I Became the Academy’s Heroine Stalker – Chapter 44

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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-*Crunch!*

As soon as we entered the event room, the [Mimic]’s body shattered, and it was defeated.

Unlike other monsters whose appearance changed with their rank, the Mimic did not have any variations in its appearance based on rank.

They all disguised themselves as treasure chests and ambushed their targets in the same way.

They simply became stronger as their rank increased, that was all.

“It’s kind of boring, maybe because we just fought a Cerberus.”

“I know. Anyway, I wonder if there’s anything good?”

Full of anticipation, we looked inside the shattered Mimic’s body.

But…

“It’s a dud.”

“Yeah, I thought it was too easy.”

All it had were a few common ores and one gem.

It wasn’t verified, but it was said that a Mimic’s fighting power varied depending on its attachment to the treasure it held.

The higher the attachment, the more it didn’t want to lose the treasure, increasing its combat power.

As if to prove this, the Mimic we defeated hadn’t put up much of a fight.

“Tsk, let’s go.”

“Okay.”

And so, after the disappointing event room exploration, we proceeded directly to the boss room.

As we approached, we encountered various monsters, mummies with tricky bandage attacks and skeletons that, while terrifying in appearance, were actually quite weak.

Of course, to us…

“Hup!”

-Stab!*

“Hiya!”

-Crack!*

…they were just insignificant mobs.

“Haa, haa… I guess there are more mobs because we’re getting closer to the boss room.”

“Hoo… Yeah.”

After hunting a total of twenty Mummies and Skeletons, Han-na and Mi-jin wiped their sweat and breathed heavily.

Six hours had passed since they entered the dungeon. We had made quick progress thanks to the lack of traps, but the point where our stamina was starting to wear them down had arrived.

So, we decided to take a long break and eat before entering the boss room.

The ‘boss’ fight was next.

It was only proper to enter in top condition to meet the noble boss.

“Let’s rest here for 40 minutes and then head straight to the boss room. Make sure to eat something from what we brought”

I sat down on the floor after giving the order to rest and eat.

Naturally, there was no food in the maze.

The only consumable substance was the occasional water droplets falling from the ceiling.

Since it was a dungeon without any common berries, fruits, or animals, bringing food was essential, and it was each person’s responsibility.

“Here you go.”

Park Seung-yoon, the porter who had been harvesting the Skeletons’ bones and the Mummies’ bandages, distributed their belongings.

People usually brought personal emergency medicine, food, or feminine hygiene products and makeup for the women.

As for the men… well, nothing much.

I also only had food in my bag.

I had packed two combat rations and a bottle of water in case the raid took longer than expected, but when I opened my bag, I tilted my head.

‘What’s this?’

Inside the bag was a large thermos and a four-tiered lunch box, the kind you might take on a school picnic.

‘…Bersha.’

It was obvious that Bersha had packed the lunch box and thermos.

Sure enough, there was a sticky note on the thermos lid.

And on the lunch box.

I had heard clattering in the kitchen early this morning. So that’s what she was doing, packing a lunch box for me.

I was at a loss for words at the devotion of my thousand-year-old summon.

Nevertheless, my mouth watered at the sight of the thermos filled with special milk tea.

First, I distributed the four-tiered lunch boxes, each filled with neatly arranged grilled meat and stir-fry.

I approached Mi-jin first, who was sitting against the wall, munching on… a steamed potato.

Seriously, how pitiful could she get?

I prided myself on having read a lot of academy novels, but this was the first time I’d seen a character eating a steamed potato to stave off hunger during a raid.

With her cheeks puffed out from the steamed potato, she held an unlabeled water bottle and blankly munched away. I called out to her cautiously.

It seemed she had gotten the water from somewhere since the label was gone.

“Uh, Mi-jin?”

The other party members were busy eating in their respective spots. It was a rather late meal time, after all.

“Ah, yeah!?”

Startled by my soft call, Mi-jin flinched.

A few pieces of steamed potato flew out of her mouth.

She quickly covered her mouth, looking embarrassed. Trying not to make her feel more self-conscious, I quickly handed her a lunch box and a plastic cup filled with milk tea. [T/N: don’t share that MILK tea dumbass]

“Renia packed this to share. Want some? She packed for four people, saying to share with everyone.”

I didn’t force it.

Kindness without consideration for the other person could become violence.

And by letting her know that it wasn’t prepared ‘especially’ for her, I relieved her of any potential burden.

“Ah, it’s, it’s okay. This steamed potato is delicious. I packed three. I think I’ll be full after eating them all.”

“Hmm, really?”

…Mi-jin, your eyes are practically shooting lasers at the lunch box, though.

“I can’t eat it all anyway. Or I might not like it, so just try one.”

And with that, like a seasoned pro at a food sample stand, I opened the lid and offered her a piece of meat with a fork.

Putting aside the issue of stealing a harem member.

I felt pity for her, she had to eat steamed potatoes to stave off hunger even after receiving 100 million won, all because of her father’s debt and her mother’s medical bills.

Also,

The boss battle was coming up.

She needed to eat well to perform her role as a melee damage dealer.

This was for the good of the party, too.

“Ah… we-well, I’ll just try one then.”

Thankfully, Mi-jin accepted the fork and took a big bite of the meat.

Munch, munch, she chewed with her mouth closed, and I quickly offered her the milk tea.

“After you eat, try this to wash it down. Renia made it, and it’s really good. It feels like it relieves your fatigue, too.”

“Ah, thank you.”

The first step is always the hardest.

Mi-jin readily accepted the milk tea.

Although it didn’t pair well with the meat dish, milk tea was excellent as a dessert.

Mi-jin swallowed the meat with a loud gulp and then took a sip of the milk tea.

…I felt like a mother bird feeding a baby bird.

“Wow…! D-did Miss Renia make this herself?”

“Yeah, she wouldn’t tell me the secret recipe. It’s good, right?”

“Yeah! It tastes like something my mom would make!”

Mom?

Ah, she must mean she’s sad she can’t share this taste with her bedridden mother.

It’s common to feel a pang of regret for not being able to share delicious food with loved ones.

“It tastes like something I had when I was really little. Like, really little. It kind of tastes like… powdered milk? Anyway, it’s really good!”

“Powdered milk?”

Ah, so that’s why it reminded her of her mom?

It did kind of make sense after hearing that.

Though I’ve never had powdered milk myself.

‘I’ll have to ask her later if powdered milk is the secret ingredient.’

And so, the natural coercion(?) was successful, and Mi-jin quickly put the steamed potato back in her bag and started eating the lunch box.

Then, I went to Han-na.

“Miss Renia packed this herself?”

“Yeah, she said to share.”

Han-na had obviously packed a lavish and high-quality combat ration, but she readily accepted it, intrigued by the fact that Renia had made it herself.

She started with the stir-fried stems.

“…She’s good at cooking, too.”

“Hmm?”

I couldn’t quite catch her small mumble, but Han-na just sipped her milk tea with an indifferent expression.

Then her eyes widened.

“…She made this herself, too?”

“Yeah. She makes it often.”

“What can’t she do? Anyway, tell her I enjoyed it.”

“Okay.”

And then to Su-ah.

“Hoo… This sacred, blessed dish is truly filled with great care and devotion.”

“I guess so?”

“Hoho, you must be very close with Sister Renia? For her to pack such a thoughtful lunch.”

Close, huh.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if we were that close.

It’s just that I’d probably feel pretty empty without Bersha around.

Finally, I approached my master, Park Na-yeon.

“Master, would you like some?”

“Let me have some.”

“Huh?”

This was a problem.

I mean, I was just being polite, you know?

I hugged the last remaining lunch box to my chest.

Bersha’s warmth still lingered on it.

“Master, did you perhaps not bring any combat rations?”

“I did. But that looks delicious. Give it here.”

“…You’re greedy.”

“I’ll give you mine in exchange.”

“Yes ma’am.”

In the end, I was robbed of the last lunch box Bersha had packed and received Park Na-yeon’s combat ration in return.

Still, an S-rank Hunter’s combat ration had to be excellent. Especially since she had a personal chef with a monster cooking rune at her mansion.

Comforting myself with that thought, I opened the lid.

“….”

Inside were three boiled eggs and one steamed sweet potato.

There wasn’t even any salt.

I glared resentfully at Park Na-yeon, who was happily munching on the mammoth rib.

She just smiled back, annoyingly.

“Ah, I’m on a diet these days. Sorry.”

…I wasSpeechless, I had to take out a [Bulgogi Rice Bowl] combat ration with a heating pack.

Well, what can I do…

After all, she was taking time out of her busy schedule to oversee our real raid.

Thinking that, I peeled a boiled egg while looking at the steaming combat ration box.

It was just an egg.

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“Everyone, prepare to enter.”

“Yes!”

“READY.”

For some reason, Mi-jin’s response was the loudest(?), and we formed our ranks.

Our stomachs were full, and our mana was replenished through rest.

We were in top condition.

Although it was a shame I didn’t get to taste Bersha’s lunch box, thankfully, some milk tea was left, so I used that to soothe my disappointment.

Maybe it was thanks to the milk tea, but my body felt light as a feather, as if I could fly.

“Enter!”

Soon after, I ordered the advance into the boss room, and we simultaneously stepped through the portal, our faces tense with anticipation.

-*Whoosh!*

I felt a strong gust of mana envelop my body, I closed my eyes for a moment before opening them again.

-Grrr?!

And we had to face the [Red Vampire Bat], known as the most difficult E-rank dungeon boss to conquer.

With its red body twice the size of an adult male and two huge wings, it flew around nimbly, making it difficult for melee Hunters to deal damage. And as its name suggested, ‘Vampire,’ even a graze from it caused continuous bleeding.

It was truly the most feared boss among E-rank Hunters.

Statistically, the probability of its appearance was about 0.1%…?

And as if that wasn’t enough, its minions the [Undead Bats], swarmed around it like a swarm of bees.

But we weren’t just any group of hunters, we had trained relentlessly at the Academy for moments like this.

“Han-na!”

“Got it!”

At my call, Han-na quickly slung her shield onto her back.

Most of the boss’s attacks were long-ranged.

It spat poison darts or poison, so dodging was more important than blocking, and in aerial battles, the tank’s role was to become a springboard for melee dealers.

And Su-ah, in order to inflict continuous damage on the Undead Bats, began to create a magic circle between the boss and the party, instead of within the party’s formation as she normally would.

That was where the fierce battle would take place.

“Veneer Heal!”

It was an advanced skill that inflicted continuous damage on undead, who were weak to healing, by laying it in the form of a carpet while simultaneously providing continuous healing to allies.

And we,

Rushed towards it, immediately unleashing our combat skills.

First, the unique skill of the weapon I received from my master, [Arrow Rain], swept through the mobs in the air, and Mi-jin’s area-of-effect skill, [Spinning Sword], swept away the mini bats on the ground.

-*Whoosh! Whoosh!*

-*Screech!!*

The boss flew into the air.

To fulfill my role as a ranged dealer in an aerial battle, I aimed at its wings and cast Multi-Shot.

Neutralizing its ability to fly.

That was the winning strategy in an aerial battle.

Moments later, the ear-splitting shriek of the Red Vampire Bat echoed throughout the boss room.

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