Chapter 150

Ekidna Lusano’s life hasn’t been easy.
A Mafia Family. A repressed childhood. A twisted set of values that came naturally. From the day he cried his first tears, he was a man who could not hope for a normal life.
I had just come of age. Treated as an ornament, Ekidna murdered my father and brother. She broke her own shackles by getting their blood on her hands.
His bloody past gave him confidence, not guilt. I was eventually driven from my hometown, but I never regretted it for a moment. I knew I wouldn’t let this happen.
Ekidna was far from incompetent. Young, beautiful, and intelligent. She even has a touch of eccentricity. She had all the ingredients for success.
In just a few short years, the outcast of Trapani had become the boss of a lawless mafia. Her time in Timorta had given her the air of someone in power.
The downfall was swift.
After the loss of Nuova Era, Ekidna lived in despair for a while, until recently, a new goal sprouted in her heart. She wanted to see how Kim ended up.
But now, she was wavering once again.
“So, to summarize.”
After waiting in the hallway for about 20 minutes. Ekidna finally made it to Kim’s room and told her what was bothering her. The rather long story was condensed into a single sentence.
“You mean you’re embarrassed because you’re so useless?”
“Don’t twist it, I didn’t say that.”
“What a distortion. It’s too late for your ego.”
I chewed my lip, unable to argue back. Ashamed of my whining, I spoke up. A rock flew out and struck him in the face.
“You don’t know what the hell consideration is, you.”
“Don’t you see, I’m a functioning member of society.”
I gave him a “You?” look, but was completely ignored.
“It just masks people.”
Ekidna’s next words were met with a self-deprecating chuckle.
“Honestly, I still don’t get it. Why did you keep me alive? I thought she was hungry, but she didn’t seem to care. If you hated me so much, you should have let me die.”
“There must be some misunderstanding.”
Kim’s attitude was a bit of a joke.
“I don’t hate it. On a scale of likes and dislikes, it’s more of an arc.”
“Ha. Put some spit in your mouth and talk.”
“Why would I lie?”
As a listener, I couldn’t have asked for more bullshit.
The warnings I’d heard before still ring in my ears. If you hurt someone you cared about, you should kill yourself.
I was just told not to interrupt the meal. And you call yourself a common sense person while treating someone you have a crush on like this?
“Is he crazy?
I thought about it for a second, and then realized I was crazy.
“But what the hell. It’s not like we’re supposed to be encouraging each other.”
“……Yes, that’s right. I screwed up.”
“I don’t blame you, you know, it was a matter of sequence.”
It was a matter of who betrayed first. Ekidna’s sin was far greater in that she actually took action. Kim didn’t bother to argue. This wasn’t a tribunal.
The key was different.
“It goes something like this. I have no reason to take care of your mental health. There are some people who need to be coddled and dragged along, but you’re not one of them.”
Ekidna clenched her fists at the bluntness of the words. She knew it herself. How useless she had been in the last battle. There, she had been nothing but mana.
That’s why I put my pride aside and came to Kim, because I didn’t want to feel helpless. I wanted to give value to people like Echidna Lusano.
But it was deemed worthless, not a solution.
“…Okay, you’ve bothered me.”
His voice trembled with self-pity and anger.
She bit her bottom lip surreptitiously and was about to get out of her chair.
“Listen to the person, please.”
Kim clenched her jaw and sighed.
“I mean, not enough to take you by force, but not enough to grab you by the ankles. You have the wrong comparison in the first place. You think you can hold a candle to Edwin or Asterique?”
“Not really, but….”
“So you thought you could do as well as Chelsea?”
It was spot on. Shame washed over me as I realized that I’d been so obvious.
“I don’t know why I underestimated you, but Chelsea’s the same, too good to be true, and the whole premise is weird. I never expected anything from you in terms of combat, I.”
It was true. Kim was confident that even if his agent rating dropped to two stars right now, he would still have the upper hand against Echidna. One [Ivory] would be enough.
However.
“That doesn’t mean I don’t expect anything, and that’s not it. Have you forgotten already, I gave you the job at Kilikia. I don’t work for people I think are incompetent. We all have different ways of being helpful.”
Asterique is a bit of a twit, so she’s not very strategic. Chelsea and Edwin are also pretty screwed up, and the Professor, while not a Dustborn, is a terrible combatant.
“I don’t see why you need to tell me all this, my brain works fine.”
He clucked his tongue.
“If you want to increase your value, be smart about it. I’ll give you whatever you ask for, and just in case you get the wrong idea, I’m not giving you special treatment, I do this to all my people.”
My People.
Ekidna’s red eyes flickered again. Her mouth twitched, but for a different reason than a moment ago. There were so many words tugging at her chest, it was hard to choose one.
At the same time, in the back of my mind, I was considering my options. How to use the skills and knowledge I’d gained during my eventful life to carve out a place for myself in Dustborne.
“…….”
Kim waited without saying a word until they were organized. Ekidna didn’t realize that she was being considerate. After a long silence, she spoke up.
“I guess I’ll have to take it from here, huh?”
“What?”
“Compensation.”
A cool smile crossed his face.
“I trust you won’t beat me up.”
“If you do your job well.”
Smiling, Kim pointed to the door.
“End. Get out.”
“Crazy, really.”
Today, Ekidna is determined. She would become the backbone of the organization, and she wouldn’t be pampered like she is now. I’m going to turn the tables and make him hang on for dear life.
It was a fun future to imagine.
* * *
The next day.
You overslept for the first time in a long time. I wake up at 7:00 a.m. on a normal day, although my wake-up time varies during operations. My body clock is pretty high-powered, and so far it’s been pretty accurate.
‘7:15….’
Today I overslept by a whopping 15 minutes. I woke up in time, but I ended up in bed. Proof that I’m enjoying my vacation.
It’s a one-day deviation. If repeated, it can become a habit. A small lapse can snowball into a life-altering event.
After a quick prep, I headed down to the lounge for breakfast. Afterward, I had coffee and relaxed and thought about the rest of the day.
“I’m almost done with what I need to do.
There wasn’t much else for Kim to do, as the lab did all the interaction with the ivory tower. The episode ended successfully, and she was able to kill Kamael, who would have otherwise fled.
As for the truth of Camael’s willed catastrophe, I’m not impressed.
“I knew it all along.
In their first meeting, Kushan says that Shalem was destroyed by his own will, but that is a lie. He is driven only by a sense of responsibility and mission. His purpose for leading the Rap is to atone.
It’s like the beast of the legion.
Markus Dresner founded the Legion as a way to atone and prepare for the future at the same time.
This is revealed in the second half of the book. There are some loose ends that remain unresolved after the final chapter, but they’re mentioned enough to keep the reader guessing. So that users can speculate.
As someone who knows most of the truth, it was refreshing.
“I don’t have a schedule anymore anyway.
Noctane’s request for parole from the professors seems to be going well. Noctane’s spells are useful. It pairs well with [Specialized Weapon Crafting].
He will be Dustborn’s laborer. With a collar around his neck.
“Promises kept.
When you return, take Noctane with you and you’re done. I can’t go back first, so I’ll have to wait until the lap is over. I decide to take advantage of the extra time.
What’s Asterike going to do today, maybe we can go out together…….
“Ah, strings!”
They say the tiger comes when I say so.
Just then, he himself showed up and brought up a topic.
“A spelling program?”
“Yeah. What was it he said he was, accredited by some sort of society? Anyway, he’s famous around here. Chelsea and I are going to pick it up this afternoon, and if you’re free, Hyun can come with us.”
An explanation that sounded like a scam. Normally, I would have been suspicious, but this was different. I had a hunch.
“It must be IS-TR.
As is often the case with mobile games, you’re forced to play in a rush. You run around stages, collecting materials and farming for experience.
There are some places where farming is particularly efficient, such as IS-TR, which opens after clearing the Ish’larad episode.
‘It’s not only rare in Polaris, it’s precious.
For some reason, it’s a peaceful stage with no monsters or legions. It’s a mock drill in the name of the Spell Development Program. It’s a bonus stage.
As the name suggests, it increases the skill’s proficiency.
At first glance, this may seem like an inequity.
A “spell” and a “skill” are not the same thing. Even incapacitated agents have skills. For example, ‘boost morale to strengthen the next attack’.
However, because they are not spells by default, they cannot participate in IS-TR. On the flip side, however, there are training grounds for incapacitated people. They are restricted from bringing able-bodied people onto their teams.
It’s the game’s own struggle for balance.
Needless to say, things are different in the real world.
‘Honestly, I’m not looking forward to it…….’
I’m not denying the effectiveness of these exercises. It’s a well-thought-out drill designed in an ivory tower, but you’re not going to get good at it by playing a game.
Well, not that I’m not going.
“Okay. That sounds like fun.”
I’m curious.
* * *
Ish’ladd has strict laws about spellcasters.
Those with the ability must report to the Association and complete training. Unauthorized use of spells by unlicensed individuals will be severely punished.
Of course, there’s nothing unreasonable about it. Awakening is actually considered lucky. Each spell is categorized into ranks, ranging from fifth to extraordinary, through several stages.
Naturally, the best are rewarded. They can utilize their spells to improve their cities, and they’ll also help you slay the occasional monster.
Needless to say, it’s also a great research material.
While human experimentation is forbidden by law for those with normal abilities, they can draw blood. By the end of the second level, the occasional sale of blood is enough to sustain them for a lifetime.
Grading and other programs related to spelling are organized by the Islamic National Association of Talented People. As a result, there are many visitors every day.
And today.
“What brings you here?”
“I would have booked it under the name Asterique.”
“Asterike… Oh, I see, could you fill out the paperwork over here first? You’ll need to be assessed first before you can get into the program….”
Four-, five-, and six-star agents have crossed the threshold of the association.
To smash the stage.