Trapped as an NPC in a Dating Sim-Chapter 86: Hunt for Golden Nectar!

"In short, this is the place where skill, knowledge, and opportunity meet."

Owen finally turned around again, his eyes briefly focusing on Soren before turning to Aurelia.

"However, that doesn't mean anyone can join our club. A certain test has to be passed for anyone to qualify as a member."

"In fact, I was just about to conduct a test for them. So... how about you two tag along too?"

Although he said two, Soren could feel that Owen was basically asking Aurelia, as she was the only one he wanted to make a connection with due to her background.

If he were all alone today, this guy might not even meet him.

And Soren would have to pay the deposit of 10,000 credit points just to become a member.

A test or something was just some nonsense made by this guy to make the club procedure look grand.

'It seems I made the right choice by inviting Aurelia.'

Soren wasn't at all offended by this, though.

Rather, he couldn't help but smile a little when he saw Aurelia pause and turn sideways, her gaze questioning him.

She was clearly asking for his approval.

Only when he nodded did Aurelia give Owen a nod.

From how uninterested she looked, it was clear that if not for Soren, she wouldn't even try joining this club.

"..."

For a moment, Owen and the twin sisters seemed a bit surprised to see Aurelia being obedient to Soren.

What was so special about this B-rank archer that she felt the need to ask his permission?

They even heard that he seemed to be the captain of their team.

Only then did the three of them start to take a faint interest in Soren, curious about why Aurelia looked to him for approval.

'Well, even if I'm just a side character, as long as my girl has a strong background, do I need to worry about others looking down on me?'

Soren sighed after seeing their curious looks, feeling that this world was far too pragmatic.

'By the way, will my status change if I complete the main quest of one of the heroines in this game?'

Then a random thought struck him, his eyes drifting toward Aurelia's figure beside him, his eyes filled with nefarious thoughts.

***

"So, this test isn't that hard. It's just something I came up with randomly to see your ability."

Once Aurelia agreed, Owen Dale didn't waste time and directly guided all of them into the WhiteLeaf Forest.

He even packed up the camp directly into his inventory, as if he was done with recruiting members for today.

Currently, they were heading in a certain direction indicated by the compass in his hand.

Maybe due to his high level, they didn't encounter a single monster on the way.

"You see, I got some news from someone that Golden Nectar has appeared nearby."

Once they walked a certain distance, Owen began to explain,

"If you don't know what 'Golden Nectar' is, it is honey produced by a D-ranked bee found in this part of the forest. Due to its high satiety value and deliciousness, it is incredibly popular."

He suddenly stopped in his tracks, watching the needle move on his compass, before turning around with a smile.

"So, the test this time is to gather that Golden Nectar. It seems it is in that direction."

He pointed at a far corner, hidden by dense foliage and trees. Soren could faintly make out the silhouette of a cliff with his Keen Sight.

"As long as you can take Golden Nectar from there, even a little, you will pass my test. But you only have 15 minutes. After that, you have to stop, no matter what."

He explained,

"As for the honey you collect, don't worry, you can keep it for yourself. Consider it a membership gift from me."

Owen said it as if he were magnanimous, but Soren could sense his sly look.

'Golden Nectar?'

Soren tried to recall if he had heard that in the game, but nothing came to mind.

There were just so many items and treasures in the game; how could he remember everything?

"That's it? Isn't this test too easy?"

Just as Soren wondered about Owen's motive, Aurelia, on the other hand, seemed uninterested.

She had expected a battle or two, not some stupid quest requiring them to steal honey.

For a moment, she looked at Owen disappointedly, making him cough in embarrassment.

"Well, Miss Aurelia, don't take this quest too lightly. Those bees aren't easy to handle. If you lose your composure, you might get injured."

He explained before showing reassurance immediately after.

"Of course, don't worry. With me here, I guarantee that I won't let anything severe happen to any of you."

By taking them out of the camp, he already took responsibility for them, after all.

So, of course, he wouldn't let them get seriously injured.

"Okay then, Senior Owen, please keep your word. Elise, let's go."

This time, before Aurelia could say anything, Elara spoke first and directly left with Elise toward the direction Owen had pointed.

There was no hesitation on their faces as they disappeared between the ancient trees in perfect sync.

"Aurelia, let's go too. It will be bad if they get all the honey before us."

Soren spoke from the side, signaling Aurelia to follow him and leaving Owen's side directly.

Although he suspected this test wasn't as easy as it seemed, thinking alone could do nothing.

He first needed to see for himself.

'Soren Kingswell, huh. He seems quite close to Miss Aurelia. Is it just friendship or…'

As Owen watched their figures rapidly disappear, he considered their chemistry.

He keenly noticed that Aurelia seemed to care a lot about Soren and followed his lead, which was very unlike the prideful nature he had heard about.

'Well, it's just one week since they arrived at the academy. What a fuss. Besides, it isn't my role to poke my nose in.'

In the end, Owen pushed those thoughts aside and looked at the distant cliff with faint amusement.

'Tch… tch… these juniors and their confidence. They didn't even ask about the monster, its rank, or level. Although I won't tell them, I can see why the professor asked us to teach these guys.'

'They are too immature.'

Owen understood that, since they were still on the outskirts, they might have assumed the bee monster was low-level.

And in fact, it was.

At least from the outside, they were at most level 35.

But in this world, flat levels were often deceptive, especially for monsters that liked to stay in groups; it was extremely deceptive.

If you were truly oblivious, it wouldn't take long to become a corpse.

'Well, let's go and watch them closely. I can't let anything happen to them, can I?'

Owen thought, lightly shifting one of the rings on his finger with his thumb, instantly disappearing from his spot.

Even if Soren were here, he wouldn't notice his figure now, not even with his passive Keen Sight.

Well, he might notice him in other ways, though.

A unique method he suddenly discovered after coming to this club.