A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

Investment (1)

***

With the pocket money I received from Kara, I bought some delicious treats and had a chat with Ellie.

Ellie usually goes into the forest to gather herbs every weekend, but since entry was prohibited, she couldn’t get any herbs.

So, she couldn’t make any potions for a while and had come out because she was bored. Meeting me was purely coincidental.

“Do you need herbs?”

“I always need herbs. The problem is money. I can get some from the Forest of Chaos, but for ones I can’t get, I have to sell herbs to buy them.”

“Want me to give you some money?”

“Oh, no. It’s not that bad yet.”

When I offered to give her money, Ellie flatly refused. She seemed to feel bad about taking my money.

I wanted to insist and give it to her, but it would make her uncomfortable.

I’ll find a suitable excuse to give her some money later. Start small.

‘For now, I should gather herbs from the forest.’

I planned to give all the herbs I collected to Ellie. She couldn’t enter the Forest of Chaos alone.

Or I could take her along when I train with Rize tomorrow. I also need to gather herbs in the forest.

“Thanks. I had a great meal today. Next time, it’s on me.”

“Do you have money?”

“…No, but I can buy you some candy!”

Ellie is a commoner and a non-combatant, so she’s often short on money.

Fortunately, she caught the eye of a professor and received various support, but non-combat roles are money pits.

Even though the returns are high with investment, the initial investment is enormous.

Besides Ellie, I also need to invest in other characters for the future.

‘Kara could be a good sponsor, but she’s too meticulous…’

Kara is very sensitive about money and rarely invests.

It’s partly because she’s been scammed before and lost a lot of money.

Incidentally, that scammer can be met later. He’s bold enough to scam a princess and lives in a unique place.

“And Sivar, even if you don’ers. Got it?”

“Got it.”

“Promise me. You’re a good kid, so you’ll listen to me, right?”

Ellie held out her pinky for a promise. I looked back and forth between her pinky and her face before quietly hooking mine with hers.

She smiled satisfactorily, feeling reassured by the promise.

But I might break that promise soon. Very soon, in fact.

“Well, I should go. I’d love to have dinner with you, but I have things to do. Bye!”

“Bye.”

After parting ways with Ellie, I returned to the dorm. I had to deal with dinner and train with Rize.

I still had a lot of the pocket money Kara had given me, but I decided to save it. I only bought one candy on the way back.

When I returned to my dorm without any particular thoughts, I witnessed a rather unusual sight.

“Alright. Lift it up again. One.”

Rize was leisurely crossing her arms in Holy Warrior mode.

“Rahhh!”

And Luna was letting out a peculiar cry while lifting Rize on her back.

Luna was doing push-ups, and unlike last time, she now had Rize on her back.

Her hair was soaked with sweat, her beautiful blonde hair stuck to her face, showing how long she had been at it.

“Alright. Last one. One.”

“Grhhh!”

Luna gathered all her strength for the final push-up. Her trembling arms looked like those of a newborn calf.

It was hard enough to watch, let alone be Luna. But she’ll be stronger in a short period, so it’s fine.

“Good. Rest for one minute.”

“Huff!”

As Luna barely finished her push-up, Rize gave her a one-minute rest. Luna collapsed immediately.

I cautiously walked over to her. It seemed training had started while the auction was ongoing.

I knelt down and poked Luna’s cheek to check if she was alive.

Poke, poke.

“…”

No response. She seemed dead.

I kept poking her cheek until she reacted.

“…Why.”

“Are you not dead?”

“Who’s dead.”

With her face planted on the floor, I thought she was really dead. It was intense training that looked exhausting even to an observer.

I worried she might urinate cola-colored pee, but she seemed fine for now.

“I really… want to go home… Why did I come to the academy…”

“…”

Did .

In Soul World, the protagonist could respond with options. She never muttered like this.

It made the world feel more alive. Comparing it to a game after a month made it more vivid.

“Since Brother Sivar is here, let’s proceed. This time, Brother should get on Luna’s back.”

“Okay.”

“Hey, wait. How much do you weigh?”

Luna asked my weight, panicking as I climbed onto her back.

I looked at Rize, not Luna. The muscle-packed Holy Warrior, Rize.

I had height and bulk, but I wasn’t as heavy as Rize. It was actually considerate of her.

“Here we go.”

“Ughhh!”

Luna groaned as I climbed on. But enduring this training would make her stronger.

Rize immediately resumed the training. Judging by Luna’s trembling arms, she wouldn’t last long.

As I sat on Luna’s narrow back, I cautiously lowered my head. I whispered in her ear.

“The blade tusk sword.”

“…!!”

“If you do well, I might give it to you?”

“Rahhh!”

With that temptation, Luna let out a peculiar cry and straightened her arms. She’s quite ambitious.

But, of course.

Drip, drip.

“Huh? Oh, oh? A nosebleed?”

“…”

The downside of trying too hard.

She was so heated that she got a nosebleed during push-ups.

‘She really is the protagonist.’

If nothing else, her tenacity was commendable.

******

The day after Luna’s training ended. The weekends in this world are two days, just like Earth.

In other words, I had another day off, and I had plans for that day.

As Rod requested, I was going to establish my territory in the Forest of Chaos.

Thwack!

“Urgh…”

An axe embedded itself in the skull of a robust orc. The orc died without even screaming properly.

I casually retrieved Ragnarok and shook off the blood. I had hunted many orcs, and the blood was everywhere.

‘So, orcs have set up their territory here.’

I looked around after shaking off the blood. Orcs lay dead everywhere, killed in various ways.

Some had their heads split in half, while others had their limbs severed or intestines spilling out.

Many had died gruesomely, and they were all my handiwork.

One noteworthy point was the orcs’ skin color. Typically, orcs have green skin.

‘Red orcs came all the way here. Did they use their power inside too?’

The orcs I hunted had red skin. They are known for being stronger than regular orcs.

Just as hobgoblins are bigger and stronger among goblins, red orcs are similar.

But unlike hobgoblins, which are specialized goblins, red orcs form groups.

They are also intelligent, making it troublesome when they establish territories.

‘It’s a relief I handled it before they set up a base.’

If the red orcs had set up a base, it would have been a headache.

While exterminating them wouldn’t be difficult, having a base meant their territory was stable.

It was better to crush them like this to establish the boundaries Rod wanted.

‘I’d like to skin them, but…’

Red orc skin is tough and great for armor.

But this operation was supposed to be secret, so I decided against it.

Although it’s a bit of a waste, I have the money from the Usk to grow gradually.

‘Let’s hope no scarier monsters show up.’

I finished cleaning up and marking the territory.

With the markers in place, monsters wouldn’t dare approach for a while.

My rules for entering the territory were simple. Do not harm humans or attack first.

Especially any.

‘A swipe from a bear paw nearly shredded my arm.’

Luckily, my body was strong, or I would have lost an arm.

They had such a keen sense of smell they could sneak up to my hideout.

If they had cubs, their temperament worsened, attacking anyone nearby.

‘Since the work is done, I should get an ice cream.’

Ice cream after hard work tastes sweeter and cooler.

As the weather was getting hotter and more humid with summer approaching, the demand for ice cream would increase.

I passed through the forest entrance and entered the academy. The guards at the entrance only glanced at me as I emerged from the forest.

‘I wonder how Porori is doing.’

Porori, who los hard to expand his territory by now.

I hope he finds a new mate soon. As a fellow male, I felt sorry for him.

“Hey, that guy. Isn’t he the one?”

“Yeah. What’s with all the blood?”

“Did he come from the forest?”

Oh, right. I heard whispers and checked my body.

I was covered in blood from cleaning up the territory. It must have looked quite intimidating.

I was also wearing just a shirt and pants, making my appearance less than appealing, blood-soaked axe included.

‘I should just buy ice cream and go.’

I felt the need to wash off quickly but wouldn’t give up the ice cream.

As I walked with the axe in one hand, I spotted an ice cream shop.

“Ex-excuse me!!”

“Hmm?”

A clear yet faint voice called from behind. I turned around.

Seeing the woman with blue hair, I widened my eyes. I didn’t expect to meet her so soon.

“I-I’m Jane Brennon! A-are you Sivar?”

Sky-blue hair and eyes. A sharp bob cut and keen eyes.

However, round glasses softened her sharp features, giving her an intellectual look.

She had the appearance of someone who would be popular in engineering. Her beauty was hidden by her shabby shirt and glasses.

“Yeah. I’m Sivar.”

“Th-then…!”

I knew who this woman was. Like Ellie, she was in a crucial role among non-combatants.

Especially among users, she had a famous nickname.

“W-would you like to invest?!”

“…”

The broke Iron Man.

Spider-Man has personal physical abilities, but Iron Man relies solely on his assets and suit.

End of Chapter