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A week has passed since the day of the competition.

<"Time really flies, doesn't it?">

It feels like just yesterday when I was invited to be a professor at the Academy, and now it’s been nearly two months since we arrived.

“Hmm… What should I do now?”

“What do you mean?”

“The professor part.”

Since I fulfilled my promise to Lucia to stay for 1-2 months, it’s now up to me to decide when to leave.

Honestly, after two months, isn’t it time for me to be recognized? I should have already achieved A-Rank and be close to S-Rank by now.

If I stay any longer, I might end up becoming a professor instead of an adventurer.

If I keep hearing talk about parachuting and such, I’ll personally shift to the life of a wanted criminal.

“Honestly, it feels like I’ve been here for a long time despite not really achieving much.”

“That’s because there’s been a lot going on.”

There was the Behemoth invasion, the Demon invasion, and the competition.

Sure, there are plenty of small things to note, but the important events all happened within a short span of less than two months.

“I’m debating whether to quit soon or stick around for just one more event.”

“What’s the next event?”

“The toilet monster growth event.”

“What happens when it grows?”

“It’ll just turn from a regular toilet to a bidet, I guess?”

“……”

What would a toilet even grow into?

I wish it could at least evolve into a bidet.

“So what do you think, Yui?”

“Me? I wouldn’t mind staying longer! The students often share snacks with me!”

Yui’s eyes sparkled.

She always had candies or sweets, and I was curious where she got them since I hadn’t given her any.

Kids getting too many snacks just spoil them.

“But why are you interested in Arthur’s event?”

“Because the next event could be a little entertaining.”

“If Luke says it’s interesting, isn’t it a bit dangerous…?”

“It is dangerous.”

I’m not the one in danger—it’s the toilet.

“You asked what the next event is, didn’t you? It’s a curse.”

“That name sounds inherently dangerous.”

“Sure, it sounds fancy, but in reality, it’s not that serious.”

Like, not at all.

In truth, if it wasn’t for Arthur, this event wouldn’t even be considered significant.

To others, it would just seem like an ordinary day where nothing happens.

Do you know the story of the Frog Prince? This event is based on that motif.

This time, the dark magic that keeps popping up will make its appearance. A group of Demons will activate a magic circle like the one we saw during the Behemoth incident in some corner of the Empire.

That magic circle is transformation magic, and the Demons will turn Arthur, the biggest threat to them and themselves, into a frog.

Then it’s obvious what follows. The way to break the curse is hilariously through the princess’s kiss.

In this case, one could say the main heroine acts as the secondary role of the princess.

Riche wouldn’t care if a frog hopped around in front of her, and Tia naturally dislikes frogs.

“The funniest part of the original story was when Tia almost killed Arthur after he turned into a frog.”

“Wait, she would kill him?”

“…Isn’t that too brutal?”

“Actually, wouldn’t it be expected for Tia to have some personality controversies about that?”

– Tia just straight-up kills what she dislikes, how shocking.

– Tia coin plummeting. Just on the verge of being delisted. Tia supporters utterly destroyed.

It wouldn’t be unusual to see such comments popping up.

“But given the situation…”

At first, Tia would avoid him, since nobody wants to be near what they dislike.

Yet, Arthur keeps following her. So, from Tia’s perspective, wanting to kill him would make sense.

Think about it: I enjoy sweet and sour pork, but what if a friend who prefers pouring sauce over it keeps pouring it all over my dish?

I could tolerate it a few times, but by the third go, I’d be stabbing that friend in the eye with my chopsticks.

In real life, Arthur is in the wrong here. Why follow someone he dislikes when there are other heroines around? That kind of sympathy sentiment began to form.

By the way, the part where Arthur grows during the curse event is his immunity to curses. Trading his life for that immunity seems a bit cheap, but it feels like an insignificant event if you exclude him.

“But Luke, can I ask you something? You mentioned turning Arthur into a frog, who’s the biggest threat to the Demons, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Isn’t Lucia, the Dean, or other S-Rank Adventurers much more threatening?”

Naturally, Lucia and the other S-Rank Adventurers would outclass the current toilet by a significant margin.

“Still, they wouldn’t be able to handle the Demons’ unique irrationality, would they?”

Didn’t you see Lucia come out injured from the last event?

It’s stated several times in the series that Demons are embodiments of such irrationality. Regardless of individual strength, it renders most efforts useless.

The reason Arthur comes to mind is, without a doubt, due to his light magic. He counters all the irrational techniques of the Demons with a single shining light. Just imagine how infuriating that must be for them.

“And since Arthur has killed the most Demons and Maans, that contributes as well.”

“But didn’t you, Luke, kill the most Demons and Maans?”

Oh? Now that you mention it, that’s actually true?

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah! But that’s okay for me, right?”

Thanks to my Status Ailment Resistance.

If I remember correctly, I can resist all kinds of status ailments, including curses.

Therefore, weak curses won’t affect me at all. To transform me, they’d need to summon a Demon God-level threat.

“Alright. For now, I’ll watch until the next event.”

“From what you just said, isn’t this an event that holds no advantage for you?”

“Oh please. Imagine how funny it would be if a frog turns into a toilet nearly gets killed by the heroine.”

“I’m sure you all would find it entertaining!”

*

“Next practical training is survival.”

These were the words from Lucia, who came looking for us while we were resting at our lodging.

“What?”

“The next practical training is a deserted island survival course.”

I didn’t ask because I couldn’t hear, but hearing it again is quite shocking.

No way, survival events only happen in the second semester!

Why is it coming out this early? Give me back my frog event!

Not being able to see the toilet turn into a frog, I was hoping to witness a mating ritual with a female frog.

Disappointment washed over me like a tidal wave.

“Why is this happening?”

“Originally, we were supposed to progress to practical training after sufficient theoretical lessons, but due to recent events, we’ve decided to adjust the curriculum a bit.”

In short, it means that due to the frequent Demon and Maan attacks, they decided to swap the order of theory and practice.

It seems they want to enhance the strength of each individual student considering everything that’s happened recently.

Even in the original story, they didn’t face such circumstances this often, and the supposed-to-be-rare appear now and even moved the Behemoth event forward.

“Thus, it seems we reap what we sow…”

Well, surely not just the Demons are impacted by the butterfly effect.

Now it’s not merely a story; in reality, people can think and act for themselves—and on a larger scale, so can monsters.

“So what are we supposed to do?”

“You’ll need to hunt B-Rank and above monsters on the island. They are a bit early for just first-year students to deal with.”

I was wondering why they would throw students into such a war zone, only to find out there was a reason behind it.

What Lucia just said is something not mentioned in the novel.

When reading the novel, I thought it was just an island full of D and C-Rank monsters, but who knew that professors were out there grinding and battling?

“Okay. When’s the survival training?”

“In three days.”

No time for preparation given.

“I’ll explain it later, but do you have any other questions now?”

“None.”

“Alright then, I’ll take my leave now.”

Immediately after, Lucia left.

Then Luna, who had been politely listening until now, approached me with a hint of a question.

“Weren’t you supposed to quit being a professor?”

“I was originally going to, but I want to gain another skill before I leave.”

“Skill… you say?”

“Yeah. Because Demons will appear during survival training.”

“Again…?”

“Exactly.”

At this point, it felt like Demons and Maans were becoming too common.

These characters, according to the setting, are supposed to be almost impossible to encounter in one’s lifetime.

Then how many lottery-winning experiences have the kids attending the Academy had?

“Tsk tsk. I wish they would just stick to theoretical lessons. Trying to do more than that just makes things worse.”

Poor Lucia.

She likely thought she was advancing survival in a good spirit, but had no idea it would turn into a war zone.

“Still, does a Demon really have a chance of showing up with the professors and Dean around?”

“Oh, that’s okay. Maans can show up as bonus prizes.”

“Huh…?”

Just the act of conducting survival training suggests a vast area.

Even if it’s small, does it seem feasible to travel from one end of the island to the other in little time?

“Do you remember that Maan we killed here last time?”

“Ah, are you talking about that student?”

“Yeah, all the Maans he had appealed to will show up this time.”

Then the professors will likely be busy taking down those Maans.

Once upon a time, they were their own students.

“The Demons that are present there don’t seek to be slaughtered; they aim to escape.”

Think about it. If there’s an S-Rank Adventurer like me around, would you want to escape and then immediately face death or be sealed again?

Naturally, the primary goal would be to flee. The secondary goal would be to take advantage of their escape to kill any students they catch along the way.

The time bought by the students transformed into Maans helps the Demons escape.

Now it’s starting to make a bit of coherent sense.

“Just to check, what kind of Demon will appear there?”

“Hex.”

“Shouldn’t you inform Riche about this information?”

“Why would I?”

Information is something you shouldn’t just casually throw around, you know?

It’s annoying, but information can be more valuable than material things.

“Wait a moment.”

Maybe sharing this information wouldn’t be too bad?

Watching someone crumble in despair while having poured everything into finding something, yet accomplishing nothing, could actually be quite entertaining.

“Alright. Let’s go share this information.”

 

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