Chapter 34
Fwoooosh-!
The moment I opened the lid, light poured out of the bathtub.
A dazzling effect blanketed the entire bathroom for quite some time.
I had to squint for a moment.
‘This light··· Did it work?’
An effect that occurs when a specific condition is met.
The most representative example was the [Purification] effect.
A multicolored flash erupts, briefly whitening one's field of vision.
I sensed that it had succeeded.
“······”
After waiting a moment, the light faded.
The inside of the bathtub then came clearly into view.
The holy water that had been sloshing around was nowhere to be seen.
All that remained was a murky liquid, its light gone.
“Is this it?”
Something black writhed within that filthy water.
I reached out and grabbed it without fear.
It had an unfamiliar texture.
Though it was submerged in liquid, it was as soft as a handful of fluff.
As I fidgeted with its unusual texture, the status window soon described the item in my hand.
Ding-!
[You have acquired the exclusive weapon ‘Black Mist (A+).’]
Black Mist.
It was the item I had been looking for.
I lifted the fluffy clump.
It felt utterly weightless, as though I had picked up a cloud.
‘Light.’
It was certainly no ordinary weapon.
And no wonder, since in this form it was no different from a clump of fur.
It didn't exactly look like a weapon.
But this thing's true value was only about to be revealed.
I took a thin knife out of my inventory.
‘Just a little···.’
Slash-.
I immediately set the blade against my palm and drew it lengthwise.
Dark red blood welled up between the parted flesh.
I fed it to the Black Mist.
Twitch-.
The clump of fluff stirred, perhaps in response to my blood.
It clung to the wound and absorbed the blood.
The black gradually took on a reddish hue.
About five minutes later,
a blue screen appeared before my eyes.
Ding-!
[The weapon recognizes you as its master!]
-Would you like to set the item ‘Black Mist (A+)’ as your exclusive weapon?
-[Yes/No]
Without hesitation, Yes.
When I clicked the button, the mist stopped drinking my blood.
Then I felt it cling snugly to my hand.
‘Has it finished recognizing its master?’
The imprinting was complete.
I gripped the mist tightly and muttered.
“Activate. Sword.”
Twitch-.
At the same time, the mist began to move.
The fluff-like substance churned in my palm.
The dark red mass tangled in on itself and compressed as though being squeezed.
Creak, creak-.
Once its softness disappeared, only a hard texture remained.
The mist, which had been as large as my body, had by then grown thinner than my arm.
It had taken the shape of a sword.
“Hmm.”
Shing-.
A dark red sword.
I quietly looked down at the mist.
Ding-!
[Skill 1 of the exclusive weapon ‘Black Mist’ has activated.]
[Skill Name: Myriad Transformations]
-The weapon's form changes freely.
-The form it changes into depends on the settings specified by the user.
-The form remains fixed until additional settings are added, and will regenerate even if it is cracked or broken.
‘Good···.’
I smiled faintly.
The exclusive weapon, Black Mist (A+).
It possessed two skills.
As befitted something derived from a dragon, it possessed special abilities.
“Activate. Spear.”
The first of them.
Myriad Transformations.
It changed form according to the user's settings.
It could create a variety of forms within the permitted area.
“Hmm.”
I swung the mist in my hand a few times.
What had been a sword until a moment ago had already changed into a spear.
“Activate. Shield.”
A thick shield settled onto my arm.
Its weight, however, remained unchanged.
It was not merely light; it was completely imperceptible.
That did not mean its hardness had decreased, either.
‘The toughness itself doesn't seem much different from an ordinary shield.’
And yet it was this light.
Even if it were shattered or broken, it could repair itself.
A truly overpowered item.
‘So this really is dragon fiber.’
Its very structure was fascinating.
Only after changing its form several more times did I become accustomed to the sensation.
“Activate. Sword. And··· Activate. Spikes.”
The sword I had been holding still.
At the command, dozens of spikes shot out from its blade.
Shraaak-!
A combination I had often used in my previous life.
Applications like this seemed to work quite well, too.
If I stabbed a monster with the sword and detonated the spikes inside it, I could finish off most mobs in a single blow.
“Activate. Gloves.”
Twitch-.
The mist gently wrapped around both hands, then transformed into the shape of gloves.
Leather texture. Dark red. The feel was soft, without anything irritating.
I could probably use it exactly as it had been used in the original.
I would wear it as gloves normally, then turn it into a weapon when needed.
‘That aside··· What should I use as the base form?’
I pondered for a moment.
Even if it could change shape, I still had to decide on a default form.
I couldn't learn to be a swordsman, spearman, archer, and everything else all at once.
I needed one basic form to rely on.
I would have to improvise the rest as needed, but···
“······Ah.”
Definitely.
If I was going with a clown concept, this was perfect.
“Activate. Scythe.”
A large scythe came to rest on my shoulder.
Not the kind used for farming, but the one grim reapers were usually seen carrying, you know?
It had that sort of shape.
I smiled in satisfaction.
The corner of the mask's mouth twitched along with mine.
‘This should do.’
I changed the mist back into gloves.
My review of Skill No. 1 was quite satisfactory.
‘Of course··· This thing's true value lies in No. 2.’
The second skill.
The reason I had gone to such lengths to obtain it.
An ability that would be my joker, since I lacked a powerful finishing blow.
I wanted to test this one too if possible, but I had nowhere suitable to do so.
‘It was rather particular about its target, and if it activated properly, the dormitory would be blown apart···.’
I would pass.
I had already racked up 20 demerit points from Jaber.
If I caused any more trouble, my position would become difficult.
‘I'll aim for next time.’
Come to think of it, practical training was supposed to begin next week···
There was also an incident that occurred then, so I could test it at the same time.
“Ahem.”
Afterward, I set about tidying the area I had messed up.
The bathtub was still full of liquid.
Holy water from which divinity had drained, leaving only polluted energy behind.
I took some empty bottles out of my robe.
‘This should come in handy later, too.’
It was useful even after its divine power had been exhausted.
Truly, holy water that kept on giving.
Ding-!
[You have acquired the item ‘Polluted Holy Water (C-).’]
Good. Good.
I stored all the by-products I had collected in my inventory.
I had only acquired a single exclusive weapon, but it felt as though my stats had improved tremendously.
Was this what it felt like to have a thousand troops and ten thousand warhorses at one's command?
‘Then··· All that's left is to wait for practical training day.’
A school event that would arrive soon.
And the incident that would come along with it.
I lay down on the bed, reviewing the original story.
‘I'll be busy again starting the day after tomorrow.’
Crushed by fatigue, I fell asleep.
***
Two days later.
As always, I went to school by rickshaw.
Lying on the bed inside the rickshaw, I enjoyed the refreshing breeze.
“Hoo, hoo!”
“Run faster!”
“Pick up the pace, pick up the pace!”
“One! Two! One! Two!”
Up front, the Bread Shuttlez were pulling the rickshaw.
For some reason, the boys were fired up.
They were putting their all into pulling the rickshaw.
They even raised spirited chants as they drove it faster and faster.
“······”
To be honest, I was a little flustered.
I wondered what had gotten into them.
‘No, I did tell them to do this, but···’
I had only intended to make things difficult for them.
After all, I had been annoyed that they had conspired among themselves and tried to cut me out.
I had wanted to teach them a little about the bitter taste of life.
-Big bro, big bro··· Thank you for yesterday!
-About yesterday's test, that is. We were truly impressed.
-We sincerely apologize for being so presumptuous toward you, big bro!
Of course, there had been a catalyst.
I had beaten the top student of Class C in the freshman welcoming test.
I had given Class E, which had been trampled and mocked, the catharsis they needed.
It had inadvertently become the turning point that won their favor.
“This is training bestowed upon us by Big Bro!”
“If you find this much difficult, you haven't trained enough.”
“Hoo, hoo··· I could run all day at this rate.”
“After doing this training, my magic skills actually improved!”
Maybe because the kids were idiots, they followed me far too blindly.
No, perhaps it was because I had gone too spectacularly overboard during the last test.
They seemed to have been collectively enthralled.
And what was that last one about?
Why would their magic skills improve after training their strength and stamina?
“Ha-ha-ha! Behold, my coin-bending magic!”
Creak, creak-.
One of them took a coin from his pocket and folded it into origami right then and there.
Bulging muscles rippled across the forearm that had folded it into an actual frog.
Truly, Magical☆Coin Burst.
“There! The coin became a frog!”
What the fuck kind of magic was that?
Did highly developed muscles really become indistinguishable from magic?
‘Hmm··· Anyway, I suppose it's good that they're enthusiastic?’
If they were happy, there was no need for me to rain on their parade.
Besides, I was in the position of having to lead Class E.
If they were willing to worship me on their own, I was grateful.
Ding-!
[Sub Quest]
-Title: Talent Collector
-Description: Raise every student in Class E to a skill level of B rank or higher.
-Failure Penalty: None
-Reward: Character-exclusive item ‘Black Arbiter’s Scales (S-)’
[Time Limit: Until graduation]
‘Shouldn't be too difficult.’
After all, getting them to steel their resolve was the hardest part.
If they were willing to be put through the wringer, I could help them grow as much as they wanted.
I knew every growth route in this world, along with hidden opportunities, items, and even how to break through the limits of one's talent.
Things only I knew.
Things only I could give them.
‘It feels like raising a whole bunch of disciples···.’
I nodded.
Once the upcoming practical training was over, I would have to talk to them.
“We've arrived, Big Bro!”
“Ah.”
Before I knew it, we had arrived at Main Building A.
I said goodbye to the Shuttlez.
“You may head back for today. There's no need to come again. Good work.”
““Yes, Big Bro! See you tomorrow!””
After leaving behind a booming reply, the boys hurriedly dispersed.
I watched the departing rickshaw for a moment.
Then I slowly started walking.
‘Practical training, huh.’
First-semester practical training.
Students formed groups and solved the problems they were given.
Groups were formed voluntarily, and this too was evaluated as a skill.
Of course, I wasn't aiming merely for a high practical-training score.
‘The incident that occurs during practical training.’
Someone tampered with the test.
My goal was to catch it, then uproot the problem completely.
For that reason, I had to choose my teammates for this round carefully.
‘The person who absolutely had to be included.’
Ranne Kihano.
An event existed that would occur only if she participated.
For that alone, Ranne was someone I absolutely had to bring along.
That was why I had come to Main Building A now.
‘Ranne.’
The space used by Class A students.
I walked between them, searching for her.
“Oh··· Sir Victor? What brings you to Main Building A?”
“Miss Ranne!”
And before long, I found the girl.
Violet eyes blinked beneath dazzling golden hair.
I approached her in long strides without hesitation.
“Sir Vic, Victor···?”
Amid the cheerful atmosphere, she tilted her head in puzzlement.
Regardless, I knelt on one knee.
The question mark above the girl's head grew even larger.
“······?”
“Miss Ranne.”
I quietly took her hand.
I gazed up at her earnestly, breathing softly.
Our body heat passed between us through her slender fingers.
I asked in a voice filled with sincerity, as though drawing it up from my heart.
“I've taken a liking to you. It has to be you.”
To the girl.
“Would you become my companion?”
Words breathed out from the depths of my heart.
Please.
Please become my teammate!!!!
My plan will be ruined without you!!!!!!
“Miss Ranne, please.”
“······.”
Ranne stared down at me, frozen in a daze.
Soon, her violet eyes began to tremble.
A cute little gasp escaped her.
The bold, confident air she usually displayed was nowhere to be found.
“······Huh?”
The knight girl's cheeks flushed bright red.