Chapter 17

016. Spicy Expedition Team

D/Z SAGA supports multiple routes and multiple endings, but it's not always possible to see the conclusion of the story.

If you lose in the game and Kelthers dies, you get a bad ending.

The phrase "No one has seen them since" leads straight to a bad ending.

However, this can happen not only when you encounter a field boss in the dungeon and get killed, but also in another case.

That's the assassination ending. The murder ending.

Two conditions are involved in this ending: affection points and karma points.

For example, if you add the gem sword Iseult to your party and then seriously offend her, Iseult's affection points will plummet like a coin falling into the negative.

Then, if you try to bounce back and shout that you'll reach the peak, it's not going to happen. You have to pay the price. That's the murder ending.

The price of her affection points dropping is that you either engage in a 1-on-1 battle with Iseult or she ambushes you, and she's incredibly strong. She's completely off the charts.

And the second condition is the karma points. This one is crucial.

If you do things like abandoning your party members in the dungeon, failing to complete missions, or killing ordinary villagers, she will eventually find you.

The ace of the assassin family, the greatest talent in history, the Dagger of the Abyss, Rudyka Hotsan Shadow.

Her silver hair falls delicately over her shoulder, her blue eyes, her small stature, and her slender body.

She might look like a cute and lovable character, but I know this character. I know how terrifying she is.

If your karma points drop below a certain level and you become a villain, she will definitely come to kill you.

All her skills are assassination-specific, so before Act 6, there's no way to stop her, and you shouldn't even try.

According to my memory, her strength is 13, which is quite low compared to the top-tier strength characters, and her health and magic points are decent, but the truly terrifying thing about Rudyka is her insane level of willpower and talent.

Talent positively affects all actions, so in a sense, it also serves as agility. Her innate talent is around 20 or 21, and her willpower is around 20.

Around 20 is far beyond human limits. In Act 1, Ayla's magic points are 19, and Eve's are around 22.

If such a character gets a karma drop and receives an assassination order, she will come to kill you from Act 1. How can you survive? At that point, wouldn't it be polite to just die?

Everyone called her "Teacher Hotsan" with respect, as she would come at night, slit your throat, and disappear.

Now, I have Teacher Hotsan right in front of me.

Wolfram, the third-rate villain.

I have encountered the assassin teacher who embodies justice.

"Rudyka will ask you again, Wolfram. Can you make something spicy?"

No, I can't make such a thing.

I have 2 health points. If I engage in a 1-on-1 battle with the grasshopper in the forest, I have a 50% chance of winning. I would appreciate it if you pretended not to know me.

I wished for this bad luck to go away, but my skill made my mouth speak the truth even if my mind lied.

The royal bloodline skill, which only allows me to speak in a commanding and impressive manner, activated without hesitation.

"It's possible. It will be as spicy as anything in the world."

"Really?! You're not lying?"

"···Hmph. Who do you think I am? I am Wolfram. Wolfram von Loeningen. I do not lie under the name of the royal family."

Ah.

I'm doomed.

"Is that so? Wolfram. I like you."

"···What do you mean?"

"Rudyka will come for you later."

And Rudyka disappeared.

Wow, an assassination announcement right in front of me! How many people get to enjoy such a surprise in their lives?

I nodded, sensing my impending death.

Thank you all for everything. Wolfram's adventure ends here. Everyone, be happy.

But before I die, there's one thing I hope for.

"Ayla, is this really the spiciest thing in the cafeteria?"

"Yes, how can anyone eat such a thing? Really···!"

I want to eat something spicy.

"You should know what real spiciness is."

"Sure. Wolfram. We need a bit more rebellious conversation. I'll show you rebellious spiciness. Follow me outside."

Excuse me.

Since I'm going to die tonight anyway, please let me live.

***

Ayla left, and we arrived at the convenience store.

Actually, I don't think Rudyka will kill me immediately. Or rather, I'm almost certain she won't.

She kills first and thinks later when she receives an assassination order. When I played as Kelthers and did evil deeds, I was killed in the exam room during the midterm period.

She doesn't care about other people's eyes and just completes her given task. She is the Dagger of the Abyss, after all.

If she wanted to kill Wolfram, she would have just slit his throat without a word. She's capable of that.

The problem is that she noticed me. I sighed deeply and leaned back in my chair, looking up at the ceiling.

Then I heard a sound from outside the door.

Saying, "It's finally here," and looking outside, I saw someone I didn't expect.

"···Nefte?"

"Yes. Hello, Wolfram-sama."

What's going on?

I don't remember giving her a job request.

But the fact that she came here means...

"Do you have something to say?"

"Ugh. You see through everything, don't you? As expected of someone I once served."

"Even though you took a commission and more than double the hourly rate."

"······."

"Or was it donuts? Or shares? The last thing you said was, 'I'll eat well and go.' Wasn't it?"

"Sir, that was···."

What are you going to say in response? Sword of Conviction. What's going on?

A laugh escaped me.

"So, what's up today?"

"I have a favor to ask."

"What is it?"

"Can I work here as a part-time job? Please!"

"Hmm?"

"Is that no? Is it because I'm not good enough? I'll work hard!"

"No, that's not it."

"······? Then why not?"

"No customers come here."

"············."

Nefte didn't say anything. If she had said, "Ah," in understanding, it would be different, but she looked at me with pity. Don't look at me like that. Stop it.

But it's true. No customers come here. The last freshman welcome party was a huge success, and sales were through the roof, but in reality, no one comes to the convenience store. It's shockingly empty.

The reason is... I don't know.

"So, I'm analyzing it."

"Is it because of the location?"

"·········."

Stop it. No more bad talk.

"But isn't this the only place in the academy that serves delicious food?"

If it's this good, shouldn't people come from a hundred miles away, crawling, saying, "This convenience store is here to teach us what delicious means! Woo Woo Wolfram! Thank you! I trusted you!"?

"True, but Jefrin's schedule might be a problem."

"What do you mean?"

"A proper student, from the moment they enter as a freshman, will be busy with classes, assignments, and self-training... They won't have time to come out."

"Hmm."

That's a valid point.

Then what should I do? Should I start selling in front of the freshman building at dawn? It's not a bad choice, but I need to prepare a lot of things.

"Alright. Then I'll try to gather customers gradually."

"That's a good idea. ···But I'm disappointed about the part-time job. I really wanted to work here."

"Part-time job. Part-time job... "

Actually, there's a part-time job that would be perfect for her.

"Nefte, would you like to try a part-time job for just one day?"

"Really?"

"I'll pay you generously."

"What kind of part-time job?"

It's not anything special.

A little later, a really scary kid will come. If she does something strange, I need you to stop her.

***

As the sky darkened and the sun clocked out, hiding in the darkness.

"Wolfram, Rudyka is here."

"Hmm."

No one can stop the steps of an assassin who has hidden in the darkness.

If a person walks, there should be footsteps, if they breathe, there should be breathing sounds, and if not, the flow of air should change, but the Dagger of the Abyss just appeared as if she had always been there.

She glanced at me and Nefte, who was standing next to me.

"Knight Club third-year, Nefte?"

"······Fourth-year Rudyka Hotsan Shadow-senpai?"

"Hmm. What are you doing here?"

"···I'm doing a one-day part-time job. I need to negotiate a higher hourly rate."

Sorry, I'll pay you more later. Will you forgive me?

Anyway, Nefte was tense, and Rudyka looked at her calmly.

The gap in their abilities is clear. No matter how much Nefte is the Sword of Conviction, she can't stop the Dagger of the Abyss, who is approaching the realm of perfection.

Rudyka turned her attention from Nefte and looked at me with shining eyes.

"I want you to give it to me now."

"What are you talking about?"

"Wolfram, Rudyka doesn't like jokes. Make something spicy."

"Hmm."

"I'll pay you. Rudyka has a lot of money!"

She always has such a unique way of speaking. Is it because of the "Hotsan" in her name?

"Unfortunately, there's nothing spicy here. I don't have the ingredients."

"Ingredients?"

"A few herbs from the Sleeping Mountain Range and three types of 8-tier beans... With those, I can probably make a decent imitation."

First, 'think about it.'

To prevent her from using "Hotsan Style: Neck Grab" and "Hotsan Style: Fatal Neck Cut," I need to follow the 'description' in my memory.

The items I mentioned are those with "Numbness Effect" and "Ice Release" effects from Jefrin, which have descriptions like "extremely spicy, handle with care" or "seems to be a spiciness that can melt all ice in the world."

But the place where these items are prominently found is the Sleeping Mountain Range, which you need to farm for items before Act 3, in Act 2.

If the Eastern Forest is a picnic in Act 1, the Sleeping Mountain Range in Act 2 is much more dangerous.

"···Sleeping Mountain Range."

"Yes. It's quite a challenging place."

Especially according to Ayla, in a world where everyone has given up on adventuring, even the Sleeping Mountain Range is a place where you have to risk your life. Even if she's an assassin, the Sleeping Mountain Range is a tough challenge.

So, go back. Okay?

"Alright. I'll go. Rudyka. I'll challenge the Sleeping Mountain Range."

"······What?"

Really?

"Why are you so obsessed with spicy things?"

"Because they're delicious."

"Hah. Just because of that..."

"It's not just because of that."

Rudyka looked at me with wide eyes.

As if with all the resentment in the world, she stared straight at me.

"Wolfram. This world is not spicy. I want something spicy."

"·········Ha!"

She closed her eyes after saying that.

If she said more, it would make my beliefs seem ridiculous.

I like spicy things. I want to eat something spicy.

A magical sentence that everyone in Korea loves: "Deliciously spicy."

For example, a cup of oden broth with two slices of green chili peppers in the middle of winter.

With that level of spiciness, I feel like I can resolve this resentment.

But seeing the self-proclaimed spicy food lover Ayla, I just sigh.

This world is extremely weak against spicy things. These weaklings.

In the midst of this, this girl looked at me straight and said,

I want to eat something spicy. I can't mock that desire.

"I understand. You and I are of the same kind."

"Yes. This world is... not spicy. Rudyka doesn't like that."

We shook hands firmly.

Even if we don't share a language, even if we're of different races, our love for spicy food is one.

"I'll make it for you tomorrow. So, write down what you need... "

"Great. We'll start tomorrow. Then, Wolfram, Rudyka will come tomorrow!"

"?"

Can't you listen to someone until they finish speaking?

Hey, hey.

By the way, am I going too?