BXBX NOVEL Chapter 302: Missing People (3)
When Yoon-seok was left speechlessly staring at Alvern, Cheon-ma carefully asked.
“Is it because he stuttered?”
For some reason, he could only laugh in despair. There was no need to point out his speaking mannerisms. Wasn’t the real problem somewhere else?
“I’m sorry! My jawbone is freezing!”
Anyway, when Yoon-seok didn’t answer, Alvern hit the floor with his smooth curved skull. Yoon-seok somehow felt sad.
“…You don’t have to apologize. I was just surprised because you’re not what I expected.”
Maybe he was filled with prejudice. Yeah, even an undead could be a healer. The Tower’s ability wasn’t limited to race. When Yoon-seok explained why he froze, Cheon-ma nodded and agreed.
“…Frail bones do not qualify one as a subordinate.”
That’s not what he meant. How did things turn out this way? He didn’t know, but when Cheon-ma clicked her tongue and glanced at him, Alvern’s bones began to tremble.
“T-This is how I was since I was born… it’s not something I can fix…!”
“Being born well. That’s also your job as a subordinate.”
“…”
Was Cheon-ma that scary? He shivered even more, and there was a crackling sound as the bones bumped together. But was that just Yoon-seok’s prejudice toward the undead? His revealed teeth were very white and well-aligned, so he managed well.
“Did you say Mr. Alvern? Please stand up.”
Just from looking at the white teeth, it was obvious. He was different from the undead he used to know. Yoon-seok decided not to discriminate. Undead also had the right to become healers.
“When the master speaks, you should follow.”
Wary of Cheon-ma’s permission, Alvern propped himself up using his cane.
Crack. Crack.
Yoon-seok kept hearing creaking sounds. As he looked in the direction of the sound, Alvern reflexively apologized.
“Sorry! My bone cracked…!”
How much did he have to suffer to make him so submissive in that short time? Albeit surprised, Yoon-seok moved straight to the point.
“Let me ask you. What can you do, Alvern? I heard that you have healing-related abilities.”
“Yeah. Although it’s a lowly talent… healing damaged bodies and restoring lost souls is my species’s specialty!”
“Your healing ability is a trait of your kind?”
“Yes! It’s called resuscitation magic!”
While surprised by that fact, Yoon-seok realized how narrow-minded he was. How many races and diverse characters had he met so far? Demons, elves, fairies, beast people, dwarves, space people. He was just a little different.
’Let’s be cautious since the term ‘undead’ could be derogatory.’
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“So, what can you do specifically?”
He heard from Lee Su-yeon that he also had resurrection abilities. At first, he was worried that people might be revived as zombies because of his appearance…
“The core of resuscitation is in restoration!”
“Restoration?”
Listening to Alvern’s explanation, it was so normal and reliable that it completely shattered Yoon-seok’s worries. Not just general healing but destroyed souls could also be restored, though Yoon-seok wasn’t sure how it worked from the quick explanation.
“We love everything alive. The development of resuscitation magic also started from that! We want to resemble them!”
He was starting to feel more and more strange. The more he learned, the more different it was from what he imagined. They cherished the environment, respected life, and strove to promote peace? Had Yoon-seok ever met such a gentle race in his life?
’First, his personality is good, and his skills are just what I wanted…’
After a short first encounter, Yoon-seok decided to accept Alvern. However, he didn’t think this method worked.
Yoon-seok asked.
“I want Mr. Alvern to lend me strength.”
“I-I’ve already heard about that. Of course, if my humble power helps the Co-Sect Leader…”
“…You don’t have to do that anymore. I don’t want to call it a price, but is there anything you want?”
The basis of a contract was given and taken. Sharon chose to take the watch in return, and Shama Liu wished to have his family released. The most recent one was coerced- no, he saved Eltas’s life. However…
“…W-Why would I wish for such a thing? Don’t test me! I’m being sincere!”
When asked, Albert convulsed. It was ridiculous. What had they done to him?
’How harsh were they with him…?’
When Yoon-seok scoffed and looked at Cheon-ma, Cheon-ma raised her chin with a satisfied smile. He didn’t mean that glance as a compliment. Well, it was meaningless to say it aloud.
“It’s okay, so please tell me. I promise no one will harm you in the future. Of course, it’s the same if you reject my offer.”
“…”
At Yoon-seok’s repeated words, Alvern slowly looked over and read Cheon-ma’s face. But civilized people recognized each other. Alvern carefully opened his mouth after feeling Yoon-seok’s sincerity.
“Then…”
“It’s okay, so tell me honestly. If I can help, I’ll do my best to cooperate.”
“…Can you take care of the people here?”
Yoon-seok tilted his head.
“What do you mean?”
“…Many lives have been lost. Perhaps more people will die over time.”
Alvern wasn’t wrong. If monsters didn’t kill them, they only had one day left.
“So you want me to save them?”
“Yes.”
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At Yoon-seok’s summary, Alvern nodded without hesitation. His only request was to save people he didn’t know? He could fully feel Alvern’s humanity (?) in their previous conversation, but… nevertheless, the fact that he was a skull with a cane was still awkward.
“Okay. Let’s write a contract.”
Yoon-seok readily accepted his condition. Of course, it wouldn’t be easy, but there was nothing he couldn’t do if he put his mind to it. The purpose was good, too. In addition, Yoon-seok felt relieved that he had something to ask for.
「The contract has been established.」
Both Yoon-seok and Albert wrote their names on the contract. Of course, there was a clause that said he would try to save as many as possible, and the amount wasn’t written specifically. However, Yoon-seok intended to try his best. That way, he would move more actively when necessary.
You reap what you sow.
Another additional quest appeared. It would be like this to imitate the Tower’s interface.
「Protect those trapped in Spacetime World.」
「Alvern’s loyalty is given as a reward.」
There was no penalty if he failed. However, the degree of loyalty he gained would be proportional to the number of survivors. Would he get slave Alvern or colleague Alvern?
It all depended on the progress of this additional quest.
“How many people remain?”
“About 4 million. 90% of them are ordinary people.”
Upon hearing the needed information from Lee Su-yeon, Yoon-seok lost himself in thought.
“4 million…”
There were about 9 million people when they entered, so more than half died less than a day later. However…
“That many?”
It was still a large population. Furthermore, he thought the absolute majority of them would be in the single digits of time by tomorrow. How much time would they have to earn to save them over the next 178 days?
“To save 4 million people, we need 17 billion T in a simple calculation.”
While Yoon-seok was frowning, Lee Su-yeon calculated it independently and came up with a number. The Rank S Unique Skillbook was 2.4 billion T, but 17 billion? He realized how ridiculous the figure was.
“It’s impossible to save everyone.”
“…”
“But what’s the problem? Even if everyone died anyway, there’s no problem with the contract, right?”
Lee Su-yeon tilted her head as if to ask if he signed the contract knowing that. What did she take him for?
“It isn’t like that. We should save as many as we can.”
“How?”
“…I’ll think about that.”
When Yoon-seok started contemplating again, Cheon-ma said.
“All we have to do is kill monsters or something, isn’t it?”
Kill monsters and acquire time. Of course, that was the main point of this world. But, Yoon-seok slowly shook his head.
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“…”
Things wouldn’t be solved that easily. If time had been supplied like that in the first place, Henigus wouldn’t have tried to sacrifice 9 million people to maintain the test server called the Spacetime World.
’Maybe considering that as a close call, it’s better to set the maximum at around 5 billion T.’
Of course, 5 billion T was including human time. In conclusion, hard work alone couldn’t even save 1 million people, even under the assumption of abandoning the Rank S Unique Skillbook.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would be such an unreasonable request….”
Was he still reading Cheon-ma’s mood, or was that his original personality? He didn’t know, but Alvern, who did nothing wrong, apologized.
“Please save as many as you can.”
“Yes. I’ll do my best.”
Ashamed, Yoon-seok smiled bitterly and replied, and fortunately, Albert understood. But then.
“Well, it’s not that we can’t do it. Saving everyone.”
Lee Su-yeon quietly opened her mouth.
“We can save all of them?”
She said it was impossible in the first place. Then what was she saying right now? Was it just to build suspense?
“Yes.”
“Tell me more.”
Lee Su-yeon smiled.
“All we have to do is have 4 million people use the time store.”
“…Time store?”
“Yes. Sell everything, whether it’s talent, skills, or abilities.”
“Ah!”
Come to think of it; time didn’t only come out from humans or monsters. Of course, selling techniques to stores would result in a sharp drop in combat power, but it didn’t matter if they weren’t the ones fighting anyway.
“But I heard less than 10% of them are challengers?”
“After calculating, we just need 4,000 hours per person, but even for an ordinary person, wouldn’t it pan out to that much if they sell it all?”
Indeed. Honeybee’s Tongue, Thick-Headedness, and Worn Empathy. Yoon-seok alone had various innate or acquired abilities unrelated to the Tower.
“Well, we just need to support those people who don’t have enough after selling. Of course, we have to go through the process of determining whether they’ve lied or not.”
Yoon-seok admired the logical countermeasures she seemed to have prepared in advance. It was a realistic measure, to the point where he wondered why he couldn’t think of it right away.
“…”
Did his brain freeze since he’d been solving most of his issues with strength? When he saw Lee Su-yeon giving that instant solution, he felt a strange sense of shame. However, the only thing that comforted him-
“I don’t know what you’re saying, but I think you’re very wise!”
Was Cheon-ma still not up to that level yet?