Chapter 6: Between Friendliness and Wariness

Stepping outside the Academy dormitory, Rohan walked straight ahead.

The warmth from his shower faded away in the cool night air. It felt incredibly refreshing.

So cool!

The path was incredibly familiar.

Moving based on his memories, there wasn’t the slightest hesitation in his steps as he walked towards his destination.

I wonder if it’s there?

Busily moving his feet, Rohan had a clear objective.

Abyss City was a competitive-free open-world game.

While wandering around the vast map rendered with stunning graphics and taking pictures was quite enjoyable.

What doubled that enjoyment were the rewards.

In the game, chests containing resources were hidden throughout Academy City.

While he didn’t memorize the location of every single chest, a few notable spots naturally remained in his memory.

Still, the chances are low.

He knew the probability of a treasure chest just sitting out in the open was low.

After all, this world wasn’t a place where only he possessed free will.

Everyone walking down the street were living their lives with their own thoughts, a fact that gave him a sense of certainty.

And despite this clear understanding, the reason he spent time physically searching was to confirm the ‘absence of chests’ with his own eyes.

Even if there were no chests, he couldn’t rule out the possibility of something like a quest window showing up in that specific location.

“···.”

He couldn’t help it, it was his personality to see things with his own eyes to feel at ease.

He himself found it rather tiresome.

Judging by the level of development, it’s a bit more advanced than in my past life? There are even people with mechanical arms.

That was his impression as he made his way.

The prosperity of Academy City became even more dazzling and brilliant at night.

He arrived at District 4 of Academy City, not too far from his dormitory.

It was an area with a large commercial district and decent security.

He walked against the flow of the dazzling signs and bustling pedestrians, heading towards a quieter side street.

Then, he turned into a dimly lit alley between streetlights.

According to his memory, the chest was next to a vending machine in the alley.

It was in a devilishly hidden spot in the game, barely visible even when standing on the main street and looking towards the alley.

It only became visible when approaching the vending machine.

Step. Step. Step.

Heading towards the vending machine, the only source of light in the dark alley, he turned on his smartphone’s flashlight and looked around.

And immediately clicked his tongue.

Tsk, it’s not there.

All that lay on the ground were cigarette butts and discarded drink cans.

─ Meow!

Startled by the light, a cat scurried away.

The quest window showed no reaction either.

“Hmm.”

Putting away his smartphone, Rohan continued to ponder in front of the vending machine.

He had assumed that if the chest indeed existed, it would most likely be related to acquiring Shop Points rather than resources.

Unfortunately, it was a wasted effort.

If there’s no chest, then next… there was an Achievement system, too, right?

Considering the potential future chaos, he couldn’t afford to be picky.

He had to try everything he could think of.

Quests were the most reliable way to earn rewards, but waiting passively for a quest with no guarantee of arrival was neither something he’d do nor something that suited his temperament.

Achievements.

What were they again?

Being the type to enjoy boosting his favorite character’s stats and exploring the map, he hadn’t paid much attention to achievements.

Roughly recalling, there were mostly combat and character-related achievements.

There were also plenty related to daily life, such as the number of consumables used, Academy grades, or part-time jobs.

Excluding things like attendance and character recruitment count… What’s possible now is…

As he concentrated, memories forcibly surfaced from the depths of his consciousness.

His gaze landed on the vending machine right in front of him.

A big catch flashed in his mind, jolting him awake.

“Ah! That’s it!”

There was something he could try right here.

His hand immediately went to his right pocket.

The 10 tokens he had swiped from his dorm desk, roughly a thousand won, jingled.

Let’s see.

Cotton Candy Milk Tea? Not this. Oak Soda, not this either.

Mint Cola… tempting, but not this one either.

Then, on the last row of the vending machine.

He faced the abyss.

Cucumber Milk…!

This was it. The price was perfect, too.

Clink, clink. He fed the tokens into the vending machine and pressed the button for Cucumber Milk.

Thud!

A glass bottle, seemingly filled with algae, rolled out the vending machine.

Its surface felt warm as he took it out.

“···.”

And despite the warmth being appropriate for the cool weather, he felt strangely uneasy.

Warm Cucumber Milk.

How awful would it taste?

Pop! He opened the cap, took a quick sniff and then immediately covered his nose.

“Ugh!”

Foul and repulsive. His face naturally crumpled.

Why did this world have such a drink?

It wasn’t his imagination; the smell alone made his head spin.

Still… I have to drink it.

He didn’t want to, but he couldn’t avoid it.

This was the fastest way.

“Huu!”

Having made up his mind, he gulped down the greenish milk.

Three sips before his throat malfunctioned.

“Blegh—!!!”

Pinching his nose was of no use, the nauseating smell assaulted his brain.

He spat the milk in his mouth onto the ground.

“Cough! Cough!”

Warm Cucumber Milk was excessively awful.

There were even squishy bits in it, which was truly the worst.

But,

The ordeal was worth it.

Ah, it worked…!

Proof the achievements existed. This success was significant.

This would become the cornerstone for his future plans.

Wiping the Cucumber Milk dripping from his mouth, Rohan tried to distract his mind from his sense of taste.

If I somehow gather 500P before the semester starts…

While he was forcing his thoughts to continue, a voice that shouldn’t have been heard in this place reached his ears.

“Are you alright?”

“!”

Startled, he turned his head.

Shining golden eyes looking directly at him.

…Ichinose Yui!?

The display of those precious eyes was brief.

Ichinose Yui, as usual, concealed her eyes and approached him with graceful steps.

“You have peculiar tastes.”

It seemed she had witnessed him drinking the grotesque beverage.

Or perhaps her sensitive nose had picked up on it.

Suppressing his surprise at the unexpected encounter with Ichinose Yui as much as possible, Rohan responded with feigned composure.

“I tried it because I was curious.”

“Hmm…”

Ichinose Yui, standing right in front of him, was extraordinary. Her small frame seemed to dominate the entire alley with her senses.

The feeling of having his movements, gaze, and even breathing read by a girl with closed eyes…

It was truly a strange sensation.

This is Ichinose Yui’s first Unique Skill…

He recalled the girl he had invested a fortune in raising.

The condition of “closed eyes” in the game was represented by an abnormally low base hit rate.

However, the swordsmanship and footwork Ichinose displayed during the Placement Exam today showed no such inherent problems.

Is it Level 2 now? Or could it be Level 3?

He didn’t know the current level of Ichinose Yui’s Unique Skill.

But if it were the personality he was familiar with, she would have accustomed herself to living in darkness from the moment she awakened her skill.

Thus, her posture with hidden eyes felt natural, without any sense of incongruity.

She also looked like a typical “hidden eyes” character.

“You’re number 99, right?”

“…If you’re talking about the exam number, then yes.”

When he affirmed, she fidgeted her fingers, thought for a moment, then hid her sword behind her back and asked,

“I’m sorry. I didn’t manage to catch your name during the exam. Would you mind telling me again?”

“Rohan.”

“Rohan… I see.”

She nodded as she murmured his name.

While feeling joy at conversing with her, Rohan tried to remain wary of the current situation.

He always had to be cautious of scenarios that defied comprehension.

“I’m Ichinose Yui.”

“I know.”

She was quite famous, after all. She accepted his response without further comment.

“You don’t need to be so guarded. We’re both cadets at Orion Academy, so there’s no need for formalities.”

“···.”

“It’s foolish to consider one’s national background as a source of power in Academy City.”

This was the Ichinose Yui he knew. He admired her words, deeply imbued with her characteristic color, yet he continued to rack his brain.

He couldn’t understand why she had approached him.

However, harsh and prickly words simply wouldn’t leave his mouth.

The girl tried to act maturely, aware of her position as the heir of Cheonocheon.

But Ichinose Yui is soft inside.

Knowing that made him concerned.

This is driving me crazy.

The sense of familiarity he felt kept breaking down the wall of caution.

No matter how hard he tried, it kept crumbling before it could be built properly.

Clearly recalling the information he had on Ichinose Yui, Rohan spoke with feigned indifference.

“You first.”

At his words, she pouted as if troubled.

He had said that knowing her personality, so her actions were transparent and appeared cute to him.

“I’m comfortable with formalities.”

“Well, if you insist…”

Nodding in agreement at the expected response, she took another step closer.

“I have a question, if I may?”

“For me?”

“Yes.”

Ichinose nodded.

The plastic bag in her hand rustled, revealing the snacks inside.

“…What are you curious about?”

Careful not to let his lips curl into a smile at this unexpectedly soft sight, he responded. And finally, Ichinose Yui revealed her curiosity.

“The strike that sliced the Golem during the Placement Exam today. The result was impressive, but the movement itself was striking.”

“···.”

“It seemed like the skill of someone who has wielded a sword for a long time. Are you perhaps affiliated to a particular school?”