Ch.332332 – Reckless Challenge

<332 – Reckless Challenge>

The conquest of Elf Archer Skola faced an unexpected obstacle.

“What’s so pitiful about that?”

Ishtar, who had overheard the approach to Skola, suddenly interrupted.

“Nobody forced him to take those classes, he chose to do it himself. Did someone hold a knife to his throat and threaten him to take 38 credits?”

‘That heartless woman.’

Ishtar was an incredibly cruel woman beyond imagination.

Giselle secretly criticized the hero in her mind.

“Anyone with common sense would see that he received orders from the Foundation!”

“He could have refused. Following the Foundation’s orders was Oknodie’s own decision.”

There was a reason for her hostility.

She herself had fallen to become a Foundation scholarship student.

And she discovered at the chairman’s banquet that the cause was Oknodie’s sticker copying scam!

It wasn’t even a fair competition, but a cowardly trick that got her entangled in Oknodie’s organization—how could she not be furious?

If that was half the reason, the other half stemmed from anxiety.

The Foundation’s orders.

Scholarship students carrying dark mana that could explode at any moment, like terrorists wearing bomb vests.

Who knows if such unreasonable orders would be given to her as well?

The hero was no longer free.

Even without any orders coming down, just that anxiety and fear alone caused considerable stress.

In short, this was her way of venting the stress she received from the Foundation onto Oknodie.

“Then if you receive orders from the Foundation, will you take 38 credits?”

“…I’ll figure that out when the time comes.”

“Ha. How amusing. You mock our little lady freely, but you’re afraid to do it yourself. Does ‘saying one thing and doing another’ refer to Hero Ishtar?”

Ishtar took the bait at Giselle’s bold provocation.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m a hero. I can do anything if I set my mind to it. Oknodie isn’t even a hero or anything special.”

A provocative smile that said ‘gotcha’ appeared on Giselle’s face.

For a moment, a look of regret flashed across Ishtar’s face.

Her expression quickly disappeared, replaced by a face pretending to be calm and unbothered, but Giselle knew better.

A person’s true expression is revealed in that instant.

If not for that moment of sincerity, everything else is just false acting, emotions one wants to display.

At least for a black market merchant living in the underworld, this was common sense.

“If you look down on Oknodie that much, you could do it too, right?”

“Of course I can do it!”

Ishtar swallowed the provocation whole.

Though she knew it was foolish, she had her pride to maintain.

The pride of being called a hero.

The humiliation on the cruise ship still stung Ishtar like a thorn in her foot.

Especially since Oknodie had used tricks to defeat Low, the Apostle of Anrage and demon contractor, whom she herself couldn’t overcome.

But completing so many credits wasn’t about clever tricks—it was a long-term battle requiring physical endurance and comprehensive skills.

Even Oknodie, skilled at momentary tactics, wouldn’t be able to endure the long period until the end of the semester.

‘He’ll definitely drop one class after another along the way.’

Thirteen courses?

As a performance, it was impressive.

Anyone would be amazed.

But it couldn’t be sustained.

Whether mental strength, physical endurance, surrounding environment, or even living conditions—there would definitely be a limit.

‘This time it’s a real match, Oknodie.’

With that, Ishtar immediately added seven more courses to her existing six.

Professor Mahabharata was troubled by the late registration, but considering the applicant was Ishtar, he pondered.

‘Well, she certainly has the talent, so it should be fine. If it becomes life-threateningly difficult, either the Saint or the Holy Sword will somehow save the hero.’

And so the Skola conquest shifted to the innocent hero’s challenge of 38 credits.

* *

“Oknodie, did you hear? The hero is challenging 13 courses for 38 credits.”

“Wow. That’s amazing.”

Honestly, I was surprised.

This was the first time in history that the hero had burned with such academic passion.

The strongest in her year if not for the player.

Even at this point, her strength applies to third-year students.

It’s natural that she would have an arrogant attitude.

Neglecting academics and finding her own path through training is the cliché of heroes in every iteration.

“It’s not just the hero. The Loner Princess also increased her courses from nine to ten!”

If the hero could be compared to the lazy hare in the tortoise and hare story, then the Third Princess <Yayoi> is like a textbook example of life reversal through slow but diligent effort.

Unlike the Second Princess Massgakki, Yayoi lacks both followers and personal strength, so in her early years she quietly attends the academy, struggling just to keep up with the curriculum.

Even without knowing these details, regular students found Yayoi’s challenge more impressive than the hero’s.

The hero is naturally gifted, so people think she can handle such eccentricities because she’s the hero. But when an ordinary princess with no particular strengths adds one more course, it seems like a great challenge.

I don’t want to exercise.

I don’t want to study.

The courage to overcome the laziness that anyone might feel in daily life is easier to empathize with than the challenge of a great hero.

“So guess what? I decided to add one more too!”

Titosoga’s campus gossip was interesting, but what was most interesting was Titosoga herself.

“Really? What are you going to take?”

“Hmm~ One of the courses you’re taking, Oknodie?”

“Then let’s go to this class together!”

“But I haven’t even registered for the additional course yet?”

“Just say you’re sitting in!”

The class I was taking this time was a 2-credit course held on Tuesdays from 8 PM to 11 PM for three hours.

<Casting Magic with Knowledge Judgment> taught by Professor Pythagoras from the Magic Department.

It’s a value-for-money course that meets once a week for 3 hours, easier than a 3-credit course that meets twice a week for a total of 4 hours.

“Is it okay if you don’t know how to use puzzle magic?”

“Yes. It’s a different mechanism of magic. Let’s hurry!”

When we entered the classroom, we saw the backs of students’ heads as they lay slumped over their desks with exhausted faces.

8 PM, an hour after dinner.

For students who were starting to feel the murderous amount of assignments, a class at this hour was the ultimate trial, endured only through sheer willpower.

“Everyone looks tired.”

“Second-year is even harder, so it can’t be helped!”

“Second-year?”

Titosoga tilted her head cutely like a sparrow.

“Second-year? Why? Are there seniors who failed again?”

“…Not failed, they’re retaking the course.”

One of the slumped seniors raised his head.

“Ah, Senior Bigstone! Are you retaking the course again?”

“No, I’m not! Could you not treat me like an idiot, you disrespectful junior?”

Senior Bigstone, with whom I had become somewhat acquainted during the Eye for Quality class in the first semester.

Among the second-year trio, he was the most approachable and comfortable person, which is why Titosoga was genuinely happy to see him.

“Then why are you taking this class, senior?”

“I’m not the strange one here. You two are.”

Bigstone pointed at the students collapsed on their desks.

“These poor souls lying here like they’re about to pass out are all second-years. You two are the only first-years taking this class.”

“Whaaaat!?”

Titosoga turned to me with tears welling up in her eyes, unable to hide her sense of betrayal.

“You’re the one who wanted to take it together!”

“Hmph. There are so many other classes, did you have to bring me to one that seniors take?”

“It’s too late. Class is starting.”

As Senior Bigstone spoke, the bell signaling the start of class rang.

Having missed her chance to escape, Titosoga sat down next to Senior Bigstone.

Titosoga, who had been making angry expressions like an upset small animal, was surprised by the changed classroom atmosphere.

‘Second-years really do have a different study atmosphere!’

Unlike the freshman chickens, second-years feel a completely different level of pressure about points.

The teacher who appeared from the summoning magic circle at the exact class time also had a very different vibe from the first-year teachers.

“Seeing you again after a week, you all look even more wretched. With that level of mental strength, challenging knowledge judgment won’t be easy.”

The professor, who had been looking at the resentful faces of the second-years, noticed Titosoga and me with our wide eyes.

“What are these greenhorns doing here?”

“We’re first-years!”

“Place your magic watches against the panel and register your identities.”

Whirr, thunk!

The panel thrown lightly by the professor stuck into the desk like a shuriken.

After I pulled out the panel and registered my identity, Titosoga trembled as she placed her magic watch against it.

Beep.

Professor Pythagoras reached out and retrieved the panel that had made a sound like a transit card.

“Did we come to the wrong class…?”

“No, we’re in the right place!”

It was understandable that Titosoga felt uncomfortable.

Professor Pythagoras was muscular like a statue, with a burly build similar to Professor Platton.

But his impression was completely different.

If Professor Platton was a protein fanatic with clear eyes, Professor Pythagoras possessed a wild ferocity like a leopard ready to pounce and kill his opponent at any moment.

Even I had wondered if he was a professor from the Knight Department during my newbie days, so I understood Titosoga’s confusion.

“First-year Oknodie, first-year Titosoga. The top student and a lower-class student. Like a wolf keeping an emergency snack nearby.”

“Would it be possible for Titosoga to just audit the class for now?”

“The path of learning is open. But only to those who can endure its harshness.”

Titosoga trembled, feeling fear in a different way than with Professor Sadaco.

Regardless of her pitiful appearance, the professor began a brief review for us who were attending the class for the first time today.

“Time for review. First come, first served. Explain the principle of using magic through knowledge judgment.”

Senior Bigstone stood up immediately.

“Unlike conventional magic that implements spells by solving mana puzzles, this method instantly manifests mana using a mana board enchanted with <Brainwave Detection>, <Knowledge Discrimination>, and <Implementation Guidance>!”

“Continue with the advantages and disadvantages of using a mana board.”

“The disadvantage is that unlike when using a staff or wand, most magical auxiliary abilities are focused on spell implementation, resulting in reduced power, and you can’t concentrate specific attribute mana puzzles. However, even those unskilled in conventional magic can easily cast spells!”

“Did you hear that? This is the content of the class you’ll be learning. If you’re disappointed, leave the classroom right now. If you try to escape during class, I’ll hang you upside down outside the window.”

Though Titosoga was timid, she seemed to realize what luck she had encountered and shook her head vigorously, expressing her desire to definitely take the class.

For Titosoga, who only had abundant mana, a new means of using magic would be attractive.

Using a <Mana Board> to cast magic through knowledge alone.

Even I, as a veteran player, found this concept appealing.

Implementing ‘known magic.’

While this class might be an insurmountable wall for first-years or students not majoring in magic with limited learning, it’s not a reckless challenge for me.

For a multi-iteration veteran who would find it faster to count the spells I don’t know rather than those I do know, this class is practically free points.