NOVEL NEXT Chapter 46
TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 46
The eccentric act I committed during class was, of course, reported to Rod. From the start, it was bound to become a big rumor.
I only did it to demonstrate my regeneration ability, but I couldn’t deny that it was extreme.
If I had to make an excuse, it was because I thought a small wound wouldn’t be convincing enough.
I hadn’t even considered that possibility in the first place, but anyway, that’s how it was.
“Haha. So, the blood?”
“Pardon?”
“I asked if you cleaned up all the blood.”
Rod let out a hearty laugh at the so-called testimonies from Luna and Kara, then asked calmly. He seemed to be letting it slide this time.
“Yes. Kara helped me clean it all up. We handled it before the blood hardened, so it was neat.”
“It’s good that Sivar took responsibility. But you were injured enough for blood to gush out, and yet you recovered quickly?”
“That… yes.”
“Hmm.”
At Luna’s response, Rod stared at me intently. Feeling self-conscious, I deliberately averted my gaze.
Up until now, the eccentric acts I’d committed had some intentionality behind them, so they were overlooked. But not today.
Maybe it’s because I lived in the wilderness, but my standards were way off. Today, I realized that.
“Well, as long as it doesn’t harm others, it’s fine. You did well. Go rest for today.”
“Thank you. You rest well too, Headmaster.”
Luna bowed her waist politely and turned around. Now, all that was left for her was to rest peacefully.
Clatter-
“Oh? Luna!”
“Ellie?”
At that moment, Ellie, who was coming in, coincidentally crossed paths with her. In her arms was Porori.
To be precise, Porori wasn’t being held but was sitting atop a small box Ellie was carrying.
And the little guy was comfortably leaning against Ellie’s chest like it was a cushion. Honestly, I was a bit envious.
“Hahaha.”
“… …”
Correction. I was incredibly envious.
How comfortable must he be to be snoring while sleeping?
With drool dripping from his mouth, he was having the soundest sleep. It seemed he’d completely thrown away any wild instincts.
“Are you leaving now?”
“Yeah.”
“If you have nothing to do, stay with me. It’s boring being alone.”
“Hmm…”
At Ellie’s request, Luna looked toward Rod. It was a silent question asking for permission.
Rod, seemingly fine with it, nodded his head in approval. For him, the more people, the better.
After all, he was someone who rarely meddled in others’ affairs and could handle any issues immediately if they arose.
“Alright. I’ll stay for a little while.”
“Okay. By the way, where are Kara and Elvin?”
“Elvin said he had something to do and left first. Kara will be here soon.”
“Why does Elvin, as a fellow guardian, always have so many reasons to leave?”
Ellie wasn’t complaining but seemed genuinely curious as she asked. To her, it must have appeared that way.
In reality, Elvin had a somewhat ambiguous relationship with others. Neither too close nor too distant.
While we all interacted with him amicably, “businesslike” would be the perfect term to describe Elvin.
‘He’s busy with his duties as a nurturer.’
Above all, he was a promising talent from the Matra Empire. It was a busy time for him, engaging in discussions with the Matra Empire.
Soon, through Elvin, we would also hear about the upcoming “trial” we were to face.
It might feel somewhat unfair, and that’s because it is. As I’ve consistently mentioned, the essence of the Academy has long been diluted.
“He said he has a lot to do. Ellie, you don’t have a nurturer, do you? Like being scouted by the Matra Empire or the Granada Empire.”
“I do. Someone came to me and said they would support me, talking about such things.”
“Really? Even for non-combat roles?”
There are, indeed. And the support they provide is quite substantial. The difference lies in the type of materials and ethical considerations.
The Matra Empire has a wide variety of materials but is full of traditionalists, while the Granada Empire has limited materials but is much more lenient.
Unlike the resource-rich Matra Empire, the Granada Empire’s limited natural resources have created this distinction.
“So, who approached you? The Matra Empire?”
“No. The Hwan Empire.”
“The Hwan Empire?”
“Yeah. Someone from the Hwan Empire came to me and suggested working together.”
The Hwan Empire rarely approaches first. They only reach out to talents they are confident in.
And Ellie possessed the abilities and talents to win the favor of the Hwan Empire, which excelled in pharmaceutical and potion manufacturing at an extraordinary level.
Thanks to that, in the game, they often ended up dying off. But if you kept them alive until the end, you could get various buffs and healing potions for free.
“Impressive. The Hwan Empire is known for being stubborn and rarely scouts anyone.”
“So, did you accept?”
“No? I told them I still had more to learn at the Academy and declined for now. I already have so much to study; adding that would just be a headache.”
Ellie quietly placed the box, along with Porori, onto the sofa. At that, the little guy’s ears twitched as he had been sound asleep.
No matter how soft the sofa was, it couldn’t compare to Ellie’s embrace. Even I had to admit that.
“Mmm… Huh? Are we there already?”
Porori rubbed his eyes and groggily sat up. I looked at him with a mix of envy and irritation.
Meanwhile, Ellie sat on the sofa and gently stroked Porori’s head. A small smile graced her face.
“Ratatoskr worked hard today. He got me the materials I needed.”
“Really? Does he know all about herbs?”
“He doesn’t know their names, but he knows everything else.”
Porori crossed his arms and puffed out his chest proudly. The urge to smack him was growing stronger.
How could every single one of his actions be so annoying? Others might find him cute, but I certainly didn’t.
“Then does Sivar also know a lot about herbs?”
“Probably? Ever since his regeneration improved, he’s been investing everything into meals.”
Just as Porori said, ever since the regeneration grade increased, herbs had been reduced to mere ingredients for meals.
They were particularly excellent at removing the gamey smell unique to wild animals.
“They were quite tasty. So, I secretly ate some.”
“What the f*ck?”
It was you? No wonder I occasionally noticed food missing. I thought it was strange.
Back then, I assumed it was raccoons or birds taking it. I never suspected Porori.
Wondering why I couldn’t sense his presence? That guy is skilled enough to ambush me if he sets his mind to it.
Moreover, compared to other large beasts, his small size makes detecting his presence even harder.
“Try asking him to cook for you later. He’ll whip up something delicious.”
“Come to think of it, the bear meat I ate back then was pretty good.”
“… …”
While Ellie reacted with enthusiasm, Luna looked queasy.
It seemed she was recalling the time when we first met, and I gave her some bear meat.
Ellie, having come from an even more remote village than Luna, had even eaten bugs before, as far as I knew.
“Oh, right. This isn’t the time for this. I brought something fun today.”
As I was reminiscing about the past, Ellie suddenly spoke as if she’d remembered something.
She then rummaged through the box she’d placed on the sofa earlier. Everyone, including Rod, turned their attention to her.
Clatter-
“Hmm? Ellie, you’re here too.”
“Ah! Perfect timing. Do you want to try this, too, Kara?”
Coincidentally, Kara had just arrived. The moment Ellie saw her, she lit up and waved her over.
Kara, looking puzzled, approached us.
“What’s this?”
“A creativity test. And the Ring of Wisdom. I bought it because it seemed fun.”
She showed us two items.
One was a sheet of paper with five identical dots drawn on it. The other was a ring tangled in a complex manner.
“Do you see these dots? There are probably dozens of them. You have to connect five dots in completely different patterns within one minute.”
“What about this?”
Kara pointed at the intricately entangled ring and asked. Its overall appearance was of two rings intertwined with each other.
“For this, you just need to separate the rings without using force. As it’s called the Ring of Wisdom, you need to use your brain.”
“Why did you bring this?”
“Because I was bored.”
“··· ···”
The mention of boredom left everyone with peculiar expressions. Rod simply smiled contentedly.
In the game, if you get close to Ellie, you can enjoy various mini-games. The Creativity Test and the Ring of Wisdom are part of that.
It also serves as a way to assess the player’s intelligence. In the actual Soul World, many people clear stories purely through creativity.
“Headmaster, would you like to try? You just need to connect them in different patterns within a minute.”
“It wouldn’t hurt to give it a try.”
“Right? Here are two sheets.”
Normally, one would offer it cautiously, but Ellie had her characteristic lively demeanor. Rod accepted it without much concern.
Just as the papers were being distributed to everyone, an unexpected situation arose.
“······Hey. Miss. What am I supposed to do?”
“Ah.”
There was no suitable tool for Porori, who was a ‘beast,’ not a ‘person.’ Ellie, seemingly unaware of this, looked visibly flustered.
Even if there were a pen perfectly suited for Porori, there would still be a problem. I directed a question at Porori.
“Damn.”
“Can you even bend your thumb? What kind of nonsense is that?”
It seems that even as a Spirit Beast, he couldn’t overcome the limitations of being a beast. Other Spirit Beasts are probably the same.
In the end, we decided to exclude Porori from the Creativity Test. What creativity could you expect from someone who couldn’t even bend their thumb, let alone hold a pen?
“Just you wait. Someday, I’ll bend my thumb, no matter what.”
“Yeah. No, you won’t.”
“You damn brat······”
“Ratatoskr.”
Just as Porori was about to curse out loud, Ellie intervened. Porori could only grumble with a face full of dissatisfaction.
At least in front of Ellie, he wouldn’t dare make a sound. I smirked inwardly and turned my attention to the paper.
“Alright. We’ll start when the second hand of that clock points exactly at 12. Now······ begin!”
As Ellie gave the signal, everyone lowered their heads. The room was filled with the sound of pens scratching on paper.
I moved my pen smoothly without any hesitation. I hadn’t had much reason to use my brain until now, nor did I particularly want to.
Thinking was too bothersome when the answer was already obvious. This was something I realized after listening to Porori’s advice.
“Alright, time’s up! How many did everyone draw? I got 52!”
“51. A bit disappointing. Is it because I’m getting old?”
“··· ···”
But in front of true ‘geniuses,’ my confidence seemed to fade. It felt like my soaring self-esteem had plummeted.
While I was secretly feeling dejected, Kara scratched her head and said,
“I got 43. It’s surprisingly hard. Luna, what about you?”
“I got 45.”
“Sivar?”
“··· ···”
After some hesitation, I decided to show my paper to Ellie. She first checked the number of patterns and then verified that none were repeated.
After thoroughly checking, Ellie widened her eyes and exclaimed in an impressed tone.
“Sivar got 47! That’s amazing. I’ve heard that this puts you in the top 1%.”
“Even after living in the forest, you’re that good? Does that mean you’ll only get smarter from here?”
Kara, following Ellie, marveled as she alternated her gaze between the paper and me. In situations like this, staying silent is the best strategy.
But seriously, what kind of people are Ellie and Rod? No matter how hard I tried, I don’t think I could ever reach 50.
“What’s the point of being smart if you don’t use that brain? Unless it’s for some creative mischief.”
Porori sneered, perhaps out of jealousy. It seemed he couldn’t stand seeing me get praised.
“Hey.”
“What.”
“Pathetic.”
“··· ···”
So I teased him for being pathetic. Porori’s brows furrowed, and a faint aura began to emanate from him.
Of course, with so many people around, he quickly reined it in. Clicking his tongue, he muttered under his breath.
“If only I could bend my thumb······”
Oh, sure. I smirked inwardly.
If the day ever comes when that guy bends his thumb? I’ll bow down and pay my respects on the spot.
“Next is the Ring of Wisdom. You just have to untangle it as it is. It’s kind of like a puzzle.”
“Let me try first.”
Kara was the first to attempt the Ring of Wisdom, which consisted of two interlocked rings. She had a fondness for things like this.
That said, she couldn’t help but struggle as she tried to untangle it. No matter how she twisted and turned it, it wouldn’t come apart easily.
“Ugh······ This is hard. Do you want to try?”
“Sure.”
Kara, having given up, handed it over to Luna. At first, she seemed to be making progress, but soon hit a wall.
Judging by the looks of it, the difficulty seemed quite high. However, its design was something I’d seen before in the Soul World.
Though I had seen it, I had completely forgotten how to solve it. In the end, Luna couldn’t untangle it either.
“······I can’t do it. Sivar, why don’t you give it a shot?”
With Luna unable to solve it, the ring was passed to me. As I examined it closely,
“What if you just use force to untangle it?”
“You can’t solve it with force. It’s designed to be sturdy because so many people tried brute-forcing it.”
Ellie was right. The size alone made it difficult to apply much force.
So I had no choice but to rely on my brain to solve it. I turned it this way and that, analyzing it.
‘This seems like the right spot.’
For some reason, it just wouldn’t fit properly. So I applied a little bit of force to pull it.
Again, just a little bit of force. At least, by my ‘standards.’
Crack!
With a snapping sound, the ring separated cleanly. But it wasn’t a flawless separation.
The middle section was completely shattered. The Ring of Wisdom had just turned into the Ring of Strength.
“······I heard that thing is hard to break······”
“··· ···”
Ellie muttered in a stunned voice. For others, it probably would be hard to break with force.
As soon as I heard her muttering, I tilted my head slightly. There was something I wanted to check.
[Sivar]
• Strength: 145
• Agility: 140
• Stamina: 148
• Mana: 145
• Luck: 102
• Faith: 3
I knew my Strength and Faith had increased slightly after the battle with Hector. I just hadn’t checked it directly.
But my Strength had increased by a whole 2 points. At 140 and above, even a single point makes a noticeable difference.
No wonder it broke even with a little force. I hadn’t realized it because I hadn’t needed to exert strength since the fight with Hector.
Anyway, I needed to handle the situation. I glanced at the broken Ring of Wisdom and subtly placed it down.
“Ta-da.”
And with shameless confidence,
“Solved.”
I boasted that I had untangled it. After all, the end justifies the means.
The reactions to my brazenly shameless attitude were truly worth seeing.
Luna and Kara had expressions of disbelief, while Ellie gave an awkward smile.
“Look at that. Look. His body is so strong that he doesn’t even bother thinking. If you told him to use his head, he’d probably start with a headbutt.”
Porori was busy mocking me. I didn’t expect it to break like this either.
The last one left was Rod. He quietly opened his mouth after looking at what used to be the Ring of Wisdom.
“Ellie, may I ask how much that costs?”
“I-it’s not that expensive.”
“You’re a commoner, aren’t you? Even a toy like that must’ve been a significant expense.”
“··· ···”
Ellie couldn’t say much in response to Rod’s sharp remark.
Rod, perhaps sensing her feelings, looked at me with a stern expression.
“Sivar.”
“··· ···”
“Candy is banned for a month from now on.”
“Please.”
That’s the one thing I can’t give up.
Just squeezing money out of couples has its limits, you know.
“If you had apologized from the start, I would’ve let it slide with a laugh. But your shameless attitude is the problem. Do you understand?”
If that’s the case, I have nothing to say. But I’m just as aggrieved.
I glanced at the broken ring, turned my gaze away, and grumbled.
“This thing. It’s weak.”
It’s just that the Ring of Wisdom was weak.