100. Finals Are... Out of Service (2)
100. Finals Are... Out of Service (2)
Final exams.
The glorious final stage marking the end of the first semester of the first year.
The early-game Wailing Wall of Survival Academy.
How well the characters had been developed by this point would have a major impact on clearing the missions.
Most build concepts were settled around this point, making it a crucial turning point for the player. Once this stage had passed, the window for changing a build was effectively long gone.
Changing direction midway was not an option.
And so, the third trial that had come for the protagonist was bound to be a critical test.
A gauge of whether he could push through the events to come.
...The problem was, there was no Karina.
Setting everything else aside, the question was whether there was any way to replace Karina at all. Survival Academy's balance was no good even by generous standards, and the healer balance in particular was so dire that guides openly stated any healer besides Karina was trash.
Especially in the early game, there was no healer worth mentioning besides Karina, so common sense dictated bringing her along unless the player was experienced enough to clear without her.
The problem was... Karina hadn't even been able to enroll in the first place.
The Hellhound Incident had already produced casualties because Karina was absent, and I had prevented the Demon Summoning by eliminating its cause beforehand. But the final Dimensional Rift event couldn't be stopped in advance by its very nature.
To stop that, I'd have to cancel the final exam or change the location, and neither was within my power. I wasn't some chairman of the board; I was a mere Escort Knight. There was no way I had that kind of authority.
In the end, my only option was to infiltrate the scene and covertly support the protagonist. A game protagonist was bound to receive all sorts of absurd bonuses, so if I helped a little, they would probably handle the rest on their own.
Besides...
-Mission-
-Assist Lewis in safely completing the final exam.
Reward: 3 Trait Points
The quest to get close to Elisa had already been cleared without me even noticing, and this new mission was blatantly telling me to stick my nose into the main story.
The fact that it informed me Lewis was in the original protagonist's position was a bonus.
But still.
Why was the Status Window forcibly dragging me into the main scenario?
Was it because I was an irregular, or was there some other reason? Perhaps Yohan Quartz was a character tied to the main scenario, and I had simply never known his name.
I didn't know every NPC's name, but I had no memory of seeing Yohan or the surname Quartz. No one had reacted noticeably to my surname either, so it probably wasn't known across the continent.
Just why had the original owner of this body been stranded on a deserted island? And what was this bizarre Status Window?
...Maybe once I had some breathing room later, I could have Sif make some inquiries?
If the name really was a complete unknown among unknowns, there'd be no finding any clues inside the academy anyway.
"...Whatever. What's the point of mulling over a problem with no answer?"
I rose from the bed in the secret hideout I'd built underground.
One of the hideouts I'd hidden among the tunnels I'd dug beneath the academy. I'd slipped into the tunnels with only minimal luggage.
Since accomplishing the purpose for which I'd requested leave required entering the tunnels without anyone knowing, I'd come in through the entrance I'd hidden in my workshop with special care.
I'd entered without anyone knowing, so the only person aware I was here was Sif.
Wanting to avoid drawing attention, I'd left the delivery of supplies to Sif. It was a method I'd relied on ever since I'd dug these tunnels. Especially when smuggling mithril in—without these tunnels, I wouldn't have been able to get it safely into my workshop.
"When's Sif getting here?"
"You called?"
"There you are."
The Thief Cat poked her head in at the hideout entrance and stepped inside with a playful grin. The backpack as big as her own body was an added bonus. The cat beastkin who loved money more than anyone hummed a cheerful tune, apparently quite pleased with the pay she'd be getting from me, and set the backpack down next to the bed.
"Bought everything you mentioned, so pay up!"
"Here."
I dropped the three gold coins I'd set aside for her trouble onto Sif's palm.
"Oohoo..."
"Are your sisters doing well?"
"Lately they've been getting nice and chubby, so I'm wondering if I should make them exercise~"
Well, she'd probably earned at least fifty gold coins just from working as my underling, so there was no way they were going hungry.
Assuming frugal living, fifty gold coins was enough to last a year or more without any worry about food.
"Good to hear."
"So, our esteemed employer. Got any more work?"
Work, huh... I stared at Sif as she rubbed her palms together like a sycophant and looked down at me. Her gaze brimmed with anticipation. This cat girl, as if greed itself had taken form, was a useful card to hold as long as I paid her properly.
I couldn't vouch for her loyalty, but her stealth let her approach without anyone noticing, and her unique Skill, Plunder, had plenty of applications. Her cooperation was also indispensable for smuggling certain expensive materials into the academy. After a brief thought, I casually broached the subject.
"Sif, you want to do a big job with me?"
"A big job? Does it pay?"
"Don't know yet."
Honestly, it didn't seem like it would be profitable. This job was close to tailing someone, so there might be no income at all. In a worst-case scenario I might have to step in a bit, but...
I could only hope it wouldn't come to that.
Whether that was possible with Karina absent from the final exam remained unknown. In a game where every character had a fixed job and role, losing even one was bound to throw everything off—especially when that role was healer.
"Sure, why not!"
"That's unexpected."
"Of all the things you've done, there's never been one that didn't turn a profit!"
Oddly enough, her voice was full of conviction. Come to think of it, she wasn't exactly wrong. I'd always snatched up any moneymaking opportunity along the way.
Just what I'd bilked through these tunnels alone was an amount most people wouldn't get to handle in a lifetime.
Though I'd burned most of it on mithril...
"The operation starts tomorrow."
"Tomorrow... isn't that the final exam?"
"How did you know?"
"When you roam the streets, you pick up information—lots of it!"
"Then this'll be easy. Tomorrow, we're crashing the final exam. More specifically, I plan to infiltrate the dungeon covertly."
"What?"
What was with that dumbfounded look? Should she not have caught on by now, knowing what I was about to do? What was I supposed to do with this clueless Thief Cat? I kindly added an explanation for Sif, who could grasp one thing and miss the next.
"I've obtained intel that a dimensional rift will open in tomorrow's final exam dungeon. We're entering the rift."
"What's that supposed to mean? A dimensional rift is opening tomorrow? How do you know that?"
At the words 'Dimensional Rift,' Sif's gaze sharpened. Perhaps she knew how dangerous they were. She answered rapidly, pouring out everything she knew.
"Who doesn't know about those? When one of those opens up, the whole area gets devastated! Monsters come pouring out of it! Just a week ago, a dimensional rift burst open in a dungeon and wiped out all the adventurers who were exploring it."
Wiped out... huh. That made sense. It was a phenomenon where space tore open and a dungeon suddenly appeared.
They could open in places other than dungeons too, but when they opened inside a dungeon, it was the most threatening disaster. If one opened in a city or a plain, you could just run, but when one opened in a dungeon, there were countless cases of people getting trapped without any way out.
"So that happened. Don't worry. The rift opening tomorrow isn't that dangerous."
The rift opening tomorrow had been calibrated to strengthen the player. By difficulty standards, it would probably be somewhat harder than the previous two incidents.
"Is that reliable intel?"
"You don't trust me?"
"Uh... this one's so far out of the ordinary it's hard to believe."
"If it's hard to believe, you don't have to take part in this job."
I'd suggested it because it'd be a bit more convenient; it wasn't like I absolutely needed her.
At my words, Sif seemed to ponder for a moment, folding her arms and making a groaning sound, then answered me in a tone of resignation.
"Well, our esteemed finan—no, employer doesn't seem like the type to lie, so I'll trust you!"
She'd definitely been about to call me her financier. When I glared at her, Sif immediately looked away and feigned innocence. Out of spite, I lightly thumped the crown of her head, then waved and gave my orders.
"Then unpack at your leisure and rest. We'll be busy starting tomorrow morning."
"Got it~"
Sif pulled items from her backpack with practiced movements and arranged them neatly. From the way she acted, I might have expected her to live sloppily, but she was surprisingly diligent. Watching her organize everything methodically, I lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
I wasn't particularly sleepy, but I didn't feel like heading out to work right now. I figured I'd catch a quick nap and start working late at night.
"I'm going to sleep for a bit, so just rest however you like."
"I'm hungry... you wouldn't happen to have anything to eat?"
"There are sandwiches in my bag, so take some out and eat. I need to eat too, so don't finish them all."
"Sandwiches?"
I could sense anticipation in Sif's voice, as if she were picturing the sandwiches the Dawn Hall servants made. The sandwiches made by the chef working in Dawn Hall were pretty tasty, true.
But the sandwiches I'd brought would be nothing like what Sif expected.
...Because I'd made them.
I stared blankly at the ceiling and closed my eyes.
The next time I opened them, the operation would begin.