Chapter 4
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: People Should Do What They're Good At
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Ever since I learned I owed this massive debt, I just couldn't sit still.
'Damn it, even in a game world, I have to pay off debt!'
I thought getting chased by money troubles was bad enough in reality.
Why does it have to follow me here too?
"Tch, what's the point of complaining."
What could I do about it?
My name is now Ethan Woodgate, and this Winchester Academy is where I have to live.
Instead of whining, I needed to figure out how to make a living.
That had to come first.
I recalled the layout of Winchester Academy from the game.
This place was practically a small nation unto itself.
Isolated as it was, it had grown self-sufficient with its own economy.
In other words, there were jobs to be had.
So the question was, how to earn some money...
"Alright, let's go with that."
I turned my gaze.
On the desk beside me stood a single sword.
Sharpened to a razor's edge, as if to prove its owner was an academy student.
The hefty feel was unfamiliar, yet somehow familiar too.
The original owner of this body must have wielded it enough to ingrain it into his muscle memory.
"Hmph!"
Whoosh!
I swung it once, and a decent form came naturally.
Saying I'd make my living off the blade might sound a bit off.
'But it's the easiest path.'
Winchester Academy had what you'd call dungeons. You could farm materials there or hunt monsters.
Farming and combat were RPG basics, after all.
The problem was mental.
The body was well-trained, but my mind was total newbie. How far could flesh go without the spirit backing it?
But as always...
"Guess I just have to try."
Despite everything, wasn't this the dream?
Living as an adventurer in a fantasy world, slaying monsters.
Even in a healing game, they had to throw in some thrills like that.
"Let's do this."
Since I'm in a fantasy world anyway, time to live that overflowing romantic life.
My romantic fantasy is shattered.
My romantic fantasy is shattered.
My romantic fantasy is shattered.
"You rotten bastards, you rotten bastards, you rotten bastards."
I spat curses as I smashed through the endless waves of skeleton soldiers.
There was no end to them.
Hell, I couldn't even see the end of this hallway.
The real issue was...
"Aaaagh!! I'm gonna lose my mind for real!!"
...they didn't pour out all at once.
One by one!
Crack!
Over and over!
Snap!
Respawning endlessly like that!
Crunch!
"Uwoooooh..."
"Just stop coming out already!"
This was a desolate graveyard, devoid of any sign of life. All that echoed were the sounds of shattering bones and the groans of the unresting dead.
Oh, and now my own swearing too.
No need to psych myself up—these undead vanished with a casual swing every time.
Is this what it feels like to be a factory line worker?
"This is boring as hell!"
Boring or not, I couldn't quit midway. My credit points would tank.
A beginner-level student could only handle grunt work like this. What the hell had Ethan been doing all the way to his senior year?
No wonder the heroines stabbed him.
Now that idiot was me.
"Uwaaaah, damn it!!"
Slash!!
How long had I been hacking away at those skeleton soldiers? Their respawns visibly slowed...
...until the area was fully cleared.
Skeleton undead extermination complete.
Free life begins.
"Great job! Come back anytime!"
"...Yeah."
On the way out after certifying the mission complete.
The evening dusk had already settled over the sky.
Crimson sunset spilling across the heavens like spilled paint.
A picturesque fantasy scene.
But...
"Ugh, I'm beat."
My mood was too soured to appreciate it.
I dragged my exhausted body to a park bench and slumped down.
"This isn't the monster hunter life I dreamed of."
I figured I'd at least handle slimes, the lowest-tier monsters.
They had useful liquids, so I really wanted to farm some.
But Ethan...
'...He wasn't slicing slimes—he was clubbing them...?'
What kind of training was that?
Not cutting with the blade, but bludgeoning with the flat.
No wonder the sword was so wide and heavy. He planned to bash from the start.
'What a dumbass.'
No way elastic slimes would die from that.
Goblins were the same—just got knocked flying.
Who the hell thinks you bash monsters to death with a sword?
Sad that this lunatic's body was mine now.
"Ahh, the sky's so~ nice."
I was blankly enjoying the world's flow like that when...
"Senior."
A voice called from the side.
I turned to see familiar white hair.
"Ophelia."
"Senior, what are you doing out here?"
"Taking in the sights."
"Taking in the sights?"
Taking in the sights = mentally broken.
I didn't bother repeating it.
"You're such a unique person, Senior."
"If you say so. So, what about you?"
"On patrol."
"You're dedicated."
"Thank you."
It wasn't really a compliment.
But she seemed pleased anyway.
'...Wait a sec.'
Didn't I have a sword master right here?
If the previous owner botched it, couldn't I fix it now?
"Ophelia."
"Yes?"
"Could you teach me the sword sometime?"
"The sword?"
"Yeah. Learn from you, and I'd wield it well—"
Before I finished speaking to Ophelia...
"Kyaaaaah!!!"
A massive scream rang out.
"Someone help!!"
"Incident...! Senior, watch closely. I'll teach you with a real fight."
Light gleamed in Ophelia's eyes.
"Dispatch!"
Fwoosh!
She closed the distance in one leap. That was practically flying, wasn't it?
"Kuhahaha! If you don't want this girl hurt, give me the right to alter your grades—"
"Save the nonsense for your sleep."
Slash!
"Gaaah!?"
Impressive.
I hadn't even located the perp, but Ophelia pinpointed him and sliced clean.
And that wasn't all.
"M-MAD DOG...!"
"Draw your sword. Show me the resolve to commit crimes before the Disciplinary Committee!"
"U-Uwaaaah!!"
He started normal, but soon his lips curled skyward, eyes glowing red. The sword's path was wild and savage—not slicing, but more like tearing and shredding.
I got why they called him a mad dog.
And I realized something crystal clear.
'So this is the gap in talent?'
"Don't move. In the name of Disciplinary Enforcer Ophelia, you're under arrest."
"Ugh..."
"Don't worry. I won't kill you. You need to face judgment alive."
She tied up the perp and tossed him down, then approached me.
"How was that, Senior? Get it now?"
"Yeah, watching you made me realize I shouldn't touch a sword."
"Ah..."
"So now what do I do to make money."
"W-Well, I wasn't skilled from the start either."
"What can a third-year stuck at beginner swordsmanship do?"
"...Sorry."
The blade wasn't my path.
I could maybe scrape by as third-rate, but never first-rate like her.
A real man aims for the top.
"I-I'll help you brainstorm."
"Thanks, that'd be great."
"Hmm..."
"Hmmm..."
What an absurd sight: pondering with a perp sprawled on the ground. How long did we brood like that?
"Ah!"
Ophelia spoke up as if struck by inspiration.
"How about a cafe?"
"A cafe?"
"Yes, cafes. There aren't many in the academy. Not enough skilled baristas."
"Oh ho. Niche market, huh."
"With your skills, Senior, I think you could pull it off."
A cafe, huh.
"Not a bad idea. But there's a problem."
"Problem?"
"I don't know many recipes."
All I could make right now was Lavender Tea at best?
No matter how good it was, you couldn't run a shop on one item.
"Don't worry about that."
"Got a solution?"
"Yes. I hear the library has plenty of recipe books. Why not study them?"
The library!
My eyes lit up at the word.
Right, there was a library.
Holy ground for academy scholars. Repository of nearly all continental knowledge.
In other words, a farming spot.
"Why didn't I think of that?"
"Glad I could help."
"Ophelia, thanks. When I open the cafe, you're VIP number one."
"No need to—"
"Absolutely."
"...I can't win against you, Senior. Understood."
"Cool. Gotta hit the library now, so see ya!"
I waved to Ophelia and bolted for the library.
Opening a cafe.
Why didn't I think of this sooner!
Way better than flailing a sword I suck at.
'People really should stick to what they're good at.'
Wait for me, library.
I'll absorb your knowledge and build Winchester Academy's best cafe.
In a quiet corner of the sparsely visited library, a girl was reading a book.
"Hmm..."
A soft hum mingled with the rustle of turning pages, creating a relaxed atmosphere.
That was when...
Bzzz—
"...!"
...a pearl bead beside the girl trembled faintly.
She stared at it intently, then...
"Heehee... hahaha!"
...burst into laughter.
Finally.
Finally, they'd met.
"It's been a long time. Two years since enrolling... no, three now?"
The girl closed her book and looked toward the door.
She had been waiting. For the fated one the pearl had once spoken of.
The one who would shake her destiny to its core.
"..."
She fell silent for a long while.
After some time...
Creak—the library's heavy door swung open.
"Um, excuse me. Where are the food-related books?"
In walked a blue-eyed man.
The pearl bead vibrated even more intensely in response.
That confirmed it for the girl.
That man was the one who would change her fate.
"Heehee... hehehe..."
Still chuckling, the girl approached him.
Step by step, until she was close enough to touch.
"You there."
"Yes?"
"You are the one fated to—"
"Don't believe in fate."
"...Fate?"
"Don't believe it. I'm going."
"W-Wait, please—"
"God, so annoying. Even fantasy worlds got 'Do you know the Way?'"
"Ah? W-Wait, seriously—"
"I'm going."
And just like that, she was cleanly rejected by her fated man.