novelraw Chapter 72 : Chapter 72
Chapter 72 : Chapter 72
Chapter 72: Club (4)
"It feels like there is not a single day I am not busy."
Having finished a hectic day, I returned to the dormitory and flopped onto the sofa while letting out a complaint.
There was a clear reason why I was uttering such words.
"Performance results… nothing suitable comes to mind."
That reason was that Im Seong-cheol’s approval was not a complete acceptance, but a conditional one.
Accordingly, I had to produce results to meet those conditions, but I was in a situation where nothing appropriate came to mind.
"If he was going to show some flexibility, it would have been nice if he showed a bit more."
I spoke my thoughts aloud, but in truth, even this much would have been an incredible display of flexibility for Im Seong-cheol.
Im Seong-cheol was a man who never deviated from principles and rules—to put it negatively, he was a stubborn person.
In fact, it was shameless to ask for more than this.
"I talked about it with Kim Su-hyeok, but we did not achieve much."
Naturally, it was not as if I had not discussed the results Im Seong-cheol wanted with Kim Su-hyeok.
Although Kim Su-hyeok and I are slightly different, we both share the same desire for this club to be established.
However, just because we put our heads together to worry did not mean that something would suddenly flash into our minds.
"……Sigh. Still, there is time left. Besides, the club's performance results are not that complicated."
The next club activity time would be this Friday. There were still four days left.
And although Im Seong-cheol had threatened that he could not just allow the establishment since there were various privileges, club activities did not have to be as difficult as one might think.
It might be a place gathered for the purpose of becoming Players, but in the end, is our status not still that of cadets?
Therefore, as long as the purpose of the club was visible, even an activity that seemed trivial like a field experience did not matter.
For example, if there were a club called the Service Club, simply picking up trash within the school would be recognized as a club activity.
Thus, I decided to leave this worry, which was not urgent, to my future self for now. I made up my mind to do what I could do right now and summoned my status window.
"Status Window."
[Player Choi Yu-seong]
[Physical Abilities]
[Vitality: C]
[Strength: C-]
[Agility: C+]
[Mana Affinity: E+]
[Remaining Points: 0]
Owned Talents: [Swordsmanship - Persistence (C)], [Heterogeneous Gear (SSS)], [My Hero Whom I Admire (EX)], [Persistence (F)], [Mana Absorption (D)]
Owned Trait: [Response]
Owned Influence Points: 18,600P
The status window appeared immediately, drawn by my words.
Looking at the status window I had not checked in a while, I could not help but wear a satisfied smile.
"Wow. I thought there was no hope, but there really has been progress."
When I first came to this world, my highest stat was only D-.
The average stats were at E-rank, so that says it all.
Truly, my past stats were something to be ashamed of when compared to anyone, except for my talents.
But now, as my stats had reached an average of C-rank, I could not help but laugh.
"Though it is still lacking."
Let's see… around this time, Kim Su-hyeok's average stats should be somewhere between B+ and A-rank. Probably.
Ryu Jin-oh and the others would mostly be around B-rank, and their most confident stats would have reached A-rank.
Thinking of it that way, my stats were still ones where the deficiency was clearly felt.
"However, looking at the near future, my growth rate will be faster for now, so I suppose that is some consolation."
How could the growth rate of someone at the bottom be the same as someone at the top?
From the moment a stat begins to reach A-rank, an immense amount of effort and talent is required to raise it by a single level.
If the growth rate were the same when reaching A-rank as it was when at F-rank, this world would not have had to suffer from the existence of Gates.
Therefore, I decided to keep a calm mindset regarding growth and turned my eyes back to the status window.
"It is true that it has certainly improved compared to before, and it is clear it will continue to improve, but the disappointing parts are still disappointing."
The reason I said this was because of the stat that was uniquely listed as E+, Mana Affinity.
For some reason, it was not that it was not rising, but it was not showing a meaningful growth rate either.
However, in a way, it was not incomprehensible.
"It is not as if I have lived in this world all my life……."
I am someone who lived without even knowing what mana was in my original world.
So, it was also strange for my Mana Affinity growth rate to be fast when I suddenly came to this world.
In the first place, many of those who live in this world where mana exists do not have high Mana Affinity, so it would be greedy of me to expect it to be high.
"But still, what is disappointing is disappointing."
Since Mana Affinity is connected to the quality and quantity of mana one can handle, it was a quite regrettable part.
Still, it was a relief that I had found a way to breathe regarding this deficient part.
Thinking so, I checked my remaining Influence Points.
"Eighteen thousand six hundred… Ugh!"
I thought I was fine now since I had achieved that much, but looking at the emptied points made my chest ache again.
It felt as if my hands and feet were trembling and cold sweat was pouring down.
Thinking that those were points I had barely managed to fill again recently made that feeling even more intense.
But who am I? Am I not the one who has already been burned repeatedly in this world?
Therefore, I told myself that it was fine because I had made a meaningful expenditure, and I quickly calmed my racing heart.
"Thanks to that, I obtained a means to fill my lacking Mana Affinity, did I not? Thinking of it that way, there is nothing to regret."
It was exactly as I said.
The fact that the 110,000 points I had gathered like a dog had evaporated was sad enough to make me shed tears of blood, but considering that I now had some leeway in the mana area, which was my biggest deficiency, it was a reasonable expenditure.
However, a condition was attached to the means of filling the lacking mana: 'the Blue Nightmare must be consumed through a talent.' But even this was good enough.
Besides, do I not have a way to easily obtain the Blue Nightmare?
‘Of course, I should not use it too extravagantly.’
No matter how much I have caught that crazy woman's eye, she has her own circumstances as well.
So, to put it simply, if I demand too much volume, there will be problems with the supply due to the eyes of those around her.
Since it is a contract being kept secret, I should not do anything that might cause the secret to be revealed.
"Then, there is only one problem regarding my future growth that I need to seriously consider."
My stats are not rising explosively, but anyway, they are growing little by little.
Furthermore, the part related to mana, which was immediately lacking, has been resolved.
Therefore, I needed to focus my attention on the side where a clear answer had not been decided rather than this side.
"Influence Points… the most difficult problem."
Since it is practically my identity, it is a power for which a certain direction has not been set.
One might ask what kind of identity it is when I am just borrowing other people's powers, but if I say so, then that is that.
Anyway, I could not help but always think deeply about this part.
"Originally, I thought I just needed to gather points, but that is not the case now……."
Until the Admiration Shop opened, 'Embodiment of Admiration' was a talent that could be called simple, as it just consumed points to borrow the powers of heroes.
However, with the opening of the third ability, the Admiration Shop, another place to spend points has been added. So, is it not natural that my head is getting complicated?
That was because I now had to act while considering the points I would use in the Admiration Shop.
"If I focus only on borrowing the powers of heroes, the efficiency of the Admiration Shop is too good to waste, and yet if I blindly just gather points, that is a problem in its own way……."
If the amount of points needed to purchase from the shop were just a bit smaller, I would not have had to worry like this.
Since there is no such thing as a correct answer, it is a truly difficult problem.
Thinking so, I agonized over the future use and saving of points, but unfortunately, I ended up wasting the night in an instant without being able to come up with a suitable answer.
***
"…So, you received a conditional approval that he will allow the establishment if you bring back results?"
"Yeah. That is how it turned out."
The next day, after a day of a complicated mind.
Animated voices were being exchanged in Year 1, Class A of Glory.
To Kim Su-hyeok's voice as he nodded and answered the question, Ju Ha-yeon thought for a moment and then gave her reply.
"It does not seem bad. Given our homeroom instructor's personality, could we say we handled it well?"
"Haha, right?"
"Be quiet. Do you have anything in mind regarding what kind of results we should give him?"
"I thought about that part yesterday, but nothing came to mind right away……."
"…Right. I should have expected that from you."
At Kim Su-hyeok's words, Ju Ha-yeon glared at him for a moment and then sighed while shaking her head.
The first thing she probably wanted to say was why he was answering so lightheartedly when it was a club he wanted to create himself.
But the reason she just sighed was likely because she knew it would be useless to say anything after recalling Kim Su-hyeok's personality.
I chuckled inwardly while thinking so.
‘Kim Su-hyeok is the type who is strong in the field rather than being a deep thinker.’
Kim Su-hyeok is someone who is driven more by emotion than by acting rationally.
And the one who tightened the reins from the side to prevent such a Kim Su-hyeok from acting recklessly was Ju Ha-yeon.
It was at that moment, while I was watching the two of them and laughing inwardly as if watching a comedy skit.
"Do you have anything in particular in mind?"
Perhaps feeling that there was no answer if she continued her conversation with Kim Su-hyeok, Ju Ha-yeon threw a question toward me this time.
I could not help but be flustered by Ju Ha-yeon's question, as the target had suddenly shifted to me.
That was because… I was also in a situation where I had nothing specifically thought out.
‘Honestly, what could I have prepared?’
If there had been any club activities mentioned during this period in the work, I would have talked about those.
However, in the original novel, the club was established through Ju Ha-yeon's influence, so there were no particular activities around this time.
In other words, since it was not a conditional approval in the original work, they did not have to start club activities in such a hurry.
Therefore, I could not answer that question, and Ju Ha-yeon nodded as if she understood my appearance.
"For people who say they want to establish a club, to have this little of a plan……."
"……."
"……."
Kim Su-hyeok bowed his head deeply like a criminal, as if he had no words to say.
Unlike Kim Su-hyeok, I had something to say, but I felt that keeping my mouth shut would be more helpful than talking here, so I remained silent as well.
While we were dejected by Ju Ha-yeon's monologue that was not quite a monologue, Ryu Jin-oh mocked us after seeing Kim Su-hyeok and me like that.
"Hmph, looking at these incompetent fellows who are so different from me, I cannot help but laugh."
"Jin-oh. Then, do you have some kind of method?"
"Of course. Because I am different from you all."
It was Ryu Jin-oh's confident voice, claiming he had a plan unlike us.
At Ryu Jin-oh's words, not only Kim Su-hyeok but I also listened intently to his voice.
Since his pride is high, he is not the type to tell a lie.
In the midst of the waiting from Kim Su-hyeok and me, Ryu Jin-oh finally opened his mouth.
"It is not a club where we are strictly required to do something specific, so does it not matter what activity we do? If so, then come to my family's estate. My father happens to be curious about you all as well."
"…Huh?"
He spoke with an answer that was completely unexpected.