<111 - Unexpected Storm>
Bixton, realizing he wouldn’t make it through the Academy if he got tangled up with these dangerous juniors for too long, quickly donned a gas mask and launched an attack on the Red Fanged Mushroom farm.
“It’s not even class change time yet, why are you already here… Ugh! Who are you?!”
“Shut up!”
As Bixton threw a vial from his pocket to the ground, whoosh, gas erupted into the air.
The guardian inhaling the pink gas started coughing violently and collapsed, clutching his throat.
“Heh. That senior is surprisingly competent when it counts.”
“Well, he is a second year!”
“True. If he made it to second year in this Academy, I guess we should at least give him some credit.”
Ziang honestly admired this.
Wrapping broad cloth around the wrists of the three fallen Red Fanged Mushrooms, the monsters were easily dragged along.
The gas contained [Sleep] and [Diffusion] components, while the cloth was enchanted with [Binding] and [Reduction] spells.
“Bixton-senpai, unexpectedly skilled, huh!”
“If I couldn’t do this, how would I survive the harsh life of a second year? We have crazy guys running around throwing swords and bombing with magic.”
“That’s true.”
Without skill, you’d better master alchemy and enchantments to play the supporter role just to survive.
“Okay, it’s a deal then, right?”
“Yes. I’ve noted the location, so check it out!”
“Wait. I need to confirm if there’s actually something there before handing it over.”
Instead of immediately handing over the bound Red Fanged Mushroom, he insisted on a verification process.
“You’re picky. For a coward.”
“I’m picky because I’m a coward. I’m afraid of being cheated.”
“It’s alright. I can consider such concerns since the trade partner feels uneasy. It’s not too difficult anyway.”
Above all, since Bixton-senpai would be someone I’d see frequently in the Developing Insight course, it’d be best to get the transaction right to avoid awkwardness later.
“Alright, you see? You just need to go in here.”
“…You mean I have to push the painting hanging on the wall to enter the space behind the ‘flip wall’? You really had the courage to pull off something like this?”
Bixton-senpai looked shocked as if he knew the secrets of the art gallery.
Ziang asked, puzzled.
“Is there something wrong with the painting?”
“The paintings protected by the gallery’s security magic will cause all the statues inside to come to life if disturbed.”
“Then we can just break them, right?”
It might seem like a legitimate assassin’s statement, but Bixton-senpai just smirked and pointed at the statues.
“Those statues? They were supplied for security use! I heard some were supplied as graduation projects by fourth years.”
“F-fourth years?!”
Having witnessed the danger of upperclassmen in the Secret Training Ground, Ziang finally showed fear.
“Oknodie. Did you know about this?”
“Of course. It’s clearly stated in the Room of Double-sided Strips! There are many treasures hidden behind the paintings in the art gallery, but if you touch them wrong, the statues will come to life!”
“How would I remember all of that so quickly?”
“Fair point. It is quite a lot.”
“Huh? Room of Double-sided Strips? What’s that?”
“Forget about it.”
Anyway, the transaction was completed.
Bixton got his illicit alcohol, and I received the mushrooms to return to the third-year senior.
“They might be slightly smaller, but considering how quickly this was delivered, I’ll let it slide.”
“Thank you, senpai!”
With the senior declaring he would forgive me this much, the event successfully concluded with a notification.
[Equivalent Exchange Event Completed.]
[You earned 1000 points as an early return bonus.]
[Your reputation with the third-year senior increases.]
[Reputation with the [Dark Cult] club increases.]
[Your current reputation is [Apprentice Member].]
[As an Apprentice Member, you can apply for [Ritual Observation].]
Suddenly, a route to the Dark Cult, which I had no interest in, opened up.
Feeling overwhelmed, I should probably avoid talking.
This senior is a bit stoic, so if I don’t engage, it should be fine, right?
After bowing and prepping to leave, “Wait,” the senior called me back.
I really didn’t want to but forced a smile while turning back.
“Yes?”
“…Eat this.”
The senior placed a piece of jelly on my palm.
It felt rough and prickly from his coarse fingers, yet the jelly was soft and squishy.
“Wow! Thank you!”
Although he looked intimidating and belonged to a suspicious club, he was actually a nice senior.
Yeah, it’s fine to be a bit cruel to monsters as long as you’re kind to people.
My reputation towards the senior rose by about 50 points.
“Eat it now.”
“Yes.”
“Oknodie? Isn’t that… a bit scary?”
Ziang hesitated, but I didn’t mind and popped the jelly into my mouth.
It had the chewy flavor that’s characteristic of junk food.
“…Is it tasty?”
“Yes!”
“If you join the Dark Cult, I could give you more…”
While I was seriously considering this, Ziang poked my side with his finger.
“Idiot. How can you be swayed by food?”
“Hey. But it’s really tasty.”
Due to the nature of the Dark Cult, there weren’t frequent meetings, and not much was done publicly.
Every few months, only reliable apprentice members were promoted to full members to participate in actual rituals and engage in club activities.
Most of the members didn’t even know each other’s faces, a trait typical of secret organizations.
“…You should have one too.”
“Ugh. No thanks. I’m not joining.”
“It’s just a gift.”
“Then thank you.”
Ziang also popped the jelly into his mouth, and his eyes widened.
He clenched his fists, unsure of what to do, then started hopping around, clearly finding it delicious.
While I was familiar with this junk food flavor from Earth, for Ziang, as a resident of this world, the texture and flavor must have been quite strange and fresh.
“…Ziang. You didn’t forget what you said to me, right? You’re not joining just because of food, are you?”
“Tch. I know. I’m not that foolish.”
Recruiting apprentice members into the Dark Cult with jelly.
Ziang, who seriously considered it for a while, finally snapped back.
What an adorable club with an adorable friend.
“Do you usually just hand out jelly like this?”
As I had no memory of this in the game, I casually asked, to which the senior shook his head.
“We gave it because we found you cute.”
The senior made a circle with his thumb and forefinger at Ziang’s confident statement.
Then moving the circle to Ziang’s forehead, the senior playfully snapped him on the head.
“Ouch!”
“It’s not because you’re cute. I gave it to you because you’re a junior taking the same professor’s course…”
“The same professor?”
This suspicious senior, looking like a solid Dark Cult member, could only be linked to one professor in my mind.
“…Professor Sadako?”
The senior nodded.
Ziang’s expression turned genuinely disgusted.
“What course are you taking from Professor Sadako, senpai?”
“[Understanding Structural Conflicts and Response Strategies with Undead Summons].”
“…Wow. Just hearing the course name makes it sound awful. Why are you taking it?”
“Because the professor is beautiful.”
Ziang looked at him with a smile, as if telling him to stop lying.
The senior didn’t answer.
Ziang looked at him suspiciously.
The senior didn’t answer.
Eventually, Ziang’s smile faded away.
An awkward silence descended.
“That can happen! Looks are really important for people. It’s an unavoidable animalistic trait!”
I awkwardly defended the senior, and Ziang read the mood, nodding as if to let it go.
Meanwhile, my intuition was growing stronger.
Certainly, beneath Professor Sadako’s long hair rests a stunning beauty that would surprise everyone.
Otherwise, wouldn’t there be infatuation arising from that professor?
“Which part of the professor’s face is the prettiest?”
“Her mouth.”
“…Really?”
“Her smile was beautiful.”
When I imagined the sound of that professor’s laughter, I couldn’t quite picture what kind of smile she would make…
The more I tried to visualize, the more eerie the scene turned, yet we had no clue.
“…Leaving aside the same professor taking the lecture, let me give you one last piece of advice based on your diligence.”
“Yes!”
“Attacking the Red Fanged Mushroom farms is a declaration of war against the second years. It would be wise to prepare your heart beforehand…”
The truly chilling events were about to begin for us carefree first-year new students.
*
Several managers of the Red Fanged Mushroom farms from the class 980 had gathered in one place.
“Six of our Red Fanged Mushrooms have disappeared. Apparently, they were frozen alive and kidnapped.”
“Here, mushroom remains were found grilled on an iron plate.”
“Was it the seniors’ doing?”
“No. Upon investigation, it turns out that the Dragon Principal assigned a mission for the first-years to practice cooking with Red Fanged Mushrooms.”
“…You’re saying first-years meddled with our farms?”
“Is that true?”
“These brats thought we seniors looked easy to mess with?”
Amidst the enraged managers raising their voices, an uninvited guest entered the secret meeting room.
“Oh dear, oh dear. What good will it do to be angry among ourselves? We need to teach those first-years a lesson.”
“Who are you?!”
“Isn’t it forbidden for outsiders to attend our discussions?”
“Who brought you in?”
As no one dared to step forward, the 980 class second-years tensed, raising staffs or drawing swords, clutching vials or thick tomes.
In this tense atmosphere, a student suddenly exclaimed.
“Wait! I recognize that voice. That person is the [Advisor] who provided us with methods for creating our farms and helped draft lecture lists for points!”
“What? So you’re the one who founded our Red Fanged Mushroom Manager Association?”
The one who had introduced the concept of mana farming to the second-years and helped form a group as an illegal interest faction, the unofficial hidden power of the Red Fanged Mushroom Management Association had appeared.
“You! What’s your purpose? You already took plenty of points by giving us criminal advice!”
“I’m displeased with the actions of the first-years. Especially one of them disrupted my business.”
The malicious contract scammer, Velocasio, who had trapped junior classmates into a scheme and half-slaved them, was out for vengeance.
He was mostly satisfied with using his scam on an influential first-year, but now with Oknodie’s involvement, he saw a golden opportunity in this Red Fanged Mushroom situation.
“I’m thinking of teaching those cocky juniors a lesson. Are you interested in participating?”
980 class’s second-year shadow, Velocasio.
At his suggestion, the members of the Red Fanged Mushroom Manager Association unanimously agreed to join in.
A storm was beginning to approach the once-peaceful lives of the first-years.
