The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 102

[ Life Skills Details

Grade: Intermediate Craftsmen

Specialized Fields: Woodworking

Handicraft Lvl 16

Design Lvl 12

Collecting Skills Lvl 13

Woodworking Lvl 15

Stonemason Lvl 9

Hunting Lvl 14

Fishing Lvl 12

Cooking Lvl 7

Repairing Lvl 5

Technical Proficiency: 25

Power Amplification: 5

Infusion Success Rate: 95

Fire-related Spiritual Proficiency: 6

Water-related Spiritual Proficiency: 2

Wind-related Spiritual Proficiency: 4

Contracted Spirit: Low-Ranking Fire Spirit Mugg

Spiritual Resonance Level: 22

Spiritual Understanding Level: 27

Innate Skills: Blessing of Fire Fortune, Explosion

Contracted Spirit: Mid-Ranking Water Spirit Lacia

Spiritual Resonance Level: 11

Spiritual Understanding Level: 10

Innate Skills: Water Lioness’ Blessing, Manifestation of a Water Source

Contracted Spirit: High-Ranking Wind Spirit Merilda

Spiritual Resonance Level: 4

Spiritual Understanding Level: 3

Innate Skills: Storm’s Blessing, Updraft

Technical Proficiency: 6

Magic Engineering Understanding: 7

Fast Production: 4

Collected Production Formulas:

Clang!

A large lioness’ fangs flew out as it pierced the blade of the dagger I held in my hand. I tried to compete in a game of strength against it, but of course I was weaker.

If things continued like that, I would only end up being pushed away. So, changing my center of gravity, I swung the lioness’ body away.

Splash!

The body of the lioness that smashed against the floor was made of water.

As it roared and ran back towards me, I quickly lowered my body. The lioness’ paws slashed away at where my upper body just was.

Then, for a brief moment while the lioness was distracted, a gap appeared. Pushing down on the ground with my strong legs, I pushed the strength up through my body. As I used my shoulder to push the lioness aside, it let out a screech.

However, there was no way a lioness of that size would be defeated just because I slammed my body against it. The lioness, who landed on the ground, only went to one place… towards the sea, where the waves were crashing.

Among the rocky area down the side of the cliff, it was the flattest bit of terrain. Since it was a place where the waves crashed, all around it was basically the ocean.

The lioness jumped into the water. Normally, with its large body, it should have made a splashing sound as it plunged into the deep sea. In actuality, there wasn’t a sound of splashing, and its body didn’t sink into the sea.

The rocky area had a pool of water nearby that came from the waves periodically crashing against the earth.

The shape of the lioness, which had disappeared into the sea like magic, immediately jumped out of the pool of water on the other side.

Once again, it slammed into my back and let out a huge, overwhelming roar. However, I managed to defend against its claws by twisting the hand that held my dagger.

The lioness jumped back, once again disappearing into the water.

The pressure of not knowing which direction it would come from continued to stimulate my anxiety.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

As those brief attacks continued over and over, my spiritual resonance was slowly starting to come to an end.

[ Let’s stop here, young master Ed. ]

A low female voice. It was Lacia’s voice.

I couldn’t even remember how many attacks I had exchanged with Lacia. My body was drenched in sweat, so I took off my shirt and threw it to the side. Either way, the waves continued to crash against the rocks. Because of that, it was better for me to take off my top.

I sat down on the rocks slowly catching my breath.

[ As expected! You have great agility and reaction time! This lowly fire spirit Mugg was the most impressed with your skills! ]

Lacia then gave a splash, spraying water around as she laid down with her head by my feet.

[ For a magician, you definitely seem to have excellent ability when it comes melee response. It looks like you have been training for quite some time. ]

I wiped away my sweat as I cleaned up my body.

The mid-ranking water spirit Lacia was a pretty good opponent to fight against.

She was the perfect size, unlike Mugg, who was too small to fight against me in a battle, or Merilda, who was too massive in size and strong in power to compete with.

Of course, if it were a real battle, I wouldn’t be able to defeat a mid-ranking spirit in close combat. Still, I was at least strong enough to damage them back decently. The fight itself was rather intense, so it felt like training to me.

In the first place, when it came to training it should always be a bit difficult to handle.

[ Once you train in your intermediate magic a bit more, along with your close combat… I think it will be okay for you to try and challenge Merilda. I think it will be beneficial in various ways, compared to training with me. ]

“…How can I fight against a wolf that’s the size of an entire house? One good kick and I’ll fly away straight into the afterlife.”

[ Fufu, it’s alright, young master Ed. High-ranking spirits with remarkable abilities like Merilda can feely change their shape. It wouldn’t be a difficult task for her to change her shape for the best benefit to you. ]

After sweating and catching my breath for a bit, I got up from the rock. After stretching my arms a few times, I then began to do push-ups on the floor.

With the sound of my heavy breathing, my body moved up close and far away from the floor over and over again.

“Phew, Phew… Still, if I want to fight her, I probably need to get a bit stronger. No, in the first place she always disappears and shows up out of the blue, so there’s no saying when she will show up again.”

[ That’s right. Merilda often travels not only to the North Forest, but throughout all of Acken Island. Even though she’s like an elder here in the North Forest, she will sometimes even appear all the way in the education district or commercial district… Sometimes, when work appears, not being able to find her causes a lot of trouble. ]

“What is she doing all the way over there?”

[ She is probably interested in human civilization. Lots of times, she shows interest in books written by humans, their various food cultures, and their daily life. She would go observe it herself or borrow the books from the library as a visitor, or even go off to look at the scenery. ]

With that kind of personality, she was even able to befriend Yennekar in an instant.

As I thought about it, I continued to strain my trembling arms and core muscles.

Then, as I completely ran out of energy, I laid flat on the ground and looked at my face in the reflection from the puddle of water next to me.

[ Name: Ed Rothstaylor

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Academy Year: 3rd

Species: Human

Achievements: Resolute Survivor (1 year) / High-ranking Spirit Summoner

Vitality: 14

Intelligence: 13

Dexterity: 15

Willpower: 12

Luck: 11

Combat Skills Details ➢

Magic Skills Details ➢

Life Skills Details ➢

Alchemy Skills Details ➢ ]

Looking at the monumental achievement that I had built up by myself, I wondered if I should be happy. The player specs had been raised up to the upper-middle class level.

Considering what my stats were at the start, raising it to that level in a little over a year was truly an absurd level of growth. I had a bit of knowledge regarding the player growth curve inside my head, so that was also a nice benefit for me.

The closer a stat value got to 20, the slower it continued to grow. Once you reached around the late teens, there were many cases where the stat would only grow with clearing a hidden quest. Considering that… I was getting close to the limit that I could reach as someone that wasn’t the protagonist.

In order to break through that barrier, a certain opportunity was needed.

Of course… more than that, right now it was more important to grow in terms of magic. It was time to finish my long-awaited goal: learning intermediate magic.

Yeah… I can’t be satisfied with just this…

With that thought, I quickly lifted my upper body.

“Oh, my.”

On the rock I had just been sitting on, there sat a girl with a smile as sly a fox’s.

I don’t know when she arrived… But looking at her hair tied to one side and her long robe, she was the same as usual.

“After such a long time, my eyes were finally able to enjoy such a view.”

At that moment, the direction of Lortel’s gaze aimed in my direction was clear.

With my top completely off, I was half naked.

***

“It’s also important to properly rest when you are resting. There isn’t any medicine to cure training addiction.”

Lortel wiped away my sweat with a dry towel while smiling.

In any case, Lortel was just like Merilda, always disappearing and showing up out of the blue. It wasn’t a strange sight to see her at any moment or any place.

“Still, to come all the way to the cliffside and remain in seclusion… it must be very frustrating for you.”

“Once you get used to it, it’s not that bad. In fact, compared to the forest things, feel a bit more free.”

“Ohh, is that so?”

“It’s because I’m getting help with everything, like my food, clothing, and shelter.”

“From Yennekar?”

“Mostly, yeah.”

“Hmm~”

The ends of Lortel’s lips raised as she gave a significant smile. Then, with a little bit of magic power, she scanned the surrounding area.

“You seem to have been training with the spirits?”

“…Didn’t you have little to no spiritual resonance?”

“Well, that’s right. But still, I was watching you from afar.”

She then grabbed my arm as she whispered in my ear.

“Then, all the spirits must be watching.”

A sinister smile. It looked as if she was enjoying herself in this situation.

I lowered my gaze looking towards Mugg and Lacia.

Lacia, who was always polite, shook her head. Mugg was off by himself, burning up and shouting ‘Aaaaaaaaaaa-!’ No matter what happened, that guy always made a fuss, so it wasn’t surprising to see anymore.

Lortel looked up at my arm as she spoke in a calm voice.

“As I told you, today I am planning to visit Princess Penia. I was thinking of trying to feel her out for news about Tanya, but also about the elections.”

“Election? Are you talking about the student council election?”

“Yes. From the looks of it, I’ll be able to hold a few extra gold coins in my hand.”

As I stared back at her with suspicion, Lortel naturally smiled as she rested her head on my shoulder.

She was a girl that would never miss the chance to earn money, even in the smallest of moments. Even in such a chaotic situation, there still seemed to be a gold mine that only she could see.

“Besides that, there are also a few things I wanted to discuss with you before going to the Royal Residence.”

“I can somewhat guess what that’s gonna be.”

“Well… First, about the release of the two knights, Kadek and Nox, that you mentioned. That should be easy. Either way, once they leave Acken Island they won’t ever come back, so as long as we can use someone to sneak them out, that’s enough.”

It still wouldn’t be easy to have them escape, but looking at Lortel’s sly smile, there was a sense of certainty to it.

“There will never be a more chaotic situation than right now, right before the elections. The investigation of your assassination has been ongoing for some time now and Ophelis Hall still hasn’t been completely fixed, but they still have to take care of the regular academic schedule, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then the more chaotic the situation is, the more chances there will be. After all, the school is ultimately just a small group of people that have gathered together, forming a small society, right? Then, with either negotiating, conciliation, inducing betrayal, bribes, or kidnapping… The ways to take care of it are endless.”

“……”

“Of course, I’m not planning to use a method that would make you uncomfortable~ But still, this wouldn’t all be for free, right? We will have to wait to see about the exact price, but right now, if I can at least receive the down payment from you first~”

She then turned her head, which was leaning on my shoulder, putting her chin on it… She then spoke with a wide smile on her face.

“Will you hug me just once?”

The reason I had suddenly gasped for air was because first off, I was still a man.

After staring blankly at each other for a while, she boldly opened her arms wide. As I wondered if it was going to be alright… Lortel pushed her small body towards me.

However, even though she was the one that had pushed herself towards my chest, the one who let out a gasping sound… was Lortel herself.

“W-Wait a minute.”

“Wh-What is it…?”

“Originally, things like this… Attacking and defending are two different things. I’m also a bit confused.”

She always acted however she wanted, but this time she was blushing.

“I imagined doing it a few times before coming here, but it’s all too different from how I imagined.”

“……”

“No, in the first place, why did you take your top off? You’re making the blood rush to my head for no reason.”

“…If you’re acting like that, then how am I…?”

In the first place, it was really hard to get used to Lortel’s reaction.

When I spent time with Yennekar, it was comfortable—as if she were visiting her own home. In the first place, that bubbly girl had a unique power to make others around her feel comfortable. However, Lortel always seemed to act suspicious about everything, so when she started to have a feminine expression like that, it only confused me. I had no idea how I was supposed to react to her.

“Please bear in mind that inside I’m also walking on a tightrope here. Well, something like that. It’s not very polite to rush it carelessly.”

“Just who the hell was the one who rushed in…? You were just going ahead and doing whatever you wanted.”

“Th-That’s true, but…”

Lortel lowered her gaze for a moment before slowly moving back into my arms.

Leaning her small body into my arms… she let all of the weight of her body fall onto me as she calmed down.

The demon of gold coins that swept the market to become the head of the Elte Company. She was an influential girl whose name alone could shake the axis of the earth with every step.

Though in reality, her body was light as a feather. And even when she completely buried herself into my chest, leaning on me, my body didn’t budge one bit.

That was usually the case when you turned someone completely upside down.

Even those that seemed high and mighty and made you wonder if you truly were of the same species, after putting everything down in the end and looking each other in the eyes, you would realize they were ultimately just a human. It was only when you came face to face with a person that you realized this truth.

“Actually, I came here because I wanted to hear your answer in advance.”

It wasn’t until she was completely in my arms, with a sly smile across her face, that she got to the main point and asked me directly, without beating around the bush.

“Do you remember the promise we made last time?”

“……”

“Someday, I want you to listen to me and take my side just once.”

I remembered back on a snowy winter day, when we were talking looking up at the low moon by the frozen river in the North Forest.

“I think I will make a lot of enemies. Even if I turn the entire school into my enemy… At the very least, I want you to remain with me as my ally.”

“You’re planning something again.”

Lortel raised her head from my arms as she met my gaze, smiling again.

“I just don’t want to be enemies with you.”

And then she said.

“I’m going to sell the seat for student council president.”

After all, merchants were people that knew how to sell anything and turn it into money.

***

“They are saying that Ophelis Hall has completed their basic restoration. The size of the destruction wasn’t all that great, so the major maintenance work is done and all that’s left is basic repairs here and there. The facilities have already been operating as normal again.”

“Is that so? Then, can I continue using Ophelis Hall without any issues?”

“If there’s nothing wrong with the room, you can do as you see most comfortable.”

Kylie Eckner, a girl with brown hair that hung down and was dressed in a neat school uniform, left the Trix Hall after greeting the receptionist.

The sunlight that fell from the wide clear sky blinded her eyes.

Still, to the young saint everything she saw through her eyes was fascinating. Even the sunlight that she looked up at while alone outside… It was different from when she looked behind the tightly closed windows of the Holy Father Building.

She’d made quite a few friends, met someone she didn’t respect, but also professors she could trust and follow.

Returning to the dormitory after a long day’s work, she no longer had to preside over all the prayers as a saint and no one came to confess to her whenever they had time… She wondered if that was the true taste of freedom.

Kylie sat on a nearby wooden bench as she enjoyed the fresh spring breeze for a moment.

Now I have to live making every day worthwhile…!I never know when another time like this will come again in my life…!

Kylie clenched her first as she tensed her body…After a moment she relaxed, exhaling.

Even if she cheered herself up, recently the atmosphere of the school had been rather gloomy.

She remembered her upperclassmen, who was a third year. The one that looked down at her from a small cabin in the middle of a freezing blizzard in winter.

Freedom was both light and heavy. She shouldn’t expect only a sweet, romantic journey like she saw in adventure fairy tales.

The bloody chunks of meat and animal hides, the worn hunting gear, the cold floor made of logs. The man that sat down on a chair in the middle of it all, looking down at a girl in the dark… It was a memory that was definitely stuck inside her head.

It was quite a shock to her to see his face in the school newsletter, announcing his death… And Tanya, the first friend she had ever made after coming to the school, was identified as the prime suspect and had gone missing… It was something she could never have imagined.

The things that took place in the world were so full of ups and downs. It was very different from the world she had seen in the Holy Father Building, which was always calm and quiet.

Feeling depressed for a bit, she felt rather disheartened…

“Still… I can’t lose all of my energy…!”

Kylie once again clasped her hands together as she made up her mind.

What happened was unfortunate, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Even without all of that, she was already overwhelmed and struggling to keep up with her studies. Plus, to experience the grand school life she wanted, she still had to meet as many people as she could and make many more friends.

Thinking of such thoughts, Kylie stood up. She thought of heading back to the dormitory first, but…

“~~~~~♪ ♫ ♪”

Passing by the bench where Kylie was sitting, a girl that gave off a strange feeling was humming.

The first thing that came to her mind was that the girl walked a bit oddly. She took light and gentle steps, as if she were flowing in the wind. At first glance, it even looked as if she was not completely affected by gravity.

S-She’s pretty…

Her white hair was tied back like the tail of a horse. Her beautiful hair swayed softly as she gently walked away.

However, her outfit was weird.

No matter how you said it, she was a young and bright girl that looked like a student.

However, she only wore a white one-piece dress with thin straps that exposed her shoulders… She definitely didn’t dress like a student.

Yet, she also didn’t look like a faculty member. Nor did she seem to be taking care of any work that specifically needed an outsider to do it.

Contrary to her strong impression, she was holding a bunch of books in her arms. The thickness and material of each book was different, and so were the contents. Art, history, magic, historic individuals, economics, philosophy… She had such a bright and lively appearance, but was she really such an insightful person?”

Kylie started to get curious. One of her main goals above all else was to make as many friends as possible.

Either way, the day’s classes had all finished, so Kylie nodded her head as she decided to approach and talk with her.

However, the white-haired girl was rather fast… it wasn’t easy to catch up to her.

She was humming lightly and not panting one bit, but it was still at a speed that Kylie’s fragile body couldn’t easily keep up with.

Kylie began to get even more curious as she tried her best to follow the girl… And at some point, without realizing it, she ended up at the entrance to the North Forest.

She started to feel that something was strange.

***

“Ohhh…!”

Lucy, who was lying on the bed and fiddling with her pillow, was deeply awed.

If you took the shape of the pillow and set it up nicely… the soft pillow could stand vertically…!

She had no idea…! It was the greatest discovery of the century…!

“……”

Lucy buried herself in the bed again as a sudden feeling of depression rolled over her.

Lucy, who didn’t do a good job at eating three meals a day… She has no idea or way to guess just how many days had passed. Still, since she has been enduring the torture for quite some time, it must have been at least five days.

“You know… How many days are left…?”

The maids would take turns every four hours, closely watching over Lucy 24/7.

The current maid on duty that was watching over her with a smile kindly answered.

“You have 646 hours left.”

Time remaining… D-27…!

“Ah, that’s right. Now that I think about it, the disciplinary measure of your probation was only passed yesterday. It didn’t actually come into action on the same day. It must have been delayed quite a bit. Administrative processing is always like that. So… I think we should actually start counting the time of your probation with yesterday as the starting point.”

“……”

D-29…!!