<641 – The Possibility of Crisis (3)>
The Organization that Plays with Oknodie had been mostly slacking off, leeching off of Oknodie for a long time.
“Anyone going to collect lecture materials for [Supplies and Escort]?”
“Oh, that? No need to go. The silkworm moths brought all the materials.”
“What? Are you saying those silkworm moths are farming? Supplies and Escort lecture materials are supposed to be bags of rice and flour!”
In response to Mob’s reasonable counter-argument, Jaku tried to maintain his patience, recalling exactly one hour ago when he thought the same absurdity.
“When Titosso went on break, the moths basked in the light and evolved. All the monsters around here have turned into the silkworm moths’ slaves.”
“…Titosso? The Saintess who’s always carrying that light stand around, the one that makes your eyes hurt just by looking?”
“Yeah, that saintess.”
Upon the mention of one of Oknodie’s best friends, Mob was easily convinced. Titosso, the saintess of the Revolutionary Army, who receives sponsorships from powerful figures from all over the world. It didn’t sound odd that she would evolve monsters into slaves to collect lecture materials.
‘Even Oknodie picks up weird plants and ominous instruments from somewhere, collecting moths is nothing.’
The materials are automatically provided by the organization, and if one gathers a lot of the materials that aren’t in the organization and presents them, they can receive points or some junk that Oknodie owns.
“Mob, did you come empty-handed today?”
“Of course not. I took down a scarecrow at the training ground and brought this.”
━━━
[Scarecrow Destruction Badge (Level 40)]
Grade – Magic Level 5
Description – A badge obtained by defeating a scarecrow at the Gift Academy’s lower class training ground. The badge level updates according to the level of the scarecrow defeated.
Effect 1 – Lower-level mana is charged.
Effect 2 – Mana regenerates automatically.
Effect 3 – The holder’s recovery ability increases.
Effect 4 – When using this badge, training can start from Level 31 at the training ground.
Effect 5 – Training ground usage time for badge holders below Level 40 is reduced by 40 minutes, allowing early exit. However, if the counterpart pays points, the exit may be postponed.
Value Estimate – 40 gold coins, 4000 points
━━━
Mob put the hard-earned badge straight into the vending machine set up by Oknodie.
[The value of the item Mob inserted is 4000 points!]
[You can take a rare item worth 4000 points!]
What Mob pulled from the vending machine today was, just like yesterday, the same item.
━━━
[Large Training Potion]
Grade – Normal Level 7
Description – A potion that drastically reduces rest time or recovery time after exercise. Be careful, just drinking it doesn’t mean you’ll train automatically!
Effect 1 – Muscle recovery speed increases.
Effect 2 – Fatigue recovery speed increases.
Effect 3 – Status ailment removal speed increases.
Effect 4 – Probability of gaining stat experience increases.
Value Estimate – 2 gold coins, 200 points
━━━
Clang clang.
Mob’s arms, filled with a ton of training potions coming out of the discharge hatch, didn’t look much different in size from when he first entered, but the amount of mana in his body had dramatically increased.
Through continuous practice of the Mana Flow Technique, while his physique remained the same, his interior had become solidly equipped.
“Ugh. I wish I could buy a higher-grade training potion.”
“Wake up. The price digits are different.”
If consumed, it would instantly alleviate fatigue, and mana would continuously accumulate, allowing for a rise in total mana from performing the technique, and practicing magic would increase proficiency without any breaks through repeated casting. It’s an OP item that only upper-class students, like Jezel who occasionally visit for trade, or professors and teaching assistants who reward students for passing quizzes well, could afford.
-This fall, anyone who brings back [Horn of the Yellow Deer] from somewhere in the [Everything About Poaching] lecture hall will get a lot of organizational contributions!
Sometimes, if Oknodie puts out a hunting season prey, professors and students of that class would earnestly compete to snag one to boost their contributions.
-Scott, what are you doing throwing a freezing bomb into the forest suddenly?
-Ah, sorry. I just felt some kind of presence.
-Huh? Isn’t that full-body armor?
-Geez, it must be a Death Knight lost in the woods! Run away!
-…
Every time there was that kind of situation, Mob had endured with functions like [Hold Your Breath], [Reduce Presence], and [Make Sinister Sounds], but sometimes he just used [Play Dead].
-What’s this guy? Is he already dead?
-Why are you hitting the armor?
-I heard if it’s filled with scams, it rings from inside. Since this seems full, it must be an incomplete knight.
-Hey, don’t loot that armor. It’s cursed.
-Cheh. No pocket money.
He had to make himself appear dead, not knowing what kind of trouble he’d get into if caught by upperclassmen, teaching assistants, or instructors.
Mob had spent many tearful hours like this, occasionally participating in organizational events to collect contributions, but it had become tough to receive organization quests lately, as Oknodie loved external activities and even skipped grades.
Except for the rare material gathering requests whose locations were mysteriously discovered.
-What’s today’s request?
-Sing took it.
-Ding!
The dangerous tasks crossing into monster habitats were often snatched up by the fearless Sing.
Not because he had gathered rare materials first but because he engaged in a vigorous fight with the habitat’s monsters, leaving no materials remaining.
“Today’s request?”
“Sing took it.”
“Again…”
Today, Mob drooped his shoulders dejectedly and began to trudge heavily when Jaku called him.
“Still, you should have some leeway.”
“Why?”
“This request isn’t a [Notification]. It’s a [Request] directly delivered by Oknodie.”
“…!”
A request. The most distant thing from Oknodie in the world.
The small predator, who can do anything, with no sense of lack.
The Dark Princess Oknodie made a request. Something serious was indeed going on.
“What did she ask for?”
“She said there are some guys bullying a friend she made outside. In short, it’s an external activity, rescue request, including extermination. It’s quite a high-level mission.”
“High level…!”
“Even without saying, Oknodie has never been stingy with contributions for such issues. Basic contributions plus an additional bonus based on performance, there will definitely be great benefits for both rescue and extermination. What will you do?”
“I’ll definitely participate.”
Although Mob was tempted by the contributions, he had long benefited from Oknodie.
And even so, he hadn’t been able to help.
From the magical Vesuvius volcano show with Rosgini, to the demon ambush, Kanelle City workshop battles, Chimera legion domination, the Emperor’s downfall, and the Underworld uproar.
He hadn’t contributed a single sword to that grand adventure.
The fact that Sing always chose the most dangerous places to fight and was becoming more ruthless was perhaps also fueled by his anger over his own helplessness in not being called by Oknodie.
“Jaku. Will you come with me?”
“Heh. If you hadn’t said that, I would have been disappointed. Let’s go, to get the outing permits.”
As soon as the two approached the head of the second-year department, Professor Kal Prince, the door of the office opened, and he handed them two outing permits without hesitation.
“…Professor, have you perhaps mastered mind reading?”
“You’re the seventeenth in your organization to get an outing permit.”
“Ah.”
Everyone had the same feeling of indignation.
Members of the Organization that Plays with Oknodie, who had perhaps met in the transference magic office, all nodded in agreement.
Rescue is fundamental.
Those that made a request of Oknodie.
Let’s sweep them all away today.
Sing, Irene.
Only strong ones but also lower class students, secret scholarship society members who are from the foundation, all endured and finally prepared to show off the foundation’s strength.
Upon arriving at the destination, Hestia exclaimed in confusion, “Huh? Is this a familiar place?”
After being deeply humiliated during the admission season, the fight-prone noblewoman Lotto, who barely had any friends because she had been clinging only to Oknodie, turned to Hestia.
“It’s the Dragon Masters’ Peak. Thanks to the dragons who once lived there, it’s a special peak rich in nature mana and veins. Each peak has a strong individual residing, and the closer you get to the top, there are altars, hot springs, fruit trees, and other areas that grant special powers. It’s not as major as the Cheonryeong Mountain Range, but it’s a terrain that’s not to be underestimated.”
Upon Hestia’s story, Mob and Jaku pretended to not be interested and slowly approached.
For the weak, every bit of information like this was precious knowledge that could mean life and death.
“Hmm. A famous spot among mercenaries, huh?”
“No, it’s a place that came up while exploring with the Paper Dungeon Exploration Team, but I never thought it would be a real location.”
“…?”
“Then the rumor of mint chocolate’s notoriousness was actually that dreadful…”
“Anyway, you know something, right? Lead the way. I grant you the honor of this noble Lotto as your guide!”
Being the noblewoman, Lotto spoke with a touch of arrogance, yet felt nervous.
What if she was cast aside for being rude?
Hestia looked at Lotto, who was too tense despite trying to act cool, and at Mob and Jaku, pretending to be uninterested, and couldn’t help but smile.
“Then let’s go without dropping anyone.”
Hestia was also curious.
The Organization that Plays with Oknodie had been mostly left to their own devices, gradually growing by themselves.
How far could this organization’s combat power reach against the strong ones gathered from all over the world, aiming for the peaks of the Dragon Masters?
It would be great if they could have even one more force to find the abductors who kidnapped Oknodie’s acquaintance somewhere on this peak.
‘But how can Oknodie’s friend be a Flying Skeleton…? Isn’t that just a Lich?’
A Lich.
An existence that sheds human skin and enjoys immortality, wielding deeper magic as a sorcerer.
It seemed ridiculous that such a dangerous being could be a friend, but recalling that Oknodie attended Sadako’s lectures, it made sense.
He had heard that the night’s minions from Gift Island sometimes appear while doing practice in the foggy woods; the sinister lady covered in white with black hair that sounds eerie even if you only hear her name, made him realize how great Oknodie, Titosso, and Jiang were.
With the guts to attend such a professor’s lectures, having a Lich as a friend didn’t seem so strange.
‘Don’t tell me the plan to have Mob wear that black armor is to turn him into a similar being as a Death Knight?’
Mob flinched under Hestia’s reasonable suspicion as she looked at him.
“…What’s wrong? Can’t I follow?”
“No. I just thought the armor looked pretty heavy.”
“Y-Yeah. It weighs around 500 kg nowadays.”
Watching Mob timidly confessing that, Hestia thought.
If Mob gets exhausted and dies, he would surely be reborn as a Death Knight.
The Mob=Death Knight resurrection theory firmly taking root in her mind, the 981 class student expedition, led by Hestia, entered the realm of masters in search of the Flying Skeleton.
