The Reward That Became My Inventory

I changed roughly into the reward clothes and stepped out of the dormitory. I crossed the park on my way to the academy, but the usual crowds were noticeably thinner. It had to be because of Requiem's attack. When a deranged cult terrorist group sets its sights on the academy, fear is the only sane response. I had assumed they went underground after their rampage on the mainland and simply vanished, but now they were striking here. No one with any sense would dare wander outside. Of course, knowing the original story as I did, I felt neither fear nor tension. There was still plenty of time before the next attack, and the barrier prevented them from touching the academy's interior anyway.

In any case, today I would march straight into the academy and claim the reward I had missed. I had nothing else to do, and I was genuinely curious what ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it would be. If they were going to give me something, I hoped it would be coins. I was short on money and couldn't afford a new weapon. I wondered if the academy would provide something worthwhile. In the original work, the post-event rewards had always been quite generous. Lost in these pleasant thoughts, I soon arrived at the academy.

The interior was deathly silent. The quiet was so absolute it felt almost chilling. It was around lunchtime, yet with classes canceled only the teachers remained. The usual bustle of students was gone, giving the halls a refreshingly stark atmosphere. That feeling, however, evaporated the moment I reached the staff room. Because I was finally about to receive my reward. I wondered what awaited me today.

I knocked, then opened the door and stepped inside. Even on a school holiday, the teachers were at their desks. Most of them wore deep dark circles under their eyes, no doubt from the headaches caused by the terrorist attack.

I walked to Caron's desk and called out to him.

At the sound of his name, Caron Walker finally turned to look at me. He ran a hand through his messy hair and stared at me intently.

He looked utterly drained. After working nonstop for days, his hair was matted and the dark circles beneath his eyes were almost black. Hang in there, Caron. Still, the anticipation of receiving my reward lifted my mood again. He rummaged through his desk, picked up a key, and unlocked a drawer. From inside he pulled out a small box.

It was smaller than I expected. At this size, it couldn't be coins or a weapon. Slightly disappointed, I opened the tightly sealed box. Inside lay a single luxurious-looking small pouch.

No, this was more than enough. In some ways, it was even more necessary than money or weapons. A subspace pouch functioned as the game's inventory. Unlike the game where the inventory was permanently active, this world required an actual subspace pouch to access that function. For me, it was an essential item.

Of course, capacity varied by quality and grade, and higher-grade pouches commanded vastly different prices. To think the academy would give such an item as a reward. I hadn't checked its capacity yet, but its performance was surely guaranteed. Even if the space was limited, it didn't matter. An inventory would be incredibly useful for storing weapons and potions.

I slipped the fist-sized subspace pouch into my pants pocket. There was no reason to stay here any longer. Time to return to the dormitory.

The academy would remain closed for two more days, so I might as well practice magic. I did have a new technique in mind. If I could leave campus I would hunt for a hidden piece or gather herbs to sell, but since I couldn't, I was stuck in the dormitory. The academy had strongly advised everyone to remain inside.

Just as I was about to leave the staff room, Caron spoke again.

As expected of Caron—he always said exactly what was on his mind. Still, his words weren't wrong. Given Vern's past behavior, most people would have thought the same. Though the Class B students I'd grown close to recently didn't seem to share that view.

Was I straying too far from the original character's concept? I couldn't exactly go around acting like complete garbage either. It couldn't be helped. I simply wanted to live quietly. I had no interest in changing my reputation, but I also couldn't keep behaving like a maniac. Since I barely had any friends anyway, I'd just keep my head down. Once classes resumed, everyone would be too busy studying to pay me any attention. I just needed to act as I always did.

With that thought, I headed back toward the dormitory.

....

"It's gone. It's not here."

I was so stunned I nearly cursed out loud. The expensive inventory I'd slipped into my pocket had vanished! Damn it. I wasn't the type to lose things. I searched my pocket frantically, but the subspace pouch was nowhere to be found. I couldn't have been pickpocketed—there had been no one on the path. Then what? It was as if the pocket had been empty from the very beginning. What the hell was going on? Unless...

"Status window."

Huh... A new section had been added to the status window. It had changed considerably since the beginning. As expected, it really was different from the game. Unlike the status windows in games that came fully loaded with functions from the start, mine felt somehow alive. Or perhaps continuously evolving. It changed whenever specific conditions were met. This time, a brand-new inventory function had appeared. Had the subspace pouch I owned been absorbed into the status window? There was no way to confirm it, but this was an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠enormous benefit. If the function existed within the status window, I would never have to worry about losing the pouch.

Still, something felt off. The status window gave me a strange, unpleasant feeling. It seemed suspicious, yet a gain was a gain. In that case, I should test its performance.

When I thought Inventory in my mind, a blue interface window floated into existence in the empty air. I began placing nearby objects into it—knife, lantern, potions, and all sorts of miscellaneous items. The inventory appeared to have no capacity limit; everything went in endlessly. When I thought to close it after storing everything, the blue window vanished. It seemed to operate on the same principle as the status window. Since others couldn't see it, I would have to be careful when using ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it.

I continued experimenting. I stored food and even a lit candle. The tests revealed that time did not flow inside the inventory. Items remained in exactly the same state as when they were placed inside. I also discovered I could summon stored items at will. If I stored a knife and summoned it, the knife would appear in my hand. Naturally, I could unsummon it as well. This would make weapon switching incredibly easy. The ability to switch between multiple weapons opened up far more tactical options.

It seemed I had received something truly incredible. Of course I would need multiple weapons to make full use of it, but since the inventory itself was essentially a cheat item, that wasn't an issue right now. I would need to run more tests, but what I had already discovered was close to cheating.

Moreover, since I could store my sword in the inventory, I could carry it on campus without issue. Once classes resumed it would be one event after another, so the ability to keep a weapon close was a massive advantage. This ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was going to get interesting.

I'd examine the inventory more later. For now, it had been a while since I last checked my stats. The remaining stat points I gained from defeating the chimera totaled six. Six points wasn't bad at all. Stats began growing significantly stronger once they passed ten. Should I invest in mana? Or in HP? These were pleasant dilemmas. It was time to spec up.