A refreshing morning came by, the most relaxing and best morning I had ever had since coming to this academy.
Usually, I would be stressed out about what to do for the days to come due to the events happening in the academy, but since all the events and chapters for Act 1 were completed earlier than expected, there wasn’t much to worry about.
Other than training, constant dungeon hunts, and some simple council duties, not much had happened over the past weeks.
My body felt light and more powerful, making me feel slightly excited to train once again. I opened my status window to check my progress.
[Status Info:]
[Taylor Hell]
[Race: Human]
[Level: 79]
[Strength: B [0/80]
[Agility: D [0/50]
[Endurance: C [0/60]
[Luck: o [????]
[Power: C [0/60]]
[Available Status Points: 35]
Though I managed to raise my level by 2, it wasn’t high enough to be considered a big change. If anything, only my experience had actually bloomed.
At this stage in the game, Lucas’s affection meters for the heroines should have broken the friendship stage by now, making them even more infatuated with him.
But judging from his interactions with them so far, I don’t see any of it happening.
He was friends with most of them, but there was an underlying tension, like an invisible wall that they could not break.
‘Even Janica, the most probable female lead of the story, isn’t making much progress with the dude….’
From what I can see, he was more focused on his own training rather than forming any sort of bond with any of them.
I know this wasn’t like in the game, where the players would go out of their way to interact with the heroines.
But even still, Lucas was an integral part of their main scenarios, right? Surely there must be some kind of random event that’d improve it.
Lucas was one of my main gateways to a happy ending, and he alone couldn’t guarantee it; the heroines’ presence was important as well.
I had hoped that by now, the heroines would be more drawn to him, creating the bonds necessary for the story to progress smoothly.
Without these connections, the narrative could take a darker turn, something I was keen to avoid.
‘I’ve considered intervening just in case, but…’
It would be too annoying and too unreliable in this messed-up flow. Intervening might backfire on me even more, just like the first time I got involved in Act 1.
Sure, I could orchestrate things to go my way and create more favorable options for myself, but that would come with its own set of consequences.
Many of the integral parts of the main scenarios are necessary for Lucas to grow. If I end up hindering his progress, what was the point of investing in him so much all this time?
I even made sure not to touch dungeons and monster hotspots that Lucas would surely stumble upon, and avoided taking items that would be important to him in the future.
But if he doesn’t improve for the better, then taking matters into my own hands might be the only option.
The Grand Festival is in a week’s time now.
During the festival, I’ll decide whether investing in our dear protagonist was the right decision or not.
After washing up and cleaning my training equipment, I ate the light breakfast my lovely maid Yui had prepared. Feeling refreshed and ready for the day, I dressed up and headed out of my room.
As I made my way through the halls, I could feel students glancing at me from all directions. News of Seo carrying me to her room had already spread like wildfire.
‘Their gazes hurt…,’
I now understood why some celebrities succumb to the pressure of the questioning eyes of hundreds of people.
The uncomfortable feeling of disgust might really set weak minded people to commit eternal rest.
Though I was no stranger to scrutiny and attention, since my “scandals” with other academy angels were already widespread, this felt different.
My interactions with Snow and Rose had already done considerable damage to my reputation
as a guy.
Now, with Seo’s unusual decision-making, practically all the girls I passed had a strange look on their faces.
Some were blushing, some were questioning, and some were afraid. It was like an amalgamation of multiple different opinions spreading without me knowing.
I didn’t know the specifics of the rumors circulating about me, but I could tell that they weren’t good at all.
Ignoring all their gazes, I continued my way forward toward Killian Hall’s one and only open private training room.
Though it was more of an exclusive training area than a private room, the only difference being a dome-like roof above us.
This training area was accessible only to the top 10 students of each grade and department.
I made my way toward the very center of Killian Hall, passing by several students and school
staff.
A bunch of students were wearing light training outfits, with sweat trickling down their faces, indicating they were already done with their own training.
You might be wondering why we have a training area when we have our own private training
rooms.
The answer was simple: the private training rooms weren’t large enough to house and train most of our skills and abilities.
Especially for those who use magic, a training room with only a few square meters to shoot your magic at probably sucks.
Even if the dorms are specifically designed for each student, magic is destructive in general, so there were only a few preventive measures the academy could place.
As I entered the exclusive training area, I was greeted by the vast, open space that was a stark contrast to the cramped private rooms.
The dome above allowed natural light to filter in, creating a bright and inviting atmosphere.
The area was equipped with state-of-the-art training equipment and enchantments to handle even the most destructive of spells and techniques.
I found an empty spot and began my warm-up routine, stretching my muscles and focusing
my mind.
‘They weren’t lying when they said this place housed state-of-the-art training equipment… there were even some live golems battling it out with a senior knight of mine.’ I watched in awe as mages engaged in fierce duels with artificial magic casters. Everywhere I looked, students were training at their own paces, making sure not to bother those around them.
Despite the number of people, the sheer size of the training area made it feel rather empty.
I came here with the intention of meeting a certain girl who could give me some information about Lucas’s current situation.
Due to the constant busy restraints and jobs the council had given me, I hadn’t been able to monitor his progress.
But with his childhood best friend, that could change. I just hoped she wouldn’t get mad at me
for asking.
‘She’s not here yet…?’ I wondered, glancing around.
In the game, she would always arrive at the training area by 9 AM during the weekends, so she
should have been here by now.
‘I even noticed her passing by towards this place a few months ago….’
Well, I’ll just have to wait for now.
As I scanned the training area, my eyes landed on a group of students practicing
swordsmanship.
The clang of steel echoed through the space, a rhythmic sound that matched the disciplined movements of the fighters.
As expected, everyone here is good… although I wasn’t no expert I can tell most of them really worked hard to polish their skills with the sword.
Maybe I would look half as decent with my sword skills if I actually completed my training
during my younger days.
Continuing my light workout, I caught a glimpse of a particular crowd nearby, a group of male
and female students… though most were males.
Crowds usually formed around an impressive workout or practice session, but the faces of all the male students seemed to be starstruck for some reason.
They all had blushing ears and wide eyes as they looked at the lady in front of them. Glancing in the direction they were facing, my eyes widened for a second before I maintained
a neutral tone.
Blades flew in all directions, coloring the field they were flying through.
Each blade was uniquely colored: one floated in a deep green hue, another blue, red, purple, yellow-all of which represented elemental attacks in blade form.
They circled above a beautiful girl.
‘Clara?’ I thought in surprise.
Why is she here? Clara was the type to hate attention, preferring to work and hide under the
shadows of the world, so what is she doing right now? She’s basically becoming a spotlight of
attention.
Clara’s usually serene and reserved demeanor contrasted sharply with the display she was
putting on.
Her long, flowing hair shimmered in the light, and her focused expression was mesmerizing.
She controlled the elemental blades with such grace and precision that it was no wonder the male students were captivated.
The way Clara controlled mana and the precision of her telekinesis magic was superior to that
of any mages I’d seen so far.
Even Snow doesn’t have this much control.
I don’t know about Rose since I never saw her use offensive magic in front of me, but I’ll bet
my remaining money that Clara was the more superior of the two in terms of mana control.
As Clara closed her eyes, the swirling blades above her spun in the air before they burst forth towards the dozens of golems making their way towards her.
All it took was a single gesture of her fingers to send the magical blades flying, destroying, disintegrating, melting, and even transmuting all the golems that came her way.
Like a light firework show, her skills were both vibrant and short, yet they left behind a
strange feeling of excitement that resonated within the hearts of everyone. It was a very beautiful display of offensive magic.
Everybody clapped and screamed “Woo!” for her, making her turn around in embarrassment
as her focus was now gone.
Clara’s cheeks flushed a light pink as she bowed slightly to acknowledge the applause.
It was clear she wasn’t used to receiving such attention.
Despite her usual preference for staying in the shadows, her performance had captivated
everyone in the training area.
I made my way over to her, weaving through the dispersing crowd. Although I didn’t really have any business with her at the moment, this was a rare chance-to
test her.
She was making too many subtle moves lately. If I could just crack her down with a few words, maybe I’d find out what she’s been up to.
As she was focused on retrieving her blades, which automatically entered her dimensional
ring, she didn’t notice me at first. Hearing my steps, she finally looked up, her eyes scanning me from head to toe.
Technically, this was our first-time meeting, so it’s not surprising that she was startled.
But we did encounter each other back at the [Skyhigh Auction house] Being one of the smartest people in the game, surely remembering a face like mine wasn’t hard. “You are Riley Hell?” she mumbled softly, slightly surprised at my presence. Then she smiled. “Is it true that you spent the night in Seo’s room after you got the princess
pregnant?”
“HUH?”
I spluttered, caught completely off guard.
‘WTF kind of bullshit question is that?’