Memorize

Babara is the heart of the Northern Continent, a sprawling metropolis. Mule, on the other hand, is just a tiny city in the north, stagnant at the level of a pioneer settlement discovered in the early days.

Big versus small. On paper, it's a single word's difference. But experiencing it firsthand, the gap feels as vast as heaven and earth. The size, the population flow, the caliber of active players—nothing compares.

For players visiting Babara for the first time after only knowing Mule, the sheer scale is overwhelming.

The kids were no exception. Sure, they'd spent three months at the Player Academy, but they were locked away the whole time and rushed straight to the warp gate after graduation, leaving them no chance to grasp the city's inner workings. That's why An-Sol, An-Sol, and Yun-Jung found Babara so unfamiliar.

Even the environment around the inn where we were staying seemed to hit them with a mental shock. I deliberately chose a modest place. The inn, called Morning Sunshine, was paid for a week and rated as low-tier. We had more than enough money to stay in a top-class inn, but I wanted the kids to see and experience the lives of ordinary players.

Players grieving over lost comrades after expeditions. Players begging here and there, unable to afford food or lodging. Players kicked out of caravans, wandering to recruit new teammates. Players with insufficient stats for adventuring, forced to scrape by with endless part-time jobs. I hoped seeing these players would make the kids reflect on their own circumstances.

Four days had passed since we arrived in Babara. With each day, despairing news reached some clans, while others received tidbits that might spark hope. As communications trickled in, the Northern Continent's dynamics shifted daily. I closely monitored these changes, cross-referencing them with the future I knew.

But I didn't focus solely on external matters. As mentioned, I was also addressing unresolved issues within the clan and its members. My plan was to resolve what I could now or at least make progress.

The week in Babara could be a rest for some clan members and an opportunity for others to address issues or boost their abilities. While our cohesion was strong, as Clan Lord, I could see rough edges that needed polishing.

It felt unrefined, sprawling chaotically in all directions. Some issues required my involvement, others didn't. But even for those that didn't, showing interest was my duty as Clan Lord.

The first player I focused on was Shin Sang-Yong. Having just inherited a Rare Class before leaving Mule, he still seemed unfamiliar with it. He needed time to understand his class and decide his growth path. It would've been tough alone, but thankfully, he had a great mentor in Vivienne. So, rather than micromanaging, I decided to trust and leave it to them.

The next target was Sol. She was currently the most problematic member. Rather than diving in recklessly, I felt the best approach was to tackle her issues one by one, slowly. I'd been mulling over her Luck stat for a while and concluded that raising it to 101 was the way to go. Honestly, even though she had 4 bonus points, I was reluctant to invest them in Luck.

For example, imagine two mages: Mage A with 50 Strength and 59 Magic, and Mage B with 30 Strength and 60 Magic. Assuming identical classes, equipment, and spells, Mage B would win over 70% of the time. About 20% would end in a draw, leaving a 10% chance for Mage A to win.

This shows that for mages or priests, Magic is critically important compared to other classes. If Sol's Luck was below 100, or if we hadn't obtained the Magic-boosting ring in the Ruined Laboratory, I'd never have considered this. The allure of 101 Luck sparked a what if in my mind.

Still, I couldn't help worrying about wasting those points. In my first life, I'd never seen or heard of a 101 Luck stat. Unlike Strength, Resistance, Agility, Vitality, or Magic, Luck's effects weren't immediate, making me hesitant to bring it up.

Luck is that kind of stat. Even after over a decade in Hall Plain, I still defined it as an unknown variable. Yet, Sol's sense of direction and danger detection during our Mule expeditions left a deep impression. The value of those two abilities was immense, and the potential for further growth was a temptation I couldn't shake.

Of course, this was just my perspective. As Clan Lord, I couldn't prioritize my own desires. Respecting her rights as an allied player was a given. Her opinion on this decision was paramount and my top priority.

The kids didn't know I could see their player information. Since the Player Academy, I'd always drilled into them: hide your stats everywhere, never reveal them to others, even to us. Having said that, changing my stance now felt awkward. If I wasn't careful, I might give the impression I knew their stats.

I pondered how to gently coax Sol. There was only one way: subtly guide her to express her own intentions. But asking for her true opinion was no easy task. Though I'd prepared and set the stage for a conversation, for the first time in my second life, I felt a sense of resignation.

"Yes! Sol's Luck stat is 100!"

"…"

"And my other stats are… let's see~."

"W-Wait, hold on, Sol. Just a second."

Right. I'd forgotten the most critical fact: my conversation partner was Sol. All my worries about how to approach this were swept away by her recklessly straightforward attitude.

"Ugh…"

"Uh?"

When I cut her off, Sol clamped her mouth shut. Her round eyes and beaming smile were undeniably cute, but I suddenly felt dizzy, like I was denying my own existence.

In the end, the main point—suggesting she raise her Luck stat by one—only came up after a long lecture about player information security.

"You've helped us a lot during expeditions, even if you didn't realize it. I think that ability is closely tied to your high Luck. As far as I know, there's no upper limit to stats, right? So I was wondering what would happen if you raised it by one more point from 100."

"Yes! Sounds good!"

"…It's a bit of a waste to use your bonus points like that, but you've got that ring that boosts Magic by one. Anyway, that's my thought, but I want to hear what you think, Sol."

"Yes! Sounds good!"

"Ha… Sol, listen. I'm saying I want to hear your thoughts. Stop just saying 'sounds good.' These are your stats, your player info. Can you please think about it?"

In Mule, I saw them as kids. But now that we were in Babara, I'd resolved to treat them as proper players. That resolution made this conversation with her incredibly frustrating. Barely holding back my irritation, I raised my voice, speaking in clipped, staccato bursts.

This time, she seemed to actually hear me. Sol tilted her head curiously. A question mark practically floated above her before turning into an exclamation point. Her expression alone told me what she was thinking.

"Yes! I think raising it is a good idea too!"

"Great! Why do you think that?"

"Because you said it's a good idea, oppa!"

"…"

Her bright, innocent smile hit me with a wave of shock and horror. I let out a huge sigh and buried my face in my hands. If she were an enemy, I'd have slapped her or cut her down by now, but she was an ally who followed me loyally, so I was at a loss. (Though, yeah, I knew I was partly to blame.)

In the end, Sol's Luck stat issue was resolved easily due to her enthusiastic attitude. She was a terrifying player—shocking, horrifying, and armed with the profound saying, "If it's good, it's good." It nearly made me faint.

Anyway, right then and there, Sol used one of her four Academy bonus points to raise her Luck to 101, or so she told me. Of course, no sudden windfall of riches or stat boosts came crashing down. Meanwhile, as if she'd learned bad habits from Yun-Jung, Sol stared at me with innocent eyes and, citing the heat, slipped off her robe to reveal her shoulders. Naturally, whatever she was expecting didn't happen.

I gave her head a hard pat and shooed her out. Having rolled the dice, I wasn't going to rush things. I'd been banking on her expedition skills—direction sense and danger detection—so I'd confirm the effects once we left the city.

With the toughest issue, Sol, settled, I could finally turn to other matters: namely, Yun-Jung and Vivienne.

For Yun-Jung, I decided to keep observing for now. Thinking back to the Cave Of Wailing, I wanted to snatch that demonic sword from her, but considering other factors, it felt iffy. Above all, she loved it too much, so I figured I'd let her keep it while we were in Babara.

Vivienne had been spacing out a lot lately. She was diligently researching and mentoring Shin Sang-Yong, but in her downtime, she often stared blankly into space. It seemed she'd found a clue for her elixir refinement.

From my perspective, that was good news, but for her, it was stressful. Early on, she'd said it was possible, but the deeper she got into the process, the more contradictions and fine details clashed with her expectations.

The materials—80-or-below +4 Vitality elixir, 70-or-below +2 Vitality elixir, Vivienne's elixir, the heart of the demon Belphegor, and Horrence's magic stone—were all insanely valuable. Given her pride and the rarity of the materials, failure would hit hard. Plus, she probably felt my high expectations, as she occasionally sighed with a tired expression. I reassured her it was fine, but saying she felt no pressure would be a lie.

Still, all I could do was wait. Refinement would only start in earnest once we settled and built a workshop, so until then, I'd trust and wait for her.

While keeping an eye on Hall Plain's flow, I continued refining and monitoring the clan's internals. A clan's first steps are critical. The founding members need to function well to inspire confidence in future recruits.

Though I'd roughly reviewed things, one issue remained: the ambiguous relationship between Yeon-Joo and Sol.

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