9 CHAPTER 9: ELIAS (5)
"I've passed the line."
"Little cub, you..." General Zhang stared at me with a dumbfounded face. His shocked face soon turned into a grin.
"Hahaha! You really did it, didn't you? Hahahah!" He started laughing uncontrollably.
I stepped back a bit, getting goosebumps from hearing his laugh. Dmitri and Jeanne came and stood beside me.
"Good, good! I'll include you in my team~" General Zhang crept up to me until we were just about one meter apart.
I did not step back and extended my hand towards him.
"What's this? A handshake? Little cub, you're so cute~" General Zhang hummed.
I smiled from ear-to-ear.
"Pay up."
--------
"Ugh, I can't believe that clown tricked me!" I stomped my feet while walking with Dmitri and Owen.
"It's okay, Chae. We tried our best. He did say he will keep his promise, right? Let's trust general Zhang!" Dmitri said, trying to comfort me, and probably himself, too.
Earlier, general Zhang had postponed his payment. He said he will only pay up if I join his team and complete the main mission.
"He didn't even give us half for advanced payment, that slippery eel." If this were Korea, I'd have made that man sign a contract with me. Too bad this world doesn't even season their food, much less having a proper lawyer, I assume.
"Can't be helped. He's a general. Haha!" Dmitri replied.
"That's an abuse of power. How can you be so accepting? I thought you needed the money?" I crossed my arms while I huffed. We had agreed earlier that the money would be split between me, him, and Jeanne... That is, if we do get some.
"Well... There's still a chance he would pay up once we return, right? And if not, I'll just find another way!" Dmitri laughed like usual.
I sighed, he's way too kind for his own good. I turned towards Owen.
"Owen, are you really going to let me get taken by that eel? Aren't you supposed to be like, my guardian? I might die in the raid, you know?" I poked Owen's arm.
"The headmaster had already agreed. Prepare yourself, we are going to depart in 3 days." Owen replied to me.
I sighed, "you really love that old drunk, huh?" That eel better pay me up after this is all over, "anyway, what was Jeanne's message?"
"She will be coming with general Zhang's team to monitor him." Owen answered.
Before I was able to respond, our steps came to a halt in front of a gate. It wasn't big, just around our height. Beyond that gate lies a small front yard that belongs to the big building just across from it. I gazed at the building. It looked around 5 stories tall, although not too wide.
"We've arrived at the dormitory." Owen announced.
"Wow for an army, this place is quite nice." I smiled. Do I finally get to sleep? And probably a bath?
"The inside is quite cramped, though! We have around 4-6 people in one room to maximize space." Dmitri explained.
Oh no, rip privacy.
"You'll be staying in a different room. Don't forget your identity is still a blur to us." Owen stated as he pushed open the gate.
Oh yay, privacy!
We stepped into the dormitory together and opened the front door of the building. The inside wasn't so bad. It kinda feels like being inside a medieval-ish building, but with electricity. We passed the front desk woman who smiled and bowed at us, and passed the bustling soldiers going around doing their businesses.
"It's mixed here, huh?" I inquired.
"No, no. The boys' dorm is located on the left side while the girls' is on our right side. This living room is commonplace so people often gather here." Dmitri explained to me.
"Dmitri, go back into your room. I'll escort Chae to hers." Owen said to Dmitri.
"Alright! Bye, Chae! Let's meet again tomorrow!" Dmitri waved his hand at us and turned around.
"Bye, Dmitri. Good night. And thank you for keeping me company." I waved back at him.
"Haha, that's what friends are for! Good night, Chae!"
I stared at his retreating back. He's very trusting, isn't he? This is the first day we've met and yet he already thinks of me as a friend... He's very pure at heart, that bear. I'll have to properly thank him later.
--------
"This will be your room until a further arrangement is made." Owen opened a door, revealing a small room, and turned on the light switch.
"Wow... This place is quite nice." I stared at the room around me with delight. It really is small, just around 3x4 meters, barely enough for a bed, a desk, a small closet, and a small trash bin.
"This is the fifth floor. The kitchens are located on the first and fourth floor. There are three bathrooms on each floor. Use them whenever you need to." Owen explained to me.
I ran my fingers through the warm white bedsheet. It wasn't an exquisite, soft bed. On the contrary, it was pretty rough and hard. But it's perfect. It was just like back in Korea. I smiled, reminiscing my struggling times.
"And take this." Owen threw a bag at me.
"What is this?" I asked, wondering as I caught the bag. It's pretty heavy.
"Those are... Woman's stuff that Jeanne brought for you." Owen explained with a stoic face.
"Woman's stuff?" I tilted my eyebrows in confusion.
"Don't ask me."
I shrugged and glanced at the bag. So Jeanne brought all of these for me? That's very kind of her... Even though we just met...
I hugged the bag closer to my chest.
"Tomorrow, gather at the training ground at 6 in the morning. Do not be late. Do you have anything else to ask?" Owen asked me.
"Nope." I answered, still hugging the bag tight.
"Good. I'll take my leave then." He turned his back and walked out of the door.
"Owen." I called out to him.
"What is it?" He turned his head towards me.
"Thank you." I smiled at him.
He ignored me and left for the stairs. I guess he'll be going back to his dorm now? Oh well. I closed the door and locked it.
'Ding!'
[You have completed your quest]
[Acquired random item box, 2 stat points]
[Quest: find your weapon]
[Reward: poor enhancement stone, 2 stat points]
...Again? These quests are kind of weird. It's like they're pushing me towards something. I mean, don't quests usually involve fighting a monster or saving someone?
I sighed, and plopped the bag down on my desk. Well, now's not the time for that. I got to take a bath and then I'll have to check my rewards and find out more about my 'quest' ability. But now... Where do I find clothes and toiletries?
--------
"Phuwaa!" I stretched my arms in delight. Bathing after a long day sure is the best!
Thank god Jeanne brought me that bag. Turns out it contained a few pieces of clothing for me to use, complete with toiletries and even a comb. I have to see Jeanne tomorrow and express my gratitude.
I stared at the new 'bracelet' on my wrist. Jeanne had left me this thing with a small note on it. Apparently, one of the Vanguard's top craftsmen had made this magic tracker-bracelet thingy for me. She said it's mandatory, a direct order from the headmaster. Well, I'm not fond of wearing this suspicious bracelet, but what if this was a test? Like if I don't wear this I'd get struck by lightning or something? There's no way they'd just hand this thing to me and not confirm if I wear it or not.
I sat down on my bed, my hair still damp because there was no hairdryer around.
"Inventory."
A window popped up in front of me, with the title 'inventory'.
So it exists. I checked out my inventory, and turns out there's quite a lot inside. There are 2 random item boxes and the beginner bag from the quest rewards earlier... But what are these?
[Ice Orc's helmet (equip: helmet)]
[An ice orc's worn-out helmet. They say it enhances stupidity. +5 physique, -5 intelligence]
[Ice Orc's necklace (equip: accessory)]
[A necklace made from an ice orc's mana core. A bit ugly, but hey. +5 intelligence]
What the hell is up with these descriptions?
I reached out my hand and it went through the floating screen. I made a grabbing motion, and pulled out the necklace.
"Wow, it's real..."
[Would you like to equip the item 'Ice Orc's necklace'?]
"Yes."
Suddenly, the necklace vanished and reappeared around my neck. I got up and opened my closet to look at the mirror attached to its inner door.
"Ew. It's physically real. I kinda expected these equips to be like those in online games, where they're just equipped but are still unable to be seen," I touched the necklace that emanated a blue-ish glow, "at least it's useful..."
I got back on my bed and examined the orc's helmet. It's too big for me to wear, and it's super ugly. Thank god the stats also suck, so I won't feel bad for selling it later... At least I know two things now. One, is that drops are automatically collected, and two, the equips don't morph their size to match the owner. Pretty realistic. Also, they're cosmetically horrible.
Now for the beginner bag. I opened it and it contained 3 things. A grade-E skill book, 500 golds, and a compass. Not sure what the compass is for, but it's definitely not a normal one. As for this skill book, however...
[Would you like to use the item 'Grade-E skill book'?]
"Yes, please."
A soft glow appeared, and suddenly I was faced with a long list of skills.
"I see... So I presume this item lets me pick one low-ranked skill for my choice? Let's see..." My eyes scanned the skills one by one very carefully. Unfortunately, there aren't any descriptions for the skills. Just their names.
"Slime cooking? Fast writing? Charming Chandler?" Some of the skills are absolutely absurd, some of them are barely useful for survival, and some of them just slapped a random name on themselves.
"C'mon, is there anything that's kinda useful here..." I continued scrolling, until I stumbled upon a certain skill.
"Animal's beloved?" I was about to continue scrolling, until suddenly a certain dark-haired boy appeared on my mind again.
'I love animals,' the little boy said to the little girl, 'they make me feel a bit less lonely.'
I rubbed my head. Why did that memory come up? It's been so long since I last saw him, anyway...
I hesitated for a moment, before finally clicking on that skill.
[Acquired skill: Animal's Beloved (passive)]
[Effect: Increases animal's affection towards you]
"Haa... At least I hope this skill enables me to summon animals," I sighed, "...probably not."
I stared at the two black boxes in front of me. Now all that's left in my inventory to check are these random item boxes.
"Hmm... I could open them now, or I could wait and see if there's some kind of trick to it. Perhaps there's a way to obtain better items? Maybe if my stats rise or if I meet some requirements, the item would also be better?"
I wondered for a while, before deciding not to open it yet. There are still a lot of things uncovered, and it'd be a waste if I accidentally use up precious resources. As long as it's not urgent, I should hold off on spending resources. Now all that's left is...
"Status window."
[Stat points: (Yoo Chaerin)]
[Strength: 15]
[Intelligence: 10 (+5)]
[Agility: 10]
[Physique: 10]
[Available stat points: 2]
"Hmm... To use or not to use, that is the question." I muttered to myself, weighing my options.
At first glance, investing in strength might be tempting. Or if I want to focus on magic, maybe intelligence would be the best option, but...
"Invest 2 points in physique."
[Physique: 10 --> 12]
There would be no point if I die first. In games, I would definitely go for intelligence to quickly rack up magic power and acquire skills. But, in real life with no spawn system and no guaranteed healer or healing item, I must prioritize my safety first over greedily increasing my magic. There's no point in being strong if you can get one-hit-KO'd. Especially when you might need to fight alone one day.
I sighed and tucked myself into my thin blanket. My body curled up, satisfied with the comfort after such a long day.
"It's cold..." I pulled the blanket closer.
"Where are you, Elias?" I closed my eyes slowly, as my consciousness began to drift away.
