Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Click, click-.

I watched Luna continuously taking pictures and thought to myself.

'Memories, huh... After all, photos are what remain.'

I snatched the camera from Luna's hand.

"Stand in front of those flowers. I'll take a beautiful picture of you."

"Hmm~ Can you even take good photos? Well, the subject is so pretty, cute, and beautiful that it can't turn out bad."

Can I take good photos? That's a funny question.

'I am a Korean with persistence and will.'

Taking pretty photos is no big deal.

I have taken a thousand photos just to get one perfect shot.

Of course, it was forced by someone else, but still.

Anyway, taking pretty photos was too easy for me.

Luna entered the flower garden, and her image came into the lens.

"Hey! Is it coming out well? You can't tell which are flowers and which is me, right?"

Whether Luna is the flower or the flowers are Luna.

They're so distinctly different that there's no need to worry.

Click, click-.

Standing upright, kneeling on one knee, lying down, aerial shots, taking photos while lifting one leg.

I was passionately taking photos in various poses when.

‘Huh?’

[Hyper Sense] triggered again.

There was something around Luna.

‘What is it? Has Caron already arrived?’

Or it could be a rat spying on me.

I'm not sure why it's near Luna.

"Hey! What are you doing? Did you finish?"

"Ah... Yes, I've finished."

"If it turned out weird, you're dead!"

Luna rushed over and operated the camera.

The photos were immediately developed with the power of the mana stone.

"Oh, you took them well? You're quite skilled?"

"Keke, photography is murder for me."

"What? Oh? Wait, what's this?"

Luna tilted her head in confusion.

I looked at the photo from the side, but I couldn't see anything particularly strange.

Oh, could it be that?

"Keke, Luna. You always look like that. Slightly squished."

"...?"

"Don't be too shocked. It can't be helped."

Thump, thump!!

Luna's fists hit my side twice.

It hurt to the bone. To think I get hit for telling the truth.

"Look at this."

Luna whispered and leaned towards me.

Then she started flipping through the photos one by one.

Then I realized what Luna was talking about.

'...The rock is moving?'

The white rock next to the flower garden.

It was moving slightly. A rock the size of a medium-sized dog.

Well, it could be due to the changing angles while taking photos.

But this was beyond that.

It moved. The rock itself.

"What is this? A haunted rock?"

Luna murmured.

Considering it came from Luna's mind, it was a fairly logical deduction.

But there was another possibility.

'Rats.'

They might be nearby, waiting for a chance to make contact after I mentioned the contact code.

It's possible.

But now, Caron is away from the academy.

So a rat must have come to me instead.

‘But would a rat make such an amateur mistake?’

Especially a rat under Caron's command?

It was impossible.

Then.

‘I must be being followed.’

Teron? Yuridia? Or a third party?

I'm not sure who, but it was easy to find out.

I whispered to Luna.

"We're being followed."

"What?"

"Keke, just act normal."

"What should we do?"

"We need to draw them out."

First, confirmation was necessary.

I moved around while taking more photos.

And surprisingly.

‘...It really is a tail.’

The rock appeared in every photo.

Specifically, in every photo where Luna was captured.

‘Was Luna the target of the tail?’

Now that it was clear we were being followed, it was time to catch the culprit.

As soon as we turned the corner of the building, I pressed myself against the wall to hide.

Agility: 34

Intelligence: 13

Stamina: 15

Magic Power: 30

Potential: 13

Owned Skills: [Box Making S], [Focus S], [Stealth S], [Sure Shot S], [Crisis Detection A], [Passive Life A], [Timid Struggle B], [Leria Family Style F]

Owned Traits: Survivalist

(I just want to survive somehow. In a crisis, agility and intelligence double.)

Owned Title: Coward

(If targeted in combat, flees the battlefield. However, leaves carrots for allies.)

Seeing her information window, I couldn't help but be amazed.

Despite her low level, she has incredibly high stats.

Four S-grade skills, and even the Survivalist trait.

‘This is an overpowered spec.’

But soon, that feeling subsided.

The moment I saw the last title 'Coward,' I remembered what kind of character Rezé was.

'A bug-level character with a 100% hit rate.'

However, due to her low attack power and the tendency to flee when targeted by enemies, she was a character often overlooked.

What does that mean?

The moment she becomes a target of an attack, she immediately leaves the battlefield.

In typical games, a character loses health, blocks, or gets stunned when attacked.

Rezé, however, does none of these.

The moment she becomes a target, she exits the battlefield.

She just disappears.

‘She does return in the next battle, but...’

She doesn't stop fleeing even then.

And this was a significant issue in the SRPG genre.

Even the most incompetent character can at least serve as a meat shield.

But since she immediately leaves the battlefield, she can't even be used as a shield.

And most importantly.

‘Her level doesn't increase.’

Since she always leaves the battlefield first, she can't gain experience points.

As time goes on, the level gap with other characters widens, making it impossible to keep her in the team.

Of course, the expert players aren't called experts for no reason.

‘The Spear Build.’

Commonly known as Rezé with a spear.

Thinking that if she has a 100% hit rate and can knock out enemies in one hit, it would work out somehow, they successfully developed a build focused on increasing her attack power.

However.

‘Who knew she would also flee from area attacks.’

As a feature of the game, it's natural for area attacks to increase as the game progresses.

From the mid-game onwards, full-area attacks also appear.

What if, at the start of the battle, the enemy uses a full-area attack?

Only a carrot remains where Rezé was.

She fled the battlefield. To survive.

‘That's why she was ultimately abandoned.’

It's no wonder I couldn't remember her.

Even the expert players who liked Rezé for being like a rabbit gave up on her.

"So what? Why are you following us?"

"Th, that is..."

Rezé's gaze shifted between Luna's legs and feet.

She seemed to lack even the courage to look at her face.

Well, I understand.

Our Luna's face looks almost like a final boss!

"What were you thinking just now?"

"Nothing."

"...Really? Well, enjoy this 'nothing' punch."

Thump, thump!!

I was being beaten up by Luna when Rezé started trembling and opened her mouth.

"With, with Luna..."

"With me?"

"Ta, taking photos was so enjoyable that... So, sorry!"

Rezé, lying prostrate, now completely glued herself to the ground.

I looked through the photos I had taken.

Luna and the nearby rock.

No, the rock-shaped box containing Rezé.

It was indeed present in all of Luna's photos.

‘But do people usually describe that as taking photos together?’

Such a peculiar and bizarre child.

Even Luna has to try harder! She still lacks in weirdness(?).

"Taking photos with me was enjoyable?"

"Yes, yes!"

Rezé nodded desperately.

‘Well, it doesn't seem like she's a spy planted by Teron. No need to worry then.’

That's when Luna whispered in my ear.

"Zero, I think we've found something."

Found what?

"A spy."

Luna's eyes shone.

Seeing her like this, I thought.

Ah, our Luna too.

She's not one to be outdone in strangeness.

--TL Notes--

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