Chapter 26
[Progress Notification]
Relationship change with ‘Iri Elisbell’,
Part 1 Act 1 Progress Rate: 0% → 48%
Current Contribution: 98%
*Mid-term reward will be given.
*Reward changes according to contribution.
【Mid-Term Reward】
Achievement Points: +2000
1 ‘Violet Hunting Ground Admission Ticket’
“Hmm……”
Right after Iri’s [Showcase] wrapped up successfully, an unexpected notification window popped up, throwing me into thought.
‘Part 1 Act 1 has progressed to 48%, and my contribution is 98%?’
That was a pretty fast progression.
It was still only the very first day at the Academy.
Because of all the commotion with the [Showcase] and everything else, it felt like a lot of time had passed, but in reality, classes hadn’t even properly begun yet.
And yet, right after the [Showcase], the progress of Part 1 Act 1 had shot up to nearly half. On top of that, my contribution had reached 98%.
Given that information, there could only be one conclusion.
‘Iri is the key to Part 1 Act 1.’
Part 1 Act 1.
The standard for dividing these sections wasn’t simply ‘the passage of time’ or ‘events,’ but rather ‘a character’s growth’ or ‘relationship.’
‘In the original work, there was an event similar to this [Showcase].’
It was a duel between the protagonist and Iri.
Of course, it wasn’t a corporate mock battle like the [Showcase], just a typical class activity.
Back then, Iri had been on edge, obsessed with goals like, ‘I have to be chosen as Stingray’s scholarship student,’ and ‘I must become the best.’
On top of that, word had spread that she was from the Fallen Sector, making everyone—even the teachers—uncomfortable with having her in the same classroom.
‘And the only one who reached out to her was the protagonist.’
Iri, who had always been on the outskirts, showcased her true abilities for the first time in that duel.
Unlike the protagonist, who fought as a ‘Tech Wizard’ wielding the abilities of various modules, Iri overpowered him purely through her physical prowess—her pure specs.
‘In the end, she lost to the protagonist, but that duel became the catalyst for others to start recognizing her abilities…’
That was the first turning point.
Right after that, Iri realized that the protagonist had intentionally set up the stage for her to display her abilities.
It bruised her pride, but at the same time, she began to open her heart to him bit by bit.
‘The way that wild dog of a girl slowly started acting like a puppy only around the protagonist was just so cu—No, now’s not the time for this.’
The important thing was the plan going forward.
Now that I knew the scenario-clear condition lay in the character ‘Iri’ herself, I had no choice but to pay more attention to her.
Contribution.
From that word alone, I could tell that the ‘growth path’ of the key supporting characters in this world was predetermined.
And the transmigrators would share the contribution percentage based on how much they influenced that growth.
In other words, it was a kind of ‘quest.’
The content being [Make Iri Grow].
‘I can also guess that once the scenario is cleared, the reward changes based on the quest contribution.’
It had become clear that there was no time limit to the story strategy. In that case, I might consider slightly adjusting my original plan to develop relationships with other characters in advance.
But there were two problems.
One, naturally, was the problem of other transmigrators.
‘Judging by the circumstantial evidence, it’s almost certain that Ciel is a transmigrator.’
However, in the original work, Ciel was just as important a character as Iri.
So originally, it was practically guaranteed that later there’d be a quest like ‘Part 1 Act 3: Solve Ciel’s Problem’…
‘But what happens if Ciel herself is a transmigrator?’
I had no way of knowing.
This damn special perk gave way too little information. Other web novels sometimes had absurdly long explanations, so why was this one…
And the lack of information about this special perk was directly connected to the second problem.
‘What’s this “Hunting Ground Admission Ticket” supposed to be?’
As a mid-term reward, I’d received one ‘Violet Hunting Ground Admission Ticket,’ but I had no idea what I was supposed to do with it.
Well, I could take a guess.
As the name suggested, it was probably a special place where you could freely hunt various [Arcane]… or maybe something else.
And judging from the ‘purple’ tag, there were likely ranks based on colors.
‘If it starts from purple, then it’s probably divided into seven stages following the colors of the rainbow. Considering I got purple at this point, red is probably the highest rank.’
That much, I could at least speculate.
But what kinds of things appeared in this hunting ground, what the difficulty was, how long you could hunt there…
What the conditions for returning were, whether time in reality passed while hunting, and whether actions in the hunting ground affected reality—
There was too much to consider, and it annoyed me.
Settings varied so wildly from web novel to web novel that, when I considered the risks, I couldn’t just use it recklessly. My long years of web novel experience and related knowledge were actually holding me back.
‘If only I knew nothing, I’d have used it without hesitation.’
If they were going to give me a reward, they could’ve just tossed me an easy-to-understand module I could use right away instead of adding to my pile of headaches.
‘Maybe I should put it on hold for now.’
I didn’t need money or essence at the moment, and Iri’s episode wasn’t over yet. There was also the transmigrator problem left to deal with.
Since the admission ticket didn’t have an expiration date, I could finish those first before trying it out.
Just as I was thinking that…
“Ahem. Hm?”
Suddenly, my mouth felt dry.
Since right after the [Showcase] ended earlier, I’d been feeling strangely thirsty. But no matter how much water I drank, the sensation wouldn’t go away.
Drinking water made me feel slightly better for a moment, but the effect didn’t last long.
From deep within my throat, I kept feeling like I was missing something—not water.
‘Diabetes?’
I checked the biometric monitor just in case, but there was nothing wrong with my health.
Then, it suddenly hit me what this thirst really was.
Come to think of it, had it already been about a month?
‘This is…’
This was bad.
This wasn’t ordinary thirst.
And to make matters worse—
Ding!
At that moment, a personal mail arrived.
It was from the Stingray Security Division, and after I carefully read its contents, I clenched my teeth hard.
Damn it.
The timing couldn’t be worse.
Iri saw her old house in front of her.
It was the house her older brother, Peter, had received as a gift when he’d been lucky enough to become a Stingray scholarship student at the Academy.
A cramped, rusty house with a broken ceiling that leaked rain, sprouting mold.
For a gift, it wasn’t in great condition, but in this city, owning a house at all was incredibly difficult.
For them—who had no citizenship and had been wandering through the ruins of the Fallen Sector—it was their first precious home.
And in front of that home of theirs—
The Stingray people suddenly came.
A woman who looked like a low-ranking office worker handed Iri a small plastic box.
-“These are the belongings of Peter Jones.”
-“W-wait a second! What do you mean, my brother’s belongings?”
-“I’ve clearly delivered it. Hah, is it because you’re from the Fallen Sector? You sure seem happy to live in a dump like Sector E.”
-“W-what did you just say?”
-“Oh, and because your brother disappeared, your citizenship issuance has also been canceled. We’ve decided to reclaim this house, so be out within a week.”
A sudden notice.
Iri stared at the employees with wide eyes, but they simply turned their backs and left without further explanation.
-“You bitches!!”
Unable to hold it in, Iri swung her fists and charged at them. But for some reason, her arms were too short, and her attacks didn’t reach at all.
When she looked down, she saw a small, frail body. Her arms and legs were much shorter. Because of that, she couldn’t do anything meaningful before being thoroughly beaten and collapsing onto the street.
Soon, the Stingray employees left, and Iri barely managed to open her swollen eyes to look inside the box.
-“Th-this can’t be. There’s no way my brother is dead…”
Inside the box was a chip.
A special data chip called a Combat Module—usable only by Adaptees. The moment she saw it, Iri knew.
It was undoubtedly her brother’s.
The scene then shifted.
Suddenly, Iri was being chased by a group. They were thugs active in the residential district of Sector E.
-“Hey! Stop right there, brat!”
-“Hand it over and we won’t touch you!”
In her arms was the Combat Module, her brother’s keepsake. While heading to a back-alley Modular to request an appraisal, she had caught their eyes.
Adaptee-grade Combat Modules were generally traded at high prices.
The thugs, hiding their ill intent behind fake friendly faces, had casually approached her.
But before they could even speak, Iri had already sensed their black hearts. So she turned on her heel and ran through the back alleys of Sector E.
However, because one of the thugs was an Augment, it didn’t take long before she was cornered in a dead-end alley.
-“Damn, you little brat. You’re making this way too exhausting. Let’s not waste more energy—just give it to us and we’re done.”
-“Never! You bastards!”
-“Ha! Say that again.”
One thug rolled up his pants, revealing a menacing black-gleaming mechanical leg.
-“Purity Service’s pride and joy, the ‘Ostrich Leg Mk.5.’ It hurt like hell to get this attached, you know? But the performance makes it worth it. It’s on par with most Combat Modules.”
An obvious threat.
Iri was confident in her fighting skills, but if an Augment was involved, that was a different story. Taking a hit from that leg would leave her far from fine.
Even so, Iri wouldn’t yield. She could never just stand by and let her brother’s keepsake be stolen.
-“Didn’t you hear me? Get lost! I said you can’t have it!”
-“Tch! Asking for a beating, you wild-dog bitch.”
The thugs crept toward her, and Iri readied herself to strike back. Determined never to lose it, she tried to plug the module into the back of her own neck.
And then—
From somewhere, a black shadow appeared and, with astonishing movements, utterly smashed the thugs.
The man who had ended the situation in an instant brushed off his hands and looked down at the thugs. Then, over his shoulder, he asked Iri:
-“You okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”
That voice—so familiar.
One she thought she’d never hear again.
Overcome with emotion, Iri ran to the man and hugged him. Tears were about to spill.
-“Peter! Where have you been…! I really thought you were dead…!”
But Peter replied:
-“Peter? What do you mean?”
-“What?”
While Iri was still confused, the man turned his head—and standing there was not Peter Jones, but…
-“Aaron Stingray!? Wh-why!?”
Golden, cold eyes gazed down at her. At some point, his outfit had changed into a neat black suit.
Seeing her confusion, Aaron asked again:
-“I asked if you were hurt.”
-“Uh, no… I’m… fine…”
-“Good. That’s a relief.”
Iri mumbled her reply, unsure of herself.
Then, a large hand rested atop Iri’s head, gently stroking—not herself, but her.
-“W-w-what are you doing!?”
-“I’m really glad you’re safe.”
Seeing this side of Aaron for the first time, Iri’s eyes darted back and forth. Finally, unable to take it anymore, she slapped his hand away and shouted:
-“R-relief, my ass!!”
“Relief, my aaass—!!”
Huff, huff.
Iri opened her eyes, breathing hard.
Looking around, she saw a clean room decked out with the latest furniture. She wondered for a moment where she was, but soon realized it was her dorm room.
‘Th-that just now…?’
It seemed it had been a dream.
She remembered belatedly that as soon as she’d returned to her room after today’s events—including the [Showcase]—she had collapsed and fallen asleep.
This damn Academy wouldn’t let students rest just because they’d had a battle that day.
No—more than that—
“What kind of dream was that!?”
Iri’s face as she shouted—
Was as red as a rose.