Chapter 23: The Surprise Quest
[A surprise quest has occurred.]
- You have committed the atrocity of daring to steal and eat meat that the high elf, who loves meat more than anyone in the world, hunted herself. The high elf is extremely angry at your offense. If you do not appease her anger immediately, your safety cannot be guaranteed.
"… … ."
After checking the surprise quest, I was momentarily dazed.
What is this?
Even when I threatened her by exploiting her weaknesses, she managed to pull herself together, but now she's lost her mind after i took a piece of meat from her?
What on earth is the brain structure of a human… No, an elf!
Anyway, I knew exactly what I did wrong.
'I've crossed the line.'
The meat she loves so much.
I've played the game thousands of times and never once touched her meat like that.
There's no reason to do something that gives off a negative vibe just by looking at it.
But.
I was so tired and hungry that I just foolishly touched her meat.
At this rate, before the relationship broke down, I had to worry about whether my limbs would be okay.
"You thief, throw up what you ate!"
She threw a vertical elbow attack as if to make me vomit by caressing my back.
Phew!
The moment I felt the threatening wind on my forehead.
My head was spinning faster than ever.
And without delay, I came up with one word that would calm her down.
"Steak!"
Suddenly.
Her elbow attack stopped dramatically.
Only then did I let out a small sigh.
"What?"
"The best black beef steak at Mylan Steakhouse!"
"Hmm?"
"I'll buy it for you."
"S-steak?"
She made my mouth water without me knowing.
I could definitely tell it was a hit.
Why not?
Because of image management, she can't even touch meat in front of others.
So, she lives alone in the mountains, hunting and living a self-sufficient life, eating only roughly cooked wild game.
Human steak for her like that.
The top-quality steak from Mylan Steakhouse, famous as the most popular steakhouse in Seongdo Leferia, had to be a fantastic meal.
"Oh, it's expensive there."
It has only been a few years since she came to the human world, and as she is still a student, she doesn't have much human money, so it is a place where she can hardly even dream in a different sense.
But.
"It doesn't matter. I told you I'd buy it for you."
Her ears perked up reflexively.
Color came to her face.
But soon.
"Hey, wait a minute. I can't eat it anyway! How can I eat something like that in front of other humans!"
Her face wrinkled as she thought of the most crucial issue.
But I already had an answer for that.
"What are you worried about? There is something called transformation magic in this world."
Transformation magic.
A magic that literally changes one's appearance and form.
It is a magic that changes the human body, so it is quite difficult to use properly.
Even if there is just a little bit of awkwardness in the changed appearance, it is immediately obvious that transformation magic has been used.
It is a magic that can only be used when you reach a level where it is as natural as the flow of water.
"Transformation magic?"
Her eyes widened, as if she had never thought of anything like that.
After all, where would a noble high elf think of going around disguising herself with transformation magic?
"It's transformation magic."
Hiresia muttered with a thinking face.
Then she stared at me.
"Huh? But I don't know transformation magic?"
"…."
No, why is that, what should I do now? She looks at me with those eyes.
You are a high elf!
The Red Race is a crazy race that is freaking awesome!
I shouted as if I was frustrated.
"You can learn it, you can learn it! There's a book on transformation magic in the library!"
"What if I learn?"
"Yes, if you learn! Read books and study on your own, self-study!"
"Love of learning?"
"…"
I want to know her brain structure right now.
Fortunately, it ended there.
"Okay. I'll teach myself, and you buy the steak."
Gulp.
Just talking about steak made my mouth water and my throat twitch.
This isn't Pavlov's dog or anything...
"Yes, yes, of course. Get used to it quickly."
[Complete the surprise quest 'A Very Angry High Elf']
[Her anger has been successfully calmed down.]
[You received Hello as a reward for completing the quest.]
A message notifying the completion of a quest appeared before my eyes.
I think the training went well somehow.
By the way, what will this behavior lead to in the future?
I'm curious too.
Why?
Because I never bought her anything like a steak while playing the game.
'Is money rotting?'
The protagonist in the beginning is poor.
Even though I completed various quests related to money, I never had enough.
It's barely enough money to spend on specs, so you're buying an expensive steak for a heroine who can't even properly attack?
It's a brain-draining play that's perfect for ruining the game.
But.
'I'm losing money.'
This body is not the main character.
There are so many extras that money is overflowing.
So, possible actions.
'My favorability rating will probably go up a bit.'
I didn't have high expectations.
She is a notorious unattainable heroine.
There is not even an urban legend that says she was his colleague, let alone his lover.
I'm saying that it's best to just ignore archery and keep your distance.
That was when I was thinking like that.
"Okay, let's take a bow before it gets dark."
Hiresia said.
Now it seemed like I could finally do the archery training I had been waiting for.
"Yes, that's right."
That's how the archery lessons started.
… And quickly it's became a mess.
"Wait, what? Do you have hydrocephalus? How can you shoot a bow with your arms shaking like that?"
Hiresia's face became blank.
"This…My arms are so weak that I can't hold them up properly…"
I also found this situation absurd.
In the game, there was clearly no problem training swordsmanship and archery in one day.
But why…
Uh?
The moment I realized something, my face turned into a grimace as if I had been hit hard on the back of my head.
I realized what the problem was.
… There is no problem with the training intensity.
The problem was the recipient.
If the protagonist had above-average physical strength and stamina, this would be an easy training session, but for Max, who had poor physical strength and stamina, the training intensity was ridiculous.
'Ah, you weakling!'
I frowned.
An important plan was ruined from the start.
This was fatal enough to Max's growth.
"What on earth did you do before coming here?"
Hiresia asked.
"I did some swordsmanship training… … ."
"A few hours?"
"… 4 hours?"
"What?"
She looked at me as if she was dumbfounded.
It was obvious at first glance that it was a waste of time, but people looked at me as if they were asking what kind of ridiculous schedule it was.
I had nothing to say either.
"I'm sorry, Senior. I think I made a mistake. I'll postpone the archery lesson until later… ."
"No."
"...Yes?"
My eyes widened at the unexpected answer.
"Putting this annoying task aside for later? What nonsense."
Was that so?
"And you are not going to buy me a steak because you didn't train! I know that!"
… That was your true intention.
I respect your consistent appearance.
"No, that's not confirmed… ."
"Oh, really. Stop babbling."
"…."
"If you can't use your limbs, just follow me. I'll train you."
… Look at this.
Bam!
She gripped my arm so hard it hurt.
"Okay, put your arms up."
I was intimidated by that unexpected toughness, but I said what I had to say.
"No, it's not like I can say that… Huh?"
My surprised groan.
It moved properly.
My arm.
What is this… … ?
At that moment.
The phrase appeared before my eyes.
[Hiresia casts 'Vital Injection' on you.]
[Your body begins to fill with life.]
Hey, what is this?
Inject some life into it?
She had this skill too?!
What the heck is this?
Wow, so energetic…so energetic!
… That day, I saw a new world.