"So, this ti I’ll be going to Sword Emperor’s Forest for training."
"Hmm... I suppose it makes sense that our level is too high for the classes to be aningful anymore."
Shin Se-hee nodded in agreent at my words.
"Sword Emperor’s ... It’s been a while since I’ve heard that na. I’ve only heard of it, but since people talk about its strength differently, I’ve always been curious. It’s good that we’ll get to see it for ourselves."
Kang Do-hee expressed her anticipation at the chance to experience Sword Emperor, which she had only heard about.
"Then, junior. Are we all going together this ti as well?"
"Well, not all of us."
I shook my head at Ga-eul’s question.
"Then...?"
"Learning from Sword Emperor is very effective in terms of physical abilities like Sword Technique, physical training, and defense techniques, but it’s not as efficient for other abilities."
Lina had recomnded that only those with important physical abilities accompany her, and I agreed.
There was no need to bring along those who would not benefit as much.
"So, the people who will be going with to Sword Emperor’s Forest this ti are..."
Everyone’s gaze turned to
.
", Soup, and Puppy. Just the three of us."
It was an obvious outco, perhaps.
Kang Do-hee was a martial artist who used punches and kicks, and Lee Yoo-ri was a tanker who used a shield, so an increase in their physical abilities would directly impact their overall capabilities.
Still.
"...Ah."
"Se... Only three people?!"
"Savior..."
"Junior! I’m not in good shape at all?!"
Those who were not chosen sighed with disappointnt and denied the reality.
"Huh?! ?! Really?!"
"Hmm, it’s a good selection."
Those who were chosen cheered and smiled with satisfaction.
’Everyone has a strong desire to improve.’
I nodded inwardly at the reactions of my party mbers.
Seeing how disappointed they were that only a few would be going for special training showed their eagerness to grow stronger.
’Of course, it would be unfair to have only a select few go for special training.’
If I were in their position, I would feel the sa way.
If only a few mbers got stronger, it would naturally lead to resentnt, even if it wasn’t voiced out loud.
I hadn’t forgotten about that.
’That’s why I made a separate request to Lina.’
I smiled at my dejected party mbers.
"Don’t be too disappointed. I have sothing else prepared for you."
Then, Shin Se-hee, Sophia, Lim Ga-eul, and Ichika.
All four of them looked up simultaneously.
Clap clap—
I clapped my hands twice.
"Co out."
Then.
The air rippled, and a girl appeared.
She had purple hair tied in pigtails, and her face was full of mischief.
Everyone’s eyes widened as they stared at the figure that had appeared out of thin air.
"...Li, Li-na, Chairman?!?"
The girl frowned, clearly annoyed, at Shin Se-hee’s voice, which seed to ask what she was doing there.
"I’m Reina, not that woman."
"...Huh?"
She crossed her arms and turned her head to the side, as if expressing her displeasure at being forced to do sothing she didn’t want to do.
I smiled and said to her, "You look just like her, so it’s confusing. Please return to your original form."
Then.
Ssss—
Her body began to shrink, eventually becoming palm-sized, and four rainbow-colored wings sprouted from her back.
Flap flap
The mini-sized Lina resembled a fairy in a costu.
I spoke to the party mbers.
"You’ve all seen her once, right? Except for Ichika, who wasn’t there at the ti."
"... ."
"Uh, who is she...?"
I nodded.
"Yes. It’s Reina, the NPC shopkeeper from our mid-term evaluation."
"Who’s calling an NPC shopkeeper?!?"
Reina protested with a raised voice.
"Oh, oh! That, that! Lina Chairman’s homunculus?!"
Sophia, who had interacted with her the most, pointed at her with wide eyes.
"...Don’t point your finger at like that. It’s rude."
Just like Lina’s clone, her personality was the sa.
Om nom nom.
Reina was flapping her wings and munching on a large cookie, looking like a hamster nibbling on a treat.
"Cute..."
Ichika, surprisingly fond of cute things, stared at Reina with sparkling eyes.
"Then, junior. That, the clone of Lina, Chairman? Why is she here...?"
"Just call her Reina. Senior. Well, I thought you guys would feel left out if only a few of us went for training and ca back stronger, so I asked Lina for a favor."
Ga-eul made a dumbfounded expression.
"That, we’re not disappointed about that... We want to go with you too—"
"Ahem!"
Ga-eul tried to continue, but Shin Se-hee coughed and interrupted.
"Jin Yuha, so does that an she’ll be teaching all of us?"
"Yes, she doesn’t have the full abilities of the real Lina, but she shares so of her magical knowledge. She’ll be a much better instructor than most."
"......I see."
Shin Se-hee clenched her fist and her eyes sparkled with determination.
Her enthusiasm was heartening.
Perhaps, during their first real-world experience as a party in China, she had realized her own shortcomings.
’Indeed, this will be an opportunity for all the party mbers to take a step further. I was already planning to find a solution.’
Hmm.
There was no need to worry about this group.
"Anyway, let’s consider that matter settled. Lee Yoo-ri, Kang Do-hee, pack your bags, we’re moving out."
"Yes!"
"Okay, got it."
.
.
.
After parting ways with the party mbers, I returned to my room to pack.
Even though the dorm room had beco a private room, the blue moving box still took up a corner.
The Alice Box.
I opened the box and looked inside, only to be greeted by an absurd sight.
"...Huh, was it this empty?"
It was emptier than I had expected.
Most of the magic stones, which used to be the majority, had either been consud by Ga-eul or sold off when I needed money urgently, leaving only a few behind.
The female equipnt had also been quietly given to the party mbers as needed.
Unknowingly, I had given away most of the items, leaving the box almost empty.
All that remained were so miscellaneous items.
I decided to take stock of what was left.
"...Forgotten Essence, 12 Broken Pieces of Lefnich’s Spear, Snow Flower Stone? This item never showed its use even until the end, and why do I have so many Laughing Bell items? There’s really nothing useful here... Oh, is this the only decent thing?"
Flap.
I pulled out a set of pristine white uniforms.
The intricate stitching indicated a lot of effort had gone into making them.
The fabric was as smooth and white as snow, and it exuded a coolness that could be felt on the fingertips.
Despite being stored in the box for a long ti, it remained untouched by dust.
"Guardian Armor of Verdant Leaves"
[ Sword Emperor ], [ Female ]
This item had been left unused because of its gender and class restriction, as I couldn’t give it to any of the party mbers.
I rembered it being quite a high-grade item.
’So... What were the detailed specs again...?’
It had been almost a year, and my mory was hazy.
As I racked my brains, I exclaid, "Ah, that’s right. This... It boosts ice-attribute attack coefficients, doesn’t it...?"
Back when Alice was first released.
Very little information about her was available.
All that was known was her unstylish birth na, ’Kim Malsook’, and her well-drawn illustration.
Therefore, any information about her was based on speculation from her appearance.
First, since she was a Sword Flower, it was assud that she used a sword as her weapon of choice.
With her silver hair, blue eyes, and icy expression, she fit the cold beauty archetype, so it seed natural to assu she had ice-based abilities, following the clichés of many works.
After much heated discussion among the Velvets veterans, it was concluded that Alice was an ’ice-attribute Sword Emperor character’.
Convinced by their argunts, I had emptied my ager wallet to roll the gacha and obtained this item.
’Well, since none of our party mbers have ice-based abilities or are swordsn, I can give this away as a gift.’
I packed the Guardian Armor of Verdant Leaves.
And.
"Just in case, I’ll take all these miscellaneous items as well."
I swept the other odds and ends from the Alice Box into my tattooed subspace.
With that, I was all set for the journey to Sword Emperor’s Forest.
"Haa, I hope this opportunity turns out to be efficient. I feel anxious without my Master... Haa, I miss her."
Then.
Twitch.
For so reason, the air seed to twitch.
"?"
I stared at the empty space, tilting my head.
"Must be my imagination."
I scratched my head and left the room.
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