A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 120

With the allowance I received from Kara, I bought something delicious to eat and also had a chat with Ellie while meeting her.

Ellie usually goes into the forest to gather herbs every weekend, but since entry is now prohibited, she can’t collect any.

So, she can’t make potions for the time being and came outside because she was bored. Meeting me was purely coincidental.

“Do you need herbs?”

“I always need herbs. The problem is money. The ones I can gather in the Forest of Chaos are fine, but for the ones I can’t, I have to sell herbs to buy them.”

“Should I give you money?”

“Oh, no. It’s not that bad yet.”

When I offered to give her money, Ellie adamantly refused. She seemed to feel guilty about taking my money so easily.

I wanted to force her to take it, but that would only make her feel uncomfortable.

I’ll have to give it to her later when I find an appropriate excuse. I’ll start with a small amount, not a large sum.

‘For now, I guess I’ll have to gather herbs in the forest.’

All the herbs I gather will be given to Ellie. She couldn’t enter the Forest of Chaos alone, after all.

Or, I could take her with me tomorrow when I train with Rize. I need to work in the forest too.

“Thanks. I had a great meal today. Next time, it’s on me.”

“Do you have money?”

“······No, but I can at least buy you some candy!”

Ellie, being a commoner and in a non-combat role, is always short on money.

Thankfully, she’s caught the professor’s eye and receives various support, but non-combat roles are a money pit.

Even though the returns are quite good with more investment, the initial cost is astronomical.

And it’s not just Ellie; to prepare for the future, I’ll need to invest in other characters too.

‘Kara could be a good sponsor, but she’s so strict······’

Kara is sensitive about money and doesn’t invest easily.

As she mentioned before, it’s because she was scammed in the past. I heard she lost quite a bit of money back then.

Incidentally, that con artist can be encountered later. He’s bold enough to scam a princess and lives in a rather peculiar place.

“And Sivar, Kara Unnie might have told you this, but don’t give money away carelessly just because someone says they’re broke. Especially if it’s someone you don’t know, just ignore them completely. Got it?”

“Got it.”

“Here. Promise me. Sivar, you’re kind, so you’ll listen to me, right?”

Ellie extended her pinky finger, asking for a promise. I looked back and forth between her and her finger before quietly linking mine with hers.

Seeing this, she smiled in satisfaction. She seemed relieved now that we had made a promise.

But I might break that promise soon. And by soon, I mean very soon.

“Well, I’ll get going now. I’d love to have dinner with you too, but I’ve got things to do. Bye!”

“Bye.”

After parting ways with Ellie, I headed straight back to the dormitory. I had to train with Rize and also take care of dinner.

Although I still had plenty of allowance left from Kara, I thought it best to save it. I only bought one piece of candy along the way.

When I finally returned to my dormitory without much thought, I witnessed a rather rare sight.

“Alright. Let’s go back up. One.”

Rize, in her Martial Saint Mode, stood with her arms casually crossed.

“Hyaaaaah!”

And Luna, letting out a peculiar cry, was doing push-ups with Rize perched on her back.

Luna was currently doing push-ups. Last time, she didn’t add any weight, but today, she had Rize sitting on her.

Judging by the sweat soaking the floor beneath her head, quite some time had passed. Her beautiful blonde hair clung to her face.

“Alright. This is the last one. One.”

“Grrrgh!”

Luna mustered every ounce of strength she had to straighten her trembling arms, which looked as shaky as a newborn calf’s legs.

It was pitiful to watch, so I could only imagine how hard it was for her. Still, this would make her stronger in a short time, so it was worth it.

“Good. One-minute break.”

“Huff!”

As soon as Luna managed to straighten her arms, Rize announced a one-minute break. Luna collapsed immediately.

I cautiously approached her. It seemed the training had started while the auction was ongoing.

To check if she was alive or not, I bent down and poked her cheek with my finger.

Poke- Poke-

“··· ···”

No response. She looked like a corpse.

I kept poking her cheek until she reacted.

“······Why.”

“You’re not dead?”

“Who’s dead.”

With her face buried in the floor, I really thought she was dead. This training was grueling even to watch.

I wondered if her urine might turn cola-colored at this rate, but she still seemed okay for now.

“Seriously······ I just want to go home······ Why did I even come to the Academy······”

“··· ···”

Was homesickness part of her original character setting? I tilted my head, puzzled by Luna’s muttering.

In Soul World, the protagonist responded through choices. She never muttered like this.

Seeing her like this made the world feel vividly alive. Maybe it was because I kept comparing it to the game, even after a month.

“Since Brother Sivar is here, this works out perfectly. This time, Brother, you ride on Student Luna’s back.”

“Okay.”

“Hey, wait a minute. How much do you weigh?”

As I prepared to climb onto her back, Luna panicked and asked about my weight.

Hearing her question, I looked not at Luna but at Rize—the muscular and robust Fist Saintess.

I was tall and broad-shouldered, but not as much as Rize. In fact, Rize was being considerate by taking part herself.

“Here we go.”

“Grrrgh······!”

As soon as I climbed onto her back, Luna let out a dying groan. But enduring this training was the only way for her to grow stronger.

Rize’s training resumed immediately. However, judging by Luna’s trembling arms, it didn’t seem like she’d last much longer.

While sitting on Luna’s narrow back for a while, I cautiously lowered my head and whispered into her ear.

“Blade Fang Sword.”

“······!!”

“If you do well, I might give it to you.”

“Hyaaaaah!”

The moment I tempted her, Luna let out a peculiar cry and straightened her arms. She’s surprisingly greedy.

Oh, of course.

Drip- Drip-

“Huh? Oh, oh? Is that… a nosebleed?”

“··· ···”

She worked so hard that there were side effects.

How much heat must have built up in her head for her to get a nosebleed while doing push-ups?

‘She really is the protagonist.’

If nothing else, her tenacity was undeniable.

******

The very next day after Luna’s training. The weekends in this world are two days long, just like on Earth.

In other words, I had another day of rest, and I decided to make use of it.

Just like Rod had asked me to do with Ratatoskr, I decided to establish my territory in the Forest of Chaos.

Crunch!

“Grrrgh······”

The axe embedded itself squarely into the crown of a sturdy orc. The orc died without even letting out a proper scream.

After roughly retrieving Ragnarok, I shook off the blood. Having hunted quite a few orcs, there was blood everywhere.

‘Looks like the orcs have established a territory here.’

After shaking off the blood, I surveyed my surroundings. Around me lay orcs killed in various gruesome ways.

An orc with its head split in half was the least grotesque; others had their limbs severed or their innards spilling out.

Most of them were killed in rather horrifying ways, and naturally, they were all my handiwork.

The noteworthy point here is the skin color of the orcs. Normally, orc skin is typically green.

‘A Red Orc made it all the way here. Was it one of the ones that exerted influence even within their ranks?’

The skin color of the orcs I completely subjugated was red. These are individuals known for being stronger than regular orcs.

Just as hobgoblins are larger and stronger among goblins, you can think of Red Orcs in a similar way.

However, unlike hobgoblins, which are unique individuals among goblins, Red Orcs form groups.

On top of that, they’re quite intelligent, so if they establish a territory, it becomes a real headache.

‘It’s fortunate I dealt with them before they could set up a base.’

If the Red Orcs had gone beyond establishing a territory and built a base, it would have been a significant problem.

Subjugation itself isn’t difficult, but building a base means their territory has stabilized.

It’s better to crush them like this so Rod can create the forest boundary as he desires.

‘I’d love to skin them if I could…’

The hide of a Red Orc is incredibly tough, making it perfect for use as armor.

However, since this operation is being conducted in secret, I plan to avoid doing so if possible.

It’s a bit of a shame money-wise, but I do have the earnings from Usk. I can slowly grow that wealth instead.

‘I hope no scarier monsters show up.’

With the cleanup and ‘territory marking’ complete, I turned my back.

Since I left the territory marking properly, no other monsters should dare approach for a while.

The conditions under which I permit territory invasion are simple: creatures that don’t harm humans or initiate attacks.

Above all, monsters or beasts related to bears are executed on sight. Having lived in the wilderness, nothing is as terrifying as a bear.

‘One swipe from its paw left my arm in tatters.’

Thankfully, my body was sturdy at the time; otherwise, my arm would have been completely torn off if we had met earlier.

And their sense of smell is so sharp that they even crept into my hideout.

Above all, if they have cubs nearby, their temperament becomes incredibly vicious. If anyone is in their line of sight, they attack without hesitation.

‘Now that the work’s done, I should grab an ice cream.’

Ice cream after hard labor is something else. It tastes sweeter and cooler than usual.

Moreover, as the weather is gradually transitioning to summer, it’s becoming hot and humid. The demand for ice cream will surely increase.

I passed through the forest entrance and entered the Academy. The guards stationed at the forest entrance only glanced at me as I emerged.

‘I wonder how Porori is doing.’

Porori, who had finally found a mate only to lose them to a ridiculous accident. By now, he’s probably working hard to expand his territory.

I hope he overcomes his painful loss and finds a new mate. As a fellow male, it’s genuinely a pity.

“Hey. Isn’t that guy the one?”

“Yeah. What on earth did he do to end up covered in blood?”

“Did he come back from the forest?”

Ah, right. Hearing the murmurs around me, I checked my body.

Right now, I was covered in blood from cleaning up the territory. I must look quite intimidating.

On top of that, I was only wearing a dress shirt and pants, which didn’t look great, especially with a blood-soaked axe in hand.

‘I should just quickly buy the ice cream and leave.’

I felt uncomfortable and wanted to wash up as soon as possible. Still, I couldn’t give up on the ice cream.

As I walked, axe in hand, the ice cream shop came into view right in front of me.

“E-Excuse me!!”

“?”

A loud yet somewhat delicate voice called out from behind me. Hearing it, I turned around.

Then, I saw a woman with blue hair, and my eyes widened in surprise. I hadn’t expected to meet her so soon.

“I-I’m Jane Brennon! A-Are you Sivar by any chance?”

Her blue hair and eyes reminded me of the sky. She had a short bob cut and slightly sharp eyes.

However, her round glasses softened her sharp gaze, giving her an intellectual appearance.

She had the kind of look that would make her incredibly popular in a tech school. Her beauty was somewhat hidden by her plain dress shirt and glasses.

“Yes, I’m Sivar.”

“T-Then…”

I knew who this woman was. Like Ellie, she held an important position in a non-combat role.

In particular, her nickname was very famous among users.

“W-Would you be interested in investing?!”

“… …”

She was known as the broke Iron Man.

Unlike Spider-Man, who at least has impressive physical abilities, Iron Man relies solely on his wealth and suit.