with her finger and offered it to me.
“Isn’t that too barbaric?”
“Oh, haha. Isn’t the employer too soft? In nature, we have to eat whatever we can find.”
“Have you eaten ants before, Sir Ohchun?”
“Only until I was three. After that, I grew too big, so no matter how much I eat, I can’t get full.”
“Oh. So everyone eats.”
With my eyes shut, I popped Isabel’s finger into my mouth.
It tasted strangely sweet, like a fizzy candy.
“Maybe a bit salty?”
“That’s the taste of my finger’s sweat.”
Isabel withdrew her hand, looking embarrassed.
“Oh! Sour! I know this flavor.”
“You said you never had ants before?”
“They taste the same as the sky blue candy!”
“… I see…”
“Do you want to try? This one also tastes interesting if you roll it around in your mouth.”
“I’ll just keep that in mind.”
Just a moment ago, Son Ohchun and Giselle, who were digging the ground with their fingers, said they’d take a long-awaited taste of ants, now stood up with solemn faces.
“Let’s head out now.”
“Yeah. Ants aren’t filling.”
“Huh. Can’t we eat a bit more before we go?”
Still no signs of collecting the Cookbook.
If I gather a bunch of formic acid and process it at once, maybe I can get it to count as ‘cooking’?
“Let’s get to a proper spot with real ingredients.”
“I’m also worried about Oknodie’s points.”
I temporarily shelved my desire for experiments.
There’s no question when someone is rushing ahead for me.
Tracking the movement of the leading group.
Tracking Experience Points +1
The large-scale traces were so obvious that observation wasn’t even necessary.
Footprints of the examiner and the leading group were evident as they passed without taking the 3rd auxiliary task.
The direction Dorothy mentioned was mixed in with them, but with so many overlapping footprints, it was nearly impossible to find her comrades’ traces.
“Such a shame.”
Instead, I discovered something else intriguing.
A crossroads appeared.
The swamp direction led to the fourth auxiliary task.
The flat direction led to following the examiner.
There were many traces of participation in additional tasks from the previous third task, but this time, most of the remaining leading group headed for the swamp.
It was a case of examinees who couldn’t withstand the pressure of points taking action late.
“Additional tasks, huh? Hey, little mouse, want to give it a shot?”
“No way!”
“The point deduction has reset once; isn’t it better to have more points?”
I repeat, this forest isn’t just about points.
There are bigger matters at hand.
“There are a lot of mosquitoes in the swamp.”
“How much do you hate mosquitoes?”
“Ah, I think that’s a wise decision too.”
Isabel understood my intention.
“Just because your skin is tough and you’re feeling cocky, if you weren’t Oknodie, you’d be in big trouble.”
“Me? Just because of mosquitoes?”
“The humid swamp areas in the forest are swarming with hundreds or even thousands of mosquitoes. You didn’t know because there weren’t swamps in your forest, did you?”
“That sounds chilling. Is it hell over there?”
“Sort of. Besides, if you’re bitten, mosquitoes fed on the swamp’s rotting gas can evolve into sick mosquitoes, and if you’re bitten, you get diseases or poisons.”
Giselle suddenly turned back to me.
“Training for resistance…”
At that remark, both Son Ohchun and Isabel’s expressions shifted.
“This time, I’ll carry you. Hurry up and get on, Oknodie.”
“Wow, really?”
“I’ll be your guide.”
“Oh, oh wow. Then let me take care of the heavy lifting.”
For some reason, our teamwork suddenly shot up.
“Examinees who challenged tag will try to avoid increasing their risks by taking on other tasks, so they’re likely to follow the examiner to assess the destination and take a break.”
“Ah, that sounds like a great idea! As expected, Giselle is smart for a late bloomer!”
“…Be thankful that I’m carrying Oknodie. Because I have no hands to deliver a candy slap.”
Seeing our speed as we hurried away from the swamp made me feel a little guilty towards Dorothy.