I firmly nailed myself in the bush.
“Third years might pull some sneaky tricks. So let’s ambush and take them down in one go, Hestia!”
“Got it. I’ll do my best and turn them into minced meat.”
The TA, dragging himself home late at night with the card key made by capable but lazy instructors.
Seeing the dark circles under his eyes, Hestia braced herself.
I stopped Hestia, who was poised to pounce like a leopard ready to leap on its prey.
“That’s not our target.”
“Then what is?”
“That’s a TA coming home after working for 70 hours straight in another professor’s research lab!”
“70 hours? That’s almost three days and 22 hours of work?!”
“Shh! You’re too loud!”
“…Is being a TA that harsh of a job?”
“Nope. You can pass with just a half-hour of work per day!”
“Ah, I see. It’s because they’re a TA from the lower class.”
As an upperclassman, I could always make some pocket money as a TA if my points ran low.
I thought about correcting Hestia’s misunderstanding upon seeing her expression, but decided against it.
It might actually be fun to try being a TA.
Let the newbies do whatever they want!
“The person with purple skin must be a TA, what do you think?”
“Oh, that person is just a fourth year.”
“What about the one crawling on all fours?”
“That looks like a second year who’s been using some weird medication!”
“And what about the one screaming about the apocalypse while pulling their hair out?”
“What’s that? I don’t know. It’s scary!”
“Is there something Oknodie doesn’t know!?”
“Hey, a TA with a card key is coming! Focus!”
“Wait, didn’t you just say the apocalypse is coming!? Isn’t it fine to ambush a TA leisurely walking home with a card key!?”
“Shh! You’re too loud!”
The ambush was simple.
At the signal, we rushed in at full speed and knocked the upperclassman down instantly!
Wham!
“!?”
The upperclassman was startled, his fingers twitching as Hestia burst through the bushes like a wild beast.
[Automatic Barrier]
[Slow Field]
[Impact Mitigation]
In the blink of an eye, three protective spells were cast!
Though it showed third-year prowess, Hestia’s strike surpassed the upperclassman’s imagination.
[Super Strength]
[Double Strike]
[Iron Fist]
With a bolt of speed, Hestia’s blow shattered the shield, sending the upperclassman hurtling five meters away in one hit!
Hestia continued to charge at the caught-off-guard upperclassman, choking him with one arm and pummeling his stomach with a fist.
“Gah!”
Despite the pained sounds, Hestia remained unfazed and kicked his shins to disable his lower body before swinging her knee towards his groin, only to pause.
For some reason, she glanced at me and decided to deliver a flying kick to his abdomen instead.
“Guh, w-why…?”
“Is this third year skill? You still have breath left, huh.”
Determined not to slack off, Hestia unleashed a barrage of punches until the upperclassman finally lost consciousness and fell limp.
Clap clap clap.
“Wow, amazing! The upperclassman didn’t even get a chance to counterattack!”
“Oknodie… we agreed to do it together. Were you that scared of getting hit back?”
“Hestia hit so hard, there wasn’t even a chance for me to join in. So I made sure no witnesses could see with barrier magic. Pretty clever, huh?”
Truly, Chapter Boss Hestia.
Even without Berserker mode activated, her strength was terrifying!
“I found the card key… but didn’t you hit him a bit too hard?”
“It’s fine. That upperclassman was probably in cahoots with the professor, torturing students!”
“I’m just worried I’ll get fined for hitting an upperclassman.”
Ah, that was the issue.
“Don’t worry. The upperclassman will be too embarrassed to tell anyone he got beaten by a first year!”
A passing scholar.
An unidentified passerby.
Why would there be a mysterious traveler here?
It’s the best excuse to cover up his embarrassment!
*
[The security enchantments on the card key have been confirmed.]
[The security device leading to the greenhouse has been deactivated.]
The path leads to the greenhouse where Professor Red Mountain’s diligent students cultivate herbs.
Even in a deactivated state, I felt an unsettling vibe from the traps visible through my Search Eye, making even a veteran like me shiver.
[Temporary Intelligence Reduction]
Duration – 7 days
Effect – Causes excessive drooling. Forces a status condition of [Dehydration], significantly increasing the appearance probability of bug monsters attracted to the smell of drool.
[Smell Absorbtion]
Duration – 10 days
Effect – Emits a tempting smell that makes monsters salivate. Greatly increases the appearance probability of tentacle monsters.
[Mimic Door]
Category – Monster
Feature – This monster is disguised as a door. The moment your hand touches the doorknob, it gets grabbed and swallowed into a hidden trap beyond the door.
As the security device deactivated, the fountain that once sprayed a liquid that turns people into fools halted.
The smell, perfect for causing incidents during lectures, forcibly circulated through the vents.
The Mimic Door revolved, transforming into a wall with a perfectly normal door attached.
‘Blending traps among those that can be immediately noticed, only to realize they’ve been trapped after they’ve already been caught? Truly third-year standard!’
Mixing in the subtle ridicule felt almost natural.
For a veteran who knows strategies, it’s nothing serious, though.
“Gather all the herbs from here to there and put them in the herb case!”
“How am I supposed to carry all of these?”
“Just put them in your backpack!”
Ah, I almost forgot about that.
“Make sure to wear these before collecting!”
“I can feel the mana… Isn’t this a treasure?”
“That’s right!”
As a skilled mercenary, her keen eye for valuable items is impressive.
━━━
[Resistance Herbal Gathering Gloves (Treasure (+5 Enhance))]
Grade – Magic Grade 6
Description – Gloves specialized for safely gathering herbs. Wearing these gloves ensures you won’t lose your life while gathering any herb.
Effect 1 – The quality of herbs is not damaged during gathering.
Effect 2 – Monsters attack the gatherer less during collection.
Effect 3 – The onset of status illnesses is delayed during gathering.
Effect 4 – Resistance to curses, burns, and sleep.
Evaluator – 150 gold coins, 15,000 points
━━━
Perhaps because they were enhanced ordinary gloves, their appraisal value and performance isn’t that impressive.
Still, being able to avoid immediate damage from the toxic or flame of herbs allows one to catch a breather and ask for help from a healer, effectively giving you an extra life.
For herb gatherers outside the academy, this [Resistance Herbal Gathering Gloves] is a coveted treasure they crave.
“…Just how dangerous are herbs that such treasures are needed?”
“You’ll find out once you start digging!”
Indeed, we can’t rob Hestia of the joy of her first herb gathering.
Kindly, Hestia waited for me to take the first scoop.
After fidgeting with the spade while wearing the gloves, Hestia, realizing that time was only wasting and we were putting ourselves in danger, heaved a sigh and plunged it into the mound of dirt.
Gurgle gurgle.
As the area where the spade was inserted began bubbling, Hestia jumped back in shock.
“Do we really have to dig this up?”
“If it’s too scary, I can do it!”
“Well… Oknodie, you can’t back out either. I can’t act like a coward in front of a child.”
Suddenly filled with resolve, Hestia steeled herself and pulled up the herb.
The herb, bubbling and exuding heat above ground, was [Flame Herb].
It’s a dangerous herb that could catch fire and burn your hands if grabbed barehanded.
“The upperclassman who planted this must be really ambitious. If you don’t cultivate it properly, it’ll just burn itself to ashes!”
“The name tag said ‘Mandela Castera☆’.”
“That’s understandable!”
Thanks to overcoming such a risky specimen right from the start, Hestia began plucking herbs with confidence.
As a veteran, I easily continued gathering herbs as well.
But while engrossed in my task, I spotted something suspicious nearby.
Traces of deep soil showing through to the surface.
This was spread out across several areas centered around a particular herb.
It looked as if the herb had uprooted itself from the ground, like a restless insomniac tossing and turning!
“What are you doing, not pulling anything?”
“I’m contemplating whether to pull this herb because it looks dangerous!”
“Was there a herb you’ve hesitated over? You who just treated [Flame Herb] like a mere weed…? Can we still call it a herb?”
Who knows?
Regardless, if it’s classified as an herb in-game, then it must be one!
“Eh, let me just pull it!”
As soon as I yanked the herb, a blinding flash erupted!
[Light Shield]
The light was drowned in dark mana, and an even larger energy exploded within the shield.
[Mana Barrier]
[Heat Barrier]
[Impact Barrier]
Even with multiple shields layered for enhanced performance, the overwhelming force reverberated through the barriers.
The trapped herb appeared to sneer as it shook its stem vehemently, unleashing a frenzy of status ailments!
[Poison Shield]
[Decay Shield]
[Disease Shield]
[Bleeding Shield]
Time and again, I switched the shield attributes to counter each different status ailment the herb threw at me!
After a fierce battle, victory finally found its way to me.
The weakened herb ceased its struggles and gave in to submission.
[Rainbow Herb]
Cultivator – Red Mountain
Feature – A trap herb intricately mixed among the herbs grown by students. When harvested, it randomly inflicts status ailments or enhances random resistances.
“Hehe, I struck gold!”
“Oknodie. I just made a resolution.”
“What is it?”
“After graduating from the academy, if I find a herb in an unfamiliar place, I won’t ever harvest it.”
Hestia’s resolve seemed very firm.
