Chapter 27

The forest in January was cold. On a day like this, staying at home and reading a book would be best, but I had logged in a while ago.

Arrows flew toward me but lost their force after penetrating the magic barrier and fell to the ground.

Just standing there and watching, Doyugeon asked me:

“Are you not going to catch them?”

I took a glance at the goblins and saw five archers nocking arrows. More arrows flew, but they were blocked by the magic barrier and dropped with a thud. Thud thud.

“I will catch them.”

I should catch them, but right now, all I can think about is how cold it is. I wore thick clothes, pulled my scarf up to my mouth, and covered my ears with a hat, yet I still feel the cold. To be precise, my body is warm, but the area around my eyes exposed to the cold air is uncomfortable.

I touched the area around my eyes with my hand and felt a numb sensation. I want to go home. I didn’t know enduring this kind of suffering would be required just to hang out with Doyugeon.

Using magic is closer to mental work than physical labor, so feeling cold wouldn’t significantly impact it, but for some reason, I just don’t want to use magic. Even the thought of doing something is bothersome.

Or, is this a bit strange?

Doyugeon bent his knees to match my eye level and stared at my face intensively.

What is it?

“Don’t rush me.”

“I haven’t said anything yet.”

“Anyway.”

I pushed his forehead back with my magic. He muttered something as he straightened his posture.

Arrows flew again. This time, it felt like the magic barrier would break if left unchecked, so I restored it. The arrows that hit it fell to the ground.

I need to catch them. It’s better to quickly catch them and rest while eating lunch in the preparation room. That’s probably the best choice.

I drew a chunk of magic from the magic book on my head, roughly compressed it, and flung it at the goblins. The goblins tried to shoot arrows to counter the magic, but I skillfully manipulated it to avoid them. An explosion occurred. The goblins who were huddling together in formation were blown away.

The wind blew due to the explosion’s aftermath. Ugh, it’s cold. It was unnecessary to compress the magic and send it. One goblin that didn’t die was struggling to get up, so I finished it off with more magic.

“Let’s eat lunch in the preparation room. It’s too cold to keep hunting.”

Doyugeon seemed like he was about to say something, but I ignored him and logged out, then logged back in to transfer to the preparation room. The temperature wasn’t warm but wasn’t cold either.

Finally, I can feel like I’m going to survive. I lowered the scarf that I had pulled up to my mouth and took off my hat as I was fixing my hair, and then Doyugeon arrived.

“How could you leave without answering? Is it really that cold?”

“Yes, it’s cold. Aren’t you cold?”

As I stared at him, Doyugeon avoided eye contact and laid a mat on the floor. What is it? Did I look like I was angry? It’s not to that extent.

Occasionally, I don’t think anything of it, but the reactions around me are strange. Why do people react that way? Is it because they usually consider me pretty, cute, and charming?

Hmm. I don’t really understand. Maybe I’d get it if I could take a third-person perspective.

I sat in a suitable position on the mat. Doyugeon arranged the lunch box and sat in front of me.

Today’s lunch menu consists of a Vienna sausage set meal and a mixed vegetable set. After sprinkling dressing on the salad, I skewered the lettuce with my chopsticks and ate it. The sauce is delicious. As always, my grandfather has hired a proper chef.

Looking at Doyugeon, he wasn’t eating but was staring intently at his lunch box. What is he doing? I watched him for a bit, but he kept doing the same thing. What could it be?

Hmm.

“Do you dislike salad?”

Even though I asked, during the time we’ve spent together, I’ve never heard him mention he can’t eat salad. Actually, there was a salad in our lunch menu six days ago. He can probably eat it if he doesn’t dislike it.

Doyugeon flinched slightly and cleared his throat.

“No, no. Rather, uh, ah! Did you check the schedule for the Explorers Guild offline meeting?”

“Offline? The post that was uploaded today?”

“Yeah, this morning.”

“I didn’t check the site today.”

“Then you wouldn’t know.”

He explained that the Explorers Guild was preparing to host an offline event. It’s been only three months since the last offline event, so what’s the plan this time?

“There were people who reached level 25, right?”

Party experience distribution is divided into contribution-based and member-based systems. Member-based distribution means that if other party members hunt, you earn experience even without hunting yourself. Our party with Doyugeon follows the member-based system.

This system was exploited by some idle rich guy who hired eight parties and let them hunt efficiently for three hours each, effectively gathering 24 hours’ worth of experience. Moreover, this person underwent a level-up acceleration shortly before firearms were banned and eventually reached level 25.

“But once he hit level 25, problems arose.”

When he reached level 25, his leveling stopped. After trying everything and seeing no growth, the idle rich guy wondered if he should move to the next room.

There are five doors in the preparation room, labeled 1, 25, 50, 75, and 100. Currently, all explorers hunt inside the room marked with 1.

If leveling up at level 1 doesn’t work, moving to the room labeled 25 should be the solution, right? The door labeled 25-level usually refuses to open, but what about after reaching level 25?

The idle rich guy acted upon this and the door answered.

“System update preparation.”

This idle rich guy wasted a lot of money. This incident set off a heated discussion on the Explorers Guild board. Amidst the talk, an important hypothesis was raised.

If the system focuses on numbers in increments of 25, could the events that occurred when players were at level 1 repeat when they reach level 25?

In the same way a slime randomly appeared in the center of the city when players were level 1, could goblins armed with swords suddenly appear in the middle of the city when players reach level 25?

Even more problematically, if acidic slimes appear and start melting the building pillars, what then?

This kind of speculation has been discussed since the early days of fantasy phenomena, but this time it carries more credibility, making the current discussion distinct from previous ones.

Nevertheless,

“What does that have to do with the offline event?”

“You don’t know anything. It’s very important. If such a situation arises, what should the explorers do?”

Doyugeon exaggeratedly raised both hands. What is he talking about?

“What should explorers do?”

“Hunt!”

“There are police officers. I heard their armament has changed recently.”

Doyugeon’s face turned gloomy.

“Miss Current Sky, you lack ambition. Ambition!”

“It’s just reality.”

“Then let’s attend the meeting to protect my fantasy.”

“Nope. It’s too cold outside, so I’m even less inclined. Let’s just enjoy the fantasy while playing the game.”

I continued eating the salad.

“Come on, let’s go.”

“Not at all. If you want to go, go alone.”

Doyugeon stared intently at his lunch box and then said:

“Then I have no choice but to take drastic measures.”

What kind of measures? I was curious, so I looked at him, and he picked up a Vienna sausage with his chopsticks and brought it towards me.

“Here, say ah.”

……

What, what is this?

Doyugeon urged me with a “ah” sound.

I felt my cheeks heat up. How embarrassing. Fortunately, we’re alone, so it’s lucky there’s no one else here. If anyone else had been here, aaaah…

Just thinking about it makes me blush.

“Come on, eat. My arm is sore.”

“… Stop lying. It’s not sore.”

“Because you’re not eating it, my heart hurts, and so does my arm.”

Aah, what is this? Is he crazy?

I took the chopsticks and sausage from him with magic, placing the sausage back where it was and putting the chopsticks neatly on the lunch box.

Then I said:

“What on earth are you doing?”

“Drastic measures. I’ll keep doing this until Miss Current Sky agrees to attend the event.”

Doyugeon tried to pick up the chopsticks again, but I pressed them down with magic to prevent him.

“Are you not embarrassed by this only on my account?”

While your face is red too.

“It’s embarrassing, but it’s not something that can’t be done. It’s worth trying.”

Don’t display confidence in such antics.

After struggling desperately to lift the chopsticks, Doyugeon gave up and said:

“Then I won’t be able to eat.”

“So don’t.”

“That’s not possible.”

“Then don’t eat.”

“That’s unfair.”

I glared at him.

“I’m hungry.”

Ah.

Really.

“Fine, alright. I’ll go to the offline event.”

“Great! I win!”

Doyugeon celebrated. Very impressive.

Then we finished the meal.

“Still, it’s fortunate. Since the Magic Dictionary skill disappeared, there’s no need to watch out in case they expose my skill window during the event.”

Of course, I’m lying a bit while saying this.

After finishing eating, we packed up the mat. We need to go hunting again. Doyugeon led the way towards the level 1 hunting grounds.

Speaking of which, this is a good time to say it.

“Doyugeon.”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“I’ve mentioned this a few times before.”

“If you mentioned it before, isn’t it better not to mention it again?”

“Repetition is important. Anyway, just as I’ve mentioned a few times before, the reason you like me is because I’m irresistibly charming.”

“Overconfident much.”

That could be so, or it could not be.

“Human emotions don’t follow exact measurements, so there is room for mistakes. Regardless of whether it’s a mistake or something else, as the one being affected…”

It is unpleasant.

“Don’t you get it without me saying more?”

“You’re overconfident.”

*

I sat on the school chair and read the paper placed on the desk.

Plan for career and life design.

It’s homework. The school year is almost over, but they’re assigning this now.

I tried to finish it during the break, but I couldn’t make progress. I’ve never thought about these things before, so that’s why it’s difficult. I mean, I’m still a middle school student after all.

It feels like I’ve received a question asking me to predict 10 years into the future after completing high school and college, and then describe an ideal career investment. I want to tell them to predict their own careers accurately.

Ah. What should I write for the occupation field?

I was certainly full of determination to actively use my past life knowledge right after realizing my past life memory, pursuing self-development and making ambitious plans for life. I don’t know how things turned out this way.

The moment I realized that I wouldn’t have to worry about food, clothing, or shelter no matter what I did?

Or the realization that I would probably live the same unenthusiastic life based on inertia both in my past life and this life?

Anyway, what should I write for the occupation field?

“Our Young Lady, what are you doing?”

Yumina came over and peeked at me.

“Occupation? Already stuck at occupation? That’s surprising.”

“What’s surprising?”

“Put anything like Owner or CEO. You have a group to inherit, so any job will do. It will be easy to build a life plan that follows that.”

“But that might….”

If I write anything like that, my grandfather or dad will likely see it.

“What did you write? Is it still a judge?”

“No. I really don’t like being a judge.”

Your father is a judge, isn’t he?

“Then a prosecutor or lawyer?”

“I detest the legal profession.”

While coming from a legal family, it seems she dislikes it. Does she have a dream?

“Then?”

Yumina showed me the paper she was holding. It was blank.

“I wanted to refer to what our Young Lady wrote, but there’s nothing to refer to.”

Gee, I’m sorry.

---