Ta-da! (2)

My antics in class were, of course, reported straight to Lord. It was only natural that rumors would spread like wildfire. I'd only done it to show off my regeneration ability, but I couldn't deny it had been a bit extreme. If I had to make excuses, a minor scratch wouldn't have convinced anyone. I hadn't even thought of that at first, but anyway.

"Heh heh. So, the blood?"

"Pardon?"

"I asked if you'd wiped up all the blood."

Lord chuckled heartily at Luna and Kara's so-called testimony, then asked in his usual composed tone. He seemed to have gotten used to it by now.

"Yes. Kara unnie helped me clean it all up before it could dry and crust over, so it came off nice and clean."

"Good to hear Sivar took responsibility. But you say it healed right away, even after bleeding that profusely?"

"Well... yes."

"Hmm."

Lord fixed me with a steady gaze after Luna's reply. Feeling the pressure, I averted my eyes to the side. Until now, he'd overlooked my escapades since they weren't entirely intentional on my part. But today was different. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Maybe it was from living wild so long, but my sense of normalcy was way off. I'd realized that today.

"Well, as long as you don't harm others, it's fine. You did well. Head back and rest now."

"Thank you. Rest well too, President."

Luna bowed politely and turned to leave. Now she could finally relax.

Clunk.

"Oh? Luna!"

"Ellie?"

Right on cue, she bumped into Ellie coming in. Porori was nestled in her arms. To be precise, Ellie was holding a small box, with Porori perched on top, using her chest as a pillow. Enviable.

"Heh heh heh heh."

"......"

Correction. Extremely enviable. How comfy did it have to be for him to snore with his nose buried like that? Drool dripping from his mouth—he was in the deepest slumber, as if he'd tossed his Wild Instinct far away.

"You leaving now?"

"Yeah."

"If you're free, hang out with me. It's boring alone."

"Hmm..."

At Ellie's request, Luna glanced at Lord—an unspoken question of permission. He nodded approvingly. The more people around, the better, as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠far as he was concerned. He rarely meddled in others' affairs anyway, and he could handle any issues on the spot.

"Alright. I'll stay a bit."

"Yay. Where are Kara unnie and Elvin?"

"Elvin had business and left first. Kara unnie should be here soon."

"Elvin's a guardian too—why does he bail so much?"

Ellie asked with genuine curiosity, not a complaint. That's how it looked in her eyes. In truth, Elvin's relationship with us was a bit ambiguous—not too close, not too distant. We all got along fine, but "business" fit him perfectly.

'Busy with sponsor stuff.'

He was a promising talent from the Matra Empire, after all. Timing-wise, he was probably tied up negotiating with them. Soon enough, we'd hear about the "exam" ahead through him. It might seem unfair—and it was. As I'd mentioned before, the academy's true purpose had long been diluted.

"He said he has a lot on his plate. You don't have a sponsor, right, Ellie? Like scouts from Matra or Granada Empire."

"I do! Someone came to offer support."

"Really? Even for non-combat roles?"

They existed, of course. And the support was generous. The differences lay in material types and ethics. Matra had diverse resources but stuffy old-timers; Granada had limited ones but was far more lenient. Matra's natural wealth contrasted with Granada's scarcity.

"So, who was it? Matra Empire?"

"No. Hwan Empire."

"Hwan Empire?"

"Yeah. Someone from there approached me, asking if I'd consider working together."

The Hwan Empire rarely scouted first. They only approached with certainty. And Ellie had the skills and talents to win their favor. They excelled in pharmaceuticals and potions—top-tier stuff. In the game, she died often because of it. Keep her alive to the end, and you got free buffs and healing potions galore.

"Impressive. The Hwan Empire's stubborn—they don't scout lightly."

"Did you accept?"

"Nah. More to learn here at the academy. I've got a mountain of stuff already—adding that would give me a headache."

Ellie gently set the box and Porori down on the sofa. Even in his deep sleep, his ears perked up. No matter how soft the sofa, it couldn't beat Ellie's "pillow."

I had to concede that point.

"Mm... Huh? What? Everyone's here?"

Porori stirred, rubbing his eyes in a half-daze. I eyed him with a mix of envy and resentment. Meanwhile, Ellie sat on the sofa, gently petting his head, a small smile on her face.

"Ratatosk worked hard today. He gathered the materials I needed."

"Oh yeah? Knows all about herbs?"

"I didn't know the names, but I know everything else."

Porori crossed his arms and shrugged. I itched to smack him. How could every little gesture be so infuriating? Others might find him cute—I didn't.

"Bet Sivar knows herbs too, huh?"

"Probably. Ever since his regen leveled up, he treats 'em all like meals."

Porori was spot on. Post-upgrade, herbs became food. Especially great for masking that wild game smell.

"Pretty tasty, actually. So ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I snuck some."

"Fuck?"

You? No wonder meals went missing sometimes. I'd blamed raccoons or birds—never Porori. Can't sense his presence? He's a stealth master; he could ambush me if he wanted. Plus, his small size made it harder to detect than bigger beasts.

"Ask him to cook sometime. You'll get something delicious."

"Yeah, that bear meat back then was good."

"......"

Ellie looked delighted at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the thought; Luna, nauseous. Probably recalling when we'd first met and I shared bear meat. Ellie came from an even remoter backwater than Luna—she'd eaten bugs before.

"Oh, right—not the time. I brought something fun today."

As we reminisced, Ellie remembered something. She rummaged in the box from the sofa. Everyone, including Lord, turned to look.

Clunk.

"Hm? Ellie's here too."

"Perfect timing, unnie! Wanna try this?"

Kara arrived just then. Ellie beamed and beckoned her over. Kara approached, puzzled but curious.

"What's this?"

"Creativity test. And wisdom rings. Thought it'd be fun, so I bought 'em."

She showed two things: paper with five dots in patterns, and intertwined rings.

"See the dots? Dozens of 'em. Connect five into different patterns in one minute."

"This one?"

Kara pointed to the tangled rings—two loops interlocked.

"Separate 'em without force. It's called wisdom rings for a reason—gotta use your head."

"Why bring these?"

"Bored."

"......"

Her casual "bored" drew odd looks. Lord just smiled warmly. In the game, befriending Ellie unlocked minigames like these. They doubled as ability checks. Soul World had players clearing stories with creativity alone.

"President, wanna try? Connect 'em in different patterns within a minute."

"Not a bad idea."

"Right? Here, two sheets."

Normally she'd ask politely, but Ellie's energy was infectious. Lord took them without fuss. As papers were distributed, an unexpected snag arose.

"...Hey, miss. What about me?"

"Oh."

No tool fit Porori—the "beast," not "person." Ellie looked flustered; she'd overlooked it. Even if there was a pen for him, thumbs were the issue.

I shot him a question.

"Fuck."

"Can you even bend your thumb? What kinda talk is that?"

Even as a spirit beast, he couldn't escape his limits. Same for others. We skipped Porori for the creativity test. No pen, no thumbs—what creativity?

"I'll get you later. One day, I'll bend a thumb."

"Sure. You can't."

"You little shit—"

"Ratatosk."

Ellie cut off his curse. Porori grumbled, full of resentment. At least he shut up around her. I smirked inwardly and eyed my paper.

"Okay! Start when the clock hits 12. Ready... go!"

Ellie called it, and heads bowed. The room filled with pen scratches. I breezed through without a hitch. Never needed my brain much before—too lazy when answers were obvious. Porori's advice had driven that home.

"Time! How many? I got 52!"

"51. A tad disappointing. Age, perhaps?"

"......"

Real geniuses dimmed my shine. My soaring confidence plummeted. As I sulked quietly, Kara scratched her head.

"43 for me. Trickier than it looks. You, Luna?"

"45."

"Sivar?"

"......"

I hesitated, then showed Ellie. She counted first, checked for duplicates, then gaped.

"Sivar's got 47 total! Amazing. That's top 1 percent."

"Even after forest life? You'll get smarter, right?"

Kara alternated stares between paper and me, impressed. Best to stay quiet. Me, fine—but Ellie and Lord? No way I'd hit 50, dead or alive.

"Smart's useless if you don't use it. Creative thinking's different."

Porori sneered—jealousy, probably. Hated seeing me praised.

"Hey."

"What."

"Ugly."

"......"

I teased back. Porori's brows furrowed, aura flaring briefly before he reined it in amid the crowd. He tsked and muttered.

"If only I could bend my thumb..."

Yeah, sure. I snickered inside. If he ever did? I'd prostrate immediately.

"Next: wisdom rings. Solve like a puzzle."

"I'll go."

Kara started on the interlocked rings—she liked these. But grunting ensued; they wouldn't budge.

"Ngh... Tough. You try?"

"Sure."

She passed to Luna, who made progress at first but soon stalled. High difficulty. I'd seen it in Soul World, but forgot how.

Luna failed too.

"...No good. Sivar, you."

As I examined it...

"What if we force it?"

"Won't work. Designed unbreakable—too many try."

Ellie was right. Too small for brute force. Head only. I twisted, probing.

'This way?'

Felt off. So I tugged—gently, by my standards.

Snap!

It separated cleanly amid breaking sounds. Not pristine—middle shattered. Wisdom ring to power ring.

"...Heard these don't break easy..."

"......"

Ellie muttered blankly. Others might struggle. I glanced up at her words—time to check.

I knew strength and faith rose slightly from the Hector fight—hadn't checked till now. Strength up by 2 whole points. Past 140, gains were massive per step. No wonder a "gentle" tug snapped it. Hadn't needed to hold back since Hector.

Anyway, damage control. I eyed the broken ring, then set it down casually.

"Ta-da."

Utterly shameless, claiming victory. All roads lead to Seoul, right?

Reactions were priceless: Luna and Kara dumbfounded, Ellie awkwardly smiling.

"See? Body so strong, no thinking. Tell him to use head—he'd headbutt first."

Porori mocked away. I hadn't expected it to shatter either. Last up: Lord. He eyed the ex-ring and spoke quietly.

"Ellie. Mind if I ask the price?"

"N-not too pricey."

"You're a commoner. Even toys add up."

"......"

Lord's sharp point left her speechless. Reading her, he turned sternly to me.

"Sivar."

"......"

"No candy for a month."

"Please."

Anything but that. Extorting couples had limits.

"Apologize first, I'd laugh it off. But that shamelessness... Understood?"

No argument there. But I felt wronged too. I glanced at the shards and grumbled.

"This. Weak."

Just a flimsy wisdom ring.