Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: I Refuse
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The Behemoth vanished beyond the clouds right after the event ended.
When we got outside and checked, its crimson eyes had returned to their sky-blue color.
With all the monsters inside its mouth gone, it probably went off somewhere far away to feast.
The monsters that had spread throughout the empire were dealt with by the Imperial Knights and adventurers, and Lucia took care of all the ones remaining at the academy.
I was surprised to see rainbow-colored lasers, like a spectrum, suddenly fall from the sky and swallow up the monsters.
I had originally planned to be a "lonely gourmet" during this event, but since my meal was interrupted, I unintentionally ended up stealing the show.
Anyway, I'd leveled up and picked up a skill along the way, so I checked my status.
[ Information ]
Name: Luke
Gender: Male
Mana: 0 / 0
Age: 20
Level: 107
[ Skills ]
Inventory (F)
Superhuman Strength (B)
All-Attribute Resistance (A)
Status Effect Resistance (B+)
Real Man (S)
Iron Body (A)
[ Stats ]
Strength: 100(+50)
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 0
Vitality: 10
Stat Points: 7
Maybe because I haven't been hunting lately, my growth seems to have slowed down a bit.
But thinking about the monster meat I just ate, I couldn't care less about growth.
I tried to raise my Strength, as I always do.
‘Hm?’
What the. Why isn't it going up?
No matter how hard I tried, my Strength wouldn't increase any further.
"Go uuuuuuup, Strength!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"...What's wrong all of a sudden?"
"It's nothing."
Could it be that 100 is the max...?
I wanted to put all my points into Strength until the day I died.
A damn check against the ace.
This forces me to be a lesser man.
In any case, it means I have to raise other stats now. If I had to choose, it would be either Agility or Vitality.
Should I raise Intelligence by just 1 point out of curiosity?
...No. My intelligence is already sufficient. If I got any smarter, life would become boring, so I'd better not.
‘Hmm...’
I think I'm having trouble deciding.
So, I decided to hold off on assigning my stat points for now. I'll raise them later when I need to.
I closed the status window and decided to check my new skill.
◈ Skill Information
Name: Iron Body
Rank: A
Description: Greatly increases resistance to physical attacks. It is not an immunity, so it cannot completely nullify damage. A virtue that any true man must possess.
I was hoping for something different, some kind of twist, but unfortunately, there was none.
It was the same Iron Body I knew.
Still, I felt good seeing that the "scoundrel" tag at the end of every skill description was gone.
Now that I'd checked the skill, the next step was to test its performance.
"Yui. Hit me anywhere with your hand."
"Huh? All of a sudden...?"
"Yeah. I want to see how my new skill works."
"You're not going to get revenge or kill me later, are you...?"
Isn't she a bit too paranoid?
"I won't get revenge, and I won't kill you."
"R-Really? You're not going to beat me to an inch of my life or pay me back 22 times over or anything, right?"
Paranoia this severe is a sickness.
And what's with that specific number?
"Hurry up, will you? You want to die?"
"Eek!"
-*Pat, pat!*
"You call this hitting...?"
"Hah... Hah... Yes..."
Yui's punches were way too weak. The way she just swung her arms around looked like a child throwing a tantrum.
At this rate, it wouldn't hurt even without the skill.
Then again, it's strange to expect physical strength from a magic-slinger.
But she's just too weak. How can her fists make a *pat-pat* sound?
I'll have to put her through some tough training later.
"Alright, Luna, you try."
"Should I use my fists too?"
"No, use your sword."
"Isn't a sword a bit... dangerous?"
No, it says it raises resistance to physical attacks.
So it should work on slashing attacks, not just strikes like punches or kicks.
"If something happens, don't blame me."
"I get it, so stop talking and hurry up."
If something happens, I'll have only my own weakness to blame.
Luna drew a dagger and swung it swiftly.
I confidently placed my hands on my hips and puffed out my chest.
"Alright, come at me!"
*Swish—.*
The blade passed by at a speed an ordinary person couldn't follow with their eyes.
A straight gash appeared on my chest, and blood spurted out.
"I feel like something similar happened before. Luna, you don't hold a grudge against me, do you?"
"Of course not."
For someone who says that, her eyes were just brimming with killing intent.
"More importantly, is the wound okay?"
Her skill at changing the subject is top-notch, too.
"It's fine. A little spit will fix it."
"...Is your spit some kind of potion?"
To be honest, I haven't had a proper injury since I was reincarnated, so it does hurt.
In fact, it feels worse because it's a shallow cut rather than a deep one.
It's an annoying pain, like a paper cut. The stinging and smarting are just enough to get on my nerves.
"I can just wrap the wound in a bandage later. For now, let's go get breakfast."
In the end, all I'd eaten were those few pieces I grilled at the beginning.
I've been moving non-stop since then; my stomach feels like it's stuck to my back.
"You can think about food in a situation like this...?"
"What kind of situation is this?"
The demon is dead, and the Behemoth is gone.
The event is over, so what's the problem?
Luna pointed a finger toward a part of the academy.
There, students exhausted from the aftermath of the hunt were catching their breath, and some instructors seemed busy restoring the collapsed main building.
"That?"
"That's their problem, not mine."
All I care about is that the restaurant I'm going to and the room I'm sleeping in tonight are intact.
***
After the incident, we left the academy right away.
Because the academy cafeteria doesn't cook ingredients you bring them.
Normally, I should have been summoned for questioning or something.
But since this event was an act of terror that affected the entire empire, not just the academy, that didn't happen.
You might ask a terrorist why they did it, but no one asks a victim why they were terrorized.
Everyone was a victim.
With the demon culprit dead, it's impossible to grasp the full story of the incident.
The people who were inside the Behemoth know it was the demon's doing, so they could just say that.
But then they'd have to explain all sorts of things, starting with how they knew that, to how they dealt with the demon.
I'll pass on that kind of hassle.
And because of the Behemoth event, I heard classes are canceled for about three days.
The reason being they have to repair the damaged buildings, and the wealthy parents of our precious children are probably raising hell.
Sure, they sent their kids to the academy to learn through hardship, but there's a big difference between a class where professors protect you and a battlefield where you have to fight for your life.
Not all of them, but some of the more doting parents will surely be lodging no end of complaints about the academy's safety.
Especially from families with fathers who dote on their daughters.
That's why Lucia will be busy for a while, dealing with all of that.
If a professor walked in after a disaster like this and said, "The academy is operating as usual~. Everyone, open your books," their face would get flattened.
The students, confused by this unprecedented situation, are probably like high school seniors right before their college entrance exams; you don't want to provoke them.
'And if there are no classes, that's great for me.'
I still get food and lodging even without teaching. It's hard to find a cushy job like this anywhere else.
Anyway, when I got to the restaurant district, I realized my mistake.
It seemed there were no fatalities, but many people had been affected.
Because of that, all the restaurants, which should have been bustling with noise, were closed.
The academy wasn't the only place that was attacked. Why didn't I think of that?
"Looks like you'll have to settle for something simple today."
"My breakfast..."
To think I have to eat such fine ingredients prepared simply.
Such disrespect to the ingredients...
-*Grumble.*
My stomach is nagging me to eat quickly.
Just wait a bit. I'm annoyed too.
The restaurant we usually went to was damaged, so we just headed to a random one.
Fortunately, a restaurant with minimal damage was open for business.
No matter what happened, commoners can't afford to close shop even for a day; the losses would be huge.
We went inside the restaurant, and I showed the meat to a server.
"Could you make something with this?"
"Yes. Should I just make whatever?"
"Yup."
I'm starving, so I just need to eat. Besides, in a world like this, it's not like there are many different dishes they can make anyway.
After watching the server head to the kitchen, I sat at a random table and was just idling away.
"Finally found you."
Someone said as they approached our table.
***
Through this incident, she realized something.
Following the academy's curriculum would only slow her growth.
A curriculum designed for people weaker than her was not very helpful for her own development.
In that case, she had to find another way.
As it happened, a great talent was at the academy.
'He's as strong as I thought.'
The brute strength to swing that heavy sword as if it were a stick.
Compared to when they first met, he was now a person so strong she couldn't even hope to catch up.
She could get help from him.
She would have liked to receive personal training from the professors or ask Headmaster Lucia Merigold, but...
They were all busy people. Every day, aside from breaks and lunchtime, they were buried in work and research.
In a situation where she was stuck, the perfect person had come to the academy.
Luke.
He, who had come as a temporary instructor, only had one class a day.
Other than that, all his time was free.
And since he was even stronger than the professors, she believed he could help her grow.
That's why, after the incident ended, Liche split from Arthur's group and acted on her own.
She searched the entire academy, of course, and even went to the restaurant where she had met him before.
All for nothing.
'Where is he this time...?'
He's so elusive.
He was right in front of her just a moment ago, but now that she was looking for him, he was nowhere to be seen.
She wondered if he was using some kind of stealth magic; ever since before, trying to meet him once required searching the entire empire.
As she was combing through the empire, she finally found him in a restaurant in one corner of the restaurant district.
"Finally found you."
"Who are you?"
"...You know who I am."
Why did he always talk as if she needed to introduce herself every time they met?
"What do you want? I'm busy."
"I have a favor to ask."
"I refuse."
*No... at least hear me out...*