Chapter 120: Please Be Kind "Heh... Finally, my turn has come."
"I've been waiting for this day. It's been a while since I've smelled blood. Hehehe..."
Park Yu-jeong stared blankly at the overly enthusiastic Comedy Duo before leaning toward me to whisper.
"Did something happen? In the short time I haven't seen them, they've turned into a post-apocalyptic bandit gang."
"Who knows... Maybe they hit a major turning point in their lives."
"I know boys change every day, but isn't this a bit much? Their entire art style has changed."
It seemed the Comedy Duo had suffered so much at the hands of the Geezer that they'd returned with entirely different personalities.
Even the Thug, who looked bewildered as if asking, 'What's wrong with you guys...?' actually seemed innocent by comparison.
It was all just a concept, though, so they'd probably revert to being comic relief characters soon enough.
Still, even if it was only for a short while, what the hell did that Geezer do to them to warp their personalities like that?
I definitely made the right choice by not going.
Park Yu-jeong continued to stare at the now-rugged Comedy Duo. A mischievous smile played on her lips as if she'd thought of something fun, and she approached them, showering them with praise about how manly they looked.
As expected, their true natures hadn't changed. The Comedy Duo grinned, clearly pleased by the compliments, and tried their best to act even more masculine.
Hey, you guys are being played. Can't you tell Park Yu-jeong is treating you like toys?
Eventually, she managed to play them against each other until they were grabbing each other by the collars. I finally looked away and turned my attention to my pad.
This request was an exploration mission.
Roughly speaking, you could consider any task that involved gathering information, investigating, and handling things on the spot if possible as an exploration mission.
Sensing a strange aura, finding monster habitats, or investigating odd occurrences with unknown causes—these were the kinds of jobs that sounded like a mix of back-breaking labor and extreme danger just by listening to the description.
But you couldn't just ignore them. If you ignored a strange aura, a village outside the Barrier might vanish without a trace.
In the game, from Akito's perspective, these missions were just about clearing the fog on the map, but living in this world made me realize they were incredibly important.
Wait, no. Maybe that bastard Akito was just coasting through life?
Well—I wouldn't have taken an exploration request either if it weren't for the current situation.
The annoying part about reality is the lack of fast travel.
After passing through a midpoint, we had already been traveling for two days before finally reaching our destination.
This inconvenience will only be solved once Tyran Energy is fully utilized.
"Thank you for your hard work."
"Not at all. It was fun chatting with Yggdrasil students for a change. But... are you really going to be okay?"
Unlike the previous Rank 9 Agent, the escort personnel this time were kind, and we'd become quite friendly during the trip.
At the agent's worried tone, Park Yu-jeong, who was still playing with her Comedy Duo toys, glanced over.
"Yes, we came here knowing everything, so it's fine."
"Alright then. Don't take it too much to heart. You're staying for three days, right? We'll head back to the central base and come pick you up in three days."
The escort vehicle departed, leaving just us to stare at the village entrance.
It wasn't a highly developed village, but the sight of it lacking even a single wall to block the outside was a foreign concept in this world.
No walls. In this world, that was nonsense.
Monsters could attack at any time, so not having walls was practically suicide.
However, there wasn't a hint of worry on the faces of the passing residents.
"There really aren't any... I see some unmaintained walls further in, so I guess they used them in the past?"
"It was in the briefing materials."
"I just couldn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes."
The fact that even Park Yu-jeong sounded dumbfounded showed just how surreal the sight was.
To put it simply:
About a year ago, the village received the protection of a being called the Water God.
Once protected, monsters stopped approaching the village, and since then, the residents had been developing the area haphazardly like that.
The interesting part was that neither the residents nor anyone else had ever actually seen the Water God.
Yet, all the residents had heard the Water God's words and were aware of its existence.
In a world where no one is free from monsters, the Government had tried desperately to research this, but they'd come up with nothing so far.
After pouring in massive resources for a year with zero results, they seemed to have half-given up. The qualification requirements for the mission kept dropping until even someone like me, with a Temporary License, could take it.
"Hehehe... I smell peace. The fresh air, the lush forest, the phytoncides."
"Look at those relaxed faces, ignorant of the fear of monsters. Those are faces that have never known hardship. They look happy. Kehehe—"
How long are those bastards going to keep that up?
And despite their rough tone, everything they were saying was perfectly normal.
I gathered the idiots and the rest of the team and handed each of them a book.
"What's this?"
"An Elementary School Ethics Textbook."
"...That's not what I was asking."
Park Yu-jeong frowned as she flipped through the pages. Yukina quietly waited for me to speak, while the Thug scratched his head and looked at the book intently.
As for the two idiots consumed by their new personas, they were spouting nonsense until I stared them down, at which point they became meek.
Seriously, knock it off.
"You're all wearing the watches I gave you on the way here, right?"
"Yeah! What does this do?"
"Nothing special. If you press the button on the left, the number on the screen goes up by 1. The right button makes it go down."
In the game, the system would have tracked the score automatically, but since there was no such convenient interface here, we had to do it manually.
"Once we enter the village, the residents will ask you for help. If you help them kindly, add 1 point. If you do something bad, subtract 1 point."
"Is that why you gave us the ethics books?"
"From now on, we treat the residents exactly according to what's in those textbooks. Help them kindly, add a point each time, and let's collect over 50 points. If we do, we'll be able to meet the being known as the Water God."
"..."
We came here to investigate the Water God or whatever, but suddenly being told to help the villagers left everyone except Yukina looking at me with eyes full of doubt.
I'd prepared a proper excuse this time, though.
I couldn't just sell out Frey and improvise every single time.
"According to the opinion of the research lab—"
I sent a file to each of their pads. It looked like something researched by my lab, but in reality, I'd written it myself, added some professional-sounding jargon from an expert, and slapped the lab's official seal on it.
The summary was short: if we helped and treated the residents—who were chosen by the Water God—with kindness, the deity might acknowledge us. To make it persuasive, I'd attached various case studies until the document was as thick as a thesis.
"Is this based on the fact that the residents here all had the same dream at the same time? Don't the opinions on this vary?"
"And they all failed."
Park Yu-jeong tried to counter with something she'd looked up separately, but she just shrugged, knowing the Government had failed every attempt so far.
Just because of a single phrase saying the Water God told them in a dream that those who help them would receive whatever... I was telling them to act like suckers and run errands without pay?
Honestly, I wouldn't believe it either.
But since all the Government's attempts had failed, Park Yu-jeong probably kept her mouth shut with the mindset of 'let's just try anything.'
"It doesn't seem that hard. So you're just saying we should be 'good children,' right?"
Isn't that the hardest thing for you?
Park Yu-jeong clearly lacked self-awareness.
The other team members didn't think it would be difficult either.
If it were that easy, this mission wouldn't have been notorious among players as the absolute worst.
"There's one problem..."
"Hey! Are you outsiders?!"
While I was explaining, a voice that sounded like absolute shit no matter how you heard it interrupted us. I turned around to see a brat who barely reached my waist standing there arrogantly.
"You came here to get the Water God's protection too, didn't you? If you want it, you better be nice to me. Answer me properly when I speak. I'll specially let you guys be my underlings."
"..."
Had these Yggdrasil students—mages who were treated with respect everywhere they went, and future super-elites at that—ever been treated like this?
I turned back to my silent teammates and finished what I was saying with a bright smile.
"There's one problem: all the residents here are total assholes."
"Are you ignoring me?! You'll never get the protection~ You dumbass~!"
I barely managed to grab and hold back Yukina, who was radiating murderous intent.
She really doesn't go easy on kids, does she?
"Aha, so it's an endurance test! A trial from the Water God? Ugh, I hate this~"
Park Yu-jeong hit the nail on the head.
Having to smile like a moron and help these insufferable residents while they hurl all sorts of insults at you—what else could you call it but an endurance test?
As I held Yukina back and we stood still, the shitty brat continued his childish, petty taunting.
"Heh... Don't use such strong words. It only makes you look weak."
"I commend your spirit. But how long will that spirit last? Hehehe—"
"Wha-What... What is with these disgusting creeps... G-Get lost, you freaks!"
Wow—they drove the brat away.
The kid must have lacked the cringe tolerance to handle the edgy Comedy Duo, because he fled in a panic.
I guess you guys are useful for something after all.
"For the record, every single resident here is like that."
"Does that even make sense?"
Takeo was shocked, but he should blame the shitty game developers.
In a game, every player has different things they like or dislike.
A system that's a pro for one person might be frustrating for another. Whether the story is childish or fun—unless it's a masterpiece for the ages—opinions will always differ based on taste.
But the developers of this shitty game performed a miracle: they united the hearts of all those players.
'Why the fuck did those bastards make a mission like this?'
Regarding this mission and this village, every single player was in total agreement.
You know, you see it a lot in Japanese manga. The pushover protagonist—the kind that looks like Akito—gets treated like absolute shit, but he still helps these bastards you'd want to resurrect just to kill three more times, and in the end, they're all laughing and smiling together.
This mission was so extreme that it became a legend, with players from Japan and every other country uniting to curse it.
In the game, you get Good Deed Points every time you help a resident, and you get rewards based on the milestones you reach.
In a game, you'd see text saying your stats increased or whatever, but it's hard for a mage who already has a license to feel a measly 1 or 2 point increase.
Plus, with the residents acting like that, I doubt anyone ever reached the 50 points needed to meet the Water God.
The problem is, I don't think I can endure it either.
...Was it really a good idea to bring this crew?
Now that I've brought them, I'm starting to think not a single one of them will pass.
A former thug who doesn't think, Yukina who goes off the rails whenever it involves me, a devious blue-haired psycho, and two losers...
Wait, is it possible no one gets it?
Should I have gotten on my knees and begged Akito to let me bring Angelica?
If Angelica had come, that would have been its own problem.
These goddamn residents don't stop at just insults.
They treat the people helping them like slaves. Verbal abuse is the baseline; they use physical violence, and some bastards even resort to sexual harassment.
The violence isn't anything major, and since we have mana barriers, it doesn't hurt, but they do annoying things like slapping the back of your head or kicking your ass while you're walking.
And if someone like Angelica—who is kind and can't say no—were here, they wouldn't hesitate to sexually harass her by touching her.
I absolutely cannot forgive that.
With the current female members, the moment a resident even tries to touch a breast, I'd have to worry about the resident's wrist getting snapped.
And then the Water God wouldn't show up.
Sigh... It's a problem either way.
I guess I'll just have to endure all the harsh treatment myself and meet the Water God somehow.
Hang in there, me. You can do this.
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