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HELHEIM SCANS
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Chapter 17: Suddenly, My Mouth Waters.
Mages do not only study magic but also pharmacology and alchemy.
This is because, in addition to natural breathing techniques, they can manufacture and consume magical elixirs to increase their total mana capacity.
Many mages who were just scraping by with what they had couldn't afford to learn these things, but those aiming for the rank of high mage studied these fundamentals thoroughly.
People who didn’t know any better assumed that the heirs of prestigious families simply had everything handed to them on a silver platter.
However, the more reputable the family, the more rigorously its members were trained to survive independently when the time came.
They considered this foundation essential.
To soar higher.
To avoid crashing to the ground when at their most vulnerable.
When she was young, Sephine Alavad had no grand ambitions for honor or foundation; she simply enjoyed being praised by others and thus memorized the names, shapes, and effects of medicinal herbs.
But now, knowing even these small details was a source of quiet joy and pride for Sephine Alavad.
"Oh, wow. Look at that! A whole patch of blue star-forget-me-nots!"
"…Oh."
And yet, for some reason—
"Ah, that one is…"
"Wow, a mana-rich spirit mushroom!"
Every time they wandered through the forest and came across rare herbs—
"Whoa, jackpot! Who would plant violet hawkweed in the school forest? This has got to be at least ten years old!"
"……."
The hero, Shin Yuseong, was always faster at spotting them.
No, seriously.
What was this?
Not only did he know the names well, but he also had some uncanny knack for finding rare herbs with pinpoint accuracy, as if he were catching mice.
Last time, his overwhelming prowess in swordsmanship had left her in awe.
Today, she was feeling something closer to a strange sense of futility.
How could she be outdone in herbalism— a mage's area of expertise?
"Wow, even an old beehive!"
Feeling like an incompetent fool in front of someone she admired, Sephine Alavad simply pressed her lips together and sniffled quietly.
* * *
"Huuhhh, so you just wandered around the forest gathering herbs?"
After Shin Arin's lecture, the next class was "Experience and Creation of Magic Games."
Another session spent together with the hero.
This fact alone was enough to make Sephine Alavad feel both thrilled and dizzy.
Drained of energy, she slumped onto her desk and mumbled in a daze.
"…Yeah. I was just a useless bystander."
"Oh my, you've turned into a zombie."
Before the class began, Shin Yuseong and Emir hadn't arrived yet, leaving only Maho, a fellow student from the Magic Research Department, at the same desk as her.
Maho grinned as she twirled a lock of her pink hair around her finger.
"Honestly, you're just terrible at romance. Kids these days are hopeless."
"…Maho, why do you sound exactly like my grandmother?"
"Haha, grandma? Ouch, that hurts a little."
"…Ugh, I'm sorry for everything."
During the first class, she had no choice but to run away due to unavoidable circumstances.
But during the second session, all four members of their team had gathered to participate in the lesson-game.
As a result, she had grown quite comfortable with Maho as a fellow girl, but with the person she actually wanted to get closer to— the hero— their relationship remained awkwardly ambiguous.
It was driving Sephine crazy.
Last class, she had only peeked at him from a distance.
This time, she hadn't achieved anything either.
At this rate, wasn't the problem her?
"Hmm, yeah. Stammering like that is definitely a problem."
"Ugh, I knew it…"
Groaning, Sephine squeezed her eyes shut and clutched her head.
She used to be perfectly fine at talking.
She never got so fixated on things like this before.
Why was she suddenly turning into a blundering fool?
She used to be such a cool and elite young lady.
‘I need to go back to my cynical self…!’
But if people could control their emotions so easily, everyone would be living perfect lives.
<Jackpot!>
<‘6’!>
<The magic dice have rolled a great fortune!>
<Party formation complete!>
"Ah."
"Uuuugh."
Once again, things hadn’t gone her way.
Instead of teaming up with the hero (Shin Yuseong), Sephine found herself paired with the priestess (Maho) in the game.
She smacked her forehead.
It seemed that today’s session involved exploring a labyrinth in pairs rather than in a four-person team.
"Even pushing you two together is tough work…"
Maho muttered, hands clasped behind her back as she gazed idly up at the blue sky.
* * *
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HELHEIM SCANS
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[The goddess scowls and insults the hero.]
"Huh? Out of nowhere?"
Honestly, even as I said it, I had a moment of whoops.
Right, our damned goddess was the type to blame the hero for everything first and foremost…!
This wasn’t anything surprising.
Just another part of daily life where she automatically hurled insults.
Truly, we had reached that level of comfort in our 20-year relationship.
‘So, does that mean I can just insult her back now?’
[The goddess asks you to hold back, considering your long-standing bond with her.]
‘Oh, so heroes aren't allowed to insult goddesses?’
[…]
Realizing something new, I set the goddess aside for now and focused back on what I was doing.
It was an important moment, after all.
Tap, tap, tatatatak—heeding my commands, the berserker on my monitor swung his greatsword in a whirlwind, cutting down every enemy around him.
Shredshredshredshred—!
With such powerful gear, slashing them down with a greatsword made the enemies melt like butter.
<Solo Kill!>
<Double Kill!>
<Triple Kill!>
<"Stardust" is rampaging!>
<Master of the battlefield!>
“Yes, that’s it!”
The only character still standing properly in the game was mine.
Ah, could even the simple skillset of Glen stop my victory?
No one could stand in my way.
I proceeded to destroy the enemy’s base, securing a flawless victory.
With the points I had meticulously gathered, I raised my rank higher and higher until I reached the milestone I had once dreamed of.
“That’s right, already at Master.”
Back in high school, I really wanted to reach this level, but now it’s a piece of cake.
The judgment, dynamic vision, and finger reflexes of a superhuman who once slashed even a star—more than enough to slice through an entire enemy team.
Now then, before the air here starts feeling stale, let’s go breathe in even higher air.
[The goddess shakes her head with a disappointed look as the hero massacres civilians in the game.]
“Hey, hey, it’s the weekend. Can’t I just relax and play games? Besides, it’s a game! If I did this in real life, I’d get arrested!”
[The goddess smiles benevolently and asks if I’ve considered taking up a more active hobby.]
Seriously?
For someone who thinks home and bed are the best places?
And what would that be, exactly?
Damn, the goddess sure likes making unreasonable demands.
But more importantly, the sad truth is—
“I don’t have any friends to hang out with outside.”
Surprisingly, at school, I lead a life of peak popularity as a handsome, top-scoring student.
Yet, I still preferred the life of a shut-in—a so-called hardcore otaku lifestyle.
Not that I was doing it on purpose; making friends was just really difficult.
[I wanna lick that handsome guy’s shoulder.]
[Someone please sue that guy and throw him in jail for the 14th time.]
[I’m getting anxious just thinking that our Yuseong might see this.]
[Who? Our? Yuseong?]
Whenever I checked the school’s community, it reeked of high school boys who spent their days talking about nothing but dirty jokes.
Even though more than 90% of the students I saw at school were girls.
Huh?
That’s kind of weird, isn’t it?
Who keeps spouting this nonsense at me?
‘I don’t exactly plan on suing anyone, but still.’
It gave me a strange mix of both familiarity and discomfort.
It was hard to befriend a bunch of people with greedy, burning desires in their eyes.
The tabletop RPG group was actually made up of decent guys, but calling them over just for this felt a bit much.
So, what to do?
Might as well relax with some solo queue on the weekend.
—To the battlefield!
“Alright, let’s go again—”
Half of the characters I used before had turned into female characters.
It felt slightly off compared to the character designs from my previous world, but thinking of them as entirely new characters made it more enjoyable.
<"Stardust" is rampaging!>
More than anything, the fact that my own controls were so incredible even to myself—what an inspiring moment.
Hmm, after I graduate and if I have nothing else to do, should I try becoming a pro gamer?
‘Wait, that might actually be a bit unfair.’
Thinking about it, for someone who could break a second into 0.001 seconds…
As a genuine gamer, my conscience felt a bit guilty.
Instead of becoming a pro, I decided to just keep slaughtering noobs in casual games.
<"Stardust" is rampaging!>
[FrozenIcicle: Fuck this game, I swear**]
During this process, the screams of my opponents echoed, but that was just an inevitable sacrifice.
If they didn’t like it, they should’ve been on my team, damn it.
I singled out the guy who cursed at me and once again razed their base, clenching my fist in victory.
[FrozenIcicle: Hey, come fight me IRL, you little shit.]
Maybe he couldn’t accept the loss?
The guy I had personally killed more than ten times wouldn’t stop running his mouth.
“The loser is throwing a tantrum.”
Why would I?
What’s the point of fighting in real life?
I wouldn’t gain anything from it, and I had no intention of paying settlement money if I hit him.
“…Huh? Hmm? Ooooh?”
If the address he suddenly sent me hadn’t been for my own apartment complex, that is.
Thinking I might’ve read it wrong, I double-checked—but no, it was correct.
Not just the same complex—he lived in the building right next to mine.
‘Wait, is this for real?’
Even though I had no reason to lose in a real fight, I was so surprised I instinctively looked up.
Was this some trick from that damn goddess…?
No, an event perhaps?
[The goddess protests with an aggrieved expression.]
Well, since she says it’s not her doing…
I wouldn’t say she’s the most trustworthy, but fine—I’ll believe her this time.
If the guy had been farther away, I wouldn’t have even considered it.
But since he was just next door, I couldn’t help but get a little curious.
[Stardust: Just wait right there.]
[FrozenIcicle: Okay, bring it on.]
Hmm, suddenly, I feel hungry.
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HELHEIM SCANS
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