Chapter 149: Black and Gold – 20
Reynas skills improved day by day.
After successfully breaking the plank, she seemed to have cast off any constraints that held her back.
She surpassed the training sessions Ella classified as difficult with top scores over the past three days.
Now, only one remained.
The training called Frisell.
Reyna swiftly caught the randomly flying cards from all directions with one hand.
After grabbing the last card, she spread out her palm.
Between her five fingers.
Between four gaps, 52 cards were neatly arranged, from A to K, for each suit: hearts, clubs, diamonds, and spades.
The training required identifying the suits and numbers on the flying cards and catching them between her fingers.
It demanded extreme cognitive ability.
This was something Ella had never succeeded in, but Reyna accomplished it in one try.
Just as the members were about to cheer, the rough voice of Bendict, coming through the bandages, stopped them.
Where did the Joker card go?
Huh?
Come to think of it, there are two more cards. The Black Joker and the Red Joker.
In Frisell, among the flying 54 cards, two hidden Joker cards had to be filtered out.
If she even briefly held onto them, it meant disqualification.
But there was no sign of the Joker cards anywhere on the floor.
Did I shuffle them incorrectly?
Maybe? Didnt we leave them hidden between the clothes when we played cards the other day?
What? Hey, you guys always said the Joker pops out whenever we need it!
As the members murmured, Wonderstein grinned and pulled out a card from his suit pocket.
A joker dressed in black was depicted on it.
At the same time, Reyna also took out a card from her front pocket.
There was a joker dressed in red.
Amidst the raining cards, she precisely caught only those two and put them into her and Wondersteins pockets.
This was a trick Ella couldnt pull off.
The members cheered.
With this, she completed all of Ellas challenges in just ten days.
In the midst of the passionate scene, Reyna still maintained her cool expression.
She was also very pleased, but retaining her composure after successfully performing acrobatics was a habit ingrained in her.
Sven rattled his skull as he exclaimed, Haha, Reyna has conquered all of Ellas training! With this, Reynas ambition has gone one step further!
At his words, her stiff expression softened slightly.
Oh, no! W-whos aiming for the Assistant Director position?
The skeleton clown teased her with a playful tone.
Huh? I didnt say I was aiming for Assistant Director Position. I just mentioned ambition, right?
T-thats well, youve been teasing me about it the whole time
All the members burst into laughter at her puzzled reaction.
The most changed thing, above all, was her attitude.
A bit of softness crept into her rigid military-like tone.
Instead of standing firm against the members jokes, she blushed and became flustered.
Looking at her now, it was hard to believe she was the same person as the cold one on the first day.
Reyna.
Wonderstein approached Reyna.
She looked at him, startled.
Yes?
Do you want to be our Assistant Director?
She decided to answer honestly.
Regardless of the possibility, she was curious about his reaction.
I
She opened her mouth.
But at the same time, Wonderstein laughed and extended his hand.
I know. Your competitive spirit against Ella shines through. Reyna, you should go back to the Golden Carnival.
Yes? Oh, no, I didnt mean
Its okay. Haha, I was just joking.
Ah
If the atmosphere continued like this, Reyna couldnt assert herself again.
She could handle direct confrontations with ease, but when teased or gently rebuffed, she became flustered and hesitated, missing her chance.
Perhaps it was due to her fathers sarcastic way of speaking that she had always struggled with.
In front of such straightforward questions, she became calm instead.
The members exchanged glances as they observed Reynas demeanor.
Does the Director really not know?
Shes always been emotionally erratic.
That demonic prodigy, even that aspect is
If youre going to approach someone, do it like Ella
Coincidentally, Ella was the person Reyna thought of. If only she had been as proactive as Ella. She heard from acquaintances at the Golden Carnival how well Ella was doing there. Despite her young age, she quickly befriended older members without hesitation.
Reyna, on the other hand, mostly kept to herself, even during her months at the Golden Carnival. Those who did become close to her did so out of pity for her being mistreated by her father, not because she actively pursued relationships.
Until now, she didnt mind. Her mind was filled with thoughts of becoming the best acrobat her father wanted her to be. She believed herself to be strong enough, able to remain composed even in front of esteemed individuals.
But when someone she genuinely wanted to be with appeared, things changed. She found it difficult to express herself freely. It dawned on her that her confidence wasnt rooted in her abilities but rather in self-deception.
No matter what others thought, as long as she performed the Golden Libra, it was enough for her. She hadnt truly communicated with people; she had merely acted behind a wall, alone.
But when someone she couldnt dismiss as a wall appeared, she became timid. She felt pathetic. What was the Golden Reyna? Fool, outcast, failure.
Wonderstein smirked as he noticed Reynas melancholy expression. He thought she was sad about returning to the Golden Carnival.
Reyna, my dear.
Wondersteins hand gently stroked her head, radiating warmth.
Ah
A whimper escaped her lips. It had been a long time since she received such affectionate treatment, except for the forgotten times.
Thanks to you, the members have enjoyed learning acrobatics so much. Youve worked hard in less than two weeks. Thank you.
Thank you.
Oddly enough, that was what Reyna wanted to say to him. He instilled confidence in her, showed her how to improve her skills, and provided her with the belief that she could help others. The training designed by Ella required handling multiple variables simultaneously.
If it was the Golden Carnival, a specialized support team would have provided equipment. But Wonderstein didnt have such resources. Thus, someone had to serve as a sparring partner, possessing skills equivalent to the trainee.
Even though the trainee changed, Wonderstein adjusted effortlessly. He observed Reynas height, arm length, and jumping ability to accurately gauge her capabilities and threw daggers toward an appropriate limit.
This wasnt just talent; it required observing her movements several times to understand her abilities.
There was only one occasion where she showcased her movements in front of himthe freshman selection test. He had been watching her since then.
His concern and interest in her were not merely out of obligation for her presence but out of genuine care. He was glad that she was here.
Im the one who should be grateful.
However, it was Reynas misunderstanding.
Wonderstein had Skill book that was rewarded an average favourability of 15.
He heard that the task for the second qualifier was skill, so he expanded the space for the skill book by 2 slots.
He assisted her training by equipping acrobatic skills alternately in the skill book.
For example, just equipping throwing skills in the skill book made it clear where to throw daggers or planks to reach the desired target and where to throw so that the opponent couldnt intercept.
To exaggerate a bit, it was as clear-cut as in a construction simulation game where the buildable area is shown in green and the non-buildable area in red.
Above all, Reynas training was something he had experienced with Ella before.
He knew what skills were needed for each training session.
Training and encouragement.
Wonderstein thought he had given her everything he could offer.
Today is Friday.
There werent many days left now.
He decided to indulge his own desires a little now.
He brought up the proposal he had been holding back.
Next Tuesday is the return day, right?
But?
So, what I mean is, would you like to go out for a bit over the weekend?
Going out?
Outing?
Several synonyms swirled confusingly in her mind.
Reyna replied nervously.
Go, going out? I-Im okay, but if you go with me, it wont be fun
Reyna knew she wasnt good at conversation.
And her ability to adapt to others was also lacking.
She remembered the scene where he and Ella walked through the alley chatting happily.
Despite leaving a good impression of herself through training and education, she didnt want to be compared unfavorably and labeled as boring just by going out with him for no reason.
Wonderstein grew impatient and urged her.
Haha, there wont be much to talk about, will there? Were just going to see something fun. But we need one more person.
Reyna breathed a sigh of relief at his words.
Thats right.
He, the circus director, wasnt suggesting going flower viewing or anything like that.
What kind of performance is it?
Its not a performance. Were going to Slagbrot Factory.
Wonderstein said enthusiastically.
The Slagbrot Factory was one of the two major dungeons in Yeterinpuurk.
Wanting to go on a pilgrimage to places featured in the game was a pure desire as a gamer.
In Luz, he unintentionally went ghost hunting and explored the sewers.
But there was simply no opportunity here.
The sewers were originally uninhabited.
So he could freely open the closed well lids and go in.
But the place he wanted to go to now was a currently operational factory.
He had to follow the regular route.
Tour with children or teenagers was the easiest way to enter.
However, the two teenagers in his circus troupe refused.
Spend a day there?
Im not a kid.
Although there was Womon, the only time he could go out was during the Halloween season.
But unfortunately, at that time, factory tours were temporarily suspended due to a candy distribution event.
Yurakne looked at Wonderstein and Reyna entering the villa together and said with a regretful voice, Its a shame. If only I was three years younger, I could pass of as a teenager.
Sven glanced at her briefly and replied seriously, Not 10 years?
Maya returned to the villa just as Yurakne was choking Sven.
Maya looked at the two of them with an expressionless face and said, Is the training over?
Yurakne nodded as she released her grip on Svens neck. Yes. Just now.
Haha, feels like my neck bone got squished! Sven stood up and brushed himself off.
Maya looked around the yard. Wheres the Director?
Oh, the Director is inside discussing tomorrows outing with Reyna. Hell be there, Sven replied.
An uneasy feeling pierced Mayas entire body. An outing?
Yeah! To the Slagbrot Bakery Factory
As Maya listened to Svens explanation, she stood frozen in place, unable to move.
She stared at the villa building with a dumbfounded expression.
Woof
Wally stood next to her with a forlorn face.
Did he make that expression when he lost his cozy spot in the box?
Maya gritted her teeth.
She thought Reyna was just a guest staying over, so she didnt guard herself.
But she underestimated the Directors abilities too much.
In just under two weeks?
Meow
Wally let out a mournful cry.
It was like a cat who had been robbed by a stray dog.
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