Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: Like Father, Like Daughter (3)
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I looked down at Hiyu, sleeping peacefully on the floor.
All she had done was skip meals because she was too lazy and fall asleep just like that.
Yet she ended up getting a growth bonus instead.
Like owner, like pet.
Or maybe like father, like daughter.
Anyway.
Unfortunately, no additional Sloth points accumulated for me.
It seemed the system didn't count it as my achievement since it was my pet's independent act of sloth.
Well, Hiyu grew stronger, so that was a good thing.
I draped Hiyu around my neck again, bid farewell to Professor Kane, and left the lab.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Pet's achievement unlocked.]
And an achievement was additionally unlocked.
As I mentioned before, in Stella Academia, pets grow through the achievement system.
Each pet has different achievements to fulfill.
I knew most pets' achievements, but a Sloth-attribute hydra was new even to me, so I wasn't sure.
I figured it was probably something about performing slothful acts.
[Uwoong...]
I stroked Hiyu, who was mumbling sleep-talk via telepathy, and thought.
I didn't even need to try waking her; she'd probably figure it out just by living lazily like this...
But what I really needed to worry about was something else.
Thanks to Hiyu's growth, I could now store two more skills beyond Magic Blade Slash.
So, which skills should I pick?
For this quest, [Summoned Beast Showdown].
'Yeah, these two it is.'
I settled on my choices after some thought.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Time passed like that.
The S-Rank promotion match was now right around the corner.
I strolled leisurely toward the arena.
Nothing particularly noteworthy had happened in the meantime.
It was my usual drowsy school life.
Hiyu took it even further, spending most of her time asleep.
That said, a few things did occur amid all that.
First, I got a better grasp of Hiyu's abilities.
Her current slots were three, and I assumed more would unlock as she grew.
Storing one skill required 12 hours of sleep from her.
In other words, filling all three slots meant a full 36 hours of sleep.
Second, Hiyu could now send telepathy only to her chosen targets.
She hadn't trained for it; it just happened naturally while sleeping.
I'm not even surprised anymore.
And third. Hiyu's list of moms grew even more...
Now she was calling Artel, Ciel, and even Senior Lily "Mama" too.
Fortunately, they were all kind—or maybe charmed by how cute Hiyu was—so none of them reacted negatively.
Ciel, being her usual fourth-dimensional self, actually loved it.
Senior Lily was flustered and embarrassed but said she liked snakes anyway and petted Hiyu.
Surprisingly, even Artel didn't seem to mind, which shocked me.
...Did she always like hydra pets?
Anyway.
The interesting part was that Hiyu seemed to have her own criteria.
Like when we ran into Karen in the hallway.
"Jeron! Is that a snake around your neck? You look just like some shadowy villain...!"
She approached with sparkling eyes, so I thought she might end up as a mom candidate too.
But Hiyu, who happened to be awake, declared firmly.
[Not Mama...]
Hmm. Wonder what her criteria are.
When I asked Hiyu, she just repeated "not Mama."
But if it's not, then it's not—why "not yet"?
With Kerr, Yuria, Artel, Ciel, and Lily already as moms, wasn't that enough?
Ciel even spouted the bizarre theory that since Hiyu had nine heads, she needed nine moms...
And she seemed dead serious about it.
As I was lost in those thoughts,
I finally arrived at the promotion match venue.
The S-Rank promotion was held separately from regular practical spars, which explained the larger crowd than usual.
As always, I arrived just in time—not a second early, but not late enough to disqualify.
A female professor with striking scarlet hair sat in the referee seat, legs crossed.
Professor Sierra.
"Hey, whitey!"
She grinned and waved.
I gave a light nod and stepped onto the arena.
My opponent was already waiting there.
S-Rank #10, Dante Baskerville.
He wore crude armor lined with beast fur, his wolfish eyes sharp and fierce.
True to his northern origins, he had that perfect northern warrior vibe.
During the pre-match prep time.
"Jeron Airgia."
Dante approached and looked at me.
"I've seen your performances so far and in the overall evaluation. Honestly, I know I can't beat you as I am now."
He clenched his fist tightly.
"But as the gatekeeper of S-Rank, I'll give it my all."
'As expected.'
I nodded inwardly.
In the game, even after losing to the protagonist, Dante accepted it cleanly and later became a reliable ally.
Honest and steadfast personality.
That's why players nicknamed him "the loyal retainer."
I liked him quite a bit too.
'Gonna have to use him a little this time, though.'
I opened my mouth lazily.
"Hey, how about we skip fighting ourselves and just have our beasts battle? Pick your strongest one and do a 1v1."
"...What do you mean?"
Dante's eyebrow twitched in confusion.
"I have a beast too."
Dante's gaze flicked briefly to my neck.
To Hiyu, coiled like a scarf.
"Right. I heard you recently got a rare beast..."
He looked puzzled.
"You plan to face me with that little thing? You know I'm a beast tamer, right?"
"I'd rather fight myself, but circumstances."
I put on a grave, serious expression.
"What circumstances...? Injury or something?"
His face hardened.
He apparently didn't want a win if I was fighting injured.
But.
"Well, I poured all my passion into the overall evaluation... Now it's recharge week, so I can't fight."
"......"
Silence fell for a moment.
"...I heard you even fell from 1st to 10th while sleeping during the evaluation?!"
"That was my best. No, I overdid it, so now I'm overloaded."
"I-is that so...?!"
Dante looked shocked.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
Ding! [Slothful excuse!] [Sloth +20!]
Perfect.
Sloth points farming sweet.
Of course, the real reason for self-imposed restrictions was the quest.
[Summoned Beast Showdown!]
No attacks on the main body. Win solely with your pet.
This was a bit of a gamble for me too.
Losing here meant kissing goodbye to the S-Rank achievement quest.
But I aimed for the top prize.
Weapon enhancement ticket.
It was a cheat item that was insanely hard to get otherwise.
Plus, unless it was 1v1, Hiyu alone couldn't handle all of Dante's beasts.
That's why I proposed a beast 1v1 duel.
"Well... if you're sure."
Dante pondered briefly, then nodded.
"Then let's set the rules now. No support magic or buffs from owners. No direct attacks or defenses either. How's that?"
Tch.
He wasn't an idiot, unfortunately.
If no rules, I might've gone full combo on his beasts if Hiyu struggled, snagging S-Rank anyway.
His proposal matched the quest exactly.
Sigh. No choice.
"Fine."
I accepted coolly.
We turned toward the referee seat.
"Professor. We agreed to tweak the rules a bit."
Dante explained the situation to Professor Sierra.
"What? A beast 1v1 duel?"
She looked at me with interest.
"You cool with that, whitey? Beast battles are his specialty."
"Yeah. Too lazy to fight myself."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Slothful remark!] [Sloth +10!]
"Kuhuhu, really? So you... Anyway, a shame I won't see whitey magic, but sure, approved!"
Professor Sierra gave a straightforward okay.
Practical spars allowed custom rules with mutual consent, so it was legit.
"Agreed rules accepted!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
'Jeron Airgia. What are you scheming?'
Dante observed Jeron closely.
Lazy, half-lidded eyes.
Shoulders slack and drooping.
No tension in his expression at all.
Just pure nonchalance.
Dante naturally saw himself as the challenger.
He was S-Rank, Jeron A-Rank, but Jeron's skills and showings put him clearly higher.
Yet Jeron was handing him an opportunity.
Even proposing a beast battle against a beast tamer like him.
Practically inviting him to his strongest field.
'Injury or unavoidable reason, maybe... but just laziness?'
Anyone else would've taken it as an insult.
But there was no arrogance in Jeron's demeanor.
'Well, his choice. Not my place to complain.'
So he felt no unease.
He just had to give his best.
Dante drew a summon stone from his belt.
He pulled out his ace, his strongest beast, tamed only recently.
"Come forth! Cerberus!"
Kwaaang—!
The stone shattered, red flames swirling.
"Grrr...!"
A massive form emerged from the blaze.
Three heads, glowing red eyes, steel-like muscled body.
The hellhound Cerberus made its fierce entrance.
And facing it...
"Hiyu. You're up."
Jeron unwound a small purple snake from his neck.
[Hiiing...]
The snake whined and clung to his hand, taking a bit to detach.
"......"
Dante's eyes cooled sharply.
That thing was supposed to beat Cerberus?
At that moment, Professor Sierra's voice, amplified by magic, boomed across the arena.
"This match will proceed as a 'Beast 1v1 Duel' by mutual agreement! No direct offense or defense from owners! Only buffs and support magic allowed. Victory by beasts alone!"
The crowd murmured immediately.
"What?"
"Jeron's not fighting himself?"
"Beast battle? Dante has the overwhelming edge!"
"How's that tiny snake beating Cerberus?"
Everyone questioned Jeron's reckless choice.
"Begin!"
Professor Sierra's signal dropped.
"Tear it apart! Cerberus!"
Dante issued the attack order without hesitation.
"Grrr!"
The massive hound kicked off the ground, charging the snake.
Like a colossal tank assaulting.
But.
Thung!
Just before sharp fangs reached.
A pale purple barrier unfolded in midair, blocking Cerberus's charge.
'That’s...!'
It was Jeron's magic, which Dante recognized.
Slightly different color, but boasting immense defense that even stopped Cerberus.
However.
'...Huh? Isn't direct magic use disqualification?'
Dante was briefly puzzled.
But he realized soon.
'Wait. Not Jeron's magic? Then, don't tell me.'
The mana flow wasn't from Jeron.
He wasn't a mage, but as a beast tamer, he could read mana flows for commands and buffs.
The spellcaster was...
'A beast that uses magic...?!'
[Fwaaam...]
The tiny snake, yawning nonchalantly inside the barrier.