Ch.101101 – A Chance Encounter

# 101 – Chance Encounter

After the grueling fifth period ended.

I wanted to sleep hanging from a tree without worrying about becoming crab bait, but there were too many assignments for that.

The most annoying one was the “Long-Range Weapon Mastery” lecture.

The shooting training assignment required hitting targets for a total of 1000 points each from distances of 50m, 100m, 150m, and 200m, meaning I’d have to shoot at least 400 times even if I hit only the 10-point targets.

To make matters worse, the bad weather meant the outdoor shooting range was filled with pitiful students shooting arrows while completely soaked in rain, even late at night.

‘That won’t work.’

For safety reasons, I could ask an instructor for escort while shooting arrows, but the instructors insisted on observing the dormitory curfew.

I could always sneak out again, but the time spent going back and forth would be wasted.

‘This is when I should use the secret training ground!’

As evident from the room of double sided notes, Gift Academy has many thoughtful considerations from seniors for their juniors.

Murderous assignments.

Inhuman professors.

Physically impossible remaining time.

The seniors from the Magic Department, feeling sorry for the overworked juniors, created a special training ground for the poor underclassmen.

‘A private secret training ground available 24/7!’

Since it was only accessible from the Magic Department building, I headed toward the magic building through the downpour. Despite the late hour, I made eye contact with a first-year student.

‘Huh? That’s Cassia, isn’t it?’

Group A from the frontier.

Group B from the empire.

Group C from special cases.

If the imperial students living off their own pride and the pitiful frontier students suffering from regional discrimination formed opposing sides, Group C was a group that both sides found uncomfortable.

Unknown identities.

Denationalized individuals.

Stateless persons.

Quasi-humans.

A group of people from the shadows who are treated worse than beastkin, or are considered too dangerous—people who aren’t recognized as human in society.

Perhaps it was a group I might have belonged to as well.

Group C students must always be accompanied by an instructor, so an instructor was waiting near Cassia.

Tiptoeing.

Suddenly I felt like playing a prank.

Hiding my body to avoid the window, I stealthily approached below it.

And then… right in front of the window, I jumped up with both arms raised to surprise her!

“Mwoooong!”

“…Idiot.”

“Huh? How did you know?”

She was definitely sitting by the first window next to the entrance before I approached.

Making my attempt to surprise her by taking the long way around look foolish, Cassia had moved to the second window seat and was mocking me as I popped out from the side.

“Just because.”

Somehow, I felt challenged.

“Yah!”

“Idiot.”

When I aimed for the second window, she moved to the third seat.

“Yah!”

“Moron.”

When I tried to catch her off guard by staying at the second window, she remained at the third window.

“Just fall for it once!”

“No.”

When I went to the third window and then circled back to the first window, this time she was at the second window.

Me, with shell game skills that could beat Professor Bronze, losing 0-to-all against a Group C student?

It’s frustrating, but at least I learned something.

‘This iteration’s Cassia has high performance, huh?’

Cassia’s performance varies drastically with each iteration, but this time she seems exceptionally strong.

From a player’s perspective, it’s just a matter of saying “Lucky me” and moving on, but for the person involved, overly strong abilities make daily life difficult.

“You sensed me with bioelectricity, right?”

“…Aren’t you an idiot?”

“The top student of her group couldn’t possibly be an idiot!”

Cassia is an electricity user.

She can emit electricity in a way that’s closer to divine power than magic.

A well-developed Cassia can grow to become a human power plant capable of replacing the electricity of an entire city.

If you need someone with lightning attributes, seeking out Cassia is not just an option but a necessity!

“Aren’t you going back to the dormitory?”

“Can’t go back.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s dangerous.”

For ordinary students, “dangerous” would mean the Giant King Crab, but that doesn’t apply to her.

When she says “dangerous,” she means everyone except herself.

“If you’re not careful, you’ll die.”

A ticking time bomb who can’t fully control her own overwhelming power.

That’s the concept of Cassia as a playable character.

“Student Oknodie. Curfew is approaching. Please prepare to return to your dormitory.”

As Cassia’s supervising instructor began to lecture, I continued on my way.

“Well then, bye~”

“…Hmph.”

Cassia turned her head coldly.

A classmate I couldn’t befriend until advancing to the next year.

Befitting a late-game character of a different dimension of strength, her prickliness is also remarkable.

‘Well, at least I’ve made her acquaintance.’

Without hesitation, I headed to the secret training ground.

* *

Cassia had turned her head away, but she could vividly sense Oknodie leaving.

“Did you like that child?”

“Not at all.”

“For someone who claims that, you played with her for quite a while.”

“She’s just better than you.”

“That’s disappointing. This instructor is diligently carrying out surveillance and protection duties for the safety of academy students, yet instead of gratitude for my efforts, I receive coldness.”

The instructor joked around, but Cassia’s eyes were colder than when she was dealing with Oknodie.

If her previous coldness was meant to push people away, her current coldness was that of someone wary of an enemy.

“The student you’re protecting isn’t me but everyone else. I have no reason to be grateful.”

“I’m making sure you don’t carelessly use your abilities or do something dangerous that might turn your classmates into electrocuted barbecue, so one could say I’m helping you too.”

“While planning to cut my throat immediately if I make a real mistake.”

“I wouldn’t cut your throat right after the first mistake. I’d knock you unconscious to prevent you from moving recklessly and causing more damage, then cut the tendons in your limbs.”

“…You’re trash.”

“Even trash like me is better than the humans from where you lived. You should always be grateful for that fact.”

Cassia is a fusion life form created in a laboratory.

A human consciousness implanted into a non-human being.

-If a creature is difficult to control with human power, why not insert an easily manageable consciousness?

Life, mind, soul.

Cassia, an electricity user born in a terrible laboratory that thoroughly used all human elements for experiments.

She has nowhere to return to.

She was sold to the academy for a huge sum of money.

For her to leave the academy would mean having to repay the money the laboratory received.

The laboratory director would never let her live.

Perhaps a future worse than death awaits her.

That’s what it means to become a Group C student.

A being with nowhere to return to, and who shouldn’t return anyway.

A being who cannot survive outside the academy.

‘I thought you were one of us too.’

Normally, she wouldn’t even think of entertaining someone playing childish pranks.

It’s difficult.

Dealing with students living normal lives.

Being careful not to let them die.

Every move is irritating and requires caution.

Because if she accidentally shoots a lightning bolt from her fingertips, killing a person would be an everyday occurrence.

-Now, choose. Will you kill others? Or will you kill yourself?

Higher intensity.

Longer output.

The things done in the laboratory to strengthen her abilities were unspeakably horrible.

‘I thought a child trained in assassination would be in the same situation.’

Oknodie was both similar and different.

She had an adult to vouch for her identity.

One single difference.

That one difference determined their groups.

Oknodie became Group A, not Group C.

And she made many friends and became popular in the upper class.

The rumors and reputation about her are excellent.

She doesn’t discriminate against lower classes or fear imperial students.

She freely mingles with imperial students, sharing meals, and when necessary, she stands up against injustice for socially vulnerable friends.

‘Even her skills were extraordinary.’

Oknodie approaching from outside the window just now.

Cassia had been watching her the whole time.

People have bioelectricity.

Most people don’t know about it or feel it.

Even with training, most can only perceive it through skin contact or within the same space.

‘I’m different. Half of me isn’t human.’

The non-human part of her body detects it.

The flow of bioelectricity operating in others’ bodies.

Even through windows.

Even through magical barriers.

She can visually detect subtle bioelectricity through physical and magical barriers.

The first three times were easy to avoid.

Throwing off Oknodie was no challenge at all.

‘The fourth time was different.’

When she moved to the right window, Oknodie followed.

When she moved to the left window, Oknodie changed direction and followed again.

Oknodie was clearly reading her position.

She wanted to test it.

<Electrical Phenomena Manipulation>

Despite the instructor watching from behind urging her to stop with killing intent, she manifested her ability.

She created a doppelganger with the same appearance and left it in place.

Beyond the window, Oknodie tilted her head and looked at the second window.

“Yah!”

Not entirely confident, Oknodie poked her head out of the first window.

When she deactivated her ability, all that remained was empty space, herself having moved to the adjacent window, and the instructor silently pressuring her to end the prank.

‘It wasn’t electricity. She detected mana.’

Cassia realized.

This child was indeed special.

If they meet again, she might greet her.

She liked her much more than her Group C peers who stuck together because of their similar circumstances.