Chapter: 60
When it comes to gaining affection levels in Soul Academy, there are mainly three methods.
First up: spending quality time together.
Just chat up that character during your free time and roam around Soul Academy with ’em.
The most effective way? Cake shops! Seriously, I’d be munching on cake with one character, then with another, and before I knew it, I’d be on my way to getting diabetes from all that cake! That’s how efficient this method can be!
But alas, right now, that ship has sailed.
How on earth did the main character in the game manage to make friends just by talking?
When I try, the other person turns into a foe instead?!
That dude must have been packing some kind of hypnosis app or something.
Otherwise, this just doesn’t make sense!
The second method is tackling dungeons together.
You know, as you traverse the battlefield together, affection levels gradually increase.
But honestly, who would want to throw their life at risk going into a battleground with someone they can’t even stand chatting with?
Sure, I could be quite useful in a party, and that could change things a bit, but let’s be real here; the odds aren’t in my favor.
Lastly, there’s the method of completing character-related quests.
Raise your affection by working on specific quests with certain characters.
This is something I can definitely handle right now.
My plan goes something like this:
First, I’ll complete related quests to raise my baseline affection level to the point where we can halfway call each other friends.
Then, we’ll hang out, tackle dungeons, and do side quests to go for that sweet 70 affection level.
If I can nail the first step, it’s totally possible!
That’s why I’m headed to Alsetin’s tavern, aiming to snag an item that triggers a specific character quest!
“Lady, this seems dangerous…”
As I halted in front of the tavern tucked away in the alley, Karl nervously chimed in.
‘Not feeling confident?’
“What’s this, you weakling? You don’t think you can protect me?”
“Not that, I just feel like avoiding danger is the best option.”
‘Just say you lack confidence!’
“Making excuses isn’t confidence, is it? ‘Oh, Lady, I can’t go in there; I’m a weakling~’ That’s the vibe I’m getting!”
Unable to endure his sarcasm, Karl clammed up.
Looks like he’s got some pride as a knight or something.
When it comes to other insults, he can handle it, but as soon as his weakness gets pointed out, boom! Instant reaction.
‘Karl…’
“Hey, weakling. Aren’t you going to declare that you’re a total wimp?”
“No! I’ll earn your trust by keeping you safe, my Lady!”
So that’s code for “I won’t stop you from going in”?
With a stern-faced Karl watching me, I grasped the tavern door.
As I swung it open, every gaze in the tavern zeroed in on me.
And yeah, most of those looks were watchful.
When it was a game, no one bothered when someone walked in, but now? Totally different vibe.
To be fair, a brat like me stepping into a shady tavern is a bit suspicious.
As I stepped inside, one guy sitting near the entrance spoke up with a mocking tone.
“Noble Young Lady, this isn’t a place for someone like you.”
‘Then…’
“Is it a joint where only trashy losers like you come? What a drag; I can’t afford to become a pathetic wretch like you!”
“Lady?!”
The moment I got called out, both the guy and Karl reacted in sync, with the former’s brows furrowing and the latter shouting in shock.
Eh, I didn’t plan to be this blunt, but my Mesugaki skill is feeling particularly bold today, huh?
“Puhahaha!”
“You’re quite foul-mouthed for a noble young lady!”
“Guess you see that scumbag just like I do!”
“Who’s a scumbag, you filthy trash!”
While the patrons in the tavern appeared to laugh, it wasn’t exactly friendly ribbing.
I could see them keeping a close watch on my face.
They’ve clearly marked me as prey.
Well, this got off to a rocky start.
“So, what’s a noble lady like you doing here?”
A guy sipping on some booze from afar spoke up with a slick tone.
The moment he opened his mouth, the chatter around him hushed. He must wield some power here.
‘Looking for someone.’
“Came to find a scrub?”
“In a den full of lowlifes, why would a lady like you ever meet with someone?”
This guy’s tone screamed that I’d better back off before I got hurt.
Ha, do they think I’m scared? Just because you’re leading this group of trash doesn’t mean I care!
‘I want to meet Alsetin.’
“Came to see the owner of this rundown tavern?”
“Lady, didn’t you hear my warning? There’s no one here for you to meet.”
‘Actually, I wasn’t talking to you.’
“Oh, so you’re addressing the decrepit old fart who’s busy being the head of this ragtag group?”
“…I was trying to be nice.”
As the guy stood up from his chair, ready to confront me, the others in the tavern began to rise as if on cue.
And I had a feeling they were all packing heat.
At that moment, I heard a sigh from behind me.
“Lady, is this a divine revelation as well?”
‘Yep!’
“Precisely.”
“Well then, I guess I gotta step up.”
Just as he said that, Karl drew his sword.
Instantly, the lowlifes facing us hesitated and began to back off.
What’s going on? He hasn’t even done anything yet. Why the change of heart?
[His own magical power is weighing them down.]
Is that what it is?
Looks like Karl’s packing some strength after all.
He can intimidate these punks just by standing there?
[But young lady, did Armedi truly direct you to pick a fight with them?]
‘Yeah, I did say so!’
[How has it been this long, and I still can’t grasp the divine will of Armedi?]
Truth is, Armedi didn’t say a word!
But he’s been stealing all the glory, so he can take some blame too!
Amidst the standoff between Karl and the lowlifes, a voice filtered down from above.
“If you don’t want to die, drop your weapons, you morons!”
The voice belonged to a rough-looking man with scars around his eyes.
Just like in the game. It’s Alsetin.
The tavern’s scummy lowlifes faltered at the sight of Alsetin and began to lower their weapons.
As he descended the stairs, he greeted me with a nod, but first, he delivered a solid punch to the gut of the guy who had been leading the pack.
Pow!
The sound echoed through the tavern as the ringleader crumpled to the floor.
With a tense atmosphere, Alsetin approached me, taking a moment to bow deeply.
“I apologize, Young Lady Alrn. My underling has committed a grave offense.”
Seeing his respectful demeanor made Grandpa let out a gasp.
[A clever head on his shoulders.]
‘Why’s that?’
[Rather than waiting for you to call him out on his underlings, he’s punishing them first to demonstrate his innocence. Plus, it puts you in a situation where you can’t really mention it yourself. Judging that in such a short time requires experience.]
So all those moves he made as soon as he showed up were intentional?
When considering Alsetin’s influence in the cutthroat underworld, it all makes perfect sense.
Wow, both Alsetin for making the right call and Grandpa for figuring it out on the fly are incredible!
I couldn’t keep up with either of them in terms of smarts.
Politics are definitely not my style in this world.
“I’m Alsetin, the owner of this tavern.”
‘Hello, Alsetin.’
“Nice to meet you, information peddler.”
Wait, what?! He’s an information peddler?
What happened to a more refined title? This dude’s job mainly revolves around trading items and intel from the underbelly, but come on, couldn’t he have sugar-coated it a bit?
Spitting that out on a first meeting isn’t gonna win him any brownie points!
Look! You can see Alsetin’s lips twitch!
I need to make sure not to get on his bad side since I’ll be dealing with him frequently! Ugh!
“I’m Alsetin, but…”
‘Yeah, I’m aware…’
“I know, information peddler. Got a problem with that?”
‘…No. None at all.’
Ugh, whatever.
What’s the worst that could happen? With Benedict right behind me, I doubt he’d pull anything crazy!
Letting fate manage itself, I declared, “I heard you were expecting me. Shall we head inside and chat?”
‘Lead the way.’
“Follow me.”
Following Alsetin upstairs to a room, he motioned for me to take a seat.
As I plopped down, he shut the door and returned to his seat.
“As you know, I’m a trader. What brings you to this place?”
‘I’m looking to buy something.’
“An information peddler strolls in here; can’t really be too difficult to guess, right?”
Even after hearing the biting criticism from my Mesugaki skills, Alsetin’s smile never wavered.
Now that’s some superhuman patience, typical of a guy in the underworld.
Most people begin to look displeased when talking to me, so kudos to him!
“May I ask what that item is?”
‘A necklace stamped with the Burrow family crest. Specifically…’
“The one with the Burrow family crest, featuring a ruby, and holds a family photo inside the pocket. If you search the underground market, you might find it.”
Soul Academy has tons of characters, each with different levels of affection that can be raised, and the challenge varies.
Characters like Joy, with a pretty laid-back life, are easy enough to get close to. In contrast, characters like Arthur, who’s had some ups and downs, aren’t exactly the friendliest.
Then there’s Jack Burrow.
Community users often refer to him as the inferior noble, but once you meet specific conditions, raising his affection level becomes ridiculously easy.
That condition is having that ‘necklace stamped with the Burrow family crest’ be the trigger for a quest.
Before that, he lived blissfully ignorant and was hard to even approach. But after completing that quest, he would show some interest first!
Honestly, I don’t care much for Jack Burrow personally.
His character’s performance is sketchy, and his personality is pretentious; I don’t love him, but I don’t outright hate him either—just kinda meh.
In the past, I probably wouldn’t have given him a second thought, but now that my situation has changed, not being able to raise two characters to a 70 affection level could lead to catastrophic consequences!
The easy-to-raise affection level of Jack Burrow is like a beam of light in this darkness.
So, for my own sake, I absolutely must get my hands on that necklace.
Absolutely.
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