I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City - Chapter 92



91 – Wild Partner

Unnie. It looks like it’s Oppas last lecture.

Sion, like Clara, was looking at the group message.

They were sprawled out, chatting, on Rohann’s dorm bed, but the girls expressions were endlessly serious and solemn.

Umm

Sion and Clara still weren’t completely ready to accept Rohann’s absence.

Theyd even seriously considered hiding their presence and following him.

Even though she wasnt as skilled as Clara, Sion was confident she could suppress her presence.

They also had professional observation equipment.

And wasnt there a justification, however forced?

Rohann has a tendency to get voluntarily caught up in incidents.

With that thought, Sion had subtly brought it up, but Clara, having experienced Jooyeon firsthand, already knew.

A reality not so easily shaped to one’s will.

While Rohan was deep in the throes of his written exam,

the two girls took a stroll, ending up near the Orion Academy.

Sion understood then why Clara had mentioned observation would be difficult.

Orion Academy, indeed.

The level of those within was just too high. Clearly instructors, training the students.

Among them, one individual possessed an especially distinct aura.

Someone who, without even having set foot in the academy, had completely perceived Sion and Clara.

The presence Clara had spoken of, the protagonist. Sion felt a great wall.

That such a presence existed alongside Rohan was both reassuring and intensely stimulating.

A mix of envy and jealousy, perhaps.

The bitterness born of inadequacy.

I must raise the intensity of my training.

Sion understood.

Clara’s yearning for the top was likely influenced by her having faced the protagonist.

*

[A quest has been generated.]

[Unsettling Peace]

Quest Details: You have observed the shadows that lie within the world. Though you perceive the murky currents and impurities that seek to blend with the flow, you must diligently perform your midterm exam, as is the student’s duty.

Category: Main Story

Success Reward: Differential payment based on ranking and contribution

Failure Penalty: None

A notification window flickered into existence before my eyes.

Rohan, awakened by the quest, pushed himself up in the ships lounge, packed tight with male cadets.

He cast his gaze outside.

‘There it is.’

Even under the dim sky, his magic-enhanced eyes clearly marked the line between water and land.

An island of far greater volume than he had expected.

The deserted island where Orion Academy cadets would be spending the next five days.

‘If we move carelessly, we won’t even encounter anything besides monsters.’

He soaked in the terrain with this thought, trying to memorize as much as possible.

Then, the lead instructors voice boomed through the ships speakers.

To all cadets of Class 1, report to the second floor cafeteria in 10 minutes. I repeat, all Class 1 cadets, report to the second floor cafeteria in 10 minutes.

If you see anyone still asleep, please wake them up. Transmission end.

Click! The broadcast cut off.

Rohan kicked Gilbert, snoring away, to wake him, then scrambled up from the floor and hurried to get ready.

“…”

The cadets rose, silently going about their preparations.

They gathered on the second floor, a little early for the assembly time.

Don’t act like a mess, find your partner first. Once youve met your partner, gather in front of the instructor.

Rohan approached Ichinose, who was holding a spot at the very front.

Naturally, a conversation began.

Hows your condition?

No problem. Noah and I were catching some shut-eye until just now.

He turned his head, and there was Noah.

Still half-asleep, stumbling as he searched for his partner.

The cadet who became Noah Frozenhearts partner was one of the rear guards of Class 1.

A female cadet named Corinne.

Not a playable character from Abyss City, nor someone with any outstanding skill. Because of that, Rohan also didnt have any information about this cadet.

Are there any cadets who havent found their partner?

.

Silence.

From noble mtl dot com

Confirming there were no issues, Juyeon immediately started the explanation.

Before landing on the deserted island, I mentioned that the instructors would take measures to prevent you from using magic to survive for 5 days.

With those words, Juyeon held up a semi-transparent sticker.

Within its small volume, geometric characters, like those used in charms, were written.

‘That’s it, then.’

Even if the other cadets didn’t know, Rohan had anticipated it.

If you stick this to your skin, it has three effects.

“.”

“Hungry, thirsty, and sleepy. That’s all there is to it.”

The cadets, who had been listening quietly, flinched.

It was a feeling that these five days weren’t going to be easy from the start.

“You won’t feel it right away, but the cycles of sleep and hunger will come faster than usual. And youll feel them even stronger as a bonus.”

Rohan, with a strange feeling, stared at the sticker.

The debuff that had lowered his recovery and speed in Abyss City, it had manifested in a physical form.

“But, there’s no need to worry. This sticker can be easily removed with magic.”

Juyeon, without hesitation, stuck a sticker on the back of his own hand.

It wouldn’t even budge if you tried to scratch it or soak it with water, not without magic.

Juyeon showed the cadets the sticker one by one, then gathered magic in his finger and peeled it off.

“As you can see, it loses its effect the moment it’s removed. Once used, it loses its stickiness, can’t be reattached, and it’s obvious if you try to force it.”

Juyeon put the now limp sticker in the trash can next to him.

“After the test, the instructor will check and collect them. You just have to keep them on until then.”

A large number of stickers came out of Juyeon’s pocket.

“The instructor will personally apply them, one by one. Show your neck.”

*Thwack!* *Thwack!* The sounds briefly echoed and then it was over.

It didnt take more than a few seconds to apply stickers to everyone in Class 1.

“If you absolutely can’t endure it during the island survival, you can take it off. It will just affect your score.”

At Juyeon’s words that it was time to get ready to disembark, Rohan checked his gear with Ichinose.

He even rolled his eyes open to check his status window.

Name : Rohan

HP : 99%

MP : 98%

Affiliated Nation : Echoes of the Southern Ruins

Affiliated Organization : Orion Academy

Possessed Attributes : [Physical] [Fire]

Status : Desire Amplification

Remaining Points : 16,098P

‘Desire Amplification.’

The name sounded somehow impure, but after all, this was the Orion Academy.

The sticker on the back of his hand was definitely just messing with his need for sleep and food.

The drop locations will be unique, no overlap. The transport ships will get as close to land as possible. You’ll disembark in order of names called. Understood?

Yes!

Juyeon continued communicating with the other instructors through the comms inside the ship.

He had another announcement, and raised his voice again.

“And lastly, don’t bother with anyone you see floating in the sky. They’re here to support your safety.”

Personnel meant to quickly rescue students sending distress signals, and prevent unforeseen incidents, aiding the instructors.

People from the Sepia Archipelago, using equipment made from processed floating stone to freely fly through the sky; a fighting force.

When the sun rose the next day, the students would see their armor and know which group was supporting them.

“Altitude’s low enough. Everyone, move to the deck.”

Rohan and Ichinose were the third to disembark.

The salty tang of the air is palpable.

At the border between sea and deserted island, sand crunching softly underfoot coexists with the damp, yielding earth.

“Ichinose. How are you feeling?”

“I’m not sensing anything yet.”

The girl, eyes closed, touched the sticker on the nape of her neck.

“I feel okay for now too… Guess we should find a place to rest first.”

“Are we going into the forest?”

“It seems likely they’d hide supplies, or water, inside rather than out in the open like this. What do you think?”

“…”

The girl, not wielding her beloved sword, Yoru (Night), but a standard-issue blade, tapped it lightly against the ground, deep in thought.

“For now, I can move without being hampered by the darkness.”

“While not quite like Ichinose, I can see reasonably well too.”

“Then, before we delve too deep… let’s start by skimming the perimeter while keeping within sight of the sea.”

“Sound judgement.”

As they drew closer to the forest, the sound of the waves began to recede.

Stepping into the forest after the sun’s gone might seem foolish, but for Ichinose, who lives in darkness even on a normal day, there’s no difference between day and night.

Its also a chance to snatch supplies faster than the other students.

I should save the shop skill as much as possible.

While Rohan swung his sword, cutting through vines and making a path…

Ichinose stopped.

Rohan sensed it too, so he didn’t ask why.

“There it is.”

Without hesitation, the girl drew her blade from its sheath.

*shwing*! A swift swing.

*skreeeech*!

A bird falls from the tree with a strange scream.

Its head, severed by the slash, is adorned with a sharp horn.

[+1P]

As Ichinose sheathed her sword, points were added.

Thats a Kaktori, isnt it.

Its formal name is Hornbird. Kaktori is what they call it in the Samhwa Kingdom.

Rohan picked up the Hornbird with its cleanly severed head.

This Hornbird…

Is something wrong?

Cant we eat it?

When Rohan’s voice, practically bouncing with the sound of finding something good, reached her,

the girl froze, stiff with alarm.

Heir to Cheonoecheon (), the largest company in the Samhwa Nation.

Ichinose Yui, who had lived a life far removed from the wild.

“Eh…?”

The girl’s composed voice and expression, so carefully maintained, faltered.