I Killed an Academy Player - Chapter 22
[ Marie Dunareff (3)]
According to events, after encountering the [Murder of the Fog City], who reveals his presence in the second half of Act 1, Marie attacks her roommate and goes on a rampage.
In the previous episode, he was able to react quickly because he was waiting under the dormitory where Marie and Isabelle were right after the incident, but Park Si-hoo intentionally missed it.
The members of the previous episode were a 5-person party including Sihoo Park, Yuel the druid, and Cranel, the mercenary Doron and the golem wizard.
Park Si-hoo and I, who have knowledge of hidden pieces and games, were able to prepare thoroughly and attack Marie even without Alisha, who was said to be a strong character in the beginning.
But now?
The entire first-year party is practically incapable of combat.
It’s really sad that I am the cause. Who would have thought that an incident that was thought to happen in three weeks at the earliest would happen so quickly?
It’s urgent. I had to gather the party members as quickly as possible, even if it was only a minute later.
Arisha is having a hard time. Since I crushed my bones with my Bagua hands together, it must be difficult to run.
Cranel, the golem master, also has an important golem’s core broken, so it’s like there’s nothing left until it’s repaired.
The ones that can perform limited activities are the druid Yuel and the mercenary Doron Warskai.
I’ve also thought about Hwaran, but let alone the possibility, I can’t predict how the situation will turn out if Hwaran gets involved.
If the Dutch Golden Gate is released while dealing with Marie, who has awakened as a vampire, a bad ending is guaranteed at that moment.
A huge force that cannot be suppressed only becomes a hindrance.
“hi.”
The end room of the class room. I glanced at Doron, who was training alone, and concentrated on my task.
-Whoosh…! Papapak!
With a single glance, he fiercely cuts down his target with his manipulated swords. When I glance, I can’t see the three magic swords I broke.
“What’s going on? Corin Locke.”
“Um… I never told you my name.”
“I have at least memorized the names of talented guys.”
Was the clash at the Hunting Ground impressive? Doron seems to have recognized my name on his own.
“It’s a request to hire a mercenary.”
“50% down payment. If not, collateral is also available.”
I waited for those words. Give away the Soul Dust obtained from consecrating Duke Sevancia in the library.
“……This?”
“Collateral. Special soul dust. It is 100% pure with no loss of spiritual body due to battle.”
“What do employers want?”
A theory that changes one’s attitude. It’s good because it’s easy to understand.
“We will find one person. The party, including you and me, will subdue that person without killing him.”
“What is the difficulty level?”
“Express.”
“You’re crazy.”
Doron clicks his tongue as if he heard something absurd. But there are no words of refusal.
“It is the iron rule of a mercenary not to get involved in an unwinnable fight.”
“If you’re scared, you can safely just use the fish sword.”
“You do realize that there are only two bags left, right?”
Yes, I know. Because I broke it. The only remaining magic swords are a regular magic sword with no special functions and a heavy iron sword that can only perform limited slashing attacks.
“Just acting as a check and sub-dealer is enough. I don’t expect anything more from a mercenary.”
It’s easy to form a party with Doron Warsky. All you have to do is give me money.
But he is a mercenary. If you try to get more than your money’s worth, you will definitely be penalized. If you want to treat him rationally, you have no choice but to set a line.
“Okay, the reward is 20 gold coins. If you can’t pay…”
“I’ll give it to you by selling it as collateral, so don’t worry.”
“You are a good employer.”
Doron did not ask me any more questions. There is no question as to who the special agent was or where the information was obtained.
The virtue of a mercenary is to just do what you’re told and not worry about the rest.
We decided to meet in front of the hunting ground two hours later and looked for our next target.
* * * *
The locations where you can meet NPCs in the game are usually fixed.
This is to prevent players from getting lost when looking for a specific NPC, but in this realistic world, it has its own reasons.
For example, Yuel, the druid of Avelorn. She spends most of her working hours at the library.
I hate paper! I love nature! There is one reason why the Druid who shouts is confined to a library full of papers.
“You want me to cooperate?”
“I don’t want to do it, but please do it.”
“…Why should I do that?”
The girl with distinctive light green hair asked an obvious question with a pouting expression.
She, who reads the energy of nature, knew that my aura and magic power were poor.
It must have been funny for me, a weak person, to insist on cooperation. This is also a party to take down the special express.
“ogham.”
“!!!”
“It’s your traditional script, right? It must have been put into use after Avelorn was burned down by the monster invasion.”
“You… how?!”
“I heard about the great fire in Avelorn Forest about a year ago, and the druids from that forest came to Merkava Academy.”
When I added that the rest was up to the reasoning, Yuel agreed with an uncomfortable expression.
A primitive tribe that absolutely hated paper because it was made by cutting wood to create a traditional script that was handed down by one person.
The previous druids were killed by monsters that attacked the village, and all the characters left on the murals were lost.
The reason Yuel, a druid from Avelorn Forest, came to Merkava Academy was probably because he thought that the Great Library of Merkava, where all kinds of knowledge rests, might also have information about the Ogham script.
“I’ve read a book about it. I can’t remember the title, but…” He
pats his head and grins.
“It’s all in this head.”
“A clever person…”
Yuel realizes the meaning of my words and frowns.
“ ᚑ (on). I wonder if this will prove it?”
Yuel wrote down in his notebook with a pale complexion as he wrote down the five sword letters along with the words.
You can tell how desperate she is just by looking at the druid clan that loves nature using paper notebooks.
For reference, the title of the book I read is 80 years old and is called 『Explorer Voralmer’s Backcountry Exploration』.
This great library is the only book that remains that was banned by the Catholic Church for introducing pagan culture.
In the game, it is a book that you find while carrying out the affinity event with Yuel, so Yuel will have to go through a lot of trouble to find it on his own.
“More…”
I could feel the desperation on Yuel’s face, as if he needed to find out at least one more letter.
“Don’t be in a hurry. I’ll tell you everything when this is over.”
“You promised… you did.”
“Okay, I don’t ask for much. I’ll do all the dangerous work, so just help me out.”
“…….”
I made an appointment with Yuel and left the library.
The sub dealer and supporter were saved. Now all that’s left is to fill in the appropriate number of people. This is the minimum condition to survive Phase 1.
“Say it again.”
“Uh… I guess I heard wrong.”
Two members of the weight training room. Recently, the owls that have been flirting with Cranel Luden have looked fed up in front of me.
Third Class Knight Jaeger Hinzpeter.
Level 5 wizard Lark Bergman.
The connection from the previous episode. Extras who appear as fragmentary villains in the scenario.
“I’m saving the party. It’s difficult, the pay is low, it’s very dangerous, and you might die against powerful special demons. If you succeed, you can gain glory and honor.”
“………….”
“…………..”
The messy-haired boy with glasses and the typical delinquent-style boy with square-shaped hair crossed their gazes.
Highly efficient.
I’m using a calculator to figure out what I can do to benefit myself, considering odds and efficiency.
Real man special.
“That’s a fucking stupid idea…”
“Let’s do it now.”
I don’t care about things like that.
This is why mankind was able to conquer Antarctica.
* * * *
The promised time was already setting and the students were nowhere to be seen, and the forest was an abyss that was difficult to measure even an inch ahead.
“You’re really in this forest?”
“Marie-senpai?”
Each Jaeger Lark Doron Yuel came out armed.
“Employer. I know the goal, but how are we going to find it?”
It would take several years for five people to search through this forest. I didn’t bother to say such an obvious thing.
“You don’t have to look for it. Just ask, right?”
“…How much do you know?”
This is my second time mixing words. The druid, who looked like he had no idea about me, placed his antique wooden staff on the floor and closed his eyes.
“Spirits.”
In the world, druids are described as wielding the power of the forest, but to them, this is not a type of magic that consumes magical power.
Guardians of the forest who were born and raised in nature and live a life in harmony with nature. Their sincerity moves the forest with just one word of request.
A forest shaking at night. Judging by the cheering reactions of Lark and Jaeger, it seems that many spirits are responding favorably to Yuel.
“Yes, please. Please find her. Please lead us to her.”
Although it was not implemented in the game, I fully enjoyed its performance in the previous episode.
Most forest spirits are low-level spirits. Although it is not helpful in battle, its overwhelming quantity is a performance that can be said to be ‘absolute’ when it comes to exploration.
Druids are almost all-purpose beings, limited to the forest terrain. This is why Yuel joined as a supporter.
Because in the forest, no one can avoid the druid’s search.
“I found her. She is deep in the forest… in a place where monsters live.”
It’s a place where monsters live… I have a vague idea why. But you instinctively know that that is not enough.
I believe. The evidence was sufficient, and that was why he put his head in a place where his life was in danger.
-Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!
A cool howl echoing through the forest. The monsters living in the hunting ground were stirring day and night.
“…….”
“Hey, this….”
Jaeger seemed to have noticed as well and uncharacteristically looked at his surroundings. As if asking if my guess was correct.
“…The spirits are afraid.”
“I don’t think it’s any different from a monster.”
“Doron, have you ever seen a case like this?”
“A few times. There is only one case where wild beasts become frightened.”
-The emergence of the top predator.
An invasion by a being so powerful that even the monsters at the top of the forest’s ecological pyramid cried out in fear.
You must be afraid. It will be scary. It is not simply a matter of helplessness or fear of the powerful.
The demonic energy emitted by non-standard demons classified as special was in a similar category to the ‘peer’ of dragon species.
-Jump, jump, jump!
-Jump, jump, jump!
As it gets closer, the screaming becomes quieter. Organizing the ecological order from fear to helplessness and from helplessness to obedience.
We looked into the forest where now the only sound was the sound of stepping on leaves.
-Gruk! Grumble!
An empty space where dozens of monsters gathered. There is a girl who doesn’t fit in at all.
Her light-colored hair, which she usually combs neatly, is stained with fresh blood, and her eternal smile is full of hardened blood crusts.
-Cruck, croak…!
Owl Bear couldn’t even resist being bitten on the back of the neck by a small girl who was less than half his size.
One-sided blood transfusion continues through the passage created by the canine teeth that penetrate the thick neck and skin.
Even though they knew that they would suck blood until they died, the monsters around them did not dare to resist even when they cut down Owl.
Animals whose bestial nature is suppressed by the evil spirit of the special class cannot even be used as food for a meal.
Lark took a step back at the sight that was beyond imagination.
“Hi…”
“Krrr…!”
I jumped at the sound of Lark’s voice that was inadvertently spilled! The vampire turns his head.
The brilliantly shining golden eyes had transformed into strangely slit pupils.
vampire.
King of monsters.
One of the strongest demons.
“Battle stance. To the rear of Yuel Rak. Doron Jaeger one step behind, only assistant. I will take charge of the advance line.”
“…….”
I can feel the magic power fluctuating behind me. Perhaps the spirit and Lark’s ghost knight will be summoned.
It has nothing to do with me being unable to recognize spirits due to the restraint of the second precept. The important thing is──
「Third Commandment
Marie Dunareff: Relevance C
Backup: Status increase by 50%」
Auror – { Low (1480 +740) }
Magic Power – { Lowest (920 +460) }
Strength: 26 +13
Dexterity: 26 +13
Stamina: 26 +13
Aura: 26 +13
Magic: 26 +13
[Regeneration of a persistent warrior]
If HP falls below a certain level during combat, HP recovery increases significantly.
+Resilience increases by 50%
『I save the world.』
– Take a step toward saving the world by killing or saving Marie Dunareff.
[It conflicts with the first commandment, ‘I do not watch the misfortune of good people.’]
[Save Marie Dunareff. Hero Corin Locke. Good luck.]
Marie’s fate. The impact she will have on this world.
This is probably a backup figure that takes into account the ‘impact on the world’ that will occur in the future rather than the incident of this first act.
If you add 50% additional damage to physical beings, my physical strength at this moment is at the level of a second-class knight’s pull-up.
“Kuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu—!!”
“Queeeeeeeeeek──!!”
Monsters running towards me screaming. From Owl Bear to Matt Boer Hornrat, the beast nature that had been suppressed by Marie’s ears burst out towards us.
“Yes, a beast is a beast. It’s easy to tell who is weaker.”
We are, at best, second-class bastards with the special magic beast behind our backs. There is no need to choose who to antagonize.
The first phase of the vampire Marie Dunareff boss battle is a skirmish with the demon spirits possessed by Marie. You must win this skirmish and go through to Phase 2.
[Main Quest: Marie Dunareff]
※ Difficulty: S
The power level is half that of the previous episode. Still──
“Battle begins.”
Attack.
I am a raider.
Bring victory at any moment.