NOVEL NEXT Chapter 78
<78 - The Troll's Dilemma>
Jigoku pulled a bullet out of his jacket.
“Hey, take this.”
“A bullet?”
“It’s a special bullet I’ve been saving, and I’m giving it to you.”
“?”
“Do whatever you want with it, whether you sell it for points or just carry it around.”
He doesn’t care about his life, so I can’t really dislike him.
I just don’t want a guy like that dying unexpectedly.
If luck doesn’t favor him, he might just kick the bucket.
That’s why she handed over the lucky bullet.
*
Suddenly, I obtained a Favorability item from Jigoku.
What’s this?
Is it because I’m a water-type pirate and swim well?
‘Would Sadako, the Professor, invite me to a lecture about water spirits? Would she like that?’
While I wiped my hands and changed clothes in the locker room, I fidgeted with the bullet and bumped into the Warrior.
As expected from Class 981’s strongest cheater, he must have crossed the river using his skills alone, without player knowledge or tricks, just to break through the obstruction of a magical washing basin.
“Oknodie. That’s right, your name was.”
“Yes.”
“Do you want to be my comrade?”
“Excuse me??”
I received an invitation even weirder than a magic bullet!
“Suddenly? Why?”
“The pirate wouldn’t talk to a child for no reason. He must have seen your talent and suggested you become a pirate comrade, right?”
“Not exactly…”
“Then what did you talk about?”
“He gave me a present. A bullet.”
“…A woman who goes crazy if she doesn’t shoot for a day gave you a bullet? Isn’t that an invitation to be a comrade?”
Uh, is that really the case?
“Well, I plan to board a pirate ship at least once due to an event, but I don’t intend to become a formal pirate comrade.”
“What about joining the Warrior’s party?”
“Me? Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“Why?”
Is it because I’m the top of Group A?
Because I showed exceptional skills in the upper class physical training lecture?
Because my potential is highly regarded at a young age?
“Because of the attribute assignment system.”
“…Huh?”
“Sea. Volcano. Mine. The Warrior’s enemies hide in various environments, and the Warrior’s party travels through diverse battlefields. Oknodie is the number one candidate for a water-type comrade.”
This world’s Ishtar was quite a clever Warrior.
Rather than gathering a party of five warriors or five thieves, she thought thoroughly about distributing positions and abilities.
It’s a surprisingly reasonable idea for Ishtar, who tends to get fixated on some strange concept in every round.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll decline.”
“Why?”
“Because there are people I want to be with.”
“Those people?”
Ishtar pointed to Son Ohchun, who was flailing around in the water, powered solely by his muscles, while Hestia and other students observed the spectacle.
“Yeah. Looks fun, right?”
“Indeed.”
A shadow crossed Ishtar’s face.
A hint of nostalgia and loss.
Her eyes, lost in the past, returned to reality.
“If you change your mind later, let me know. I’ll keep your spot open for at least a year.”
“Sure.”
“And.”
“?”
“The professor said if you’re hungry, he’ll make you protein soup for free.”
“No thanks…”
I can handle protein shakes, but protein soup is crossing the line.
You don’t mess with food!
*
Ishtar recalled.
The kindness of the lords of the territories she had visited on her way to the academy in hopes of gaining comrades.
The arrogance of noble men suggesting betrothal to a child barely four years old or questioning her about marrying someone in their thirties was appalling.
There was no difference when it came to commoners.
Life reversal, class ascension, and windfall.
The greed-blinded people who tried to befriend her only left Ishtar feeling heartbroken.
Among them were her childhood friends from her hometown, which made it even worse.
“I hear you proposed to recruit that child?”
“I’m sorry, Yufi. I should have consulted you first.”
“Hmph. I’m fine as long as I know.”
Chosen by the one true god, Sophemia, like herself, Yufi, chosen by the [Golgotha of Decapitation] among the 12 gods, was the only one among her friends who hoped to become a comrade without any aspirations for personal gain.
Pretending to be upset, Yufi adorably turned her head, but her 30 kg cross was no joke.
‘In any occupation, those without strength will weaken their body and mind. Although not as extreme as Professor Plato, we all need a bit of strength.’
Oknodie hadn’t realized that this round’s Ishtar was focused on strength.
Even though they consider job and attributes, what she emphasized most was ‘strength’—not the essential stats of each occupation.
How could someone withstand the pressure of underwater currents while swimming to the riverbed?
There were rumors that being a half-orc gave him orc-level strength, which made him even more appealing.
“Ishtar.”
Knowing her friend’s criteria for selecting comrades, Yufi said with a sulky face.
“If that’s the case, wouldn’t the big monkey humanoid Son Ohchun be a better candidate? He’s strong and big, right?”
“That’s a problem.”
“Because he hasn’t learned the Mana Refinement Technique?”
“Because he has a fur allergy.”
“Ah…”
So that’s why he freaked out when the cute cat beastfolk girl came to greet him.
One of Yufi’s questions was resolved.
*
Today, I managed to attend the second period safely thanks to finishing the lecture early.
“Hello, Professor Destroyer!”
“Yo.”
The professor looked at me with a somehow uneasy expression.
He looked at me like a programmer confused by a program that wasn’t working.
I felt uneasy just looking at his uneasy and anxious expression.
“What’s wrong?”
“Do you often have lucid dreams?”
“No? I usually don’t dream at all when I sleep well.”
“Then how can you break the nightmare trials so easily?”
“?”
“…Forget it. This is just deflating to say such things while looking at your idiotically cheerful face. Let’s start the second lecture instead.”
How pointless.
Is this professor, who apparently has no friends and goes around showing off every day, just bored?
“Hey, aren’t you thinking something incredibly rude right now?”
“I’m not!”
Destroyer gave me a suspicious look before snorting and leaning back in his chair.
“Last time we talked about [The Unyielding Sheep]. Today, I’ll tell you another story.”
“What kind of story?”
“Today’s story is [The Troll's Dilemma]. It’s a story that will make you forget about walking journeys.”
Thursday, second period: [The Retired Former Hero's Adventure Stories].
Professor Destroyer’s second story began.
*
About 14 years ago.
In the borderlands, during a time when a series of odd requests, including the [Unyielding Sheep], were being fulfilled, they earned their public goods.
The Warrior’s party stopped at a trade center for remote villages connecting border towns and pioneering settlements.
“Hey, you muscle-brained fools! You’re going to break your legs! Why are you saving money? Let’s ride the carriage, you idiots!”
The Destroyer couldn’t hold back his frustration and cursed them out.
Warrior Ni’alatotep and the first comrade, Warrior Alpha.
Sure, it’s understandable for a blessed Warrior, but was Alpha blessed with muscles, too?
Whenever they held a vote on whether to walk or take the wagon, it ended up being 2 to 1 for walking every time.
“Why don’t we evenly decide with a vote since it seems tough for Destroyer?”
“Walk.”
“Ha-ha! I think an adventure is more enjoyable when you walk on your own feet. So, the decision is to walk!”
“Damn.”
Today, the Destroyer, second comrade of Warrior Ni’alatotep, suffered under the tyranny of the majority.
The hand of salvation reached out from the coachman driving their wagon.
“Ho ho. It’s good that young adventurers have a solid economic sense, but isn’t it nice to sometimes listen to a comrade’s grumbling?”
The next destination for the Warrior party, who had upgraded their title to [Savior of the Hinterland] by accumulating several titles of [Savior], was a mining village that would take a month to reach on foot.
It was an impossible distance even for a Destroyer who had been patient thus far.
“Are you offering us a ride?”
“If you can escort the wagon in return.”
The kind-hearted coachman offered them free seats in the wagon.
Three men in shabby equipment covered in dust.
It was rare for a client to hire such a shabby party for an escort mission.
The Destroyer, the thief, had better social skills than his comrades.
So he realized.
The coachman wasn’t really expecting an escort; he was doing a kindness for some unfortunate souls.
“This carriage trip feels good. It’s going to be fun. Hee hee hee.”
“…I’m getting off the carriage.”
“Isn’t something going to happen again? Ugh, I feel like I want to walk now too.”
Whenever Ni’alatotep let out that annoying laugh, something always went wrong.
Even though my desire to walk was strong, I couldn’t fathom the idea of camping out for a month, but I mustered the courage nonetheless.
Well, if any incident occurs, I’ll just solve it as it comes.
“Don’t worry. This path was taken by six mercenaries a few days ago, so whatever happens, they will experience it first. If the mercenaries come back in pieces, we’ll turn back the wagon then.”
The coachman’s words were convincing.
“I, Troll. Tear apart humans.”
“Currently full. I’ll let you have fun.”
“I’ll choose one path. If you pass me at full speed, I’ll let you live.”
Before a mad troll suggested they rush through a messy path with five mercenaries tied up on one side and one on the steep cliffside…