Surviving on the Northern Front with Gukbap

Chapter 61 : New Friend(s) (2)

New Friend(s) (2)

What is the central content of typical RPG character development?

It's equipment and skills.

However, not every RPG relies solely on these two elements.

Each RPG tends to include other factors for growth besides equipment and skills.

At least, that was the case for Belkhazium,

and in this game, a unique development element called "OOPArts" took responsibility for that.

'It was, indeed, the core and centerpiece of the Belkhazium build.'

First of all, unlike other items, OOPArts are "bound" to a character.

Artifact gear and mythic skill books can be traded, but

an OOPArts, once equipped, cannot be removed unless the wearer dies.

Of course, it's not entirely impossible to remove it,

'But considering the cost, it's almost better to raise a new character instead.'

Instead, OOPArts are that much more overwhelmingly powerful.

For example, the Fragment of the Firmament as I remember it was like this:

────────────

▷ Maximum mana increased by 50%

▷ Mana regeneration speed increased by 1,000%

▷ Mystical power increases in proportion to maximum mana

▷ Special Effect: If the user's mana falls below 1%, instantly removes status effects and restores 33% of maximum mana (cooldown 1 hour)

────────────

Look at that.

Frankly, even in a different RPG, anyone would call this completely overpowered.

'You'd never run out of mana, and since magic damage increases in proportion to mana, too.'

Accordingly, what kind of OOPArts you acquire would determine your development direction,

and selecting equipment and skills to match that was the crux of development in Belkhazium.

With such a system,

I never expected to get OOPArts so soon.

And not just any, but the Fragment of the Firmament.

'For a mage, it's practically the ultimate item!'

That's why I accepted Legion's "deal" with tears in my eyes.

I swear, I'm not a cheap man.

Whoosh.

All of a sudden, a spoon came flying at my face,

but I lightly dodged, twisting my head.

"Hey, you bastard! Didn't I say we should take that?"

Ralph was glaring at me,

and I replied nonchalantly.

"If you'd rushed in recklessly back then, things would have gotten a lot worse."

"... Is that so?"

Of course, that was a lie.

"Ahem. Anyway, who'd have thought I'd live to see an OOPArts with my own eyes."

Ralph looked at the Fragment of the Firmament with an excited expression,

but unfortunately, this wasn't something Ralph should desire.

'I have to give it to Plerine, no matter what.'

In the end, I decided to make Ralph an apologetic offer.

"Ralph. I'll give you a lifetime free meal pass at our shop."

Ralph looked away from the Fragment of the Firmament and at me.

His wounded right eye was still closed; he was seeing me with only his left.

There was something curious in his eye, but I calmly continued.

"Any menu you want—completely free. Anytime, as much as you want."

Ralph wasn't stupid enough to not know what that meant.

He absentmindedly rubbed the area near his bloodied right eye,

appearing to think it over deeply.

"Hmmm."

No matter that we broke military law and went to the minor Demon Realm on our own,

just presenting an OOPArts would count as a huge achievement.

'An OOPArts can't simply be managed by an ordinary battalion. It should be sent up to the Duchy or the empire's higher-ups.'

What would Ralph say to me, I wondered.

How should I persuade Ralph?

As I waited silently for his answer, finally—

"Damn."

Ralph let out a deep sigh and spoke.

"After going through all that trouble, all I get is a free meal pass."

Unexpectedly, Ralph accepted it as if resigned.

That threw me off more than a little.

"Aren't you going to ask?"

"Ask what."

"Why I'm going this far."

Ralph rubbed his big chin and said,

"Do I need to know?"

His straightforward answer made my heart swell.

'He's just letting me off the hook.'

Looking at his injured face, the guilt I'd been feeling doubled.

Maybe that's why.

I voluntarily offered an explanation, like an excuse.

Actually, it was an excuse.

"This OOPArts should go to a mage. It's not right for a warrior like me or you, Ralph. That's why I asked for this favor."

Ralph glanced at Plerine and replied indifferently.

"Hmph, what a pathetic reason."

Getting up from his seat, Ralph added,

"Fine. Let's call it even. Thanks to you I reached 3rd-rank, visited a minor Demon Realm I'd never see otherwise, and met Special Investigator Legion."

Lifting his large chin, Ralph grinned broadly.

"I'll accept your unfair deal."

"......"

His guileless smile was one thing,

but strangely, the word "unfair deal" stuck in my mind.

I suddenly thought of Jeros.

'Jeros and I are the same kind of bastard. That guy let me live with an 8:2 profit split, and here I'm offering nothing but food for the Fragment of the Firmament.'

It leaves a bitter taste.

Still, at least I sincerely felt both sorry and grateful to Ralph.

That's the biggest difference between Jeros and me.

"Thank you. And I'm sorry. Truly."

"Don't mention it. I'll keep everything that happened tonight a secret, so don't worry."

With those words, Ralph left the shop with a brisk stride.

After sending Ralph off, it was Plerine, who locked up the shop, who spoke.

"Boss. I don't like these soldiers around here."

"?"

"But... that big-jaw guy seems okay."

I never expected such words to come from Plerine.

"Except he's ugly."

On that point, I agree.

Anyway,

now it was time to give Plerine the Fragment of the Firmament, one of the ultimate mage items.

"But boss, why was such a precious OOPArts there in the first place?"

Plerine asked as she picked up the blue gem.

"Hmm. Good question."

There's a reason why OOPArts are so much harder to obtain than artifacts.

Unlike artifacts that can be found in labyrinths or stolen from people,

OOPArts can only be acquired by killing high-rank powerhouses on the continent.

'99% of OOPArts on the continent are already incorporated into the bodies of the powerful.'

At the beginning of the game, the 'Fragment of the Firmament'

was used by the Tower Master of Fire.

'So Mad Monster Ignazal is dead.'

Same for Gardoc and Brahagan,

so who else among the great names I knew had died?

'Not that I knew that many NPCs in the first place.'

After all, forty years had passed since the game's starting point.

Even by game standards, it was already late in the story.

It was entirely possible that they'd died by now.

'What I really need to know is who the current new powers and powerhouses are.'

Well, that's not something I can find out right away.

"For now, just try equipping it. We can figure out later why this OOPArts ended up here."

Plerine nodded, pressing her lips determinedly in concentration.

Uuuung. Woong.

Mana flowed out from Plerine's body toward the Fragment of the Firmament.

'In the game, you just put it in your inventory, but I guess there's a process here.'

Soon, the Fragment of the Firmament rose into the air and started to tremble slightly,

almost as if resonating with Plerine's soul.

Uuuung. Uuwoong.

I silently watched as the OOPArts bonded with her body.

"?"

Yet contrary to my expectations, the Fragment of the Firmament suddenly stopped vibrating,

slowly descended, and landed in Plerine's palm.

"What? Is it done?"

But the Fragment of the Firmament is still right there?

As expected, Plerine shook her head.

"I don't think it's working."

It took me less than a second to realize what she meant.

"Don't tell me..."

With a bitter smile, Plerine replied,

"Whatever kind of OOPArts this is... yeah, I think I already have one."

Plerine was already equipped with OOPArts.

Not just one, but two.

*

OOPArts' power is cheating-level.

But not only can you never take it off unless you die,

there's another restriction.

'There's a maximum number you can equip.'

Up to level 4, you can equip only one,

but from level 5 onward, a maximum of two.

This was another reason why level 5 was considered so symbolic.

But for Plerine, a 6th-circle mage, to be unable to equip one means—

'It means she already has two OOPArts fused with her body.'

So what on earth did I pick up off the street?

"You don't remember which OOPArts you had, do you?"

Plerine simply nodded, though she still looked bitter.

We'd been together long enough that I noticed these things now.

"Well, can't be helped. I'll just hold onto it for now."

I took the Fragment of the Firmament from Plerine and thought to myself.

'Just who was Plerine, really?'

A 6th-circle mage with two OOPArts,

one eye covered with a bandage, and blue flames.

Suddenly, I remembered the day I first met Plerine.

At the brink of death, surrounded by a group of impets,

she appeared, detonated fire, and said—

― I'll... destroy..."

― I'll... end... war..."

Ever since Plerine first used her unique magic, I'd sensed it for sure—

she was no ordinary mage.

The more I thought about it, the more I worried.

'The spirit stone quarry raid culprit. Could it really be Plerine?'

A 6th-circle mage could easily destroy a spirit stone quarry alone.

If the memories Plerine had lost included having raided a spirit stone quarry—

'Then what am I supposed to do?'

It's tough.

Nothing ever goes according to plan.

Despite the mess,

I decided to suppress my thoughts and just get some sleep.

So much had happened through the night and early dawn,

but I still had to run the shop tomorrow.

I had to at least catch a nap.

No matter what Plerine's true identity might be, I, in the end, am the owner chef of Happiness Gukbap.

Because I'm a cook.

*

A new day had dawned.

I'd done, earned, and learned much the night before,

but a chef's day would go on the same as always.

To serve the food I'd prepared with care and deliver happiness.

That is my job.

—or so I thought as I opened the shop's door.

"Today's officer breakfast schedule is canceled."

A soldier came by at the break of dawn to say so.

"... Good luck on duty."

I didn't ask why, since it was obvious.

Since Special Investigator Legion hadn't shown up, it must be an emergency.

It must be chaos out there.

'Should I have dragged her to the village by force?'

There was a bit of regret,

but in fact, this was a good thing.

It just meant I could sleep in a little longer.

Thud.

I told Naba and Plerine to keep sleeping and lay down on the bed myself.

After the scheduled breakfast for the officers, I'd have to accept regular customers right away—so until then.

"......"

But the thing was, I didn't actually fall asleep.

Habits really are terrifying.

In the end, I tossed and turned then headed to the kitchen.

I guess I really am a workaholic.

Swish swish-, sagakak.

I dragged the kitchen knife across the whetstone I'd used last night.

As I lost myself in the repetitive back-and-forth sharpening,

my thoughts naturally turned to last night.

'Brahagan and Gardoc were killed by an outsider.'

One with black hair, like mine, no less.

Just who could it be?

'An outsider other than me.'

I'd more or less suspected as much.

No matter how much outsiders are persecuted and reduced to slavery here,

it was inevitable at least one other lucky survivor like me existed.

'Still, it's amazing actually finding proof that one does.'

What's more, if he's strong enough to have taken down Brahagan and Gardoc, he must be pretty formidable.

If he arrived before I did, using his game knowledge and the outsider perks, it's plausible.

'He probably used his game knowledge to collect items and leverage outsider privileges.'

According to the battalion commander, outsiders have some unique abilities.

What sort of perk does that outsider have, I wonder.

'I want to meet him. The other outsider.'

With such idle thoughts, I finished sharpening and organizing the knife,

and just when I went to check the system window I'd been putting off—

Bang bang.

Someone knocked on the shop door again.

Though I'd made the opening time for regular customers quite clear,

there's always some clueless guy barging in.

At least until a familiar voice rang out.

"Aren't you coming out right now? Kukuk."

These days, Jeros dropped by once every three days to grab fifteen rice balls.

But this wasn't his usual hour.

Creak.

"What is it? At this hour?"

—or so I said, but my gaze wasn't on Jeros.

It was on the person beside him.

"Kukuk. A present."

No, more precisely,

on the outsider standing next to Jeros.

Yesterday, after reopening Happiness Gukbap,

I felt it in my bones in just one day.

'I need to hire more employees.'

The shop's popularity was blowing up, but we only had three staff.

So, while I made plans to hire additional staff,

I received a gift before I could even put that plan into action.

I must be smiling right now.

'Really, I am just a bastard.'

When Jeros said he'd bring any outsider he found, I was disgusted at the thought,

But now, seeing myself so happy about it, I really am trash.

"Kukuk. Here's a gift."

Jeros grabbed the outsider by the back of their tracksuit and threw them into the shop.

The outsider tumbled and fell face-first to the ground.

'It's been a while. Clothes made with modern science and technology.'

The logo on the tracksuit looked familiar.

Was it a luxury brand? For some reason, the clothes looked expensive.

'Maybe he came from a well-off family.'

But what does it matter?

Here, all outsiders are the same.

"Do whatever you want, cook or eat him raw. Kukuk. I'm busy, so I'll go."

Jeros has been unusually busy these days.

"Take care."

Creak. Clack.

After locking the security device—clink,

I slowly turned my body toward the outsider.

The outsider flinched when they saw my face.

Just what does my face look like, to cause that much surprise?

"Pl-please spare m...huh?"

I know that reaction better than anyone.

They must be bewildered that a language unknown to them is coming out of their own mouth.

I pointed to a chair at the table with my finger and said,

"Sit over there first."

I had to begin the interview for the prospective new hire now.