The Damn Family Is Back Again - Chapter 314



314. CHAPTER 4 (2)

Well, I had a rough idea of what the job would be anyway.

It would be hard labor.

Having left the duke’s family, I am now just an ordinary commoner.

The steady income is gone, and it’s even more impossible to employ people.

-Pak! Pak!

From noble mtl dot com

‘…Compared to Shatren, this is really the worst.’

No wonder the North has a harsh and difficult image.

How can the same empire, the same land we tread on, be so hard?

If my stats were poor and I couldn’t dig the ground, I wouldn’t even be able to hold a job.

Experiencing it firsthand, I realize my judgment was right.

‘It wasn’t just about enduring time.’

The status window seemed to indicate just enduring the timer, but in reality, it was about survival.

While living here, I roughly estimated the cost of living and meticulously calculated the outgoing money, and the answer came out that the money I have now would soon run out. Especially since lodging costs rise significantly during this period.

I underestimated it too much.

The season of winter.

As it is a season of severe cold, there is no electricity, and heating relies on fire, and magic stones are a luxury only nobles can dream of.

Also, the cost of clothing, food, various tools, and other activities becomes significantly more expensive.

If I refuse this request and don’t save money… I might have been in the dark.

In the end, saving money leads to clearing the episode.

Given such an environment.

I had to grip the shovel or pickaxe like this.

-Thud! Thud!

“Oh, this guy’s got some strength, huh?”

“Indeed. The northern ground is quite hard, so it must be tough to dig.”

The workers watching me dig the ground with thuds were impressed.

“Wow. Now that I see it, his posture is spot on.”

“I can’t help but be amazed the whole time I’m watching.”

“Hey, you guys. This is no time to be impressed. We have work to do! Are you planning to slack off and let this guy do everything?”

“Ahem, no, that’s not it!”

“Alright, everyone, get back to your places!”

The group that had been slyly slacking off scattered and picked up their tools one by one.

It was time to work again.

“You can take a break.”

“What?”

“You can take a break if you want. Geez, they’re trying to dump everything on the young guy.”

The one who seemed to be the most senior here lightly patted my shoulder and spoke to me cautiously.

“Those guys. Every time a young guy comes, they exploit him like that. They’re just people who flatter on the surface. I’m telling you not to be fooled.”

“…”

“I’ll take some of their daily wages and give it back to you, so don’t worry about that. Got it?”

So that’s how it was.

No wonder the more I worked, the more money I got.

‘Still, I stand out, don’t I?’

▶Currently performing the task.◀

▶The achievement level is filled in proportion to the amount of work done, and the reward varies according to the level.◀

[ Achievement Level: 100% ]

The achievement level had already been at 100% for a long time.

At this point, it was certain that I would receive more rewards. Unless I messed up the work, there seemed to be no reason for the achievement level to drop.

But that’s just the numerical side.

The state of the achievement box is different.

[ Achievement Level: 100% ]

[ ■■■■■■■■■■■■ ]

In this game, the progress and achievement boxes each have a value of 10%.

The intimacy level that follows the character’s head is no exception, and the exclusive penalty score assigned only to the main episode also follows this rule.

‘But, those boxes aren’t ten right now, are they?’

No matter how many times I counted, there were a total of 12 boxes filled.

Considering that each box has a value of 10%… 120%. It means it has exceeded the generally considered limit of 100%.

Of course, this isn’t an entirely new experience.

There have been times when the intimacy level was in the negatives, filled with ashen boxes that had to be completed.

So, what would happen if I filled all of those?

-Pak!

Wouldn’t there be more to gain?

*

“Hey, Mac. What do you mean there’s still work to do?”

At the question from the senior worker, the lazy laborer cleared his throat and replied.

“Look, Monen. We finished today’s work pretty quickly, didn’t we? So, the remaining time before we report is ours.”

“Well… that’s true.”

“There’s nothing wrong with staying a bit longer to work. We can just handle tomorrow’s work in advance.”

“…”

That’s strange. This guy isn’t usually like this. Normally, wouldn’t he want to go home and rest?

Sensing something, the senior worker Monen walked past the lazy laborer Mac and moved straight ahead.

Realizing what he was about to do, Mac hurriedly followed.

“Hey, hey! Wait a minute.”

“What? Why? Are you hiding something?”

“Hiding something? No… wait, wait!”

Soon, they discovered an entrance.

As soon as he saw the entrance, he slapped his forehead.

Trying to go in here? He must be crazy.

“Mac, are you out of your mind? Do you know where this is?!”

“Why are you yelling?”

“This place has been declared off-limits! This abandoned mine was officially closed! Did you forget?”

Then Mac snorted.

“Well, since we’ve already been caught, that’s only relevant to the entrance over there, isn’t it?”

“What…?”

“Besides, how long are we going to keep picking up that low-quality stuff? We need to go into that mine and bring out the real deal to sell.”

“Are you crazy? Are you trying to get yourself killed? Blinded by money…! You’re going to step into a place with no information?”

“It’s not just about money. You fool!”

At that moment, a third person intervened.

“What’s wrong with what Mac said? A miner should mine!”

“Digging this hard ground every day. We can’t take anything valuable! How can we live with this frustration?”

“And if something pops out, it all goes into the lord’s or some other guy’s belly. Haven’t we been through that enough times?!”

“You guys…”

There were more than a few workers lamenting their current situation.

“We don’t want to keep doing this tedious work every day either. Hmph.”

“A monster appears? Living like this is like a candle in the wind anyway. We might as well take a big shot!”

“No information inside means there could be a lot of treasure in there, right?”

“So what if a monster appears? How many are there anyway.”

“I don’t care if you say I’m crazy. If you want to go back, you go back. Monen.”

“Guys! Come back. That’s madness!”

No matter how much Monen shouted, his voice no longer reached them.

The people who had been working together until just now suddenly had differing opinions…

‘From my standpoint, this is actually perfect.’

▶Achievement rate has reached 200%.◀

▶Additional achievement rate has reached its maximum, providing new rewards.◀

[ Additional rewards are prepared in the Illeor Abandoned Mine. ]

▶If you obtain the reward, ??? will decrease.◀

▶If you do not claim the reward within the time limit, the reward will disappear.◀

[ Location: Illeor Abandoned Mine ]

[ Remaining time: 9 minutes 58 seconds ]

The situation turned out exactly as I had guessed.

With the word “reward” prominently displayed, I won’t suffer any loss.

‘But, a decrease…’

Usually, it says increase.

Or is there a set target that needs to be achieved?

What if the episode can only proceed if this is decreased?

No. What if, like Another Plan in Chapter 3, this is a prerequisite to clear Chapter 4?

There are countless assumptions.

But the answer is one.

‘…I can’t miss this.’

I don’t know what is decreasing, but now I have a reason to somehow get that reward.

“Hey, you there, newbie. Don’t you need money?”

“Of course I do. I work here because I need money.”

“Right. Come with us. It’s much better to sell what you find in there than to earn a few bucks working hard.”

“Don’t listen to old Monen!”

Monen’s dry lips quivered.

“People who used to be diligent… How did they become like this…”

He sighed deeply and asked me quietly.

“…Are you going too?”

“To that abandoned mine?”

“Yes. The abandoned mine where the monsters come out. Don’t go in. If you go in, you don’t know what will happen!”

Actually, if it was just about money, I could quit here…

▶If you obtain the reward, ??? will decrease.◀

I couldn’t ignore this.

“I’ll take responsibility and send them back to the village.”

“…What?”

“I mean the old folks. If necessary, I’ll drive them out by force.”

“By force… What do you mean…”

“I was a participant in the Hwangryong Martial Arts Tournament.”

“Hwa, Hwangryong Martial Arts Tournament?!”

Monen looked at me with wide eyes.

-Ding!

▶The intimacy level of a specific character has increased!◀

[ Monen: 58% ]

The intimacy level has risen.

“Th-then… can I ask you for a favor?”

Monen, who had been trying to stop me just a moment ago, made a completely opposite request.

He asked me to go inside.

*

▶You have entered the abandoned mine of Ileor!◀

Right after Monen went to call the guards.

I gathered my weapons and arrived here.

And then, I waited for the right moment.

The beasts are not easy opponents.

At the entrance, their levels were low enough to be handled by the strength of numbers, but as we went deeper, there were monsters that these old men couldn’t even face.

“Graaah!!”

“Ah, aaargh!”

-Slash. Thud.

“Wha-what…?”

“I-I’m alive…!”

“If you don’t want to die, you should leave now.”

“Y-yes. We’ll leave!”

“Thank you for sparing us…!”

They almost lost their lives due to their bravado.

They won’t show such foolishness anymore.

-Ding!

▶You have cleared the emergency mission.◀

▶You have saved the workers, including Mac.◀

▶Monen’s intimacy level has increased.◀

[ Current level: 80% ]

▶You can receive a reward from Monen when you return to the village.◀

“…This wasn’t intentional.”

Well, it wouldn’t hurt to get it while I’m at it.

That’s enough of that.

Now, I must go my own way.

[ Distance to reward acquisition: 10m ]

“10 meters… Is it here?”

I opened the door to a space that seemed like it must be the place.

And then, my eyes widened.

“…What is this?”

A shabby space. Inside, there was only one jewel.

And as soon as I picked up the jewel, it transformed into something else, turning into a modern object.

-Ding!

▶The reward is converted into a memorial.◀

▶Hidden Memorial. ＜The Last Family Photo＞ has been acquired.◀