NOVEL NEXT Chapter 55
“What’s Karina’s condition? It’s not critical, right?”
“It’s not looking too good… but with Sabrina’s blessing, if we just handle the curse, it should be resolved gradually. Did you bring the medium that inflicted the curse?”
At Professor Lennon’s question, Renny pulled out a thoroughly sealed box from her bag.
Professor Lennon accepted the box with the careful touch of someone handling fragile items, placing it on what looked like a workbench and retrieving a pair of leather gloves adorned with symbols resembling a magic circle. They clearly appeared to be gloves for special use.
“To have a curse that still emits energy even after being sealed… that’s quite severe.”
Professor Lennon carefully unsealed the box and opened the lid. The instant he did, a menacing aura spilled out, causing his brow to furrow.
“Whoa. That’s nasty. It’s not an ordinary medium. This is something that would require at least… several hundred lives to create.”
“That’s pretty rough…”
Hearing it only through words was one thing, but seeing it in person was another. I had no knowledge of curses and no ability to handle them, so it was best to leave things alone. I sat next to Millia, watching the professor deal with the cursed medium.
As awkward as it was to say, it was quite a rare spectacle.
The number of people who could handle curses was extremely low, and among them, Professor Lennon was regarded as the best in the continent when it came to dispelling them. Just watching was likely to be somewhat helpful.
Ah, the source of that information was Renny.
The professor carefully rotated an arrowhead, checking its condition. I wondered if such a check was meaningful, but he was a professional, so there must have been some reason for it. I accepted that and subtly pulled Millia, who was precariously leaning forward and dozing off beside me, closer to me.
“…Johann?”
“I’ll wake you when we leave, so feel free to sleep.”
“Hehehe… then…”
With her half-lidded eyes completely closed, Millia leaned against me. Having endured that hardship on the way here, I wanted to lay her down in a bed, but since we came straight here, we hadn’t even booked an inn. As an outsider, I couldn’t use the academy dorms, so I planned to look for an inn as soon as we went outside.
“It seems like it’ll take quite a while to analyze this. How about you two go rest for now? You don’t seem to be in the best shape…”
“…No. I can’t leave Karina behind.”
“If you keep staring at me like that, I can’t concentrate. So can you please step outside? You can take a break while you’re at it. It’d be much better to rest up and guard her than to do so in your current condition.”
At the professor’s firm decree, Renny hesitated for a moment, then glanced at us and nodded.
I would’ve liked to stay a bit longer, but now that we’re at the academy, there would be plenty more opportunities.
“Millia. Let’s go.”
“Sleepy…”
Millia rubbed her eyes, stretched, and then her head drooped again. If this continues, her head might just fall off. I had no choice but to sit in front of her and said.
“Get on.”
“Hehehe…”
Arms wrapped around my neck. Feeling the soft pressure on my back, I realized Millia was being carried. I slowly stood up. After eating so much these past few months, she felt really light.
Being petite must make her lighter.
“Renny. Do you know a good place to rest?”
“Well, there’s a building called Yeomyeong-gwan that has been designated for the saints for generations, so let’s use that. We should have the right to use it.”
Is that so? Well, I’m currently treated as Karina’s lifesaver and close aide. I want to secure a more stable status, though… let’s explore some more options.
“Then we’ll take a short break and be back.”
“Next time, come when you’re in better condition.”
We left the professor’s research facility.
——————–
Kalon Academy is, without a doubt, the best institution in this world regarding facilities, grandeur, and quality of education. Naturally, all the prominent figures, from royalty to saints, have graduated from Kalon Academy.
It’s essentially a hotbed for gathering important people and talented individuals.
Naturally, this kind of setting allows for the gathering of heroines in one place.
“…The thought of meeting the heroine from the original story is a bit thrilling.”
Setting aside romantic feelings, seeing the characters in person is exciting. After all, it’s a game I’ve played for over a thousand hours, and right before I reincarnated, I had just downloaded the true ending DLC, having gone through every route and ending multiple times.
I still feel a bit achy.
Thanks to the grueling journey, muscle soreness has bubbled up all over my body, making me reluctant to move. Especially my calves, which ache unbearably. It’s been ages since I felt muscle soreness like this. Not even when fighting the Hydra did I have any.
I tried to sit up but lay back down, staring blankly at the ceiling.
The sunlight beams through the window, warming my body, and while it feels a bit tough, I can still let my thoughts wander while looking at the ceiling.
“Things seemed a bit chaotic…”
That was the feeling I got upon entering this building called Yeomyeong-gwan.
I noticed broken walls that hadn’t been repaired here and there, and the atmosphere among the students passing by wasn’t particularly pleasant. They were still under the influence of the recent Hell Hound incident. Naturally, it was to be expected since Karina hadn’t been randomly casting wide-area heals as per the original story…
“…If it completely diverges from the original, that might be dangerous.”
If even the little bit of knowledge I have from the original story becomes completely useless, the difficulty would spike way up. This game, Survival Academy, is known for its high difficulty as it is. Not to mention, unlike the game, I can’t just reload a save file if something goes awry.
…For now, I’ll put that thought on hold. After all, until I step outside and check, there’s too little information.
Even if it feels like it’s slightly skewed, it could still flow according to the original.
For now…
“Status window.”
[Johann Quartz]
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Occupation: Unemployed
– Traits –
Insight: B
Shoveling: A+
Woodworking: A
Crafting: A
Herbalism: C+
Dexterity: B
Anatomy: B
Survival: S
– Skills –
Crafting: A
Repair: B
Dismantle: B
Auto-translate: A
Please allocate trait points.
Trait Points: 2
– Mission –
– Acquire a job.
Reward: 1 Trait Point
“Am I being treated like a NEET?”
It’s a bit disheartening, is it not? I glared at the status window for no particular reason, but the occupation field didn’t change. Thinking about it, I don’t really have any specific job, so I can’t refute being called unemployed.
It just leaves me with some questions.
Is the ‘job’ that the status window refers to a literal job in general terms?
Or does it mean I need to choose from one of the jobs available in Survival Academy?
If it’s the former, it’s easy, but if it’s the latter, it’s challenging.
The former could be resolved with a job like a servant in Yeomyeong-gwan, but for the latter, I’d need to go through a lengthy quest to change jobs. Changing jobs is really just about entering a department and acquiring a sort of certification.
The issue is whether an outsider like me can take the certification exam, and even if I can, I’d need to verify my knowledge and abilities regarding that department, so I’d have to study hard. The mere thought of studying from a book as thick as an encyclopedia made my head hurt already.
“…Let’s put that on hold for now. I should focus on the trait points first.”
I quickly scanned the traits and skills.
Since Survival is ranked S, I can somewhat assume that the lowest rank starts at F. I guess I’ll treat it that way. So what should I raise?
From my gaming experience, it seems that the higher the rank, the more trait points are required. A-level and above skills can be left aside for now; I should prioritize increasing the skills that are in the C to B range.
“Should I raise either Insight or Dexterity?”
Among the relatively lower-ranked skills, these two appear to have the most versatility. I’m not exactly sure what each trait specifically enhances, but at the very least, investing in both shouldn’t hurt.
Why did it have to give me such an inconvenient status window? If it had a stat window with a maximum of 100 like the original, I wouldn’t be struggling like this.
“…No, thinking about that isn’t as productive as just focusing on where to spend the points.”
“Points? What’s that?”
Huh? I didn’t hear anyone entering the room! I turned my head to see Millia perched precariously on my bed. When I looked at her, she playfully smiled and opened her mouth.
“You keep talking to yourself about weird stuff. You have to let me know what it is too! It’s driving me curious!”
“It’s just mumbling, so don’t mind it. But when did you come in?”
“Hehe! I snuck in quietly~”
“Alright. Then you can head back out.”
“Play with me!”
“This isn’t a place to play.”
“I worked hard, so I deserve at least one day of fun~ Let’s go on a tour of the academy~”
Millia protested by shaking her body as she sat on my stomach. The bed rocked along, making me dizzy.
Though the scenario was quite risqué, it felt bizarre since there was nothing above my neck. At least, can’t we talk with your head resting on my shoulders? She’s being too relaxed since there are only the two of us.
“Just get down. I can’t do anything while you’re on me, whether we’re playing or not.”
“This is actually quite fun!”
“It’s dizzying, so get down. If you don’t, there won’t be any tours or anything.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really—so get down.”
“Hehe, then I’ll go change my clothes!”
Millia approached like a gentle breeze and then vanished like a storm.
Sighing, I sat up.
“I should at least take a little tour of the academy to decide on how to spend my points…”
Thinking while catching a bit of fresh air wouldn’t be a bad idea.
There’s no rush to decide.
I took a towel and some clothes to change into and headed for the bathroom.