When you reach the realm of the academy’s top professors, growth doesn’t happen through training but instead is triggered by events.
They’ve already tried every conceivable technique, and their potential for growth seems almost capped unless a player intervenes.
In other words, if a player were to meddle wrongly, these top-tier professors might start thriving like they’d eaten something bad.
There’s a saying that you shouldn’t drink even cold water carelessly in front of kids, and similarly, you shouldn’t flaunt your veteran knowledge in front of top professors.
Especially if that professor is the master thief, Bronze de Astalada; no one knows how your vast knowledge and skills might get snatched away.
It turns out that Oknodie was the original for copying techniques in front of her opponents.
“If it’s a test, it must be a trial to reach higher levels. I hope you like the test the main building gives, Second Year Oknodie.”
The professors, freed from an infinite power custom trap, reversed the trap on Oknodie and rolled her around.
For Oknodie, who was happily venting her old grievances by playing coach to the professors, it was like a thunderbolt out of the blue.
“Ugh! After rolling hundreds of times, I should at least get to be happy once!”
That complaint didn’t hold any weight.
*
[Even if you can’t consciously remember, the times etched in your unconscious have greatly helped you grow.]
[Automatic Experience Points +200]
[Speech Experience Points +200]
[Running Experience Points +200]
[Rolling Experience Points +200]
…
…
[Taming Experience Points +100]
Upon opening my eyes, I saw that my function experience points had greatly increased alongside the complete wipe of last night’s memories.
Wow, what a joke.
What is all this?
What did I do yesterday that racked up so many function experience points?
I hadn’t experienced such a surge since I sent away the Chairman of the Foundation or sparked the Homunculus Human Rights Movement.
That didn’t mean it was all that long ago.
“Ah, I don’t care! Good is good!”
Once again today, I busily wandered around the campus all day gathering experience points, and it seemed everyone I saw had a noticeable air of relief on their faces.
“Good morning, Oknodie student.”
“Today there’s a concert at the purple park where students with music skills buff each other. I think it’ll be quite necessary for you, Oknodie student. Hehe.”
“Do you need any potions that help you sleep? No? Still, take this. It’s my thought for you.”
The professors, unusually friendly, either greeted me or handed me useful information and free gifts!
The heightened crisis perception I’d developed through my long academy life and repeated cycles was ringing alarm bells.
I don’t know what’s going on, but a major incident equivalent to getting into graduate school must’ve occurred!
Every night, I sensed something happening, but since I couldn’t recall a single day fully, the anxiety only increased.
Shouldn’t my memories return after the special class exam?
How much longer do I have to keep up this exam routine?
“Oknodie! Take this!”
“What is this?”
“Hehe. I’m giving it to you ‘cause I’m in a good mood!”
One day, Titosso handed me a piece of paper scrawled with “[Kcabang Card].”
“If you have this, I’ll let you off once, even if you mess around!”
Even though Titosso is a good kid, she didn’t just randomly do something nice to torment me! This is a form of expression of guilt whenever she engages in unfair transactions that sometimes reveal her shy nature.
If Titosso gained something without me knowing, it had to have happened during the special class training or at night.
‘Ugh. I can’t even consult the professors!’
If I told another professor that I was being bullied by professors, the last thing I wanted was for Bronze to take an interest in me, thus increasing the absurdity even further.
But I didn’t want to pour my heart out to my friends because they looked like kids who had a long way to go in my eyes.
[Hehehe. You look quite troubled.]
“Hmph. Mind your own business!”
[If you want counseling, I’m always here to listen.]
Seeing the Dragon Principal, who wasn’t even called upon, getting excited and poking his big head in, it was clear something was definitely happening.
Without anyone to turn to for help while feeling pitiful alone, one day an old lady wearing a conical hat appeared in front of me.
“Who are you?”
“I am Grand Witch Kalizahar from the Witch Association.”
“I’m not buying crystal balls. I don’t need a staff!”
“Who do you think I am, a street vendor?”
The old witch couldn’t hide her astonishment.
“I’m not class-changing to a witch!”
“That’s not it.”
Only then did I find a bit of interest.
Rare class vendors occasionally appear in the academy, selling all sorts of items, but those are usually related to their class.
Getting it wrong could lead to unexpectedly switching to a hidden class that wasn’t in my fate, leaving many average players weeping ‘I messed this life up!’
Still, even veteran players sometimes end up with a headache from these troublesome events.
Among the Strength-All-In series, one player who got tricked by the effects of possessing a cursed cello ended up a Bard turned Cello Killer.
“What do you need? Need someone to guide you around?”
You seem pretty capable, but I wonder if the fourth years would show you the secret dungeons they set up around the campus or the teaching assistants’ secret weapon they made for the professors!
“I’m good at guiding and I see the attractions are here.”
“The attractions? You mean me?”
“Yeah, you. With that twisted luck!”
The witch cackled and took out a crystal ball.
“Look.”
“It’s just black.”
“This is your future.”
I was taken aback by the nonsensical insult and blinked in disbelief as the witch clicked her tongue.
“You’re the first to have a more misfortunate fate than the previous hero in my lifetime. Little one, your luck is completely shattered. You have many sins from your previous life.”
Apparently, it wasn’t just the typical cultist treatment; there were crimes from other cycles that weighed on my conscience.
“Yikes! What should I do?”
“How would I know? I was just observing your unlucky fate. Enjoy the show. Hehe.”
Staring blankly at the retreating back of the witch, I realized that I’d been mocked by an NPC.
“Ugh! What did I do to deserve getting mocked by a complete stranger!”
Is it okay just to tease me and leave?
Feeling terribly aggrieved, I ground the head of the Oduk Doll and the horn of the Dream Demon together with the root of the Soul-Wandering Herb to carefully create an altar.
As I topped it off with pristine dark mana, a pitch-black void yawned open from the air and consumed the offering.
[Speak your wish.]
A Grade Gold-Class mental world monster, Nightmarelax.
An entity that gains power from humanity’s deepest and darkest fears was greatly satisfied with my offering, shimmering a fluorescent light from its two horns.
“Please pour endless torment upon that wicked old witch until I receive her forgiveness!”
The dream master Nightmarelax specializes in fear induction and mental destruction.
Its attacks transcend human understanding, engulfing targets in constraints and breaking limits unimaginable.
Curiously, I wondered how terrifying my experience would be when the witch returned the next day and wildly swung her staff at me.
“[Curse of Becoming a Frog]!”
The reviews were sizzling hot; customer satisfaction was guaranteed.
I’d better ensure some service for Nightmarelax.
“Hmph. A curse of that level won’t work, you know?”
As I lightly disrupted the spell structure, the unfinished curse ricocheted back to the caster.
While ordinary witches might turn into frogs due to their own tricks, the Grand Witch drew a curse induction contract mark engraved stone to deflect the curse back on the witch.
“Making you dream of a nightmare where nothing happens in a peaceful world because I didn’t tell you anything you were curious about, you wretched creature. Are you even human!”
“Wow. How could a nightmare involve world peace…? Lady, are you perhaps related to the Principal?”
“That cursed dragon is indeed my magical mentor.”
That explains why their personalities are so similar.
I almost suspected she’s either a disciple or herself.
“You were the wicked one for just teasing and running off! If you don’t tell me how to unwind my tangled future, I’ll make sure you live in the same nightmare every day!”
“Do you even know what your twisted future is, asking to learn how to unwind it?”
“Tch. Either way, it’ll end in a doomsday or dead-end, right?”
“You’re wrong. There’s neither an end nor death waiting in your life. Rather, a more terrifying future lies ahead.”
“What kind of future?”
“A future where you become the material for the professors’ experiments every night in the mental realm.”
That sounded like a truly terrifying future.
