NOVEL NEXT Chapter 104
<104 - Random Storage Event>
Every round, there are regular events that are supposed to happen, but there’s also the chance of random events occurring based on the situation.
[First Come, First Served! Event]
Do you know the common sense of the Outlaws of the Sea, the pirates?
The one who finds an abandoned item first gets to keep it!
With the campus turned into a sea and the seniors’ storage floating away, one pirate starts to demonstrate her unwavering sense of duty.
Join her cause or stop her!
[Random Papa] is back after events like [Giga Max Plants].
The storage that’s floating away is random.
The contents of the storage are also random.
Sometimes, the Monster Warehouse floats away, and if you open the door, all sorts of captured demonic beasts may burst out.
An absurd event where a mediocre character might die instantly upon opening!
“Well, it’s really nothing. If you just listen carefully to the sounds inside, you won’t die a careless death!”
The contents of the storage are quite intriguing to me.
If it’s the Food Storage, you could get a ton of rare ingredients.
If it’s the Medicine Storage, just keeping it until you sell it could earn you loads of points from the seniors, and materials that can be stored long-term can be useful when you become a Second-Year.
If it’s the Weapons Storage, you can melt down the items to create a new weapon!
“Sounds good!”
“Gya ha ha! As expected, someone with guts! Let’s start right away!”
Jigoku temporarily sheltered under a roof to avoid the rain, wiped away the raindrops, and pulled out a blueprint.
It was the blueprint of the Academy campus, which was astonishing even for a veteran like me.
“Where did you get that?”
“Ah? I measured and drew it myself. If I have to tear down whatever’s on the ship I’ll be riding for three months, I should know my own Academy better for over three years, right?”
“A pirate speaks the truth?!”
“Are you looking down on me just because I’m a pirate?”
“Sorry. Honestly, a little?”
“Gya ha ha! I like your honesty. I thought I was a goner when I almost got shot!”
Well, Jigoku was indeed a talented person good enough to enter the world’s best educational facility, the Gift Academy.
Back when he was a man, we were too busy fighting each other to realize he might be like this originally.
“Now, considering the slope and drainage, the storage must have floated in that direction. The three places we need to investigate are down there.”
Honestly, I was a bit surprised.
The locations Jigoku pointed out were known places where the floating storage had been previously discovered.
With the experience of veterans, he was able to pinpoint these spots perfectly just by analyzing the flow of water and the movement of objects impromptu.
Trigger-happy chaos.
Cruel pirates.
Behind that was an unexpectedly smart analyst!
━━━
[Understanding of the character [Jigoku] increases.]
━━━
Jigoku’s Understanding
Trigger-happy (Understanding 10) – Pulls the trigger for fun! If not having fun, just pulls the trigger anyway! Just shoots!
Cruel Pirate (Understanding 20) – Jigoku shows no mercy in his hand.
Unexpectedly Intelligent (Understanding 30) – Acts impulsively but doesn’t neglect knowledge and studies.
━━━
[The favorability of the character [Jigoku] has exceeded 20.]
[Jigoku’s favorability growth rate increases.]
[The understanding of the character [Jigoku] has exceeded 25.]
[Acquired Connection Function [Sympathy - Jigoku].]
[You become sensitive to Jigoku’s emotional changes.]
“That’s amazing!”
“Gya ha ha! I’ll gladly accept praises later, but let’s raid the nearby area first.”
He’s the third candidate for favorability privilege after Arcadia and Hestia!
It just so happened that the relationships with the main characters improved first rather than the friends, but this was a normal phenomenon.
Having played through thousands of rounds, would I know more about the characters I’ve deemed important or these extras I just happened to meet this round?
Of course, I would know better about those who’ve been through thousands of cycles.
Even though the random elements may vary, the traits that shape a person’s main personality have consistent tendencies to appear and overlap each time.
“Here’s the first candidate!”
[Animal Husbandry Facility]
This place stores animals raised by the Academy itself, where large or evolved animals survive against wild monsters.
Among them, some beasts have undergone demonic transformation from devouring Monster Crystals, while others are just pure animals strong enough to fight back against monsters.
Or there are also weak animals that just get beaten and eaten.
“Wow. Looks like the Giant Crabs are all huddled together!”
“They must smell the animals.”
The Animal Husbandry Facility was currently in the midst of a makeshift siege.
“Get away, you damn crab bastards! Don’t touch our precious Tosi!”
“Until the investigation on the disease occurrence from inhaling the fumes of a corpse piece subject to Severe Decay Spell for 72 hours is complete, no crabs are allowed in here!!”
“Try coming in! I’ll make my next research paper about parasitic plants growing on crab shells!!”
The furious cries of the Third-Year Seniors, and the Production Department seniors are throwing lethal poison ampoules to scatter away the crabs stuck to the walls!
You don’t think the proximity of superhumans wielding swords and magic exists just for fun, right?
Once they graduate, those folks will probably end up creating dungeons for unauthorized experiments, getting caught by the nation, and wiping out hundreds of adventurers swarming like clouds before disappearing!
Even I, a veteran, am shivering thinking about those folks.
“Gya ha ha! That looks fun.”
“…That?”
“Should we join in?”
“…I don’t think this is the place. We said we’d just help until this lecture time, remember?”
“Oh right? I’ll just visit after this ends.”
“….”
That’s real madness.
How can that terrifying senior think of visiting the place where these maniacs are fighting?
‘Looks like you gotta be this insane to become a pirate.’
I thought the Pirate King was always stronger than the Bandit King for a reason—true madness just can’t be avoided.
We kept our distance to avoid aggro from the Giant King Crabs and moved to the next suspected location of the floating storage.
“Here’s the second candidate!”
[First-Year Restricted Area]
[Warning! If a First-Year enters without a Guardian, there will be a risk of life and death.]
A warning sign half-wrapped around by a claw.
Looking at this, I thought Jigoku might exercise caution, but he merely stared at the cut warning sign and kicked it.
With the back of the sign facing, Jigoku confidently stepped forward.
“Now, shall we go in?”
“…Just a bit.”
…Lucky bastard.
You think I’m just accompanying you to prevent you from dying randomly?
“By the way, preliminary research suggests there’ s a Forced Labor Facility here, but it shouldn’t be that dangerous.”
“Even with a warning sign?”
“If it were really dangerous, they’d have guards at the entrance. Watchtowers would be set up, instructors would be nearby. Wouldn’t they?”
He had a point there.
Wheeeeee!
[Emergency! Emergency! Escapee detected in the facility!]
[Currently, an escapee has been found in Block B3-7. All guards in the facility, respond immediately.]
[Once again, we repeat. Escapee detected in the facility!]
“……”
Before the emergency alarm reached the entrance of the facility.
Jigoku sheepishly said,
“Oops.”
Oops, my foot.
If either one of us was a man, I would have smacked him upside the head.
This absurd person, who’s a cross-dressing woman but has a personality more noticeable than gender, is one of a kind.
“Let’s go to the last facility.”
“Let’s do that.”
As you move farther away from the Central Main Building of the Academy, increasingly dangerous facilities appear.
The seniors in the Production Department’s [Animal Husbandry Facility], the [Forced Labor Facility] where criminals brought to the Academy are incarcerated, and this third facility we’re heading to now.
In terms of order, the facility coming up is the most dangerous.
Plus, I already know what’s going to come out.
“Ta-da~! The last facility with the highest probability of floating storage is this place!”
A enormous vertical hole large enough for a dragon to pass through leads into the underground grand vault.
Along the spiral staircase, there are railings to prevent anyone from falling, and suspended in the middle of the railings, there was the storage.
“Jackpot!”
“Are you really going to go there?”
“So what? We’re just grabbing what doesn’t belong to anyone.”
The shameless pirate walked briskly ahead, without a hint of fear.
[A01 – Goblin Dungeon (In Use)]
[A02 – Low-Level Magic Stone Mining Dungeon (Under Maintenance)]
…
…
[A14 – Spider’s Den (Entrance Available)]
Various dungeons to enter through holes pierced in the spiraling walls.
The underground grand vault was a [Comprehensive Dungeon Theme Park] filled with all sorts of dungeons prepared for students.
By the way, the official name of this facility isn’t the underground grand vault but the Comprehensive Dungeon Theme Park.
“Phew. Thankfully, everything’s in B Zone didn’t float away.”
“What’s in there?”
“Dungeons where day trips are impossible? Automatic recording magic that keeps logs of entry? Basically, not good news.”
Jigoku’s eyes were shining brightly.
“You truly deserve to be a great pirate. The truth is, you wanted to go on adventures to find treasure just like me, right? That’s why you gathered information about the Academy facilities!”
“Not really for that purpose…”
“Then why did you gather the information?”
“I’d say I got to know it naturally, more like a job hazard.”
“Yeah yeah. I get it. Pirates also sometimes take note of places they want to raid while drunk and all.”
Since I didn’t relate to that in the slightest, I wished he wouldn’t force some camaraderie here.
Let’s just hit the storage and get out.
I pressed my ear against the storage wall, and I could hear thumping sounds and a kyaaak from inside.
“…I don’t think we should open this.”
Of all things, it had to be the Monster Warehouse that floated over!