Chapter 14: 14 – Everyone’s Efforts

I was planning to have a chat with Yi Sungjin, Yi Seol-Ah, and Yun Seora when I got back. Thus, when I opened my room, I prepared myself to go over their training regime. However...

"I... can't let... Hyung down...!" Yi Sungjin spoke between irregular breaths, doing pushups against the floor.

"Must... not let... Mister Seol... be disappointed...!" Then there was Yi Seol-Ah shooting an arrow at a makeshift target between cartwheels.

And finally, there was Yun Seora. Unlike the others, she didn't speak. Still, she stood off in one part of the room, slowly swinging a sword around over and over, methodically and deliberately.

I blinked at the sight of the three and then let out a deep sigh. "...I appreciate the determination you all have, but couldn't you have waited a bit?"

"H-Huh?!" Yi Seol-Ah stumbled, crashing onto the floor after missing a cartwheel.

"Hyu- Oof!" Yi Sungjin collapsed, his arms giving out after losing concentration.

As for Yun Seora, her sword clattered against the ground and she turned to look at me, her eyes wide. "Mister Seol..."

I stared at the mess of the trio and shook my head. After a deep sigh, I waved my hand and said, "Come on. If you guys are serious about training, follow me."

xxx

"...You want me to train them, Mister Jihu?"

"Again, it's just Jihu, Claire. And can you?"

Agnes stared at the three standing behind me and frowned. "I can sense their determination... but it will not be simple. While you might be able to bear it, they-"

"It's fine. Since they're so stubborn, it should be alright if I do at least the same alongside them."

"...I suppose that's true."

The gym on the third floor. Specifically, a private area in that gym that cost a few thousand points to enter.

After scolding the three about haphazard training, I brought them over here to get their foundations sorted out. Well, I suppose that they were passable considering the effort the Yi siblings put in, but also considering the potential ripples that the future might hold...

Yi Sungjin bowed his head, saying, "Please, train us, Miss Agnes!"

Yi Seol-Ah did the same and said, "We'll go through anything!"

Yun Seora did as well. "Please."

Agnes looked at me and said, "There is only one month left. Even if I trained them the best I can, the lack of time-"

"Ah. Don't worry about that." I dug around my bag and pulled out a few dozen bottles of Competence, specially modified from my experiments and the VIP store. "I managed to get a hold of the special Competence for them. And there's a few of these too." I put the bottles back and then pulled out some vials of glowing liquid. "It's distilled so it won't immediately raise a grade now, but it should help in speeding progress even further, right?"

Agnes blinked and then frowned. "Are you certain? If you saved those-"

I waved my hand and said, "Don't worry about it. I figured out how they work, so I can always make some more later."

Agnes sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, no doubt staving off a headache at my ridiculous words. Considering she saw my status screen, she no doubt knew that I was telling the truth. But for the others...

"H-Hyung!" Sungjin looked up at me with watery eyes. "You...!"

Seol-Ah bit her lips. "To give so much to us..."

And Yun Seora. She lowered her gaze and muttered, "One day. I will... I will surely...!"

I waved off all of their words and said, "Don't feel too grateful. You're all in for a world of hurt pretty soon. If you really want to pay me back, grit your teeth and bear it, alright?"

A chorus of "Yes!" echoed back at me.

I handed the bag to Agnes, who took it with a blank gaze. After another sigh, she nodded and said, "If you're putting in this much effort, then I will do my best. However... What will you be doing?"

"Me?"

I rolled my shoulder and said, "Isn't it obvious? I'm going to be training too. And now that I've got pretty much all I wanted from the team missions... It's about time I trained my physique more."

xxx

Yi Seol-Ah blinked away her tears as she forced herself to go through another series of reps at the bench-press.

That maid, Miss Agnes, berated her and barely allowed her any time to rest. It was enough that Seol-Ah felt like she was going to drop dead any second.

But she couldn't. As for why...

"Just... one... more...!"

At the other side of the room, Mister Seol- No. Seol-nim. Covered in steel plates that weighed a literal ton, he was dragging along a sled filled with all the spare weights that weren't being used in the training room.

His eyes were bloodshot, his limbs were trembling, and the veins on his face looked like they were going to burst.

But he continued. Even through the effort that no ordinary person could persevere, he pushed forward. So...

"Haah...!" Yi Seol-Ah pushed through the last rep and racked the barbell on the holding dock.

"Mm." Seeing that, Agnes nodded her head. "Good perseverance. I can't praise the form, but that spirit is admirable."

Hearing that, Yi Seol-Ah smiled-

"Take a ten second break before we do it again."

-And then promptly frowned as her small victory was dashed by the reality of how much was left to go.

xxx

Agnes trained the three that Jihu brought her, pushing each to their limits. It was to an extent that an outsider observing them would wonder if she was torturing them instead of training them.

In some small way, Agnes would have agreed. Were it not for the supplies that Jihu brought her, such a routine would never have worked and only served to destroy their bodies.

Continuous reps with only a few seconds between each set. Continuous rotations to do a full-body workout. Cardio immediately after each set. Training both endurance as well as explosive movements...

Contradictory work out and contradictory regimes.

But it was possible because this wasn't Earth.

Agnes stared at the bundle of glass vials that Jihu left with her and frowned. "How did he get these...?"

They were divine elixirs and Competence that exceeded what could be found in the VIP shop.

Agnes had asked Cinzia if someone had snuck into the Neutral Zone, but it obviously wasn't the case. Their organization ran a tight ship, and it would have been immediately known if there was someone like that trying to make deals and sneak in merchandise.

But then that left only one last option: That Jihu truly obtained them himself.

Agnes wondered for a moment if they were hidden rewards from the missions... but that couldn't be either. The missions, while granting rewards in the terms of points, did not drop material goods. If it were otherwise, that would have been made known in the countless times it had been opened.

Furthermore, even if the gods wanted to specifically raise a particular survivor and make an exception... the items in the VIP store were those goods. It was the limit of what the divine could do without disrupting causality and drawing the attention of the Parasite Queen... or so Agnes heard when she inquired her patron god once.

Then...

"You look troubled, Claire."

Speaking of the devil...

Agnes looked up to see Jihu walk over, his torso bare. Because of the effort he had just gone through, it was glistening with sweat, emphasizing the sharp and defined muscles across his entire body.

For a brief moment, Agnes couldn't help but admire it. But she quickly caught herself and said, "I was just thinking about how you obtained these." She gestured towards the glass bottles.

"Ah." Jihu paused, as if wondering whether or not to tell the truth. After a moment though, he smiled and said, "Trade secret?"

"...If you are able to produce these, Jihu, we would be glad to welcome you to our organization."

It wasn't a lie. If Jihu truly was the source of those items, Agnes would surely be able to convince Cinzia to take him in. No, the truth would be that they would be willing to wage war against all the others to take him in at all costs.

Jihu laughed and said, "That'd be fun. I think I'd enjoy hanging out with the infamous Agnes... but I already made a promise beforehand, so I'll have to decline."

"If the problem is Kim Hannah or Sinyoung-"

Jihu shook his head. "No. It's not a forced obligation, but rather a personal vow. I gave my word to someone, you see? And I'm not one to go back on those who I gave it to."

Agnes sighed, realizing that. "...What a pity."

She truly did regret it. A man like him, if he could be with her-

Hm?

Agnes blinked, realizing the stray thought passing through her mind.

Thankfully, she didn't have time to dwell on it.

Jihu glanced over at the others and said, "How are they doing? Holding up well?"

Agnes nodded and looked over to her latest pupils.

The older sister of the pair of siblings, that Seol-Ah girl, was forcing herself through reps around the free weights. Squats, bench press, inclines, cleans... various free weight exercises to build up both her explosiveness and physique.

As an Archer, Agnes would have ordinarily made her do sprints and cardio... but that girl's aptitude was surprisingly well-rounded and suited for everything.

As for the younger of the pair, the male teenager wasn't quite as gifted as her sister. However, what he lacked in ability, he made up for in determination and adaptability. Whereas his older sister had to motivate herself to keep going, constantly looking to Jihu as a crutch, the young teen grit his teeth and quietly went through his training.

Since he was still growing, and since he could handle it, Agnes put him on an even stricter regime than his sister. As a warrior, the key to surviving would be endurance and stamina rather than speed, so she was having him do similar exercises to what Jihu had been doing earlier, moving around with weighted clothing while building up his cardio.

And then Yun Seora. If Yi Seol-Ah could be said to have no weaknesses, then Yun Seora could be said to have only strengths. While she was lacking due to her injuries and not being able to prepare as the other survivors, now that her arm had been healed and with the high morale as a result of a certain someone, she was quickly catching up.

Of course, that meant that she was undergoing strict training as well, and was currently practicing sword strokes in the corner with her right arm to rebuild its strength while wearing weighted clothing.

"...I suppose you could say that." After gathering her thoughts, Agnes turned back to Jihu and gave that answer. "I had doubts at first, but those three do have a great deal of potential."

Jihu nodded. "I thought as much."

"I do wonder though." Agnes frowned and said, "With your insight and training, you would be able to do just as much as myself, would you not? Why did you bring them to me instead?"

Jihu tilted his head and said, "Isn't it obvious? I felt bad that you couldn't really train someone properly to call as a successor, so I found some people who could. People already know that I was exceptional from the beginning, but those three? Since they've barely done any missions and haven't even gone around a lot, they're nobodies. But later on when they make a name for themselves..."

"...The success will be attributed to me." Agnes finished and frowned. "That is... surprisingly thoughtful of you."

"What, calling me dumb?"

"Of course not. However, I did not think you would be that considerate. And such a gesture was unnecessary." She smiled and said, "It was already an honor to instruct an exceptional person as yourself."

"Mm... Even so, it wouldn't settle well in my heart otherwise." A timer echoed.

Agnes blinked, confused at where it was coming from. And then she saw Jihu pull out his phone.

"Ah." He nodded and said, "That's enough rest for me. Now back to training." He waved at Agnes and said, "Keep up the good work, Claire! And thanks again for training them!"

With that, Jihu ran off to the corner and picked up his weighted armor before starting on a brisk jog. But not only that, he picked up a pair of dumbbells and balanced them on his fingers, using mana to keep them in place.

"...What a ridiculous man." Agnes shook her head at the sight of him and then turned her attention back to her latest pupils.

Well, if that person went out of his way to deliver such a gift to her, then she couldn't very well squander it now, could she?

xxx

A merciless training regime that could have been drawn from hell itself.

Weeks that blurred into one as Yun Seora struggled to keep up with the expectations of that harsh Miss Agnes.

It was enough to where even she shed a few tears. Tough times... but also enjoyable.

The stalled clock of her life that had stopped since the Tutorial when her arm was ruined. The frozen days that lost their colors since she tried and failed to advance.

Finally, finally it was beginning to move.

Long mornings of grueling training and tangible improvement. Peaceful meals that filled her stomach and tasted even better after that long effort. And then at night, a warm and relaxing bed that restored her stamina.

Such things were events that she could never even dream of- No, that she had given up on after entering the Neutral Zone. The fact that she could experience them every day and that she was swiftly growing stronger... It was like a hazy dream, one that she often wondered she would wake up from.

But she didn't. And after so long without waking up in that cold dark room with those cruel foreigners... she accepted it. That this was reality. And that she had a second chance.

[The personality trait, 'Resilient', has been created]

But most importantly...

"Come on, Miss Yun Seora." Seol Jihu let out a sigh and helped her over to her bed. "It's one thing to put in effort, but you shouldn't work yourself to exhaustion every day."

...That there was a person who cared for her and made this all possible. The one who saved her in her darkest times, not once, not twice, but three times. A man that she could never repay a debt to even if she spent her entire life. One who she could no longer get out of her mind even if she tried.

[The personality trait, 'Indifferent' has been removed]

The middle of the night. After Jihu helped Yun Seora into bed, he took up his usual sleeping area in the middle of the floor and tossed on a pair of sheets.

And, like usual, Yun Seora found herself turning over to stare at him.

Seol Jihu. Mister Seol... or as he insisted on them calling him now, just Jihu.

Objectively, he was a handsome man. With his perfectly chiseled body that could have depicted a god of war, his handsome face that put any pop idol to shame, as well as his confident and yet somewhat awkward air, Jihu was a man that would draw any girl's fancy.

The first time she saw him, she thought he was just another pretty face. A man with all muscles and no personality or brains. But seeing how he went through the Tutorial, witnessing how he sacrificed his benefits for others without hesitation... She had to quickly reevaluate him.

A man who could stand at the top of the world, but purposefully held himself back to prop others up.

The one who spent all of his hard-earned points for her sake and the Yi siblings.

The one who never forgot to encourage her and help her when she fell over from exhaustion.

The one who said he couldn't wait until they could do missions together after they finished the training.

And...

'Someone I'm grateful to.'

It was because of him that she could sleep in a luxurious place like this that washed away all of her fatigue with just a short rest.

It was because of him that she could take the high-grade competence every day along with that magical elixir that steadily improved her physique.

It was because of him that she didn't have to worry about starving ever again and could fill her tummy with delicious food instead.

While reluctant to accept it at first, after a point she began accepting his goodwill. The hesitance and awkwardness gradually faded and at the same time the sense of gratitude grew larger and larger.

But at the same time...

'Why is he helping us?'

The last unanswered question that burned a hole in her head.

Was it pity?

No. If that was the case, he wouldn't routinely turn down the people who asked him for handouts and party requests.

Did he sympathize with them?

It could be. But she had the sense that Jihu wasn't a man who would do something for someone just because he sympathized with them.

Then, could it be...?

'Because he's interested in me...?'

Her heart throbbed at the thought and then she spun around in her bed, pulling the pillow over her head.

No, no, no. That couldn't be true... Could it?

Unable to resolve the thought, she pulled the pillow away and stared back at Jihu.

The young man was fast asleep. Was it because he was with people he trusted or because he was that confident? Either way, Jihu was completely knocked out, almost like a corpse. Were it not for his steady breathing, it was possible to think that he had died.

Staring at his body, Yun Seora's heart throbbed and her mind went blank. She blinked and then forced herself to calm down. At the same time...

'Just a bit?'

She remembered the way his warm arms held her. She remembered the reassuring presence at her side that night. She remembered how he had such a bittersweet smile when looking at her...

And then she couldn't help it.

Carefully crawling out of bed, she snuck over to Jihu's side. At first, she reached out to his hand, but seeing that he didn't respond, she grew a bit bolder and hugged it. As she did...

'Eep!'

...He pulled her close, hugging Yun Seora against his chest like a pillow.

Yun Seora's heart thundered in her chest, unable to bear it. His face was directly in front of her own, eyes closed, of course, but so, so unbearably close.

The young woman felt her entire body heat up... but at the same time, she felt drowsy.

Right... it was like this.

That night when she thought the worst had come, he picked her up and held her close just like this.

So... it was fine.

Like that, Yun Seora gently closed her eyes.

xxx

I had a dream.

Was it my memories or 'his'?

In it, there was a kind young woman with lightly curled brown hair. A cheerful smile... that he had hurt far too much.

To escape it all, he ran away to a different world- No. He made a deal. A bet with his life at the stake. But as a result, he lost all that he ever held dear.

Another woman, more mature and kind. At first, an aloof beauty that was 'her' friend, but then someone that became 'his' comrade. And maybe even more than that.

But at the end. At the very end.

Failing to save his childhood friend. Failing to save the world. Failing to save even his own life, he-

xxx

I opened my eyes.

The first thing I noticed was that there was a beautiful young woman sleeping on top of me. A familiar one.

I blinked and then muttered, "Yun Seora?"

Was she having a nightmare again?

The bedsheets were a mess and it looked like she had crawled through the floor to cling onto me in her sleep.

I let out a sigh and carefully patted her head. "Sorry you had to go through that."

She was still fast asleep, so she couldn't have heard. But still, she shifted a bit and a faint smile crossed her face.

Seeing that, I nodded and then gently extricated myself from her grasp. Afterwards, I took a look around.

From the closed door in the corner, it seemed like the Yi siblings were still fast asleep. And from my smartphone, it was still extremely early in the morning, not even dawn yet.

Those three needed all the rest they could get between training, so I decided to leave them to their slumber and then exited the room.

xxx

"Haah."

A deep exhale. With it, the air shuddered around me as a vacuum swelled up, drawing in every free floating bit of energy it could. Light, heat, speed, mana... Even a few stray particles were ruthlessly ripped apart and drawn into my core.

But still...

"...Not enough."

I opened my eyes.

It was a beginner level mission. Easy. In truth, a class mission to get one to sense mana.

I took advantage of the extremely mana rich environment to try and build up my reserves, but it seemed like there wasn't enough 'substance' to the mana to actually contribute much. No, rather the energy that I had stored was too 'deep' to be filled by such 'shallow' mana.

In short, it was like trying to fill a water bottle with mist. Although it could technically fill up the space, there was still plenty of volume to pack more in.

After a few more minutes, I decided to call it quits and then end the mission.

In a flash, I returned to the mission board. When I did-

"Yo. You're up pretty early, Bro."

-A familiar voice called out to me. Hao Win. The Chinese Triad leader waved, munching down on some steam buns.

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"I could say the same to you... To all of you, actually." Looking around, I noticed that Odelette and the others had gathered again as well.

"Well we had to find *some* way to catch you!" Odelette said. "Between training with those other three and your ridiculous regime, we could barely find a time to even say hi!"

I paused, remembering how busy I'd been these past few weeks and nodded. "I suppose that's true."

Leorda stretched, the European man as impassive as ever, and then said, "We were hoping to do another mission with you. That is, if you would."

"Hm?" I frowned and said, "Didn't we all accumulate enough points?"

We had run through all of the Very Hard missions and cleaned them out. Although they had since restocked due to the demand, there shouldn't be any need to farm points.

Tong Chai sighed. "It is not a matter of points, but rather-"

Karna shook his head. "Cooperating with others is... inconvenient, Mister Seol."

"Ah."

I understood now. It must have been bothersome working with people who weren't as skilled.

"Hmph." Odelette tossed her hair and said, "Those people have no sense of shame. Asking me to join their party and then expecting me to do all of the work... If it was not for the fact that I have an image to uphold, I might have snapped and killed them like Jihu."

"Hey." I frowned and said, "Even if they seem like they deserve it, you can't just go around killing everyone who annoys you, Odelette."

Hao Win laughed and said, "That's right, Miss Delphine. Wait until we're out in Paradise at least. That way we can make it look more like an accident."

Tong Chai blinked. "Hm? You mean you haven't been leading annoying leeches to their demise?"

I sighed. "Just because you're a professional assassin doesn't mean you should do it, Tong Chai."

He shrugged. "I have to keep the skills sharp somehow."

"Anyway!" Odelette said. "How about we do a very hard mission today and then have some breakfast? It's been a while since we've hung out and I missed everyone!"

"I don't see why not."

There wasn't much I could do with the three at the moment while they were still going through the training arc, so I might as well.

"Yahoo!" Odelette pumped her fists in the air and said, "Then... Let's do this one!" She pointed to a mission similar to the Orc mission I did a while back. Whereas the first one was to survive the orc invasion, this one was to capture their camp.

I shrugged and said, "Fine by me."

xxx

"You know, Bro." Hao Win spoke up while cutting down an orc soldier beside me. "I noticed that you never upgraded your equipment."

Odelette blasted a group of charging horseman with shards of ice and then nodded. "That's right. Is your situation with points still that bad, Jihu?"

"No. I just haven't had a need to get new equipment."

Leorda shot down a group of archers in the distance and then shifted his attention to me. "No need? Even one as skilled as yourself surely requires upgraded equipment at some point."

Tong Chai nodded, the professional assassin saying, "Every warrior must take care of his equipment as he does himself. Failure in preparation at a critical moment would mean your death."

"They're right!" Odelette waved a sapphire studded staff and said, "See? Even I bought some new equipment!"

Karna chimed in and said, "It is not wise to tempt fate, Leader."

A row of charging spearmen. I drew my Retractable Blade and cut them all down.

Not even a single one survived.

With that done, I turned around to my party to emphasize my point. And then, as if to detract from it, the Retractable Blade snapped in half and the handle cracked.

Hao Win laughed. "See, Bro?" He placed his arm around me and said, "Look, I know you want to look good in front of your woman and those kids, but a man has to do what a man has to do in order to be prepared too."

"I know. But I don't need to buy a weapon."

Tong Chai sighed and said, "Mister Jihu. You cannot be saying that you are planning to fight with your bare hands. As skilled as you might be-"

I sighed and placed the damaged Retractable Blade away. After that, I shrugged off Hao Win's arm and walked forward. "It'll be better to just show you."

"Bro?"

A towering orc champion charged, wielding a two-handed metal mace. Seeing me step forward unarmed, it sneered and then jumped, bringing its steel weapon around to smash me into bits.

"Jihu!" Odelette started to cast magic.

At the same time, I heard Leorda and Tong Chai nock their arrows.

"Don't act. Just watch."

After saying that, I threw my hand out, grabbing the hilt of a sword that didn't exist.

The orc champion fell down, moving faster than gravity through some innate skill.

As for me-

"Bind."

I swung my arm.

A beautiful sound, like the purest crystal bell.

Accompanying that clear note, a transparent blade emerged in my right hand.

The orc champion noticed the sudden blade in my hand and widened its eyes, trying to avert its trajectory. But it was too late.

Another sound, this one a soft *shnick* like the sound of shorn paper.

With it, the orc champion fell apart, landing on either side of me as bisected halves.

I flicked my new weapon to get rid of the blood and then turned around to my party members- No, my friends.

"See?"

Silence.

And then Odelette pointed at me and said, "I! Want! THAT!"

xxx

The usual restaurant on the eighth floor. After convincing Odelette that it wasn't a spell that I could teach her (a hard feat to accomplish), we went back to grab some lunch.

Hao Win downed a can of beer and said, "Damn, Bro. You always have another trick up your sleeve, don't you? First the magic, then your combat knowledge, and now you can make weapons out of thin air?"

"Mana, but essentially yes."

"...It's a damned good thing your Invitee is Ms. Foxy." Hao Win cracked open another beer and said, "I'd be worried for you if she wasn't. Forget that Sung whatever guy in the past, if word got out on even half of what you could do, I bet those fancy organizations would be tripping over themselves to try and recruit you."

Tong Chai nodded. "Indeed." His face became unusually stern and said, "I would be cautious in the future, Mister Jihu. While I am certain that we are all comrades here and appreciate your talents, others may not be so courteous."

Leorda nodded as well and said, "I agree with Tong Chai. Until you become stronger still, I would hide your abilities. The saying that a knife in the dark is stronger than a sword in the light is an adage because of the truth in it."

Karna sighed. "If I could but offer you some protection, Mister Jihu. The most I can is some blessings along your path." With that, the Indian priest made a small prayer.

I shook my head and said, "Thanks for the concern guys, but I know my limits. Besides, even if I do end up dying here, it isn't the end of the world." I smiled and said, "One of you guys will just have to get big enough to grab me back on Earth and reinvite me. Easypeasy, right?"

Hao Win shook his head. "Only you, Bro. Only you."

Odelette nodded. "Such ambivalence in the face of death... So cool!" She looked at me and said, "Are you suuure you don't want to-"

"No thanks. I made a promise already."

"Haah." Odelette sighed and pouted.

"Right." Hao Win looked to me and said, "Speaking of promises. How far have you gone with that girl, Bro?"

"Ooh!" Odelette leaned forward and said, "That's right! How's the romance coming along?"

"Romance?" I blinked and then shook my head. "I think you're misunderstanding something..."

Hao Win leaned back and said, "Come on, Bro. We're all friends here! No need to be shy." He grinned and said, "Tell us. Did you do, 'it' yet? The slurp slurp?"

"...What?"

"You know!" Hao Win pointed at Odelette's chest and then made a cupping gesture with his hands. "Slurp!"

I sighed and said, "No, we haven't done anything like that. In fact..." I paused and said, "She's been acting a bit strange recently."

"Oh?" This time, Tong Chai leaned in. "How so?"

"Well... recently, I've been waking up to find her curled up in my arms."

A high-pitched squeal echoed to my left. I looked to see Odelette flushed red.

She looked at me with sparkles in her eyes and said, "And, and?!"

"And... I usually tuck her back into bed before leaving?"

"Oh come on, Bro!" Hao Win threw his hands in the air and said, "A man should know when to push a girl down!"

"Right!" Odelette nodded. "Taking the charge... Even pushy girls don't like it as much, you know?"

I rolled my eyes and said, "Anyway... I think it's gotten pretty serious. You see, this morning I woke up to find her directly on top of me-"

"Eeeek!" Odelette screamed and then started fanning her face, hiding a bright blush.

Hao Win looked at me and said, "Don't tell me you tucked her back into bed, Bro. If you did, I'm seriously going to go around and tell people that you're gay."

I frowned. "You two..."

"And?"

I blinked at the abrupt and curt voice.

Tong Chai looked at me, his gaze expectant. "What happened next?"

"...Sorry?"

He paused and said, "...Ah. Understood."

Before I realized it, 100 points had been credited to my name.

"..."

"Well?"

I coughed and said, "The... The timing wasn't right, so I decided to wait until a bit later?"

Groans echoed across the table.

I just let out an internal sigh that I managed to get past that one.

xxx

"Wow, Boss." Hyun Sangmin gave me a once over and said, "You really changed a lot."

I looked at him and said, "I could say the same to you."

Since it was nearing the time that Yun Seora and the Yi siblings finished up their training, I thought it would be best to find them some people to show them the ropes.

Of course, I could do it as well, but my insight told me that they were all still being dependent on me. That wouldn't be good in the long run, so I sought out my two other comrades who managed to strike it out on their own.

A table on the third floor, a sort of mall area near a water fountain.

I sipped on a soda and glanced at the two across from me.

Hyun Sangmin, my self-proclaimed subordinate. Since the last time I saw him, he managed to put on a fair amount of muscle. Not only that, but he had upgraded his steel sword and shield to some fancy looking dark metal. Of course, he still had his trademark green baseball cap on.

The other person was Shin Sang-Ah. Like Hyun Sangmin, she had changed a lot. As her class was a Priest, she seemed to have found plenty of opportunities to grow due to the high demand since she was wearing a pure white robe that I remembered seeing on sale for at least a few thousand points. Of course, she also had the mana blade I made for her sheathed at her side. Though it was interesting to note that it had changed colors a bit, shifting from the pure crystal hue it had to a soft light blue.

Shin Sang-Ah nodded as well and said, "It's been a while." She laughed and said, "You really are a busy person, Mister Seol."

"I could say the same to you. It seems you're doing well."

Shin Sang-Ah shook her head. "It's really thanks to you for that, Mister Seol." She tapped her blade and said, "Being a priest is valuable enough, but it's not often you find one that can fight, you know? Not only that... but this sword is a really good medium for casting spells. It's like a staff... But I can cut stuff with it." She paused and said, "Are you sure you don't want it back? It must have been really rare to get..."

I waved my hand and said, "Don't worry about it. Think of it as a Tutorial graduation gift. And if you really feel bad about it, then I've got a favor to ask. To you as well, Sangmin."

Hyun Sangmin leaned back. "I'm all ears, Boss."

Shin Sang-Ah nodded. "Me too, Mister Seol."

"Well... You probably know already, but I've been helping the Yi siblings and Miss Yun Seora out. Because of me, they fell a bit behind in the beginning, so I wanted to get them back on their feet and get their growth rolling. Of course, they can't always be relying on someone like me in Paradise, so I was thinking that after a few missions with me..."

xxx

"Did you see that, Mister Jihu?!" Yi Seol-Ah ran up to me, holding her bow with bright stars in her eyes. "I did it!"

I smiled and said, "Good job, Seol-Ah. Now, remember that feeling and then go take out that small group over there."

"I'm going!" With a swift nod, she ran off, nocking an arrow on her bow. A pair of kobolds charged at her, but she kicked off the ground in a front flip. Then, in mid-air, she shot a pair of arrows at the backs of their necks, instantly severing their spinal cords. That done, she continued dashing, firing at the approaching enemies in close quarters.

Meanwhile, off to the side, Yi Sungjin was taking on a group of kobolds of his own. Unlike his sister, his fighting style was slower, steady. The kobolds circled him while he waited. Then, when one pounced, he would immediately punish them and move onto the next.

As for Yun Seora...

Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward, a long sword drifting elegantly at her right side. As if a fairy from the celestial realm, she approached the kobolds.

The moment one attacked, her sword lashed out at the offending limb and severed it before piercing their neck. Then, without missing a beat, she drew the blade out and split the kobold in half, dashing to the next one.

A sword style with heavy blows and light steps. One that took advantage of both her natural precision and then the strength from the hellish training that Agnes put her through.

Before long, we reemerged in front of the notice board. When we did, I was faced with three expectant gazes.

"How did we do, Mister Jihu?"

"Hyung! Did I do well?"

"...Was it sufficient, Mister Jihu?"

I smiled and said, "You've all improved a lot."

It wasn't a lie. The mission that we just finished was the normal mission just before hard.

The fact that the three could do that while striking it out on their own instead of coordinating... It was incredible progress.

However... "Enough to where I think it's time you started doing missions without me."

"E-Eh?" Yi Seol-Ah blinked. "Mister Jihu...?"

Yi Sungjin sighed. "So we're just dragging Hyung down..."

Yun Seora didn't say anything, only quietly grasping her sword hilt.

"I wouldn't say that." I shook my head and said, "You're all growing. And rapidly at that. Compared to the other survivors, I'd say you're all in the top ten percent... But you also all have a critical problem."

"What is it?"

"Go ahead, Hyung. I can take it!"

"Yes. Explain, please."

I looked at all of them and then said, "You all depend on me too much."

Silence, as well as quickly distorting expressions.

I quickly interjected before they got any weird thoughts. "It's not that I mind that... But it's dangerous. All of you are strong enough to stand on your own, but right now you're still relying on me as a safety net. That won't exist in Paradise."

Yi Sungjin reacted first, nodding. "That's right... Hyung won't be around to protect us forever."

"Then..." Yi Seol-Ah said. "What do we do?"

"Well, now that you've reached this destination with Jihu's bus, it's time to make it out on your own." I checked my smartphone and said, "There are... about five days left until we have to leave. In that time period, I want you all to have earned 1000 points from the missions. Of course, there's a few old friends who will help you with that..."

I glanced back at the people standing there.

Hyun Sangmin waved. "Yo!"

"Hey guys!" Shin Sang-Ah waved as well.

xxx

Odelette stood in front of the mission board, staring regretfully at the piece of paper at the top of the board. "...Are you certain that we can't-?"

"I will let you know now that even if you plan to attempt it, I refuse." Leorda shook his head.

Tong Chai nodded and said, "I agree with Leorda. That mission is impossible for a reason, and I have no intention of throwing my life away this far in."

Even Hao Win nodded. "Something like that... Yeah. I'll pass."

Odelette turned around and looked at the last member of the group... except for me, of course. "Mister Karna?"

The Indian priest shook his head. "My instincts are warning me. Accepting that mission... is death."

Odelette sighed. Then, with a resolute heel turn, she spun around. "Fine. I'll give up on it."

Hao Win stared at the mission board and pulled out a cigarette. After lighting it and taking a puff, he muttered, "So this is it, huh?"

It was the second to last day- No. It could be considered the last day. Tomorrow would be the assembly meeting of all the remaining survivors where they all walked out into Paradise proper.

For missions, supplies, shopping... The last day to earn points was today.

As such, it was time to say the final farewells.

Tong Chai walked over to me and stuck out his hand. "Thank you. I was able to earn a lot of points and learn a lot because of you, Mister Jihu."

I grabbed his hand and said, "And I keep telling you, it's just Jihu, Tong Chai."

He smiled and said, "Then for you, it's just Chai." Saying that, he released his hand and stepped back.

Leorda Salvatore stepped up next and held out his hand. With a firm handshake, he said, "If you ever need something, come find me by the Sicily... Although with how Miss Agnes treats you, it might be better to seek them out. Even so, I will do my best to repay this debt."

I shook my head and said, "There's no debt to be repaid. We're friends, after all."

"Friends..." He murmured and then nodded, giving a thin smile. "Yes. Then I will count on you as well in the future, my friend."

"Me next!" Odelette jumped in and grabbed my hand with both of hers. "We'll be seeing each other one more time tomorrow, but thanks a bunch! All the magic you taught me, all the points you helped us earn, all the tactics and pointers..." She smiled and said, "If you can't find anyone to marry in three years, call me, alright?"

"...What?"

Odelette laughed and stepped back.

Next was Karna. Instead of a handshake, he bowed his head. "Friend Jihu. For this good karma you have shown, I will wish you countless blessings. If our paths cross yet again, rest assured that you will have my aid."

"I'll look forward to it, Karna." He smiled.

Finally...

"Come here, Bro!" Hao Win pulled me into a manly hug and then stepped back, placing his hands on my shoulder. "You've gotta remember that love is an emotion, alright? Don't let it die out, you hear?"

I sighed and said, "I understand, Hao Win. I'll keep that in mind."

"Don't forget!"

After that and a shared bright laugh, the group disbanded, each person walking their separate way.

And then it was just me standing in front of the mission board.

I stared at the last mission, once again confirming it.

Before, it was slightly dangerous, a crimson hue. But now...

"Only 'attention required', huh?"

Something within the realm of possibility. No, more than that, something that could be done with only some slight effort.

After a bit of thought, I reached out to the paper and then pulled it off the board.

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