Chapter: 126
In the game Soul Academy, there are essentially three ways to boost your charm stat.
Like any other stat, you can enhance your character’s basic performance, push things through with gear, or resolve issues through items.
Generally, when a significant charm stat is required in Soul Academy, the methods usually employed are items or doping.
Since the charm stat doesn’t have any real use in dungeon conquering, typical players don’t bother with it much.
Of course, if you’re aiming for a specific concept, you could use charm as a tool to woo all characters, but that’s a huge exception.
The way I intend to approach this is pretty much the same as in the game.
Now, thinking about raising my charm stat in just a week—how much could I even raise it?
Thanks to the traits of my Mesugaki skill, I seem to have a baseline for charm set, so I just need to cover the rest with items and doping.
“So I just need to get these things, right?”
‘Yes, that’s correct.’
“Spot on. Looks like your info-selling skills have sharpened up a bit?”
“Haha, of course.”
Alsetin lightly scanned the list I’d written on paper and frowned a bit.
“Um, is this really necessary?”
‘Why? What’s wrong?’
“You seem to have a surprising amount of interest, for someone in the info-selling game.”
“I apologize, but these items don’t seem to be something you’d be interested in.”
And I can kind of see why.
Every item I noted down is related to appearance.
Clothes made from a renowned shop in the capital.
Cosmetics and perfumes.
Plus, several adornments I intend to use.
Considering my usual focus on becoming stronger militarily, it’s understandable for Alsetin to question my choices.
‘That’s right, Alsetin.’
“Just do as you’re told, info peddler. Don’t get too cheeky with me. Got it? Pathetic!”
“Yes, understood.”
‘Now then…’
“How long will it take to gather them?”
“Do you have a specific time frame in mind? I’ll do my best to accommodate.”
‘One week.’
“One week. Is that feasible?”
“Not a problem at all.”
Alsetin nodded without hesitation at my request.
That’s more like it.
I had to make a quick deal this time, so I compromised to get this done.
If he’d said no, I might have been disappointed.
‘Then…’
“Please expedite the process. Info seller.”
*
As promised, Alsetin showed up with the items I’d requested before the field study began.
Seeing the items that I had only viewed on the monitor in real life made me feel lightheaded.
In the game, it didn’t matter what items I equipped because it was just my character wearing them, but now it’s different.
If I prepared any items, it was up to me to actually use them.
That means I have to wear the bunny girl outfit that Alsetin brought.
When I thought about it in my head, I thought it wouldn’t be too bad.
I’d been getting somewhat used to wearing the Academy uniform lately.
I believed I could endure it just a bit longer.
Besides, I’d only have to change when I met the forest’s master.
When I ran through a simulation in my head, it seemed manageable.
I figured I’d just have to endure a moment of humiliation.
But seeing it in front of me and having it placed onto my body felt entirely different.
This is NOT clothing in any sense!
It does a terrible job of covering my skin at all!
Isn’t it okay as long as the important parts are covered?
Sure, try being the one forced into wearing a bunny girl outfit.
How could I even say that!?
Given the situation, I reluctantly stowed it away in my inventory, but truthfully, I didn’t want to wear it.
If it wasn’t for that pathetic god pushing this quest on me, I would’ve burnt it already.
But the word ‘humiliation,’ standing in the way of my escape, was too terrifying to ignore.
The fear stemming from the unknown was simply colossal.
Think about it. When that pathetic god boosted my Mesugaki skill to mess with me.
Back then, I told Phoebe all about the scandalous saint and so on.
That god is quite serious about this punishment thing.
Do they really prepare just some minor penalty for quest failure?
No way.
Looking back, the bunny girl outfit might’ve been over the top.
While it boosts charm the most, there are also various outfits that can enhance charm.
But when I was getting this ready, I was anxious.
What if I lack enough charm to meet the master of Cytil Forest?!
If I wear another outfit and accumulate embarrassing moments while facing penalties, that’d be truly unjust!
Sigh. What good is regretting now?
There’s no turning back.
Okay. I’ll just close my eyes and wear the bunny girl outfit.
That will do.
In front of Frey and Joy and Phoebe, I’ll wear the bunny girl outfit.
Gahhh!
Pathetic perverted god!
You’re so sly!
Did you know that I’d be pushed to the edge like this and prepared the bunny girl for me?!
Right?!
Whether I go this way or that, you knew I’d build up a dreadful past, didn’t you? This infuriating pervert!
“Students!”
Just as I cursed that pathetic god, I was pulled out of my fantasies by a shout from the front.
“That forest is where we’ll conduct our field study—Cytil Forest!”
*
The Academy’s field study simply involves hunting in a forest field.
It’s designed to provide students, who have never faced real dangers in safe zones, with a taste of real peril.
After all, the Academy’s philosophy is to nurture talent to confront dungeons that bring danger to the world.
They can’t just let students laugh and play inside the fences.
What do you do when your students come to the field study and only avoid fighting monsters?
Of course, measures are in place to prevent that.
If you don’t return with at least 15 loot items obtained from defeating various monsters in the forest, there’ll be penalties on your grades.
You’ll need to achieve grades far above the Academy’s average to advance to the next year.
Any reasonable person might as well assume that failure is a given.
So if you don’t want to be held back a year, you must engage in battle.
There’s more than just a stick to drive them; there’s also a carrot.
The number of loot items you have by the end of the field study will earn you bonus points.
I recall you could maximize bonuses by bringing back 100 leftover items.
The top five parties would receive tangible rewards as well as grades, based on their standings.
So, my goal is clear.
‘Our goal is…’
“Our goal is simple: first place. There’s no way I can allow pathetic losers to be above us!”
To secure first place in this field study.
And on top of that, to meet the master of the forest and gain his recognition.
“I knew you’d say that.”
Upon my declaration, Frey nodded as if she expected it.
“Let’s do our best.”
Joy clenched her hands tightly, showing her excitement.
“I’ll do my utmost.”
Phoebe nodded with a smile.
Looking at my party members, my heart swelled with pride.
This is no ordinary party for the early stages of the Academy.
Typically, if you manage to get even one of these three characters in your party at this point, people would regard it as a big deal, and if you have two, you’d be called a veteran.
Yet here I am with three of them.
If I posted this in the community, I’d probably be called a cheater.
As I felt like the troublesome acts I had dealt with were finally being rewarded, Frey raised her hand.
“Do we have a strategy?”
‘Yes. We do.’
“Really. I’m curious, you pathetic knight?”
“Yeah.”
‘We’re going to hunt… humans.’
“We’re going to hunt those pathetic losers.”
“Huh?”
Before my words even finished, Phoebe’s confusion erupted.
What? Did I say something weird?
“Um, what exactly do you mean by hunting humans?”
‘Just what I said. So…’
“Pathetic saint, are you becoming more and more air-headed like Joy? I mean what I said. We’re taking items from the pathetic losers’ hands. They’ll probably be thrilled to have my help!”
What’s the most efficient way to obtain loot in the field study?
It’s simply by stealing what other students earn while hunting monsters.
There are limits to what you can acquire by defeating monster after monster yourself.
If this were a game, that method could still secure first place, but alas, I’m not the player behind the monitor right now.
I have no choice but to embrace the role of the villain.
“Is that even allowed? Isn’t breaking the rules a no-go?”
“Phoebe, it’s totally fine.”
Joy answered Phoebe’s question and shook her head.
She put her hand on Phoebe’s shoulder.
“It’s actually encouraged during the field study.”
“…Huh?”
“I heard that from my brother.”
It’s a pretty simple premise.
The number of monsters lurking in the forest is limited.
As wide as Cytil Forest may be, it doesn’t have infinite monsters like a dungeon.
At first, you might encounter plenty of monsters while exploring, but after about two days, that won’t be the case.
When that happens, how do you gather loot?
You could scour the forest looking for those few remaining monsters, but that’s miserably inefficient.
Spending half a day to get two or three pieces of loot? Nah, it’s more practical to target other students with a full stock of loot.
“Still…”
“Phoebe, think about it. Did the professor mention anything about not harming other students?”
“I clearly remember he said we shouldn’t threaten their lives.”
“It’s the opposite. As long as we don’t endanger their lives, it’s all fair game.”
If the Academy intended to stop looting, they wouldn’t allow stealing loot from other students.
Yet there was no mention of that, right? They had tacitly allowed it.
In the game, looting was the common sense; hunting was for veterans.
“Yet, still…”
Sweet-hearted Phoebe seems troubled by the notion of stealing from others, but that doesn’t change reality.
Just like how the bunny girl outfit is lurking in my inventory right now.
‘Don’t worry. We won’t start looting right from day one.’
“Don’t sweat it, pathetic saint. We won’t rip off the pathetic losers on the first day.”
It’s hardly worth robbing the naive kids who haven’t even started hunting yet.
There’s no point in ambushing those who are just there having fun.
The best moment is the first night.
As the monsters lurk and the naive begin passing out from tiredness, that’s when the sneak attacks come.
Once others have been looted, their wariness increases, making it troublesome.
“Ultimately, you’re saying we’ll steal from those who worked hard for their loot?!”
‘Exactly.’
“And?”
Phoebe, it seems you’re misunderstanding something; I’m not doing anything wrong here.
From the outset, the Academy is pushing us to act this way; what can I do about it!
I’m not the one instigating this—it’s an unavoidable fate laid out by the Academy!
You can ask a second or third-year student, and they’ll confirm this is the right way to go! Why am I the only one facing scrutiny for this?!
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