[Quest completed.]
[Reward acquired.]
[Shop unlocked.]
These were the first things shoved into my view the moment I opened my eyes in bed.
I stared blankly for a moment, then waved my hand in the air to dismiss the window.
As I took in the unfamiliar ceiling, a faint laugh escaped me.
“At least I didn’t end up sleeping on the streets.”
That thought had crossed my mind right after the practical test had ended.
Seeing Noah and Ichinose in person had been great, but figuring out where to go next had been the real problem.
With only a few days left until the semester started, I had no idea where or how to spend that time, and the uncertainty had left my head spinning.
At that point, with no solutions coming to mind, I had even braced myself for the possibility of sleeping outdoors.
Right after the test ended, a conversation between some students flooding out of the gym reached my ears. They were talking about heading back to the dorms and buying some food.
That tipped me off, and after rummaging through my smartphone, I managed to find the guidebook sent by Orion Academy.
From there, it was just a series of moves and more moves.
I eventually made my way to a dormitory located a block away from Orion Academy.
Whether it was because I had used a skill or because the tension I’d been suppressing out of excitement finally hit me, exhaustion had taken root in my body.
The moment I arrived in my room, I buried my face in the bed and fell asleep.
Now, as I woke up and shook off the clinging remnants of deep sleep, I looked at the ceiling and felt certain.
This isn’t a dream after all.
Doubt had turned into certainty.
I was still in the academy city of Elysium.
And the thought of that brought me immense satisfaction.
It had been such a surreal experience that it wouldn’t have been strange if it turned out to be a dream when I opened my eyes.
Even though I’d only taken a short nap, realizing that everything was still the same made me laugh to myself, almost lazily.
I felt really good because this was reality.
“Haah…”
Caught up in the joy, I let out a small sigh of satisfaction, then sluggishly rolled my still sleepy body to grab the smartphone lying on the corner of the bed to check the time.
February 26th, 8:40 PM.
It was still the day of the placement test.
Even though I felt like I had slept deeply, the day hadn’t passed, likely because I’d fallen asleep early.
That was a pretty awkward nap.
Sitting up halfway in bed, I rubbed my face repeatedly in an attempt to fully wake myself up.
It was time to pull myself together.
After all, I needed to sort through the thoughts I had postponed while basking in the moment.
“Whew.”
I got off the soft bed and stretched my stiff body, moving it this way and that.
Then I took off the uniform I was still wearing and draped it over the chair before glancing around the room.
…It actually feels lived-in.
Things I hadn’t noticed before since I had dived straight into bed upon arrival now came into view.
Opening the wardrobe revealed a few casual outfits, albeit worn-out ones, and in the shoe rack sat a pair of sneakers with their soles nearly worn through.
On the desk were some thick books that appeared to be textbooks and a bag. It seemed like the essentials were already provided.
I guess my character must have stayed in the dorm at least once before. Lived here from the moment of admission… and then, on the way to the placement test, became “me”?
Was that how it worked?
This line of thought didn’t seem like it would lead anywhere meaningful, so I decided to end it there.
I was curious about the ordinary unremarkable times that had passed until now, but…
At the moment, I had far more pressing matters to contemplate about the present and future than to dwell on the past.
First.
This was the most critical issue.
Before making any plans, I needed to determine one thing. Did I escape the imminent threat of death?
Did I pull my neck out before the guillotine’s blade came down?
Step. Step.
As I moved toward the shower, I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror.
The sense of unfamiliarity was overwhelming.
No matter how closely I examined it, the body staring back at me was flawless, without a single blemish.
More than the dissatisfaction with its frail state, the truly significant detail was this—
…The signs of necrosis are gone, and there’s no trace of any scars.
The diseased veins that had spread like a web from my heart along with the scars had completely vanished.
It must be because I was transferred to a new body.
I had been waiting for death, resigned to my fate.
If I had undergone an expensive treatment like those elite hunters, capable of erasing battle scars, extracting poison, and cleansing monsters’ energy, that would’ve been one thing.
But for most hunters like me, as our abilities weakened, it became harder to endure the injuries left by monsters.
The day when supernatural powers faded completely, and hunters returned to the frailty of ordinary human bodies…
It seemed inevitable to me that many would die.
Though I couldn’t predict exactly when, I had been keenly aware that the odds of me being caught up in that bloodbath were exceedingly high.
Yet now, those shackles and their marks were gone.
I was a free man.
Great! Let’s just go with that. I’m fine!
The unexpected joy of escaping a crisis. A faint, involuntary smile tugged at the corners of my lips.
My steps were light as feathers as they carried me toward the shower.
I had pretended to be calm, going through the motions of an unchanged daily routine, but in truth, the reality of my impending demise had been wearing down my spirit.
Shhhhhh─!
As I waited for the hot water to flow, my thoughts turned to the next issue.
The second thing.
Where on earth was the protagonist of Abyss City?
If meeting the key characters in the same class is the starting point, doesn’t that mean they must have already taken the placement test?
The protagonist’s gender and name could vary depending on the player’s choice.
I didn’t even know if they were set as male or female in this world.
Since I hadn’t spotted them among the flood of students spilling out after the practical test, I couldn’t be sure.
At this rate, maybe I’ll only find out once the semester begins.
If time flowed in this world the same way as in the game, the academy city would soon face an unprecedented series of incidents, starting from the protagonist’s arrival.
As someone who cherished moments of peace and quiet, the prospect was genuinely disheartening.
“…….”
Shhhhhh!
Before I knew it, the water had turned warm cascading onto my palms.
I stepped under the stream and let the water pour over me as I held onto the thread of my thoughts and let them spin in my head.
And next…
The quest rewards and the shop.
It was time to check out the arrogant skill that had eaten up five hours under the guise of an update.
Whirrr─!
A translucent window appeared in front of me. It expanded to a large size and filled with text as if it were being typed in rapid succession.
The water from the shower pierced through the window and continued cascading onto my body.
< Shop ─ Lv.1 >
◇ Random Skill Book – 500P (One-time purchase)
◇ Status Window – 100P (One-time purchase)
◇ High-Protein Jerky – 3P
◇ Cloud Bread – 2P
◇ Coral Jelly – 2P
◇ Energy Drink – 2P
◇ Bottled Water – 2P
…
…
[Remaining Points – 100P]
“Wow!”
A brief exclamation echoed through the cramped shower booth.
I swallowed unconsciously at the items displayed before me.
As I cleaned up my hair with hair soap, I went over the list once more.
What are the chances that, as the shop levels up, it might start selling equipment?
Given that it already offered skills for sale, that didn’t seem far-fetched.
Although the current shop was almost entirely focused on food and drinks, aside from the two items at the top of the list…
The potential for growth was something to look forward to.
“Whew! That feels refreshing!”
I quickly finished my shower and dried off with a towel.
I wore comfortable clothes and stared intently at the shop window.
If I buy food, how is it provided? Does it just drop out of the air?
I felt a pang of hunger and was tempted to buy a 1P food item, but…
Status window…!
One delicious-looking item, which was priced exactly with my remaining points, blocked my will.
I couldn’t resist the temptation.
[The status window has been opened.]
It was like pressing the shortcut key “C” in the game.
I could endure hunger, but curiosity was something I couldn’t hold back. I was satisfied.
I quickly pulled up the status window.
Name: Rohan
Health: 100%
Mana: 87%
Affiliation: Southern Ruins
Organization: Orion Academy
Attributes: [Physical] [Fire]
Status: ─
Remaining Points: 0P
Fire!?
I had expected the physical attribute, but I never could have imagined the other one.
Why did I have fire as an attribute?
“Hmmm…”
I paced around the room, thinking, but no satisfactory answer came to mind.
When I was a hunter, my skills were the epitome of simple. They were far from anything flashy.
Naturally, it had nothing to do with fire.
As I continued walking and turning the puzzle over in my mind, I reached a conclusion.
“!”
The most plausible guess came to mind.
Maybe it doesn’t mean much?
When I remembered the elemental cycle of the new characters released in Abyss City, I could almost agree with that thought.
The community also guessed that my modeled character would likely have the fire attribute.
So I accepted the predetermined outcome without hesitation.
I took out my sneakers and put them on to satisfy my remaining curiosity.
***
Ichinose Yui stepped out of the dormitory and began walking through the streets.
Having left behind her spacious house, she was now adjusting to a life without a chauffeur or bodyguards.
Every time she called her parents, she felt swept up in an emotional mood and started reminding herself to endure for just two years.
Today, as always, she planned to pick up her pen after completing her training.
Since late-night studying required something sweet, she had set out to explore the convenience stores and cafés near her dormitory.
As a bonus, she also needed to locate a beauty store to purchase cosmetics.
It was February, and the night breeze remained chilly.
The glittering nightscape of Elysium felt vastly different from her homeland of the Eastern Federation.
It was dazzlingly extravagant and thriving beyond imagination.
Not bad at all.
Even just walking outside seemed like enough to stave off boredom for a while.
It felt like it would be a nice route for an after-meal stroll as well.
Of course, that is, if only she knew where this place was.
“……”
It was perfect until she bought snacks and left the convenience store.
There were all kinds of new snacks she’d never encountered back in the Three Nations Alliance, and it made her quietly excited.
So, with snacks and a smartphone in one hand,
She was walking back to the dormitory with her katana in the other hand.
At some point, though, she found herself walking an unfamiliar path.
Bzzzzz.
The vibration of her smartphone buzzed in her hand.
Ichinose opened her previously closed eyes to glance at the screen.
[Noah: Why aren’t you in your room? Did you get lost again? ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ]
She had told Noa countless times not to come looking for her in the evenings because she planned to study, but Noah never listened.
And to top it off, the message was ridiculous.
“Who’s lost, exactly…!”
She really needed to give a proper warning about always treating her like a lost child.
“Hmph!”
Ichinose walked on confidently.
After all, she was certain she wasn’t lost.
If I can make it back, then it doesn’t count as being lost.
She had plenty of ways to return to the dormitory.
She could always rely on the assistance of the Elysium Police Department or use the map app installed on her smartphone.
However, wouldn’t using those mean admitting she didn’t know her way around?
Her pride simply wouldn’t allow it.
Click. Clack. Click. Clack.
Ichinose walked aimlessly through the night streets while treating it like a casual stroll.
How long had she continued walking in a straight line like that?
A strange presence caught her attention, making her stop in her tracks. Slowly, she opened her closed eyes.
Her golden irises were fixed in one direction.
That man?
In a dark alleyway where not even a single beam of light reached, there stood a vending machine.
Someone was standing before it, staring at it with a cautious expression.
…Number 99?
It was definitely the man who had cut the test golem in half.
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