episode_0314

Well, even if you say it’s work, I had an idea anyway.

It must be hard work.

Having left the dukedom, I am now just an ordinary commoner.

The steady income had disappeared, and hiring people was becoming even more impossible.

-Bam! Bam!

‘…Compared to Chatren, it’s really the worst.’

It seems that the North is not without reason given for its image as being barren and difficult.

How can it be so strong, even though we are in the same empire and on the same land we walk across?

If the stats were poor and the ground wasn’t dug, I probably wouldn’t have been able to get any work done.

After experiencing it myself, I realized that my judgment was correct.

‘As expected, it wasn’t just about holding on to time.’

The status window only shows that you are surviving the timer, but in reality, you are literally surviving.

Let’s roughly estimate the cost of living here and calculate the amount of money that will be spent. The answer that comes out is that the money I have now will be gone in no time. Especially since the cost of accommodation goes up significantly during this time.

You underestimated me too much.

The season called winter.

As it is a very cold season, there is no electricity and heating depends on fire, and magic stones are something only nobles can dream of using.

Also, since it is difficult to move around in various ways, such as clothing costs, food costs, and purchasing various tools, the price increases significantly.

If I refuse this request and don’t collect the money… I might go dark.

Ultimately, this means that collecting money leads to clearing the episode.

Because it is that kind of environment.

I had to hold the shovel or the pickaxe like this.

-Bam! Bam!

“Oh, this guy is using some force?”

“That’s right. The northern land is quite hard, so it’ll be hard to dig.”

The workers who were watching the digging of the ground were amazed.

“Oh, now that I look at it, the posture is really good.”

“I can’t help but exclaim in admiration every time I watch it.”

“You guys. This is not the time to be impressed. We have to do our work! Are you going to let this guy do it all and just dodge around?”

“Ahem ahem. That’s not it!”

“Okay, everyone go to your seats!”

The group that had been secretly slacking off dispersed and started picking up their tools one by one.

Again, it was time to get to work.

“You get some rest.”

“Yes?”

“You can take a break. Hey, tsk. You’re trying to pass it all on to your younger friend.”

The one who seemed to be the most senior in the group tapped me on the shoulder and spoke to me cautiously.

“Those gentlemen. They always do that when young people come and take advantage of them. They are people who only show off on the outside. I’m telling you not to be fooled.”

“…”

“Don’t worry about that, I’ll give you back the amount you paid to those guys. Got it?”

Was that so?

It seems like the more I work, the more money I earn.

‘Still, it still caught my eye.’

▶Currently executing the request.◀

▶The achievement level is filled in proportion to the amount of work done, and the rewards vary depending on the level.◀

[ Achievement: 100% ]

The achievement level has already been filled to 100% a long time ago.

At this point, it’s pretty certain that I’ll get more compensation. As long as I don’t mess up, there’s no reason for my achievement level to drop.

But that’s in numbers.

The achievement box status is not like that.

[ Achievement: 100% ]

[ ■■■■■■■■■■■■ ]

The box-shaped UI, including the progress and achievement levels in this game, all have a common value of 10% per box.

The intimacy that follows the character’s head is no exception, and the exclusive penalty value assigned only to the main episode also does not deviate from this rule.

‘But, aren’t there 10 boxes now?’

I counted them several times, and there are a total of 12 boxes filled.

Considering the figure of 10% per one… 120%. This means that it broke through more than the 100% that was generally considered the limit.

Of course, I have had this kind of experience.

There have been more than one or two instances where I had to fill up a gray box with minus intimacy.

So what if we fill it all up instead?

-Bam!

Isn’t there something more we can get?

***

“Hey, Mac. What do you mean? You have work left to do?”

The lazy laborer cleared his throat and answered the question posed by the most senior worker on the floor.

“Hey, Monen. We’re talking about us. We finished work pretty quickly today, right? Okay? Then the remaining time is ours before reporting.”

“Uh… is that so?”

“There’s nothing strange about staying a little longer and working. I can just take care of what I have to do tomorrow anyway.”

“…”

That’s strange. This guy is not the type of person to do that. Normally, wouldn’t he just say he wants to rest and go home?

Old Monen, who had smelled the scent, walked straight past the lazy laborer Mack.

Mac, who realized what he was trying to do, ran after him in a panic.

“Oh, oh, oh! Wait a minute.”

“What? Why? Are you hiding something?”

“Hiding it? There’s no such thing… Hey! Wait a minute! ”

An entrance is finally discovered.

He hit his forehead as soon as he saw the entrance.

To even think about going in here. It was obvious that you were crazy.

“Mac, are you crazy? Do you even know where you are and do this?!”

“Hey, why are you yelling and making a fuss?”

“This place is off-limits! This mine was declared closed! Did you forget that?”

Then Mac snorted.

“Oh my. I’m saying this because I got caught anyway, but that only applies to the entrance on that side, right?”

“What…?”

“Besides, how long are we going to have to live off of those bad things? We’re going to have to go into those mines and bring out the real stuff to sell.”

“What the hell! Are you crazy enough to want to die? Are you just blinded by money…? You’re going to step into a place where you have no information?”

“It’s not just money, you idiot!”

At that moment, a third party intervened.

“What’s wrong with Mac? The miner must dig the mine!”

“All I do is dig this hard ground and I can’t take anything of value! Are you going to live with this injustice?”

“Then whatever pops out gets sucked into the lord’s hand or the stomach of another guy. Have we experienced that once or twice?!”

“You guys…”

There were more than a few laborers lamenting their current situation.

“We don’t want to do this boring thing every day either. Huh.”

“The devil appears? Living like this is just a candle in the wind. In that case, it’s better to at least try to make a killing!”

“If there’s no information inside, doesn’t that mean there might be a lot of treasures inside?”

“Well, even if the devil appears, how many are there?”

“It doesn’t matter if you say you’re going crazy and trying to die. If you want to go back, go back yourself. Monen.”

“Hey guys! Come back. That’s crazy!”

No matter how much I shout, Monen’s voice will no longer reach.

People who were working together until just now suddenly started to have different opinions…

‘From my perspective right now, it’s just right.’

▶Achievement reached 200%.◀

▶ Additional achievements reach the maximum and new rewards are provided.◀

[ Additional rewards have been prepared for the Ileor Mine. ]

▶If you obtain the corresponding reward, ??? will be reduced.◀

▶If you do not collect the reward within the time limit, the reward will disappear.◀

[ Location: Ileor Abandoned Mine ]

[ Time remaining: 9 minutes 58 seconds ]

This is a situation where what I had guessed turned out to be correct.

As the word compensation is floating around, you won’t suffer any losses.

‘But, it’s a decrease…’

Usually, it is written as an increase.

Or is it that there is a set goal and it has to be achieved?

What if I had to drop this to progress through the episode?

No. What if it’s something like Another Plan in Chapter 3 that’s a prerequisite for clearing Chapter 4?

There are many assumptions.

On the contrary, the answer is only one.

‘…I can’t miss it.’

I don’t know what the reduction is, but now I have a reason to get that compensation somehow.

“Hey, newbie over there. Don’t you need money?”

“That can’t be true. I worked here because I needed the money.”

“Yeah. Come with us. It’ll be a lot better to sell what you find in there than to work hard and earn a few pennies.”

“Don’t listen to Monen’s words!”

Monen licked his dry lips.

“In the past, people who were clearly honest… How could they be like this…”

He sighed deeply and asked me a question.

“…Are you going too?”

“Are you talking about that abandoned mine?”

“Yeah. That abandoned mine where the demons come from. Don’t go in. If you do, you don’t know what will happen to you!”

Actually, if it was just about money, I could leave it here, but…

▶If you obtain the corresponding reward, ??? will be reduced.◀

I couldn’t ignore this.

“I will take responsibility and send it back to the village.”

“…what?”

“I’m talking about those elders. If that doesn’t work, we have to chase them away by force.”

“Strength… What is that…”

“I was a contestant in the Yellow Dragon Martial Arts Tournament.”

“Hwa, Yellow Dragon Martial Arts Tournament?!”

Monen looked at me with her eyes wide open.

-Tiring!

▶Intimacy with certain characters has increased!◀

[ Monen : 58% ]

Intimacy has increased.

“Then… Can I ask you a favor?”

Monen, who had been trying to stop me just a moment ago, made the exact opposite request.

He told me to come inside.

***

▶You have entered the Ileor mine!◀

Just after Monen went to call the guards.

I arrived here armed.

And then, I waited for the right time.

The demons are not easy opponents.

At the beginning, the level was low, so it could have been dealt with with the power of multiple forces, but as they went further inside, there were monsters that these old people couldn’t even deal with.

“Geee!!”

“Ugh, eww!”

-Squeak. Thud.

“Uh, uh…?”

“Sa, I’m alive…!”

“If you don’t want to die, then go back now.”

“Yes. I’ll go back!”

“Thank you for saving my life…!”

I almost lost my life because I was being rude.

We won’t see that kind of disgrace any more.

-Tiring!

▶You have cleared the emergency mission.◀

▶We sent the workers, including Mac, alive.◀

▶Monen’s intimacy increases.◀

[ Current figure: 80% ]

▶When you return to the village, you can receive a reward from Monen.◀

“…This wasn’t what I was aiming for.”

Well, there’s nothing wrong with getting something for nothing.

That’s fine.

Now I must go my own way.

[ Distance left to obtain reward: 10m ]

“10m…is this it?”

I opened the door to a space that I knew would be here at first glance.

And then, my eyes lit up.

“…What is this?”

A shabby space. Inside was a single jewel.

And as soon as he picked up the jewel, it transformed into a different form, turning into a modern object.

-Tiring!

▶The reward will be converted to a memorial.◀

▶Hidden Memory. You have obtained .◀