<136 - Oknodie’s Potential>
Ah, I see.
At first, I didn’t think it was a big deal, but upon further reflection, this was definitely not something to let slide.
“Professor! What will happen if we steal items from Papa’s foundation?!”
“…Papa?”
“Papa has been giving me allowance to help pay for my entry into the Academy and even found a guardian to take care of me at the training facility, how could you do that, Professor?!”
Professor Bronze staggered.
“Wait. Oknodie, first-year. Just to confirm… does ‘Papa’ refer to your biological father?”
“That’s right!”
Papa sent a note.
To enter the foundation.
He also provided a large amount of funding.
As a reward for the random Papa event.
If he wasn’t a Papa fulfilling his financial duties for child support and educational responsibilities for the future, who in the world could be called a Papa?
Of course, there are also those “goose father” types who never even see their child but deposit money regularly.
“Papa was the one who gave Oknodie an ‘education’?”
“If he funded it, it means he approved all the training courses, so technically, he has taught me!”
“…Indeed. He’s no ordinary parent. To allow such ‘education’.”
“Did you happen to meet Papa when you visited the foundation?”
“No. I only encountered the guard protecting the hat. Don’t worry; I made sure not to harm any dogs that Oknodie might be attached to.”
“Still, what kind of professor robs a student’s home? You went too far this time, Professor.”
With justifiable criticism, I tugged at Isabel’s waist for help.
Isabel, looking like she didn’t want to help at all, reluctantly chimed in.
“Professor, you were wrong.”
“That’s right.”
“I agree. It could have a negative impact on the child’s personality formation, so please apologize quickly.”
As Titosso and Jezel joined in, the professor, with a face depicting utter bewilderment, apologized.
“I’m sorry, Oknodie. After this lecture, I will make sure that, at an appropriate opportunity, it gets returned to the foundation.”
“Then it’s fine!”
“…Are you really okay with that?”
“As long as no one died, it’s fine.”
Well, that’s just a minor incident.
What was more concerning was the hat.
“Alright then, quickly shove your head into my mouth. I want to take another look at those devilish talents hidden in that glorious brain of yours!”
“…”
Since earlier, he’s been making these remarks as he hung onto my arm with his two hands that sprouted from the side of the hat.
“Fine, I get it, so stop hanging on. The sleeves of my school uniform are stretching as it is.”
As I placed the hat on my head, it covered all the way down to my chin.
…This hat is way too big.
I think I smell the heads of the people in front of me.
It’s all damp and gross.
Outside, I could hear comments like “How cute—!” “Such a little one.” “The hat covers its whole face. I couldn’t even fit, and that hat was punching me on the head.”
By the way, the last person to speak was Senior Bixton.
Looks like it’s not only his name that’s big, but his head too.
Seriously, what’s so great about that senior that someone like Lizna would be by his side?
“Ooh, ooooh! Ooooooooh!”
“What happened in just a few months?”
“How could someone get this strong?”
“This has surpassed mere growth.”
“It’s evolution. Yes, it’s evolution!”
“Knight Department? Magic Department? Administration Department? Production Department? Adventure Department? I can do anything! If anything, I have so much talent I don’t know what to do!”
The buzz from beyond the hat grew louder.
At first, having my entire face covered was uncomfortable, but soon I found myself pressing the hat down with my hands to cover my entire head.
This guy is getting shy since everyone is praising him too much.
There’s no such thing as shameful play or public execution here.
“Come on, can we wrap this up now?”
“Really…? Shouldn’t we cover your face a little longer? If you let me give you a chance to talk about what you can do, I could keep chatting for 24 hours!”
“That wouldn’t be an aptitude assessment. If I can do everything, how can I choose?”
To think that the player’s talent is so obvious that it’s come up as merely “good at everything.”
As befits the artifacts held by the foundation, its performance is dazzling, comparable to the hats in the academy.
Could it be that it’s not only the talent existing in ‘Oknodie’s’ physical body but my ‘possessed soul’ that it senses to discern talents?
“Indeed, according to the professor, they say it’s very curious to know what kind of person someone will become in the academy. I will add to you the possibility of having potential!”
The hat went a step further, starting job recommendations and class suggestions surpassing just an aptitude evaluation.
“First, you have the potential for Devil Lord. If you grasp the essence of evil power, you could certainly aspire to be a pillar of the Abyss!”
From beyond the hat, I could hear Senior Bixton’s shrill scream and Lizna slapping his back repeatedly.
“Your potential for Dark Princess is also considerable. Your sweet yet deadly charm qualifies you to become the most beloved demon of hell!”
I could sense Isabel and Jezel engaging in a serious discussion.
“Are you perhaps interested in becoming a Holy Dark Pilgrim? I really hope so, because if you do, you could become the owner of all things imbued with darkness in this world and share in the honor of retreating into eternal darkness!”
…But why are all the class states like this?
In the game, there was no assessment of the player’s “soul,” so I never received evaluations considering countless deaths or adventures.
The basis was only the ‘body’ given out randomly each round or crafted directly, after all.
Devil Lord?
Dark Princess?
Holy Dark Pilgrim?
All the names were bewildering.
“Oknodie, first-year! Take off that hat right now!”
“Don’t listen to that cunning professor. She wants you for herself. She’s marked you as a tool to fulfill her sinister desires. You must not get caught!”
“Oknodie, first-year! Don’t fall for the hat’s wicked temptations. Quickly take it off!”
Hmm. I can’t say they’re entirely wrong.
Professors tend to corrupt promising talents into graduate students under the name of mentorship.
The job recommendations the aptitude assessment hat is offering seem decent in comparison.
“Oh, by the way. I’m not insisting, but if you wanted to, you could go with Eddahol’s Last Finger, Pignut’s Endbringer, or Sonya’s Clarity, if you prefer to serve others and flatter them.”
“Yuck! Absolutely not!”
“Good thinking! Those evil gods are all pathetic losers when compared to the good gods. They got completely obliterated during the supremacy war and can’t even walk around freely!”
“Oknodie, first-year!!”
The professor’s shout pierced through the hat, making my ears ring, causing me to scream and stuff my hands into the hat to cover my ears.
With that motion, the hat was effortlessly snatched from my head by Professor Bronze.
“Let go, you thieving girl! I cannot allow this! I won’t let you reduce this child to just any lowly rogue. Someone like you could never harness this child’s brilliant talent!”
“You promised, didn’t you? If you trick those students, I’ll make you a permanent resident of the laboratory. Do you truly want that?”
“Ha! Don’t make me laugh! If that child takes my wisdom, there’s no class that couldn’t be achieved in this world. Why would I concern myself with petty worldly locks when I’m holding the key that can lead to anyone among the 12 good gods and 12 evil gods?”
The hat flailed its arms wildly like a windmill, making a whoosh sound as it swung around.
“…Hah. If only it could exert even half of that chilling wisdom, I might seriously have destroyed it right here. Lucky for it, its lifeline is quite long.”
The professor, with a distorted expression, stabbed the hat with a dagger, leading to cries from the aptitude assessment hat like, “Ouch! No—don’t! Not there!”
“Oknodie. Are you alright? Did it do anything strange to you? You’re not suddenly wanting to annihilate humanity, or feeling like human lives are like trash, are you?!”
“I’m fine, Titosso! Thanks for worrying! But you don’t have to ask from that far away!”
“…No, Oknodie! Today seems to require this kind of distance!”
30 meters is way too far away.
We have to scream just to have a conversation.
You’re too scared, you coward!
“I don’t even need such a grand legendary class. Just being a rare-class Magic Swordsman is enough for me!”
“How cruel! Think it over. That’s an insult to your talent. You can achieve greatness in both swordsmanship and magic, so you should be the hero of legends fulfilling a great mission!”
“No! I’m going to be a Magic Swordsman!”
“Such a stubborn little one!”
“Hmph. Coming from a smelly hat!”
“What, what did you say?! I… smell?!”
The shocked hat was covered with a bag by Professor Bronze.
Thanks to the magic of silence on the bag, the hat’s chatter abruptly ceased.
But not only the bag inside went silent.
The classroom became unexpectedly quiet as well.
