NOVEL NEXT Chapter 62
<62 - The Pressure of One Serving>
Throwing away comrades for the sake of 100 points?
That’s a foolish act.
If points were the only goal, she could’ve teamed up with Isabel, Jezel, and Son Ohchun to eat points together.
But this isn’t about points.
It’s about preventing Hestia’s breakdown.
“Hestia is just a kid. Her mental can break at any moment.”
She may not suddenly become a psychopath who kills people when she turns dark, but as small mental damage stacks up, it can lead her to that darkness.
Just like Arthur Fleck in the Joker movie (2019), played by Joaquin Phoenix, who lost all little happiness due to betrayals and had his will to live shattered, Hestia is on a similar path.
“If there’s a female Joker, it’s Hestia.”
Surviving a dangerous situation brought on by the reckless attempts of mercenaries, the reputation she earns is that of a cowardly warrior who passed the exam alone after crushing her comrades’ skulls.
Instead of protecting her honor, the mercenaries who barely saved their lives only worsen her image.
The B Group Empire Nobles see her strength as a thorn in their side and torment her, while the A Group Border Nobles don’t care about the plight of a primitive mercenary.
Even the A Group Commoners despise her for the reputation of betraying her comrades.
“Even the last refuge I can rely on is a joke.”
The Answering Door and the friends beyond the wall.
The sanctuary she believed in was an illusion.
Room 111 in the original game is vacant.
Her opponent is not a person but the Answering Door pretending to be one.
The door’s purpose is merely to use her.
Goodwill is met with evil in return, and no one to protect her from the overflowing malice, with even her mental sanctuary being a false temptation.
In her heart, denied of her faith in humanity and happiness, Hestia becomes consumed by darkness, truly turning into a warrior who devours people.
She manifests the derogatory term everyone used to mock her on her own will.
To stop that horrific incident, instructors attempt to intervene on the scene, but are killed alongside her.
Professors also rush in but can’t stop the astonishing combat power she unleashes alone.
“I can’t believe this is happening during the first-year midterm exam.”
A ruthless massacre of classmates.
The method to stop that brutal tragedy is so simple.
To protect Hestia from unfair persecution, all it takes is for players to show a little kindness.
Allowing humans to live as humans.
That’s all it takes to prevent the tragedy.
“I’m worried about Hestia. Everyone says bad things about her. I want to be her comrade.”
“It can’t be helped. If the kid wants to do something good, I would rather not say anything bad.”
Isabel understood my feelings.
“Then let’s form a group with the three of us.”
“I’m much obliged.”
Dorothy and Rockbell.
Two people I had connected with during the entrance exam became a group with the other three.
Thanks to that, I ended up as part of the loner team, the dropout team, and the outcast team with Hestia, Jigoku, and Lotto in the principal’s lecture.
“Jiang is unexpectedly sociable!”
Jiang, wearing a fox mask, is indeed worse than those three but at least he can cosplay as an ordinary person.
In contrast, Hestia and Lotto, who suffered catastrophic damage to their reputations, and Jigoku, who has nothing but bad luck, have all been abandoned by everyone.
As a result, the bizarre team consisting of A Group’s top Oknodie and the rest was formed.
“Why did that happen?”
“She’s just a kid. Probably means well.”
“Tch. I can’t even curse comfortably. If I say the wrong thing, I’ll end up like Lotto.”
“Lucky that big warrior isn’t targeting me, hiding behind a child.”
Throwing shade, huh? “Our Hestia is so cute. Don’t say such mean things.”
I tried to cover my ears, standing on my tiptoes to reach out, but oops! Not reaching that 2m tall Hestia!
I pondered whether to step on the desk when Hestia slipped her hands under my armpits and lifted me up.
“Was this what you wanted?”
“No way!”
Who asked for a piggyback ride!
Covering my ears made Hestia burst into a grin.
-Who said to build camaraderie?
-Groups aren’t meant for that!
The principal’s command startled the students.
“The principal seems to want a serious learning atmosphere. Sorry, Oknodie.”
Don’t treat me like a kid lamenting having stopped piggybacks!
-Group assignments are to nurture hatred for pain and despair, and asymmetrical societal organizations!
“?”
“?”
“??”
Did I mishear?
Is this real?
Everyone had that look, but it clearly was right.
-I’ll make you realize how harsh it is to be grouped with the incompetent due to lack of skill.
-Starting today until Thursday, you’ll find and collect the ‘flags’ hidden around the campus!
-Unclaimed flags belong to the first one to pick them up, but flagged ones can be obtained only by the first to meet the holder’s conditions.
-Collecting flags will be measured by groups, not individuals.
-Even if one of you plays around, as long as the rest work hard, it’s a super convenient task. The rewards will also be shared fairly, equally n ways!
“Oh my!”
“How terrible!”
“Are you saying the hard work I put in can be stolen by others and my results shared?”
The students’ eyes filled with injustice.
That’s what the Dragon Principal wanted to see.
-This lecture isn’t for you to get acquainted with the facilities opened to freshmen, or to communicate with instructors and learn the rules, or to bond with classmates.
-It’s a trial to make you realize the cruelty of group projects and grow into an exceptional solitary individual who can accomplish everything alone.
-Ask the instructors wandering around the academy for the point values and detailed rules of the flags. I’m not taking questions because I’m too lazy. That’s it, class dismissed!
Having said everything he needed, the principal vanished with a bang.
The remaining students sat awkwardly in silence, pondering the incredibly disastrous situation they found themselves in.
“Um, so… how do we gather the flags?”
“For now, let’s split up and explore our areas until tomorrow’s lunch break and then discuss.”
Lotto timidly replied with a voice as small as a mosquito, “Okay…” then sulkily dragged his feet away.
“I’ll take the mountain.”
Hestia sprinted off toward the mountain she had been to during first period, brimming with enthusiasm.
Before Jigoku could even laugh, he disappeared somewhere.
“No… I meant we should divide our areas at school…”
How come none of the three members listens to what I’m saying?
If it were another team, the leader would have ditched these nobodies, left with no words to say.
But I can do fine on my own, so I’m not worried at all.
Since I handed out the tasks, can’t they handle their own one serving within the deadline?
“Ah, there’s one! There’s another one! Oh, there’s one more!”
Going around campus collecting flags in places I had seen in the game.
Passing by, Jezel looked at me incredulously.
“How did you manage to gather over twenty flags when most people would celebrate finding two or three? Did you open a flag shop?”
“Hehe. I’m pretty good at hide-and-seek and finding things.”
“Could you share any tips?”
Of course!
“Imagine you were the principal and where you’d hide the flags that would make the students the angriest!”
“Hmm. I’d put one flag in a place visible to everyone and set up dozens of self-repair traps around it to torment students.”
“Oh? Is this what you’re talking about?”
Son Ohchun, with his fur singed black, proudly showed off a flag through the window.
“Son Ohchun, how can we make eye contact through the window when we’re on the second floor?”
“I thought I’d hidden it in a tree, so I was climbing it. I didn’t find the flag but stumbled upon some hidden potions and a wooden board.”
“Ah…”
The wooden board was scratched with phrases like “Please let me down” and “I want to sleep on the ground.”
Somehow, I think I understand.
A poor student with acrophobia might have been hanging from a tree, listening to lectures while trying to sleep.
“But, you little rat, why did you collect flags so stupidly? Did you decide to do five servings on your own?”
“No way! Surely everyone will do one serving each.”
For one serving, they would be expected to gather at least three flags each.
Honestly, I didn’t ask for more than that.
“Oknodie is really scary. They’ve already collected twenty flags.”
“Is that true?”
“Their team said they’re all doing one serving each.”
Meanwhile, within the academy, someone half-eavesdropping began twisting the story all over the place.
Rumors spread rapidly, and suddenly different conclusions were drawn.
“Oknodie won’t forgive any team member who doesn’t gather twenty flags, saying they’re trash who can’t even do one serving!”
“How sad.”
“Is it that serious to be on a team with the top student? It’s better to fail together for peace of mind; they must be really pitiful.”
Hestia, Jigoku, and Lotto’s eyes grew wide at the shocking tale when they returned for dinner.
“Twenty flags?”
“Crazy.”
“Is that even a feasible number…?”
Hearing that others had merely gathered one or two flags gave them solace, assuming they did well for themselves, but they realized there was no time to relax.