The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide Chapter 67

 

lucy merill (4)

The winter night air is strangely different from that of spring and summer, lacking the damp feeling characteristic of a forest. The cold that enters the lungs is rather refreshing.

The sound of walking through the leaves tickles my ears. He adjusted the rope wrapped around one of his shoulders and held it. At first, I thought about making a crude ladder, but it seemed like it would be deeper than I thought and it would take all day just to make it. So she just provided a rope to ride down.

“Why are you following me to this place?”

I was thinking that things were particularly strange today.

Lucy, who is still clutching my sleeve and following me, doesn’t seem to show any immediate changes just by looking at her expression or appearance.

After reaching the outskirts of the forest, you can see the hole Lucy dug.

It couldn’t even be called magic; it was closer to a hand-to-hand assault with magical power wrapped around it.

Thanks to this, the hole at the entrance is not that big. Lucy’s body itself was so small that no matter how much magical power she tried to compress, there was a limit to her size.

I tied one end of the rope to a nearby tree and threw the entire rope into the hole leading underground.

A well-rolled rope unfurls and opens a new path.

I pulled the rope a few times to check that it was tightly tied.

“We can go down together with my magic.”

“done. “I told you before I came, but since I’m not going to go down just once, I have to make sure I can go up and down with the rope myself.”

It’s not like I can bring Lucy with me every time I come to the library.

After telling Lucy to follow suit with some magic, I grabbed the rope and pushed myself into the hole.

It slips once in a while and goes down into the hole as if climbing a wall.

In case I missed the line or broke it completely, I concentrated on quickly supporting the inner wall with both arms. However, the rope itself is so strong that I don’t think that will happen.

I could have just used space magic to get there first, but it was really strange to see Lucy follow along on the rope.

After going down for a while, I finally came to the main hall of the library.

There are few light sources in the dark library hall. I had to wait a long time before my eyes completed dark adaptation.

Soon, various places are seen collapsing due to the aftermath of Lucy’s magic.

Most of it was buried in the marble that supported the inner wall… There seemed to be quite a few magical engineering supplies and recipes that still looked fine.

There is no need to pick them up one by one just because you want to take them all with you right away. Since the entrance to the secret lab has been closed anyway, there is no one worth visiting this library right now. Time is leisurely.

I just headed towards the table in the center of the library.

I removed the table and noticed a strange crack on the floor. As I pried open the crack, I could see the keyhole at a glance.

Lucy, who followed me while holding onto her sleeves, tilted her head.

“Why did they install a secret safe in a place like this and even manage the key separately?”

“I don’t know.”

I took the key out of my pocket and inserted it into the hole. The key turns clockwise with a clanging sound, and the marble floor begins to slide aside.

– Hwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Wind pours in from inside.

The magic power that had been concentrated in a closed space was released at once as the space opened.

After enduring the shock and clearing my vision again… A golden piece of magical engineering was seen in the middle of a small underground space. It was the size of a thumb.

*

“Huh, oh oh… ”

It goes without saying, but the difference in stamina when going down and going up couldn’t be the same.

As I was pulling the rope and kicking my feet toward the ground, sweat began to flow profusely.

Lucy offered to help, but I refused. What’s the point of checking to see if you can climb up and down with a rope if you don’t actually try to climb up?

Thinking it was physical training, I pulled the rope firmly and pulled myself up.

Far above, Lucy is hanging on a rope with one hand. Perhaps because it is covered with all kinds of lightweight magic, it feels like it is hanging rather than hanging.

“If this is enough… . It’s worth going up… ”

The basement where the library is located is not as deep as you might think. As if the physical training I had been doing consistently for the past year wasn’t in vain, I didn’t feel like I was overdoing it even though it was a bit hard.

If you feel tired while climbing, you can lie down on the protruding part of the outer wall and rest while holding onto the rope. It was easy to survive.

Anyway, it seems a bit unreasonable to go through the rope every time. I’ll have to use rope for the time being, but I also feel the need to make or purchase a proper ladder.

I think it’s time to receive the magic engineering supplies I requested from Lortel… Couldn’t I just get a reasonably long ladder as a service?

I think about it that way, but… I don’t think they’ll give it away for free. No matter what, I am a merchant.

“We’re almost there. “It’ll be outside soon.”

“okay… know… Phew… ”

I wiped away the sweat and took out a phoenix-shaped ring from my pocket.

A golden phoenix ring forged with Aspect magic.

It was clearly the masterpiece of a lifetime that Professor Glast probably spent years creating.

“So what is that?”

Lucy’s voice is heard from far above. Before I knew it, Lucy had reached the edge of the entrance and was waiting for me.

——————————————– [Glast’s Golden Phoenix Ring]

Grade: Legendary Number of uses: No limit Production difficulty: ●●●●◐ Sensitator: Ed Ross Taylor A magic tool that twists the timeline and brings the magical power granted to the future self into the present.

The legendary magical engineering item ‘Golden Phoenix Ring’ is imbued with the power of star-level magic and high-level time magic.

Temporarily increases the wearer’s magical power. You can use magic that consumes more magic power than the amount of magic power in your body only once.

When using magic that requires more than the maximum magic power, the use of magic power is suppressed for a long period of time in proportion to the amount of magic power exceeded.

Once magic suppression begins, the ring’s power cannot be used until the suppression is removed.

——————————————–

“I think I know why you secretly stored these magical engineering supplies in the library and carried the key with you.”

I quietly looked up at Lucy. Was he at least curious? Or is there still no interest?

As always, the blank face is hard to see. The moonlight and starry sky shining behind Lucy create shadows on her face.

If you can use magic power from your future self, in theory, you can use high-level magic right now.

However, if that happens, you will be incapable of combat for a long period of time equal to the amount of borrowed magic power. If you use it hastily, the cost will be enormous.

In the end, if you want to use it in battle, it becomes a special move that you have to make as a last move when you are cornered.

However, if you don’t necessarily use it in battle, it’s a different story.

If it were a structure where I used mana that exceeded the limit to strengthen my own specifications, and then slowly repaid the magic power used… In fact, it may be beneficial.

For example, it is a spirit contract.

This is where we can understand how Professor Glast, who has a relatively poor ability to perceive spirits, was able to handle so many spirits.

The key to spirit sensitivity/spirit understanding is ultimately ‘magic efficiency’.

It is a measure of how efficiently the magic power used in spirit magic is utilized.

In the end, if your absolute innate magical power is low, high sensitivity has little meaning.

Yenica has high magical power and high sensitivity, so the two can work together in synergy to handle such an absurd number of spirits. I have a blessed constitution.

The main reason why beginner spiritists are unable to contract with high-grade spirits is the absolute lack of magical power in their bodies. No matter how much you increase your spirit sensitivity and increase your magic efficiency, the absolute amount of mana is not enough.

In other words, if you utilize the power of the ring well, you can minimize the barrier to entry.

If I can temporarily draw in the magic of the future with the power of this magic tool and somehow complete the contract… All you have to do is slowly recover the remaining magic power.

It’s a simple and rough calculation, but if you give up using magic for just a month or two, you can immediately make a contract with a high-ranking spirit. Of course, it is too big of a risk to have a wizard title and not be able to use even basic magic for a month or two. All practical class grades will be ruined right now.

But, luckily, winter break is coming soon. There will come a time when there is relatively little risk.

To put it bluntly, this is mana blocking. In other words, it is the act of using magic by borrowing money from your future self.

However, when everyone is blocked by the wall of maximum magic power and cannot make a contract with a high-grade spirit… Being able to break through that wall alone is an overwhelming comparative advantage.

When everyone else buys a house with cash, it feels like I am buying a house by myself with an interest-free loan… Is this a metaphor that is too poor?

Ultimately, it is the power of aspect magic that twists and breaks the flow of time. It is obvious that this is something that not everyone can do.

A treasure of treasures that can be used as a last resort in an emergency, and as a means of enhancing specs in normal times.

Even if you search the entire library, you probably won’t find anything more valuable than this.

“This ring is a magical tool that allows you to exert more power than your natural magical power. Of course, there is a risk, so it cannot be abused carelessly.”

From the beginning, the professor’s actions had a clear purpose.

“You say that it is a sin to promote ambiguous talents, or that it is my mission to discover the gems of innate talent and polish them well…” “They were saying things like that, but they were making things like this behind the scenes.”

I was wondering why there were so many magic engineering supplies crafting recipes in this library… It was all research material.

Perhaps the key in the dying Glast’s arms… It would have been planned to go to Myuri, not me.

A final gift to a daughter who faced a wall of talent and eventually died. If you think about it that way, it seems like a puzzle.

But in the end, the ring never reached its owner. He, more than anyone else, expected Glast himself to be like that.

“If I had time to make something like that, I would rather…” ”

“Let’s not talk about meaningless things, Lucy.”

I cut Lucy off.

“It’s all in the past.”

*

“I am there. “Once upon a time, a button on my sleeve fell off.”

It’s so damn hard.

I had no idea that climbing up a wall while holding a rope would be this difficult.

Actually, when I imagined it in my head, I thought it would be easy to do, but I think I need to get a ladder really quickly.

“This button here at the end of the sleeve. I didn’t know this existed. Since I didn’t have one, the sleeves were too loose and uncomfortable. So I had a hard time for a while.”

Still, the end of this climb has almost arrived.

In fact, I was a bit worried about just asking Lucy to upload it halfway through, but as I almost got there, I started to feel awkward, so I ended up coming all the way to the end.

.

Lucy, talking incessantly near the top, is very unfamiliar. Was he always this talkative?

“Is that so?”

“The maid at Ofilis Hall repaired it and it became better. After that, even when she used floating magic, she became careful not to rub her sleeves.”

Lucy sits blankly at the top and looks up at the sky. A star shining on his face through the clouds flies into Lucy’s eyes.

“I often experience that I realize how important something was once it’s gone. What I thought was no big deal was actually very, very great.”

“It’s a surprisingly common story. “Isn’t it often taught as a lesson in children’s books?”

“huh.”

What is not a big deal is actually a big deal.

We eat a few meals together, sit next to each other in a daze, occasionally exchange a few meaningless words, exchange greetings, bump into each other a few times in passing, and go out to play when we’re bored.

The daily life we ​​share with someone is a collection of such trivial things.

A relationship that develops through a wonderful opportunity only exists in dramas.

There are crises and adversities, and you overcome them with your will and save someone from the abyss, or you are saved.

The establishment of a beautiful and splendid relationship can certainly be said to be romantic, but it cannot be said to be realistic.

It is not a question of right or wrong. However, I do think that it might suit Taily better than me.

A heroic move. The protagonist’s life. trials of the world. Friendship, hard work, and victory. The human relationships that bloom beautifully within them.

However, for those who live ordinary lives, the act of building a relationship with someone is not such a flashy and dazzling thing.

It’s more colorless than I thought. However, one cannot place superiority or inferiority on it.

Roses that bloom beautifully and lilies that bloom plainly are both beautiful. We do not necessarily place superiority or inferiority on its value.

How did Lucy feel when she realized that fact and lost Glokt… He did not make inferences carelessly.

“Actually, I came along because I wanted to ask you something.”

Now, just climb the wall a few more times and you will be on the ground. I could already feel the fresh air outside.

“Are you going to Dex Hall?”

A question that comes to mind.

When I suddenly raised my head and looked up, I saw Lucy sitting at the entrance.

Should I go into Dex Hall or continue living at camp?

The scale remains neutral.

Once you enter Dex Hall, your life will become easier. You can also abandon all the principles of wild life that you have already adapted to. They strictly follow the academic schedule and live with limited freedom while focusing on their studies.

If you maintain camp life, your activity radius will be relatively wider and time constraints will be eliminated. It is a good environment to train physical strength and production skills, and there are almost no time constraints. However, although I have adapted to some extent now… As expected, the living environment in the wild is poor.

We may need to invest a long time to further improve the camp environment, but these are all products of effort. I’m already going to be busier, but I wonder if that’s possible.

Whichever one you choose, there are pros and cons, and if the scale doesn’t tip to one side in the end… In the end, it is one last, very small weight that determines the choice.

No matter how insignificant and small it may be, if the weight is concentrated in that direction… People choose that direction.

“Can’t I go?”

This is a line that came out of Lucy’s mouth.

You can’t help but believe your ears.

However, it’s not that I don’t understand… I fully understood Lucy’s expression as she looked up.

“Entering Dex Hall… I guess it’s more comfortable to live in. “It’s not sane to live in the wild during this cold winter.”

After talking like that, I was so out of breath that I felt like I had to go up to the ground.

I tightened my grip on the hand pulling the rope.

Lucy, who was listening to the story, quietly looked up at the sky.

Although the starry sky is occasionally visible, most of the sky is filled with tracked dark clouds.

“I guess so.”

Soon, it seemed as if something had given up, or as if whatever line he had held inside him had been cut off.

As always, his expression was motionless, but the feeling of being intimidated was unexpected.

It is a sky full of dark clouds that I have seen many times.

Lucy adjusted her hat and repeated in a whisper.

“Is it going to rain?”

I was dumbfounded and answered that question.

“no.”

“… ?”

“It’s not the time.”

Soon I came up to the ground and lay down on the dirt floor.

As I take a deep breath and look up at the sky, a single snowflake falls and forms on the bridge of my nose. Considering the time, it was the first snow.

At this point, the rain season has passed. That’s why it’s so cold.

Lucy like a ghost can tell when it’s going to rain by measuring the dark clouds in the sky and the moisture she can feel on the bridge of her nose… There’s no way that’s always going to be right.

We cannot be sure that what falls from the sky is only tracked rainwater.

However, after a long rainy season, we end up thinking that it will rain. Even though the rain season has passed, we end up making the mistake because of our learned senses.

The number of snowflakes falling calmly increases little by little.

Tracking rainwater feels eerie and eerie for some reason, but snow falling at the right time gives a cozy feeling.

I could tell you a romantic story about the heat of coagulation that occurs when moisture in the air hardens, but… Actually, it’s a problem before that.

The rain that hits your body in a chase and the snowflakes that fall calmly as if covering the world are clearly different to anyone who sees them.

“by the way.”

I spoke quietly to Lucy, who was looking up at the snowfall blankly.

“I have so much work to do these days that I haven’t been able to secure enough firewood to last the winter.”

At those words, Lucy suddenly turned her head and stared at me.

“I don’t think I can handle it alone, so please help me when you have time. You already said it. “There’s not enough firewood.”

“really?”

-Woe!

-Whoosh!

He climbed on top of my stomach, which was lying flat on the dirt floor, and stuck his face out while adjusting his hat.

“really? really? really?”

“I have already completely adapted to camp life… “If we improve the environment just a little bit, there are many more advantages to living at camp.”

“… ”

At those words, Lucy lifted her upper body again and… I looked at the snowy sky.

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Something that couldn’t be seen in any scene or route… The corners of Lucy’s mouth turned up proudly… I couldn’t help but be dumbfounded.

The aftermath of Act 2 has come to an end, and it is now Act 3 where the scale of the ordeal begins to grow in earnest.

When I close my eyes, one thing that comes to mind is a truck.

Both Fenia, the princess of charity who is disillusioned with the corrupt academic inspection department and trying to take over the academic power as the student council president, and Lortel, who is trying to enrich her pockets by usurping the university’s interests, are both formidable.

Clarisse, a distrustful saint who wishes for the destruction of the Church of Telos, and Claude, an alchemist of disaster who becomes corrupted after drinking the blood of evil spirits… Each one is a formidable opponent, but in the end, the person standing at the end of this stage is no one else but that girl.

The final boss of Act 3 is Lucy Mayril, the ‘awakened one’.

After all the talk is over, let’s say hello again.

Surely, we will both be alive and well.

*

– percussion

The documents placed on the table were thick. There are more than one agenda item that needs to be dealt with within this week.

“Ugh… ”

Assistant Professor Claire sat in her private laboratory and sipped coffee.

The vacancy in the tightly packed teacher’s seat is bigger than you might think. It’s a mystery how he managed such a heavy task and even conducted research on seals.

Still, most of the work was completed. If the conference agenda is handled well, all that remains is the class placement test for new students that will be held during vacation.

The notice has already been written. Since all new students’ addresses have been issued, they will flock to Aken Island to take the exam during the winter break.

I had a lot of concerns about the test content. I thought about just asking them to find a marble like last year, but if the test content is too similar, second-year students may leak the content. I felt like I needed to think more about this part.

“Uhm~, anyway… “As expected, there is a shortage of workers.”

Assistant Professor Claire scratched her head and sighed.

“also… I need to ask for additional manpower among the bachelor’s scholarship students. I think the academic department will also look at this, right? Something these days… I developed the image of being the youngest professor with a lot of work to do… It feels like everyone is listening to my requests to come… ”

I know it’s not a very good thing, but it was a waste of time crying.

In any case, Assistant Anis, who takes full charge of the work immediately, also handles the work neatly… For the rest, all you need is a student to take on simple supervision tasks.

Hoping that a smart student would come, Assistant Professor Claire fell into the swamp of work again.