Isn’t the Beginner’s Mind the Most Important?

“What did you just say?”

“Please lend me some points!”

I look up at Charlotte while kneeling.

“Points? What are you… Oh, could it be those used in the Achievement Shop?”

“Ah, the brilliant Lady Charlotte understands perfectly even when I speak unclearly.”

“…I still can’t get used to that way of speaking. Anyway, why do you suddenly need points?”

Charlotte asked, pushing her bangs to the side and narrowing her eyes halfway.

“There’s a very long and complicated story behind it…”

“Summarize it in three lines.”

“I’ve just gained a new skill, but it puts too much strain on my brain so I can’t use it. So I tried to purchase a trait or item that affects intelligence from the Achievement Shop, but I just realized I’m broke.”

“So… you’re asking me to buy something for you with points from the Achievement Shop?”

“Exactly!”

“Sorry. That’s not possible. No, I’m not even sorry. I don’t do business that only benefits others.”

Charlotte rejects me coldly.

But I’m not one to back down just because I’ve been rejected once.

“Oh, come on. When have I ever done something that only benefits me? Of course there’s something in it for you too, Lady Charlotte.”

“Is that so? You should have said that from the start.”

Charlotte, seemingly interested now, nodded her head slightly with a grin as if to say “go on.”

Standing up from my kneeling position, I opened my mouth.

“Lady Charlotte, do you know about the upcoming mock occupation war?”

“Of course. It’s an event that all students participate in at once. Ah, it’s a test, so maybe calling it an event is a bit…”

“Most students are looking forward to this test, so calling it an event isn’t unreasonable.”

The mock occupation war is a large-scale test conducted every semester at Luin Academy.

All students are divided into four teams to defend and capture territories assigned to each other.

Each team’s territory is divided into 50 domains, and if all members of a team occupying a domain are eliminated, that domain is naturally transferred to the team that eliminated the last member.

By continuously eroding each other’s territories, the team that owns the most territories at the end of the test wins.

The place where the occupation war takes place is the entire Luin Academy.

However, there’s no need to worry about buildings collapsing or students getting hurt.

The Matrix, an ultra-expensive cutting-edge magic engineering device designed solely for the mock occupation war, will transport everyone in the school to a specially crafted test venue.

It is configured exactly like Luin Academy, and the pain students feel is reduced to 1/10 of the normal level.

Created directly by a 7-star illusion magician, its performance is guaranteed.

“As Lady Charlotte would know from the novel, in the mock occupation war, groups of about 10 people usually form teams to defend their jurisdiction or go on expeditions to take domains from other camps.”

“That’s right.”

“Then do you also remember this? Supply boxes containing various useful resources periodically drop in each domain.”

“I remember. You’re talking about those supply boxes that require solving several strange problems to open? I thought I was going to die trying to solve them last semester.”

Supply boxes containing potions and various scrolls are periodically generated in each domain.

If you can acquire a supply box, it’s a great help in attacking or defending a domain, but to open the supply box, you need to solve notorious problems hand-crafted by Luin Academy professors.

“That’s right. It’s a system prepared for students who aren’t specialized in combat. So every team must include at least one intelligent student.”

“So? Your explanation is getting longer.”

“I have a secret weapon that can unlock the supply boxes at once.”

Charlotte heard my words and snickered.

“What, did you create a formula that solves all problems?”

“No, someone as unintelligent as me couldn’t have done such a remarkable thing. I just…”

I took out the master key I had obtained from opening the Generous Random Box from my inventory.

“Plan to use a simple trick.”

“What is that?”

“I’ve purchased a random box from the Achievement Shop before. This is an item that came out then, called a master key. With this, I should be able to easily unlock the supply boxes.”

“Oh… a master key.”

Charlotte reached out to touch my master key as if entranced.

Not a chance. I immediately raised my arm to prevent her from touching the key.

“You have bad hand habits.”

“How stingy.”

Charlotte glared at me and grumbled. Kukuk, if you’re frustrated, grow taller first… Hey!

Something snatched the key away.

Startled, I looked up and saw Charlotte’s hand emerging from a dimensional rift full of pitch-black darkness, stealing my key.

Oh, come on. That magic is too overpowered.

“Heh. That’s what you get for letting your guard down so carelessly. Let me see… appraisal.”

Charlotte murmured with a triumphant expression.

A blue current rose from her body and settled on the key.

“Oh…? It really is a master key as the name suggests… Ah!”

Suddenly, the key escaped from Charlotte’s hand and settled in mine.

“Heh. That’s what you get for letting your guard down so carelessly, right?”

Having stolen the key with Dolyeok, I gloated just as she had done earlier and stored the key in my inventory.

“Sigh, I can never win an argument with you. Anyway, I just confirmed that the key is real. Getting such a good item from a random box, aren’t you lucky?”

Haha, I even pulled a legendary grade, so this is nothing, ahahaha.

“Thank you for the compliment. By the way, Lady Charlotte, aren’t you tempted by this key? With this key, it would be very useful not only for supply boxes but also for unlocking other complex locks in the future.”

“Certainly. Honestly, I’m very tempted. What do you want?”

Good. The fish has definitely taken the bait, now let’s reel it in forcefully.

“Buy me an intelligence-related product from the Achievement Shop. If you do, I’ll lend you this key whenever you need it in the future.”

“Alright. With that, I can benefit enough too. Wait a moment. Hmm…”

Charlotte, who nodded her head, is staring intently into space. She’s probably scanning the Achievement Shop.

“Ah, there’s something suitable in the discount list. The name is… Good Student’s Ring?”

Good Student’s Ring. It’s an item I remember.

Despite being a rare grade item, it has the characteristic of significantly increasing intelligence more than other items of the same grade.

However, there is also a disadvantage.

“It increases intelligence not bad at all. But there’s a slight flaw… it says the damage of attack skills below rare grade is greatly reduced. Do you have many rare or common grade attack skills?”

The reduction of attack skills below rare grade.

Of course, this doesn’t apply to me.

The only attack skill I have is Counter, which is a hero grade.

No, it’s even ambiguous whether a counter skill should be called an attack skill in the first place.

“Not that many. How many points is it?”

“With a 25 percent discount, it’s 2000 points. Is this enough?”

“Whatever item Lady Charlotte gives me, I should accept it with gratitude.”

“Then I’ll buy this.”

Charlotte, half-ignoring my smarmy response, threw a small ring at me.

I received the ring and immediately put it on my finger.

Then I immediately tried using Natural Mirror.

“Oh, the burden on my head definitely feels less than before. But…”

But a slight throbbing still remains.

Perhaps one rare grade item alone can’t solve the problem.

“Judging by that reaction, the problem doesn’t seem completely solved.”

“Kuhu, let me say again, how about trying your hand at being a detective?”

“Shut up. Take this.”

Charlotte opened a dimensional rift, put her hand in, rummaged around, and then took out several 12-faced cubes and threw them at me.

“What are these cute toys?”

“Tools to increase your intelligence. You said you can touch objects with that Dolyeok power or whatever, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Lift the cubes with Dolyeok and solve them one by one. When you finish one, move on to solving two at once, then three, and keep increasing the number.”

For a moment, I blankly stared at Charlotte in confusion.

So, she wants me to solve these 12-faced cubes with Dolyeok? I don’t think I could even do it with my hands.

“…How am I supposed to do that?”

“What’s so difficult about it?”

She lifted the cube I was holding with her magic and started moving it quickly.

At first, the faces were mixed with various colors, but soon those colors gradually became unified, which left me amazed.

“…We’re both possessors, yet…”

“I was clumsy at first too. In other words, if you try hard, you can do it like me. Once you can solve four cubes at once, your brain problem will be somewhat solved. At least that’s what I think.”

“Haha… I wonder if that’s true.”

Charlotte, who quickly solved the cube, tossed it to me, opened a dimensional rift, and slowly walked into it.

“Well, try your best. I’ll be going now.”

“Take care.”

The dimensional rift closed, and Charlotte, who had been conversing with me until just a moment ago, disappeared.

“…I’m realizing again that Lady Charlotte is just as much of a monster as Miss Sheena.”

I lifted the cube I received from her with Dolyeok. I tried my best to recreate the impossible scene Charlotte had performed just moments ago.

And as expected, the cube just keeps getting more mixed, showing no signs of being solved.

“Ha, I guess it’s too much for me after all.”

I muttered as ‘myself’ for the first time in a very long while, not as Sion.

The limit of talent feels too severe.

No matter how hard I try, I don’t feel confident that I’ll make progress.

Can I truly endure in this Luin Academy, which is filled with talented individuals?

“…….”

I quietly put the cubes Charlotte gave me into my inventory. Today, I just want to quietly return to the dormitory.

I just feel that way.

“…Hmm?”

At that moment, as I was walking with my hands in my pockets, something was caught in my hand, and I unconsciously picked it up to check.

It was the note Elise had left for me.

I had completely forgotten about it because Charlotte appeared in the middle.

Right now, I don’t particularly feel like doing anything, but it’s courtesy to check a note someone took the trouble to leave.

I unfolded the note.

• • It’s good to try hard, but it would be better to take care of yourself a bit more. Unlike me, you’re not alone.

Not alone.

“……”

It’s just like Elise to not beat around the bush and say exactly what she wants to say.

“Haha, that wasn’t like me.”

I covered my face with my hand and burst out laughing as I muttered.

Losing motivation because I lack talent? When did I ever care about such things?

Just moving forward is enough.

It doesn’t matter if the pace is as slow as a grub. What’s important is the fact that I’m improving bit by bit.

My goal isn’t a grand dream like world conquest.

It’s just to build enough strength to take care of myself and not cause trouble for others.

That was my original goal.

It seems I’ve momentarily confused my goal because of too many recent events.

“It’s fine as long as I keep moving forward, even if it’s little by little.”

I took out one cube from my inventory. Then I lifted the cube with Dolyeok and started solving it again.

The speed might be unimpressive compared to Charlotte, but that doesn’t matter. I’m not competing after all.

I just need to do my best.

“Ugh, it’s still difficult.”

I muttered while rubbing my head.

But my expression had brightened incomparably compared to before.