chapter_0126

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
126

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
126

In the world of Soul Academy,
significant forests have beings who can be considered their masters.

These beings were once
regarded as deities in the distant past, possessing abilities far
beyond those of ordinary creatures. They sometimes bestow great
Blessings upon those they recognize.

Naturally, as would be
expected, these beings—once considered gods—do not permit just
anyone to meet them. Only when they deem someone worthy will they
allow their presence to be seen.

This criterion varies from
being to being. For instance, the Silver Wolf of Siluf Forest
requires strength.

In the game, once you reached
a certain level, you could meet them, essentially assuring them that
you were a promising contender worth meeting.

Thus, I didn’t worry at all. I
thought I’d be able to meet them since I had levelled up
consistently.

I also didn’t think it would
be difficult to be acknowledged.

The strength I possess now
ranks in the upper echelons of the game.

Fighting against the Silver
Wolf would be much easier than going up against Nacrad.

But I didn’t anticipate this
kind of variable!

“I heard about it
recently too. They decided on Scytil Forest.”

‘Why on earth?!’

“Sloppy. What’s the reason?”

Scytil Forest?!

That’s supposed to be for
the second semester!

Why has the order of the
forests changed suddenly?!

“I heard it was due to
safety concerns. Haven’t there been many incidents at the Academy
this year? They judged Scytil Forest to be a more suitable place to
ensure students’ safety than Siluf Forest.”

Oh, is that the reason?

Although Karl said he didn’t
know all the details behind the decision, I had a pretty good idea.

To put it simply, the Master
of Scytil Forest is more cooperative than the Silver Wolf.

To protect students from
various disturbances, Scytil Forest is indeed a better choice.

If safety is the reason,
there’s nothing we can do about it.

Ha, damn. This is troublesome,
really.

In theory, that’s true.

But think about it another
way.

I’m a veteran so I’ve
memorised all the ways to get acknowledged by each forest’s master.

So why am I worried now?

Meeting the Master of Scytil
Forest requires charm.

Simply put, it means beauty or
elegance.

To raise this attribute, I
can’t just keep fighting like I have been.

I need to pay attention to my
appearance, go out to social gatherings to cultivate elegance, and
even hire personal tutors to learn.

Of all these things, what have
I actually done so far? Nothing at all.

All I’ve been doing is
levelling up for battles, increasing my stats, and improving my
skills.

I haven’t done a single
thing to increase my charm.

In other words, my current
charm level is exactly the same as when I first created this
character!

What should I do?

At this rate, I’m not going
to get acknowledged by the Master of Scytil Forest.

Sure, I could bring along
Phoebe or Joy, who naturally have high charm stats, but if I don’t
get acknowledged by that damn picky fox myself, it’s all pointless!

No way. I can already see
Armadi’s harassment creeping towards me.

“Miss? Are you alright?”

‘Be quiet.’

“Sloppy. Keep your mouth
shut.”

“Yes, understood.”

Think. I can’t just stand
here and do nothing.

I don’t know what the
humiliating penalty for failure is, but I definitely don’t want to
find out.

The circumstances aren’t
that bad.

I have Alsatine indebted to
me, and I can use the Newman Family as I please.

It’s totally possible to
find a way to increase my charm.

So, the important thing now is
figuring out how much I need to raise my charm stat.

As I pondered deeply, I looked
up at Karl.cThe easiest way for me to check my charm stat right now,
without being able to see my status window, is to observe the
reactions of NPCs.

Their reactions will change
depending on my charm stat.

Specifically, if the charm
stat is low, their reactions will be cold. If high, their reactions
will be favourable.

‘Karl, do I look pretty?’

“Sloppy, do I look pretty?”

“Why do you ask something so
obvious? Miss, you have the appearance of an angel descended from
heaven. Your skin is…”

‘Enough.’

“You’re creeping me out.
Stop it, you Sloppy Lolicon.”

Yeah. That’s the kind of
answer I’d get if I asked you, Karl.

I don’t know why, but he
acts like a fanboy for his own master.

I haven’t done anything for
him, yet his affection level is this high. It’s a mystery.

Whose reaction should I check?

Most NPCs won’t give me a good
response.

Even before the charm stat
issue, I have a reputation problem.

Just hearing the name Lucy
Allen makes people horrified, so how can I expect a proper answer if
I ask them if I am pretty?

The only people around me who
can give an objective evaluation are…

Joy, but her affection level
is high so she can’t be objective.

Frey would give a strange
answer.

Phoebe would only say nice
things, which wouldn’t help.

Bisi, Avery and Alsatine would
just sugarcoat their words while watching my reactions, so they’re
out.

Then the only one left is
Arthur.

Hmm. He seems like a good
choice.

Since we fought once before,
he doesn’t hold any grudges, nor is his affection level high.

Judging by his reaction would
give me the most accurate assessment of my current charm stat.

After losing to Joy in the
last midterm exam, Arthur has been dedicated to honing his skills.

He was never one to be lazy,
but recently, his efforts have intensified even more.

During the midterm exam, he
grumbled and made various complaints, but a loss is a loss
regardless.

If he had scored higher, if he
had just managed to outperform Lucy Allen, there would have been no
problem from the start.

Having been teased quite a bit
for that defeat, Arthur resolved to not only surpass Joy next time
but also to outshine Lucy Allen, and so he has been giving it his
all.

But the problem is, Lucy Allen
keeps getting farther ahead.

The first conqueror of the
Academy Dungeon.

In the long history of the
Academy, the first to conquer it in the first semester of the first
year.

Lucy Allen.

It was a foregone conclusion.

She had everything about the
dungeon in the palm of her hand.

For her, the Academy’s dungeon
was always just another place to train.

It was only natural for her to
achieve such a result.

“With such talent, she
could afford to be a little lazy.”

Yet, she continues to use her
abilities to achieve even greater things. As if she were running to a
place no one could catch up to.

“But someday, I will
surely claim victory over Lucy Allen.”

It might sound arrogant, but
he never considered himself less talented than others.

He believes he is also a
shining star.

‘No matter how brightly you
shine, Lucy Allen, one day I will definitely catch up to you.

And then, I will ask you.

About the meaning of the words
you said that day.’

“Beat me? Pitiful Prince.
You dream big.”

As he clenched his fist, deep
in thought, Arthur cautiously turned his head at the voice he heard
from behind.

There stood the very person he
had resolved to defeat just moments ago.

Lucy Allen. Dressed in the
Academy uniform, she looked up at Arthur with her usual partially
closed eyes.

“…How much did you
hear?”

“From the beginning. Pft.
Are you feeling inferior? Pitiful Prince?”

So she had been listening from
the start while he was lost in his feelings during training?!

Arthur, overwhelmed with
indescribable embarrassment, quickly turned his head away to hide his
blushing face.

“What brings you here?”

“I have something to ask
you. Our sloppy Pitiful Prince who feels inferior to a girl.”

“…Enough already. I was
wrong.”

Arthur, who wasn’t used to
being teased because of his princely status, couldn’t endure Lucy’s
playful attitude any longer.

As she watched Arthur’s face
turn red, Lucy finally stopped laughing and nodded, indicating she
understood. Then, she brought up the reason for her visit.

“Hey, Pitiful Prince.
What do you think of me with those sloppy eyes of yours? Do you think
I’m pretty?”

“Huh? What are you
talking about all of a sudden?”

‘Pretty?

Why would she ask something
like that out of the blue?’

“Just answer me. Or else
I’ll re-enact your monologue, Pitiful Prince…”

“No, wait a minute! I’ll
answer!”

‘Damn it. I’ve been caught
in an embarrassing situation by the last person I wanted to find out.

Hopefully, she won’t use this
against me in the future.

What was the question again?

Am I pretty?’

Arthur ran his hand down his
face and took a good look at Lucy.

Objectively speaking, Lucy was
quite pretty.

Even Arthur, who had lived in
the Royal Palace and seen all kinds of beauties, thought so. Even
though she underwent intense training that would make even the most
seasoned knights recoil, her skin remained flawless and pale.

Her crimson eyes sparkled as
if they had rubies embedded in them.

Her hair looked like red silk,
making one unconsciously want to stroke it.

Standing silently with her
mouth closed, Lucy Allen looked like a doll crafted by a skilled
artisan and was undeniably beautiful.

There were few in high society
who could compare to her.

Arthur couldn’t deny this
fact.

However, Arthur couldn’t bring
himself to tell Lucy she was beautiful.

He couldn’t predict what kind
of teasing words might spill from her small lips if he did.

“You look passable.”

“Really?”

When Arthur responded bluntly,
Lucy’s disappointment was visible.

‘Oh. Um.

Did I make a mistake?’

No matter how annoying Lucy
Allen is, she’s still a lady, and saying she looks passable might be
rude, right?

“That was a joke. You
fall into the category of beauty.”

“Hmm. Really? Pitiful
Prince?”

“Yes.”

“Okay then. Train hard.
Not that a sloppy Pitiful Prince like you could ever beat me.”

“If you’ve finished your
business, you may leave now!”

“Ahaha. Alright, I’ll be
going now.”

Arthur watched Lucy’s
retreating figure with light footsteps and sighed.

‘Did she really come all
this way just to ask that?’

Hmm… If Arthur is saying
such things, it seems my charm score isn’t that low.

If he’s saying I’m beautiful,
then I’m definitely above average.

With this level, I can cover
it with items sufficiently.

Okay. I see the answer now.

Armadi! No matter how much you
mess with me, I will not falter!

Because I am a Veteran!

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