<130 - Reward for the Good Child>
The Stat Stone increases a random stat by 1 when consumed.
However, the boost provided by a Low-grade Stat Stone is limited to the low range.
This means there’s a cap on the stat increase.
Oknodie had quite a high aptitude physically.
Her base stats were already nearing the limit for low-grade stats due to her growth potential.
These days, she’s convinced:
No matter how many Low-grade Stat Stones she eats, there are no more stats to gain.
A slightly larger stone.
Unless she eats a Medium Stat Stone, consuming a rock won’t raise her stat.
So, it was a kindness shown.
“Even for a mob, I can share a Stat Stone!”
Honestly, she was curious.
An extra in the lower class.
A rookie who wouldn’t garner attention in any other scenario.
How far could this child grow if she trained him?
Could he still attend the Academy as a Second Year or Third Year?
Regardless of the possibility, she wanted to test it out.
She found herself wanting to keep this child around for a long time.
Thus, she showed her kindness.
But she didn’t expect him to accept outright.
“Are you really eating a stone?”
“I’m prepared. There’s definitely a reason for what Oknodie tells me to do.”
Starting from the mindset, this kid was anything but normal.
Clearly, he possessed a level of compliance that set him apart from the usual mob who always complain, “How am I supposed to do that!” or “There’s no way that’s possible!”
“Well then… see you at dinner time!”
The mob nodded with a serious face, like a pet who realized they were going to be slaughtered in two hours and decided to accept their fate.
While he acted serious, to an observer, his tense demeanor was both admirable and cute.
“How’s it going? Is your training going well?”
“I’m supposed to train again at dinner!”
“Fooey. Oknodie really is something else. Just right. Keep being a good child from now on.”
Arcadia, whom she met in the lecture hall, ruffled her hair.
Arcadia, with her ample bosom, made sure her top clung to her torso, highlighting her curves.
When she shyly turned her gaze away, Arcadia, mistaking her embarrassment for shyness, patted her head even more enthusiastically.
Contrary to the warm atmosphere between Oknodie and Arcadia, lecture time was a torturous ordeal.
“Today we’re learning a new skill. So far, we’ve learned [Aerial Shooting], [Rapid Shot], and [Power Shot], but the skill we’ll learn today is a named skill.”
The instructor loaded a bundle of arrows in a unique way and shot them at the target.
Whoosh—the arrows flew straight, hitting the target in a vertical line, causing the oblivious students to gasp and applaud in awe.
The mob turned pale.
“What’s wrong, mob? Did you see that amazing shot?”
“Are you an idiot… Why do you think the instructor showed that to us?”
The mob’s worries soon became a reality.
“[Beorom’s Straight Shot]. That is the archery skill you’ll learn today.”
Named skills require a more complex operation and delicate adjustments compared to common skills.
Thus, while the execution is challenging, once mastered, their power in specific situations is vastly superior to ordinary skills.
It’s what’s known as an [Advanced Course] skill!
“At first, the unskilled will use three arrows at once, gradually increasing the number while practicing slowly. The effective range and accuracy will also progressively become more difficult.”
“Instructor, how can we acquire this skill?”
A naive student raised their hand and asked.
It was a redundant question.
“Just do well.”
“…What??”
“Work hard.”
“Instructor??”
“You’ll practice diligently for two hours.”
“No, Instructor?? Hey, where are you going! Hey!”
The mob, realizing the harsh reality too late, quietly grasped an arrow among the despondent students.
It was already a done deal.
Protesting endlessly would be pointless.
Trying to arrange multiple arrows in a row took a long time for aiming, and his hands trembled.
Fwish
Arrows swayed left, right, up, and down wildly.
Getting multiple arrows to line up neatly was no easy feat.
Even though it was a shot at an unusually close distance, it was clear the process of stacking skills would become even more grueling.
Thud
As if mocking his struggles, Skola—the descendant of the archers—beautifully shot a magical arrow straight into the target.
Without hesitation, Skola increased the number of arrows while Oknodie quickly chased behind.
Though not as skillful as Skola, Oknodie quickly grasped the technique, regaining her former skills as if she’d practiced for decades.
This is the talent gap. A divide that cannot be caught up with by the lower class.
It was like that.
The gap between Oknodie and him was far wider than he had imagined.
Effort alone wouldn’t suffice.
Talent is frighteningly powerful.
Catch up?
No.
Even not falling behind was tough.
It was no time to refuse any bizarre task.
That’s why, as soon as the lecture ended and he secretly met to receive the stone in the deserted alley, he swallowed it without hesitation.
Ugh.
It was painful.
Swallowing a substance that isn’t food.
Enduring the anxiety that his body might be affected.
The act of suppressing his body’s rejection response as he felt nausea creeping in.
It felt like self-harm.
“How is it? Do you feel anything?”
“My stomach feels heavy…”
“That’s normal! Now, you’ll see which stats have increased by using your body!”
He measured the time it took to reach a maximum speed in a full sprint, checked whether the speed was higher than before, and monitored the recovery time for exhausted stamina.
“Agility has increased!”
This time, he was faster at reaching his maximum speed.
Which meant his acceleration had improved.
“Really?”
“Yep!”
“I just ate a rock?”
“Yup!”
“Ha ha. Whatever it is, it’s amazing.”
Though he doesn’t understand, the records don’t betray him.
He clearly reached the set time quicker than prior measurements.
“Do people generally become faster after eating rocks?”
“No? This is a special rock!”
“Thanks for using that special rock for me.”
“You just had to know!”
Experiencing endless gratitude, Oknodie shouted, “Hand!” and opened her palm, revealing a piece of candy from her pocket.
“Since you did well, have a candy! It’s Oknodie’s reward for a good child!”
Strawberry flavored.
It’s a taste that naturally brings a smile.
It’s strikingly similar to the sweet aroma felt in Oknodie’s vicinity.
Perhaps because she often indulges in such sweet treats.
He felt happy.
As if he had learned one of Oknodie’s secrets.
“Isn’t it delicious?”
“Yep.”
“It was originally saved for when I meet Reap again, but I decided to share it with you!”
“Thank… you?”
He intended to express his gratitude, but suddenly he felt dizzy.
A strong wave of dizziness hit, and he couldn’t breathe.
“──? ──?”
His head spun.
Oknodie’s voice felt increasingly distant.
Something was definitely wrong.
Was it the rock?
Was it the candy?
One of the two must be an issue.
Had eating the rock indeed been a mistake?
Clutching his forehead and groaning, he collapsed.
Flicker. Flicker.
Through half-closed eyes, the scenery whirled by.
The wind grazed his cheek.
Was Oknodie carrying him and running?
She moved fast.
So much so that he wanted to catch up to that speed.
That was the last thought before his consciousness abruptly cut off.
“Are you awake?”
“Wh-where am I?”
“This is the infirmary.”
As the mob attempted to sit up, a doctor lightly nudged his head with a magic wand, forcing him back onto the bed.
“Breathing difficulties, dizziness, muscle paralysis. You consumed a pretty strong nerve poison. Any guesses?”
Poison?
No way.
What he ate wasn’t poison.
“There’s been some misunderstanding. I just swallowed a stone, so how could it be poison…”
“How would I know? Anyway, the child who brought you here paid for your treatment, so sleep well tonight and head back tomorrow.”
“…No way. I can’t fall behind on the lecture schedule. Is there any way I can leave sooner?”
“The symptoms of poisoning have been dealt with, so you could return immediately. They just gave you time to regain your strength. Still, since you’ve had the luxury of this medical facility, it’d be best to rest a bit. The bed in the infirmary helps the recovery speed for those lying on it.”
The doctor spoke his piece and told him to rest before leaving, drawing the curtains.
As he groaned, trying to relieve his tense body, a piece of paper fell beside the blanket.
[The doctor says you’ll be fine! See you in two days! – OKNODIE]
Oknodie helped him after all.
He quickly escaped from the hospital room as soon as his strength returned.
It was quite late.
Returning to the dormitory meant he would have to go straight to bed.
As for sleeping, he had already done enough.
His feet naturally led him to the Secret Training Ground.
“Persistence really is a strong suit. I heard you had to stay at the hospital.”
“I can’t waste a full day.”
Today, he met Jiang again at the Secret Training Ground.
An Oknodie-class student, assassin class, with a petite frame and an attractive girl.
Unlike Oknodie, who radiated childlike innocence, Jiang emanated a more dangerous assassin-like presence and wore a chilling smile today.
“Being faint from just training makes it seem you need more rest.”
“It’s not that. Oknodie helped with training, and my body was shocked and I fainted.”
“Oknodie, huh?”
She expressed interest, and when he told her about what happened at dinner, Jiang burst into laughter.
Hahaha!
“What’s that? You don’t have to laugh that much.”
“I just think it’s amazing that you actually ate that when told to.”
“I had no choice. I was desperate enough.”
Being teased so much put his voice in a huff, and Jiang, wiping away the tears from her laughter, replied in a less cheerful tone.
“Do you know what kind of training you’ve undergone?”
“The training of eating rocks?”
“Wrong. It’s training for eating poison.”
Jiang spoke with a face that seemed to find it hilarious.
“The problem lies not with the rocks but with the candy.”
“Are you saying the candy was poisoned?”
“Don’t you still get it? Oknodie was giving you assassin training. It’s the only way she knows to teach—what she learned.”
“…I only ate one piece, yet I fainted from the poison in that candy, while Oknodie was constantly eating that like it was part of her daily routine?”
“Oknodie’s organization is pretty malicious. And she was eating poisons every time she acted like a ‘good child.’ Thank goodness she learned under the mentor instead of sticking solely to the organization.”
A sense of gravity surrounded those words.
“What do you mean?”
“Are you that thick-headed?”
“Please, if you could just clarify. I’m a slow learner and don’t easily grasp things.”
Jiang, with her doll-like delicate features, frowned as she poked the mob’s forehead.
“Keep your head up. Friends don’t do that.”
“S-sorry.”
“Assassins, when looking from behind… Heh. You don’t want to know what happens.”
A chill ran down his spine.
He felt the weight of the reality.
What an assassin was.
What kind of world Oknodie and Jiang lived in.
He thought he understood, but he only scratched the surface.
“If you want to, I can tell you… but are you sure you won’t regret it?”
“Of course, I will. We are friends, right? You and Oknodie too.”
“Don’t answer so lightly. If your attitude towards us changes after learning this… then it’d be useless saying it to you.”
Her colorless eyes glared deep into his.
Those eyes felt somewhat intimidating.
“You could end up losing everything in this relationship. Still, do you truly want to hear it?”
From Jiang’s eyes, he felt an intense darkness that made him hesitant to consider they knew him well.
When he nodded, he realized the darkness surrounding Jiang was far lighter than the darkness revealed by Oknodie.
“The candy is probably a punishment from the organization.”
“A punishment?”
“Whenever she wants to be a good child, she has to swallow this poison.”
“What does that even mean…?”
“Still not getting it? Or would you rather pretend not to? Hehe. Mob… it’s cute to see you reacting, but running away won’t help. You asked for this.”
He didn’t want to hear it.
He didn’t want to understand.
He hesitated, taking retreating steps, but Jiang followed him.
Thud.
When he slumped against the wall and sat down, Jiang leaned over, whispering into his ear.
“Do you get it? If you don’t torment the creatures you should torment, or if you don’t hit the people you should hit, or if you fail to kill the targets you should kill…”
“A punishment for a ‘good child’ who refuses training to remove the rejection of violence and murder.”
The bloody scent buried in the spicy aroma of the candy seeped into the mob’s nostrils.
“The poison candy given to a good child by an assassin organization carries that meaning.”
