The Regressor's Prank
"Amon! Are you still alive?"
I stepped over the lycanthrope and approached the spot where Amon should be.
Soon, Amon came into view, collapsed at the base of the wall.
"Mmph..."
Perhaps paralyzed from the impact of being thrown against the wall, he lay face down, unable to do anything but roll his eyes, incapable of giving a proper answer.
[It seems he inhaled the powder directly. Can you not resolve paralysis with your acupuncture as well?]
Sierra asked from beside me.
As she said, it was a simple matter of applying a needle to his paralysis point.
However, I coldly turned my back.
I have no desire to look at a grown man's bare back.
The paralysis point was on the back.
Even if I cured him, he would probably just grumble and complain. Besides, even without my intervention, the paralysis would wear off on its own after a short while.
Turning away from Amon, I walked over to the corpse of the lycanthrope.
The beast had been cleanly sliced apart.
Reverse Heaven, Chapter 1: Space.
It was my first time using it in actual combat.
[Splendid. Has your mastery of Reverse Heaven increased now that you have grown accustomed to the reverse grip...?]
Sierra questioned my growth, which she found utterly incomprehensible.
Since the skill level had risen, the execution was much smoother than the Reverse Heaven I had shown before.
In fact, defeating the beast had granted me another level. I now had 4 remaining skill points.
If I poured them all into Ghost Swordsmanship, I would likely be able to use Reverse Heaven, Chapter 2. Of course, I planned to save them for now.
I picked up the lycanthrope's head, which was lying solitary on the ground.
Even in the game, there wasn't much information about the lycanthrope.
How or why it had ended up in the Labyrinth, why it indiscriminately attacked everything in sight...
Many questions arose, but since communication was impossible, there was no way to find out.
But what I had to do now was already decided.
Squelch.
I gouged the eyeball out of its head.
[Ugh... What do you intend to do with that beast's eyeball? I truly cannot fathom your mind at times.]
Sierra let out a gasp of bewilderment.
Since Amon might still be able to hear me, I couldn't answer Sierra's question right away.
What was certain was that even I was reluctant to do what came next.
I had to consume the beast's eyeball.
That was the reward one could obtain from the lycanthrope.
In the game, it just ended with a simple text prompt saying I consumed the eyeball, so I didn't think much of it...
There were many dark places in the Labyrinth.
Consuming the lycanthrope's eyeball granted a specific benefit.
I could acquire the skill Night Vision, which allowed me to see clearly in the dark.
Since it was the first boss and appeared in the Labyrinth, it essentially served as a 'flashlight' for players who would frequently traverse the Labyrinth in the future.
But now that I had to actually do it, I felt incredibly squeamish.
Should I ask a chef I know how to cook an eyeball...?
Besides, I wondered if it would even work properly since my blindfold was covering my eyes.
Let's postpone eating it for later.
There was one more eyeball left, but I didn't bother taking it.
The maximum level for the Night Vision skill was level 1. Eating another one wouldn't provide any additional effect.
I wrapped the gouged eyeball in a cloth and tossed it into my backpack.
Then, holding the lycanthrope's head in one hand, I pulled out the permit from my breast pocket.
I could see Amon's pupils trembling in the distance, but I deliberately ignored him.
He'd manage to crawl out on his own.
It was time to leave.
By the time I stepped out of the Labyrinth, the sun had already set.
I thought I had only gone down to the fifth floor in one go, but time had flown by.
I walked straight ahead, carrying the dripping head of the lycanthrope.
The staff member managing the Labyrinth entrance spotted me, gasped in shock, and rushed over.
"You there, cadet...! What... what is that in your hand...?"
"It's the creature that was on the fifth floor. Its corpse didn't disappear and kept getting in my way, so I thought it was strange and brought it out."
"The fifth floor... I think we need to see the instructors immediately. Could you please come with me?"
"Yes."
"Then, this way...!"
Given the gravity of the situation, the staff member offered to guide me personally.
As I walked alongside the staff member holding the lycanthrope's head, it was only natural that we drew the attention of the surrounding cadets.
Naturally, the eyes of the nearby cadets were drawn to us.
"What is that?"
"A lycanthrope...? No way, is that the thing from the fifth floor...?"
"Come on, it's not even a dungeon monster. How could it be in the Labyrinth?"
"But he just came out of the Labyrinth with it?"
The whispers of the cadets who had just exited the Labyrinth drifted over.
"Did they say his name is Zeto?"
"Did you see him administering acupuncture yesterday?"
"Acupuncture?"
"He was incredibly gentle..."
Among them were whispers from female cadets talking for slightly different reasons.
Not paying them much mind, I left the murmuring cadets behind and walked quickly behind the staff member.
It was a given that my reputation would rise from this incident.
In the game, the player also began to draw significant attention from other cadets starting from this point.
Following the staff member, I entered the main academy building and headed to the instructors' conference room.
The conference room was empty.
There was no way they would be holding a meeting at this hour.
"Well then, I will go call the instructors. Please take a seat and wait here."
Leaving me with those words, the staff member hurriedly rushed out of the room.
I sat in a nearby chair, placed the lycanthrope's head on the desk, and waited for the instructors to arrive.
Since it was the first boss, this was a scene I had witnessed countless times in the game.
Experiencing it in reality makes the process feel a bit tedious.
Wishing there was a skip button, I patiently waited for the instructors to arrive.
Within a few minutes, the instructors who hadn't gone on vacation and remained at the academy arrived in the conference room.
Among them was Reina.
Subsequently, my explanation began.
An impurity that had slipped into the Labyrinth.
Even in the academy's history, this was an unprecedented event.
Because the matter was so unusual, the main topic of discussion was how it had entered the Labyrinth rather than how it had been defeated.
After an active discussion among the instructors, the matter was somewhat settled.
...The conclusion was 'unknown'.
The incident was closed, chalked up to a mere anomaly of the Labyrinth.
Opinions were exchanged about paying extra attention to the management of the Labyrinth in the future, but such an incident would not happen again, at least not in the Labyrinth.
In truth, there was nothing the instructors or the academy staff could do about it anyway.
Rather, I was more curious about why the Sage, who resided in the deep depths of the Labyrinth, had left this impurity alone.
Was the Sage and the deep depths really just 'unimplemented content' in the game?
It was hard to predict the schemes of a figure who had lived for hundreds of years.
In that case, I would simply proceed as I had experienced in the game.
After the instructors' meeting ended, Reina, who was still lingering in her seat, caught my eye.
Reina examined the lycanthrope's head and asked me,
"By the way, Cadet Zeto. Where did one of this guy's eyeballs go?"
"Ah, that... I took it as a trophy..."
"A trophy, huh... Not bad. Anyway, you did well this time. Thanks to you, we minimized casualties. I'm glad I lent you my bracelet."
Reina smiled warmly, glancing at her bracelet on my wrist.
She seemed quite pleased with how things turned out.
"Haha, I merely wandered around the Labyrinth."
Feeling a bit awkward receiving praise from the usually foul-mouthed Reina, I scratched my head.
"I heard you helped Priscilla this time? She was singing praises about your acupuncture skills."
"Yes, I heard the two of you are close."
"Well, we used to bump into each other at taverns back when we attended the academy together, so we naturally became close."
Reina loved alcohol immensely.
Strangely enough, she was terribly weak to alcohol, yet she loved it nonetheless.
If it was nighttime, one could find a completely drunk Reina at any tavern inside the academy.
Priscilla drinks often because she can't sleep well due to her past memories, though...
Tapping the desk, Reina stood up and continued.
"Anyway, the academy will be issuing a fairly large reward. The academy got to resolve the issue without lifting a finger, and you got to prove your skills..."
Meritocracy.
It was a reward fitting for Innocence Academy.
According to my original plan, I was going to collect that reward money and save up to craft a Demon Blade.
Thanks to this, I would have a large sum of money.
I would need to think deeply about where to spend this money later.
With plenty of money, the possibilities were endless. Especially outside the academy.
Reina left me with one last remark as she walked out of the conference room.
"You can keep the bracelet a bit longer. I'll tease Edward later, telling him I raised a kid using my bracelet. Haha!"
Hearing Reina's hearty laughter and her words, I couldn't help but let my lips curl upward.
I was secretly worried when Reina lingered in the conference room.
Even if she had lent it to me, it was still an Epic-grade item. The bracelet had been so useful that it would be inconvenient to be without it now.
The bracelet, the reward money, the eyeball, and even reputation.
I had gained quite a lot from defeating the lycanthrope.
The levels I gained in the Labyrinth were a welcome bonus.
[...Watching my disciple receive recognition from others doesn't feel half bad.]
Sierra approached and caressed my cheek as I sat alone in the empty conference room.
I didn't get to talk to Sierra much today...
It was about time to head back to the dormitory and catch up with Sierra.
I was on my way back to the dormitory after finishing everything.
The first boss was cleared easily... and there's still time before the next one...
Come to think of it, I still had my duel with Kaen.
I didn't know when she would ask for the duel, but she would probably bring it up in the near future.
Yuri is probably wandering around the Labyrinth as she pleases...
Priscilla.
I needed to keep some distance from her.
The fact that she noticed the Demon Blade and let it slide without a word bothered me.
Whatever her intentions, it would become troublesome if she took any more interest in me.
And Eisel...
My thoughts halted as I stopped in my tracks.
A familiar platinum-haired girl was walking toward me from ahead.
Seeing Eisel for the first time in a few days, her characteristically indifferent eyes remained unchanged.
Soon, Eisel approached and spoke.
"...It feels like it's been a while."
"Haha, indeed. We haven't crossed paths since the Labyrinth training started... It really has been a while."
It had only been a few days, but considering how slowly time flowed inside the Labyrinth, the expression felt appropriate.
I could sense an unfamiliar aura from Eisel, different from before. She had already grown a step further.
At Eisel's suggestion to talk for a moment, I followed her and sat down on a roadside bench.
The magic stone-powered streetlamp illuminated her platinum hair, making it shine even brighter as she sat on the bench.
Eisel, swinging her legs slightly, broke the silence.
"...According to the rumors, you've been busy resolving all sorts of trouble."
"Rumors?"
I asked, looking at Eisel.
She opened her mouth to answer.
"Well... like defeating a lycanthrope in the Labyrinth?"
"...That only happened today, but rumors sure travel fast."
Actually, it would have been stranger if rumors hadn't spread.
"They say your acupuncture skills are outstanding, and that you're so kind and gentle... You've become quite popular."
Eisel furrowed her brow in apparent displeasure as she spoke.
"Haha, it was an urgent situation, so I simply did my best to treat them as gently as possible."
At my response, Eisel's expression softened slightly.
After that, we shared some light conversation.
What we had eaten.
How the Labyrinth was.
How foolish the goblins on the third floor were.
...We couldn't share deep conversations.
She was a regressor, and I was a transmigrator.
Neither of us could lay bare our innermost thoughts to anyone.
As if understanding each other's circumstances, neither of us brought up anything too deep.
It was undoubtedly a trivial conversation.
Yet, even this trivial chatter seemed to gradually put my mind at ease.
Just as the conversation was wrapping up on a pleasant note, Eisel suddenly made a slightly uncomfortable face.
"Talking for this long after a while is making my throat dry."
Hearing her say she was thirsty, I remembered the water I usually packed in my backpack before entering the Labyrinth.
I rummaged through my backpack and pulled out the canteen. However, it was empty.
I had drunk too much water while rushing from the third to the fifth floor.
"Ah, I'm completely out of water. Maybe a nearby cafe..."
Watching me pull out the empty canteen, Eisel cut me off and leaned in to peer inside my backpack.
Soon, her hand moved.
"What is this...?"
Reaching into my backpack without warning, Eisel pulled out a flask containing a pink liquid.
Ah, right.
It was the item Sierra had wanted to buy from the general store last time. I had forgotten to take it out of my backpack.
Eisel slowly read the label on the flask.
At this rate, I would be branded as a man who carried around things like a 'Potion of Attraction' in his backpack.
"Ah, that's..."
"Isn't this just a normal drink with no real effect?"
Cutting off my attempt to salvage the situation, Eisel tilted her head slightly and spoke.
She was indeed a regressor.
She already knew that this potion was nothing more than a simple beverage.
"The elderly shopkeeper handed it to me when I stopped by the general store, and I completely forgot about it after tossing it in my backpack. I had no idea it had a name like that..."
I let out a mental sigh of relief and offered a natural excuse.
[So that was merely an ordinary beverage...]
Sierra's disappointed voice echoed in my mind upon learning the truth about the Potion of Attraction.
Why on earth was she disappointed?
Hearing my reply, Eisel popped open the flask's cap.
"Since I'm thirsty, do you mind if I drink this?"
Eisel asked in a dry, indifferent tone.
I nodded in response.
Having received my permission, Eisel immediately chugged the Potion of Attraction.
Judging by how quickly she gulped it down, she must have been very thirsty.
It was just a tasty drink, after all.
Nothing out of the ordinary would happen—
Clatter!
...Suddenly, Eisel dropped the flask onto the ground.
Perhaps because she had finished it, no liquid spilled from the shattered flask.
"Zeto... I... feel a bit strange..."
Eisel murmured in a weak, faint voice.
Her cheeks flushed a deep crimson, she pressed herself close to my side.
Eisel's eyes looked as if she were completely possessed.
Her lips pressed firmly together, she stared intently at me.
I couldn't tell if this was the acting of a brilliant actress, or if I had actually purchased a real 'Potion of Attraction'.
[M-My disciple... Did you not say it had no effect...?]
Sierra hurriedly covered her eyes with her hands, stammering in utter panic.
No matter how much I thought about it, there was no way it could have any real effect.
But then why was Eisel acting like this?
Suddenly, Eisel reached out and grabbed my hand.
Then, she slowly guided my hand to her left breast.
Through my fingertips, I could feel the texture of her uniform shirt and the rapid, heavy thumping of her heart.
"Uh..."
My mind went completely blank at the sudden turn of events.
Soon after, Eisel leaned her face close to mine.
Her moist lips glistened under the glow of the streetlamp.
If the Potion of Attraction was actually real... what happens now?
I couldn't think straight.
Regardless of my confusion, Eisel's face drew closer and closer.
She was now close enough that her breath brushed against my lips.
I knew I had to push her away, but my body refused to move.
I thought she was going to kiss me, but at the very last second, Eisel tilted her head.
Instead, she pressed her lips right against my ear.
"......It was just a prank, hehe."
Her teasing chuckle tickled my ear, and then Eisel pulled back.
Eisel's lips curled up in a wide, amused smile, clearly enjoying herself.
"It was just a normally delicious drink. Your reaction was quite entertaining."
"Then why did you put my hand...?"
Despite my spinning head, I managed to squeeze out a question to the grinning Eisel.
"Your heartbeat. I figured that for someone like you, touching and feeling it directly would be much easier to remember than just listening."
Eisel whispered softly, her eyes gleaming with a mischievous, alluring light.
Sierra, who had been silently watching the entire spectacle, muttered under her breath so Eisel couldn't hear.
[W-What a sly girl...]