Episode 27 Cube of Life (1)
thursday.
During a break between classes, Shin Byeong-cheol was called out to the hallway.
“Why, what’s going on?”
“I told you about the prospects last time.”
“Uh, why is that?”
“There’s a promising druid on the guild side. What class is he in?”
“Ah~ Park Na-ri? She’s in the class right next door. She’s over there.”
I took a quick peek into Class 2 and saw a timid-looking female student sitting in her seat.
While other students gather in groups of three or five and chat, he stands alone, like an isolated island, playing with the cat on his desk.
If you wave a ballpoint pen in the air, the cat will repeatedly hit the tip of the pen as if it were a sandbag.
According to Shin Byeong-cheol, that timid-looking girl is the most promising prospect in the guild union, Park Na-ri.
The palm-sized cat on the desk is actually a tiger with a shrinking spell.
As I briefly fixed my gaze on Park Na-ri, Shin Byeong-cheol’s eyes gradually narrowed and a sinister smile appeared on his lips.
“Why, are you interested? Should I call you?”
“No. You don’t have to call me.”
‘You just have to make them come.’
This distance should be sufficient.
I took out the [Cube of Life].
Shin Byeong-cheol expressed his curiosity when he saw the box that resembled a small jungle.
“Hey… … . What is that? It seems like a really valuable item.”
“Later. For now, you have to act with me a bit.”
“Acting. When we talk about acting, we can’t leave out Shin Byung-chul. What should he do?”
As I opened the cube cover, a refreshing green wave spread out.
The inside is, of course, empty.
“Let’s say there are some really interesting things in this box.”
“It’s true. I could look at it all day and not get tired of it.”
“oh!”
A schoolgirl’s single cry was heard from behind.
Most likely it will be Park Na-ri.
He grabbed Shin Byeong-cheol, who was trying to look back, and turned his head back to its original position.
“Don’t look back.”
“… … Aha. I got it.”
He seems to have half-observed my intentions and focuses on his acting.
Even if you call it acting, it’s nothing more than staring intently into an empty cube.
Hold that position for a few seconds.
– Thump, thump,
Something small tapped my leg.
I looked down and saw Park Na-ri’s cat resting its front paw on my leg.
It is the size of a kitten, but if you look closely at its body pattern, it is closer to a tiger.
Shin Byeong-cheol, who discovered it a little late, was startled.
“Huh? When did he get here?”
‘As expected.’
A unique wave emitted by the Cube of Life.
Animals tend to react more sensitively to these things than people.
This is especially true for spirits that have accumulated mana in their bodies over a long period of time.
I sensed the waves from afar and expected them to come closer.
If I watch you approach, I’ll just become more wary, so I pretend not to see you until you touch me first.
When the cat met my gaze, it placed one of its front paws on my leg and pointed to the Cube of Life with its other front paw.
I asked while gently shaking the cube,
“What is this?”
“Meow.”
He let out a short cry as if confirming his opinion.
I bent my knees and squatted down to level the cube with the cat.
The cat lifted the cover slightly and crawled inside.
Inside, he curls up and grumbles contentedly.
‘You’ve really paid the rent.’
They say cats have a habit of being obsessed with boxes, but is it the same for tigers?
“No, you can’t do that!”
Park Na-ri runs out of breath, chasing her pet tiger.
I deliberately made an awkward expression on my face.
Park Na-ri started by apologizing repeatedly.
“Hey, that’s, sorry. I’ll take you right away!”
I tried to gently coax the closed cube of life,
“Beom-ah, let’s go quickly. You shouldn’t go in a place like that.”
The cat seemed very pleased with its new resting place.
As Park Na-ri opened the lid halfway, a small front paw popped out from the gap and slapped my hand away.
I tried a couple more times, but failed again.
I said with an embarrassed look on my face.
“I have to go to class now. I wish you would take me with you.”
“… … I’m really sorry.”
Park Na-ri apologized again with a sad face.
He took a deep breath, opened the Cube of Life wide, and put both hands in to grab the cat.
A cat that bites the hand that holds it without mercy.
‘Hey, you’re really dirty.’
However, it doesn’t bite sincerely, and it doesn’t raise its claws when it hits the hand, so it seems like it is communicating with its owner in some way.
Anyway, I caught it, so now I just need to get it out.
“… … !”
In that moment, Park Na-ri’s movements suddenly stopped.
A look of surprise crosses his face, which had previously looked timid.
Let’s take a quick look at the cube in a little more detail.
‘You noticed.’
The life energy that best suits the Druid.
Even from afar, she could sense that it was something out of the ordinary, but now that she had put her hand in and made contact with the cube, she was certain that it was unlike any item she had ever encountered.
“… … .”
However, Park Na-ri erased her surprised expression and took the cat out as if nothing had happened.
The cat struggled, but seemed to give up as he held on tightly.
Park Na-ri apologized to me again.
“I’m sorry, he has a habit of going into boxes whenever he sees them… … .”
“That could be the case.”
I look around the classroom in front of me and ask cautiously.
“By any chance, class 3… … right?”
“uh.”
“Oh, I see. Anyway, sorry.”
Park Na-ri kept apologizing until the end and ran away to her class.
I think this situation must have been quite uncomfortable, because his expression became much more relaxed after he sat down at his desk.
‘I’ve done some propaganda.’
Very naturally.
Now that I have personally confirmed that the [Cube of Life] is a great item, Park Na-ri will begin to investigate me, its owner.
In the process, this work will also be included in the Nature Club.
That’s where it starts.
“Wow… … . It’s the first time I’ve seen ‘Beom-i’ do something like that.”
It might be difficult for Shin Byeong-cheol to understand.
Even though it is a life-type item with a high affinity with spirits, how can Park Na-ri’s cat, or rather tiger, crawl into the box without any hesitation?
“What kind of item is it that you like so much? Even at first glance, it seems like there’s something to it.”
“It’s a good item.”
Enough to make the four major powers’ prospects covet it.
Before Shin Byeong-cheol’s barrage of additional questions began, he placed the Cube of Life in his inventory.
And then he changed the subject.
“Anyway, thanks to you, it went smoothly. You’re a good actor.”
“Hey, this isn’t even acting. But if you really appreciate it, why don’t you buy me a meal? I’d be grateful.”
“I’ll buy you some food later, and I’ll give you some information that might be helpful.”
“Information? What is it?”
“Whatever’s in your inventory, leave it in your room tomorrow.”
Because tomorrow is Friday of the first week.
Shin Byeong-cheol flinched for a moment, but answered with a smile still on his face.
“Hey, hey, if someone hears that, they’ll misunderstand. They must think I’m carrying around some dangerous stuff, but I’m not that kind of person.”
“Well, if it weren’t for you, then no. Just think of me as talking nonsense.”
“… … .”
– ♪♬♩♪♪
Since class had started, I walked into the classroom.
Leaving behind Shin Byeong-cheol, whose expression had become strange.
Will Shin Byeong-cheol leave the ‘items’ in his room tomorrow?
no.
He’s not the type of person to listen to other people well.
* * *
Friday morning.
I got up and sent a message to the calligrapher.
[Kim Ho: Wake up?]
[Calligrapher: Uh-huh]
[Calligrapher: (nodding puppy emoticon)]
[Kim Ho: Want some rice?]
[Calligrapher: Okay]
[Kim Ho: In front of the student cafeteria]
Go Hyun-woo would have set up shop in the special performance studio, no matter what.
He is so focused on building up his internal energy that he only eats snacks like Byeokgokdan or calorie bars, so even if you call him to eat breakfast with him, he won’t come.
So this morning, I ended up having breakfast with the calligrapher.
“… … .”
The calligrapher, perhaps because he has a small mouth, put down his fork after eating half of the omelet.
He watches me eat as he slowly takes off the few hash browns that are left.
When I raised my gaze, gray eyes were staring at me blankly.
Then, out of the blue, he asks this.
“Is there anything you want?”
“……suddenly?”
“If you receive something, you must also give something.”
“who?”
“Our butler.”
“… … .”
I guessed that she would be from a wealthy family based on the level of equipment, but she even has a butler.
If you gave me an item in return for teaching me the magic bullet lesson, I had no reason to refuse.
I was starting to feel the need to gradually acquire them one by one.
Butler, I don’t know who you are, but you have a very kind heart.
I answered with a heartfelt thank you.
“I guess the thing I need most right now is movement speed. I wish I had a pair of shoes.”
“okay.”
“And by the way, have you finished all the interpersonal battles this week?”
“huh.”
The calligrapher held up three fingers to answer.
“3 wins?”
– Nod,
If you’ve completed all of the first week’s matches, you won’t be using any more gear this week unless something special comes up.
I asked a little cautiously.
“If you don’t use the transparent ghillie, could you lend it to me just this weekend?”
“good.”
I thought there was a good chance that he would refuse since it was somewhat rude to borrow someone else’s equipment, but the calligrapher accepted right away, dispelling my concerns.
Take out a well-made piece of clothing from your inventory and hand it over.
[Optical Camouflage Gilly Suit (B)]
▷Applying transparency (B)
▷Apply detection resistance (D)
▷Automatic durability recovery
‘It’s worthy of being a B-rank.’
Like the [Cube of Life], it is a high-grade item that is difficult for a freshman to even touch.
Stealth is basic, and [Detection Resistance] ignores the opponent’s detection skills to a certain degree.
Even if the item is not completely destroyed, it will automatically be repaired/repaired little by little [Durability Automatic Recovery].
“Thank you. I’ll write it neatly and return it to you.”
“Please give me another special lecture on magic bullets.”
“Okay, let’s try again next time.”
* * *
The teacher who taught monster ecology was an older woman who was called ‘Ms. Jo Ok-sun’ among the students.
As a veteran who spent half her life on battlefields teeming with monsters, Mrs. Cho Ok-soon was very knowledgeable about the ecology of monsters.
“—Therefore, there is a strong perception that goblins are beginner monsters. However, just as each of us is special and cannot be defined by the word “human” alone, there are special individuals among goblins. You will clash with them in various places in the future. For examples of clashes between goblin champions and sword masters, please refer to page 76 of the textbook—”
The fatal flaw of this class is that since it is a note-taking class, there is a lot of information that you have to cram into your head.
In addition, Mrs. Cho Ok-soon’s tone of voice is so slow and soft that just listening to it makes you feel drowsy.
The calligrapher has already succumbed to the pressure and fallen, and countless other students have also hung their heads.
The few survivors just stare at their watches, praying for class to end.
And finally, there are 5 minutes left.
Soon everyone will wake up as if they had never slept before and start running around chatting away energetically.
But this break will be an exception.
I turned my gaze to the front seat.
At some point, the seats of Song Cheon-hye and Han So-mi became empty.
Exactly, just the student leadership position.
‘Five minutes to go.’
The supporters eat it all
