Ch.318318 – The Academy’s Observer

<318 – Academy’s Observer>

While the Tower of Training is now strictly controlled by the Foundation, in the distant past, countless adventurers sought the tower with dreams and hopes of becoming heroes.

Now, with disaster-level monsters rampaging and changing the terrain, what was once a continent has become an archipelago.

The procession of adventurers has abruptly ended, and their names are no longer passed down in society.

However, the Chairman, who decoded the existence of the Tower of Training through ancient documents and visited it, has been utilizing the tower’s true value.

Guaranteed enhancement up to +7.

This was also a major factor that contributed to the Chairman building his current wealth.

‘I thought I had fully grasped the tower’s true value. How arrogant that was.’

It was truly a shocking discovery.

How is the tower maintained?

What happens to “impurities” unnecessary for maintenance?

These were concepts he had dismissed, thinking they would somehow be handled by the convenient existence called magic.

Oknodie had exploited this oversight by using the backpacks of all historical adventurers who had visited the Tower of Training as enhancement materials.

Moreover, these weren’t ordinary adventurers.

They were skilled enough to target the Tower of Training reserved for hero parties, so their backpacks were basically +3 enhanced, with some even at +5.

This was the result of a new position called “porter” in hero parties, created by a hero who noticed the loot capacity effect of highly enhanced backpacks, which spread to other adventurers and became popular.

“Hmph. What a waste. I should have left one sticker.”

Oknodie had used up all her stickers for guaranteed enhancements, and with so many backpacks to enhance, she had blown up some materials through enhancement failures.

Nevertheless, her backpack-backpack, which had achieved her targeted enhancement, stored numerous +10 backpacks.

“If you don’t mind, may I examine the detailed specifications of that backpack-backpack with an appraisal scroll?”

“Eh? No way! Such valuable information shouldn’t leak out!”

“I’ll trade it for unique-grade dishes.”

“Hmm… three of them!”

“Agreed.”

“But you have to look at it alone?”

“I promise.”

The most special backpack containing all magical backpacks.

Its detailed specifications appeared on the appraisal scroll.

━━━

<Backpack-Backpack #2 (Relic (+12), Soulbound)>

Grade – Rare Class 3

Description – A backpack made by enhancing accumulated backpacks from the Tower of Training. Only backpacks can be stored in this backpack. Growth stops due to the backpack’s curse while wearing it.

Effect 1 – Expanded Capacity (100 slots)

Effect 2 – Expanded Maximum Storage Weight (10 tons)

Effect 3 – 4th Tier or Lower Physical Damage Protection

Effect 4 – 4th Tier or Lower Magical Damage Protection

Effect 5 – Protection from status effects such as submersion, corrosion, etc.

Effect 6 – Complete weight reduction of items in backpack

Effect 7 – Search function allows searching and retrieving contents

Effect 8 – Only backpacks can be stored in this backpack

Effect 9 – While wearing this backpack, height will not increase nor weight gain occur

Appraised Value – 10,000 gold coins, 1,000,000 points

━━━

Currently Stored Backpacks (32)

Backpack-Backpack #1, Weapon Backpack, Armor Backpack…

━━━

…Incredible.

The specs were truly impressive.

To bypass the <Specialization> penalty that allows storing only one type of item, she created a backpack that can only store backpacks, which in turn store other specialized backpacks.

She also properly implemented a search function, eliminating the need to tediously search through contents.

The accompanying powerful penalty is offset by the special <Physical Growth Freeze> penalty!

‘If the porter position in hero parties were to be revived, they would carry a bag like this.’

With just this backpack, a porter would deserve a gold medal.

Of course, the penalty is not light.

Height doesn’t increase.

Weight doesn’t increase.

For someone whose growth has ended, this might seem like a negligible penalty.

For a hero party that grows rapidly with high potential from a young age, this is a backpack that should never be worn!

That’s why they have someone else bear the penalty.

If there’s someone willing to sacrifice growth and silently fulfill the role of porter, this backpack truly shows its worth.

Oknodie blocked such workarounds with the <Soulbound> element.

By adding what could be considered a penalty—soulbinding—to the enhancement effects that could be unlocked one by one, she increased the risk that had to be borne.

As a result, the effects of each backpack became even greater.

The greater the risk, the greater the reward.

This is the result of properly considering the exchange conditions of enhancement.

“Aren’t you afraid of the price you must pay for carrying this backpack? You’re still young. It may seem light now, but you’ll feel the cost more as time passes.”

The Chairman isn’t foolish enough to not create collection backpacks by type inside a backpack-backpack for his collection.

Even he, whose growth has ended, could see the danger this backpack posed at a glance.

The growth issue is actually among the minor concerns.

“What will you do if your hard-earned collectibles are damaged by high-tier attacks?”

You would lose your entire collection overnight.

Of course, there are two types of collection judgments.

Possession judgment and record judgment.

Possession judgment applies simply by owning something, but record judgment for collections is obtained by carrying the item on your person for 24 hours.

This backpack has the advantage of making it easier to obtain record judgment just by possessing it.

However, being able to lose everything at once, even if you can get collection effects, is tantamount to bankruptcy.

Take food, for instance.

While items might register collection effects when gathered, the food compendium doesn’t recognize possession or record judgment unless you completely consume one serving.

There are quite a few compendiums with strict judgment criteria like the food compendium, which doesn’t recognize possession or record judgment.

If you lose collectibles that you’ve gathered over a long time before obtaining judgment, the damage would be immense.

“Then I’ll just keep enhancing it until it won’t be destroyed even by high-tier attacks! This is an end-game item that I’ll keep enhancing until the ending!”

Interesting.

The world this child sees is vastly different from others’.

Is it her own wisdom?

Or is it the wisdom of Destroyer, who became her teacher?

Either way, this wisdom is sharp.

If honed, it’s impossible to gauge how sharp it might become.

Perhaps it could even deliver a stinging blow to that Dragon Principal.

“But why did Papa hire an enhancer when he has an enhancement facility? I thought he hired one because he couldn’t climb to the 70th floor, but he came up by elevator!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t hired any enhancer.”

“Huh…? Then who was that blacksmith enhancer who enhanced Titosoga’s spotlight on the ship?”

“A blacksmith named Ferguson. We’re already checking his identity.”

“Ah!”

For the first time, the child’s expression showed fear.

It was interesting to see the weak side of a child who hadn’t shown fear even when eating the Steak of Sorrow or indirectly experiencing the Foundation’s power.

What’s with this blacksmith Ferguson?

“He’s the professor who teaches <Enhancement Enhancement Bang Bang> in the Production Department!”

An academy professor—that’s worth being surprised about.

But this has become troublesome.

I thought I had finally shaken off the Dragon Principal, but two professors had infiltrated the cruise ship.

Layve is dead.

That’s a gain.

But without Oknodie, I wouldn’t have noticed the blacksmith professor’s approach.

This means a new professor who hasn’t been listed on the faculty has appeared.

How did Oknodie know this?

“The chefs will be busy.”

My curiosity grows.

To satisfy all these questions that keep leading to more questions, I’ll need many unique dishes.

* *

Ferguson recalled the Principal’s summons.

-Board the cruise ship and watch over the children. One of the professors has been recruited by the Foundation.

The Principal’s concerns became reality.

He had noticed Professor Layve’s stowaway early on.

Unlike Layve, who secretly boarded the ship, he had recruited a blacksmith working on the ship, forged his identity, and boarded officially.

The facilities he could use and the areas he could move around in were different.

This led to a difference in information.

“Tsk tsk. They say early-onset dementia is rampant these days, but this is truly madness.”

Ferguson brought out forbidden enhancement techniques and quickly threw the ship into chaos.

The moment he received information that a special cargo ship had first visited the uninhabited island and Bluemetal Rats had been released, Ferguson realized the trap.

That uninhabited island is advantageous for metallurgists.

It was a trap optimized to take down Layve, a freezing magician, in a sea environment.

To aid the confusion, he enhanced the spotlights and helped the students run wild in a shipboard rebellion.

Layve took advantage of the chaos to cross to the uninhabited island and met his end.

However, even he didn’t anticipate what happened next.

The rampage of Anrage’s apostle.

Thanks to Oknodie’s arrangement, it collapsed without showing its full power, but Ferguson felt considerable creepiness at the fact that the students’ souls might have been swapped with those of Anrage’s followers.

He is a Production Department professor.

While he could exert considerable combat power if he brought out all his high-enhancement equipment, he wasn’t confident in stopping Anrage’s apostle.

Let’s enhance the body at the moment of the contract that swaps souls.

His only chance was to intentionally use the destructive phenomenon accompanying <Enhancement Failure> to blow up souls, but sacrifice was inevitable.

Through the backflow phenomenon, some students would return to their soul vessels, but some might fall into a coma and become vegetative.

Then he would have to call in a professor skilled in necromancy and soul-handling techniques.

If late, a few students would die.

Still, he had done what he could.

Oknodie leaped beyond Ferguson’s plan and rescued all the students.

-In the worst case, save at least Oknodie.

Now he understood why the Principal prioritized Oknodie over the heroes.

The depth of wisdom, not power, is different.

Such a child has been meeting with the Foundation’s Chairman for days now in a tower that can hardly be called a mansion.

‘Should I request a bombing?’

As he was wondering if he should get Oknodie out of the mansion as soon as possible, someone from the Foundation approached him.

“Professor Ferguson.”

“Huh? You’ve got the wrong person. I’m a blacksmith.”

“We’ve already confirmed that you’re a professor-designate in the Production Department. Your identity as the Academy’s observer has been exposed, so there’s no need to pretend.”

“…Foundation Representative Jona. If there’s no need to pretend, then speak plainly. When will you release our kids?”

“Don’t worry. The students are scheduled to return by ship today. I came to inform you of that.”

Shortly after, as Jona said, students came out of the mansion.

It was suspicious that they all came out holding +5 enhanced equipment, but it wasn’t the first time the Foundation had tried to recruit Academy students.

Having noticed his identity as an enhancer, the Foundation was probably showing off that they could do anything the Academy could do.

It’s not a small reward.

Some even have +10 enhanced equipment.

With this happening, the Academy can’t just keep quiet and let it slide.

They’ll have to open the treasure vault a semester early, give the kids something to hold, feed them something good, and appease them before their hearts turn to the Foundation.

Fortunately, the troublesome tasks will be handled by the Principal or other faculty members.

His role ends with bringing the students back.

Even in the worst case, securing just Oknodie’s safety would have been enough.

“However, two students will return separately, so please understand this.”

Of course, the Foundation wouldn’t do something so favorable to the Academy without a catch.

Among the students who returned to the cruise ship, Oknodie was absent.