episode_0031

For several days, we worked diligently.

While the Violets outside diligently earned money and secured strongholds, the Violets at school weren’t just playing around.

“-There’s nothing but strange classes again today.-”

“-Just tune in!-”

Anyway, except for a few classes, unmotivated professors lectured carelessly or just rambled on about irrelevant topics.

“…Creatures that originate in other dimensions or are eroded by Aether possess tenacious vitality. Where does vitality come from? Perseverance! It’s mental strength. Therefore, you all must thoroughly arm yourselves mentally! That’s it.”

We decided to just ignore biology lectures and play. As long as we don’t get an F, that’s fine!

At a glance, the clone attending the class seemed focused on the lecture, but the reality was different. Clone #8 was currently sharing the vision of a standby clone playing a game on its phone in the dorm. It was legal game streaming.

“-There are a lot of fun games here. Though the subculture seems a bit weak.-”

“-Hey! Don’t do it like that! Control it better.-”

Spending time like this, class ended quickly.

“Professor-nim! I heard there’s a possibility that intelligent life forms similar to humans exist in the other dimension where the demonic beasts come from, is that true?”

As class was ending, a student raised their hand and asked a question. That question provoked a violent emotional reaction from the professor.

“What? Where did you hear such nonsense? The intelligence of demonic beasts is, at best, only slightly better than that of monkeys. That’s fake news that only those Federation guys would spread!”

“Ah… Professor-nim. I didn’t think that. I just saw on the news recently that scholars were saying that…”

“What? Scholars? I’m a scholar, and am I spreading conspiracy theories? Hey! What’s your name? Deduction!”

Seeing the professor throw a fit, something came to mind. Just as the student said, there are intelligent beings in the other dimension who are similar to humans, from their intelligence to their appearance.

It would be nice if they were just friendly neighbors, but there’s an implication that this fellow is a sort of demon lord-like entity, unfriendly to humanity. There was even talk that they might be the mastermind behind the first invasion.

This being’s existence didn’t seem to have been revealed yet at this time. Though high-ranking officials in the clans or the Federation might know.

“-Anyway, at this point, if I were to grab someone and explain it, everyone would just call it a conspiracy theory.-”

“-True, no need to speak up.-”

After the professor who seemed to enjoy advocating for mental strength to the point of self-destruction, the next class was tactical studies with an instructor who loved to tell stories.

“Alright, gentlemen. Sit down here. This is a story about when I assaulted a certain Otherworld-transformed region… And where that place was… And in that process, with three comrades… And which academy those comrades were from… When I met that friend, you see. I realized the importance of physical training…”

It’s amazing. How could he fill several hours of class time with just his own stories? Still, this instructor doesn’t seem to treat students too badly, so he seems somewhat decent.

“Student gentlemen. So, what tactical lesson do you think can be learned from this story?”

“…Teamwork?”

“Courage?”

“It seems you all understood well. Write a report detailing the important tactical lessons emphasized in the lectures I’ve given so far! By next class, within 5 pages, handwritten!”

Cancel that ‘somewhat decent’ remark. What kind of handwritten report is this in this day and age!

“-Ugh! What tactics are we supposed to discuss from that story?-”

“-Let’s just write something.-”

Later tonight, I’ll summon five clones and have each write one page. Then it’ll be done within an hour, I guess.

Still, the afternoon classes were a bit better, as there was one general education history class and a weapon techniques class with a scary instructor. Here, despite being tough, there was something to learn.

The course ` ` was taught by a gentle-looking elderly professor. I made sure to pay close attention to this lecture. Although I was also borrowing history books from the library to study separately, it was largely because this class taught content I really needed to know.

Since I don’t know all the background settings myself.

“…Humanity barely fended off the first invasion, but the crisis didn’t end. Demonic beasts ran rampant, nations collapsed, refugees emerged due to gates and other-dimensional erosion, and some Awakened individuals who gained Aether’s power fell into crime. All of humanity plunged into chaos for decades.

…Such problems could not be resolved by the power of individual nations. Therefore, with the agreement of existing international organizations and nations who felt the need for strong unity, a single organization was born. What is it, student?”

As the professor gently opened his mouth and asked the student in the front row, an answer came immediately.

“The Federation!”

“That’s right, the Federation. Starting from that very year, we began using a new calendar system called the ‘Federation Calendar.’ When I was young, there was no such thing… Oh, did I sound too old?”

As the professor lightly self-deprecated with an embarrassed look, the students smiled slightly. The class continued, centered around questions and answers. I just nodded quietly and kept listening to the lecture.

“…The friction between the Federation and the clans surrounding the Academy City almost escalated to extremes, but this incident became a turning point, causing them to acknowledge each other’s unique circumstances and relationships. What is this called?”

The students’ gazes turned to me. Huh? Why are they suddenly calling on me?

“The female student sitting in the back? Yes. You, student.”

It must have been me. Wait, I know this setting. It was a very simple word.

“Tea Time?”

I answered without thinking.

“That’s correct! Student. Well then, let’s continue.

As a result of this Tea Time Agreement, the clans were able to reach an agreement on the ownership of the Rustroom and various territories they had previously occupied…”

That’s a relief. It was an unexpected question, but I handled it well.

I think I’ll quite enjoy this history class going forward.

“-That’s because it’s a general education class!-”

“-Still, they know how to teach better than those professors from earlier.-”

Now, all that remained was the weapon techniques class.

As soon as I entered the gym, Instructor Frederick came over and started enthusiastically putting me through my paces.

“You disrespectful brat! Did you practice properly over the weekend?”

“I did!”

I showed him my sword energy discharge, honed through real combat. I displayed sword energy that was slightly stronger in thickness and brightness than last time, but the instructor merely glanced at it and then started scolding me harshly.

“You did? Did what? Look at your chubby cheeks, you just slept and ate all weekend! Is this tiny, weak thing even sword energy? A kindergartner’s stream would be stronger than this! More! Control it better!”

A pained whine escaped me.

As I whined, Frederick’s wrinkles deepened.

“What do you mean, ‘Uwaaah’? *Sigh*… You pathetic excuse for a student…”

The surrounding students snickered.

“Hey, you guys practicing over there, why are you laughing? Did you all start flying from the beginning? You brats are slacking off. When you go into the field, you’ll all be D-rank, at best C-rank entry-level. Everyone! 50 push-ups!”

As the instructor’s roar echoed, everyone instantly dropped down and started doing push-ups. This sudden thunderbolt only increased their suffering.

“One! Two! Three!…”

While doing push-ups to the count, I subtly glanced to the side. The other students didn’t seem to be struggling. I could see streaks of magical power flowing through their limbs. They used body strengthening.

However, Frederick was not one to let students off easy. He began moving around with the assistant instructors, diligently cracking down on the students.

“What are you doing! Aren’t you removing the magic from your arms? Stand up! Start again. This time, 70 reps! If I catch you using body strengthening, you’re dead!”

A moment later, the gymnasium was filled with the students’ screams.

I was also a little tired.

But there was one advantage.

[The pain felt by the individual is dispersed among the clones, dulling it – Dullness value: 5%]

I distributed the pain to my other selves using the power of my unique ability. While the fatigue itself didn’t disappear, the reduction in muscle soreness made it a bit better than before.

My other selves in different locations protested the unexpected pain.

“-Ugh! I’m hunting demonic beasts, why am I exercising again!-”

“-Sorry!-”

The instructor enthusiastically put us through our paces for 30 minutes.

“A scream!”

“Ugh… My arms…”

“Are you complaining over something like this? Alright, next is 70 jumping jacks! The final count will be omitted!”

“A pained gasp!”

Unfortunately, there were a few friends who couldn’t omit the count, just like in army training. After all the disciplinary exercise was over and the students were panting, Frederick ordered them to release their sword energy. Everyone’s sword energy strength was noticeably weaker.

“Look at your condition! Your sword energy output became this pathetic just because your breathing got a little rough. If you lose focus like this in a real fight, you’ll be meeting with an undertaker right away. Therefore, today, in addition to basic stances and Aether discharge control, we will learn about breathing techniques.”

Wow, we’re learning something new.

After being instructed for quite a while longer, Frederick approached again.

“You disrespectful brat, you… Hmm? Your output didn’t drop as much as I thought. Do you usually exercise?”

Now that I think about it, my sword energy output doesn’t seem to have changed much. Why is that? I don’t know either. Is it the effect of pain dispersion?

Thinking about it, there were a few times when my sword energy output decreased as my breathing got rough while running around in dungeons, but that happened less often within a few days. Since I died to demonic beasts whenever my sword energy weakened, I think it improved because I tried desperately to maintain it.

After class, Frederick conveyed some announcements.

“Review is life! Practice and practice again. The gym maintenance is finished, so it will be open starting this week. You can come alone or not.”

Oh, I might be able to come sometime later.

After class ended, it was still afternoon. My selves in the southwest were still deep in hunting, and my self in the central region had finished talking with Kalia and was rolling around on the sofa. Kalia’s flustered reaction upon seeing us was quite amusing. Though I was a bit surprised when she stroked my head.

“-It’s snack time!-”

My clones usually ate heartily as long as their money allowed, but they agreed to have one snack at set times. While there was no problem maintaining the clones as long as they consumed over 1,500 calories, it was because they had more things they wanted to eat after becoming a beautiful girl.

I recently realized one of the advantages of having a beautiful girl’s body. Unlike before I possessed it, I could stuff as much food as I wanted into my stomach without feeling bloated. Even if I crammed sweet, salty, sour, and greasy foods until my stomach was bursting, it was wonderful that I could eat new, stimulating foods the next day without any burden.

This time, I headed to the convenience store on the first floor of the student union to buy the cream spaghetti set I had been eyeing. The student union was a five-story building constructed in a neoclassical style.

It felt strange that a convenience store was stuck outside such an old-fashioned building. However, perhaps because the school was so large, the convenience store was big and had a lot of items for sale, which was nice.

I saw people gathered in front of the door.

“Is there some kind of event?”

Pushing through the crowd, I saw a signboard set up in front of the convenience store.

Effective today, the use of all cafeterias/restaurants inside and around Polaris Comprehensive Academy is restricted for freshmen of the class of ’25. The reasons for restriction are as follows: 1. Eating out wastes your valuable money, fellow students. 2. Eating out or snacking increases trash. 3. Increased trash leads to severe environmental pollution. 4. Severe environmental pollution leads to anger, disrupting senior-junior harmony and breaking school order. 5. If school order is broken, the combat power of Awakened individuals weakens, which can lead to the world’s destruction. If caught violating this measure, you will receive disciplinary action from patrolling Management Council seniors. -From the Freshman Management Council

“… “What kind of nonsense is this?”

To do something not even done in the military, and on top of that, the notice they wrote was full of typos. What kind of words were those?

I ignored the notice and approached the convenience store door.

“A startled cry!”

The door swung wide open. Startled, I stepped aside.

“Thud!”

“A scream!”

“A shriek!”

“A cry of pain!”

There was a thudding crash, and then three or four students were thrown out of the door. Two male and female students, who seemed to be the ones who had sent the students flying, came forward and shouted.

“Did you see the announcement! From now on, eating out at cafeterias and restaurants inside and outside the school is temporarily restricted!”

Seeing them act like this, even wearing armbands, was ridiculous.

I saw freshmen protesting something or other in front, but when the seniors drew their swords and unfurled magic circles, everyone fell silent. Violence is scary.

While they were making a commotion, I tried to sneak into an opening.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

“A startled cry!”

I was caught trying to walk away stealthily. I decided to try to pass myself off as a fellow student.

“Hey, what year are you?!”

“I’m class of ’24!”

As I brazenly spoke, the female student asked a question.

“Oh really? Tell me the name of the professor for last year?”

“Ah…”

Ugh! I was really caught! I tried to run away, but the male student grabbed my hair and threw me aside.

“A shriek! My hair! Let go of my hair! A startled cry!”

“Stay still!”

As I brushed off my knees and stood up, I saw several shimmering magic circles forming in the female student’s hand.

“Wow… Look at her, she dares to impersonate a senior?”

“Pulling my hair is too much… A bewildered sputter.”

“Sweep them away and knock them down. Air Blast!”

“Boom!”

“A sharp scream!”

I was hit by the compressed gale and sent flying far away.

“Thump!”

After hitting the ground, I rolled several times and crashed into a bush beside the road. The first-year students who saw me get beaten hesitated and backed away.

“It hurts too much…”

[The pain felt by the individual is dispersed among the clones, dulling it – Dullness value: 5%]

Since the pain was alleviated, I tried to dust myself off and stand up as if it were nothing, but I felt a liquid flowing down from under my chin.

When I wiped my hand across it, thick nosebleed stained my palm.

I absolutely couldn’t stand it.

“You… b-bastard… I won’t forgive you…!”

I was about to pull out my hammer and charge, but then I calmed down. That’s because I remembered the female student using magic.

What that punk used was Air Blast, a magic skill mainly used for restraint or suppression. Though it wouldn’t kill me to get hit, I couldn’t approach them at my current level. It’s a skill for suppressing weak mobs, after all.

Since I had leftover magic power, I created two clones, had them wear masks, and sent them to circle around and enter the student union.

“Clone #17, Clone #18, go up to the rooftop and wait there for now. Be careful of CCTV!”

“Confirmed.”

I made a request to my other selves, who had received news of my plight.

“-You’re still inside the Novastia Dungeon, right? Just get me a rock!-”

“-Okay! There’s a suitable one nearby, so I’ll send it right away.-”

My clone in the central region dissuaded me.

“-No, things from inside the dungeon look awkward. Luckily, there’s a good one nearby.-”

I saw those two trashy seniors, who were just messing around, still standing at the convenience store entrance. They were fiddling with their smartphones at the entrance, snickering about something.

“-The rooftop door is locked. I’ll tear it open with sword energy!-”

Clones #17 and #18, who had immediately climbed to the rooftop, took out the flowerpot they had received. It was a yellowed, old ceramic flowerpot of suitable weight and size.

“-They’re Awakened, so they won’t die from getting hit by this, right?-”

When the time was right, I sent a signal to my clones. Two flowerpots fell simultaneously. The heavy flowerpots quickly accelerated.

Newtonian mechanics, at 9.8 meters per second, struck the trashy seniors’ heads.

“Crash!”

“A cry of shock!”

“A gagging sound!”

Success! Physics doesn’t lie!

As the punks were hit in the head by the flowerpots, they couldn’t even scream and just collapsed. Passersby’s attention was drawn to the crashing sound, and soon the surroundings became chaotic.

“A scream!”

“Someone collapsed! Call for rescue! The infirmary!”

“They must have been hit by a flowerpot!”

“How are they managing things?”

Clones #17 and #18, who were on the rooftop, were immediately de-generated. Watching from a distance, I saw the punks being carried away in an ambulance shortly after. From what I overheard people saying, they just seemed to have fainted.

Hehehe.

As I went closer, I saw the fallen signboard. I threw it into a nearby flowerbed and went into the convenience store to buy food.

“-I didn’t get caught, did I?-”

“-I didn’t do it. It was universal gravitation.-”

Some of us voiced concerns, but no one came looking for me afterward. It was a perfect crime.

The cream spaghetti set for dinner was truly savory and delicious.