Chapter 137 : Return (3)
Return (3)
It's Jeros, who discarded the Silver surname and became Whitefang.
He was now a Little Fang of the White Fang, a squire.
Now, the reason for his disappearance from Granfen was definite.
'It was to be promoted to squire.'
In other words, it meant he had become fifth rank relatively recently.
The secret to that was probably,
'Because of the buff from my food.'
Just like how our army's officers had gotten stronger.
On top of that, Jeros had even received the additional buff from [Regular Customer].
Since a guy with superior talent got even better buffs,
'It must have been even easier for him to reach fifth rank.'
At this point, it seemed I'd figured out why Jeros's intimacy kept rising.
Since I could feel his emotion while using 'VIP'.
'He was grateful to me.'
It was both unpleasant and strangely intriguing.
Unknowingly, the edge of my lips curled up.
But now wasn't the time to be distracted by such trivial emotions.
I had to organize everything I'd learned through Jeros's field of vision.
First,
'Sovereign Gillierm is alive and well.'
Dark gray hair.
A full, angular beard covering the entire chin.
A gaze so intense it sent chills down your spine.
Especially, the force radiating from his entire body was extraordinary.
I was seeing him in person for the first time, but the one sitting on the throne was definitely Gillierm.
That was where my doubts arose.
'Why did he let his half-brother, the battalion commander, live?'
What was the reason Gillierm reigned as the absolute ruler of the North Duchy?
It wasn't just because he held absolute power.
It was because of his inherently cruel personality and his absolute nature that left no threats behind.
From what I remembered as a stagnated player, Gillierm had never left his brothers alive.
'Hmm, maybe?'
To be honest, it might be that I skipped so much dialogue that I just don't remember.
Anyway, what was important was that the Gillierm of this world was perhaps slightly different from the one I knew.
And what mattered even more was,
'Depending on Gillierm's decisions, the fate of Granfen could be decided.'
Unconsciously, I swallowed a dry gulp.
If the knight order watching Jeros's promotion were to attack Granfen as a group?
'Plerine's intervention and everything else would be over.'
Of course, the likelihood of such an event was low.
Granfen's position wasn't so remarkable that they'd go to such an extreme.
However,
'It's not a 0% chance.'
I needed to prepare for the worst.
No matter how much I prepared, this was a world where unexpected variables could threaten my life.
So, I couldn't help but reach this conclusion.
'I can't remove Jeros from the [Regular Customer] list.'
I had to keep using 'VIP' to monitor the trends of both White Fang and the Sovereign.
It was essentially an incredibly powerful perk with low risk and high return.
No wonder he'd demanded 100 Recognition for it.
'Now that I think about it, it feels incredibly cheap.'
If only the cooldown wasn't 28 days, it would be even more useful.
The cooldown felt excessively long.
That's why I needed to use it carefully.
If by chance I used it while Jeros was in the bathroom or sleeping, it'd be a complete waste,
and I'd have to wait another 28 days.
It was best used at the right moment to get valuable information.
'But now, this only makes my head hurt again.'
I'd been planning to free Jeros's spot and fill it with Lantz and Hank,
but now I could only fill one of them.
"Mmm."
A moan escaped my lips before I realized it.
Choosing between the two definitely had its pros and cons.
If I gave it to Lantz, I could expect a noticeable buff effect.
'Since Lantz is friendly towards me, he'll probably get more buffs, and besides, Lantz is stronger than Hank to begin with.'
On the other hand, if I gave the additional buff to Hank, it would help his recovery.
In that case,
'Let's put Hank in for now.'
For the time being, I'd give more buffs to help Hank's recovery, and once his body was better, I could switch to Lantz.
That line of thought made me suddenly wonder:
'Could I add someone back in after removing them?'
If I could add someone back in without cost after taking them off [Regular Customer],
I could just remove Jeros and add him again when needed.
"That would be amazing if it works."
Mumbling to myself, I registered Platoon Leader Dien Groove in slot [3] again and pressed.
〈 Remove from Regular List? (Cost: 5pt) 〉
Now I had more than enough points.
I coolly deleted Dien,
then checked the registration list again by pressing slot [3],
"Huh?"
Dien Groove's name was still there, right after Lantz and Hank.
'Why hasn't it disappeared?'
For a moment I thought things were just going too smoothly, I muttered to myself to get a grip on the slackening reins.
"Don't let your guard down. Doubt to the end."
Don't forget—the perk given by the gods, my system, was unfriendly and ruthless.
Immediately, I tried to register Dien Groove again,
"Damn."
A sigh of regret escaped me.
〈 Re-register to Regular List? (Cost: 2 Emotion) 〉
Of course. When have things ever gone my way so easily?
'Unless necessary, don't consider deletion.'
There was a reason the first [Regular Customer] removal cost only 5pt.
Looking up, I muttered to the tent ceiling instead of the sky.
"Oh gods. Why did you make this system like this!"
If you're going to give me a power, then do it properly! — Of course, I didn't actually say that part out loud.
"Haa."
The logical conclusion was, once you remove someone from [Regular Customer], it's very difficult to re-register them, so I should choose carefully.
Regrettably, though I had plenty of points, I only had one 'Emotion' left.
And that,
'Was the one Ralph gave me.'
Wearing a bitter smile, I opened the [shop window] for the first time in a while.
[Shop Window]
〈Held Points〉
[Satisfaction : 2,239] x 1pt
[Recognition : 826] x 10pt
[Emotion : 1] x 300pt
└ ▶ Nagel Ralph
----------
〈Available Items for Purchase〉
[Rice (150g) : 1pt]
.
.
.
I'd received more Satisfaction and Recognition than I could count so far,
but only two Emotions.
Harper and Ralph.
So, spending 2 Emotion was an enormous cost,
worth far more than a simple 300pt.
Besides, [shop window]'s purchases weren't the only use; I could also view major memories.
As I thought about this, my eyes fixed on one word.
└ ▶ Nagel Ralph
Who'd have thought the first Emotion since Harper would come from Ralph.
Feeling this complicated emotion, my thoughts were busy running the numbers.
'I have to hold back.'
There was no need to look through Ralph's major memories now.
Ralph was gone; there would be no tangible gain for me in reviewing his memories.
It would be best to save it and use 'Emotion' if a relevant perk appeared later.
But,
"......"
Still, I couldn't bring myself to close this now-pointless [shop window].
― Thanks, Ian.
It still felt like Ralph's last words lingered in my ears.
― Because of you, I was happy, and I could get closer to my dream."
― Achieve your dream.
The brother big-jaw who, until the end, told me to 'hustle'.
Not only me, but many of his subordinates genuinely cherished and liked him.
He was more than someone we trusted and depended on—he radiated a deeply human air.
What could have been the most important memory in that man's life?
If I saw it, maybe
'Could I become someone like Ralph?'
In the end, I decided to choose between the two options.
Should I save the Emotion point Ralph had given me for the future?
Should I review Ralph's life and learn from it to grow as a person?
"......"
My expression was probably very composed.
I was suppressing my personal feelings as much as possible right now.
I was busy being as logical as I could.
That's how precious the Emotion point was,
and how much it could impact things, depending on how it's used.
After much thought, I finally decided,
"This is right."
Muttering to myself for reassurance, I raised my finger.
〈 Play Nagel Ralph's major memory? (Cost: 1 Emotion) 〉
I decided that using two Emotions just to re-register [Regular Customer] would be inefficient.
If I was careful with [Regular Customer] registration, I could avoid that outcome.
Plus, it's possible I might get additional slots through quests in the future.
On the other hand, using an Emotion to view a major memory could teach me Ralph's leadership as a hyung.
To begin with, major memories from Emotion played 'content meaningful to the perk holder'.
In other words,
'With a single Emotion point, I could grow as a boss and acting battalion commander!'
I would soon live the life of a boss and a leader.
I was sure I wouldn't regret my choice, and inwardly shouted, 'Play it.'
〈 Playing Nagel Ralph's major memory meaningful to the perk holder. 〉
〈 Intimacy with Nagel Ralph will affect playback time. 〉
Huh? It says intimacy will be reflected?
I was still reeling from the sudden voice of the gods, the system audio,
"?!"
In an instant, my point of view dropped.
Unlike with Harper, it seemed to have jumped back to boyhood.
Looking around, it appeared to be a shabby swordsmanship training hall.
But,
'Why does it feel so vivid?'
Compared to Harper's Emotion memory,
even more than when looking through Jeros's field of vision earlier,
this was far more vivid.
While I was marveling at this,
"Nagel! What are you thinking about right now!"
A middle-aged man's voice suddenly called out, and I turned my head to the side... then froze.
Wait, am I
'Actually controlling the body myself?'
I was so dumbfounded that goosebumps crawled over my whole body, *smack!*
A thin switch struck my calf and I jumped.
"Wah!"
A young boy's voice, lacking even the cracks of puberty, came out of my mouth,
and, startled, I fell hard on my butt.
"What, what is this!"
I checked my body and my palms.
The body of a boy in his early teens, looking elementary school-aged.
But from the blisters and calluses on my hands, I could tell I'd wielded a sword for a long time.
"Your mind is very distracted, Nagel."
At the angry-sounding voice, I looked up.
There,
"Ral...ph?"
A man, the spitting image of Ralph with an enormous chin, looked down at me with a stern gaze.
"You need to get scolded more than usual today."
He sounded exactly like Ralph too.
The expression 'like peas in a pod' couldn't be truer—
'Why do I have to BE Ralph and get hit myself?'
Indignation exploded inside me.
Next time I meet the gods, I'll have to get one punch in.
*smack! smack!*
"Kghhh!!"
*
How wonderful would it have been if my journey into this world had been true possession and not just transmission.
I must have thought that a hundred, no, a thousand times a day.
'Like in every old third-rate web novel.'
If that were the case, I wouldn't have been so casually despised just for being an outsider,
and as long as I acted well, no one would have noticed I was possessed. Life would have been so much easier.
But,
'To think, they'd make me possess someone like THIS?'
The system and the gods constantly exceeded my imagination.
They showed me Jeros's location through field of vision, and now, for Ralph's major memory, they make me experience it directly!
"Shit."
The curse slipped out of my mouth without thinking,
and right away, the sharp eyes of Ralph's father, liam Ralph, shot toward me.
At least, he didn't come at me with a switch this time.
Because,
"One!"
"Two!"
I was with other students now,
and Nagel Ralph's father, 'Liam' Ralph, was the swordsmanship instructor teaching us.
Such an unbearably hard time.
― When I was a kid, the quack instructor at the hometown swordsmanship training hall—khak—told me I was a genius.
I remember what I said to Ralph in response.
― Damn... he really was a quack.
Damn it.