021 – Boss: Forsaken #2
TL/ED: Lolz
Tormenting students in D&A was not just about the cruelty of the island;
it was about making challenging games interesting.
It was about creating villains worth defeating.
There were two major villainous organizations in D&A, the first of which was ‘Fimblevet’.
They played a significant role from the early episodes to the end.
When Gawain asked me if I knew about “Fimblevet,” I had to nod my head in agreement.
“Yes, I do. It’s a name I couldn’t afford not to know as an executive.”
My appropriate and positive response brightened Gawain’s expression.
“Then, I’ll give you an explanation. I’ll be straightforward, Victor. ‘Fimblevet’ is gearing up for action again.”
It seemed likely.
What the masked men said yesterday, “We are Winter.”, was undoubtedly a catchphrase for the organization “Fimblevet”.
And the crucifix structure I saw this morning was undoubtedly the work of Enrique.
According to the original episode, it should have taken at least another week or so for them to start their activities, but I didn’t mind.
“It’s not my concern.”
“No, it does concern you, Victor. They are watching you, Victor.”
That terrorist group was watching me?
Why?
I had no connection to them whatsoever.
Could there be any connection between them and the previous Victor?
No, there shouldn’t be.
While I pondered these questions, the protagonist Luke raised his hand.
“Um, Senior. Can I ask what those ‘Fimblevet’ guys are up to?”
“Oh, you’re a transfer student, right? Well, outside of the third-year students, ‘Fimblevet’ is not well-known. So, it’s okay not to know.”
Gawain stood up from his seat and began explaining, drawing on a chalkboard he had brought from somewhere.
“They started their activities for the first time two years ago. At first, I thought they were just a group formed around students who dropped out or were expelled. But that wasn’t the case.”
“If it wasn’t, then what was it?”
“They systematically attacked Ludens. Orca Arkwright, the former student council president, eventually issued a crackdown order and captured their leader, dismantling them. This is the story from when I was a first-year student.”
He summarized it briefly.
In other words, they are a reactionary group formed primarily around Ludens’ expelled and dropout students. Those who harbor grudges against Ludens’ system and attack students.
Then Luke asked,
“So, you mean the disbanded group has started their activities again?”
“It seems that way, judging from that guy’s story over there.”
Gawain pointed to a small room in the distance. There, a man bound by ropes was writhing.
Gawain kicked the man’s body with his foot.
“1st-year, Class C, No. 25, Ganash. He was my junior. He was expelled in his first year. I heard he returned to the mainland, but it seems he joined ‘Fimblevet’.”
“Heh heh, Gawain. Long time no see. Still devoted to swordsmanship?”
The expelled student with messy brown hair smirked at us and said ominously.
“You’ll understand us sooner or later. Because the crown is a lie. Ludens is lying to everyone.”
Dearmid, the honors student from Class A, with blond hair, reacted to this strange story.
“A lie? What are you talking about? Tell us.”
“You’re a first-year, right? You probably won’t understand yet. I was just like you at one point. Do you want to become a hero? Just like the former seniors. But do you know what awaits those heroes in the end?”
“In the end…?”
“Their ends are all tragic. We’re just pawns of the gods. No matter how hard you try, you can’t escape your fate. But perhaps we can prevent you from even rolling the dice.”
This line, I’ve heard it before.
I didn’t expect to hear it in person here.
With a sense of déjà vu, I decided to ask a question I thought I knew the answer to.
“So, are you targeting promising students? Is that why you destroyed the sealing facility? To identify potential students when the monsters invade.”
This was the original Act 1.
I wondered if there were any variables different from what I knew, but Ganash chuckled.
“You’re quite sharp. You must be Victor. Yes, as you said, we’re targeting promising students. You’re among them. The most crucial figure.”
It’s a fact that “Fimblevet” targets promising students.
In Act 1, it’s the story of Luke, who brilliantly handled the monster infiltration incident during the entrance ceremony, making him a target for “Fimblevet”.
In the meantime, Dearmid, Victoria, and other outstanding students are also targeted.
In cases with higher difficulty, like the second round, some students retire after this attack and are excluded from the entry starting from Act 2.
But what I didn’t understand was this.
Why were these people targeting me?
Calling me the most important person?
Not Luke?
While I was curious, Victoria asked.
“Why are you targeting Victor? He’s not even an executive anymore.”
“We have eyes and ears too. We heard stories about him defeating a Tier 1 monster, and that too, with just one or two people. Of course, he’s going to get attention.”
Ah, I see.
So that was the issue.
But I didn’t actually defeat anyone.
I just had a good strategy.
Then Gawain asked.
“But Ganash, aren’t you being too straightforward with the truth? How can we trust what you’re saying?”
“Think what you want. But remember, we’re here to save you. We want to rescue you from the path of heroes, from this Prison Academy…”
Ganash couldn’t finish his sentence because Gawain’s merciless toe reached his chest with a kick. “Thud!” Ganash collapsed. Gawain, the head of the swordsmanship club, stood there with a stern look.
“Don’t listen to him. He can manipulate you. They have that talent. Maybe it’s Enrique’s talent. Right now, he’s called a bounty hunter, but…”
Gawain began to explain about the Enrique.
I didn’t need to hear more about this story.
That’s why I decided to start moving.
“Victor, where are you going!?”
I only gave a light answer to Victoria’s question.
“They’re not just after me. Ganash hid information skillfully in the truth.”
Defeating a Tier 1 monster wasn’t something I did alone.
“Luke, I’m leaving Enrique’s side to you. And my share of lunch and a makeup class report. You can handle it, right?”
“Uh…? Uh, yeah. Leave it to me.”
Nike was in danger.
The attackers from last night weren’t after Victoria.
* * *
The Act 1 event passes quickly.
Villains appear, explain who they are, and you experience your first boss battle. It’s straightforward and conventional.
However, the Act 1 Forsaken event in the second round has a different nature.
Students retire during this event, such as the “outstanding” Dearmid who gets attacked and seriously injured.
It feels like they’re not showing up throughout the Act.
It’s a difficulty balance patch for players who think they’ve become familiar with the game after clearing the first Act.
This randomness adds an extra layer to party composition planning.
Of course, major characters like Victoria and Enrique are fixed and won’t retire.
DLC characters like Nike were likely to remain too.
So, I assumed it would be fine without worrying.
But this was reality.
It was different from the game.
“I have to hurry.”
I urged myself on.
Once again, I returned to the Mysterious Forest, now familiar with its layout. I spotted students in agitation.
“Why are those guys here…?”
“Guys wearing black masks suddenly showed up…”
Their mutterings gave me an idea of the situation, but I hoped nothing serious had happened.
Even with the 《Steel》 quirk, I still felt a slight unease. My palms were sweating as I clenched my hands.
“…”
Dried meat was scattered on the ground, and the aromatic herbs I had prepared before the forest became a hot spot were trampled.
But what caught my eye the most was the cabin. Well, actually, it’s called a “hut”, but Nike didn’t like that term.
Now, it was so destroyed that you couldn’t even tell what it was. Looking at the wreckage, memories of past times rushed back, making my head spin.
“This is a debt. I have to repay it.”
If you owe someone, you have to give it back.
The truth is simple enough for anyone to understand.
“Hey, you there. Do you know where the guys who were here went?”
I grabbed a student who was making a commotion nearby and asked. He pointed hastily and said, “Over there!”
I ran in that direction.
Fortunately, I had more than enough stamina.
After running for a while, I saw Nike, surrounded by some hooligans and looking very flustered.
“Nike!”
“Victor! Debt collectors have gathered in droves!”
Even if I looked at them, they didn’t seem like debt collectors.
But that wasn’t the important thing right now.
“Tch, Victor’s back.”
“That’s the guy who defeated the Tier 1 monster…”
“Don’t be nervous. He’s just an F without any weapons!”
Five, only men.
For an attempt to catch a poor female student, their numbers were more than enough.
Can I handle these guys?
The doubt that had plagued my mind since I received the quest in the Adventurer’s Guild filled my head.
What level of skill can I demonstrate in this world?
Knowing the skills and using them.
And…
Acting with my own body.
Between these two, there’s a thicker and stronger barrier than a computer screen.
No, there was no time to hesitate.
“Let’s go! We’re fighting them all out!”
They suddenly rushed towards us, and one of them swung a club at my head. It was a scary attack, but strangely, I could see its trajectory clearly.
Swish.
As I moved my head back, the disoriented attacker lost his balance right in front of me. I simply kicked my knee towards him, landing a clean hit on his chest.
“Ugh!”
“Hey, that guy’s quite strong even without weapons!”
That was because Victor had basic physical strength.
Anyway, he was still a mid-boss of the series.
There was no way I’d be defeated by these small fries in Act 1.
After all, they were all dropouts or students who had withdrawn. There were plenty of guys less skilled than a bare-handed Victor.
“Destroying or defacing someone else’s property illegally. If I were still an executive, all of you would be subject to immediate punishment.”
“Guy talking so much is about to fall! Let’s all charge!”
“Yeah!”
“Take them down!”
“Stop talking and someone should go first!”
Whether they were afraid of my unexpected outburst or they simply had a change of mind, the attackers didn’t seem eager to confront me head-on. However, they began to target Nike instead of me.
“These debt collectors! The interest payment isn’t due yet!”
Nike tried to put up a fight.
Waving her hands around or grabbing a nearby stick to fend them off, but facing five strong men, her stamina wasn’t enough.
In the end, Nike was overwhelmed and knocked down by the hooligans attacking her from all sides. A club was flying towards her head.
“Nike, get down!”
“Ouch!”
I decided to protect Nike just before she was hit.
I used my own body to shield her, and the attackers were now wildly swinging their blunt instruments at me.
“Hit him hard!”
“After we knock them out, let’s take them to the boss!”
“Those guys from Class A, talking big with their shoulders out! This is for the dropouts!”
Thud, thwack, thud…
“…”
It hurts.
But I could endure it to some extent.
Perhaps eating 「Spring Sauce Bulgogi」 had been shocking.
Wasn’t it strange for a boss with 15 HP?
These Act 1 ruffians couldn’t do much more than this.
But the real issue was Nike. She looked more distressed than I did, even though I was being beaten.
“Victor! I’m sorry, it’s all because of me!”
“…It’s not your fault.”
It seemed like Nike had misunderstood.
She probably thought I had sacrificed myself on purpose to save her.
But that wasn’t why I did this.
Victor isn’t that sweet guy.
He was more like a steel machine that follows the rules precisely.
There’s no soft and warm regulation like “protect the weak” in Ludens’s thick rulebook or in Victor’s mind.
That’s why this was just what it was.
“It’s a personal rule.”
I, Ha Seung-ri, had made a rule for myself.
I hated seeing the innocent and weak being trampled by the powerful majority or the strong.
I would have done this even if it wasn’t Nike.
Even if that meant losing 200 million in debt, which was almost half of his youth.
“Personal rule…”
Nike seemed to be touched by what I said.
“Victor, I’m sorry. Let’s pretend we didn’t see what happens next.”
Then, she muttered something incomprehensible and finally shouted loudly.
“Bloom, 《Toge Root》!”
It was almost simultaneous, and at that moment, the one-sided beatings and violence directed at me ceased.
“Ugh, what the…?”
“There’s something strange coiling around my body!”
“Aren’t we supposed to target a C-Class student! How can a C-Class loser have this ability… Argh!”
“I can’t even move a finger—ugh!”
“I can’t escape!”
Strange roots sprouted from the ground and entwined the hooligans, rendering them completely immobile!
I was very familiar with this skill.
Skill 《Toge Root》.
This was a skill that the protagonist Luke learns when he specializes in the Nature-Friendly skill tree. It’s a useful utility skill that immobilizes enemies for about three turns.
In other words…
“—Nike, you were actually a Druid.”
“I’m sorry for hiding it…”
It was alright to keep it a secret.
There must have been a reason for it.
But now, it seemed like it had to be done.
“Well, you’re an Earth Mage after all.”
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