A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 121

Soul World is a game with a variety of choices.

What this means is that crossroads split in real time based on my decisions, and their impact continues to ripple through future events.

If the Academy Collapse incident marks the end of an episode, countless events unfold within that episode.

A representative event that influences the story is Rod’s poisoning. If this isn’t resolved, the story could become even more challenging.

Other examples include steadily building affinity with Kara to solve the Tatar issue later on, or ensuring the survival of Ellie, who keeps disappearing at every opportunity due to her game-breaking balance.

Choices that were easily overlooked can come back as a massive hammer to strike the back of your head, or lead to entirely unforeseen situations.

“Ah, no. Was I too abrupt? I should have started with a conversation and then made my request…!”

The bespectacled girl floundering in front of me right now, Jane, is quite similar.

A character destined for a meteoric rise, nicknamed the penniless Iron Man.

In other words, she’s currently just a student with no connections whatsoever.

‘Was she a second-year?’

She’s a fairly important character, so I know her general background. Her name, as she introduced earlier, is Jane Brennon.

She hails from Santia, the Nation of Science. Her social status, contrary to her intellectual appearance, is that of a commoner.

As her nickname suggests, she is a scientist with extraordinary abilities in mechanical engineering.

But as is often the case with tragic geniuses, even the professors don’t acknowledge her theories, leaving her stuck without progress.

“C-Can we at least have a conversation? I was too flustered to explain properly, but please give me a chance!”

“Sure.”

“…Huh?”

When I agreed so easily, she looked more confused than anything else.

Her slipping glasses seemed to highlight her awkwardness.

‘It’s amazing to think that this woman will turn to the dark side later.’

If Ellie is a character whose death demands attention, Jane is one who raises the difficulty level itself.

Even if I reject her now, she’ll eventually find an investor, but the problem is that the investor will be a total bastard.

He’ll steal all of Jane’s hard-earned research and claim it as his own.

Normally, she might have chosen to end her own life, but Jane crosses over to the Demon Side for revenge.

“What is it you want to explain?”

“Ah? Oh, yes! F-First, let’s move somewhere else!”

Jane hastily adjusted her slipping glasses and began to lead the way in a hurry. Despite her appearance, she exuded an air of awkwardness.

Her shabby dress shirt hinted at her poverty, though her chest was anything but lacking.

She has no trouble making ends meet for now, but she simply lacks the money to achieve her dreams.

“Wait a moment. Ice cream.”

“Huh? Ice cream?”

“I’ll go buy some.”

“Ah! Please, take your time! I’ll wait here!”

Still, this feels a bit overwhelming. At this rate, I’m going to attract every gaze around me.

I bought two chocolate ice creams, as I always do at the ice cream shop. Naturally, one was for Jane.

When I returned to the spot where I had met Jane, I found her fidgeting nervously in the short time I had been gone.

She seemed to be on edge, likely worried about being rejected. Not that I had any intention of doing so.

‘But if someone else heard her, they’d probably reject her outright.’

Jane’s personality is straightforward. This means she’s almost incapable of speaking in a roundabout way.

If she’s similar to Ellie, you could say they’re alike, but Jane has a much more rigid vibe.

It might just be because we’re not close yet. Her actual personality is remarkable in many ways.

“Here.”

“Yes!”

When I handed her the ice cream, Jane accepted it with a lively response.

Despite my appearance, which was smeared with traces of fatigue and blood, she didn’t seem to mind at all.

After giving her the ice cream, I opened my now-empty hand to retrieve Ragnarok.

“Where do you want to go?”

“O-Over there, to that bench…”

Jane licked her ice cream and pointed to a bench placed in the plaza.

Normally, we’d go to a café or a restaurant, but judging by my current state, she must have decided on the bench instead.

“I’d love to go into a café, but I don’t have any money… I’m sorry.”

Ah, so that’s why. It wasn’t because of my appearance after all.

Truly impoverished people can’t even afford a cup of coffee, it seems.

She probably wants to show sincerity, but lacking money, she can’t express it properly.

I couldn’t help but feel pity for Jane’s dire poverty. I wondered how she had managed to live until now.

Clatter-

Finally, after sitting on the plaza bench, I placed Ragnarok beside me. Jane seemed to be pondering what to say.

Until she opened her mouth, I decided to focus on eating my ice cream. Perhaps because the weather was getting hotter, it tasted even better.

“Nom nom nom nom.”

“… …”

But this woman was eating her ice cream as if it were a meal. Instead of nibbling bit by bit, she was devouring it in large bites.

Even I found it slightly off-putting. Surely, she hasn’t been deprived of even simple snacks like this, has she?

“It’s delicious… How long has it been since I last had ice cream…”

Hmm. I’d better not bring up her poverty anymore.

The Academy provides minimal support, but it’s just that—minimal. She probably has to earn her own pocket money.

Even Ellie and Luna used to venture into the forest every week to make some money. Though now, even that’s no longer an option.

Moreover, Jane’s field is mechanical engineering, so she likely knows nothing about herbs. She’s probably scraping by with occasional part-time jobs.

“Ahem. Ahem. May I begin explaining now?”

“Sure.”

“Thank you. Mr. Sivar, what are your thoughts on machines?”

So that’s where she’s starting. I met her gaze with my usual expressionless face.

Normally, one wouldn’t think much about machines. After all, machines exist in various forms in this world too.

“Ah. No, wait. Maybe you… don’t know?”

The issue lies with me. By now, rumors about me must have spread throughout the entire Academy.

A wildling who has only recently entered civilization. That’s why Jane momentarily looked so flustered.

If I stayed silent, this would drag on endlessly. And since I’ve been in civilization for a while now, I should at least give a proper answer.

“Convenient things.”

“Pardon?”

“They make our lives easier.”

“Ah! Yes! Exactly! That’s what machines are!”

When I gave a brief and concise explanation about machines, Jane nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

She then launched into an endless list of praises about machines—something about mana trains, something about guns, and so on.

Her hometown, Santia, as I mentioned earlier, is a scientifically advanced civilization, so such explanations flowed naturally from her.

“I love machines, and I want to develop them further. What I aim to create are devices that assist our imperfect bodies! To put it simply…”

Jane’s explanation boiled down to powered suits and mechanical prosthetics. Over-the-top technology befitting a fantasy world.

Looking at the illusions and various items showcased in the Special Sparring Arena, one might wonder why such inventions are considered ideal.

But these rely heavily on magic. In this world, magic manifests through language.

Like how AI can instantly generate images, magic accomplishes many things, with engineering merely playing a supporting role.

Even in Santia, where science is advanced, magic isn’t entirely dismissed. They’ve harmonized the two to achieve extreme progress.

“You might ask why we need this when we have magic. But that’s not my goal. I want machines to empower even the weak! And I can show you how!”

Jane, seemingly thrilled just by imagining it, passionately explained her vision. Her blue eyes sparkled behind her glasses.

Knowing the future, I am aware that she will eventually realize her dream. But to others, it might sound like nothing more than nonsense.

Not to mention, it requires a lot of money. The future is so uncertain that no one is willing to invest, and even the professors refuse to support her.

‘Of course, if left alone, we might see demons armed with cannons in their hands.’

I wonder if the protagonist is aware of the game where demons are gleefully sliced apart. It’s famous for showcasing a love for chainsaws.

The inventions Jane will create after her corruption are eerily similar to the demons in that game. Just imagining it is horrifying.

Particularly, she’ll attach bombs to red demons, treating them as expendable tools to cause massive destruction.

“So… are you not interested?”

While I was lost in thought, Jane cautiously asked. It seemed she had grown timid due to my lack of response.

I shook my head vigorously to reassure her. It’s a story that can’t help but be interesting.

The problem is that it’s overly ambitious, but if given the investment, Jane will prove herself.

“I am.”

“R-Really?”

“Yeah. I’m curious.”

“T-Then, about the investment······”

The explanation was fine, but when the topic of investment came up, Jane’s voice trailed off.

In Soul World, she practically begged for it, but this time it felt a bit different.

The way she rolled her eyes and gauged my reaction seemed to suggest that it was because no one else would dare ask me for such a favor.

From this, it was clear that Jane’s intentions weren’t malicious but rather good-hearted. Even her eventual corruption had an overwhelming sense of legitimacy.

“······Excuse me, Mr. Sivar, do you understand how important money is?”

“I do.”

“Then, do you also know that you shouldn’t give money carelessly to strangers?”

“Yeah.”

“T-Then why······”

Even though she was asking out of desperation, she seemed hesitant when it came down to it.

But I needed to provide the investment fund now to build a connection with Jane. I seized the moment while she hesitated.

“How much do you need?”

“What?”

“Money. How much do you need?”

“W-Well······ to prove the theory first, about 10,000 silver coins······”

Ten thousand silver coins would be equivalent to one million won. For a commoner, it’s expensive, but for a noble, it’s reasonable.

It’s also the price that demonstrates Jane’s genius. She’s capable of achieving innovation for just one million won.

Normally, I’d draw up some sort of contract, but I didn’t think Jane would betray me. With that, I stood up.

“Let’s go.”

“G-Go? Where······”

“The bank. I’ll give you the money.”

“R-Really?! T-Then, let’s start with the contract······!”

“Later.”

For now, I needed to give her the money first. I shoved the remaining ice cream into my mouth and headed to the bank.

Jane hurriedly got up and followed me closely. Her expression, a mix of half worry and half anticipation, was so innocent it was almost cute.

“A-Are you really going to give it to me? To someone like me, with no background or connections?”

“Yeah.”

“W-Why? Can I ask what vision you saw?”

Because I know what you’ll do in the future. I have to stop you from attaching machines to demons.

The words rose to my throat, but fortunately, my poor language skills kept them in check.

“Just because.”

“Just because?”

“It looks interesting.”

I didn’t think I’d end up saying something so chaotic, but I had nothing else to add.

Jane looked dumbfounded by my answer. Her slightly askew glasses made her appear even more naive.

It wasn’t entirely an empty statement, though. The inventions she’d create in the future would ignite any man’s dreams.

“Make one for me too.”

“For Mr. Sivar······ as well?”

“Yeah.”

Jane’s expression grew even more complicated. Her emotions must have been in turmoil by now.

I left her to her thoughts and continued toward the bank. For now, withdrawing the money was my priority.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Sivar. Without a bankbook, withdrawals are not possible.”

“Ah.”

Looks like I need to retrieve the bankbook first. Rize has it, so how should I get it from her?

I told Jane to wait and returned to the dormitory. I might as well wash up quickly while I’m at it.

Fortunately, Rize was too busy training to pay attention to me. This was my chance to grab the bankbook.

“Brother Sivar, where are you going with the bankbook?”

“··· ···”

“If you need money, just tell me. I’ll give it to you.”

I was caught immediately. I was sure I’d concealed my presence—how did she notice?

Like a child caught stealing from their parents’ wallet, I shifted my eyes nervously.

How could I persuade Rize? I absolutely had to give Jane the investment fund.

“A mechanical arm.”

“A mechanical arm?”

“Yeah.”

And the words that came out of my mouth were.

“She said she’d make one if I gave her the money.”

“······How much?”

“Ten thousand.”

“··· ···”

It was almost on par with Luna’s big mouth. At this rate, Rize would surely scold me harshly.

But Rize’s reaction was quite different.

“Okay. Go ahead.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s fine.”

Just as I wondered if it was truly okay, I looked at Rize’s face.

With her Martial Saint Mode fully activated, she smiled benevolently and spoke with chilling weight in her words.

“Everyone should experience something like this at least once.”

“··· ···”

Why did it remind me of the time I got scammed in that maple-themed game?