-CHATTER!
The hall echoed with the lively chatter of students, the air filled with the excited hum of conversation.
“Finally, the exams are over.”
“Yeah….I thought they were never going to end.”
As the clock ticked towards the time of the meeting, the door swung open, and Instructor Eleanor White walked in, her bright yellow hair contrasting with the serious expression on her face.
“Settle down, everyone,” she called out, her voice cutting through the noise. The room gradually hushed as all eyes turned towards the instructor.
Eleanor paused, her gaze sweeping across the room before she spoke, “As the first half of the semester comes to an end, I want to commend all of you for your hard work and dedication. You’ve shown remarkable progress.”
A ripple of pride surged through the students, some exchanging smiles and nods.
“However,” Eleanor continued, her tone becoming more serious, “we’re not done yet. The second half will bring new challenges while being far more difficult than the first one, and I expect nothing less than your best efforts.”
The anticipation in the room heightened as she spoke.
“Before we dive into the next phase of your training, there will be a one-week break. Use this time wisely to rest, recharge, and, if needed, reflect on your experiences so far.”
A murmur of excitement spread among the students at the prospect of a break.
“You’re free to leave the academy during this time. Enjoy your break, but remember, our journey is far from over. Be prepared to return with the same enthusiasm and commitment. Also, your mid-term exam results will be revealed after you return from your short vacation; make sure to follow the announcements.”
With those words, Eleanor White concluded her announcement. The students erupted into chatter once again, discussing their plans for the upcoming break and the adventures that awaited them in the second half of the semester.
“Finally, a break! I’m heading home for some good home-cooked meals,” one student exclaimed. Top of Form
“Fuck…I am envious…My mother can’t even cook; I wish I could eat a homemade meal as well.”
Laughter erupted in response to the student’s declaration about heading home. However, there were those who disliked the ‘words’. “Hah? Do you see your mother only as a cooking machine?” From there, a girl with an arrogant face came up to the boy and asked.
“Huh?” The boy was so dumbfounded that he couldn’t even respond. He wasn’t even very associated with the girl, and it was the first time she had talked to him.
The girl crossed her arms, shooting a disapproving glance at the boy. “I don’t know what century you’re living in, but women can be as powerful and capable as men. It’s not about cooking or being a ‘mommy.’ We have ambitions and talents beyond your stereotypical view.”
The group was left dumbfounded the more the girl spoke.
“You are a mis-”
“Sigh…”
Just as the girl was about to continue her ‘words’ or, in another aspect, her ‘doctrine,’ a hearty sigh came from behind her.
The girl was clearly displeased at the interruption. She turned her head back, shooting an irritated look at the source of the sigh.
An ordinary figure with a nonchalant expression stood there, his head lying on the desk as if he were sleeping.
It was a young man, his messy dark hair partially covering his eyes as if he didn’t even care about his appearance at all. He looked unfazed by the ongoing conversation, but at the same time, a slight annoyance could be seen on his face, as if his sleep was interrupted.
“Noisy…..”
The partially opened, tired purple eyes locked onto the girl. Yuki, the girl who had been fervently expressing her views, scowled at the newcomer.
“You guys are just like beasts, making sounds like that,” she scoffed, glaring at the boy sleeping on the desk. “This is an intellectual discussion, and you’re here snoring like a wild animal. It’s no wonder some people never learn anything.”
“Yeah….And you are like a rooster…..Only opening your mouth to annoy people.”
“Haa!”
Yuki’s irritation reached its peak as she clenched her fists. The boy, Astron, seemed unfazed, but the students around them sensed the rising tension, and they also knew this girl’s temper.
“What did you say?”
SMASH! THUD!
With an impulsive burst of anger, she slammed her hand on Astron’s desk, creating a loud noise that echoed through the room.
SILENCE!
The sudden disruption silenced the surrounding chatter, and all eyes turned toward the source of the noise.
There, they could see a fist smashed on the desk and the boy who now stood up.
“Surely we are no different than beasts, but you who can’t even stand a bunch of words not. It is a good logic you do have; keep it up.”
His expression didn’t even change for a second as he simply uttered those words and slowly started leaving.
“Yo-”
The girl wanted to say something, but before she could even say anything, her eyes met with the piercing eyes of the instructor, who hadn’t left just yet.
Seeing Professor Eleanor’s eyes looking at her with an annoyed tone, she decided to retreat back.
But her eyes glared daggers at the boy leaving. “Aliya….just where are you, now?” she mumbled, seeking her friend’s assistance right at this time, though that sought assistance was nowhere to be seen.
*********
“Finally, the first part of the semester ended.”
I mumbled to myself, walking to my room. After the first mid-terms, the academy would come to a small abrupt, and the player would return to the Hartley family.
This part was very important for the player since this would be the first time that many named characters would make their appearance.
The Hartley family and the parents of Ethan would show themselves as interactable characters for the first time, and some groundwork for the future would also be laid.
But, aside from that, this period didn’t contain many story points for others. There weren’t any events. Of course, the player could make some side quests, and even though they weren’t necessary, most players used this time to explore the world.
Thus, this period was often remarked as the ‘Grind Period.’
Though, that didn’t mean much to me. After all, when it came to me, I didn’t have much to show as a family.
‘Tch….’
Thinking about it now makes me feel angry once again. I can feel the changes in myself after yesterday. The sense of guilt is slowly leaving its place to something else, fueled by the anger inside me.
‘It is weird.’
But at the same time, it was something expected.
‘I am a human too.’
We were bound to change on the path we were walking through. This is how we are.
‘I guess they must have found the corpses now.’
Normally, I was going to make a full cleanup of the building. Since those three used a bunch of artifacts to cover the building, there were no sounds escaping from there.
Therefore, no one would be aware of what happened there. But I wanted to make sure someone found the traces of the fight, and since I made it seem like they fought amongst themselves, nobody would be suspicious of me.
“Pardon.”
As I was walking, I heard the voice of someone before me. Raising my head, I saw a guy leaving the building with a bunch of bags.
“Here.” Nodding my head, I gave him the way. It seemed I was lost in my thoughts as I was walking.
“Thanks.”
After he left, I reached my room.
TAK! CREAK!
Opening the door, I threw a look at the room, which would be changed probably after I came from the break.
Even though, according to my performance in the mid-terms, my rank won’t be that high, it won’t be that low either.
‘Probably between 1700-2000.’
And that was enough to increase the quality of my room. In any case, even though I got used to this room, it was small, and the conditions to study weren’t perfect. Thus, I mostly studied in the library.
Aside from using it as a sleeping place, I didn’t do anything else inside here.
Sitting at my desk, I glanced over the plans I had crafted for the upcoming break.
‘Weapon.’
That one word was the most important goal of the upcoming break. What I was lacking was a suitable weapon.
The bow supplied by the academy wasn’t bad, and the daggers were fine, too. But, the last confrontation I had with the demon contractors had proven that any normal weapon wouldn’t do it.
The goal I had in my mind was something that wouldn’t be achieved by such puny materials.
Even though the girl, Annie, had a corrosion attribute, and it was even rare for a demon contractor to have, she was still at the bottom of the ranks.
If I wanted to kill demons and their stronger pawns, I needed a stronger weapon.
But then, there was a catch.
‘What kind of weapon should I get?’
From the start, I had never used one singular weapon and focused on it. Rather, my style was more versatile. Something that changed constantly, from ranged combat to close combat.
Even though it was flexible, it also limited me since none of the artifacts I knew from the game were compatible with such flexibility.
‘In the end, I have one choice, don’t I?’
Remembering a certain named character, I shook my head. Aside from him, I knew nobody would be able to make a weapon sufficient for me.
‘However, reaching him will not be easy at all. I guess I should start gathering information first.
Opening my watch, I started typing to my trusted informant group.
[Find me the map of the mana wave distribution of the Area underneath the Hikama Mountains.]
At the end of the day, in this world, nothing was easy at all.