NOVEL FROG Chapter 15: Equal Exchange
Alas, no matter where he searched, the last natural resource he needed remained elusive. To add to it, the only remaining place Victor hadn’t explored was the depths of the Thornwood Forest, which was teeming with dangerous magical beasts. Resigned to the fact that he couldn’t find it without risking his life, he reluctantly turned back to the academy.
The journey back wasn’t peaceful. When he was about midway back to the academy, Victor encountered a Mossback Turtle — one of the common inhabitants of the forest. It was a massive magical turtle that could reach the size of a small truck once matured, though this one was hardly a two-meter-tall youngling. Fortunately, it was far weaker than the Shadow Panther and was barely a second-stage Initiate Attunement rank magical beast. Even without magic, Victor would be able to eke out a win barehanded if he needed to — not that he was so leisurely or foolish enough to try.
However, this encounter turned out to be a problem. Victor’s interspatial ring was already chock full; there was no room to fit anything larger than a basketball. In fact, he had been wondering how the shadow leopard was able to fit in the first place. Unless it was squashed out of shape or the space inside the ring could loosen to conform to the creature, it would be impossible to fit inside.
Victor hated the idea of leaving the turtle behind, especially since he could put it into the essence converter and convert it into “essence points.” Therefore, he could only drag it by its mouth back to the academy, much like he’d done with the boar he killed back in Thornwood Village.
“Goodness! This is way heavier than the boar…” If it wasn’t for the infused mana strengthening his body and the {Zephyr Dash} spell, Victor wouldn’t be able to do this with his physical strength alone.
By the time Victor reached the academy, it was past lunchtime. He checked on the players to see their progress and saw that they were still working on the field as if not knowing the word “rest.”
“Master, you’re back!” Suddenly, Lizbeth fluttered her way toward him and perched on his shoulder so naturally it was as if it were her personal seat.
“The players have not eaten yet?” Victor raised the question as he was feeling a bit famished himself. Running around in the forest and dragging a huge turtle had taken a lot out of him.
“Well, I’ve told them to rest, but they were too eager with their task, saying, ‘Miss Fairy, we’re not tired yet,’ and proceeded to swing their hoes like a bunch of over-enthusiastic garden gnomes! I swear, they are like magically energized bunnies!” Lizbeth replied, a hint of amusement in her voice.
“So you let them be?”
“So I let them be, yeah. Perhaps these players are yet to be aware that eating and drinking are important.”
For players, it was highly likely that they were still thinking that this was a game and did not consider that they could die from natural causes. Or perhaps they were just too eager to gain more “merit points” with no real value whatsoever.
“Hmm, I will go check on them then.” Either way, Victor didn’t want these players to die from hunger, so he approached them while still towing the enormous turtle behind himself.
As Victor gradually got closer, the players seemed frozen stiff, their eyes wide in disbelief at the sight of the massive magical beast. He didn’t know whether it was the sheer size of the magical beast or the strength he exerted to drag it that impressed them, but he believed that if he ever brought something even larger, they might pass out on the spot.
“Headmaster, sir! What’s that creature behind you?” one of the players finally managed to stammer.
Victor chuckled inwardly at their surprise. “Oh, this? Just something I hunted on my way back from within the forest. It’s a magical beast known as the Mossback Turtle.” He paused for a moment to let the suspense sink in and then asked, “How’s the progress of plowing the field?”
“Reporting to Sir Astralium, we have plowed more or less three thousand square meters of the field these past six hours or so,” Mike responded proudly.
That was surprising.
Victor had presumed that even if they worked tirelessly without complaints, they would still only cover half that area at most. He then observed the players and realized that their robes had enchantments. The enchantments might not be comparable to his, but they seemed to help these players avoid easily exhausting themselves.
“Have you eaten yet?” Victor inquired.
“No, we have not…” Zero — the player who appeared to be the calmest — replied.
“Being eager to do your task is important, but taking care of yourselves is even more crucial; it won’t do any good if you collapse from hunger before the day is over. After all, I still need students to teach in my class, right? Go and get some provisions in the storage room back at the Headmaster’s Building and have some rest. Be sure to gather in the prearranged room we’ll be using as our classroom by three o’clock sharp,” Victor instructed.
The players exchanged glances, slightly taken aback by Victor’s — the headmaster’s — thoughtfulness. But soon, their faces lit up at his words… These players were probably enthusiastic to hear that they were going to have the chance to learn from him.
“Y-Yes!” they all said together.
“Please excuse us, esteemed Headmaster,” Zero said with a slight bow.
The players then scrambled to their feet and rushed toward the Headmaster’s Building, leaving behind five hoes on the plowed field. Since the players had done hard work, then it would only be natural for them to be rewarded.
Like all Magi, Victor believed in equal trade; to get knowledge, they had to earn it.
***
As the five players made their way to the storage room, the uncontained shock finally got the better of them and burst out.
“D-Did you guys see the creature brought back by the headmaster?!” Prominence blurted out, his voice rising in disbelief.
“That must be a magical beast! Holy shit!” Mike exclaimed, no less surprised.
“A-Are we going to fight something like that in the future?” SuperNova asked, his tone timid but unable to hide the excitement in his eyes. “Luckily, I didn’t do anything foolish like running into the forest.”
Storm, ignoring his friend’s apprehension, asserted, “That’s not even the main point here. It must have weighed tons! How’s the headmaster able to drag it around?!”
“We can assume that Magi in this game aren’t just skilled in magic; they probably have superhuman strength as well,” Alfred hypothesized.
“Right? It’s mind-blowing! To be able to learn from the headmaster himself… This is the first time that I’m so excited to be taught by an NPC!” William raised both his hands in hype.
“And if the headmaster is any indication of the kind of power we can achieve, then the possibilities are endless. Who knows, maybe the pinnacle of power in this game goes even beyond his capabilities?”
“It’s… just like a dream come true…” said Mike, awe creeping into his voice.
“This game just keeps getting better and better! Glad that I signed up for it…”
As they imagined what sort of power and future awaited them, they reached the storage room. Within the pile on the side of the room were sacks filled with miscellaneous items — tools such as axes, shovels, and pickaxes were also neatly arranged there.
The players searched through the pile, and Alfred picked up a smaller sack from the side and loosened the rope that tied it up, revealing some dried meat, preserved berries, cheese, and fully filled waterskins. All in all, it was enough to feed five people for two to three days.
“Guys, I think these are the provisions that the headmaster mentioned.” Alfred took out the dried meat, smelled it, and pressed it. Hard texture and a slightly salty scent. Yep, this is jerky.
“Looks like the game has prepared all the basic needs for us,” Mike commented.
“This thing… Can it be eaten?” Looking at the dried meat, Prominence was suspicious, though he couldn’t help but swallow as his stomach growled loudly.
“If you can actually eat food in this game, imagine all the foodies who’d be attracted to this world… Hey, Zero, why don’t you give it a shot?” Storm nudged him with his shoulder, clearly interested in the prospect of eating in the game.
Alfred hesitated for a moment, then sighed. “Well, here goes nothing…” He bravely put the meat into his mouth, and as he bit into it, his teeth almost chipped. “Dang! It’s so hard and rubbery!”
“Let me try that rock-hard delicacy.” Prominence snatched the dried meat and munched on it; his eyes bulged as his teeth struggled to sink in. “This… Don’t think I can easily stomach this. Is this what acolytes eat in this game world?”
Alfred had heard that modern people’s palates were so refined that they would starve themselves to death rather than eat trash. Apparently, this was the case even in the game.
“The game lacks a hunger bar or any other similar mechanics. Or maybe it’s hidden. Still, if we don’t eat it, we might end up starving to death.” Storm reasoned, with a touch of concern in his voice. “And speaking of which, our digestive system works the same way as in the real world. Don’t you feel anything yet?”
“Crap. Now that you mention it, I suddenly want to pee…” SuperNova was holding his lower stomach as he exclaimed, “I think I’mma go find the toilet—!” and quickly rushed outside.
Inside the Headmaster's Building, there were bathrooms equipped with latrines with modern toilet-like seats. Though not as modern as their real-world equivalents, which had flush mechanisms. It was a relief for the players, especially those who were particular about cleanliness. Alfred, being a clean freak and somewhat suffering from OCD, felt grateful for this convenience — he was among the people who would go to extra lengths to poop in their own home.
Realizing that the game’s realism extended to eating and even defecating, the other four players reluctantly continued munching on the food to fill their stomachs. Unbeknownst to them, these types of foods were already considered quite luxurious for commoners in this world.