<141 - A Foreboding Feeling>
A powerful NPC exudes an intimidating aura just by appearing.
There’s no need to mention the arrival of Ishtar, the strongest NPC of Class 981, the Hero.
My feathers ruffled and my palm tingled with a jolt.
The skin in my line of sight feels as if it has been scorched by fire, and a fierce desire to face off burns deep within my chest.
But I know.
It would be impossible to fight a Hero with my initial specs.
Even if my strength could compete in the upper class, I could hardly measure up against playable characters with robust stats in other stats.
So I turned back with a smiling face.
“Hero sister, what brings you here?”
What I thought would ease my guard actually solidified Ishtar’s expression.
“Looks like… that kind of intimidating presence means you’ve done fear resistance training until you’re immune. Assassins can’t afford to freeze up in battle, you know.”
“Um… Well, I’ve gotten used to it for a similar reason!”
Not easy.
Instead of relaxing, my guard heightened.
What’s with her?
I hadn’t built any bad feelings toward Ishtar.
Last time, I even invited her to join my party.
Could it be that she’s resentful because I turned down the offer?!
There’s a possibility.
An NPC’s personality isn’t always the same.
In one run, they could be a kind friend due to a successful family background, and in another, they could be frighteningly prickly and aggressive from bankruptcy.
“Oknodie, I’d appreciate it if you answered the upcoming question honestly. It won’t be bad news for you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Don’t you want to escape the grasp of the Foundation?”
“Excuse me?”
“Wiheomhae Foundation. No matter how you think about it, the education they provide has crossed the line of common sense.”
Ishtar started listing the rumors she heard.
“I heard the Foundation feeds poison to kids who can’t endure harsh training, and those who refuse to suffer are sold to brothels or forced labor.”
“Wow, really?”
“Don’t speak as if it’s someone else’s business. You’re the same, Oknodie. At a young age, you’ve undergone diverse environmental training, tolerance training, various acrobatics, and all sorts of assassination training.”
That was an outright rude statement to throw in my face.
What does she think people are made of?
“No way! Don’t speak badly about Papa’s Foundation without reason. I’ve never undergone such harsh training!”
“…Lies. With so many bad rumors circulating, it can’t all just be nonsense.”
“The reason I’ve become strong is entirely because I enjoyed the training I did. There’s no way I’d force myself to do something I didn’t like!”
The Hero’s face became troubled. The hand resting on her sword trembled slightly. Is this petty girl actually getting angry at me for not talking trash about the Foundation?!
This Hero of this round must be a total wreck.
Is this Hero, who’s the daughter of Papa, trying to pressure me to speak ill of Papa’s organization, threatening to cut me if I don’t?!
Hmph.
If she thought I’d bend just because she came in strong, she’s mistaken.
I’m strong against the strong and strong against the weak.
“If you speak ill of the Foundation or Papa, I won’t let you off the hook, no matter how much of a Hero you are.”
“Sigh. Are you serious? You’re standing in front of the current strongest talent in the world.”
“A Hero who forces me into immoral behavior doesn’t deserve the title of Hero!”
I see.
Ishtar let out a weary sigh.
Looks like she’s not planning to duel right now.
Phew.
Just as I was breathing a sigh of relief, the Hero turned to me and said.
“If that’s truly what you mean, I guess it can’t be helped. It was meant to be a kind remark, but if it hurt your feelings, I apologize.”
What she did was all about coercing me into wrongdoing!
Is this what you call kindness?
This version of Ishtar confirms she’s a mentally deranged individual!
“Hmph. Just go, already. You’re interrupting my training.”
“Is that child willingly training?”
A mob managed to croak out in a dying voice.
“I don’t want this anymore… save me…”
“…Oknodie. Sorry, but I’d like you to let that child go. As a Hero, I can’t ignore someone asking for help right in front of me.”
“I mean, she asked first for help.”
Grumbling, I freed the mob, and only then did the Hero turn to leave.
What a bad person.
If that mob fails now, it’s all your fault!
Ishtar couldn’t suppress her dismal feelings.
The deity who appointed her as a Hero, Sofemia of the Sun.
The holy sword bestowed upon the Hero by Sofemia possessed the power to detect all lies.
“Looks like… that kind of intimidating presence means you’ve done fear resistance training until you’re immune. Assassins can’t afford to freeze up in battle, you know.”
“Um… Well, I’ve gotten used to it for a similar reason!”
The false detection didn’t activate.
“No way! Don’t speak badly about Papa’s Foundation without reason. I’ve never undergone such harsh training!”
It was the truth.
“The reason I’ve become strong is entirely because I enjoyed the training I did. There’s no way I’d force myself to do something I didn’t like!”
She genuinely accepted the harsh training with joy.
‘She’s been trained from such a young age.’
Even before the concept of likes and dislikes took shape.
The Foundation had modified the child’s mind to embrace brutal training as joy, deep from within.
It was too late.
To the casual observer, she appears innocent and lovely, but inside her lies a broken mind that takes pleasure in viewing harsh training as play.
Murder.
Assassination.
It was evident that with time, it would be the same.
“If you speak ill of the Foundation or Papa, I won’t let you off the hook, no matter how much of a Hero you are.”
Truth.
“A Hero who forces me into immoral behavior doesn’t deserve the title of Hero!”
Truth.
She neither admires nor fears Heroes.
She sees viewing them as enemies as perfectly natural.
As if the day would come when she’d become the Hero’s enemy.
While grown adults fear the future.
Even respectable leaders of large organizations fear being branded as part of an Evil Organization by the Hero, this little child felt not a shred of fear.
Because she was never taught fear.
She was educated not to fear.
This child had already grown beyond a mere assassin; she was raised as a candidate for the next Demon Queen.
“I mean, she asked first for help.”
Made to carry over 50kg of weight.
Forced classmates to jump into the Burning Ring.
Compelled to juggle five sharp daggers on a tightrope.
She doesn’t even think it’s wrong.
Because she’s lived through the same process.
For her, it was merely training and play.
Thus, the boundary between good and evil is unclear.
‘I realized. I must kill that child while she is still weak.’
But to take the life of a child so young and innocent?
When the line between good and evil is fuzzy, it means one can easily fall into evil but also return to good at any time.
There may be another way.
Without killing.
Without harming.
Without turning her into an enemy.
Some way to lead that child onto a virtuous path.
‘I need Yufi’s help.’
Her long-time friend and first comrade, Yufi.
The understanding and compassion of the Saintess were needed.
Ishtar turned away.
And vowed.
For now, she’ll back down quietly, but next time will be different.
One day, she would make that poor child understand that what she had experienced was not play or training, but abuse and that her Papa was not a good man and that the Foundation is an Evil Organization.
*
“Okay? Stopping the special training?”
“Sorry, Oknodie… I’m out of energy, I just can’t go any further.”
“You’re such a wimp. What did you eat to grow up this weak at this age?”
“Black bread and a mixed soup?”
Ugh. No shocker this is the state of an extra with such a legendary collection rate.
I did what I could. I didn’t manage to finish all the special training Oknodie imposed, but I could feel the sword’s trajectory becoming steadier as the tip stopped shaking.
My body moves as I wish, and the pleasant feeling I used to feel two or three times out of a hundred swings of the sword has increased to once every ten swings.
Considering that I only did weight training and acrobatics instead of swinging a sword, I couldn’t comprehend why I had grown stronger, but it felt even more amazing.
‘So this is why I became the top of the first year.’
After finishing the special training, I quietly returned to the dormitory, took a nap, and upon waking felt the odd speed of recovery and improved condition almost like I had gotten healthier.
Mana Evaluation Test.
The long-anticipated test was just around the corner.
“Mob. How are you preparing? I’ve heard some pretty rough training rumors going around.”
“Perfect! My body and spirit are in peak condition.”
Honestly, anything would be easier than the wild feats of jumping through the Burning Ring with 50kg of weight suffocating me or juggling five sharp daggers on a tightrope.
“Jakku, how about you?”
My long-time friend had a somehow detached smile.
“I’m good too.”
“That mentoring has really helped, hasn’t it?”
“Yeah. It truly did help. If I had received it just one week earlier…”
“Huh?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”
His expression doesn’t look good.
Something feels off.
It seems Jakku hasn’t slept well.
I wanted to ease his tension by starting a conversation to see if something was bothering him, but the timing wasn’t right.
From outside, I heard the sound of countless footsteps.
The announcement of Professor Snake arriving with an unusually high number of assistants added to my unease.
“Jakku!”
Raising my fist to cheer him on was the best I could do.
Jakku raised his fist in response, cheering me on as well.
Creek.
The classroom door opened, and finally, the professor appeared.
There was no escaping the test now.
“It’s time to prove whether the last four weeks were meaningful or just a waste of time. Everyone, give it your best.”
The test for the lower class common mandatory course, Mana Evaluation Test, has begun.
