Episode 4: Fishing Rod! A Surprising Turn of Events! (2)
Am I seeing things correctly? That question kept nagging at me.
It seemed utterly illogical for a fishing rod to triumph over a wooden sword, especially one lacking in any sort of aura reinforcement.
The spectacle resembled nothing more than a confrontation between a mere tree branch and an iron rod.
“But how does this even make sense?”
Watching as the fishing rod emerged victorious over Jenny’s A-rank wooden sword, now pierced through by its hook, left me baffled.
A notification window popped up, momentarily distracting me from the unfolding events.
Though I seemed to have unlocked a new skill by wielding the fishing rod, that revelation paled in comparison to the urgency of the situation at hand.
First things first, I had to get Jenny out of the water. The sickening sound of bones cracking upon impact spurred me into action, prompting me to swiftly retrieve her and rush to the infirmary.
Given the early hour, the hospital doors likely remained closed, but the infirmary would be accessible.
Professor Stella, our dependable head nurse, was always there.
“Her ribs have taken quite a beating.”
“Is that so?”
Professor Stella’s assessment of Jenny’s condition caught me off guard. Hearing the severity of her injuries left me momentarily speechless.
“Who could have done this?”
“Um…”
My response slipped out before I could stop it.
“It was me. We had an accidental collision at the lake.”
“You did that?”
“Yes, I inadvertently struck her with the fishing rod.”
Professor Stella regarded me with a quizzical expression for a moment before bursting into laughter.
“Hahaha! You truly are a master of deception, just as the rumors suggest.”
“Me?”
“Don’t play coy. With your current skill level, you couldn’t hold a candle to Jenny.”
“Is that so?”
An uncomfortable sensation settled over me as my truth was dismissed as falsehood. But in a place where even the words of notorious trickster Radon were taken as gospel, such reactions were par for the course.
“Be honest with me. What really happened?”
In the end, I found myself concocting a tale that bore no semblance to reality.
“It’s true that we encountered each other while fishing. However, a monster emerged from the lake and attacked Jenny.”
“The monster?”
“Jenny managed to fend it off, but she lost consciousness, so I carried her here on my back.”
This part remained true, thus the erosion rate remained unchanged.
Unnoticed, the erosion rate had increased to 30%. Had it escalated that much overnight?
“You handled the situation admirably. It’s fortunate that you displayed commendable behavior.”
“Your praise means a lot.”
“But truth be told, I was terrified. If news of Jenny’s injury spread, the combat department professors would be in an uproar.”
“I understand. It’s fortunate that no one else knows.”
Jenny is an exceptionally gifted student, even among the first-year cohort. She’s earned her place in the prestigious A class, standing out among the top students. Her talent doesn’t go unnoticed by the professors.
She’s even a playable character in this game, her presence crucial for advancing the storyline.
“I must be out of my mind. I should have shaved my head bald.”
Gurgle…
My stomach protested loudly. I realized I had left the fish I caught earlier by the lake.
“Have you eaten?”
“No, unfortunately. My family stopped sending me money.”
“Then at least have this.”
Professor Stella noticed my plight and retrieved a sandwich she had stashed in her drawer, offering it to me.
“Can I really have this?”
“You acted commendably today. Consider it a token of appreciation.”
“Thank you so much!”
Gratefully, I tore open the plastic wrapping and took a bite. The sandwich, a delectable combination of egg and ham, brought tears of gratitude to my eyes.
“She’s so kind. Yet, she remains single even in the final season of the game.”
That realization only made the tears more bitter.
“And it’s quite surprising. You had an incident at the news department yesterday, right? Have you seen this official letter?”
“…”
The professor produced a mirror, reflecting an article within it—the very same fake news report concocted by Radon.
“You penned this article, didn’t you? It stirred up quite a commotion. People are giving you suspicious glances because you persisted in lying until the end.”
Well, that’s understandable. There were inaccuracies in there, including regarding Jenny’s situation.
By now, those affected must be furious with me.
But expulsion isn’t on the cards. It’s still seen as a blunder of a young student, a matter that can be resolved among peers without involving the professors.
But this Radon character, is he driven by the pursuit of article views? With his penchant for provocative misinformation, it seems like he’s aiming for expulsions.
“Aren’t you going to launch an investigation?” I asked.
“You could have made a mistake in your investigation,” Professor Stella countered.
“Do you honestly believe someone who lies as easily as breathing would make such an error?”
“True deceivers don’t speak as confidently as you just did,” she retorted.
Setting down the mirror reflecting the screen, Professor Stella continued, “From bringing Jenny here to your current demeanor, if you were truly spreading false information, you wouldn’t be behaving like this.”
“…”
“I may not know much about you yet, but I refuse to label you simply as a liar.”
Though she had only heard rumors about Radon, meeting him in person revealed a different side to him. He didn’t quite fit the image of a con artist.
“The practical exams for this month are approaching in a few days. How’s your preparation going?” she inquired.
“Um… somewhat,” I admitted.
Despite my lack of effort, the erosion rate decreased slightly.
“But you’re confident you’ll score well,” she remarked.
I wasn’t confident at all, not yet.
“As you know, the monthly practical exams are akin to a competition among students. What if someone holds a grudge against you and targets you aggressively?”
The likelihood of that happening was high.
With the false news spreading, there would undoubtedly be students directing their hostility towards me, making me an easy target. The same bullies who had tormented me yesterday wouldn’t hesitate to do so again.
“So, be cautious. You’re everyone’s target,” she advised.
“Thank you for the warning. And for the sandwich too,” I expressed my gratitude.
“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask,” she assured me.
As I rose to leave, I added, “And I’ll be rooting for you to find a partner.”
“Well, thank you very much. Here, take some bread with you,” Stella said as Radon departed, leaving only the two of us in the infirmary.
Turning her attention to the patient who was supposed to be asleep, Stella said, “Stop pretending to sleep and get up.”
At her command, Jenny opened her eyes, showing no signs of grogginess despite having fainted.
“How long have you been awake?”
As soon as I exited the infirmary, I made my way back to the fishing spot to retrieve the items I had left behind.
During my journey back and forth, I encountered several people, each time fabricating a new lie.
“Sir, the weather seems rather cloudy today.”
“Indeed, we might expect some rain.”
“I managed to catch around 200 fish today.”
“Perhaps we’ll even reel in some sharks next time.”
While these small falsehoods only marginally reduced the erosion rate, I knew I needed more impactful lies to make a significant difference.
Recalling the sandwich Professor Stella had given me, I openly consumed it in front of some children, which immediately caught their attention.
“Big brother, can we have a bite too?”
“Of course, here you go.”
“Wow!”
“Haha, got you!”
“Aaah!”
“I pretended to share the bread, but when I reached into my pocket, there was nothing there. It might have seemed shocking to the children.”
Telling lies that elicited tears or shock reduced the erosion rate by more than 10 each time. With four children involved, that amounted to a total reduction of 40.
Thanks to this, the current erosion rate reached 0. However, nothing seemed to change. And just as I lifted my head for a moment, the rate began to rise again.
Lying didn’t bring any tangible benefits. Eventually, to suppress the curse, I knew I would have to face what I disliked.
“How dare this brat make our child cry?”
“Which department are you from? Who’s your professor?”
Unable to explain the situation, I became the target of people’s criticism, appearing to them simply as a swindler.
“I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!” I blurted out my apologies and dashed away like a madman.
Returning to the dormitory, I focused on processing the fish I had caught earlier, pushing aside my worries.
I laid the carp on the kitchen cutting board and swiftly slit their throats. Judging by his skills, Radon must have done this many times before.
“Well, he’s skilled in fishing, so cleaning fish must be second nature to him.”
I carefully halved the fish to separate the flesh from the bones, ensuring every bit of flesh was bone-free. And then, it happened.
Most of the stats were typical, except for the ‘Strength’ stat, which had increased by 1 using points.
However, there was a new skill listed under the [Combat Skill List].
“Phantom Swordsmanship?”
Was this a technique from the game? It seemed like a variation of regular swordsmanship, but I had never heard of it.
I needed to learn more about this skill.
The primary weapon isn’t a sword but a fishing rod. Mastery of Phantom Swordsmanship requires wielding a fishing rod.
It seemed this attribute had manifested when I swung the fishing rod at Jenny earlier. The ‘Swordsmanship’ attribute seemed to have been influenced by both ‘Swindler’ and ‘Fishing’.
At that moment, I was completely defenseless. Jenny must have perceived that and attacked with full force. I hadn’t even considered that such an attribute could manifest within me. But now, it made sense.
In other words, there were plenty of reasons for my opponent to underestimate me, leading to their complacency.
Perhaps while wielding the fishing rod, it had created the perfect conditions for the birth of this characteristic called Phantom Swordsmanship.
“Everything aligned perfectly, and it manifested unconsciously.”
During that encounter, I had feigned weakness and deceived Jenny. Could it be that the fishing rod truly shattered Jenny’s sword?
That too seemed to be a feature of Phantom Swordsmanship. As described, to me, the fishing rod was as potent as a real sword. The fishing rod I wielded symbolized power surpassing that of a conventional sword.
Hence, the confrontation became ‘Sword vs. Fishing Rod (disguised as a real sword)’. Even though Jenny’s sword was an Oro-equipped one, it wouldn’t have been enough to withstand a real sword wielded by an inexperienced academy student. It was only natural for it to shatter.
“Shall we conduct an experiment?” I mused aloud.
Grabbing a fishing rod, I headed to the forest near the dormitory.
And then, I swung it. The sound of the rod scraping against the rock echoed through the air.
Crack!
To my astonishment, as I swung, the several meters thick rock split in half.
