<974 – Experience Points Doubled (11)>
Jiang was generously listening to the conversation between Irene and Oknodie.
As his best friend, he could always chat with Oknodie, but when would Irene, who seemed ready to sell her soul for the Northern Expedition, get a chance to talk to Oknodie?
If there’s something to say, now’s the time to spill it all.
But the conversation wasn’t normal.
Jiang doubted his own ears.
“Singing is as if a born male has shed his gender and become a female; gender has no restrictions.”
“Absolutely! The torch of a true man. Strength defined by actions! To enter my mansion, you need at least that level of masculinity!”
What’s this about singing? Becoming a woman?
There’s only one woman related to sing here.
Sing’s sister, Sia.
“That’s a lie. How is that a male body?”
The hair, cut short, was longer than a male’s but shorter than a female’s, harmonizing with sharp jawlines.
The face bore distinct features, with smooth, delicate skin.
The shoulders looked broad and although the chest wasn’t large, the waist was sculpted, with an 11-pack abs showing through a fitted cheongsam.
Even the hip line under the side-slit cheongsam was not something men could possess.
If that’s a man, he’s a born female genius; how on earth could he be called a male?
There was even confirmation that he was wearing a thong, with nothing peeking out.
Then he would have to have some bulge down there.
Despite peering closely, there was no hint of anything protruding between his legs.
“I don’t believe it.”
Jiang lightly brushed Sing’s exposed thigh with his hand.
He knew that men are sensitive to stimulation.
Still, nothing happened down there.
“D-Don’t do that.”
Didn’t feel anything?
No, no.
His face was red and his breath hot.
An assassin’s senses can detect even the slightest change in breath.
And look at that ‘upstairs.’
There was something distinctly present, protruding right from the chest area.
Every movement to cover and the tensing shoulders spoke volumes.
“Where does that look like a man? You’re not making things difficult for Sing, are you?”
Irene stared at Jiang and Sing with a mysterious expression, not revealing what she was thinking.
Irene felt a peculiar sense of sadism from Sing’s indescribable expression.
But she didn’t want to make it any worse for him.
“…Indeed. I must have been mistaken for a moment. I’m sorry, sis.”
“It’s okay.”
“See? People can be so nice. If it were Sing, he would have drawn a knife and charged right away.”
Jiang’s data on Sing was stuck back when he had gone missing from the academy.
“Silent, rude, always has a cold voice saying, ‘Don’t touch me. Don’t come near me. I’ll kill you.’ That was him.”
“…”
“Oh, is that too much to say in front of my sister? But it’s all right. He doesn’t even kill civilians incapable of controlling mana. He just strikes.”
Oknodie and Irene looked like they were having a blast, while Sadi Chocolate showed great curiosity about Sing’s past.
Of course, her interest, being someone who manipulates and destroys countless individuals, wasn’t necessarily good news.
“But I actually had a good impression of him. Maybe because we’re on the same side of killing people. When it comes to dealing with enemies that should be killed, there’s no mercy in his hands, so it feels straightforward.”
“So…?”
“Well, I thought a guy like that could be dated. He’s close with Oknodie, just like I am. He probably has a similar way of seeing people.”
Sia, or rather Sing, had very complicated feelings.
What a surprising shock it is to hear from a female classmate that she could have dated him while mistaking him for someone else.
Such expressions of fondness could spark curiosity and feelings that weren’t there before.
Oknodie covered her mouth with both hands as Irene covered Oknodie’s mouth again with hers.
It was a strong expression that she wanted to put cold water on this delightful event.
“But it’s probably impossible now.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s not around, not in the academy. Not in this world.”
“…not in this world?”
“Chances are, he’s dead.”
Jiang felt a mix of irritation thinking about someone described as dead, yet part of him reflected on how he, as a male, might have died and been reborn as a female—maybe it wasn’t entirely wrong.
“Well, he said he was going to come back to his hometown to gain strength for revenge against his younger sister. If he’s gone, it means he may have left to gain the strength for revenge and if there’s no news, he must have failed and died.”
“…”
“Did you come to find Sing, sis? Or to deliver such news?”
Jiang’s indifferent yet calm assassin’s gaze peered into Sia’s eyes.
Seeing that gaze, Sing, transcending gender, sensed the underlying concern of a killer seeing kin in Jiang.
Though he had assumed everyone else was male, perhaps that wasn’t the case over there.
It wasn’t a bad feeling.
“Our family faced extermination. I survived by sheer luck and heard that Sing headed west, so I traveled a long way.”
Relief flickered across Jiang’s face.
He understood what she feared.
Going by the current situation, Jiang must have heard all about Sing’s past from Oknodie.
If so, he’d have learned that Sing’s family was dead, saving for his younger sister, and that the one who had bowed to the Eastern powers while working as their assassin to retrieve his sister ended up losing her as well.
In Sing’s tale, ‘sister’ did not exist.
A being that was alive yet almost as good as dead.
And of discord.
Imagining that would reasonably lead to some concern.
Sing dispelled such worries.
Could it be that his consideration was acknowledged?
A look of relief could now be seen on Jiang’s face too.
While the change wasn’t particularly pronounced, an assassin could recognize it.
Even under the same emotionless facade, there is a degree of expression.
There’s a difference between heavy and light expressions.
At this moment, Jiang was wearing an expression stripped of a heavy burden, a neutral blankness.
“I didn’t know Jiang had such a keen interest in Sing!”
“The number of kindred spirits among assassins is few.”
“Sia isn’t indifferent to Jiang either, it seems.”
“Since she’s my sister’s friend, I worry about her.”
Friend’s friend.
Though they were in a somewhat awkward relationship, they now felt more willing to meet together.
Jiang and Sing.
Two people they thought wouldn’t form a bond found synergy.
Who feels the most overwhelmed by this sight?
Jiang?
Sing?
Irene?
Sadi Chocolate?
None of them.
It’s none other than Oknodie, who had watched them for a long time through multiple encounters.
“Ding-ding! Unique party combination!!!”
There’s a gimmick to party formation at the Gift Academy.
If students whose synergy aligns form a party, special effects are granted.
While the students themselves might notice specific numbers or buffs, it’s that unconscious feeling of ‘something just clicks.’
A party special buff that only players can recognize.
It’s not easy to gather buffs merely based on similar occupations.
Dorothy and Rockbell.
Only when you reach the chemistry of Childhood Friends who survived together in the Monster Woods is such a special buff granted.
And now.
Jiang and Sing’s bond had gained ‘qualification.’
Through achieving a minimum mutual ‘understanding’ enough to grant a party special buff, their synergy effect was triggered.
Oknodie’s high Insight function sensed this, and the name of their synergy combination was the Lonely Understanders.
But that description is a bit sad.
━━━
Lonely Understanders
[Description: When all party members have a social skill total of 10 or less and happen to understand each other, the Lonely Understanders synergy effect is activated.]
[Effect 1: All negative effects given to party members gain resistance of (10 × Understanding) points.]
[Effect 2: If there is a gap of over 1000 points in functionality among party members, they gain (20 × Understanding) points of temporary functional experience.]
━━━
When lonely outcasts connect, their sincerity enables genuine understanding of one another without malice or bias—the synergy effect of those who grasp each other’s truth!
Moreover, this function doesn’t only permit understanding in the same fields.
Even between entirely different areas, even if the functional experience gap exceeds 1000 points, as long as there’s heartfelt understanding towards the other, a set amount of functional experience points are granted in that field.
“A cheerful rebellion party of outcasts!”
This one was bound to grow.
Oknodie shouted excitedly.
“Both of you are wrapped up in concern for Sing, so I can’t help but assist! Sing is dead, but the chance for revenge is very much alive! To go back to the Eastern Empire for revenge, you need to increase your experience in Swordsmanship more than ever! That’s when this here frame is the perfect recommendation!”
Oknodie proudly lifted a massive frame with one hand.
But at that moment, a ghost version of Fake Lin that had been hiding in Oknodie’s ring suddenly popped out.
“Huh? Why’s that thing showing up in front of others?”
But our little one isn’t a person, so that should be fine!
Despite Oknodie’s vague sense of security, the look in Fake Lin’s eyes was definitely threatening.
With a triangular glare at Oknodie, she looked comedic, much like an angry dog right before biting.
And she had every right to be upset.
Fake Lin had survived by clutching onto the identity of Sing’s younger sister.
How do you think she felt hearing Sing declared dead right in front of her?
Without a second thought, Oknodie grabbed her framework while thinking she might help hold it up.
Poised awkwardly to lift the frame, it was already too late when Oknodie felt something was off.
Lin’s sharp teeth clamped down on Oknodie’s hand.
“Ack!”
Oknodie screamed as she dropped the frame.
Boom!
“!!!!”
Oknodie, who got stepped on by the massive frame, let out a soundless scream.
It wasn’t a trusted axe, but getting stomped by a trusted Lin certainly hit hard.
