episode_0006

Rohan left the academy dormitory and walked straight ahead.

The warmth accumulated while taking a shower is carried away by the cool night breeze. It is the most refreshing.

‘It’s cool!’

The road was so familiar.

Since I moved based on memory, there was no hesitation in my steps toward my goal.

‘Could that be possible?’

The object that Rohan was looking for was clear as he moved his feet busily.

Abyss City is an open world game with no competition.

It was a lot of fun to wander around the vast map with great graphics, take pictures, and explore.

The reward was doubling the fun.

In the game, there were boxes hidden in every corner of Academy City that provided supplies.

I don’t memorize the locations of all the boxes, but a few representative ones are naturally etched into my memory.

‘But I guess the chances of that happening are slim.’

I know the odds of there being a treasure chest lying on the side of the road are slim.

Because in this world, I am not the only one with free will.

Doesn’t it give us confidence that everyone walking down the street is a living being with their own thoughts?

Even though we are well aware of this, the reason we take the time to dig deep is to be certain that ‘the box does not exist’.

Even if there is no box, it is possible that something like a quest window may show a special reaction.

“···.”

I can’t help it because I’m the type of person who needs to see things like this with my own eyes to feel better.

I’m tired too.

‘If you look at the level of development, it’s a bit more advanced than the previous life? There’s even a guy with a mechanical arm.’

That was the feeling I had on the way here.

The prosperity of Academy City became even more splendid and dazzling at night.

The place we arrived at was Academy City Area 4.

It’s not too far from the dorm I’m staying in, and there’s a large commercial area, so it’s not a bad place for security.

After leaving the dazzling signs and bustling pedestrians, I came out onto a quiet street.

Head towards the dark alley between the streetlights.

According to my memory, the box was next to the vending machine in the alley.

In the game, it was a wicked location where you could stand on the street and look towards the alley, but it was barely visible.

This is the angle you see when you approach the vending machine.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

I head towards the only vending machine with light in the dark alley.

I turned on the smartphone light and looked around.

I immediately clicked my tongue.

‘Tch, there isn’t any.’

All that was on the floor were cigarette butts and discarded drink cans.

─ Meow!

A cat that was startled by the light and ran away.

The quest window is also unresponsive.

“Hmm.”

I put my smartphone away and continued to ponder in front of the vending machine.

If the box existed, I wondered if it would have had more to do with obtaining store points rather than goods.

Unfortunately, it was a wasted effort.

‘If there is no box, then next… There was also an achievement system.’

Considering the chaos ahead, we are in no position to be picky.

You have to try everything that comes to mind.

The reward is most certain in the form of a quest, but waiting for a quest that may or may not come is neither worth it nor does it suit my personality.

‘achievements.’

What happened?

I don’t really care about achievements, so my memory is hazy. I’m the type of person who enjoys leveling up my favorite character’s specs and running around the map.

If you think about it roughly, most of it was related to battles and characters.

There were also a lot of things related to daily life, such as the number of times consumables were used, academy grades, or part-time jobs.

‘Except for things like the number of days of attendance and the number of times you can recruit characters. What’s possible right now is…’

As I concentrate, memories forcibly surface from the depths of my consciousness.

My gaze turned to the vending machine right in front of me.

A flash of light came to my mind as a fishing rod flashed through my head.

“Ah! That!”

There was one thing I wanted to try right here and now.

Hands immediately in right pocket.

The 10 tokens swept from the dormitory desk jingle. About a thousand won in Korean currency.

‘see.’

Cotton candy milk tea? That’s not it. Oak soda, that’s not it either.

Mint cola… It hits the mark, but it’s not this guy either.

That’s the last line of vending machines.

I faced the abyss.

‘Cucumber milk···!’

This is it. The price is just right.

After filling the vending machine with money, I press down on the cucumber milk with my finger.

Thump thump!

A glass bottle that looks like it contains green algae rolls out of a vending machine.

When I took it out, the outside was hot.

“···.”

Although it is a warmth that suits the cool weather, it feels strangely ominous.

‘Warm cucumber milk.’

How horrible it tastes.

Hug! The moment I opened the lid and sniffed, I urgently covered my nose.

“Oh my gosh!”

It’s annoying and awkward. The expression on your face naturally becomes crumpled.

Why does this world have such a drink?

It wasn’t an illusion that my head was spinning just from the smell.

‘Still… I have to try it.’

I don’t want to eat it, but I can’t avoid it now.

Because this is the fastest way.

“Hoo!”

After making up my mind, I gulped down the green-tinged milk.

Three sips like that. My throat is broken.

“Wow─!!!”

Even though I blocked my nose, it didn’t help. The foul smell assaulted my brain.

It made me spit out the milk in my mouth onto the floor.

“Colok! Colok!”

The warm cucumber milk was overpowering.

The worst part was that you could chew on the squishy grains inside.

but.

The hard work was worth it.

[ Do you eat that kind of thing? You have achieved the achievement. ]

[You will receive 10P as an achievement reward.]

‘Ah, that’s it···!’

Proof of achievement. This success is huge.

Because it is the cornerstone that will help shape future plans.

I wiped the cucumber milk flowing from the corner of my mouth and distanced my consciousness from my sense of taste as much as possible.

‘If I just collect 500P before the semester starts…’

While I was forcing myself to continue thinking like that.

A voice that should not have been heard here seeped into my ears.

“Are you okay?”

“!”

I turned my head in surprise.

The sparkling golden gaze is directed right here.

‘···Ichinose Yui!?’

It only shows that precious light for a moment.

Ichinose Yui closed her eyes as usual and approached me with graceful steps.

“Your taste is unique.”

I think I was watching someone drink some weird beverage.

Maybe he noticed it with his keen sense of smell.

I tried my best to suppress my embarrassment at suddenly meeting Ichinose Yui.

I answered with a show of composure.

“I just tried it out of curiosity.”

“Ugh···.”

Ichinose Yui, who I met head-on, was extraordinary. With her petite physique, she dominated the entire alley with her senses.

It feels like you can read the movements, gaze, and even breathing of a girl with her eyes closed.

It was a truly mystical feeling.

‘This is Ichinose Yui’s first unique skill···.’

I thought of the girl I had invested a lot of money in raising.

[Mind’s Eye ─ Lv.1]

◇ If you close your eyes, your physical abilities will increase.

◇ If you close your eyes, your magic efficiency increases.

◇ If you close your eyes, your senses will develop.

Although the condition of having your eyes closed is expressed in the game as having an oddly low base hit rate.

Ichinose’s footwork and gait, which she demonstrated in the placement test today, did not show any such chronic problems.

‘It’s level 2 now? Maybe level 3?’

I don’t know what level Ichinose Yui’s unique skill is currently at.

If her nature is what I know, she has been accustomed to living in the dark ever since she realized her skill.

So, the pose with the pupils hidden looks natural and without any sense of incongruity.

It also looks like a common cross-eyed character.

“99, right?”

“···If it’s the test number, it’s correct.”

When I showed my approval, she wiggled her fingers and thought for a moment.

He asked, hiding the sword behind his back as if to ask.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t hear your name properly in the test. Can you tell me?”

“This is Rohan.”

“Rohan··· I see.”

The sight of her nodding and mumbling my name.

I tried to remain alert to the current situation while feeling joy in talking to her.

Because you always have to be careful with pictures that are beyond your understanding.

“My name is Ichinose Yui.”

“I know.”

Because he was so famous, she also accepted it without saying anything.

“You don’t have to be so cautious. You don’t even have to use the same honorifics as the Orion Academy students.”

“···.”

“In the academy city, we do not do foolish things that consider our own background as power.”

It’s the color of Ichinose Yui that I know. While admiring the words that contain that unique color so strongly, I’m thinking about it.

Because I have no idea why she approached me.

But the harsh and prickly words just wouldn’t come out of my mouth.

The girl tries to act like an adult, believing that she is the successor to Cheon-oe-cheon.

‘Ichinose Yui is soft-hearted.’

I was concerned because I was aware of that part.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

The intimacy that I hold on to alone keeps breaking down the wall of vigilance.

No matter how hard you try, it will collapse before it can be built properly.

I vividly recall information about a person named Ichinose Yui.

He pretended to be indifferent.

“Make yourself comfortable first.”

She stuck out her lips like a duck, as if she was troubled by what I said.

Because it is a word thrown out knowing the habit, the action is read transparently and appears cute.

“I prefer polite language.”

“Well, if that’s true···.”

I nodded my head in agreement with the expected picture.

She took a step closer to me.

“I have a question, can I ask you something?”

“To me?”

“Yes.”

Ichinose nods.

The plastic bag in the girl’s hand rustled, revealing the snack inside.

“···What are you curious about?”

I asked back, careful not to raise the corners of my mouth at the soft picture I had never seen in the game.

Only then did Ichinose Yui bring out the curiosity she had been harboring inside her.

“A tragic feat of cutting a golem to pieces in today’s placement test. The result was great, but the movement itself was impressive.”

“···.”

“It seems like you have been handling the sword for a long time. Do you belong to a specific school?”