Madman in a Fantasy World – Chapter 3

—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
—————————————————————–

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

I left the Headmaster’s office and headed back to the dorm.

My response to Lucia’s question had elicited a reaction completely unlike the composed persona I knew from the novel. The Lucia who calmly commanded students even in the face of demons was flustered by my simple words. It was amusing to witness this new side of her.

“I don’t know.”

“Y-you don’t?”

“I said I don’t know.”

That was the end of the conversation. What else could she say? He didn’t know, and that was that.

If you don’t know, you don’t know. What’s the big deal?

I didn’t know why the original Luke enrolled in this academy. He wasn’t even a character in the novel.

Frankly, it’s none of my business.

What did it matter what an extra did? This world was created for the protagonist to struggle, shine, and get the girl.

Back in my dorm, I started packing.

True to his status as a resident of this cramped room, the original Luke’s possessions consisted of a longsword and a coin purse whose contents were uncertain.

I opened it to find not the gold coins of this world… but a few measly copper pieces.

So he was broke.

How did he even pay tuition?

How he earned money for food and tuition was a mystery, but…

Now it’s my problem.

I had dropped out, so tuition was no longer an issue.

But I had no money for lodging or food. I was officially destitute.

“Hmm… this is a pain to carry around.”

Money was money, no matter how little.

It was annoying to carry, and there was always the risk of losing it.

“Or getting pickpocketed.”

I pondered my options.

“Ah.”

I remembered I had a skill.

“Heh… this is another world, after all.”

On Earth, I would have to use pockets or a bag. But here, I had the blessing of skills!

“Inventoryyyy!”

I puffed out my chest and shouted.

A translucent blue window appeared with a flash.

Rows of square slots filled the screen.

It was a standard game inventory. A bit mundane, but still unreal enough to be satisfying.

Or is it normal in this world?

I didn’t know.

But how did I put things in it?

Does it work with thought?

I imagined the coin purse entering the inventory. …Nothing happened.

“Coin purse, move.”

…Still nothing.

“Damn it.”

I chucked the coin purse at the blue window. The screen shimmered, and the purse vanished inside.

“Everything listens when you hit it.”

Inside the inventory, the coin purse sat neatly in one of the slots.

“Hell yeah! This is what a skill should be. Who said Inventory is F-rank?”

In web novels and webtoons, people dominated with crappy skills.

What was wrong with Inventory? As long as it worked for me, that was all that mattered.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

Leaving the dorm, I walked around the academy, pondering my next move.

Should I go to the Adventurers’ Guild?

The world of the novel was overrun with monsters.

While academies trained elites, they weren’t enough to handle the sheer number of monsters.

That’s where the Adventurers’ Guild came in, allowing even commoners to hunt monsters legally for a reward.

It was like choosing between college and gaining work experience.

Personally, I preferred the latter.

This wasn’t Earth. Academy graduates had a 200% employment rate. Their diplomas practically guaranteed a job offer.

Though, it’ll all be over once the protagonist defeats the Demon King.

I had reincarnated at the exact moment the novel ended.

I didn’t know what happened in any potential epilogues or side stories.

“Hey, loser.”

I considered catching a glimpse of the protagonist and the heroine before I left.

Lucia was stunning. If she wasn’t a heroine, the actual heroine must be breathtaking.

“Hey! Loser!”

Lost in thought, I turned my head at the sound of a voice.

A guy with a sneering expression stood in the distance with his posse, looking at me.

“Loser? Are you talking to me?”

“Who else would I be talking to? You’re the only loser in the academy, you magicless commoner.”

Even if he hadn’t called me a loser, I might not have responded to my name so soon after reincarnation.

Besides, I wasn’t a loser anymore. I had dropped out.

The 199th ranked student was the new loser.

“By the way, how dare a commoner like you speak informally to me?”

“Yeah! Commoner! Do you even know who you’re talking to?!”

“It’s Bernard Clinton, the second son of Count Clinton!”

His lackeys chimed in, one after another.

They looked like a bunch of nerds to me.

What are these goons?

He spoke informally first and then got offended when I did the same. Typical hypocrisy. And as far as I knew, noble titles held no weight within the academy. Yet this guy was flaunting his status like it meant something.

“So what?”

“Huh? This commoner… dares to speak to me as an equal?”

I didn’t recognize him, so he was either an insignificant character or a nameless extra.

Looking at the trio before me, destined for all sorts of academy-related hardships, I felt a pang of pity.

Or perhaps they’d be expelled before they even got the chance.

“You… what’s with that look?!”

“What about my look?”

“Why are you looking at me with such pity?!”

Guess my sympathetic expression showed.

There were no mirrors around, so I couldn’t see my own face. Might as well keep staring, since I’ve already started.

“Grrr… you bastard! You dare mock me, a nobleman, you lowly commoner?!”

“What are you talking about, idiot? I’m just looking at you. Are you paranoid?”

My words left the bully and his two sidekicks stunned, their eyes wide with shock.

This world is full of overreactions. They get triggered so easily.

After a moment of speechless bewilderment, the bully’s face turned red, and a vein throbbed on his forehead.

“You lowly commoner…! Today, I shall teach you a lesson in manners!”

He pulled a white glove from his pocket and threw it at me.

And I…

Thud!

…launched myself at him.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

Bernard had initially intended to taunt Luke as usual and watch him run away.

But today, something was different.

Luke didn’t react to his usual taunts, stared at him with disdain, and even dared to speak informally to him, a nobleman.

Bernard decided it was time to instill some manners.

He threw his glove at Luke, a challenge to a duel. But the moment the glove touched Luke, the lunatic charged.

What the—?!

Bernard hastily dodged and retreated.

“What are you doing?!”

“What? You threw the glove. Isn’t that a duel challenge?”

“You’re supposed to pick up the glove to accept! But you just… attacked me!”

“You talk too much. You’re the one who started this.”

Luke was honestly a bit disappointed.

Damn. I wanted to finish this quickly and leave.

A crowd of students had gathered to watch the spectacle.

“Pfft. Losers fighting amongst themselves.”

“Guess that’s how low-ranked students fight.”

They mocked them, yet no one left.

A good fight was always entertaining.

“Sigh…”

“How dare you sigh during a duel with me!”

“Shut up.”

Luke’s patience was wearing thin.

Being treated like a zoo monkey was one thing, but Bernard’s idiotic personality and speech were grating on his nerves.

“Alright, that’s it. Let’s get this over with.”

Luke darted forward, tackling Bernard to the ground.

He mounted him and started pummeling his face.

“Ugh! Gah! S-stop!”

“What are you talking about? There’s no stopping now.”

He started the fight whenever he pleased, and now he wanted to end it whenever he pleased?

No way.

“I-I give up! Please, stop! Ugh!”

“So what?”

If Luke had lost, he would be the one getting beaten. Would Bernard have stopped then?

His mindset was ridiculous, especially in a world with monsters.

This guy would probably get his ass kicked by a monster and beg for mercy.

Luke continued to pound Bernard’s face until his features were swollen and he finally passed out.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇