Chapter 67: Ch 67: Exhausting win
[Task 3 has concluded. All rewards will be processed to your inbox. Please check them before they expire.]
Everyone sighed in relief as the rodent-type monsters began to fall one by one. Not a single monster remained after two minutes and people collapsed due to exhaustion.
Rin felt sorry for them all, but the fact that no one had died made it worth celebrating despite the exhaustion.
Since it was safe now, Rin decided to stop using his skill to manage his exhaustion. He immediately felt his body grow heavier and his shoulders sagged.
’Ugh, I did not even realize how exhausted I was until now. Should I skip dinner and go to sleep?’
Rin’s thoughts were quickly interrupted by the bastard known as the system.
[User, why are you acting so tired? Did watching others work tire you out? Tsk, you should participate even more next time to not tarnish the name of the system.]
[You might not know this, but this system has become the laughing stock of the company now. Please be more active and prove these people wrong.]
The system was back with its bullshit. But those words did hit a nerve.
Rin had not done as much as others had this time. The real MVP of this task had been Reina and Amelia, who had passed out toward the end of the task after exceeding their limits.
And this happened even after they took potions to recover their stamina.
Thankfully, their recovery time was shorter compared to other hunters and they would be back in no time.
"Sir, are you going to give a speech to these people? Hearing something from you might make them feel better."
Collin asked and Rin initially wanted to decline. After all, who wants to hear someone talk when they are trying to relax.
But everyone immediately turned to look at him with expectant eyes and Rin felt pressured to speak up.
’Let’s keep my speech short. Everyone needs to eat dinner and then sleep.’
[User, opportunities like these don’t come often. Give a passion-filled speech and make your subordinates bask in your glory. Show the world the power of your tongue and-]
"Everyone, you did great. We all made it out of this task without any casualties and it was only possible because you all worked hard. Please continue to work hard in the future."
[-be the person to show them...User, are you finished with your speech? What a terrible speech. -10/10. Would not recommend listening to it again.]
The system sounded disappointed with Rin’s short speech, but Rin was satisfied. His people looked happy and some of them finally relaxed and fell asleep.
Rin let them relax and looked around for the executives. They were heading toward the kitchen to heat up the food and then serve it to the hungry people. Collin was helping coordinate the teams that wanted to help.
Teressa was knocked out along with Amelia and Reina. They had worked more than everyone else today and this rest was well-deserved.
"Albus, you should eat something and then head to sleep as well. Getting injured now won’t be a good thing."
Rin warned the hunter who was falling asleep while still standing. Albus looked shocked by his words, but he rubbed his eyes and stretched his body before heading toward his room without any complaint.
The mansion was silent but Rin still felt uneasy. He looked around but he did not spot the familiar head of pink hair anywhere.
Shelly was nowhere to be seen and Rin felt worried about her.
"I should check on her next."
Rin only took one step when the system decided to show up once more.
[User, aren’t you exhausted? You should rest for a while. You should allow that beast—I mean, user Shelly to calm down on her own. Why don’t you allow her to come to you first?]
The system did not understand Shelly as well as Rin did. If he allowed Shelly to have her way, then she would never speak about what was bothering her. She was someone who bottled her emotions up until they consumed her completely.
Rin wanted to prevent her from self-destructing so he shook his head and decided to head toward her room.
[User, please consider this a warning. If you ignore the system, then the system won’t be held accountable for anything that happens to you.]
[Hey user, let’s discuss this. How about an offer of a stat increase? You can gain 2 stat points if you decide to leave User Shelly alone. Think about this amazing offer.]
[User, please don’t ignore the system. The system is here for your benefit, trying to save your life. Think about the system’s feelings and turn back.]
[Tsk, fine~! If the user is so intent on ruining his life, then who is the system to stop him? Go for it, sir. But remember, you can’t blame the system later, alright? None of this is the system’s fault]
The system was sulking at the end. Rin felt sorry for ignoring its warning but his worry regarding Shelly made him disregard everything else.
He headed to her room and knocked at her door.
"Shelly, are you in there? Can I talk to you? You can turn me away if you are too tired—"
The door opened slightly and a hand reached out to grab Rin’s arm. He was pulled into the darkness before he knew it and his back hit something soft.
His eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the dim light and he looked up at Shelly’s flushed face.
Her cheeks were pink enough to match her hair and her purple eyes were shining with excitement, fear, happiness and so many other emotions.
"Shelly, are you alright-"
"Rin, I cannot calm down. Can you help me? Just holding me for a little while will do. Please!"
Shelly was begging Rin and seeing her shaking frame made Rin feel sorry for her. So he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her body closer.
It made the tension in Shelly’s body disappear and she pushed herself against him a little harder.
Sigh
Shelly still looked shaken and Rin did not blame her. She was soft-hearted and seeing too much fighting must have frightened her.
The system likely knew it and wanted Rin to stay away so it could push their development between Shelly and Albus.
’Ah, I should have listened to the system. I am a little worried that the bond between Shelly and the original MC is not forming as it should. Things could get much more dangerous at this rate.’
Unfortunately, Shelly did not like Rin’s distracted expression and decided to do something about it.