Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Strange Creature
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“Thank you.”
From what I heard, it wasn’t like there hadn’t been a carriage from the start.
The problem was…
“We lost it.”
“…Pardon?”
“No… I was just looking around the street stalls for a bit, and then suddenly the carriage was gone.”
Yeah.
That can happen.
The street stalls in a fantasy world are pretty tempting.
Stalls lined up along every road, fragrant and sweet smells wafting everywhere…
It’s hard to tear your eyes away, and if you wander around absentmindedly, you could easily lose track of a carriage.
I get that.
But the real issue comes after that.
Charlotte.
The lady of the prestigious Iris Ducal House, one of the most noble families.
She was traveling with someone like her… so why no carriage?
Why weren’t they in the ducal house’s fancy custom carriage with its ornate crest?
Why were they riding in some ordinary street carriage pulled by the coachman himself?
[Why?]
I scribbled discreetly on the whiteboard.
Klaus glanced up, hesitated for a beat, then answered cautiously.
“…Vibes.”
[Got it.]
Vibes are good.
Sure… the stalls in this fantasy world each have their own charm.
There’s something to it, getting lost in those vibes, popping a rice cake in your mouth, and watching the sunset.
The problem is that those vibes left the two of them wandering aimlessly right now.
***
In the end, the carriage went from three people and one creature to five people and one.
In the cramped, chaotic space, Klaus spoke up.
“What did you do over break, Adel?”
[Rest]
“Rest? That’s it?”
[Yeah]
Breaks are for resting, aren’t they?
So why the surprised look?
Klaus tilted his head, then started rattling off his break log.
“I fought the Lady Iris every day and didn’t win once.”
[Got it]
“If I’d won just once, that would’ve been great.”
Does he even know how reckless that wish is?
Beating the “Sword Saint” known as the Lady Iris is practically impossible for a student.
Of course… if it were Klaus from *Black Calamity*, with all sorts of buffs and conditions stacked…
He probably could’ve done it exactly once.
And I casually tossed in a brag.
[I won]
“…You beat the Delbar Duke?”
[Yeah]
Klaus stared at me with a look of near shock.
Charlotte, glued right next to him, had her mouth slightly open, at a loss for words.
“That’s… insane.”
Of course, to them—who had no idea the true nature of that duel—it was just “insane.”
Thanks to Amelia, I got a judgment win… but yeah, I did win.
Klaus kept shaking his head in disbelief.
Violet, who’d been listening quietly across from us, smirked and chimed in.
“What’s this~? My little bro’s bragging too?”
[It’s worth bragging about]
“Hmm… yeah, definitely insane.”
Violet shrugged and nodded repeatedly, and Klaus shot his hand up.
“Question, senpai!”
“What is it, junior?”
“How did Adel beat the Delbar Duke?”
Uh-oh.
I can’t spill that.
“Oh, that~?”
Violet grinned mischievously, like she was about to tease.
“I didn’t see it all that clearly~ but it was just insane.”
Violet gestured dramatically, trying to convey that day’s fight.
“It was so intense, you could hear the *boom* from outside.”
“Ooh…”
Klaus’s eyes sparkled as he nodded eagerly, while Charlotte kept a straight face—but her ears were perked up.
‘That’s a bit exaggerated.’
One line from Violet, and my image was inflating into legend.
I didn’t hate the reaction entirely, but I hadn’t expected this much hype.
“Anyway, so…”
I quietly eyed Klaus while the two chatted.
✦━━━━━━━━━━━━✦
[ Klaus ]
Attribute
: 「Light」
Skills / Traits
: 【Severing Stream】
: 【…】
Unique Skills
: 【Meteor Light Dance】
: 【One Flash, One Step】
: 【…】
Unique Traits
: 【Growth-Type Protagonist】
: 【Adaptive Protagonist】
: 【…】
Stats
: Stamina : 23 (B)
: Strength : 21 (B)
: Intelligence : 24 (B)
: Willpower : 20 (C)
: Mana : 19 (C)
Talents
: 【All talents grow due to 「Growth-Type Protagonist」.】
✦━━━━━━━━━━━━✦
‘What the hell.’
In less than a month… is it even possible to raise stats like this?
C ranks shot up to B, D to C.
What kind of insane growth rate…
‘I’ve been stuck in place for a whole month.’
I hadn’t gained a single stat point, let alone an achievement.
Sure, I got dragged into a ton of stuff… but I was too busy surviving.
No sign of my own growth anywhere.
Looking at Klaus’s status screen left a bitter taste.
‘And what’s this…’
My eyes naturally drifted to his unique skills.
✦━━━━━━━━━━━━✦
【One Flash, One Step】
A single streak of light, in just one step.
He treads upon an instant, slicing through the world’s gaps.
: Moves at speeds faster than light.
The moment he steps forward.
Light hasn’t caught up yet, and he’s already in another space.
✦━━━━━━━━━━━━✦
‘Now he’s moving faster than light.’
In one month, he’d even gained a new unique skill.
He was steadily regaining his true form as the protagonist of *Black Calamity*.
Creak.
The carriage came to a gentle stop.
“Alright~ Take a break, don’t lose the carriage again, and be back on time~”
“Got it, senpai.”
The small, cozy village where we’d stopped on the way to the Delbar Ducal House.
I stretched lightly…
Plop.
Mikkurebi on my head, I stepped over the carriage door.
The village was still sunny, streets bustling with people.
Stalls lining the alleys, sweet and fragrant smells.
Passersby held all sorts of snacks.
“Food.”
Mikkurebi tugged my hair with its fins, chanting “food” steadily.
“…….”
I silently looked away.
Fragrant smells, nutty smells… all food smells.
But…
‘No money.’
Still broke.
Meanwhile… a jingling sound came from behind.
Carnel pulled a round pouch from her bosom.
“I remember there’s a stall around here selling 85-point rice cakes.”
She lifted the pouch lightly and vanished toward the sweet smells.
Mikkurebi watched her go with despair in its eyes.
I just quietly leaned against the same bench as before.
And…
Whoosh.
I bolted up, scanning around.
‘Gone, right?’
“What’re you doing, human.”
‘Nothing.’
Hoping some weirdo wouldn’t suddenly talk to me like last time.
His name was something grandiose… definitely.
‘Michael, was it?’
That chuunibyou peak, playing his own drums and cymbals before vanishing.
A total disaster… like a natural calamity, showing up out of nowhere for no reason and leaving.
Still no clue who that lunatic was.
And then…
“Hey, you get it proper?”
“Obviously, this ain’t our first rodeo.”
Suspicious voices from a dark alley.
I glanced over indifferently.
There… two boys clutching a few gold coins.
“Jackpot, right? Nobles coming to a place like this.”
“Hey, didn’t you know? Lots of nobles stop here as a midway rest spot.”
“Yeah?”
Sounded like they’d pickpocketed someone.
‘Hmm.’
I quietly narrowed my eyes.
‘Levi.’
“What.”
‘Get ready.’
“?”
Plop.
Without a word, I grabbed Mikkurebi and hurled it at the boys.
Whish…
It arced through the air.
And…
Plop.
…Aimed for their faces, but my strength wasn’t enough.
Mikkurebi landed pathetically at their feet.
“…What’s this?”
“…A fish?”
“Can we eat it?”
“You nuts? Looks filthy—eat that and you’re dead.”
At that moment…
Flop, flop.
Mikkurebi flailed its fins, splashing water everywhere.
Writhing like it’d been utterly insulted, full of rage.
I used the distraction… to quietly attune my mana.
The mana sliced through the air… and a few shiny gold coins slipped from their pouch into my hand.
‘Sorry.’
They stole from someone else anyway—no big deal if I steal back.
“Ptoo.”
Mikkurebi rubbed its mouth with a fin, spat like it was hocking a loogie at them, then scurried back to me.
They glared sullenly for a sec…
Saw the gold in my hand, and wagged its tail contentedly.
“…So, not edible, right?”
“Well… kinda cute… hey? Where’d it go?”
They were starting to sense something off…
But too late.
I turned leisurely, plopped Mikkurebi back on my head, and strolled toward the stall-lined street.
***
Creak.
The carriage stopped smoothly again.
Soon, the door opened, and the coachman’s voice rang out.
“Miss, we’ve arrived.”
He’d reached the academy.
“Mm…”
Violet stretched languidly, while Carnel straightened up and headed for the door.
“Hup.”
With a nasal grunt of effort, Carnel smoothed her skirt and stepped out.
Outside, two people who’d been waiting bowed their heads.
“Thank you for the ride.”
“…Thank you.”
Klaus bowed first, Charlotte following shyly.
Violet glanced at them, waving with a playful grin.
“Yeah, yeah~ Juniors, don’t lose the carriage next time~?”
Klaus scratched his head awkwardly, Charlotte blushing as she bowed.
Meanwhile, I quietly crossed the academy border.
Whoosh.
The alien barrier sensation brushed past my body.
“Ugh… feels like forever.”
“…A month is pretty long.”
Klaus murmured at the sky, Charlotte responding softly beside him.
I glanced at them, nodded silently, and headed to my dorm.
Click.
The familiar door.
My private dorm.
Hand on the knob, I stepped into the now-familiar space.
“Been a while.”
‘Sure has.’
Plop.
Mikkurebi, displeased with my reply, hopped down and glared up at me sullenly.
Then it strode confidently into the room…
“…….”
Froze on the spot, then scrambled frantically back onto my head.
‘…What’s wrong?’
Like it’d seen a monster.
I stepped inside without a second thought…
“…….”
And finally saw it.
My bed.
Under the covers, some unidentified strange creature was wriggling.
- Crackle…
I reflexively drew 【Leviathan】.
And cautiously reached for the blanket.
Flick!
Yanked it off quick, sword at the ready.
Then…
“Mmm…”
A person—no, a dragon—slowly sat up, rubbing their eyes.
“…What.”
[What are you doing?]
“Mmm… long time no see, handsome mister?”
Casually greeting me, brushing back her hair—the strange creature from under the blanket.
In my dorm.
Sound asleep on my bed so casually…
It was Veronica.