Chapter 18 - Chapter 18: Agricultural Research Club (4)
Chapter 18: Agricultural Research Club (4)
Afterward, during weekdays after school, I dropped by the Agricultural Research Club, helping with watering plants and assisting the teacher with research. Since I had organized and compiled records in the previous loop, my skills were highly appreciated. I knew about the results of the various cultivation experiments the teacher had conducted by changing conditions, but I refrained from intervening too much. Nevertheless, the teacher gained confidence after the dungeon exploration, and his skills evolved a bit, sparking a newfound enthusiasm.
“Adventurers are amazing, Alexi-kun!”
He is a master and student of a nobleman, and graduated from the aristocratic school in the royal capital. Noble Academy has a dedicated beginner’s dungeon for practical training within the school, where all students learn the bare minimum of practical combat
.
When I reached adventurer level 5, a message appeared saying, “You have now cleared the tutorial. The inventory function has been unlocked.” That means that at the aristocratic academy in the royal capital, training to reach approximately level 5 is likely to be conducted. If I were to assume that the person causing this loop for me was a student at Noble Academy.
According to Professor Kabaneru, he acquired the skills Landscape and Stone Bullet. Among them, Landscape can be used up to Level 2 Sandy Soil. During the recent dungeon attack, he gained the ability to use Stone Bullet Level 2 and Shotgun, suggesting he reached Adventurer Level 6.
Name: Clement Kabaneru
Level: 5
Skills:
+ Landscape Level 2
+ Stone Bullet Level 1
Skill Points Remaining: 10
This evolved into:
Name: Clement Kabaneru
Level: 6
Skills:
+ Landscape Level 2
+ Stone Bullet Level 2
Skill Points Remaining: 0
After all, if he raises his Adventurer Level by 3 more, Landscape will reach Level 3, and he can finally obtain Humus. If he wants to utilize Earth Magic in agriculture, at least acquiring Humus is essential. Professor Kabaneru seems to understand this. His skills were stagnating because he believed he lacked talent, but gaining the ability to use Stone Bullet Level 2 and Shotgun during the dungeon exploration gave him a sense of accomplishment.
However, there is still something I need him to do—research on incantation disposal and non-incantation. It’s not that I particularly care about the research spreading or him advancing in his career; it’s more about the emptiness of having our joint experiment and research taken away by the tower’s mage in the previous loop. I want to help the overly kind Professor Kabaneru succeed, but more than that, I want to outsmart that guy whom I’ve never even met. This time, we must succeed.
What I’m thinking is to involve more people in this research. Centering around Professor Kabaneru, I plan to involve other faculty members and have them witness the research. After all, this incantation disposal and non-incantation, referred to as a “major discovery shaking the norms of magic” in the previous loop, was celebrated grandly by the known mages. It’s something I find extremely distasteful.
But Professor Kabaneru is a bit too kind-hearted.
Most teachers at the academy and the knowledgeable class of this country are mostly the offspring of fallen nobles who couldn’t inherit titles and became commoners. And their temperament can be broadly divided into two categories. Half of them are ambitious individuals seeking to reclaim their noble status through political marriages or some achievement. The other half consists of those who want to live a simple life as commoners. Professor Kabaneru is a typical example of the latter. Living in a bachelor’s dormitory, with messy hair, always wearing a tattered white coat, even though he’s a young man in his mid-20s, he exudes a sense of weariness.
This won’t do. I’m being underestimated. In the previous loop, I learned from Dion, a B-rank adventurer. Appearance matters for adventurers, and the same goes for teachers. Even though I’m just a student, merely improving my appearance noticeably changed the attitudes of those around me. The guild receptionist and my classmates all treated me differently. Borrowing words from my past life, one could say my standing in the school caste shifted.
Bruno, who used to casually pat my back, became completely reserved, and my former companions all observe me from a distance. On the other hand, the haughty young ladies who used to throw disdainful glances at me until the previous loop now approach me in a friendly manner. While I might have thought things like “she’s cute” or “I’d like to get to know her” in the previous loop, being treated so familiarly makes me a bit uneasy. As a result, I’m somewhat of a loner in this loop. It’s not a problem, especially since I spend my afternoons immersed in the research club.
Following Saturday, I secured a promise with the teacher for Sunday as well. He agreed, as long as it was after taking care of the experimental crops and recording. I can’t help but wonder if he also doesn’t have someone to spend the weekend with, but I’m in the same boat. To ensure that the teacher shines in this loop, especially amid the glamorous attention showered on the tower mage, I need to have him play an active role. For that, starting with his appearance is crucial.
Feeling a bit like a stage mom, I became highly motivated.
(Note:A stage mom is a colloquial term used to describe a mother who is excessively involved in the career or activities of her child, especially in the performing arts. A stage mom is often perceived as overly controlling or pushy, seeking to manage and direct her child’s pursuits in an intense and sometimes demanding manner.)