Chapter 35 – This Time Wasn’t Normal Either (3)

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Translated by Jinmu

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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In front of the Dragon Class room.

I stared at the nameplate for a moment, then pushed open the classroom door and stepped inside. At once, the eyes of the Dragon Class cadets swung toward me, and one by one their faces twisted into open frowns.

I’d thought I’d more or less gotten used to these icy stared, but maybe because this was a higher-ranked class, their gazes felt especially colder.

Their eyes were thick with contempt. The back of my head stung. Ignoring those stared, I narrowed my eyes and slowly looked over the room.

That two-tone hairstyle like some Japanese delinquent should have stood out immediately, so if I couldn’t see it, he probably wasn’t here.

Just as I was thinking that and about to leave this bed of nails behind.

A large male student with a square jaw strode toward me. Once he stood in front of me, he shoved both hands deep into his pockets and thrust his face forward.

“Well, well. Look who showed up. The celebrity.”

The boy continued in a tone that was anything but friendly, dripping with mockery. Apparently he recognized me because of that subspace battle with Nox.

“But here’s the thing. This isn’t some place where trash like you gets to come and go however you want.”

The words he chose to start a fight out of nowhere sounded exactly like the kind of line a third-rate extra would deliver. He kept whipping his right hand around after pulling it out of his pocket.

At a glance he looked like the kind of thug every class had at least one of, but after spending nearly twenty years in food service in my previous life and dealing with countless drunks, the bluster of a somewhat oversized adolescent didn’t even earn a scoff from me.

“Quit bothering me and fuck off.”

The moment I said that, whispers started breaking out here and there around the room.

As he darted his eyes around at those murmurs, the boy’s face flushed red. But the instant his eyes met mine, the redness drained and his face went pale.

At that, I smiled slightly and whispered directly by his ear.

“Moron.”

“You son of a bitch!”

At once, his fist flew toward my temple before his brain could catch up. Maybe because he was Dragon Class, his hand speed was sharp and fast despite his heavy-looking build.

Even so, to my eyes, the movement of that fist was slow enough to make me yawn.

‘Hmm.’

I had been planning to deal with him in moderation. Break one of his limbs, and maybe he’d come to his senses. That much guidance was something I could offer as an adult.

Just as I was thinking that and about to move my hand, someone from behind suddenly grabbed the square-jawed boy by the shoulder and drove a fist straight into his jaw.

“Khk!”

The square-jawed boy let out a strangled groan and collapsed limply to the side.

His eyelids twitched once before his whites showed fully. Seeing his jaw get nailed that hard reminded me of one of those Nootube videos about how taking a clean shot to the jaw could knock you out in a single blow.

“…Bastard’s jaw is tough as hell, at least.”

In the midst of the atmosphere collapsing into panic, the one who’d struck him muttered that while flexing the hand he’d used to punch him.

As if the uproar around him hadn’t even entered his field of view, he turned his head toward me and spoke.

“You all right now?”

“A few days resting in a nice hospital room did the trick. Money really is great.”

I shrugged and answered breezily. At that, Speed Weapon flicked his wrist a couple of times and said with a bitter smile.

‘I’d heard of strength-based mages before, but a strength-based healer was definitely new.’

Speed Weapon, who had knocked out that big guy in one hit. Aside from the fact that his weapon was a recorder, he was an unusually capable healer in every other way too.

“Sorry. First thing you see when you come to our class is trash like this. Try to understand, though. These idiots are too stupid to recognize reality. They’re in the thick of puberty, you know?”

He spoke while nudging the unconscious boy’s body with the heel of his foot, propped there against the wall. The limp body rocked from side to side. I just shrugged as if it were nothing.

At that, Speed Weapon grinned, bent down, and whispered to the boy who had completely lost consciousness. Not a single person around us dared come closer.

“Don’t take it too hard. If it wasn’t for me, you might’ve died. It’d be too much of a waste to throw your life away just because you wanted to act tough.”

“……”

There was no answer. After throwing a few more words at someone whose eyes had rolled fully back, he stood up again. My dry gaze lingered for a moment on the unconscious boy.

“Want to talk out in the hall? There are too many eyes here. You came looking for me, right?”

When I nodded and stepped out of the classroom, Speed Weapon followed me. After we’d walked a little down the corridor, he suddenly tossed out a question.

“Be honest. If I hadn’t stepped in, what were you planning to do to that guy?”

At that, I stopped in place and turned my head.

“Who knows.”

I replied with a cold smile, then started walking again. At that, Speed Weapon’s eyes widened violently for an instant.

“…Scary bastard.”

Weapon stared after me for a second, then followed.

* * *

When we stopped about halfway down the corridor, I began explaining things. The core of what I explained was that I needed to form a party and clear a dungeon. I also wanted to feel out whether he was willing to join.

Weapon listened closely, nodding the whole time, and agreed to the suggestion without hesitation. I’d only come to test the waters, but he maintained a distinctly favorable attitude toward me.

Then, after touching his chin, Weapon muttered:

“So what you’re saying is that we need to put together a party pretty soon. You came to me because you want help assembling members. In exchange, the party members split the clear reward among themselves, and you take the monster materials for your share. Am I understanding that right?”

Even though I’d explained things vaguely since I wasn’t especially good at it, Weapon understood right away. I nodded easily and jingled the black nameplate hanging from my chest, the badge marking me as a special advancement student.

“If I try to recruit people myself, no one except Chloe will come. But if someone from Dragon Class like you helps, it’ll be a lot easier.”

Not only that, Weapon was a healer, one of those rare positions.

Back in Korea, in games treated practically like a second national pastime, he’d probably get treated like a glorified tool, but here he was irreplaceable.

And contrary to his appearance, he was sharp enough to understand what I meant even if I explained it like garbage.

‘Even if his weapon is a recorder, he really is capable.’

According to Hoakin Academy’s rules, to receive permission to clear a dungeon, a party had to be made up of at least four people.

There were various reasons for that, but the biggest one was likely to prevent problems if one cadet caused trouble outside academy grounds and there weren’t enough others present to keep it contained.

Wasn’t it basically the same principle as the military’s squad system? In other words, a system designed so cadets kept one another in check. If enough people were watching, it would be harder to go astray or did anything stupid.

And the reason the rule specifically said at least four was probably rooted in the same logic. Splitting roles across a party was the most basic way to reduce casualties.

After thinking for a moment, Weapon gave a snorting laugh and spoke piece by piece.

“If there weren’t academy rules… someone like you could probably clear four or five dungeons in a day by yourself, don’t you think?”

“There’s no way I could clear even a single dungeon alone.”

I shook my head and answered quietly.

“Cut the crap. You took down the mermaid by yourself and you’re saying that? A person can be so humble they become annoying, you know.”

“……”

Weapon spoke breezily, lightly thumping my side with his fist.

‘But it’s true.’

With a forty-second sprinter ability, I’d obviously get cut down right at the entrance the moment I stepped into a dungeon. Yet somehow he seemed to think I was just being modest….

I answered only by shrugging.

Weapon stroked his chin and thought for a while, then began giving his opinion.

Had you thought about which dungeon?

“A C-rank one. The Buffalo dungeon.”

“The buffalo dungeon… yeah, that’s probably the most classic option.”

Weapon narrowed his eyes slightly and asked:

“So then… is there a type of last member you’d prefer?”

“…If possible, I’d rather it not be Rachel or Leon.”

“Ah, those two are out anyway. Rachel’s been in closed training at the academy hall ever since you were hospitalized, and Leon’s probably busy preparing to tackle upper-tier dungeons with second- and third-years.”

Speed Weapon explained with a shrug. At that, I nodded immediately.

Weapon seemed a little excited. He was probably already sorting through possible members in his head.

Given Hoakin Academy’s general atmosphere, where going outside without proper justification was forbidden, I could understand why he looked that way. To young blood running hot, even this enormous academy probably felt like a cage.

To youth whose blood was boiling, even this enormous academy probably felt stifling, like a fenced enclosure.

The last time they’d actually gone outside had been during the midterms, and even then they’d nearly crossed the river to the other side.

After mulling it over for a while, Weapon suddenly looked like he’d come up with a good idea.

“There is one person who comes to mind. Right now, if it’s this time… she’s probably asleep there.”

“Sleeping at this hour?”

“She’s always like that.”

After checking the watch on his wrist, Speed Weapon continued.

“Let’s stop by the school store first. There are a few things I need to buy.”

* * *

“Did the academy always have a place like this?”

I muttered it while turning my head and looking around. Even when I played Miracle’s Blessing M, I’d never come here before.

The academy grounds were as large as a small city, so it wasn’t like I’d seen everything, but this was the first place I’d come across with such a strong Japanese atmosphere.

The archery range of Hoakin Academy.

A wooden building dried from cedar. When I turned my head to the side, I could see distant targets riddled savagely with arrows.

A place so foreign it felt as though I’d traveled to Japan. In my previous life I had been a Japanese cuisine chef, yet I’d never once actually gone to Japan. The reason was simple. I’d been too busy. Even making time for hobbies had been impossible, so overseas travel had been a luxury beyond my station. Even so, I’d always wanted to go someday, if only for market research. To think I’d end up satisfying that wish here instead.

As I looked around like a tourist, my eyes were drawn to a girl collapsed on the wooden floor.

“Weapon, there’s someone over there.”

“Ah, there she is.”

With that, Weapon headed toward her in long strides. I followed behind with a dubious look.

Weapon walked right up to the girl and began shaking her by the shoulder.

“Hey, wake up.”

“……”

Even though he seemed to be shaking her pretty hard, the girl didn’t react at all. For a moment, I wondered if she’d passed out. With both eyes closed, her body just lolled like a spineless creature.

No matter how loudly Weapon called, she kept sleeping peacefully. Finally, he let go and stood there with a hand on his hip, saying in a low voice:

“I bought yokan.”

“!”

At that, the lovely eyes that had been completely shut suddenly opened slowly. She rubbed both eyes sleepily, then peeled herself off the floor and slowly looked up at Weapon.

Her face was still dazed from sleep. Strangely enough, that only made her more attractive.

“Do you have yokan?”

Weapon immediately nodded as if he’d been waiting for that.

“Yeah. But only if you listen to everything we have to say first.”

He pulled out a bar of yokan from an inner pocket I hadn’t even known he had and waved it right in front of the girl’s face. Her pale blue eyes moved left and right, tracking the sweets.

The daughter of the Absolute Bow, Saki Ryozo.

A slender beauty whose archery uniform suited her perfectly, like a young lady from a refined household. Her light blue hair, clear as the sky, swayed down to her waist.

After letting out a huge yawn and patting her mouth shut, she spoke to me from several meters away.

“Do you have yokan too?”

“……”

I honestly had no idea how to answer that.