540 – This isn’t how you get up there (6)
Bivo acquired by Charlotte was strong.
Strong enough to match the high-ranking knight Dmitri, who could be discussed as the strongest in the Empire.
And that’s just how strong Dmitri was.
Without the Bivo, there was no guarantee of life or death.
Conversely, Charlotte was a troublesome opponent for Dmitri.
[Pain Enhancement]
[Damage Amplification]
[Wound Deterioration]
The Bivo gradually aggravated every type of damage dealt to its owner.
[Shock Storage]
Storing the damage that worsened like that.
[Wound Transfer]
[Injury Transfer]
[Disease Transfer]
[Pain Transfer]
[Damage Transfer]
It passed all kinds of damage onto the opponent.
The damage it inflicted returned multiplied in a horrific way!
That explained the terrifying effect akin to a numbered artifact resting in the treasure vault of the Gift Academy.
“Shall we stop this pointless fight?”
However, Dmitri was no easy man either.
As soon as the amplified injury was sent back, a small light flickered from his armor and body.
[Pain Block]
[Damage Immunity]
[Shock Reduction]
[Automatic Recovery]
It blocks pain below a certain level.
It negates damage below a certain level.
Damage above a certain level is actually reduced in the amount of HP lost.
Even the slight damage that had been dealt is automatically recovered—a sneaky combo build!
To discuss the strongest in the Empire, one must have a vile build like this, making it severely stressful even for Charlotte.
“Urgas. Pull your weight.”
Charlotte had to endure by using Urgas as a shield for lethal damage that she couldn’t handle and for attacks that couldn’t be blocked, passing the endless pain onto Urgas.
Yet even the undead shield, Urgas, was in bad shape, bleeding profusely.
Dmitri wasn’t in a position to unleash finishing moves repeatedly, and neither was the unreliable undead shield Urgas, merely exchanging cautious glances!
The vigorously clashing sword strikes naturally decreased in intensity, and soon both swords were sheathed.
The news that sealed the temporary truce between the two was about the abdication of the Seonhwang and the death of Pake Hiuqmag, followed by the rise of Empress Masugaki.
“Consider yourself lucky. When that shield breathes its last, you’ll be finished too.”
“Not at all. If your instant-death techniques are depleted, this fight will eventually end in my victory.”
Urghas glared at Charlotte, as if he would tear her apart if he could, despite his pitiful state.
“You damn witch… Are you even human…?! HACK, HACK… To make me die dozens of times after killing me once…”
“Count your blessings. You can live a life that’s abundantly insufficient in just one go.”
In a fit of rage, Urgas lunged, only to scream and fall down from the larger damage transferred to him by the Bivo’s shock transfer.
Charlotte, completely indifferent to Urgas’s impotent rebellion, realized as the situation developed.
“This is not a crisis at all.”
Oknodie wasn’t a child being dragged to someone’s will.
If the situation is chaotic, consider who benefits.
The one benefiting the most is the designer of the game.
Based on this simple logic, the answer became clear.
This game was Oknodie’s game.
She had made her friend Masugaki the Empress.
Now Masugaki wouldn’t face any threats to her life.
The armies that did not follow Masugaki and the powerful seventeen of the Empire were thrown into chaos or went missing in the Underworld commotion.
Their way back was blocked by an army of monsters that had previously been difficult to deal with.
What about all those monsters?
They’re pouring up from underground in real-time.
[Transfer Station of the Gift Academy Branch]
In time, the child would return on their own.
The Director of the Foundation wouldn’t want that…
But the professors of the Gift Academy would hope for it.
It’s simple math.
The forces led into the Underworld by Oknodie were the Foundation’s factions.
With the sudden loss of so many forces, the Foundation couldn’t easily replace them.
If the Gift Academy decided to act…
The Foundation could not stop it.
Even if the strongest professor, the Destroyer, fell, the Academy still had plenty of formidable professors.
The tide had turned.
If the Foundation could do nothing, then Oknodie would return.
That meant there was only one place to catch her.
“Too late.”
“Ian. Since when have you been here?”
“Right after scattering from the Jeido.”
Unlike Jeto, who had been foolishly used by the first-years, Hermit Ian had come back to the transfer station in front of the academy much earlier, staying hidden for a while.
Whether he simply didn’t want to get involved in complex affairs, didn’t care about missions, or demonstrated some insight, he had come to the optimal spot.
Since he hadn’t openly shown off like Urgas, it was hard to gauge his real strength, proving he was indeed not an easy opponent.
“Wanna play cards?”
“…I need training. Help if you’re free.”
The battle with Dmitri made Charlotte realize a few improvement points.
She must secure enough stamina to endure an instant-death attack until she can use [Amplification] to reflect it, or reduce the total amount of damage to withstand with her current health.
Develop a continuous attack that inflicts high-intensity damage to pierce through the opponent’s damage reduction, cutting their health faster than her recovery speed.
“Not interested.”
Ian declined, and the training opponent naturally became Urgas, who had no option to refuse and recovered automatically, making him a perfect dummy.
Perhaps because of how many times they had been crushed before Oknodie returned.
Urgas ran to Oknodie, like a man meeting his life-saver, overly excited.
“Thank you! I survived…”
“GACK, the absentee student is ambushing me!”
Reflexively, Oknodie took out a holy artifact from her backpack and threw the magic tool [Holy Grenade].
Surrounded by the familiar grenade explosion, Urgas was engulfed in blasts before his joy could even arrive.
KABOOM!
WHOOSH…
Looking at Urgas, who collapsed while puffing smoke, Ian said.
“Geez. After getting tangled with the Wahyhiemhai Foundation, people end up looking so pathetic. That fool ended up caught by the two strongest scholarship students of the Foundation.”
“Uh? Aren’t other seniors ambushing?”
“Never came to ambush. Just went out to greet you.”
“Oh, I see. You were just waiting to see how much the warrior party has grown.”
“I was waiting for you.”
“For me? Why?”
“Because a rescue request came from the Academy.”
“But you were just at the transfer station!”
“The success condition for the rescue request is bringing you back to the Academy. The process doesn’t matter.”
“That’s such a free lunch! If that’s how it is, give me half of the success reward!”
“No way.”
“How about just Urgas’s share then?”
“That’s not allowed either. Urgas is utilizing all types of rewards he can obtain from the Academy, doubling them.”
“Then I don’t wanna go!”
Charlotte drew her sword.
“The request said to bring Oknodie, but it didn’t mention you had to be whole and intact!”
“…Touching a first year will be a hefty fine, you know?!”
“You’re no longer a first year. You’re in your second year now.”
Oknodie pouted, looking like a sad cat with her shoulders drooped.
“Okay, fine. I’ll walk myself.”
Though it meant taking a long detour, Charlotte ultimately succeeded in the rescue request.
Indeed, people need to rely on their brains rather than sheer strength.
Charlotte believed that with the lesson learned today, she could grow even stronger in the future.
—
*
Jiang and Titosso sighed in relief.
“I didn’t expect to face such a terrifying senior right after arriving.”
“WAAAH! That was so scary!”
“It’s okay. Charlotte is a third-year student, so even if she comes back, she’ll be a fourth-year. Just relax—you won’t see any lowerclassmen!”
In the academy’s context, first and second-years are treated as lowerclassmen, while third and fourth-years are upperclassmen, so unless there’s a student competition event, encounters with fourth-years are extremely rare.
There wouldn’t be enough time to enjoy the joy of returning to the academy with a face-to-face meeting that is hard to come by.
[Mana is recovering quickly.]
[This place is rich in Nature Mana.]
[Here, there are various Mana puzzles.]
[The speed of Mana recovery and maximum Mana increase is enhanced within the region.]
[The types of spells that can be cast are increased.]
[The power of the spells being cast is enhanced.]
Feeling a chill in their core, they inhaled deeply.
A location optimized for mana training, where the most mana gathers in the world.
Aside from the meta of hunting powerful beings or divine classes, it’s a training sanctuary with the best cost-effectiveness for time invested—the air of the Gift Academy welcomed back the prodigal child.
Indeed, magic swordsmen must be nurtured at the Academy!
Charlotte resolved to put in extra effort in magic training this year and noticed familiar faces within the Academy.
“Duke Andersen! Why are your muscles so huge?”
“I took supplementary lectures. All through vacation.”
“GASP.”
Duke Andersen upgraded his stats so much that even the mana flow technique for compressing muscles couldn’t keep up.
The nobles associated with Seoguyeon had also bulked up tremendously, showcasing how much grinding everyone had gone through.
It shows you can’t become too relaxed just because you’ve soaked up growth while away.
Considering the unfair scaling law regarding how the player’s strength increases, it’s daunting to think about what NPCs might power up dramatically.
They might emulate my singular focus and realize their abilities to a god-like level!
In reality, the student with the highest likelihood of unleashing this potential was glaring at her still.
“…If I had known, I wouldn’t have raised my grades.”
The warrior Ishtar had inadvertently become the most diligent credit earner of the first-year second semester!
Ishtar, who returned to the Academy before they did, glared at Charlotte with a mix of gratitude and resentment.
I understand the resentment, but what’s with the gratitude?
Oh!
She must have been happy with the boost in stats, features, and points from attending lectures!
If she had the [Training Addict] trait, it would make sense!
An eager newbie is as commendable as a personal trainer for a health-conscious newbie.
This year, I have to make sure to help her attend many lectures!
“Ishtar!”
“…What? What is it?”
“Do you want to challenge for 45 credits this year?”
[The warrior’s heart shattered.]
[Scary Child Experience Points +1]
Oops.
The light faded from Ishtar’s eyes!
