<461 - The Dangers of Over-Immersion>
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[Mission List]
*Side Quest
Remain disguised as a professor for more than 30 minutes without being discovered until leaving the ballroom.
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At first, I planned to tackle the side quest, as it would lead to some unlock conditions, but I was dead set on completing a hidden mission that I now intended to conquer.
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*Hidden Mission
Engage in conversation disguised as a professor for more than 30 minutes, and remain undiscovered until leaving the ballroom.
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Originally, this hidden mission involved conversing with Professor Wendy, who teaches the lecture ‘#Let’s Enter the Ball!’
The plan was to inject a urination-inducing drug into one of the judges through a transparent mosquito to lure them to the bathroom, knock them out quickly, and then disguise myself as that judge to complete both the side quest and hidden mission.
Efficiency wasn’t great since I had two tasks to manage, but I had to make a compromise with reality for the best reward.
‘If it’s Professor Destroyer, I can easily chat with him for over 30 minutes without him realizing, even if he’s busy judging Professor Wendy!’
Jackpot!
This is a sweet deal!
I never knew the professor was into ladies who dance; such a mischievous guy!
Lost in thoughts of my inner celebration, I approached…
– A child raised with the Foundation’s cruel education. A twisted notion born from an unfortunate past and a lack of normal life; an atmosphere that feels almost alien, with clear eyes that seem to see right through anything. All of it was just too adorable.
-!!
– In short, I enjoy the ‘depressed yet lovable kid’. Oknodie is my perfect ideal. With this, I’m more than willing to cooperate with the Foundation, wouldn’t you agree?
I inadvertently obtained TMI – the info I didn’t want!
‘Should I reveal that I’m Oknodie now?’
No, that’s too reckless.
It would be embarrassing for Professor Destroyer, and I wouldn’t even know how to face him if that happened!
For that reason, I ditched the plan of pretending to be Professor Pinkberry after the lecture, instead imagining a grand reveal as I cry out “Ta-da! It’s Oknodie!” while showing off my disguise skills in front of Professor Destroyer.
Now was not the time to worry about missions.
“Are you with the Director or Oknodie?”
“…You noticed? How did you figure that out, you amateur♡? You’ve got terrible instincts – hand over that title of world’s greatest thief!”
Oops! In my fluster, I accidentally mixed in the Second Princess’s accent with a heart-melting tone.
I briefly worried about being discovered, but the silver lining was that Professor Destroyer was equally perplexed by my reaction.
“It’s a misunderstanding. That was a deliberate false weakness to gain trust with the Director’s faction. I’m not a child-lover, not at all.”
“Is that so…? Wow… what a funny joke… ha-ha…”
As I awkwardly smiled and tried to escape, Professor Destroyer lunged towards me in a panic.
He grabbed me tightly, and I could feel every hair on my body standing on end.
“Eh?!”
“I can tell just from your expression. You’re suspicious of me.”
“N-no… of course, I trust you. A professor as a child-lover? Even if the principal’s out of whack, there’s no way they’d bring in someone who would lay a hand on students.”
“You trust a principal who spares no thought for substituting lectures with the transformation technique professor just to see how far I’ll follow along? Ridiculous. You’re trying to get out of this talk with flimsy excuses.”
“Then what do you want from me? You threw a bombshell first!”
Professor Destroyer let out a heavy sigh.
And then, as if by magic, the mood shifted entirely.
“If you’re on Oknodie’s side, joining hands with me would definitely benefit you.”
“Why’s that?”
“The Sebiche Ducal House of the Kingdom of Florence. I was the one who made the first strike against the Foundation. In the process, I also wiped out a Foundation branch and a human trafficking underworld that could have been connected to Oknodie’s past.”
“…!”
“I used her past as a means to eliminate weaponry and hostiles while also clearing a path for Jonnas Wahyhiemhai to enter the Foundation.”
“You bullied Jonnas during visits, yet you changed your mind later?”
It felt suspicious.
Professor Destroyer couldn’t be thinking…
“Could it be because you enjoy that ‘depressed yet lovable kid’?”
“If that were the case, I would’ve isolated Oknodie instead. Keeping the butler and maid away, filling the area with hostile figures, and having her rely entirely on me as the only savior.”
“?!”
“Creating a situation where, stuck as a permanent student unable to advance, I could eventually employ her as a personal instructor when she’s of a suitable age would make Oknodie’s life completely dependent on me.”
Professor Destroyer is terrifying…!!
“Yet, I never pulled a single move. With that, can you trust my sincerity?”
“I, I got it… You are truly not the amateur you seem, Professor Destroyer…”
Now was the moment for me to win the professor’s favor, not react to his excuses.
If I turned his favor around, he might well enact that terrifying plan on me!
If the world’s greatest thief set out to make me a permanent student, I could only expect that exams would be mysteriously lost every day, and any performance evaluations would continue to go terribly wrong…
‘But it’s not as simple as just going along with the conversation. The professor thinks they’re talking to Professor Pinkberry right now…’
“I have a long contemplation going on. Is there an issue?”
“Just give me a moment to sort my thoughts.”
First off, the reasonable inference that Professor Pinkberry appeared to be a Foundation official is on point.
So it’s quite possible that the real Professor Pinkberry is connected to Papa’s influence.
If Professor Destroyer suddenly drops a trade proposal right after today’s exam, it will spell trouble for him.
‘He thinks there are separate factions within the Foundation: the Director’s faction and my faction. He wants to help but doesn’t want Papa to catch on.’
Once you grasp which way the desires pull and the intensity of longing to fulfill them, it’s easy to manipulate actions.
Just toss them prey they desire.
Perhaps if I sprinkled information he’d find useful, he’d gladly stomp around in excitement.
“This conversation… it won’t leak, right?”
“Of course not. Since you approached me, I’ve already set up barriers. No spying of any kind is possible.”
Fortunately, the stage was well set.
Professor Pinkberry likely wouldn’t have any idea of what was really going on.
‘For a while, I shall toss a significant event so that Professor Destroyer can’t reach the real Professor Pinkberry.’
Coincidentally, given the cruise ship event, it’s hypothesized that the unidentifiable awkward events are often actions of the Foundation.
Thinking about what big incident could occur in this linear game storyline, something suddenly came to mind.
“Are you perhaps interested in the Magic Tower’s plan to blow up a volcano to eliminate a city that’s hindering business?”
The professor showed a lot of interest.
Mission success!
“Hmm~ I’m a genius. A crisis handled and a tedious event taken care of in one go!”
Now, shall I indulge in the desserts the maids are transporting?
Feeling high-spirited, I thought about shopping as I roamed the ballroom when a very conspicuous maid with incredibly toned thighs caught my eye.
With sun-kissed skin and compressed muscles that boasted a strength over 50, her thighs were hard to miss.
‘Moreover, that’s clearly an animal ear headband and not a real beastman!’
Circling around and observing closely, the maid flinched and timidly asked.
“Is there something I can help you with…?”
“You feel suspicious. Try calling yourself a
“Ehhh?! How could I ever say such a thing to you, Professor…?”
“Hah? So you’re saying you’ll ignore a professor’s directions?”
“Uuuh… a garbage creature…”
Her soft voice muttered the phrase as though she was swiftly passing by, and it solidified my suspicions.
“You’re Professor Minerva, aren’t you?”
“How did you know?”
The maid’s brow furrowed, her eyebrows knit tighter like a vexed person’s.
With healthy dark skin and a perpetually annoyed expression, the professional with a flair for sadistic lines.
The veteran players’ databank on the Gift Academy strongly confirmed that this beastman is Professor Minerva.
‘Even if I could have ignored her, if the transformation technique professor didn’t catch on to such a poor disguise, it would seem strange. Professor Destroyer might get suspicious if he trailed behind!’
Since I’ve already gone this far, I should dream of perfect crimes.
I channeled Professor Pinkberry’s disguise mastery and embraced a full-on cocky attitude.
“There’s no way a transformation technique professor wouldn’t recognize such a shabby disguise. Hmph. If you want real transformation skills, you should attend my lecture next semester!”
“Do you want to get smacked, you cheeky brat? Don’t mess with me. In the forest, you’d die without a trace.”
This chapter had me nervously facing Professor Minerva, whom I’d seen during the entrance exam.
Her nicknames like cruel examiner, sadistic ranger, mass dropout course, and hellishly difficult gate weren’t given for no reason.
“Eeek!”
I faked a childish play act, stumbling slightly, but Professor Minerva clicked her tongue with a displeased expression, growling softly.
“We are monitoring Professor Destroyer on the principal’s orders. Don’t make it annoying. And… conveniently, tell me what you discussed with the Destroyer.”
“That’s difficult!”
Professor Minerva showed no signs of persuasion and pulled out a handkerchief and sack from her waist.
“If you don’t, trouble will come your way.”
A threat to knock me out and slip me into the sack without anyone noticing!
If it were anywhere else, those tools would seem ridiculous, but within the Academy, it would go unnoticed as just a regular day for a professor being a professor.
‘Sorry, professor!’
There’s no way around it.
I guess I have to spill a bit of info.
“Professor Destroyer…”
“Professor Destroyer?”
“Admitted he’s a child-lover.”
Professor Minerva’s mind went blank.
The shocking news, enough to leave her stunned, hit the mark perfectly.
Now I just need to find an appropriate gap and make a run for it…
Ssssh.
Suddenly, a white professor dressed in a crisp suit popped up from Professor Minerva’s shadow, blocking my escape!
“Oh? Does that mean you prefer shorter people or smaller chests?”
That husky voice; the peculiar sensuality in the air.
In the many lectures and dungeon runs I’ve participated in, I couldn’t possibly forget who it belonged to.
‘Even Professor Bronze?!’
Damn it, this awkward event!
I got too immersed in my Professor Pinkberry disguise and got caught by Professor Bronze, hiding out in the ballroom!
