Ch.5858 – Coming to Hear This

# <58 – Coming to Hear This>

Competition at the top is extremely difficult.

It’s a fierce race to be the physically strongest at Gift Academy, where even among the top 2% of students at the Academy, there’s an additional ranking competition.

Yet the reason I fought stubbornly for the lead was, of course, to complete the challenge task during the lecture.

[You have ranked in the top 5 for the Omine Mountain climbing distance in Professor Platton’s <Advanced Physical Enhancement> class.]

[You have acquired 500 additional points for completing the in-class challenge.]

No matter how many points you collect, it’s never enough.

That’s why I ran risking my life and achieved results.

“Stop right there! You provincial brats, there’s no going back from here. We’ll attack anyone who tries to pass us!”

The problem was that the selfish students of Group B who were interfering with the completion had taken action.

“That guy is Honer, the spearman from the Duke Friedchicken family, known as one of the Empire’s three great contributors. I heard he received spear techniques directly from Shin-chang, the world’s greatest spearman.”

“And the guy next to him is Tataya from the Count Chickenmakhani family, a renowned swordsmanship house that has produced Sword Masters for three consecutive generations under the Duke Friedchicken.”

“Now I understand why we should never get involved with those chicken faction people across the continent. They’re ready to fight and bring everyone down if we don’t yield our rankings!”

Honer and Tataya didn’t stop at mere threats.

When the beastkin fighter Zenya tried to increase her speed ignoring their warning, she retreated in terror as an attack grazed her shoulder.

“That was dangerous-nya! I almost got hit-nya!”

“That was meant to hit you, you stupid provincial barbarian. This was just a warning, but next time I’ll really stab you.”

“You think you’ll get away with this-nya! Professor will give you penalty points-nya!”

“Hmph. You think we haven’t prepared for that? We already asked in advance. Bloodshed during lectures doesn’t matter if it’s competition for rankings!”

This is why advanced classes are dangerous.

It’s not just the students who are crazy, but the professors too.

Where in the world would you find a professor who overlooks students drawing blood during class?

The problem was that they were so excited that they let everyone hear the information they had gathered.

“Reeeally?”

“Another one who wants to get stabbed?”

“Huh! W-wait, Honer. That one’s trouble.”

“What is it, Tataya? Getting cold feet?”

“That guy is a real lunatic. You know, the crazy one who shot down five students on the way to course registration last time!”

A land pirate with fiery red hair wearing a pirate tricorn hat.

A genuine trigger-happy who could pull the trigger anytime, anywhere.

The cross-dressing pirate Zigoku aimed her revolver at Honer.

“If bloodshed is allowed, that means I can shoot, right? I can go wild, right? Riiiight??”

“Y-you lunatic!! A gun and a spear are different!!”

“How are they different?!!”

Bang bang bang!

While Honer’s pace slowed as he blocked bullets with his spear, students began overtaking each other and checking those ahead of them.

This was the beginning of the commotion everyone had witnessed near the finish line.

‘Wow. Look how brutal this is.’

I safely avoided that pandemonium by secretly moving between trees, keeping my distance.

The intense fighting had the purpose of checking others, but it also included the calculation of depleting one’s own excess stamina while checking others.

‘The higher your stats, the faster your recovery rate. Once you pass a certain threshold, your recovery speed becomes faster than the rate at which your stamina depletes from moderate exercise!’

The same applies to me.

So I seized the opportunity to find a way to consume large amounts of stamina.

That was enduring the effects of Irene’s ice magic at close range, depleting my stamina.

‘Running and fighting aren’t the only ways to consume stamina.’

Fighting against cold also consumes tremendous stamina.

When living beings feel cold, they generate heat to maintain body temperature, increasing calorie consumption.

[You have successfully completed the first task of Professor Platton’s <Advanced Physical Enhancement> class.]

[You have acquired 50 points as a completion reward.]

Some are still attempting to complete the course.

<Holy Sword Descent>

A female warrior with tremendous firepower who pierced through Irene’s ice wall in a straight line with the power of her holy sword.

<Physical Breakthrough>

The berserker Hestia who broke through the wall with her body using strength even greater than Son Ocheon’s.

Led by these two skilled individuals, the named students of the advanced class were crossing the boundary.

But the ones who should be celebrating now aren’t them.

It’s the early completers who finished the task ahead of others.

Professor Platton laughed heartily and said:

“Students who completed the task, use these points to clean out the cafeteria!”

“So the free meal was free because it gives points…”

“That’s even better!”

“Right. With 50 points, we can get ten standard portions with the 5-point basic tickets!”

“Or you could spend just 5 points right here to drink this special protein shake made by Professor Platton himself!”

Students grimaced and backed away at the appearance of <Professor Platton’s Special Protein Shake>, a visibly intimidating gray, sticky liquid porridge.

“Wow! Food collection!”

“D! Don’t eat that. Gross, gross!”

“She gets so excited whenever she sees food she hasn’t tried before.”

While everyone was shaking their heads.

Northern Grand Duchess Irene, who seemed quite angry about the free ride, glared in my direction while checking her point balance on her magic watch.

Then her eyes grew three times larger.

Blink blink.

Her confused eyes turned toward me.

Forgetting her previous grudge, Irene approached and asked in a low voice:

“Oknodie. Did you receive additional points too?”

“Shh. Let’s pretend we don’t know, or it’ll be troublesome.”

There’s no benefit in letting others know about the 500 points received for completing the challenge.

“But I received 1500 additional points as a reward.”

“1500 points?”

Why did she receive 1000 more points?

“For disrupting the maximum number of people…”

“…”

No wonder Irene looked particularly flustered during every advanced class.

She didn’t just achieve the 500-point challenge but went further and completed an additional 1000-point challenge!

It’s natural to be surprised when you hit a jackpot 30 times bigger than others.

“Deceiver!”

“You took a free ride yourself.”

“Ugh.”

Irene suddenly grabbed my hand.

Gasp, she’s not going to freeze me to death for impudently using her, is she?!

“Your hand is red, as I thought. Look at your palm. My magic causes frostbite more easily the closer you are.”

“You’re not angry?”

“Haven’t you already been taught a lesson with your whole body? That you shouldn’t carelessly approach an ice mage.”

Irene’s pale face reddened slightly, seemingly genuinely upset.

“And don’t reduce your presence either. This time I was fortunate to have used up most of my power, but at another time, you might have frozen to death the moment I accelerated with mana wind.”

“M-mana wind?!”

“I’d rather not have the experience of accidentally freezing innocent people to death without realizing it, so please be especially careful from now on.”

In the original game, she only used that skill after becoming a second-year student!

I thought it was unfair that she was using a second-year skill early, but considering this is reality and not a game, it’s quite plausible.

“I’m sorry…”

“I’m sorry for scolding you too much. This is a gift from me.”

Irene opened her pocket, took out a stone, and placed it in my hand.

“?”

“You like stones, don’t you?”

“I don’t like just any stone…”

“Are you saying you don’t like the stone I’m giving you?”

“N-no, that’s not it.”

This isn’t a stat stone.

Besides, why is she carrying around a stone that isn’t even a stat stone?

“Thank you. I’ll treasure it.”

“And…”

“Yes?”

“If the burden of your family becomes too heavy… No, forget I said anything.”

“??”

After I put the stone in my dedicated stone pouch with a clatter, Irene turned away with a face that seemed to be holding back words.

What was that about?

Irene isn’t originally a character who worries about others.

She does show concern for the protagonist as an exception when affection increases, with that “I’m a cold northern woman, but warm to my people” concept.

But I couldn’t remember doing anything to raise her affection.

Feeling more uncomfortable than grateful for someone’s unexplained kindness, I headed to the Adventure Department with an uneasy feeling.

Isabelle said:

“That’s not the cafeteria.”

“I know. I’m going to attend a lecture.”

Isabelle and Giselle wore expressions like farmers who had witnessed an inhuman monster.

“Are you sure you attended the same lecture as us?”

“You still have energy left to attend a lecture?”

“I recovered while talking.”

What’s going on?

Isn’t it common sense that stamina recovers when you stay still?

“Ah, I might be a little late getting to the classroom, so I’ll run ahead.”

“Hahaha! Little mouse, you’re full of energy! Good. Then let’s have a race!”

“Eh? No thanks. You’re faster than me, Son Ocheon.”

“That’s exactly why we should do it! Let’s bet 50 points!”

“I’ll tell Isabelle that you were bullying me.”

Who cares! As long as it’s fun!

Leaving behind the two astonished people, I ran to the classroom with Son Ocheon.

* *

Adventure Department.

At the Academy, it was commonly known as a refuge for students with weak resolve who thought: “I want to enter the Knight Department or Magic Department and become a respectable person, but I’m not confident about surviving the competition, so I just want to get my diploma without much effort.”

While there are many students, the skills of the top performers are pathetic compared to other departments.

For professors who gain honor by producing outstanding disciples, becoming an Adventure Department professor is considered a “losing battle” or an “unfavorable competition.”

On the other hand, it comes with the hassle of having to teach lengthy lectures to many mediocre students who flock there.

‘Hehehe. That’s where there’s a gap that other professors haven’t noticed.’

If there are few top-tier students, you can establish classes exclusively for the advanced group.

It’s even better if attending lectures is optional rather than mandatory.

After all, hardly any top-tier students would deliberately seek out lectures from the Adventure Department’s advanced class.

‘But what if there is such a student?’

Then you choose the most difficult time slot and the most difficult conditions.

‘First period mandatory lecture. There’s absolutely no possibility that a student who has depleted their stamina at the foot of Omine Mountain could arrive on time at a lecture held at the opposite end of the campus without being late!’

A lecture that cannot be attended without both physical and mental determination.

The delinquent professor, who had never allowed even a single student to attend since being dragged to the Academy due to the highest difficulty lecture selection, doubted his eyes.

“Are you perhaps a new janitor at the Academy?”

“I’m a student.”

“Did you confuse this with another lecture room?”

“I came to attend <Adventure Tales of a Retired Former Hero>!”

“This is an advanced class lecture.”

“I’m the top student in Group A!”

Against all those harsh conditions, a weirdo who was overflowing with determination to attend this lecture no matter what had finally appeared.