Ch.23023 – Formation of the Eternal Pirates 2

# 023 – Formation of Yeongwon’s Pirates # 2

“Thirteen steps northeast.”

“Five steps east.”

“One step east.”

.

.

.

“This is fascinating.”

I approached the front door of my house, located in the northeast direction.

When I opened the door, something like a capsule the size of an ostrich egg was placed outside.

Clatter.

It wasn’t that heavy.

About 2kg.

“Wow, it really is a capsule. I was dying of curiosity about this. Seriously. I was so curious about what this could be that I kept my mental fortitude even while meeting ghosts morning and evening. For real. I’m so curious.”

The capsule had a crack in the middle, designed to be twisted open.

Creak-

As I twisted the capsule, something like a square glass bottle appeared inside.

Looking at the crude finish, it reminded me of a cheap prize from a claw machine.

“What is this?”

“Perfume? This looks like perfume.”

Yang Juhui pretended to know. Perhaps because she frequently wore makeup, she seemed knowledgeable about perfumes and cosmetics.

Now that she mentioned it, it did look like perfume.

While I was examining the perfume bottle, text appeared.

“Subtle Perfume: A perfume said to be made from water that fairies splashed in. Greatly reduces the probability of being discovered by ghosts and Watchers. When used, it lasts for 100 hours. 2/2 uses.”

Reduces the probability of being discovered by ghosts and Watchers?

That clearly meant the chance of encountering ghosts would decrease!

If I’ve been tormented by ghosts morning and evening, using this means my daily life could somewhat return to normal!

“Yes, this is it! This! It says this reduces the chance of meeting ghosts!”

After a long time of humiliation and oppression.

I was sick of it.

Now it’s time to return to being Ha Yeongwon, an ordinary high school student!

Spritz-

I pressed the round switch and sprayed the perfume on my body.

True to its name “Subtle Perfume,” a subtle floral scent wafted around. But I couldn’t tell if it was just my imagination, but this smell wasn’t unfamiliar.

“Have any of you smelled this before?”

Thinking it might be my misconception, I asked Yang Juhui and Jeongseok.

Jeongseok shook his head, and Yang Juhui buried her nose in my shoulder, sniffed, and then shrugged.

“I don’t know.”

“That’s strange. It feels like I’ve smelled it somewhere before.”

“Yeongwon, where would a loner like you have smelled perfume? Did your ex-girlfriend wear perfume or something? You know, Yu Dahui.”

Yang Juhui brought up Yu Dahui again.

Jeongseok also showed interest, apparently familiar with the name of the literary girl Yu Dahui.

“Yu Dahui from Class A? Yeongwon and Yu Dahui dated? Really? This is the first I’m hearing of it.”

Jeongseok didn’t seem to believe that I had dated Yu Dahui.

Of course he’d be hearing it for the first time. It was natural since no such thing had happened.

It seemed best to clarify before the misunderstanding deepened.

“Yu Dahui is not my ex-girlfriend. I’ve barely even talked to her. Today might have been the first time we’ve had a conversation? Still, I would have been in trouble without her.”

The “Feng Shui” book recommended by Yu Dahui played a crucial role in driving away the “Feng Shui Ghost.” If we hadn’t had the book, Jeongseok and I would have struggled more.

Rustle-

I took out the book with the post-it note labeled “Yu Dahui” from my bag.

Sniff sniff-

Just to be sure, I smelled it, but it had a slightly different scent from the “Subtle Perfume.”

“…I don’t like that Yu Dahui girl.”

Yang Juhui muttered quietly.

Then she stuffed all the remaining chicken pieces into her mouth and quickly went into my mom’s room.

“I’m going to sleep!”

Click-

I heard the sound of the door locking.

With Yang Juhui gone, the living room atmosphere suddenly became awkward.

Jeongseok asked.

“Did something happen between Yang Juhui and Yu Dahui?”

“I don’t know either.”

# # #

The newly opened “Training Ground” allowed up to three people to train simultaneously.

This was information I discovered through direct experimentation.

“Jeongseok – Training List!”

“Reading Books 0/1000 books”

“Writing Book Reports 0/100”

“Reward: ‘Speed Reading'”

“‘Speed Reading’: Allows you to read text 1.5 times faster.”

“If I can read 1.5 times faster, I can use my study time more efficiently. If this is real, it’s exactly the talent I needed.”

Jeongseok seemed very pleased that he could acquire the ‘Speed Reading’ trait as a training reward. He had mentioned wanting to become a prosecutor.

To become a prosecutor, you need to study a lot and read a ton of books, so the ‘Speed Reading’ trait would definitely be helpful.

“It seems like the Training Ground’s trait training differs in categories and results for each person. How about you, Yeongwon? Can you also train in the Training Ground?”

“Yes, but…”

“Yeongwon – Training List!”

“Reach Level 3 2/3 Lv”

“Achieve 5 Level 5 Players 0/5”

“Reward: ‘???'”

“‘???’: ???”

“Mine looks like this.”

“This gets more and more bizarre. Yeongwon, you said you don’t know why you got these abilities, right?”

“That’s right.”

Jeongseok stared at the status window note I had written for a while.

Then, as if he had reached some conclusion, he said:

“You called our group a pirate crew earlier. In a way, that might not be wrong. You could be like the mafia in a mafia game or an impostor.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You said the shop had this written, right? ‘We sell various items that will help in battles against heroes.’ Isn’t a hero usually the good guy in games and comics?”

Now that he mentioned it…

I hadn’t paid attention because I was dealing with so many things, but Jeongseok, from a third-party perspective, sharply pointed out aspects I had overlooked.

“In other words, you might have to battle these so-called heroes someday. And when your level increased, this message appeared, right?”

“The probability of ghosts and Watchers tracking your existence increases.”

“That’s right. The ‘Subtle Perfume’ we just acquired also says it reduces the probability of being discovered by ghosts and Watchers.”

“Honestly, it’s been bothering me. Let’s say the ghosts are what we experienced together. But what about these Watchers? I think there might be more to worry about than just ghosts…”

More to worry about than just ghosts?

What could this mean?

When I frowned, Jeongseok kindly added an explanation.

“I think these Watchers might be human. There’s no guarantee that you’re the only one with these strange abilities, Yeongwon. I think ‘Watchers’ might refer to heroes or their allies. Of course, this is just my speculation.”

Jeongseok created room to back out by saying it was just his speculation, but his deduction seemed very excellent and accurate.

Even I, the person directly involved, hadn’t made such a sharp guess.

“So according to you, I should also be careful of people?”

“Yes. I was too excited earlier to mention this, but for example, if Yang Juhui, who had no interest in track and field, suddenly acquired ‘Fast Legs’ and broke Olympic records overnight, what would happen?”

“…She would get a lot of attention, I guess.”

“Exactly. That would make it easier for those Watchers or heroes to approach. So what I’m trying to say is… we shouldn’t stand out too much. Do you understand so far?”

Jeongseok’s explanation contained a lot of information, so I felt the need to organize it.

Still, I could understand what he was trying to say.

It meant that ghosts weren’t the only thing I needed to be careful about.

“So… what do you think I should do?”

“For now, let’s think of it like the mafia in a mafia game. I, who have joined your crew, would be like a mafia associate, an assassin or spy. I also have special abilities to help you.”

I thought my choice to recruit Deputy Class President Jeongseok as an ally was absolutely correct.

Honestly, I had felt that the points spent to put him in the Training Ground were somewhat wasteful. But now it seemed like a perfectly reasonable investment!

“Jeongseok, but what are mafia associates like assassins or spies? Are there other roles in mafia games besides mafia and citizens?”

“Haven’t you played mafia games or games like Among Us? Spies or assassins are mafia associates who can help the mafia with their unique abilities or skills. They also carry out special missions.”

There really are all sorts of things.

It seems Jeongseok doesn’t just study; he plays a lot of games too.

“Hey Jeongseok, do you play League of Legends too?”

“I do.”

“Oh. What’s your tier and position?”

“Platinum. Jungle.”

“Oh, shit. For real? I’m Platinum top. Our meeting must have been destiny. Want to duo queue sometime?”

The time was 11 PM.

I turned on the computer and started the game.

“My Nasus stacks reached 600, right? At this point, every time I use Q, the enemy’s monitor breaks too, right?”

“Hey! Stop chasing kills and hit the nexus! Hit the nexus!”

Staying up late playing games with a friend-

It was incredibly fun.

It really felt like I had returned to being a normal high school student.

Ghosts and the mysterious Watchers and heroes felt like a dream from a single night.

Maybe it was all a lie-

As I was thinking this, midnight arrived.

Tick-

I heard the sound of a clock hand moving in my head.

It meant that with the midnight arrival, the “Broken Clock” trait had given me 1 point.

Now I have “362P.”

Rustle-

I turned off the computer and got ready for bed.

I had to go to school tomorrow since it was a weekday.

“There’s something I couldn’t tell you about today because we ran out of time. There’s something called the ‘Nightmare Corridor.’ I’ll tell you all about it when Yang Juhui is here too. In a way, this is also crucial.”

“You still have more to tell? You’ve been through quite a lot.”

My room was small.

I had to share a blanket with Jeongseok.

Honestly, it was a bit uncomfortable.

As I was tossing and turning, trying to find the right position:

“Hey. What are you going to do about guys like Kim Geonho and Park Inbae? They’re the ones who bullied you. Honestly, it seems like it would be nothing for you to take them down. If it were me, I’d get revenge first.”

“Kim Geonho? I think it’s best to leave them alone for now. You said it yourself. Standing out could be dangerous. So at school, I should live as inconspicuously as possible. Like a shadow power.”

“Shadow power… I think there might be a better term for that.”

That was the end of our conversation.

The atmosphere grew quiet.

Just as I was about to fall asleep:

“Hey. I’m sorry. For pretending not to see.”

“It’s fine. I never asked for help in the first place. But from now on, if I ask for help, you have to help me no matter what. Got it?”

After that, I don’t remember anything.

Swoosh-

When I came to my senses in the morning to the sound of water, Yang Juhui was washing up in the bathroom.

Maybe because her hair is long, washing it seems like a chore.

“What are you looking at?”

“Looking at Yang Juhui.”

“Right. Now close the door.”

Yesterday’s events weren’t a dream.

I really have gained allies!

With a happy heart, I finished washing up and getting ready for school, then headed out the front door together.

“Everyone get in. I’ve held the elevator for you.”

Jeongseok, who had gone out to the hallway first, had pressed the “down button” on the elevator and was waiting for us.

Ah, this is the true taste of having allies.

This is party play!

As I was admiring this, Yang Juhui frowned.

“Hey, Yeongwon. Did your villa always have an elevator? Why didn’t I know? Didn’t it not have an elevator? I remember it being really tiring having to climb the stairs to the 4th floor.”

“……”