episode_0003

Hair flowing down to the waist with a subtle purple hue.

Likewise, violet irises like they hold flowers, a sturdy nose, and long eyelashes on red lips like petals.

Unless one has peculiar tastes, anyone would assert she is a beauty at first sight.

Due to the bodysuit snugly fitting her body, accentuating her chest and hips, one might think it’s vulgar, but what one feels is purely due to her beauty.

Despite exuding an aura that seems welcoming of everything, she wears a soft smile but

“One must not be deceived by appearances.”

The woman’s name is Cineria. Originally, she should be one of the main villains appearing in the latter half of the game.

Unless taking a route that sweeps through the underworld from the beginning, one should not encounter her until the middle part.

Throughout the 8,000 hours I played, such an encounter never happened.

“I must remain calm. Even if I could easily slice through goblins with my ukal, she has never appeared before.”

At this point, Cineria was near Ukal’s starting point, likely here to investigate the repeated forest fires extinguished during the night.

The fire would be visible from afar, especially on nights like this.

“What’s your name?”

“….”

I need to answer, but due to tension, my mouth won’t open.

Perhaps the feelings of Townsperson A facing the Demon King suddenly are similar.

“Hurry and answer. Please respond.”

“You should answer when someone asks, right?”

“…I’m Ukal.”

Struggling to speak, it took too long just to say my name.

Was it not a typical reaction? Her gaze staring intently at me seemed more intense, not just my imagination.

“Hmm~”

Approaching me, she smiled more brightly than before and spoke softly.

“Do you know who I am?”

‘I lost.’

Cold sweat began to pour down like crazy.

“Why is Ukal sweating so much? Is there a reason to be nervous?”

Coming closer, she started stroking my cheek.

‘I have to say anything until I decide to deal with her.’

I can confidently say that at this moment, my brain is working harder than in any moment of my career as Ukal.

“Phew… as expected, to de-”

“A person as pretty as you, I’ve never seen before!”

As her hand reached my waist, she paused.

Looking into my eyes, she hesitated for a moment, then approached with a gentle smile.

“Ukal, do you have a good eye for people?”

Moving closer, she started to stroke my head.

‘I survived…’

“It seems I surprised you. Making you sweat like this.”

“It’s al…right.”

“Oh, look at me. I haven’t even introduced myself. My name is Ria. From now on, feel free to call me Ria noona.”

“….”

“If you’re a good boy, you should answer quickly, right?”

“Ria… noona.”

“Right. Come here. This is a gift from noona~ Will you accept it?”

What she handed me from her pocket was a sleep bomb.

Pulling out the safety pin and throwing it would release sleeping powder within a narrow range in under 5 seconds.

Even if held breath, contact with the skin triggers its effect, making it seem useful, but it’s not that simple.

Seeing Cineria smiling mischievously in front of me, if one can handle a certain level of magic, they could instantly block magic around their body or disperse the powder.

Her giving me this is probably-

‘She’s testing me.’

If I try to use it against Cineria and attempt to escape, I’ll likely face various tortures leading to a bad ending.

Of course, I have no intention of doing that.

“Thank you.”

Carefully, he put it in his pocket and waited for her words.

“Being alone at night is dangerous for a child. They could encounter monsters or even scarier people.”

“……”

“So, will you make a promise with me? Promise that you won’t wander around alone at night or play pranks recklessly.”

“I will do that.”

“You’re good, very good. Be careful on your way back before it gets darker.”

She gently patted my head a little and then waved goodbye as I left.

Intermittently turning back to force a smile and wave at her, I ran at full speed as soon as she was out of sight.

My breath reached my throat, and my vision started to blur, but I didn’t stop until the outskirts of the village.

Upon reaching the village, panting heavily, I checked the scenario window.

[Main Scenario #0-1]

[Arrive safely at the Ardent Academy and pass. You have awakened your unique ability, but it has become a hindrance, holding you back. It may seem desperate, but please look around again to see if you’ve missed anything. There must be something to overcome this. Please be careful and persevere. We support you.]

[Threats]

-Goblin (Eliminated)

-Bandits

-Cineria

[Success: ???]

[Failure: Divine punishment]

[Remaining time: 5 days 23 hours 09 minutes 58 seconds]

“I almost died for real.”

It wasn’t adjusted to extreme difficulty for no reason.

If she had decided, she could have killed me with just a flick of her finger.

It would be more appropriate to see it as purely her mercy or whim that saved my life.

I shouldn’t squander this lucky opportunity, so it’s best to grab the money quickly and leave the village.

Gathering the money was much easier than expected.

The innkeeper was still snoring deeply, and when I searched the bottom of the innkeeper’s wardrobe, I found the money he had extorted from me by skimping on taxes.

I briefly considered taking everything, but thanks to this person, I found a way to deal with the goblins in this trial, so I decided to take only what was fair.

The cost of going to the Ardent Academy was not as high as I thought.

Still, feeling unsatisfied with just leaving, I began to jot down notes to remember.

I should definitely get revenge on Jung-gang, who tricked me on the first day.

-Since I found a solution this time, I’ll just take the unpaid wages from before.-

-In the future, don’t exploit employees’ wages and pay taxes diligently.-

-And about handling the cooking, shouldn’t you shave your beard for hygiene?-

-P.S.: The shopkeeper probably has a debt, so you should pay it off.-

-Yukal-

This note should be enough. I took a quick look around the slightly familiar village during the 401st try and headed swiftly towards the next destination.

In an empty field where only Cineria was present, a man wearing a mask appeared without any warning and knelt down, opening his mouth.

“Should I take care of it?”

“Hmm~ No, forget it. Why would I kill a child just because they think I’m pretty.”

Although there was some hesitation, it seemed better to keep him alive for now.

“The kid named Yukal definitely knows who I am.”

So, no matter how, he must have been observing our reactions and tremblingly responding.

Thinking of the cute way he nervously called me ‘nuna’ with a tense voice made me smile.

The problem was how a child playing pranks in this tiny village managed to figure out my identity.

It seemed more planned and purposeful than a simple prank, but other than that, there was nothing special.

If anything, he had a very fragile body and a somewhat tolerable face.

Even many members of the Information Guild or those in high positions often don’t know my true identity.

How could he recognize me just by hearing my voice?

“Hmm~”

“Even if I think about it more, it probably doesn’t have any meaning.

If you leave it alive, you might find out how it knew. Because there are no eternal secrets in the world.

“Are the 4th and 7th divisions still conducting search operations nearby?”

“Yes.”

“As of now, the 4th and 7th divisions are excluded from the search operation. The 7th division thoroughly investigate all of Yukal’s past actions without missing a single one. The 4th division will be in charge of Yukal.”

“When you say ‘in charge,’ do you mean we should bring him in unharmed?”

“No, no. Just observe. Instead, record everything he does, who he meets, and so on.”

“I will take note.”

The masked figure disappeared as if it had never been there in the first place.

Alone on the square, Syneria soon turned her body to look at where Yukal had left.

“I wonder if this child will make me happy after a long time~”

If it doesn’t make me happy, I might be a little, no, very disappointed.