episode_0011

Thud.

Blood splatters.

His fist lands on the face of the noble who had been tormenting me.

“This isn’t the mainland, it’s the academy. No matter how many times I say it, you don’t seem to have any intention of changing.”

Crack.

His fist gradually becomes stained with blood.

“You dared lay a hand on Elisha before, do you find me amusing?”

Bruises form around my eyes and my lips split open.

It seems even a tooth broke, as a noble’s tooth rolls on the ground.

“I won’t say it again. Have you forgotten who I am?”

“P-please, I-I’m s-sorry. I won’t touch you again. Please…”

Perhaps due to the missing tooth, Noble Havel pleads for mercy in a faltering tone.

Honestly, it was somewhat satisfying. After a year of relentless torment, seeing him in this state is quite satisfying.

However, I worry that the noble might retaliate even more severely using this incident as an excuse.

“Then leave. There won’t be a next time, Havel.”

Swish.

Bern Flame, a black-haired man, wipes his hands with a handkerchief.

He then conjures a blue flame from his left hand and warns the noble who had been mistreating me.

“And if you dare harass this pink-haired lad again, I will personally deal with you.”

Havel and his group scatter like they’re fleeing upon hearing this.

“How many times have I warned you? While I wasn’t paying attention, you were harassing commoners again,” Bern mutters quietly.

He tosses me a few gold coins.

“It’s 10,000 coins. Use it to buy medicine or a dagger. And just so you know, from now on, solve your own problems.”

“Don’t expect such luck next time.” With those words, he leaves without waiting for my thanks.

I haven’t even had a chance to thank him…

He’s an intriguing person. Could the rumors be wrong?

Terms like troublemaker, problem child, delinquent don’t suit him.

Even if our families’ relations sour, does it not matter to him?

While everyone feared noble retaliation, no one helped me.

Bern was different. He saved me.

Despite the hellish year of being ostracized, I felt a sense of small salvation from him.

As a result, my left cheek that had been throbbing from Havel’s blow seemed less painful.

“Yes, the rumors must be wrong. Someone like him can’t be a troublemaker!”

After Bern intervened, Havel and his group stopped harassing me.

However, due to the awkwardness with friends who stood by while she was tormented for a year, I found myself alone again.

But it’s okay.

I owe him. To repay that debt, I must rise to Class B where Bern Flame is.

And I still haven’t thanked him yet.

If you owe a debt, you must repay it. That was her rule.

So, in order to convey my gratitude, I searched for him but couldn’t find him in the end. Then, I heard by chance.

He had been demoted to Class C for assaulting a student, serving a 15-day suspension.

“Was it because of me? Did he hit another student for my sake?”

I didn’t even get to say thank you, and he got disciplined for helping me.

When I meet him, I should start with expressing my gratitude. That was Ellen’s resolution.

On the day of the practice, I met him in the same group, but words didn’t come easily.

After encountering him, her once confident demeanor crumbled, unable to calm down.

As everyone gathered, starting their self-introductions, she kept gazing at Bern.

“Should I greet him first? Or should I start with a thank you? What should I do?”

Lost in thought while looking at him, it was soon her turn to speak.

She was the one who introduced herself with a slightly nervous, trembling voice, but it didn’t matter.

Because she had finally met him again.

“Will Bern remember me? How should I approach this?” she thought…

“Do you recognize me?”

But Bern did not remember.

“Well… I guess that could happen. Bern is a noble, and I am a commoner…”

Yet she felt hurt.

Being hurt is being hurt.

She might have been just a passing person, but still, to not remember at all…

Elin was slightly, no, a bit shocked.

….

“Elin.”

“Yes.. yes?”

“Don’t space out. We are in a pretty bad situation right now. Any signs of detection magic?”

“Well… It seems like there’s nothing around us..”

We were running at the moment. Or rather, maybe I was the only one running.

I was carrying her across the forest.

While entering the forest, trying to dodge a blind magic shot from another student, she stumbled, and I carried her across the forest.

I handle the movement, while she detects the surroundings with her magic.

This is made possible by the power of skills and accessories.

Thanks to the training so far, I acquired a new skill today by chance.

≪Tenacity≫.

————

Name: Bern Flame

Age: 18

Occupation: Student (2nd year)

Title: None

Race: Human

Attributes:

≪Magic Amplification≫: Amplifies magic power.

≪Azure Flames≫: All fire-based skills turn into blue flames, enhancing their power.

Health: 5 (+2)

Strength: 4

Skill: 7

Agility: 4

Magic: 6 (+2)

(New!)

Skills:

≪Tenacity≫: Once a day, restores all health and magic power.

Remaining Stats: 0

Equipped Accessory: ≪Grace of Nature≫ (Epic)

————

The skill ‘Tenacity,’ obtained through repeated special actions.

A hidden skill that can be acquired by repeating exercises like most heroes in comics do.

It’s a cheeky skill that most people don’t know how to acquire or even that it exists.

I came across it by playing mini-games in the fitness club.

In game terms, I can only use it once a day, but its performance is real.

It restores all health and magic power!

Moreover, with the combination of Grace of Nature, which gives a 10% additional buff in the forest field, I was swiftly racing through the forest.

Even if my health depletes, I can recover using Tenacity, so I’ve been carrying her for tens of minutes.

Although I had to carry her due to her injured leg, I didn’t feel particularly tired.

Having reinforced my body with magic and Elin being as light as a feather, it wasn’t that strenuous.

“It doesn’t matter. What we’ll gain is a golden object.”

“I’m sorry, but at my level…”

“It doesn’t matter. We probably won’t find the golden object anyway.”

“What does that mean?”

Elin, with pink hair, expressing doubt.

Of course, it’s natural. It would be strange if she wasn’t curious.

This place is the largest academy in the world.

The students here are all quite capable individuals.

Even if they possess weak magic power, there will surely be students who can find it.

It’s certain that it wouldn’t have been left hidden in an ordinary way.

In the game, the academy’s professors carried artificial golems around and attacked students.

They were both guards and hunters.

So, we need to find not an object but something artificial, a golem.

The golem is slightly larger than an average person and equipped with a magical device that disrupts the flow of mana.

Despite its size, it won’t be easy to spot because disrupting the flow of mana means sealing magic power.

‘We can use that to our advantage.’

Flow of mana will surely reveal any anomalies in detection magic.

Detection magic spreads one’s magical power widely to detect objects, humans, or creatures.

“In a world where mana exists everywhere, if there is a place where detection is impossible, there is only one answer.”

“We are using detection magic to find artificial locations.”

“What does that mean?”

Mumble mumble

Skip advanced tips, skip dialogue!

After passing on the information to her, I continued running.

How much further did I run? After running for a while, feeling a bit tired, I carefully set down Elin,

sat on a small rock, and took a rest.

“Elin, you should take a break now too.”

“…Phew… Okay…”

Perhaps she looks a bit tired because she kept using detection magic.

Well, she must be tired since she injured her leg and kept consuming magical power.

Did I act too carelessly? I feel a bit sorry.

Her pink hair has become dusty, and her twisted ankle seems more swollen than before.

Since I can’t use ice magic, I can’t offer any help.

It would have been good if Alicia were here… Hmm.

For now, since Elin looks tired, I should rest and then slow down the pace a bit.

Although the sun is still up, it will soon be night.

Golems become active right after the sun sets, so it doesn’t matter.

Even if they are discovered, most students cannot win without knowing their weaknesses.

“Um… Sorry for making Elin rest, but I want to talk about what I couldn’t finish earlier.”

I feel sorry for Elin resting, but I can’t resist my curiosity.

What exactly happened between Bern and the others?