I Became the Academy's Turn-Based Swordsman - Chapter 42

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Irevi

Chapter 42: Without You, We're Doomed

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Time passed quickly at Ruidel Academy.

It had already been three weeks since Maliaas was defeated, and life at the Academy had settled down quite a bit in that time.

People really could adapt to anything.

Academy life had felt unfamiliar at first, but after just a few days, I had already grown used to it.

“Make sure you master at least the first three forms. They’ll definitely help you create Arts that suit you.”

“Understood.”

In Reconnaissance Corps class, Adeline taught the students Belhart Style swordsmanship.

It had not been part of the original curriculum, but the students actually loved it. Plenty of them dreamed of learning the Mercenary King’s swordsmanship.

I was satisfied too, since I could continue learning what I had not managed to learn in the unit.

Adeline was probably looking out for me.

My farming during Herbalism class had also gone quite well.

I had gathered enough herbs that I would not need to worry about status ailments for a while.

“Haah... Even for you, Mine, this is far too much.”

“S-sorry.”

“You may only take one-third of the herbs you gathered.”

Mine had thrown herself into gathering Purple Cloud Herbs.

For some reason, she had developed a strange habit of disappearing for a little while during every break to suck on them.

It was not a habit she had in the original game, which worried me.

Whenever I ran into her in the hallway, there were sometimes bits of grass around her mouth. Those things weren’t addictive, right?

It was the same now.

Her basket held dozens of Purple Cloud Herbs. Even in an Herbalism class, there was no way they would let her take that many outside.

“Ah, Halibal... You go on ahead today...”

Still, my relationship with her had improved a great deal.

For one thing, I had succeeded in getting her to speak more casually around me.

“Phew, can we stop here for now?”

“Yeah. Let’s take a break.”

Taking Basic Weapon Arts was, in hindsight, a huge mistake.

I had taken it in the original game because it raised Attack Power, but there was no way something like that would exist in reality.

Next time, I decided I would stop worrying about the original game and take a course with definite results, like Herbalism.

“Is this how you use Carving Sword?”

‘I don’t know either.’

In the end, instead of my Attack Power rising, helping other students practice Halibal Style became part of my daily routine.

Could they really use it just by practicing that?

I wanted to tell them to give up now and switch to Belhart Style, but when I saw the faces of the students asking me for guidance, the words would not come out.

They looked like they would brand me a traitor to the sword if I said it.

“So, how is my spearwork?”

“Not bad. You really are talented.”

“...Are you making fun of me?”

I had learned that Richard’s sour expression did not necessarily mean he was in a bad mood.

It was just his default expression.

A dented [Cheap Keyring] hung from the end of the shaft of the Shattering Spear Richard carried.

When Richard came to buy Shards last time, I told him how I had thrown the keyring when I landed the first blow on Maliaas.

I said I would give him another gift, but Richard said the keyring that had struck a follower of the Evil God was more appealing. He took it and, for some reason, began hanging it from his spear.

Well, if he was happy with it.

While my relationship with Richard improved, there was another relationship that had gone in the opposite direction.

“Aren. How about a spar?”

“Ah, sorry. I’m sparring with someone else right now... I’ll ask you next time I have time.”

“...”

That made five times already.

At that point, I would have had to be an idiot not to realize it.

Aren was openly avoiding me.

He still got along well with everyone else and remained as friendly as ever. Yet he kept a wall up around only me.

‘This is a problem.’

I was getting closer to the supporting characters while my relationship with the protagonist was falling apart. Shouldn’t roommates be getting closer, if anything?

There had to be something that made him dislike me, but he would not say what it was. It was frustrating as hell.

Now I was the one getting impatient, waiting for a chance to give Aren a gift.

I had to give it soon, before he completely cut me off.

Basic Conditioning was the easiest class for me because it mostly revolved around training.

There was only one problem...

“Let’s begin. Sit down, Halibal Velder.”

“I was waiting first. Could you yield to me this time?”

‘Both of you, get lost.’

It was nice that Eugene and Ran were competing over me, but being on the receiving end was exhausting.

Making friends was good, but they came at me as if they were competing over a punching bag. It made my head spin.

Maybe this was my own karma.

Whenever those two acted like that, I tuned them out and ran dungeon simulations in my head.

By the time I had cleared a dungeon in my mind, Basic Conditioning class would end at just the right time.

Ah, I got hit by the boss just now.

I should be more careful next time.

As time passed, more and more students finished their dungeon practicums.

Whenever I walked through the halls, cheerful chatter could be heard everywhere.

“Haah... I almost died to the Human-Faced Spider yesterday.”

“Right? It was really fast. It felt much harder than the entrance exam.”

The monsters in the entrance exam were actually stronger.

The difference was the number of people and whether death was possible.

Since the entrance exam was a simulated dungeon, the applicants could not be seriously injured or killed. Naturally, there was less pressure.

The Spider Dungeon, on the other hand, was a real battle.

No matter how low its difficulty was, and no matter that they had Abyss Cores and Shards, it was hard for students to overcome the fear that a single mistake could lead directly to death.

“So... I think I’ll stop here. Maybe the Raid Corps just isn’t for me.”

“Please don’t worry too much. Other students feel the same way as you, Jinny. You can make up for it in the report.”

“I told you I’m not confident about writing reports!”

About half of the first-years had already completed a dungeon clear, and most of them stopped at the Spider Dungeon.

Only a few students had cleared other dungeons, and some of them, like me, had started farming Shards.

The Alicia Machine’s exchange rate had changed from 10:1 to 9:1 a few days ago, so that much was obvious.

Just as I intended, an unexpectedly large number of students seemed to be actively using the machine.

I had also focused on running upper-tier dungeons over the past few weeks.

Thanks to the Clown’s Sword I had newly obtained, I could clear high-difficulty dungeons with ease. Yesterday, I had succeeded in using Instant Kill on the Goblin Lord, just as planned.

Now I only needed to get the Shattering Sword before I could challenge the Doll Dungeon. But the damn Shattering Sword refused to drop no matter how many times I tried.

Just looking at all the weapons piling up in my dorm room irritated me.

I had so many other weapons from the Shattering series that Aren had started giving me sideways glances, yet I could not get the Shattering Sword at all.

When the hell was it going to drop?

Was I supposed to just make do with a light sword?

“Were you waiting long? So, where are we going today?”

“The Goblin Dungeon.”

“What? You can clear that place alone!”

That was why I called Cecilia today.

One thing I learned for certain while spending time with Cecilia was that she was a luck totem.

For some reason, the difference between the drop rates when I went into dungeons with her and when I went alone was enormous.

Something like: Cecilia (Item Drop Rate: +20%).

Even during the fight with Maliaas, the items we needed had dropped in huge numbers.

There was not much time left until the practicum ended, so I desperately needed her totem power.

“Items drop better when you’re there.”

“...What do you even think I am?”

“A luck totem.”

“Are you seriously insane? Want me to hit you until you come to your senses?”

After working together as Followers for several weeks, Cecilia and I had grown close enough to joke around like this.

The time I spent with Cecilia was nothing grand.

We had simply spent ordinary days together as students.

After class, we wandered around Nevil looking for good cafes and restaurants. Sometimes we visited museums, art galleries, or theaters to enjoy ourselves.

We sparred whenever we had the chance, and one day, she even asked me first to enter a dungeon with her.

Right. I had also stopped by the Imperial Swordsmanship Institute during that time.

I did stop by, but I learned that I could not withdraw Halibal Style without Adeline’s consent because I had not registered it myself.

Then at least take my name off it.

“Haah... You’ve always been like this. Fine, let’s go. The Goblin Dungeon.”

Good.

Today was supposed to be Cecilia’s allotted day.

I was getting desperate, so I tried asking her. Since she agreed, we headed straight for the Goblin Dungeon.

By now, I knew the Goblin Dungeon’s terrain so well that I could tell where everything was with my eyes closed.

It used to take several hours to reach the boss room, but now I could get there in around thirty minutes.

When we defeated the Goblin Lord in the boss room, a treasure chest appeared as usual.

When I opened the lid, a longsword emerged from a soft glow.

[Shattering Sword (II)]

[Attack Power 7 / Fluidity -7]

[Has a chance to reduce the opponent’s Defense.]

“Phew...”

All hail the luck totem.

Cecilia picked up the sword and looked it over from every angle.

As a swordswoman, she seemed drawn to dungeon-made equipment.

I had even given Senia a greatsword for free last time, so she must have wanted one too.

“That’s a relief. The one you wanted came out.”

Though she could not hide the envy in her eyes, she held the sword out to me without complaint.

But this was not for me.

“That’s yours.”

“...What? Didn’t you run this dungeon because you needed it?”

That was right.

Still, what I needed was its Defense-reduction effect, not the weapon itself.

I already had a light sword, so there was no need for me to use the Shattering Sword.

“You... were planning to give this to me?”

Cecilia’s eyes wavered slightly. Then she bit down on her lip and looked away from me.

“...You should have told me that earlier.”

I did not expect this either.

If I had not gotten the Clown’s Sword, I would have equipped it myself. See? I really was lucky.

I watched Cecilia hug the Shattering Sword tightly to her chest.

‘Now the preparations are complete.’

I had finished farming Tier 2 Shards long ago.

We had the weapons we each needed, the Clown’s Sword and the Shattering Sword. We were prepared for status ailments, and we had coordinated with each other several times.

At this point, even if I wanted to prepare more, there was nothing else I could do.

I looked toward the dungeon exit. More precisely, toward the Doll Dungeon, the Evil God’s Second Abyss beyond it.

At that moment, Cecilia placed a hand on my shoulder from behind.

Her warmth seeped through my shirt.

“...We’re... almost done now, right?”

She meant being Followers, right?

When I nodded, she spoke again.

“...Thank you. For staying with me until now.”

What was with that farewell line?

Sorry, Cecilia. You’ve still got plenty more work to do.

Without you, we’re doomed.

I gently removed her hand from my shoulder and spoke.