020 – Boss: Forsaken #1
TL/ED: Lolz
The evening when Nike and Victoria decided to sleep together. I sat near the campfire and listened quietly.
Crackle, crackle.
“…”
I could tell that the two women were having a conversation, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying at all.
Nike’s hut – no, cabin.
For something made of roughly woven grass and branches, it had surprisingly good sound insulation.
But I didn’t stoop to eavesdrop on their conversation. I had a vague idea of what might be happening inside the cabin without needing to listen.
When did Nike start dating Victor?
They were probably discussing whether she could handle being associated with the Arkwright family.
I recalled the description of Victoria in D&A.
“She’ll probably try to persuade her.”
Victoria, who had captured the boss of Act 1, “Forsaken Enrique”, in Ludens, had tried to convince him.
━Even now, if you tell the truth, we can go easy on you. Breaking the protective barrier and attacking students? I don’t think it was just expelled students who did this.
That was Victoria’s character.
She showed mercy even to her enemies.
But at the same time, she had a ruthless coldness.
━Are there others involved besides you? If you don’t talk, we’ll judge you according to the Student Council’s law.
Given her character, she was likely grilling Nike thoroughly.
“…”
Tonight, she might reveal everything.
Nike wasn’t exactly skilled at lying.
But I had prepared for the possibility of Nike lying to Victoria.
If things got tough, that might be the only way.
However, was it really okay? I asked myself.
“The answer won’t be hard to find.”
Time is precious, and naturally, I didn’t have much time to think.
“If I can distance myself from the Arkwright family, any method is fine.”
Paying off the debt and finally getting some healing.
Those were my two main goals.
If I could achieve these two things, then any method was acceptable.
Ting-ting.
To organize my thoughts, I rummaged through my pockets, filled with Rene.
500,000 Rene as a Tier 1 hunting request reward and 2.5 million Rene from today’s sales.
Even if I split Nike’s share in half, it was still a significant amount.
Around 3 million Rene per week. Four weeks in a month made it 12 million Rene.
Making 120 million Rene in a year.
Even without considering interest, it seemed like I might be slightly short of my goal of paying off 200 million Rene within a year. But considering I had started with nothing; it was a decent achievement.
If things continued like this, it should be enough.
As long as there were no unforeseen variables.
“Variables should always be considered.”
I decided to organize my plans for the future and assess potential stories that could become variables.
First, did the Opening Ceremony of Act 1 go smoothly? F
rom the second week after the start of the school year, the organization “Fimblevet” would begin to move.
Luke, the protagonist, would resolve his incidents and would build up his reputation back in Act 1’s storyline.
Did I need to worry about anything in that story?
It seemed unlikely.
In the future, the characters who would appear one by one were likely to be adversaries for Luke. It felt like the boss Enrique might make an appearance at the end.
Enrique was quite challenging for a boss in the beginning, but he wouldn’t be a match for the steadily growing Luke.
After all, he was the protagonist.
“That part should be fine.”
I scratched my nose.
* * *
Rustle.
There was a sound of something stepping on dry branches.
I woke up from my sleep, disturbed by the flickering of the campfire, and surveyed my surroundings.
A rabbit?
No, it felt heavier than that. In this forest, the only creatures bigger than a rabbit were students looking for Flavor Herbs.
But most of them would be asleep at this late hour.
Besides, the number of footsteps seemed unusual.
What’s going on here?
“Who are you?”
Thanks to Victor’s nonchalance, I could ask questions to the dark night sky. As I did, some dark figures emerged from the shadows within the dense bushes.
They were beings wearing black masks, a mixed group of men and women.
Was this a nighttime ambush event?
It was about time for one to occur.
After all, I had a reputation in the negative, so it was bound to happen sooner or later.
“What are you?”
“We are Winter.”
“We are Revelation!”
Their lines sounded oddly familiar, but different from the ambush events I had anticipated.
Suddenly, something darted out of the darkness faster than I could think.
“Victor! Prepare for an ambush!”
It was Victoria, holding a shining ivory-colored staff. When she brought the staff down to the ground, an intensely blinding light burst forth.
“Take this! Flash Blossom!”
I was witnessing Victoria’s basic skill, 《Flash》, in action for the first time. It was a simple yet powerful skill that could stun and blind the target for about two turns.
“Ugh, snow!”
“Argh!”
“Aaaah!”
The effect was too potent, wasn’t it?
It felt more like an incendiary grenade than a flashbang.
“Is this… the power of my Flash?”
Victoria herself seemed surprised by the impact of her own skill.
She alternated her gaze between the black-masked figures writhing on the ground and the “Arkwright’s Staff” she held.
“Victor, we’re being attacked, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know.”
Ugh.
My stomach hurt.
It was because I had just lied.
Well, to be precise, saying ‘I don’t know’ wasn’t a lie.
I knew, but it was a vague feeling.
“Ugh, it’s suddenly so noisy. What happened…?”
Nike, who must have been awakened by the loud noises, immediately stood up, rubbing her eyes. Then, Nike looked at the black-masked figures lying on the ground.
“They must be debt collectors! They noticed I’ve been making money recently, and they’ve come to collect!”
No, even though I may not have known, it didn’t seem like that at all.
“Ugh, run away!”
“You’re stronger than I’ve heard!”
“I didn’t hear you were this strong!”
The black-masked figures suddenly started supporting their teammates in 《Flash》, as if they were drawing energy from away from it.
“There!”
Victoria chased after them.
“Victor, let’s go! Those guys definitely came for my weakness! This is a challenge to the Student Council!”
I had to say something, even though it came out naturally.
“Victoria, I’m no longer part of the Student Council.”
“That’s…”
Victoria seemed to grasp the situation with my remark.
Victor, not being part of the Student Council, had no obligation to pursue those villains.
What if they stole my belongings?
Realizing this, Victoria abruptly said, “Then stay here and twiddle your thumbs!” before chasing after them and disappearing.
* * *
The next morning.
“…”
“…”
Nike and I brushed our teeth and washed up at a park restroom near the forest.
There was no need for conversation during this process.
It would have been the same for the past few days.
But today, Nike was a little different.
“What was that last night? I thought they were debt collectors. But I guess they weren’t.”
“Nike, in my opinion, they definitely weren’t debt collectors.”
“Is that so…?”
“More importantly, about last night.”
I wanted to ask Nike what she and Victoria talked about last night. Victor was not known for subtlety, so I asked straightforwardly.
“You didn’t get caught lying to Victoria, did you?”
“Well, that’s….”
“You did, didn’t you?”
“Ugh, but she said I had to take responsibility! I’m sorry, Victor! I tried to hide it somehow!”
It was surprising, as it went as I had expected. I realized that I was more of a veteran than I had thought.
However, for today’s Victoria, she seemed to be too preoccupied with our breakup.
“Things are going strangely.”
“I messed up! I made a promise! I’m such a fool!”
Nike knelt in front of me, apologizing profusely. Did she think the situation had gone awry because of her?
I thought it would be quicker to show her rather than explain in words.
Fortunately or unfortunately, the incident happened soon after.
It was in the afternoon, just before the first class at 8 p.m.
A bizarre incident had the entire Ludens Academy students in an uproar.
It looked like some kind of performance art.
“Who would do such a horrible thing…!”
“That guy, is he dead…!?”
“Ugh, he’s not dead… Quickly get him down…!”
A student hung from a crucifix-like structure, bound and looking like he had rolled down a cliff, appearing to be in pain.
“Horrible…!”
“Who would do such a thing…!”
“No… Help him down instead of just standing there…!”
However, what drew everyone’s attention was not the suffering student or the strange crucifix-like structure but the banner hanging above.
“It’s all a lie, just like the crown.”
“A lie like the crown? What does that mean?”
“I don’t know. But more importantly, someone get that guy down!”
“You scoundrels… You’re worse than them…”
Everyone was confused and puzzled.
I was puzzled, too.
An installation and a banner that got everyone’s attention.
Could this be the work of Enrique?
To have an event where Enrique himself takes action, there should be a few more weeks left, right?
Why, there are villain executives who say things like, ‘You useless bastards, I’ll take action myself!’ That guy is Enrique.
Why are boss events appearing already when there’s usually an episode of low-level henchmen failing before the boss arrives?
It’s strange.
But on the other hand, it might be a good opportunity.
If Luke defeats Enrique, Act 1 ends, and the main story, Act 2, begins.
Act 2 is the episode where the “Underground Market” is first activated.
The Underground Market.
The name itself suggests it’s all about money, doesn’t it?
I was organizing my thoughts, thinking that there must be plenty of materials available only in the Underground Market.
“Um, are you Senior Victor?”
Someone called out to me.
“They’re looking for you at the Student Council, they said?”
“It’s almost time for the first class, isn’t it? I don’t have much time.”
“They told me you’d say that, so they even prepared a note for you. They’re providing lunch too.”
“On second thought, I think I have some time now.”
It’s not like I wanted to secure lunch expenses with a note.
“Nike, I’m going to go, so you’ll have to handle lunch on your own today.”
“…Huh? Alright! I’ll prepare the ingredients!”
It seems I could listen to what the Student Council wanted to say.
Legitimately skipping class with a note, and at least it was not like I was running a street stall.
So, I went to the Student Council.
In there, some students were sitting with serious expressions, grappling with various concerns.
It was surprising to see such expressions on the faces of teenagers who were barely in their late teens.
But most of them are familiar faces.
The protagonist, “Special Transfer Student” Luke, “Vice President” Victoria, “Promising Talent” Dearmid, and the short, blond, tan-skinned guy from this side…
“I’m Gawain, the Head of the Swordsmanship Club in the third year. You’re Victor, right?”
It was indeed “The Sun”, Gawain.
He was an attacker, and he was known for forming a unique party during the time when the sun was rising thanks to the skill 《Golden Sun》.
He was a remarkable party member entry.
You could venture into a dungeon with a party like that.
So, why did these distinguished individuals call me?
Then, the blond, tan-skinned Gawain asked me a question.
“Victor, do you happen to know about anything called ‘Fimblevet’?”
Access 10 Chapters ahead of the Novelupdates release on our Patreon. <3
