LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 46: Ta-da (2)
Unsurprisingly, my theatrics during class were reported straight to Rod. The rumors were bound to swell to begin with. Although I only intended to demonstrate my regenerative abilities, I cannot deny it was a bit too extreme. If I had to make an excuse, I felt a minor wound would not have been convincing enough. I didn’t even consider it initially, but anyway, that was my rationale.
"Heh, so about the blood?"
"Huh?"
"Did you clean up all the blood?" he asked.
Rod let out a cheery laugh after what practically amounted to testimony from Luna and Kara and then asked me politely. He seemed ready to let it pass.
"Kara and I helped him clean it all. We took care of it before the blood clotted, so it was pretty clean."
"Sivar did take responsibility. That's good to hear. But he was seriously hurt to the point that blood was gushing and then he recovered quickly?"
"That… Yes."
"Hmm."
Upon hearing Luna's answer, Rod glanced at me earnestly. Feeling self-conscious, I deliberately looked away.
I had casually dismissed past incidents since they weren't intentional. Not today, though. Perhaps after having lived in the wild, I had lost touch with normal standards. Today, I had realized it.
"Well, as long as no one else was harmed, it's okay. You've had a tough day, now go and rest."
"Thank you. The Principal, please have a good rest too."
Luna bowed and turned to leave, her time to relax finally at hand.
Clunk-
"Huh? Luna!"
"Ellie?"
At that moment, Luna bumped right into Ellie, who was just walking in. Cradled in Ellie's arms was Porori.
Technically, he wasn't actually being cradled; Ellie had a small box in her hands, and Porori was sitting on top of it, comfortably leaning against Ellie's chest as if it were a cushion. I found myself quite envious.
"Kukukuku."
"… …"
Let me rephrase that. Incredibly envious.
How comfortable must he be, sleeping and snoring away like that?
He seemed to be in a deep, blissful sleep, drooling slightly, as if he’d thrown his wild instincts to the wind.
"Are you leaving now?"
"Yeah."
"If you have nothing else to do, stay here with me. I'm bored being alone."
"Umm…"
Prompted by Ellie's request, Luna looked at Rod, as if silently asking if it was alright.
Rod seemed fine with it, nodding permission. For him, the more people, the better.
After all, he rarely concerned himself with others' business and was fully capable of dealing with problems should they arise.
"Okay, I'll stay for a little while."
"Okay. But where are Kara and Elvin?"
"Elvin took off earlier because he had some business to attend to, and Kara should be here shortly."
"Why is Elvin, our fellow guardian, always leaving so soon?"
Ellie genuinely seemed curious, not just complaining. To her, it probably seemed odd.
Indeed, Elvin had a somewhat undefined relationship with the rest. Neither particularly close nor distant.
We were quite chummy overall, but for Elvin, ‘business' seemed to be the right word.
‘He’s also busy with guardian duties.'
More importantly, he's a hopeful from the Matra Empire. He's likely busy interacting with the Matra Empire.
Soon enough through Elvin, we'll likely hear about the ‘test' that is to come.
It may feel unfair, and indeed it is. As I have mentioned before, the academy’s principles have long been diluted.
"He told me he's busy. Ellie, you don't have a patron, right? Like from the Matra or Granada Empire trying to scout you?"
"I do? There's someone from there offering to support me if I’d work with them."
"Really? I didn’t know non-combat roles had such options."
Yes, they exist. And they tend to be generous with the support they provide. The difference lies in the types of materials supplied and certain ethical aspects. The Matra Empire offers a wide variety of materials but is rather conservative, while the Granada Empire might have limited resources but is much more relaxed.
"So, who approached you? The Matra Empire?"
"No. The Hwan Empire."
"The Hwan Empire?"
"Yeah. Their people came to me, suggesting we work together if it's something I'd consider."
The Hwan Empire doesn't typically make the first move unless they are confident in a prospect’s talents.
And Ellie possesses abilities and talent that would surely appeal to the Hwan Empire. They are renowned for their expertise in pharmaceuticals and potion-making.
Consequently, in the game, she often dies unless kept alive, at which point I can reap various buffs and healing potions for free.
"That's quite impressive. The Hwan Empire has a stubborn streak; they don't often scout unless they're sure."
"So, you accepted?"
"No? I told them I have more to learn at the academy for now. My schedule is already packed, and that would just add to the stress."
Ellie quietly placed Porori and the box on the sofa. The sound seemed to wake him from his slumber.
His comfortable spot on the couch stood no chance against the coziness of Ellie's pocket, which I had to admit.
"Umm… What’s going on? Is everyone here?"
Soon, Porori rubbed his eyes, still half asleep. I gazed at him with a mix of envy.
Meanwhile, Ellie sat on the sofa, tenderly stroking Porori's head, a faint smile on her face.
"Ratatoskr worked hard today. He helped me find the ingredients I needed."
"Really? Do you know all the herbs?"
"Just because I didn’t know the names doesn’t mean I lack the knowledge."
Porori puffed himself up, arms crossed. I was overwhelmed by the urge to give him a good smack.
How can one creature be so infuriating in every single thing he does? Others might see it as adorable; I do not.
"So, does Sivar also know about herbs well?"
"I suppose? Since my recovery strength increased, I’ve been using them more for meals."
That’s exactly right. Ever since the grade of my regeneration increased, herbs have practically become meal ingredients for me.
They are particularly impressive for removing the gaminess from wild animals.
"It tasted quite good, so I even snuck some for myself."
"Huh?"
Was it you? No wonder there are times when my food goes missing.
At that time, I thought it was taken by raccoons or birds, not once suspecting Porori.
Is it strange I didn't notice? If he wishes, he's capable of stealthily ambushing me due to his expertise in surprise attacks.
Given his smaller size compared to other larger animals, it’s even more difficult to detect him.
"Perhaps you should ask him to cook for you sometime. It’s bound to be delicious."
"Yeah, the bear meat that time was good."
"… …"
While Ellie gave an enthusiastic response, Luna seemed nauseated.
It seems she’s referring to the time when I gave her bear meat when we first met.
Ellie, coming from even more rural roots than Luna, has even eaten bugs, I recall.
"Ah, that's right. Now’s not the time for this. I brought something interesting today."
While reminiscing, Ellie suddenly recalled something she had brought.
She began rummaging through the box she had placed on the sofa, attracting everyone's attention, including Rod's.
Clunk-
"Huh? Ellie's here too."
"Ah! Perfect timing. Do you want to try this?"
Coincidentally, Kara had just arrived. Ellie spotted her and beckoned her over with a bright expression.
Kara approached with a puzzled look, nevertheless coming towards us.
"What's this?"
"A creativity test. And the Ring of Wisdom. They seemed fun, so I bought them."
She presented us with two items.
One was a paper with five dots of the same shape drawn on it. The other was a ring complexly intertwined.
"See these dots? There's likely dozens of them. Within one minute, you have to connect five dots into a unique pattern, each time."
"And this?"
Kara pointed toward the tangled rings. The general appearance was two rings interlocked with each other.
"This, you have to separate the rings without using any force. It’s called the Ring of Wisdom, so you'll need to use your head."
"Why did you bring this along?"
"I was bored."
"… …"
Ellie's frank admission made the expressions around her shift. Rod merely smiled warmly.
In the game, if you become good friends with Ellie, you can enjoy various mini-games. The creativity test and the Ring of Wisdom are an integral part of that.
It’s also a way to gauge the player's intelligence. In the actual Soul World, many clear stories purely based on their creativity.
"Do you want to give it a try, The Principal? Just join different patterns within a minute."
"Trying it out wouldn’t be bad at all."
"Right? Here are two sheets."
Whereas most would've invited him more cautiously, Ellie, with her signature vibrancy, made it carefree, and Rod accepted without any fuss.
As everyone was receiving their sheet, an unforeseen situation unfolded.
"… Excuse me. Miss. What should I do?"
"Oh."
I hadn't considered that ‘animals,' unlike ‘people,' like Porori, would be missing the appropriate tools. Ellie seemed as surprised as I had been.
Even if there were a perfect pen for Porori, there's still an issue. I directed a question to Porori.
"Shibal."
"You expect me to bend my thumb or something? What kind of question is that?"
It seems that even as a mystical creature, he has limitations typical of an animal. The same probably holds for other mystical beings.
Thus, we excluded Porori from the creativity test. Pen or no pen, a creature that can't bend its thumb has no use for creativity.
"I'll get back at you later. One day you’ll bend your thumb."
"Yeah. Not happening."
"Such a little shi…"
"Ratatoskr."
Ellie cut off Porori just as he was ready to curse out loud. With a face full of dissatisfaction, all he could do was grumble.
At least he can't utter a squeak in front of Ellie. I silently laughed to myself and looked at the paper.
"Okay. As soon as the second hand on that clock hits exactly at 12, we'll start. And now… begin!"
With Ellie's start signal, everyone bent down to their papers as scratching sounds filled the room.
I drew lines without any hesitation. Until now, I hadn't had much need to use my brain, and frankly, I didn’t want to bother. It was too tedious to think when the solution was already clear, a realization that came after listening to Porori's advice.
"Alright, that’s it! How many did you all get? I did 52!"
"51 for me. A bit disappointing. Is it because I'm getting older?"
"… …"
But the true ‘geniuses' really outshine you. My confidence, once sky-high, hit rock bottom.
While I was quietly sulking, Kara scratched her head and then said,
"I got 43. It's surprisingly difficult. How about you, Luna?"
"I got 45."
"And Sivar?"
"… …"
After a brief hesitation, I showed my paper to Ellie. She was the first to check the count and then to make sure there were no duplicates.
Once Ellie had verified everything, her eyes went wide as she exclaimed with admiration,
"Sivar got a total of 47! That's impressive. I heard that’s in the top 1 percent."
"He scores that high despite living in the forest? Does that mean he will get even smarter than this?"
Kara was next to marvel, looking back and forth between the paper and me. It’s always best to keep quiet in these instances.
Even considering that, what kind of beings are Ellie and Rod? I doubt I could reach 50 even if I came back to life.
"What good is being smart if you don't use your brain? Unless it's related to creative thinking, that is."
Perhaps out of envy, Porori sneered at me. He must hate seeing me get praised.
"Hey."
"What."
"It’s pathetic."
"… …"
I taunted back at him for being pathetic. Porori's frown deepened, radiating a touch of intimidation.
Of course, with so many people around, he quickly retracted it, clicking his tongue and murmuring softly,
"If only I could bend my damn thumb…"
Ah, as if. I mentally scoffed at him.
If that guy ever learns to bend his thumb? I'd bow down in respect immediately.
"Next is the Ring of Wisdom. Just solve it as it is. It’s kind of like a puzzle, really."
"I want to give it a try."
Kara was the first to start with the Ring of Wisdom, where two rings were entangled together. She seemed to enjoy this kind of challenge.
Despite her struggle to untangle the rings, she persisted unsuccessfully.
"Ugh… it's tough. Want to try?"
"Yes."
Having given up, Kara passed it to Luna. Luna seemed to be doing well initially but soon ran into difficulties.
It appeared to be quite challenging, but the design was something I'd seen before in the Soul World.
Although I might have forgotten exactly how to solve it, eventually, Luna couldn't solve it either.
"It's no use. Sivar, why don’t you try?"
It was my turn after Luna failed. I had just started examining the rings when,
"What if someone just uses force to solve it?"
"You won’t be able to with just force. Many have tried, so they’ve been designed to be tough from the start."
Ellie was right. Given their small size, it was designed to respond to finesse, not force.
Thus, I was to figure it out with intelligence alone. I carefully rotated it, assessing the mechanism.
‘This seems about right?'
Despite my efforts, it just wouldn’t fit. So I applied a bit more force – just a bit, by my ‘standards.'
Crack!
A snapping sound, and the rings separated cleanly. However, the separation was anything but pristine.
The middle part had completely shattered. In an instant, the Ring of Wisdom had become a ring of brute strength.
"I heard those were pretty hard to break…?"
"… …"
Ellie murmured in disbelief. They might be tough for others, but not so much for me.
Upon hearing her, I slightly lifted my head – there was something I needed to check.
[Sivar]
•Strength: 145
•Agility: 140
•Stamina: 148
•Magic Power: 145
•Luck: 102
•Faith: 3
I was aware that my strength and faith had risen a little since the battle with Hector, although I had yet to check explicitly.
But to see my strength increase by 5 points – after 140, the progression is noticeable at each step.
That’s the reason why slight force had broken it. Since fighting Hector, I hadn’t had a reason to use much strength, so I was unaware.
Regardless, I had to smooth things over. I glanced at the broken Ring of Wisdom briefly before slyly placing it below.
"Ta-da."
And then, I shamelessly boasted,
"Solved it."
After all, it doesn't matter which road you take if you reach Seoul, right?
My audacious attitude earned quite the reaction from everyone.
While Luna and Kara wore incredulous faces, Ellie let out an awkward laugh.
"Look at him. With such a strong body, he doesn't think. He'd start with a headbutt if you asked him to use his head."
Porori was busy being sarcastic. I had not anticipated this outcome.
Lastly, there was Rod. He quietly looked at what ‘used to be' the Ring of Wisdom and spoke up.
"Ellie, how much did that cost?"
"It wasn't too expensive."
"But you are a commoner, aren't you? Even for toys, that expense must be substantial."
"… …"
Ellie was silent, unable to respond to Rod's pointed observation.
Rod apparently grasped her sentiment, for he looked at me sternly.
"Sivar."
"… …"
"Candy will be banned for a month."
"Please, not that."
That was the last thing I needed.
There's a limit to how much I can extort from that couple, after all.
"If you had apologized first, I might have let it go with a laugh. But that brazen attitude is a problem. Do you understand?"
I had no excuses. But I still felt it was unfair.
I sneaked a peek at the broken ring and turned away, muttering under my breath,
"This. It's fragile."
The Ring of Wisdom was simply fragile.