Ch.111111 – An Unexpected Storm

<111 – Unexpected Storm>

Bigstone, thinking he might not graduate on time if he got too entangled with these dangerous juniors, immediately put on a gas mask and raided the red-toothed mushroom farm.

“It’s not even shift change time, why are you already here… Ack! W-who are you?!”

“Be quiet!”

When Bigstone threw a vial from his pocket onto the ground, gas erupted with a poof.

The guard who inhaled the pink gas coughed a few times before clutching his throat and collapsing.

“Heh. That senior is surprisingly competent when he needs to be.”

“Well, he is a sophomore after all!”

“True. If he’s made it to sophomore year in this academy, I should give him some credit.”

Zhang honestly admired him.

Among the groaning fallen red-toothed mushrooms, three had their wrists tightly wrapped with wide cloth strips, allowing them to be easily dragged away.

The gas contained <Sleep> and <Diffusion> components, while the cloth had <Binding> and <Weight Reduction> spells cast on it.

“Senior Bigstone has quite a few tricks up his sleeve!”

“If I couldn’t do this much, how would I survive the harsh sophomore year? Especially with those crazy people running around using sword techniques and bombarding with magic.”

“That’s true.”

If you don’t have combat skills, you need to be good at alchemy and enchantments to survive as a support role.

“Now that I’ve given you these, our deal is complete, right?”

“Yep. I wrote down the location, so please check it!”

“Wait. I need to verify that the item is actually at that location before I hand these over.”

Instead of immediately handing over the bound red-toothed mushrooms, he demanded verification.

“You’re so picky. Despite being a coward.”

“I’m picky because I’m a coward. I’m afraid of being tricked.”

“It’s fine. I can accommodate that much when my trading partner is anxious. It’s not a big deal anyway.”

Above all, Senior Bigstone was someone we’d continue to see in the Developing Insight lectures.

If we didn’t properly conclude the deal and rumors spread later, it would be awkward for both of us during class.

“There, see? You just need to go in here.”

“…So I push this painting on the wall to enter the space behind the ‘flipping wall.’ You actually had the courage to attempt such a thing?”

Senior Bigstone seemed shocked that we knew about the art gallery’s secret.

Zhang asked with confusion:

“Is there something wrong with the painting?”

“If you mess with a painting protected by the art gallery’s security magic, all the statues inside will come to life.”

“Then we can just destroy them, right?”

Though it didn’t seem like something an assassin should say, Senior Bigstone snorted and pointed at the statues.

“Those statues were supplied for security purposes. From what I know, some were even submitted as graduation projects by seniors.”

“S-seniors?!”

Having witnessed the danger of upperclassmen at the secret training ground, Zhang finally showed fear.

“Oknodie. Did you know about this?”

“Huh? Of course I did. It’s clearly written in the Room of Double-sided Tape. ‘Many treasures are hidden behind the paintings in the art gallery, but if you touch them incorrectly, the statues will come to life!'”

“How could I remember all that already?”

“True. There is a lot.”

“Huh? Room of Double-sided Tape? What’s that?”

“You don’t need to know.”

Anyway, the deal was done.

Bigstone got his moonshine, and I returned the mushrooms to the senior.

“They’re a bit small… but I’ll overlook that considering the quick delivery.”

“Thank you, senior!”

When the senior declared forgiveness to this extent, a notification appeared indicating I had successfully completed the event.

[You have completed the Equivalent Exchange event.]

[You acquire 1000 points as an early return bonus.]

[Your credibility with the junior senior increases.]

[Your credibility with the <Dark Cult> club increases.]

[Your current credibility level is <Apprentice Member>.]

[As an apprentice member, you can apply for <Ceremony Observation>.]

Suddenly, a route to the Dark Cult that I had no interest in opened up.

I should avoid even talking to them since it’s burdensome.

This senior seems rather aloof too, so it should be fine as long as I don’t engage, right?

I bowed my head in greeting and was about to leave when the senior called out, “Wait.”

Though I really didn’t want to, I turned around with a forced smile.

“Yes?”

“…Eat this.”

The senior placed a jelly candy on my palm.

Unlike the rough, coarse touch of their fingers, the jelly was soft and squishy.

“Wow! Thank you!”

Though they look scary and belong to a suspicious club, this senior must be a nice person.

Right, even if they’re a bit cruel to monsters, they’re good people as long as they’re kind to humans.

My internal credibility toward the senior increased by about 50 points.

“Eat it now.”

“Okay.”

“Oknodie? Isn’t that… a bit scary?”

Zhang was wary, but I didn’t mind and popped the jelly into my mouth.

It was a chewy jelly with that distinctive junk food taste when you bite into it.

“…Is it good?”

“Yes!”

“If you join the Dark Cult, I could give you more…”

As I seriously considered this, Zhang repeatedly poked my side with his finger.

“Idiot. How can you be tempted by food?”

“But it’s tasty!”

Due to its nature, the Dark Cult has few regular meetings and public assignments.

They only promote trusted apprentice members to full membership every few months, allowing them to participate in real ceremonies and engage in proper club activities.

Most members don’t even know each other’s faces, as the organization follows the traditional cell structure of secret societies.

“…You take one too.”

“Eck. No thanks. I’m not joining.”

“I’m just giving it to you.”

“Well, thank you then.”

Zhang also popped the jelly into his mouth, and his eyes widened.

He clenched both fists, not knowing what to do, and stomped his feet, clearly finding it delicious.

While I was familiar with junk food from Earth, for Zhang, a native of this world, the texture and taste must be even more novel and fresh.

“…Zhang. You haven’t forgotten what you said to me, right? You won’t join just because they offer food?”

“Tch. I know. I’m not that stupid.”

The Dark Cult recruiting apprentice members with jelly.

Zhang, who almost fell for it but barely escaped.

What an adorable club and an adorable friend.

“Do you always hand out jellies like this?”

Since I didn’t remember seeing this in the game, I casually asked, and as expected, the senior shook their head.

“You gave them to us because we’re cute, right?”

In response to Zhang’s confident statement, the senior formed a circle with their thumb and index finger.

They moved the circle in front of Zhang’s forehead, who was looking smug, and flicked him hard.

“Ouch!”

“It’s not because you’re cute. It’s because I felt sorry for a junior taking the same professor’s lecture…”

“The same professor?”

The senior, who looked every bit like a proper Dark Cult member with their suspicious appearance.

There was only one professor who came to mind.

“…Professor Sadaco?”

The senior nodded.

Zhang’s expression visibly soured.

“What lecture of Professor Sadaco’s are you taking, senior?”

“<Understanding Structural Conflicts and Response Strategies with Undead Summons>.”

“…Wow. Just the title makes me not want to take it. Why are you taking that, senior?”

“Because the professor is beautiful.”

Zhang laughed and told them not to lie.

The senior didn’t respond.

Zhang looked at them suspiciously, trying to gauge their sincerity.

The senior still didn’t respond.

Finally, the smile disappeared from Zhang’s face.

A strange silence fell.

“W-well, that’s possible! How important is appearance for a person? You can’t help animal instincts!”

I defended the senior out of a strange sense of guilt, and Zhang nodded with an expression that clearly showed disgust but was willing to let it go for the sake of the atmosphere.

Meanwhile, a certain conviction grew within me.

Surely, beneath Professor Sadaco’s long hair must be a face of surprising beauty.

How else could she have admirers?

“Which part of the professor’s face is the prettiest?”

“Her mouth.”

“…Really?”

“Her smile is beautiful.”

Recalling that professor’s laugh, I couldn’t imagine what kind of smile she would have…?

The more I tried to imagine it, the more chilling the scene became, but we didn’t realize it yet.

“…Apart from taking the same professor’s lecture, I’ll give you one last piece of advice based on your diligence.”

“Yes!”

“Raiding red-toothed mushroom farms is like declaring war on the sophomores. It would be good to prepare your heart in advance…”

That truly chilling events were about to begin for these carefree, innocent freshmen.

* *

Several sophomore red-toothed mushroom farm managers from the 980th class gathered in one place.

“Six of our red-toothed mushrooms have disappeared. They were frozen alive and kidnapped.”

“Over here, mushroom stems that were grilled and eaten were found at the scene.”

“Is it the seniors’ doing?”

“No. From what I’ve learned, Dragon Principal gave freshmen the task of practicing cooking with red-toothed mushrooms, saying he would teach them how to cook.”

“…Freshmen touched our farms?”

“Is that true?”

“These brats, do they think we’re so easy that they can touch our property, their seniors’?”

As the farm managers raised their voices in anger, someone uninvited entered the secret meeting place.

“My, my. What good does it do for us to be angry among ourselves? The ones who need to be taught a lesson are those freshmen with bad habits.”

“Who are you!”

“Outsiders can’t attend our meeting!”

“Who brought this person?!”

When no one stepped forward, the tense 980th class sophomores raised their staffs, drew their swords, or held vials and thick law books.

In the tense atmosphere, one student who had been uncertain suddenly exclaimed:

“Wait. I recognize that voice. This person is the <Advisor> who taught us how to create farms, compiled related lecture lists, and gave us advice in exchange for points!”

“What? So this person is the founder of our Red-toothed Mushroom Management Association?”

The very person who introduced the good culture of mana farming to the sophomores and helped them unite as an illegal profit group by providing meeting places and establishing an underground organization.

The unofficial hidden power behind the Red-toothed Mushroom Management Association, the external Advisor, had appeared.

“You, what’s your purpose! If it’s points, you’ve already received plenty for your criminal advice!”

“I’m not pleased with the freshmen’s actions. Especially one of them who interfered with my business.”

Valocassio, the vicious contract fraudster who had trapped classmate errand boys in his scheme and used them as half-slaves.

In a normal playthrough, he would have been satisfied with ensnaring one influential freshman through contract fraud and using them like a minion, but this time he couldn’t achieve satisfactory results due to Oknodie’s intervention.

Harboring ill feelings toward Oknodie for interfering with his business, Valocassio saw this red-toothed mushroom commotion as an unexpected opportunity.

“I’m thinking of teaching these impudent juniors a lesson. Care to join?”

Valocassio, the 980th class sophomore mastermind.

The members of the Red-toothed Mushroom Management Association unanimously agreed to his proposal.

A storm was beginning to approach the previously peaceful daily lives of the freshmen.