Reunion with the Overachieving Senior (1)
“What the hell? We haven’t seen each other in ages and you’re not even gonna say hi?” Dana said, sounding almost hurt as she stared at my blank face. The sight of my usually rough-and-tumble friend acting so unexpectedly flustered only made my confusion worse. I shook my head to clear the fog.
“Hold on. Just give me a second to process this.”
One month after I left the university, Dana had apparently earned her doctorate and was now running the Sargadis research institute? I started ticking off the questions one by one.
“What’s going on? Weren’t you still just a master’s student? How the hell did you suddenly become a doctor while I was gone?”
“I got promoted right after you left. The archaeology department’s been getting a lot of attention lately, so the paperwork moved stupidly fast.”
“Since when does a slave chained to the university get to climb the ladder like that? Wait, forget the promotion—why are you even here?”
“Pissed off? I needed external work experience to qualify for a professorship, so I volunteered. Besides, they were already trying to set up an archaeology department in Sargadis, so I jumped on it.”
Dana’s lips twisted into a pout as she answered. I knew exactly what “external work experience” meant—it was basically the academic version of getting extra points for overseas deployment in the military. The field hated scholars who just sat in one place doing nothing but reading. Even if you didn’t personally fly out to the site, you were expected to at least hire adventurers and review their reports. Otherwise, the number of researchers actually willing to dig up ruins in the middle of nowhere would keep shrinking.
That was why field researchers got so much respect. Just like a gambler who hits it big at the casino and immediately blows it all chasing the next rush, once a scholar made a name for themselves by properly excavating a ruin, they tended to throw themselves even deeper into exploration. You could call it a thrill addiction, or you could call it the mark of a truly dedicated academic.
“So yeah, you need at least five years of external experience before you can even apply for a professorship.”
There were other requirements too, but that was one of the basics. I’d looked into it just in case I ever wanted to become a professor myself someday. I shook my head.
“Damn… that’s actually impressive. So why is the academic world setting up a research institute in Sargadis anyway?”
“Hell if I know, you little shit. It’s not even a proper institute—just a name slapped on a building. I figured I’d stay a year, get the framework in place, then transfer somewhere else later.”
The more she talked, the sourer her expression became. Knowing exactly why, I grinned and ruffled her messy purple curls.
“Well, good for you! Looks like you’ve been doing just fine without me. While some of us had to crawl through hell to escape slavery, you just got promoted and ran off to a new lab? How petty.”
“Hey! Hey! Stop messing up my hair, damn it!”
“Heh. It’s already a bird’s nest, so what’s the difference? Anyway, it’s good to see you. Even after all this time, your hair hasn’t changed one bit. How’s the rest of the lab slaves holding up?”
“Since when do research students get to be healthy, you asshole? We’re just not dead yet. And stop treating me like some kind of pet. It’s pissing me off.”
Even as she grumbled, Dana looked secretly pleased that I was happy to see her. Heh. Her body was honest, at least. I’d been so busy asking questions that I hadn’t even properly greeted her, so I couldn’t blame her for sulking a little. I plopped down on a chair with a chuckle.
“So, are you not gonna offer a guest any tea? Your customer service sucks. One and a half stars.”
“You’re seriously leaving a review for a shop that hasn’t even opened yet? Want me to kill you?”
“I’m being generous because of our friendship. You should be thanking me for doubling the score. Always grateful, Viking.”
“Who the hell are you calling unchanged? You’re still the same lunatic you’ve always been. And who’s a Viking, you Kitai bumpkin?”
The conversation was so familiar it was almost boring. We looked at each other’s ridiculous faces like we were staring into mirrors and burst out laughing.
“Heh. So what’s the real reason? Did you beg to be transferred to Sargadis just because you missed my face? I’m touched.”
“……Don’t make me laugh. Who said I came here to see your face?”
Dana looked away as she muttered, then shot me a sideways glare.
“Me getting assigned here was pure coincidence, got it? Stop projecting and get over yourself.”
“I see. Every time you act like this, it really makes me feel like my life hasn’t been a complete waste.”
“You little shit, stop with the nonsense……”
Dana flopped face-down on her desk like she was trying to hide. What was she getting embarrassed about? We’d been bantering like this for over three years. Meeting again after so long must’ve lowered her shame tolerance.
“Noona, my chest feels weird. I think I’m getting emotional.”
“Oh, please. That’s just heart failure.”
“How would you know? Do you like me so much you can diagnose my health just by looking at my face? You’re pretty talented. Maybe you should quit archaeology and become a nun.”
“Actually, I snuck in and dissected you while you were sleeping last night. That’s how I know you’ve got heart failure. Half a star and half a heart for you.”
“What the hell—give me back the other half!”
“Sorry. I threw it out without thinking. But I’ll make your broken heart beat twice as fast. Here, read this.”
She tossed me a scroll. A very obvious topic change, but I was a good boy, so I let it slide. I skimmed past the formalities and got straight to the point.
“Huh? A designated request? Escorting a ruin expedition?”
It was a request specifically asking for the adventurer Nord of the Audumla Guild to serve as an escort.
“Whoa, look at you being all sentimental, Noona. Even putting in a designated request for little old me.”
Designated requests didn’t come in often for Bronze-rank adventurers. The people who’d been drooling over me at the party yesterday had probably submitted requests by now, but they’d be nothing special. Even if my specs were Gold-rank level, my actual rank was still Bronze, so guild rules prevented anyone from giving me difficult jobs. They’d probably just submitted a few easy requests to keep in touch. After all, you couldn’t exactly ask a Dragon Slayer to fetch a dragon’s heart just because he started adventuring.
‘Ah. So that’s why it’s an exclusive escort request.’
Requests to guard an archaeology team during their expeditions were basically standard procedure. I’d done plenty of ruin explorations with Bronze and Gold adventurers back in my university days. Dana had been there too.
I rolled the scroll back up.
“Escort work’s fine, but what kind of ruin are we talking about? Oh, right—did you read the paper I sent?”
Just as I’d suspected before coming here, was the institute being established because of the Beast Regression ruins? When I asked, Dana peeked at me with only her eyes visible from where she was still lying on the desk.
“I can’t tell you the location until after we sign the contract. But yeah, I read your paper. I was busy preparing for the transfer, so the other researchers and the new professor handled the review.”
“Oh? And? What’d you think?”
“It was decent. But that’s not why the institute was founded. There just wasn’t any academy-affiliated research facility in the west, so they set one up in Sargadis for pretty much the same reason you came here.”
“Is that so?”
Whether that was a relief or a disappointment, I wasn’t sure. I clicked my tongue and tucked the scroll away.
“By the way, how did you even know I was with the Audumla Guild?”
“I was looking for someone to hire as an escort when I heard there was a Kitai who’d received the lord’s favor alongside the guild masters despite only being Bronze-rank. When I looked into it, the name was Nord? I thought there was no way, but it really was you.”
Dana sat up, looking exasperated.
“What the hell have you been doing here? The guy who used to fistfight goblins with his bare soul is out here causing this much trouble in just one month? You used to get winded just from lifting rocks for exercise. Tell me what’s been going on.”
“Ah, right.”
So I gave her a rough summary of how I’d grown stronger. Tirsi would probably be arriving soon, so I skipped the small talk and focused on the impressive parts—Beast Regression, magic, mithril—like I was listing specs in an interview.
“What the actual fuck. Just listening to this is making me anxious. All of that happened in one or two weeks?”
Dana grimaced as she looked at my hand, where Beast Regression was active. I chuckled at her reaction while recounting my battles against the otherworld greenhorns.
“Pretty spectacular, right? I could probably sell this story to a bard for some coin.”
“Shut up. Enough already. Let’s just grab a drink next time. I can’t listen to the rest of this while I’m sober—it’s giving me a headache.”
“Heh. Sure. I’m staying at an inn called Spring’s Shelter, so come visit me next time.”
“Ordering the client around now? How cocky for a low-rank adventurer who gets paid by me.”
“This is my chance. Later on I’ll be so great that you won’t even be able to talk to a mere doctor.”
“Yeah~ A master’s student talking to another master’s student~”
“Damn it.”
Dana hit me with cold hard facts to shut down my bragging. Only now did it really sink in—I was still just a master’s student with a Bronze adventurer rank. The ultimate Bronze-rank loser. What a joke.
“Anyway, you’ve been running around just as much as I have. You kept saying you got promoted, but you were just waiting for a chance to brag, weren’t you?”
“What kind of promotion is it when you’re still just a master’s student? Still, I haven’t stopped growing. A man changes so much in three days that you have to look twice, right? You haven’t seen me in a month, so your jaw’s gonna drop when you see me fight.”
“You little shit, always showing off. Anyway, the paperwork’s done, so talk it over with your party members too.”
Dana waved her hand dismissively. She even knew I had party members? Well, if word had spread and she’d done her research, it would’ve been weirder if she didn’t know. I clicked my tongue in admiration.
“You work fast. You’re at least 0.7 Nords worth of competence.”
“Pfft. 0.7 my ass. I’m at least 1.7 Nords. How many women get their doctorate in their twenties? Being a master’s student is on a completely different level.”
The way she teased me was so natural it was actually kind of annoying.
‘Though it is an achievement worth bragging about.’
In this world, the age people entered academia was all over the place. Some graduated university in their fifties, while others advanced through the ranks much faster than average. Even among the entire academic world, Dana getting her doctorate before thirty put her in the fast lane. I was catching up to her pace—thanks to cheats—but I was still stuck as a master’s student because of seniority. Thinking about it pissed me off all over again.
Feeling petty, I deliberately needled her.
“Can you really call twenty-eight ‘your twenties’? February’s basically spring, not winter anymore. Besides, in a few months you’ll be twenty-nine……”
“Shut your mouth before I kill you.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Mistake. I’d crossed the line. I smiled to calm her down.
“Don’t get mad. If you put on makeup, you could still pass for a teenager.”
“……Really?”
“Yeah. If you got rid of the dark circles, brushed your hair, fixed your speech, and wore proper clothes. Though at that point you’d be ninety percent someone else. Guess you really can’t hide your age.”
“You bastard.”
Dana lunged at me and threw a jab. Ouch—our senior really packed a punch. While I rubbed the spot she’d hit, she waved her hand like she was shooing me away.
“This place is still under construction, so I’ll come to wherever you’re staying to hear your answer. Does that inn at least serve alcohol?”
“Of course. I haven’t tried it yet, but it’s gotta be better than the piss-water beer near campus.”
“Got it. See you then. The rest of the team and research materials haven’t arrived yet, so we can take our time talking……?”
Dana suddenly trailed off mid-sentence while saying goodbye. She looked like someone who’d just watched a ninja appear out of nowhere and throw a shuriken straight at me. I blinked.
“What? Why? Did our doctor run out of fuel and break down?”
“Uh……? Oh, no, it’s just…… that ring—what is that……?”
“Ring?”
Like a wind-up doll with a broken spring, Dana pointed at me. What she’d noticed was the mithril ring on the ring finger of my left hand.
‘Ah, I forgot to mention that.’
I hadn’t told her about my love life yet. I’d planned to save that for when we grabbed drinks later. After hesitating about a hundred times in my head, I made up my mind and held out my ring finger.
“I got married.”
“…………………………………………………………Huh?”
Dana looked like a student teacher who’d just heard that one of her male students got accepted into the dance department at Ewha Women’s University.
The office had gone so quiet that we could hear the carpenters chatting outside.
“……Mar…… riage?”
After three full minutes of rebooting, Dana finally spoke.
“Mar…… what? Ma…… marriage? Marriage?! Did you just say you got married──?!”