<58 – You Came to Listen to This>
Competing for the top ranks is quite a challenge.
It’s a fierce competition among the top 2% of students in the academy, vying for the title of the fittest in the Gift Academy.
Yet, the reason for their stubbornness in leading the pack was, of course, to fulfill the challenge during lecture time.
[In Professor Plato’s [Upper Class Fitness Improvement] lecture, the climbing distance of Mt. Ominesan ranked among the top 5.]
[By completing the challenge during the lecture, you will earn an additional 500 points.]
No matter how many points are accumulated, it never feels like enough.
Thus, I ran risking my life and achieved results.
“Freeze! You pathetic rookies from the border can’t go beyond this point. Anyone who tries to overtake us will be attacked!”
The problem was that the selfish students from Group B took action to hinder the finish.
“That guy over there is [Honor], a spear master from the Fry Chicken Ducal House, known as one of the three great military officials of the Empire. I’ve heard he was personally taught by the world-renowned spear master, Shin Chang.”
“And the guy next to him is [Tataiya], from the renowned swordsmanship family, Chicken McKinney, which has produced three consecutive Sword Masters under the Fry Duke’s house.”
“Now I see why we should never get involved with the Chicken faction that’s rampant on the continent. If we don’t yield our ranks, they’ll start a fight that could take us all down!”
Honor and Tataiya weren’t merely threats.
Ignoring their warnings, the beast martial artist, [Jezel], who tried to quicken her pace, recoiled in horror as an attack brushed her shoulder.
“Is it dangerous or what! I almost got hit!”
“I meant for you to get hit, you foolish barbarian from the border. That was a warning, but next time, I’ll really stab you.”
“Do you think you can get away with doing such things?! The professor will give you punishment points!”
“Hmph. Do you think we didn’t prepare for that? I asked ahead of time. The professor said any bloodshed during competition for rank is not a problem!”
And that’s why Upper Class lectures are dangerous.
Not only are the students crazy, but the professors are as well.
Where else can you find a professor who turns a blind eye to students bleeding during lectures?
The problem is that they were so excited that they broadcasted all the information they just learned for everyone to hear.
“Whaaat?!”
“Is another fool coming out who wants to get stabbed?”
“Ugh! Wait a second. Honor, that guy is troublesome.”
“What’s up, Tataiya? Are you scared?”
“That guy is a true lunatic. You saw it, right? He took down five students with his gun while on his way to enrollment the other day, he’s a total madman!”
A pirate on land with flame-colored hair wearing a pirate tricorn hat.
A genuine trigger-happy who could pull the trigger at any moment.
The cross-dressing pirate, [Jigoku], aimed his revolver at Honor.
“Seeing blood means it’s okay to shoot too, right? It’s fine to cause trouble, right? Isn’t it??”
“Are you insane!! A gun and a spear are completely different!!”
“What’s the difference!!!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
While blocking bullets with spears, Honor’s footwork faltered, and students surged ahead, beginning to check each other in a race.
This was the catalyst for the ruckus seen near the finish line.
‘Wow. This is seriously fierce.’
While everyone was caught up in that chaotic fight, I quietly maneuvered between the trees, keeping a safe distance.
In intense fighting, while there’s a goal to block each other, there was also a strategy to expend their stamina more than expected.
‘As capability stats increase, recovery speed also goes up. Once you cross a certain line, the recovery speed surpasses the loss from clumsy exercise!’
That’s true for me as well.
So I seized the opportunity to expend massive stamina.
It was by withstanding [Irene]’s ice magic up close, dwindling my stamina.
‘Running and fighting aren’t the only ways to expend stamina.’
Fighting against the cold drains a tremendous amount of stamina too.
When a living being feels cold, they produce heat to maintain body temperature, which increases calorie consumption.
[You have successfully completed the first assignment from Professor Plato’s [Upper Class Fitness Improvement] lecture.]
[You have gained 50 points as a reward for completion.]
There are still those challenging the finish.
[Sacred Sword Descends]
A female warrior piercing through Irene’s ice barrier with the power of the sacred sword.
[Barehanded Breakthrough]
The berserker [Hestia] smashed through the wall with even more brute strength than Son Ohchun.
With these two competent individuals leading the way, the named students from the upper class began to breach the barrier.
But the ones toasting first were not them.
It was the Early Completers who finished their assignment first.
Professor Plato laughed heartily and declared:
“Students who have successfully completed their tasks, feel free to raid the cafeteria’s food with these points!”
“Isn’t a free meal still free because it gives points…”
“Isn’t that even better?”
“Right. With 50 points, you can get ten servings of the basic ration that sells for 5 points each!”
“Or you could enjoy the special protein shake made by Professor Plato himself for just 5 points right here!”
As the gray, gooey substance known as [Professor Plato's Special Protein Shake] made its appearance, the students grimaced and stepped back in horror.
“Wow! Food collection!”
“Ugh! That’s not something you can eat. It’s sludge!”
“Only when they see something they’ve never encountered do they get so excited.”
As everyone shook their heads, the Northern Grand Duchess, [Irene], gazed at me with a furious look, evidently annoyed by the free-riders, and manipulated her magic watch to check her points.
Her eyes widened more than three times.
Blink, blink.
Eyes filled with confusion turned towards me.
Forgetting the grievance she had just moments before, Irene approached me with a lowered voice.
“Oknodie. Did you receive the additional points too?”
“Shh. Let’s play dumb so we don’t get exhausted.”
There’s no benefit in revealing the 500 points I earned for completing the challenge.
“Still, I received an additional reward of 1500 points.”
“1500 points?”
Why did I receive 1000 points more?
“For the most people hindering rewards…”
“……”
Suddenly, I realized why Irene always looked particularly flustered during every upper-class lecture.
Not just 500 points, but she had also completed an additional challenge worth 1000 points!
No wonder it was a huge surprise compared to others, 30 times the usual!
“You deceiver!”
“But you rode for free, didn’t you?”
“Ugh.”
Irene seized my hand, seemingly flustered.
Gasp! She doesn’t plan to freeze me to death for using her so arrogantly, does she?!
“Your palms are turning red again. Look. My magic tends to cause frostbite the closer you are.”
“You aren’t scolding me?”
“You’ve already learned the lesson through your whole body, haven’t you? You shouldn’t approach a frost mage recklessly.”
Irene’s genuinely angry face had turned slightly pink.
“Don’t even think of lowering your presence. This time, it was fortunate you prepared your strength, but if it were another time, you could have frozen to death the moment mana flowed!”
“M-Mana flow?!”
“I wouldn’t want to experience accidentally freezing someone innocent to death, so you must be especially cautious from now on.”
In the original game, such techniques were only usable once you became a second-year!
To think someone would use skills meant for the second year now! It felt too unfair, yet considering this was reality and not a game, it seemed plausible.
“I’m sorry……”
“I’m sorry for scolding you too much. This is a gift from me.”
Irene pulled a stone from her pocket and handed it to me.
“?”
“Don’t you like stones?”
“I don’t just like any stone….”
“Does that mean you dislike the stone I’m giving you?”
“N-No, that’s not it.”
This isn’t even a stat stone.
Why is she carrying around a random stone?
“Thank you. I’ll treasure it.”
“And…”
“Hmm?”
“If the burden of the family becomes too heavy… No, forget I said anything.”
“??”
Eventually, after tossing the stone soundlessly into my designated stone pouch, Irene turned, looking as if she was biting her tongue.
What was that about?
Irene isn’t usually the type to worry about others.
When her favorability rises, the protagonist sees an exceptional side where she is worried, reminiscent of “I’m a cold Northern woman. But I’m warm to my people.” concept.
Yet, I couldn’t recall a single instance where I had played to raise her favorability.
With a sense of unease from someone’s inexplicable kindness, I walked along the path to the Department of Adventure.
Isabel piped up.
“Aren’t we heading towards the cafeteria?”
“I know! I’m on my way to the lecture!”
Isabel and Jezel looked at me with a shocked expression, like farmers who had witnessed an inhuman monster.
“Didn’t we take the same lecture?”
“You still have the stamina to attend a lecture?”
“You just recovered while talking.”
What’s going on?
Is it common sense for stamina to rise as long as you remain still?
“Ah, I might be a bit late getting to the classroom, so I’ll run ahead!”
“Ha ha! The little mouse is overflowing with spirit! Alright, let’s race against each other, unlike this body!”
“Ugh! No thanks. Uncle Son Ohchun, you’re faster than me.”
“Then we must do it! For 50 points!”
“Isabel will tell I’m being bullied by you!”
What does it matter? As long as it’s fun, right!
Leaving the astonished gazes of the two behind, I dashed toward the classroom alongside Son Ohchun.
*
Department of Adventure.
In the academy, students aspiring to be excellent in the Knight Department or Magic Department often lack the confidence to survive in competition and thus seek refuge in the Department of Adventure.
This leads to a large student body, but the top-tier skills are significantly below that of other departments.
Being a professor in the Department of Adventure is regarded as a losing battle or unfavorable competition for the professors who gain honor by producing outstanding students.
Meanwhile, incompetent students flock in, causing unnecessary disruptions by simply taking long lectures.
‘Heh heh heh. There’s a gap that other professors don’t notice right there.’
If there are few top-tier students, then they can open exclusive lectures for the upper class.
If attending these lectures is optional rather than compulsory, even better.
It’s rare for any top-tier student to purposely seek out a lecture in the upper class of the Department of Adventure.
‘But what if such a student exists?’
Then, they can set conditions that are the most difficult to meet during the hardest time slots.
‘In the first-period compulsory lecture. The likelihood of a student who spent their energy climbing Mt. Ominesan arriving punctually at a lecture located in the opposite outskirts is virtually zero!’
Physically and mentally, only students with extraordinary willpower would be able to manage it.
After luring in such high-level students since arriving at the academy, the rogue professor was dumbfounded at the sight of a single student.
“Are you, by chance, the new cleaner who just entered the academy?”
“I’m a student.”
“Did you mistake this for another lecture or classroom?”
“I came to attend [The Adventure Stories of Retired Great Heroes]!”
“This is an exclusive lecture for upper-class students, isn’t it?”
“I’m the top student of Group A!”
Having cleared all those harsh conditions, a bizarre individual who showed a driven determination to attend this lecture finally appeared.
