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“Lord Luke.”

“Ugh… Just five more minutes…”

“Lord Luke, you really should get up now; you don’t want to be late.”

Late? What late?

Aren’t we adventurers? I’m a freelancer, right?

What does being late even mean for a freelancer?

“Lord Luke, just to remind you in case you forgot, you accepted the temporary professor position at the Academy yesterday, didn’t you?”

“Ah…?”

Oh right.

I switched from freelancer to a contracted position yesterday, didn’t I?

“What’s with this horrible Monday morning feeling…?”

“You need to get up and get ready so you’re not late. Yui is already downstairs, all ready and waiting.”

“Yeesh…”

Roll, roll.

I tumbled out of bed.

“Oof!”

The sudden sting on my back woke me up completely.

After changing clothes, I headed to the first floor to join Yui, who was waiting at the entrance.

Then we left the inn and headed out to grab a bite.

Luna asked curiously, “But it’s surprising. You accepted that.”

“Is there anything I can’t do?”

“You told me the Academy feels like a battlefield.”

“Ah… but at this point, I really don’t care what event happens.”

Honestly, I don’t know if my status window is better than Arthur’s, but I’ve gotten stronger way faster than I expected.

So if the Academy suddenly turns into a battlefield, I’ll manage to survive without issue.

If it turns into a battlefield, leveling up will go faster, which is actually better.

“And besides, we don’t have anything else to do anyway.”

Even though I was forced to take a holiday, there’s nothing to do in a world with no entertainment.

And catching monsters just for fun sounds like a waste of my time without any money.

They say professors make a lot of money; I might as well do it.

“It’s not because of money, right…?”

“How did you know?”

See, money really is the best!

“And besides, we really have nothing to do, right?”

This is my chance to live out my dream of being a salary thief that I had in my previous life.

I heard there are tons of classes, but I only have to attend a few times a week.

Since I can’t totally revamp the existing curriculum, they said classes will be conducted as an add-on.

The content of the classes is entirely up to us.

We can use Yui to teach magic or Luna for close combat.

Or, we could even bring a few real monsters and make it practical!

They said they’d accommodate as much as possible, but I already had everything I needed, so there was nothing to demand.

“And your true intentions?”

“I’ll just pass everything to Yui and Luna and do my salary thief act~”

“…”

“Just kidding~”

*

After finishing breakfast, before heading to the Academy,

We headed to the clothing store Lucia recommended.

The reason was:

– “You should change your outfit. Luna and Yui can keep theirs, but Luke-kun, do you have any other clothes? You can’t wear student attire as a professor.”

No way I have other clothes.

I always wear the same outfit like a cartoon character.

– “Then how about getting a new outfit at the clothing store? Oh, you don’t need to worry about the price. We’ll cover it.”

So that’s how it is.

We entered a clothing store that clearly looked like a place for nobles.

Inside the store, it was a spectacle of cash being thrown around.

Dresses adorned with shiny frills and high-quality uniforms meant for the wealthy.

It felt like commoners would never get to step foot in here.

To compare, it felt like walking into a Gucci store in Korea.

‘This is why I absolutely hate shopping for clothes.’

Why is a mere scrap of cloth so expensive, damn it?

If I wasn’t being treated, I wouldn’t even consider going in, even if it meant going naked.

“Welcome.”

As I was exploring the store, a salesperson approached and bowed politely.

“I came to look at clothes.”

“Do you need any help?”

Help? I desperately need it.

I’ve never worn anything other than what my mom bought me in my previous life.

“Yep.”

I followed the salesperson as they showed me a few outfits.

But is it a hobby of rich kids these days to flaunt their wealth? All the clothes have frills and are shiny and fluttery.

It was gross.

I’m not some trot singer, and there’s no way I’d wear something like that.

As I was passing by all the outfits,

“What do you think of this one? It has a restoration function just like the student uniform you’re wearing now.”

It was a black uniform-like outfit.

It didn’t sparkle unnecessarily, and its simplicity caught my eye.

Price didn’t matter since it wasn’t my money, so I didn’t care.

So, I stripped off my clothes to try it on.

“Kyah! Customer! The changing room is over there!”

Changing room? That’s for insecure people!

Look at these abs!

Even though this body isn’t mine, Luke’s body without magical power is more impressive than that of a trained knight.

This physique could transform even a shy recluse into a max confidence social butterfly!

Therefore, I’m overflowing with confidence in this body!

Ordinarily, I could change in ten seconds, but today I took my time, showing off my body like I’m in a bodybuilding competition.

And for the grand finale.

“Please send the bill to Jeminal Academy!”

*

“Welcome. That new outfit looks really good on you.”

This was the first thing Lucia said when she saw me.

As soon as we reached the Academy, we headed to the Dean’s Office.

She had told me the previous day to come see her as soon as I arrived.

“I came like you asked, so what should I do now?”

Temporary professor, came to find me.

I did what you asked.

So now what should I do?

Lucia stood up from her chair and said, “First, let me show you your lodging, so please follow me.”

Lodging.

It’s really important.

The quality of lodging affects the quality of sleep.

And the reason why sleep and the quality of sleep matter is obvious.

We followed Lucia as she led us to our lodging.

It was a separate building located far from the dormitory where the students lived.

The building itself was large, accommodating so many professors.

But…

‘Isn’t it a bit too big?’

I could tell the facilities inside just by looking at the exterior.

It made me wonder.

‘Why is there even a crappy dormitory?’

With a place that could be built so well, why make such a miserable place?

The academy I first possessed was filled with the absolute weakest students.

The cramped small room I used to stay at in my previous life felt like heaven compared to that dump.

It seems that dormitory was built to motivate students to work hard to reach better places.

But clearly, that’s just a trap for them to suffer!

Because if you’re stuck in such a tight space, it’s not motivation that you’ll feel, but depression and claustrophobia, pushing them straight toward suicidal thoughts.

As I followed Lucia into the building, I immediately saw stairs leading up and a long hallway stretching in both directions.

Usually, if a dorm is structured like this, the hallways should be narrow, but…

It looked more like a hotel or something; the hallways were quite large.

Two burly guys could walk side by side without bumping into each other.

Guessing it’s an academy, everyone involved gets all kinds of privileges, right?

‘And this privilege is mine for the time being.’

I can already feel my lips stretching with the thought of living my dream of being a lazy salary thief.

“This is the space where Luke-kun will live for the time being.”

“Wow…”

“Uh… you haven’t even opened the door yet…?”

“Just consider it a pre-reaction.”

Lucia turned the doorknob, and the door opened, revealing the interior of the lodging.

“Wow…”

Sands.

“It’s amazing…”

The bed was ridiculously big, and there was a sofa, a desk, and potted flowers.

The interior was quite lavish.

Do all professors live in places like this?

I had an idea from the outside, but the inside was even better than I had imagined!

This place couldn’t even be compared to the inn where I usually stayed.

“I’m glad you like it. Some professors have complained about their lodging.”

What? Complained about such a great place?

That’s what nobility is for you.

“I see… you don’t seem to have brought any luggage.”

Lucia swept her gaze over us and said.

She probably brought us here to introduce us and help us unpack.

But I have the King God General Emperor Majesty Skill Inventory.

“I keep everything in here.”

I took out a snack from my inventory and showed it to Lucia.

Then, I tossed the snack to Yui.

Yui caught it quickly and popped it into her mouth.

“Is that… storage magic?”

Lucia’s eyes widened as she marveled at my inventory.

“Hehe… that’s right. This skill is the ‘most wonderful’ in the world! It’s the strongest and most convenient!”

“I get the convenience part, but strong? Isn’t that debatable?”

“Shut up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

How dare you criticize my inventory!?

No matter how much of an S-class mage you are, you’re just a mere magic user!

The idea that inventories are weak for hunting is an outdated view from ancient dentures!

Think about it, is there a game on Earth without an inventory?

Almost none.

What does this mean?

It means that it’s a powerful and ubiquitous skill that fits any genre!

If you argue, you’re wrong.

“I can tolerate you insulting me, but I absolutely cannot stand you insulting my inventory!!”

“Uh, um… I’m sorry…?”

“Watch yourself.”

No matter the requestor, once you disregard my inventory, you’re out of luck!

“Um… should we move to the next location?”

“Yep.”

We followed Lucia out of the lodging and moved to the main building, heading to the next location: the Meeting Room.

“Even though it’s just temporary, we need to introduce you to the other professors once.”

That was the plan.

Is this like a new hire initiation or something?

Anyway, when Lucia opened the door to the meeting room.

“That is absolutely unacceptable!”

What’s going on now?

 

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