Chapter 84: It Can't Be Helped "Yo, where'd you kick the bucket?"
"So you finally died~ Just you wait, I'm gonna kill you again myself."
When I arrived at the waiting area—the place you're sent after dying in the match—the people already occupying the space put their arms around my shoulders, acting all friendly.
Well, they said they'd kill me, so maybe "friendly" isn't the right word.
However, after all the havoc I'd wreaked and the teasing I'd done during the tournament, they seemed more used to my behavior than actually angry.
It was like the way friends curse at each other and play mean pranks…
It is a prank, right? Put the knife away.
I faced the people who were smiling brightly while swapping their sticks for weapons, waiting for the respawn timer to run out.
One by one, the people who had arrived before me vanished, and soon it was my turn to return to the match.
I was the only one who had died in the snow mountains.
An elite mage capable of reaching Yggdrasil wouldn't normally die in an avalanche. I had intentionally broken my mana barrier and let myself be crushed by the snow just to return to the starting area.
Since it was an illusion space, the pain was significantly reduced, but I still never want to do it again.
Dying in one shot to Angelica's magic during the entrance ceremony test was better; dying slowly was an experience I never want to repeat.
Returning to the initial forest area, I could still see flames soaring into the sky.
Once a fire catches in a dense forest, it's not easy to put out—especially when there's no one around to actually fight it.
I wandered through the charred remains of the forest, rummaging through the piles of ash until I found an animal carcass.
Time to make use of that "protagonist luck" myself.
In the original story, this was a material Akito—who was on the losing team at the time—found by pure chance.
It's a material whose effects only manifest after being scorched by fire.
Akito accidentally burns an animal hide, "coincidentally" discovers its effects, and "somehow" leads his losing team to a come-from-behind victory… It's a classic plot device relying on luck. No, it's just forced protagonist worship.
It's an annoying, contrived plot, but since I can benefit from it too, I'm quite grateful for these old-school sentimental stories at times like this.
The effects obtainable from this hide can actually be found elsewhere.
Yggdrasil isn't some bottom-tier school like it might seem in the game, and the teachers organizing the match are all highly intelligent. They scattered several materials with overlapping effects across different maps; you just have to work hard to find them.
So, this was simply a narrative device for the story where the protagonist's team is struggling because they can't find this specific effect, only for the protagonist to stumble upon it and win.
I peeled the hide and brushed off the ash, activating the Eye of Yullat.
As expected, the research team is all clustered in the starting area.
It can't be helped.
The research team is frantically busy, as they have to experiment on hundreds of materials brought in by teammates to uncover their properties.
"Yo~ hard at work, I see."
"You crazy bastard, why do you love fire so much?"
Four first-years from the Red Team participated in this match: Shizuka, Angelica, me, and God Sayoshi.
Seriously, is there anything you can't do besides fighting?
Even Takeo couldn't make it into the match, but you, Masayoshi… what a man.
Even though you're part of the same Gag Brothers, the gap between you and Rio—who can't even pull his own weight—is just too wide.
Masayoshi, who was part of the research team, grumbled the moment he saw me, but he seemed glad to see me. Even if the other research team seniors were giving me the cold shoulder.
"It's not that I particularly like fire. What else is there to do in a forest?"
"Plenty. Gathering materials, researching…"
"Right, right. That's why I gathered something."
I tossed the charred hide to Masayoshi.
"What's this?"
"A Pellet? It's an animal with a name like that. You know, the one that looks like a squirrel."
"A Pellet. It's technically classified as a monster, but it has low aggression and strength similar to a rodent, so you can even see them inside the barriers. But why this? We already experimented on these."
"Did you uncover the third effect?"
"No, not yet."
"Try experimenting with that one."
At my words, Masayoshi looked at the charred hide suspiciously, turning it over before asking, "Is it a special specimen?"
"Dunno. All I saw was a corpse burned to death."
"… …"
If it had been anyone else, he would have called it a waste of time, but perhaps because of the trust we'd built up, Masayoshi just looked at me without saying a word.
"A reaction came up."
"Really?"
Masayoshi's skeptical eyes widened.
To be honest, I don't know the first thing about the experiment or the reaction. I can't exactly tell him I saw it in a game, though. It hasn't even come up in the first-year alchemy classes, so how would I know?
Masayoshi immediately rushed over, cleared away the materials he had been testing, and checked the hide.
Seeing the reaction, the research team members started buzzing about how the contact with fire caused a certain effect or some kind of mutation, but there was no need for me to listen to things I wouldn't understand anyway.
I found them an effect, so I've earned my keep. If we lose, it's all your fault.
Time to go cause more chaos.
I turned my back on the excited research team and left.
*
While everyone was being jerked around by Yeon-woo, Clyde sat quietly, staring at the map.
Black Dragon had also sent everyone out to gather materials like the other teams, but it wasn't just for the sake of gathering.
After staring for a long time at the map, which was being completed bit by bit with information gathered by his scattered teammates, Clyde stood up as if he had made a decision.
"Let's begin."
"Where first?"
At his teammate's question, Clyde smirked as if the answer was obvious.
"Red, of course. Even with Seo Yeon-woo missing, they're gathering materials at a considerable pace."
Whether it was the team's characteristic or not, the composition of each team was different. Black Dragon had gathered specialists in every field—attack, gathering, research—but the Red Team, with a few exceptions, was mostly composed of people with good overall stats.
Thanks to that, in a situation where everyone had to go out and gather, the Red Team had the advantage.
The situation was so favorable for the Red Team that Clyde had initially suspected Yeon-woo's rampage was a pre-planned move with Scarlet.
Starting with the team leader, Scarlet, they were versatile, and even those assigned to the attack team were individuals who could play a decent role in gathering or research.
"And that is why they are weak."
Because their average stats were good, they could respond flexibly to various situations, but in specific circumstances, it was more advantageous to have people skilled in those particular fields.
The only people to watch out for on the Red Team were Scarlet, Shizuka, and Seo Yeon-woo, but since Yeon-woo had deserted his team, they lacked the power to block an attack.
"Let's move our base here entirely and experiment on the materials. Inform the research team."
The place Clyde pointed to on the map was the location that provided the "Answer."
Each team could find out the effect of a material exactly once. Because there were so many materials scattered across the map, it became difficult to find the exact matching effect when only one or two remained. It was a device to prevent the match from dragging on and to force the teams to compete.
Since most teams used it at the very end, heading to this location meant victory was within reach. As the match entered its final stages, each team would inevitably station at least one person there to keep the other teams in check.
Clyde had predicted how the match would flow from the moment Yeon-woo set the forest on fire.
In the first place, if it came down to a gathering battle, Black Dragon had no chance of winning. He trusted his gathering team, but the opponents were also Yggdrasil students, and they couldn't overcome the numbers.
Since their original plan focused on offense, Black Dragon would definitely lose if they were dragged along by the situation Yeon-woo created.
Therefore, Clyde played his winning move: attacking the other teams.
"Clyde, a guest is here."
"A guest?"
Clyde turned his head to see a girl with blue hair and a mischievous expression.
Park Yu-jeong.
She was a talent Clyde had tried to recruit for Black Dragon, but he had missed out because she had already joined Blue Lagoon.
"Hello, Clyde-sunbae."
"Did you come to spy?"
"Aww~ don't be so cold between us. I came to see if we could form an alliance."
"An alliance?"
As Clyde looked at her with suspicious eyes, Park Yu-jeong gave a bright smile.
"You're going to target the Red Team, right? Let me in on it."
"What makes you think I'm targeting Red?"
"Do I really have to explain it all here? It's boring. Yeon-woo set the stage to be disadvantageous for you, so you must have come up with a countermeasure."
Park Yu-jeong smiled leisurely, as if she knew exactly what he was up to. It was a vibrant smile that made people feel good, but Clyde felt a chilling energy hidden behind it.
"Willas wouldn't have allowed this."
"Yeah, Willas-sunbae and Akito like Yeon-woo too much. That's why only five of us, including me, came. We're a group that has nothing to do with Blue Lagoon's official stance."
Park Yu-jeong pointed to the four people behind her and smirked.
"With this many people, it'll be easy to discard us when you're done, right?"
"You view me as quite a petty man."
"Well, I just think we're cut from the same cloth."
Who would confidently say it would be easy to deal with them after they'd finished sabotaging the Red Team? Unless she intended to give up the match and commit suicide, it was a display of confidence that she was already prepared.
After locking eyes with Park Yu-jeong for a long moment, Clyde let out a short laugh and extended his hand.
"I welcome you, hunting dog."
"The kind of hunting dog that's good for a stew after the hunt is over?"
The two shook hands while exchanging chilling jokes. Then, they moved to the location Clyde had designated.
"Black Dragon will be there. They'll probably attack right when we're targeting the Seika."
Scarlet spoke as she led the entire Red Team. Just as Yeon-woo had set the stage and Clyde had quickly changed his plans, Scarlet, having been chosen as team leader, also possessed an extraordinary mind.
Having noticed the disappearance of the Black Dragon members who had been scattered across the maps, Scarlet realized Clyde's plan and warned her teammates.
"Be careful. Black Dragon is no pushover."
Among the Red Team members who had victory in their sights, no one was unaware of that fact. This was always the most dangerous moment, when the most battles occurred.
The method to get the "Answer" was simple.
You had to go to the designated location on the map and defeat a low-aggression monster called a Seika; it would then reveal the material with the desired effect.
While the Seika wasn't strong, it wasn't a monster that could be taken down in a single hit either, so the tactic of waiting for another team to fight it and then swooping in for the kill appeared in every tournament.
"Thanks to Yeon-woo finding the third effect, we're able to hunt the Seika quite early, but Black Dragon will definitely be there."
"Yeon-woo really is such a tsundere. It would have been nice if he'd stayed with us."
Chieri expressed her regret, and the other teammates nodded in agreement.
They knew they had gained the upper hand because Yeon-woo set the forest on fire, and he had even somehow obtained the necessary effect they were looking for.
This alone was a huge help, and the people were under the illusion that even though Yeon-woo grumbled, he loved and cherished the Red Team. In fact, his "tough on the outside, soft on the inside" act was apparently charming, as the Red Team girls would chatter excitedly about how cute he was whenever his name came up.
"Research team, only Masayoshi follows us; the rest of you wait halfway. You remember the signals?"
"Yeah, I've memorized them all."
"If something goes wrong with us, Sunbae and Yen are our last hope. I'm sorry for dumping so much responsibility on you at the end."
At Scarlet's apology, Alex shook his head.
"You've led us well so far. I might not be much help, but I'm glad I can share the burden."
"Yeah, Scarlet. Trust me and Sunbae."
Yen from the research team also nodded with a bright face.
Looking at their faces, Scarlet thought she was lucky to have such good teammates and picked up her pace.
Alex and Yen headed elsewhere, leaving a message to see each other alive soon. As Scarlet neared the Seika, she scouted the area and approached cautiously.
She couldn't sense anyone hiding, but they were definitely there.
Excluding those out on patrol, they prepared their defense by building walls with magic as planned. It was partly to trap the Seika, but more importantly, to block external attacks.
Floating leisurely in the middle of a small lake, the Seika had a quite beautiful appearance for a monster. It looked like a cute drawing of a dragon, and its surface—which should have been called scales—was so smooth it made one curious about its texture.
"Begin."
The Seika floated idly on the water, watching the people building walls around the lake. Once the defensive preparations were complete, only Shizuka dashed toward the Seika.
Running across the water, Shizuka drew her blade and delivered a strike.
Splash—!
The force of the blow sent a massive spray of water into the air. The cute appearance of the Seika transformed into something grotesque, and with its face horribly distorted, it lunged at Shizuka.
While she dealt with the Seika, the Red Team stood guard outside the walls.
'Something's wrong…'
They had searched everything within a 500-meter radius. Even if the enemy was watching from afar, their movements should have been noticeable by now, or they should have attacked.
Just as Scarlet sensed something was amiss and was about to give an order—
Boom—!
A massive explosion sounded from behind her, and Shizuka was sent flying back against the wall.
"Shizuka, are you okay?!"
"Yes, I'm sorry. I let my guard down."
Shizuka apologized, but it wasn't a matter of letting her guard down.
Black Dragon members began emerging one by one from beneath the lake, attacking the Red Team, who had only been guarding the exterior.
From beneath the lake.
It was a painful oversight by Scarlet—the classic "darkness right under the lamp." Their caution not to provoke the Seika had turned into a poison.
However, the situation had already unfolded. As almost the entire Black Dragon team launched a simultaneous surprise attack, the Red Team members began to fall one by one.
"Everyone, target the Seika!"
"Sorry, but I expected that too."
Clyde, who was facing Scarlet, smirked.
Then, Park Yu-jeong surged up from the water and sliced the Seika's throat.
"Blue Lagoon?!"
"For your information, she already killed the Seika once. And so did we."
The Seika was set to respawn after a certain amount of time. It was a rule established because if it didn't respawn, everyone would obviously just rush to kill it at the start.
There was also a tactic of using this to get the answer early and then continuously killing the Seika to sabotage other teams.
At Clyde's words, which signaled that he had no intention of letting them have the Seika, Scarlet bit her lip, swapped her sword for a stick, and fired a signal into the sky.
Doing so while facing a skilled opponent like Clyde might have helped her team, but it wasn't a good move for her personally.
Seizing the opportunity, Clyde delivered a blow that sent Scarlet reeling back, her mana barrier nearly depleted. Then, roots erupting from beneath her feet ensnared her.
If you die, you respawn after a waiting period, but if you're knocked out or captured, there is no respawn. This was exactly what Clyde had aimed for, and with the plan successful, most of the team was being captured on the spot.
"Tighten the defense! Follow Shizuka!"
Shizuka and a few others remained, fighting desperately, but they too would soon be captured.
Crash—!
Just then, someone flew in from afar and slammed into the ground with a massive cloud of dust.
"Cough, cough— Ah, damn it, I should've asked Frey to teach me more attack magic. What's the point of having a finishing move if I can't use it because too many people are watching?"
Yeon-woo grumbled as he emerged from the dust, only to stop in his tracks when he saw the carnage that had befallen the Red Team.
The Blue Lagoon members he had been fighting also joined the fray. Yeon-woo looked around as if assessing the situation for a moment, then saw Chieri tied up by tree roots, unconscious.
"Kisama!!! What do you think you're doing to my Goddess!"
To those who didn't know the meaning of Kisama, it just sounded like Yeon-woo was screaming gibberish.
Yeon-woo rushed toward Chieri recklessly, only to be hit by an attack from a Black Dragon member and land near Shizuka.
Yeon-woo, lying spread-eagled on the ground, locked eyes with the standing Shizuka.
"Having a hard time?"
"This is the result you created. Are you satisfied?"
"Of course I'm not satisfied."
Yeon-woo jumped up and brushed the dust off his head.
"It can't be helped. A temporary alliance, just for this once!"
"… …"
"…If you don't react, I'm the one who looks pathetic."
"I still haven't forgiven you."
Rejoicing at Shizuka's satisfyingly cliché response, Yeon-woo struck a pose and pulled out his Etiquette Infuser.
"Let's set aside the grudges for a moment. Follow me."
"Why should I follow you? You follow me."
"No, in this situation, I'm the protagonist."
"Why are you the protagonist? You're the one who caused this disaster."
"That's why—"
As the two bickered, a Black Dragon member lunged at them.
Simultaneously, Yeon-woo's counter magic and Shizuka's blade moved.
Clang—! Slice—
The Black Dragon member hit by the Etiquette Infuser spun through the air like a hamster on a wheel, and Shizuka's sword passed through, cutting him in half.
Leaving the bisected corpse behind him, Yeon-woo stood beside Shizuka, rested the Etiquette Infuser on his shoulder, and glared at Clyde.
"Sunbae, get ready to die."
At Yeon-woo's arrogant words, the corners of Clyde's mouth curled up. Masayoshi, who had barely survived, pushed up his half-broken glasses and chuckled.
"My, my. It seems a rather dangerous duo has been born."
The remaining Red Team members, still holding on, looked at Masayoshi with a single thought in their minds.
'What is this otaku talking about?'
Unaware that his image was plummeting while Yeon-woo's was skyrocketing, Masayoshi simply found the backs of the two people before him to be incredibly reliable.
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