I Realized It Was An Academy Game After 10 Years – Chapter 188

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“…Status window.”

…If you were going to give me an F, couldn’t you just not give it to me?

It was absurd.

Why was ‘Performance’ proudly listed among my traits when nothing useful ever seemed to appear?

Was this a side effect of Philia possessing me and going on that musical rampage?

The fact that I now had an F-rank trait was unsettling.

I knew perfectly well I had zero musical talent, so why give me the Performance trait? Couldn’t it have given me something, anything, useful instead?

I seriously wondered if the status window was mocking me or just incredibly stupid.

At least now I knew F was the lowest rank.

“So F is the bottom…”

Surely it hadn’t added the trait just to tell me that?

Anyway, that meant the order was F, E, D, C, B, A, S.

The revelation was baffling.

Didn’t systems these days come with tutorials? Couldn’t it at least have given me the Survival Academy-style status window?

Why did I have to decipher everything myself?

And it wasn’t like it showered me with points either. The meager handful of points I had forced me to agonize over every decision.

Couldn’t it just be a little more generous?

Whatever entity was behind this status window, if it was going to dump me into this world, it should at least take some responsibility.

This thing deserved a one-star review.

[Contractor, look at that!]

Had she spotted something interesting?

I closed the status window and approached the strange grimoire pressed against the window, beckoning me with its tentacles. Outside, I saw a child building a snowman.

Was that what she wanted me to see?

It wasn’t particularly special. Just an ordinary snowman.

[Contractor, what’s that kid making?]

“A snowman. It’s something you can do when there’s a lot of snow.”

[Humans have strange games. I want to try…]

“Go ahead.”

[You told me not to go outside!]

She was surprisingly obedient. I detached Rue from the window and fastened her to my belt. Since I had some time, I might as well take a short walk.

[Contractor, are you going out?]

“Just for a walk.”

I opened the door and stepped out of the inn.

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[Ooh, amazing! How did humans make this?]

Rue marveled at a large snowman someone had built.

Her reaction was like that of a child seeing a snowman for the first time, bringing a smile to my face. For a creature that shot brainwashing beams, she had a surprisingly cute side.

“Want to touch it?”

[Can I?]

“Just don’t break it.”

[I won’t!]

I took Rue from my belt and held her near the snowman’s head. As she got closer, her tentacles reached out and latched onto the snow. It looked eerily like an alien attack, but I simply folded my arms and watched.

[Oh, what a strange feeling! It feels hard, but also…powdery!]

Rue, delighted like a child, clung to the snowman’s head, observing the surroundings. Fortunately, there weren’t many people around, so we didn’t attract attention.

[Hmm, I want to try making one myself~]

“Hold off on that. We don’t have much time.”

[Can I make one later, during our break?]

“…Do whatever you want.”

She seemed so eager, it felt wrong to refuse outright. Besides, I needed to build rapport with Rue to utilize her help effectively. I granted her permission for this small indulgence.

[Promise!]

…Had she picked this up from spending time with Milia?

I chuckled and reattached Rue to my belt. People were starting to appear, so it was time to leave quietly.

[Where are we going now?]

“Who knows.”

Walks weren’t meant to have destinations. You just wandered aimlessly. I walked around the town with Rue, who was looking around curiously.

While I called it a walk, it was more like reconnaissance, trying to gather information by eavesdropping on conversations. Filtering out useful tidbits from the local gossip.

I considered going to a pub, but the local brew was closer to rum and incredibly strong. I didn’t want to risk getting drunk, so I stuck to gathering information on the streets.

“Did you hear about Leslie…?”

“Lumia said yesterday…”

Sifting through useless rumors, searching for valuable information.

It sounded grand, but it was really just eavesdropping.

After about two hours of wandering, I entered a coffee shop, mostly just to have something to do.

The barista behind the counter jumped slightly when she saw me but quickly composed herself, managing a professional, albeit awkward, smile.

“What would you like to order?”

“Do you have Iced Americano?”

“Excuse me?”

“You don’t know Iced Americano?”

“Uh…what is that?”

“…Just give me an Americano. And some ice, if possible.”

If they didn’t have it, I’d make it myself. I took the small wooden token marked ‘6’ from the bewildered barista and found a seat.

[What’s Iced Americano?]

“Cold coffee.”

[Coffee can be cold? Isn’t it made with hot water?]

“It’s refreshing when it’s cold.”

[But it’s freezing here.]

“It tastes better when it’s cold outside.”

“H-here’s your coffee and ice.”

“Thanks.”

I unceremoniously dumped the ice into the coffee cup.

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[Contractor, you should have seen the looks on their faces back there~]

“How many times are you going to bring that up?”

[But it was the most intense reaction I’ve ever seen! Why were they so upset? All you did was put ice in coffee.]

Rue asked, genuinely curious.

“Some people dislike drinking cold liquids, especially non-alcoholic ones. They were probably that type.”

I replied distractedly, gazing out the carriage window.

Crevasse Mountain loomed closer, its towering peaks appearing even more majestic now.

How high was it?

I sincerely hoped it wasn’t as tall as Mount Everest.

[Wow, it’s huge.]

“The thought of climbing that already makes me tired.”

Mountain climbing.

When was the last time I did that?

There were no mountains on the deserted island, so it had been at least ten years.

The feeling of traversing high altitudes had faded, but instinct told me climbing that insanely high mountain range wouldn’t be easy.

…Well, I’d stock up on supplies in the village, so it should be manageable.

[Contractor, how far is the next village?]

“About half a day’s journey left.”

Wendigo Village, was it? The name felt ominous.

After purchasing equipment in Wendigo Village, my solo climb would truly begin. Tom would wait below. The mountain was too treacherous to bring him along.

Unlike me, who could survive being dropped in the middle of a wasteland, Tom was just an ordinary coachman.

Though, was it fair to call him ordinary?

A coachman who had traveled with an Archmage… there was something unusual about him.

[Still half a day?]

“Yes.”

[So long~]

Bored with the long carriage ride, Rue tumbled off the window sill and rolled around on the seat. She had apparently grown tired of staring out the window.

“Take a nap. We’ll be there when you wake up.”

[I want to look around more!]

“Fine. I’m going to sleep. Try not to cause too much trouble.”

[What? You’re leaving me alone!? No! I’m bored!]

Be quiet.

I ignored Rue’s noisy protests and closed my eyes.

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“Wake up, we’re here.”

“…Finally.”

I stretched at Tom’s words. The long carriage ride had left my entire body aching. All I wanted was to collapse onto an inn bed.

[Ughhh…]

Why was she acting like a zombie? I picked up Rue, who was sprawled limply on the floor, and attached her to my belt.

“As we discussed, wait for me here. If you don’t hear from me after about two weeks, return and inform Principal Merlin.”

“Got it.”

I looked up at the towering Crevasse Mountain range, now much closer.

So this was it.

I sincerely hoped the phoenix hadn’t flown off somewhere else.

With a sense of unease, I entered Wendigo Village, the settlement nestled at the foot of Crevasse Mountain.

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