NOVEL NEXT Chapter 373
<373 - Professor's Research Lab>
The professor’s research lab.
Ziang had imagined a laboratory bustling with specialized equipment and busy teaching assistants and instructors.
Contrary to her expectations, Professor Weird’s research lab turned out to be a gigantic botanical garden.
“Why is the Plant Club here? Isn’t this a botanical garden? Can’t we just work as Professor Weird’s assistants?”
“Clubs are something you join because you want to, but being an assistant might be something you get kidnapped into doing?”
“Clubs also involve getting kidnapped by seniors. According to the contract, you have to either work hard or pay a penalty in points.”
Ziang’s critique was sharp.
Oknodie appeared to know something, but as always, wore a vague smile, seemingly contemplating whether it was okay to share.
“Forget it. It’s not like I want to know that much. So where could Professor Weird be in this botanical garden?”
“Over there!”
When they entered, it was not like this—at the center of the botanical garden, the ceiling had risen over 100 meters high, with an enormous tree standing tall.
Like a circular stone staircase carved from rock, a wooden staircase sprouted from the tree’s surface, leading up to a large burl that could only be accessed after climbing.
As a sound that could burst eardrums echoed from there, Ziang cast a sidelong glance at Oknodie.
“Are you saying we should go there?”
Even just hearing the volume hinted it was a large bird, and its cries felt dangerously intimidating enough to frighten even a third-year student.
“That’s the main entrance; there’s a side door right next to it!”
Enhancing the performance of her eyes with magical power, she observed the surroundings as if using a telescope.
Upon closer inspection, a small square opening, resembling a door, could be seen between the tree bark.
There were even a few students—whether they were teaching assistants or instructors was uncertain—hurrying around, diligently carrying something while scampering up the perilous tree steps.
“Want to have a match on who climbs first?”
“Sure.”
As expected in the professor’s research lab, the climbing path was riddled with security devices.
Vine traps wrapping around the ankles, beehives blocking passages, sticky traps spread on footpaths, and brittle leaf traps that crumbled upon being stepped on…
Forgetting that they were in the middle of a match, Ziang had no choice but to ask.
“Oknodie, does Professor Weird want the assistants to fall to their deaths here?”
“I don’t think so? It’s probably a device to repel spies and intruders sent by other professors!”
“How do assistants even get through here?”
“Aren’t they learning from those weird seniors who went through it?”
“I swear I will never become an assistant later.”
“Hehe, everyone says that! Before they earn points, that is.”
“…Is being an assistant really that profitable?”
“They say it’s pretty good! It’s more worth it to work as an assistant during the semester than to teach during a leave of absence!”
Indeed. The jobs of assistants and instructors seemed strangely similar, but it appeared there was a difference between enrolled and leave-of-absence students.
As she piled up seemingly useless information that wouldn’t hurt her, Ziang used her hand to release the sticky substance and climbed up the wooden wall.
“Hey, that’s unfair!”
“There’s no rule saying you have to go up the path.”
Delighted by scoring a hit, Ziang grinned as she forged a shortcut.
Oknodie, who was leaping over wooden platforms at incredible speed, ultimately could not keep up with Ziang’s vertical ascent and arrived late.
“You used flight magic during the big sports festival. Aren’t you using it this time?”
“If a flying object of a certain size is detected, the nest sends out chirpers!”
“…Was that the giant presence from earlier?”
“Yep!”
“Professor really has a bad taste, giving such a ridiculous name to a giant monster.”
If it was said that they were attacked by a huge creature that established a nest, it would sound like a veteran adventurer’s failure story. However, if they said they were ambushed by chirpers, wouldn’t it sound more like the slapstick misadventures of a pathetic third-rate adventurer?
But considering it more deeply, it also struck her that it might be a deceptive tactic to prevent intruders from fully realizing the dangers of Professor Weird’s research lab.
With such a silly name for a guardian, wouldn’t anyone let their guard down?
“Anyway, a bet is a bet. Grant me one wish.”
“Alright, just a kiss should be enough, right?”
“No way. I’ll have you buy me something expensive later.”
“Ugh.”
As they pushed through the side door, fresh, crisp air filled their noses, revealing an internal corridor.
Various magically enhanced laboratories lined the corridor, and one of the doors was slightly ajar.
“Hohoho, this girl’s body is so tender. It’s worth taking great care of.”
“Ugh, help me here! She’s thrashing around too much!”
“Hahaha. If you don’t take the food, you’ll just have to get a gag stuffed in your mouth!”
“With this, you can’t move at all. Don’t whine; eat up what I give you!”
The content of the conversation was impossible to ignore. Were they committing crimes against a female assistant in the professor’s lab, exploiting a criminal blind spot?
‘Hmm. How nice.’
Ziang felt thrilled.
A meaty target she could stab and kill after a long time had finally appeared.
“Oknodie, let’s go in.”
“Huh. Do we have to?”
Dragging along the indifferent Oknodie, who treated it like someone else’s business, they forcefully barged into the laboratory.
Ziang, who expected to see a fragile victim surrounded by hungry men, was thoroughly taken aback.
There were no women in sight, only male teaching assistants engaged with a carnivorous plant that had writhing tentacles, pouring food into it.
“Gahaha. Look at these robust tentacles. Isn’t it fulfilling to see how well we’ve grown it with the nutrient solution?”
“Stop the nonsense and hold it tight so it doesn’t escape! The thorny vines are hitting me in the back; this hurts like crazy, you idiot!”
“…”
Ziang was engulfed in distress at the scene that was far from what she had anticipated.
Oknodie asked her as she quietly walked out.
“Did you really want to see how a carnivorous plant eats? Your hobbies are kind of strange, Ziang.”
“Wrong! I was thinking of something else when I came in.”
“Flame Herb? Ice Herb?”
“I thought it was a person and went in to help! And also to satisfy my own desires.”
But there was a more pressing question.
“Why are they raising such strange giant plant monsters in the research lab?”
“Probably for lecture materials.”
“Tell me it’s not meant for first-year students…?”
“Probably?”
The plaque indicating the laboratory pointed to the designation F4L3.
“It’s a lab that handles lower-risk specimens that first and second years can access, so it might be okay for first years too?”
“…Just to clarify, what’s the danger level of this tree we just entered?”
“B1U5.”
“What does that mean in layman’s terms?”
“It’s a hazard facility where a first-year could enter alone, but it poses a risk level equivalent to five rookie professors.”
“…Now I understand why some seniors seem a bit off in the head. Let’s just find Dobi and head back.”
She wanted nothing to do with whatever was more dangerous than a plant that beats people with its vines.
“Still, Dobi’s a first year, so he should have a safer time than those seniors getting beaten by a vine.”
“Yep! Getting hit by a spirit would be less painful than that!”
In Ziang’s view, the professor’s research lab could easily qualify as a dungeon. Finding the area tagged with the lowest difficulty, B1, she quickly wandered down the corridors.
In the middle of the room, surrounded by a dozen irate spirits, curled up with his arms shielding his head, Dobi was being hit mercilessly.
“…Who said it’s less painful?”
“…The damage output is likely lower! It’s just that we can’t stop them.”
“Can we attack the spirits?”
“Well… I think it’s better not to hit them!”
Ziang, realizing Oknodie, usually a doer, was hesitating, quietly put away the shuriken she had taken from her sleeve.
“Spirit folks, I think our friend has had enough now; can we take him with us?”
The furious spirits clamored in unison.
“Not a chance!”
“You didn’t bring the offering you promised to wake us up.”
“You didn’t even greet the princess when you woke up!”
“You didn’t bring the fairy tale book either!”
“That little rascal deserves a beating!”
Why were they getting angry over such childish issues!?
“You won’t get what you want by hitting him. The world doesn’t work that way. Instead, promise Dobi you’ll come back and read a fairy tale later.”
“Lies! Humans always deceive spirits. If you want to buy trust, you must pay a price!”
“If you don’t bring it, we’ll come for Dobi’s head. That’s how an assassin makes promises.”
The spirits’ eyes gleamed dangerously.
“Life…?”
“Yep. Honestly, it’d feel refreshing to just kill him.”
“Death to liars!”
Dobi, with bruises peppering his face, trembled pitifully.
“Do we really have to make such a promise…? I wasn’t the one who said I’d read a fairy tale…”
“You don’t have to.”
“Really?”
To Dobi’s hopeful gaze, Ziang responded mercilessly.
“You can keep getting hit. Should I close the door on the way out?”
“Ah, no… I’ll just do it…”
“You don’t have to force it. A promise needs sincerity so the other side will trust you.”
“I’ll do it… boo hoo.”
Through the morning fairy tale gift agreement with the spirits, Dobi could regain his freedom.
“Why did we even come here? It’s common sense that the professor’s lab is more dangerous than a wild dungeon.”
“I didn’t want to come either… But Professor Weird kidnapped me, saying she’d hand over a document she needed to give to the principal. She thought I was smarter than I looked… sniff sniff.”
“Ah…”
“But the professor isn’t bad… She said I could leave after awakening the spirits. She even gave me a whopping 1000 points. I was the one who didn’t know how to avoid getting hurt.”
The kid had clearly lost his mind within a short time.
Ziang shook her head in dismay.
Soon, this fool, blinded by points, would willingly walk back into the research lab, and she was confident she’d retrieve the light stand from Titosso as well.