Chapter 77

＜Summary of the Previous Chapter＞

Cherry, the ace of the Mevious University Magic Club and a promising player for the future, had a new coach join the club one day—a man not much older than her. Not only was he a handsome and wealthy man, but his achievements and skills were also exceptional. "I've worked so hard too!" Overwhelmed with jealousy, Cherry lashed out. However, the man paid no heed to her, using his position as a coach to break traditions, disrupt discipline, and upset the atmosphere, making everything unbearable. Despite this, his reputation among the club members gradually improved...

Another page in the history of the world.

"It's the last one for the morning. Go out and take a lunch break."

I instructed the last group, which had just completed their fifth round.

Only Ailley's 16th group and Cherry's 4th group were still on their sixth round, so I just had to wait for these two groups before I could take my break.

I waited, killing time by instantly defeating the magical fungi as they spawned, and after about 30 minutes, the 16th group arrived.

"Good job. Take a lunch break."

They responded cheerfully, "Okay," and left with a carefree attitude, already in a leisurely mood. One of them even invited me to join them for lunch, but I declined, saying I still had work to do.

About three minutes later, the 4th group arrived.

...In stark contrast to the 16th group, everyone looked utterly exhausted.

No, not everyone. Cherry, the group leader, was different. Her fatigue was mixed with anxiety, anger, and other negative emotions, which were clearly visible.

"Take a lunch break. Rest well."

Upon hearing this, the members of the 4th group sighed in relief.

At this point, I had a pretty good idea of what was going on. Cherry was probably pushing ahead on her own, neglecting the condition of her group members.

Indeed, there might be a significant difference in skill between Cherry and the other nine members. However, that's precisely why Cherry needed to adjust her approach to match the lower skill levels. This is also true when a higher-level player leads a lower-level group through a dungeon. In Mevion, this is called "carrying," and the common understanding is that "the higher-level player must adjust to the lower-level players to succeed."

However, I doubted she would listen to a verbal warning.

What should I do? As I was pondering, Cherry spoke up.

"I'll do one more round before taking a break."

What an idiot...!

I was speechless at her foolishness.

"Cherry, it's better to take a break here."

"But our group isn't in first place right now. I don't even want to take a break."

"But, you really need to take a break."

"I don't need it. Besides, there's no time for breaks in battle. If you really want to eat, you can do it while walking."

The group members started to complain, and Cherry firmly resisted. Given her high rank in the First Court Magic Corps, the group members became increasingly intimidated.

"But, we—"

"What is it? In the first place, the reason I'm losing is because of—"

"Second!"

Just as Cherry was about to say something forbidden, Sylvia's clear voice cut her off.

Sylvia and Echo, who were on a high-speed patrol, hurried over. I petted Echo's head as usual and greeted Sylvia.

"Good work. I think the roll call is already done here, but did anything happen?"

"No, everything's fine. But—"

"I remembered something!"

"Remembered what?"

What?

"That's right, I met the person! And it reminded me clearly!"

The person? Met?

As I tilted my head in confusion, the members of the 4th group, who were behind me, suddenly stirred. Following their gaze, I saw...

"Long time no see, Second!"

"Long time no see, Second!"

A blonde with curly pigtails and a sharp-eyed, spirited young lady, and a brown-skinned, dull-white long-haired, fluffy female spirit.

The arrival of these unexpected guests put the issue of Cherry's break on hold. After all, with the famous A-rank adventurer, the genius spirit mage and countess, Sherry Lambjack, here, no one could act on their own.

"First, let's have lunch together! We can talk afterward!"

Sherry, of course, said this as if it were a given. Before I knew it, I was being led to the square where the First Court Magic Corps was taking their lunch break.

The square was in an uproar. It was like a national idol suddenly appearing in a family restaurant. Even Zephyr, the leader of the corps, was surprised by the unexpected arrival of a celebrity.

"Don't move around too much. Eat and take a proper break."

Because it was so noisy, I gave a casual order and sat down in an empty space. Sherry, after a moment of hesitation, sat directly across from me. Complaints like "unfair," "abuse of power," and "crap teacher" erupted from various parts of the square. Sherry must be more popular than I thought...

"It's been a while, hasn't it?"

She opened her bento and looked at me, saying this as her first words.

"I heard about it just now."

"Y-Yeah, that's true!"

"Are you okay? Your head?"

"Excuse me, I'm fine!"

She seemed nervous for some reason. Her comebacks lacked the sharpness they used to have.

"Got it. So, let's eat then."

"That's a good idea."

"Itadakimasu."

"Itadakimasu."

"You're not okay, are you!?"

I couldn't help but point out, and Sherry's face turned red as she said, "I made a mistake."

Could it be that she's switched to a comedic role? In a double sense.

For the next 15 minutes, until we finished our lunch, I spent an odd time continuously pointing out Sherry's strange behavior, which I couldn't tell if it was serious or a joke. Sylvia, who seemed to enjoy being pampered, kept showing off her bow maintenance to everyone around her. Echo, as usual, was focused on her meal, and Terra, the earth spirit next to Sherry, just smiled softly without saying much. No one helped me, but I didn't really expect it.

"Hey, a little bit. Tell me about what you remembered earlier."

While I was sipping my tea after lunch, Sherry beckoned Sylvia over and said this. When I told Sylvia, "You said you remembered something," she clapped her hands.

"Yes. I saw someone who looks like you, Sherry."

"Really? Someone who looks like me? They must be very noble and beautiful, right?"

"There, by that rock. Look."

"Pfft. It's just a regular person. Not at all like me."

"No, next to that."

"It's not a doll! And that girl has a bad look in her eyes!"

Oh, it's Cherry.

I see. That desperate, almost jealous look... It reminds me of someone. When I realized it was like the old Sherry, I felt relieved.

...Ah, right. Since it's a good opportunity, I'll consult with "the one who looks like" Sherry.

"Hey, Sherry."

"I don't have that bad a look—what is it?"

Huh? I just noticed, but Sherry's strange behavior isn't just towards me, is it? Why? Because we haven't seen each other in a while? I glanced at Terra, who was smiling slyly. I don't understand, but it's very annoying.

"Should I bring out Angolmois?"

"Please don't—"

After mentally attacking Terra, I turned back to Sherry.

"About that Cherry, she's a top student but rebellious and doesn't listen. She tried to do one more round instead of taking a break just now."

"Really! That's terrible—"

It wasn't Sherry who reacted, but Terra. She had just recovered from being scared by my mention of the king's name and was now smirking. On the other hand, Sherry's cheeks were slightly flushed as she glared at Terra in protest.

"Her group is currently in second place, trying to reach first, but she's pushing too hard. Because she's running ahead on her own, the group members are exhausted. I think trying to persuade her will only make her more resistant... I want to make her understand, but do you have any good ideas?"

"Hmm. Hmm—"

When I asked, Sherry had a moment of inspiration but quickly looked like she had a bitter taste in her mouth.

After a moment of silence, it was Terra who broke the silence.

"You look a lot like her, Master."

"..."

Terra's words, which sounded like a provocation, made Sherry look uncomfortable. She might have felt some empathy with Cherry.

"It's simple, Second. To make her understand, you should let her experience a harsh failure once."

"Make her fail?"

"Yes. Just like our Master did one night—"

"Stop it—!"

Terra was sent back by Sherry's explosive use of the "Return" spell.

Ah, I remember. She tried to solo the Prolin dungeon before me and got beaten up by a Mithril Golem, nearly dying and peeing her pants...

"...Hmph."

"Stop it—!"

Sherry, with a red face, poked my chest. Is she embarrassed because I saw her pee her pants? It seems there's more to it, but that's definitely a factor.

"Second, it's time."

The break was over. Sherry, pouting, reluctantly moved away from me. I noticed the jealous glares from the men around us. Serves them right. I gave them the middle finger just in case.

"Alright, we'll start the afternoon session in 5 minutes. Don't forget to eat a banana every hour."

I gave the order, and the groups started to gather and prepare without needing further instructions. They are indeed soldiers, having practiced formations every day without getting bored.

Well, I should head back to the boss spawn area—just as I was about to go to the Glutam Dungeon, Sherry tugged on my sleeve and said,

"...Hey. I thought of a good method."

The method Sherry thought of was to swap group members.

The content was simple: swap the leaders of the 16th group, led by Ailley, who was currently in first place, and the 4th group, led by Cherry, who was in second place.

When I proposed this, the 16th group responded with, "If it's Second's order," and the 4th group with, "Please do it," and the leaders were successfully swapped.

Now, let's see how the two groups are doing after the swap...

"Wow, 4th group, you're fast. 13th round. Still in first place."

"Yay. Second, can we get the stamp card when we're done?"

"Sure."

It turned out as Sherry expected.

At first, Cherry's 16th group was in first place, but around the 10th round, their pace clearly slowed down, and by the 11th round, Ailley's 4th group had taken the lead.

Ailley, a calm and steady girl, and Cherry, a desperate and reckless girl. It was clear who was the better leader.

Solo performance has its limits. Individual MP is limited, and physical and mental fatigue are real. Without considering all these factors and finding the optimal solution, efficiency will drop. Just like a racing car can't tow multiple cars that have run out of gas and still win the race, it will inevitably fall behind a team of 10 regular cars.

Cherry might have already realized what happens when you run ahead alone. But perhaps she can't back down, or...

"Here comes the 16th group. 13th round. Currently in second place."

"I know!"

Cherry, breathing heavily, handed over the stamp card with a desperate look. The members of the 16th group were all wobbling, worse than the 4th group in the morning.

Cherry is indeed a top-tier racing car, a monster machine. If she can pull the group along, even with new members, her skills are undeniable. If she could just look back and adjust her pace to match her teammates, her group would definitely be in first place. But she only looks forward, only up. Her pride or stubbornness is getting in the way. I hope this failure will lead to some kind of awareness change...

Finally, the time limit arrived.

The 4th group finished in first place, achieving the only 17 rounds among all groups.

As for the 16th group...

"...They're late."

Ailley, standing next to me, voiced her concern. The 9 members of the 4th group were also waiting with us.

The 16th group had dropped in rank from second.

Ignoring my words that there was no more time, they were now doing their 16th round as the last group.

They were in 5th place. They have incredible perseverance. Especially the 9 members of the 16th group. I might even give them a special award.

"Second, we're back. The 16th group is right behind us."

"Welcome back."

Sylvia and Echo arrived just before the 16th group, followed by Sherry and Terra. They seemed to have been together.

Sherry was complaining, "These two are too tough." Well, their cumulative experience and the number of rounds they've done today are in a different league. They are our pride and joy, the rear and front guards.

"Oh!"

Ailley suddenly spoke. I realized it was because she saw Cherry at the entrance of the cave.

Cherry's face... "Angry." This doesn't feel good.

"16th round, good job. Your final rank is 5th."

I said this without stamping the card, and Cherry clenched her fists, trembling. The stamp card in her hand was crumpled.

"Ah..."

One of the 16th group members muttered. It was one of the members who had been looking forward to getting the card as a memento.

"..."

Cherry turned to her group members. Her expression was one of "I can't accept this."

"I can still do more rounds! Why are you all so exhausted? You made us lose!"

Her pent-up frustration exploded. "Because of you all," she said, continuing to spew insults, as if it was the fault of those who couldn't keep up.

Indeed, Cherry was more skilled. It might be true that the others were holding her back. Therefore, the group members couldn't say anything.

But... that's not right