༺ Academy Difficulty Level Increase ༻
Time remaining until the first class── 7 days.
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About 30 minutes later. Red Tower Wizard entered only after giving three polite knocks and twice repeating a caution to refrain from any excessive affectionate behavior if it was still occurring.
And as soon as she entered, the first thing she did was to drop a thick Dictionary of Academy Rules onto the table with a Thump.
“In the Academy, that sort of thing is prohibited!”
“Prohibited?”
“Yes, it is prohibited. There have been three instances of regional wars caused by indiscriminate ‘this and that’. And the number of smaller quarrels are too numerous to count.”
“Why would someone who knows that do t-that sort of thing?!”
BANG BANG BANG! Red Tower Wizard pounded the table in anger. I responded with a genuinely puzzled expression. Next to me, Pink-Haired Lesbian, too, nonchalantly pushed up her glasses.
“What is it that you thought we were doing?”
Then, the voice of Red Tower Wizard shrank to the level of a crawling ant and the stuttering rate spiked to ‘Tower Master talking to strangers’ levels.
“S-S-So w-what I-I mean i-is…SM……play……”
“What exactly does SM play entail?”
“Uh, hitting…with a whip or……”
“Sorry to let down your expectations, but we weren’t exactly engaging in SM play. We were merely, in a purely innocent sense, inflicting wounds upon each other’s dignity.”
“I wasn’t expecting it in the first place and isn’t that even worse than SM?!”
It was common among friends to take advantage of each other whenever the opportunity arose. When you see your shot, you take it, you know? Did Red Tower Wizard not know such an obvious fact? Perhaps she didn’t have any friends.
“Your perception is the one that’s weird!”
“Then what do you think a friend is?”
“Relying on and leading each other. If I stagger, they would catch me, and if I’m sad, they would comfort me, and they would help me find meaning in life, and would promise to leave the village someday toge──.”
The expression of Red Tower Wizard became dreamy. Though I wasn’t sure who she was thinking of, it was obviously the expression of a princess waiting for her prince on a white horse. From what I could observe, it seemed more like a real experience than a fantasy.
I left a straightforward review.
“Sounds to me like you’re looking more for a lover than a friend.”
“……He’s a friend, okay?!”
Looking into the eyes of Red Tower Wizard, I could swear, with 120% certainty, that she had fallen in love. I don’t know who it may be, but he must have been like a protagonist out of a fairy tale.
“Anyway, how did you even get into the Academy? They don’t usually let outsiders in…….”
“What do you mean how? Because I’m a Professor, that’s how.”
“Make a more believable lie. What sort of skills do you even have to deserve such a position?”
Red Tower Wizard snorted with laughter. I felt a bit wronged. Red Tower Wizard had been right there when I was bickering with Pink-Haired Lesbian. She saw for herself that I had reached the realm of 3 Stars, yet here they were, dissing me?
“If you had entered as a student, I could understand. But the Professors at the Academy── aside from support courses like medical botany, have all reached the Metamorphosis Realm. Additionally, they would have a renowned specialty or fame and achievements in a particular field that makes them worth hiring for tenure.”
“Mm.”
“For example, Professor Alexon, who teaches 『All Things About Close Combat』, has roamed the battlefields across the continent for 40 years, wrote five military strategy books, and was considered the next Mercenary King before his retirement.”
Ah, I see. Had it not been for a battle of words, I would have been torn in half.
“And what about Professor Alejandro? His 『Alejandro Spiral Stone Tower』 is the first spell mentioned in debates about what the strongest defensive magic is. Outsiders may underestimate it as merely maintaining the training grounds, but the fact that the Academy’s numerous personnel can practice and duel without the training grounds losing its form is──.”
Ah, I see. Had it not been for a surprise attack, I would have been in danger.
As I listened to Red Tower Wizard drone on and on about someone’s TMI I had never asked for, I recalled one famous saying.
‘You’re fucking dogshit. Noob.’1a korean meme
What did it matter whether it was a surprise attack, a battle of words, a game of Go, or Othello, if I won? No matter how strong or mighty they were, as long as they didn’t fight me again, it was all good. I just needed to eternally maintain a record of 1 win and 0 losses.
While casually ignoring Red Tower Wizard’s explanation, I asked.
“Isn’t there still some time left until school starts?”
“I came early. How could someone think of arriving right on time? If I encountered bandits along the way, I would be delayed by a day or two. It’s common for everyone to start arriving around this time.”
“Then you must have nothing to do?”
“Huh?”
“Show me around the Academy.”
Since she seemed to know a lot about this place, I employed her as my guide.
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Of course, it wouldn’t have been much of a difference if I toured the Academy facilities leisurely with Pink-Haired Lesbian, However, the reason for persuading Red Toward Wizard to become a guide was to gain a student’s point of view.
It was a survey of demand.
I pondered a lot about what Elective course to teach. And honestly, I was still pondering. If Academy life was as rigid as military life and a type of mental break was needed, I thought of creating a support course like 『Healing in a Peaceful Otherworld』
Or maybe something like 『Learning Societal Manners in the Arms of Pretty Boy Butlers / Pretty Girl Maids』. Pink-Haired Lesbian was all for it. She was already appealing to me that slender types were her preference.
Since she was sent by the Second Prince, Pink-Haired Lesbian probably knew of it as Dimensional Travel instead of Illusion Magic. That basically meant she was excited about mingling with girls from another dimension without any hindrances. What a pervert.
The Academy grounds were quite extensive. Given the Teleport Magic Circles installed in each section of the north, south, east, and west for convenience of movement, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a city, wouldn’t it?
Red Tower Wizard made a big fuss, asking ‘Why do I have to be your guide?!’, but in the end, she was the one to lead the way eagerly once the tour began.
The first facility she introduced was the training ground.
“This is the training ground.”
“There are already quite a few guys swinging swords. Hasn’t the semester not started yet?”
There were scarecrows and large stones for strength training scattered around a wide open field. In addition, students were crazily swinging swords or doing squats. It seemed like I could smell the sweat just by looking at this scene.
How did they live so healthily? When I watched them with admiration, Red Tower Wizard added to her words.
“Even if the Academy hasn’t started yet, honing themselves is the foundation of an Academy student’s life! There are no lazy students or ones who seek shortcuts here.”
“But still, don’t they need a break sometimes? After all, one would get tired if all they did was run.”
“Don’t underestimate Academy students. Just looking at themselves getting stronger day by day is enough for a fulfilling life! The other students surely think the same way, you know?”
“Reaaaaally……?”
Seeing how a current Academy student said as such, it seemed like this was a gathering of young people leading solid lives.
I crossed out 『Otherworld Healing』 and 『Maid Cafe』 in the notebook I was holding with two lines. And then, I added 『Otherworld Jungle Exploration : With Treasure Hunting』.
Pink-Haired Lesbian’s expression darkened as she peeked at my notebook.
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Walking made my legs hurt, so I asked Pink-Haired Lesbian for a princess carry. It gave me an indirect experience of what Second Prince Irid’s feelings might have been back then. I wondered if I had given him too harsh an ordeal. Sexual Desire Suppression Magic…….Thank you!
Red Tower Wizard, insisting ‘I am not moving with these people’ with her whole body, walked about 3 meters away, then maintained a proper distance as if she had gotten used to our appearance.
The second place she introduced was the library.
“Half of it are books and half of it are students, huh.”
Students with dark circles under their eyes as if they hadn’t slept were furiously reading books and scribbling on parchment. Were students originally such proactive and passionate organisms?
“They’re impressive…And to think the school term hasn’t even started yet…….”
“Hmph, I told you. The Academy is a place that nurtures talents that will be the very backbone of the Empire!”
“But still, their expressions don’t look so good. Instead of joy and a sense of achievement, it’s like they’re being threatened with a knife to study.”
Some were even chugging potions next to them while working on something. There couldn’t be some insane professor assigning homework before the Academy even started, right? Was this all voluntary……..study?”
Seeing my puzzled expression, Pink-Haired Lesbian took a look at my notebook and cautiously added.
“I believe they could be the teaching assistants. After all, they are already being ground down by the professors’ schemes.”
Aha.
The struggles of TAs seemed the same in this otherworld as in the modern era. Poor souls who had forsaken human life for a beastly one. Then shouldn’t we at least create something like 『Otherworld Sleeping Room : Plush Garden of Dreamland』 to allow for comfortable and efficient rest?
“Isn’t it a really rewarding thing to be able to help other students grow while being a student themselves? Surely, they are too excited and thrilled to sleep because of such anticipation.”
“But they look really tired……”
The credibility of Red Tower Wizard shook a bit. Could this person actually be a model student who had lost her mind, thus was out of touch with the perspective of an average student?
I patted the shoulder of a student who looked adequately depressed in the library.
“……Who are you?”
“Is a professor making you slave away?”
“NoIamsohappyProfessorAlejandroisthebestprofessoreverIamvoluntarilyhelpingwithhisresearch!”
Seeing this, Red Tower Wizard arrogantly lifted her chin.
“I was right, wasn’t I?”
“Certainly…….”
If all students were this enthusiastic, mere plush and soft healing methods would not cut it.
I crossed out what I had written in my notebook and added 『Thrilling Otherworld Dungeon Exploration of Nightmares』.
Pink-Haired Lesbian’s pupils trembled as she glanced at my notebook.
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The third place she arrived at was the Academy’s North Gate.
Along the way, Red Tower Wizard passionately listed eleven reasons why Academy students were superhuman.
Initially, I wondered that, since being accepted to the Academy was a victory of a lifetime for a commoner, it led to an excessive fantastical overestimation about the Academy. However, after touring around, it seemed there was some merit to her enthusiasm.
How could they be so diligently preparing even before the school term started?
Beyond the North Gate, a vast forest managed by the Academy stretched out, where monsters suitable for the students’ levels were deliberately released for cultivation. Practical experience was necessary, after all.
During such a process, apparently, there were occasionally students who slipped up and met their end. To prevent such losses, the Second Prince had dispatched me. After all, with Illusion Magic, one wouldn’t die unless it was from a heart attack.
Students with faces as if they had seen it all were heading out to the forest beyond the North Gate. They looked extremely tired and strained. But, from my experiences thus far, I knew underneath those expressions lay a positive driving force and a sense of achievement.
“Kill me…….. Please……”
This mutter from the student, too, could actually mean, ‘If I don’t break through this wall and reach Metamorphosis right now, I’d rather die here.’ or ‘A young man died here. That was my weaker self of yesterday’. Wasn’t that the case?
“Uh, Mr. Crazy Wizard. Selvier……I mean, Red Tower Wizard…is only a newly admitted student. Trusting someone who hasn’t even experienced the Academy yet is not a good way to go about things.”
“But we’ve seen the evidence with our very own eyes.”
“Yes. We have. We did see it, but there must be circumstances that made it unavoidable. Isn’t that so? Even if it’s for their sake, a 『Maid Cafe』 should……”
I ignored Pink-Haired Lesbian’s sinister request filled with hidden, wicked desires.
To finish off this tour, I asked Red Tower Wizard.
Q. If we need to provide experience to Academy students, what kind of experiences would be necessary?
“Ordeals.”
“E-Excuse me……. Perhaps it would be better for you to refrain from speaking further.”
“We need ordeals, great trials that can lead to Metamorphosis! If there is anything Academy students lack, it is only that!”
“Any more would, no, uh excuse me……”
“Ordeals that endlessly oscillate between life and death, overcoming one’s limits to resolve difficult situations and adversities!”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
I understand perfectly. That fervent spirit was clearly communicated to me.
If the Academy was a gathering of students shouting a human anthem, then I must provide as much trial and hardship as possible. I tore a page from my notebook and, with firm resolve, wrote the following down.
『Otherworld Cthulhu : Centered Around Great Despair and Great Pain』.
Pink-Haired Lesbian, who saw my notebook, looked as if she had witnessed something horrific. Almost as if she saw a professor announcing a ‘100x Increase in Exam Difficulty’……..
Suddenly, Pink-Haired Lesbian grabbed Red Tower Wizard by the collar.
“KYA?!”
“YOU, Do you realize what you have done……!”
“W-Why are you doing this suddenly?!”
“……You have single-handedly taken away the Academy students’ sanctuary……!”
“S-So what I’m asking is, what do you even mean by that?!”
I quietly pondered amidst their bickering. How to realistically convey the terror of cosmic octopuses. What kind of challenges to provide so that the Academy’s Top Gs would say, ‘This is pleasant because it’s quite lukewarm!’, and rejoice at my machinations.
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Inside the Academy, rumors began to circulate about eyewitness accounts of a ‘Purple Tower wizard being carried around by a female butler’.
According to the testimony of an Academy student who went to the North Gate for material collection, a catfight between a female butler and a female student over a Purple Tower wizard was witnessed……
