NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8
8 – No Way, One-Trick Butler
Yesterday, I must have used up a lot of my strength, as no one showed up easily for arm wrestling today.
“Ugh. How long do I have to wait?”
At least when I’m training, time feels like it’s passing. Standing still and waiting is torture.
“Oh, is it the wealthy young lady’s leisure time?”
“Ah, my opponent… has… come… huh?”
No matter how much I look up, there seems to be no end. As I tilt my head back dangerously far, a giant, furry figure grins at me.
The enormous fur-covered monkey humanoid, towering at least 2m 30cm, speaks.
“Hey, why not have a go with me? No need to wager any money. If you win against me, I’ll give you one gold coin.”
“I-I can’t hear you! Can’t hear!”
Hiding behind my butler, I see the challengers who were pushed back in line yesterday yelling, “Boo~” “Coward.” “Accept the challenge, Strength Girl!”
What’s with these people? What do they expect from a sickly girl who occasionally drops cups and spoons?
My butler made a face that clearly conveyed: “This is a bit much.”
“I’m sorry, but your size difference with the lady is too great.”
“They said that lady could take down opponents despite her small frame.”
“What’s your place in line?”
“Are you wagering any money?”
“If it’s money, we have plenty. Surely a lady accompanied by a butler and maid wouldn’t be short on funds.”
The monkey humanoid seemed disappointed but approached the people at the front of the line.
I wondered what he was up to, and suddenly he started shuffling gold coins between his hands.
The first-ranked challenger, eyes wide, hesitantly pointed at his left hand, but the coin was in the right.
“Lack of training, young friend. Hahaha.”
He slapped someone’s back lightly, causing the person to tumble out of line. It seemed they had placed bets when trying to get a spot, but clearly, they failed miserably.
Seeing the monkey humanoid entering the inn brought an idea to my mind.
“Excuse me. Want to have a bet with me?”
“Strength Girl? Not doing arm wrestling.”
“Not arm wrestling, but a gold coin guessing game. Isn’t it worth it with a 50/50 chance?”
“Hmm…”
“Are you afraid you’ll lose to me?”
The man with a sword at his waist shook his head.
“Blinded by one gold coin, I might lose track of time and fail the test—now that would be laughable.”
Surprisingly, he had some backbone. However, a man who looked clearly over 20, standing behind him, waved his hand.
“I’m just someone here to grab a ticket and sell it. Let’s give it a shot, lady.”
A ticket hunter.
These are the kinds of people who sell tickets to those trying to take the entrance exam, like scalpers. In-game, they’re often utilized by those who can’t afford to take the ticket exams or have abysmally low base stats, but it’s all reliant on luck.
There’s a set probability of getting a counterfeit ticket and being turned away at the entrance during the exam.
“Failed at guessing~”
“Hoho, this is off.”
The swordsman watching us made a tongue click, praising himself for opting out.
“You’ve got strength, but your hands are quick too. If someone jumped in without knowing, they’d be embarrassed for sure.”
“He’s slower compared to that big beast from earlier.”
Just by looking at sheer muscle mass, it was obvious. That dude from earlier was a beast that had to be over strength 40, no matter how you slice it.
It raised questions—was he some kind of beast we’d never seen in the academy? Or was he just perpetually failing the tests?
Thinking back to that brutish figure, it was entirely possible he was oblivious to the age restrictions and came to take the exam anyway.
“Group guests are leaving! We can take five more. Please come in.”
“Finally!”
What was supposed to take a week was completed in just two days.
*
As soon as we entered the indoor area, the warm air and peaceful atmosphere relaxed my body.
“Oh dear, it’s the Strength Girl!”
“Just give me a room.”
“We have two four-person rooms and two single rooms. Which would you prefer?”
“One four-person room.”
I have money, so there’s no reason to save.
I quickly grabbed a table on the first floor and picked up the menu.
“Seems everyone is waiting for the senior examiner.”
“Forget about that, I just want to fill my stomach first.”
“Prioritizing food, as expected of the lady.”
I didn’t flinch at my butler’s teasing. This is all for survival!
I ordered three bowls of the hard-to-find apple-walnut oatmeal.
“Is there a reason you’re sticking to this menu?”
“If I don’t eat it here, I might never get it again.”
In the game, there was only one place selling apple-walnut oatmeal.
For some reason, Jonnas started looking like he’d cook oatmeal for a week if he could just have rice, but that’s a common sight now.
I naturally ignored him.
Collecting food must be done diligently; otherwise, the stat gain is in vain.
However, just eating two bowls doesn’t double the collection effect, so one bowl is mine, and the other two are for Jonnas and Reap.
“You really like food you haven’t tried before, don’t you?”
“I’ve had plenty of experience eating the same food over and over.”
“But that’s a dangerous habit.”
Reap only says the nice stuff, while Jonnas doesn’t hold back with his criticism.
The difference between a maid and a butler shows in moments like this.
“When you eat unfamiliar food, it can be hard to identify what foreign substances are in it right away.”
“That kind of stuff rarely happens, you know?”
What kind of nonsense is being spouted in the academy game?
Anyone would think I’m trying to get into a Ninja Academy or something.
“Well, overall, relying on eating the same food is not very efficient.”
Unlike other foods where you only need to eat one to gain collection effects, you’d need to eat the same food a thousand times.
Titles like Apple Pie Maniac or Strawberry Bingsu Maniac stem from that.
On the other hand, unlike collecting rewards by eating 10 or 20 different items, achieving these maniac titles only requires one to benefit from the title’s effects.
“Didn’t the Bingsu Maniac effect increase ice resistance by 1%? Was that for preventing frostbite?”
I wonder where that would ever come in handy, but all titles end up having some use somewhere.
At the summer festival in the academy, if a bingsu comes out, having that title means you can gulp down a bowl without losing pace.
Though having a sore tooth and a full belly are separate matters.
Unless it’s for some specific purpose, most title acquisition feels like a waste of time.
It would be a hundred times more efficient to just eat a thousand bowls of entirely new food than to eat one thousand bowls of the same.
“No wonder a mechanic was created where players change the food they eat each time.”
Most people aren’t eager to try unfamiliar foods, but players often prefer novelty in their meals.
Although sometimes they suffer from bizarre foods like fluorescent fried chicken or twisted yellow fish, apple-walnut oatmeal isn’t that terrible.
“Mmm, yum yum.”
“That little kid sure looks like she’s enjoying her meal.”
“Hmm. Shall we have a bowl too?”
The lodging guests filling the first floor of the inn merge into the warm aroma of oatmeal, starting to place their breakfast orders.
Thanks to that, the innkeeper gave us three glasses of apple juice as service, claiming sales had gone up.
“Why is the portion so small? Come on, fill it to the brim in this helmet.”
The monkey humanoid at the next table began causing a scene, but since he tipped generously, the innkeeper excitedly took the helmet away.
It may not be the most hygienic, but he’s quite a refreshing character.
“No way.”
“…I didn’t say anything.”
“Absolutely not.”
My butler Jonnas’s guard never seems to lower even today.
This is one unexpected downside of noble play—too little freedom.
Slurp.
Slurp.
As I was sucking the last drop of the sweet apple juice, someone lightly tapped our table with their knuckles.
“Who is this? Aren’t you my travel companions?”
“Bard Uncle!”
What a surprising face!
He didn’t look as strong as the monkey humanoid, but how did he get in the inn already?
“When did you come in?”
“Haha. As soon as I knocked on the inn door yesterday, I came right in. Not as a guest, but as a bard.”
So that’s how.
In the game, who would pick such a garbage job? But now that it’s real, I’m ridiculously envious of the bard.
“No way.”
“Tch. I didn’t even say anything and I keep getting shot down.”
My butler is a bit annoying.
“You three said you came for the ticket exam, right?”
Bard Uncle bowed his head and spoke in a voice low enough not to be heard by other tables.
“From 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., the examiner comes down to the first floor every hour. Make sure to listen carefully during that time.”
“Why would you give us this information?”
“Last time I upset your butler quite a bit, and I thought the young lady must have been shocked as well, so it’s out of guilt and a gesture to show my sincerity.”
My butler’s expression softened a little.
Could this be a chance? Time to change jobs to bard?
When I casually glanced, I got a response so sharp it cut through.
“No way.”
It’s hard to come up with a retort.