Next, I headed to the Sculptor Club.
I was planning to secure some decent sculptures in advance, in preparation for the upcoming deal with the dimensional crows.
The materials would be Apatite, Topaz, and a B-rank material selection ticket.
After walking for a bit, I found myself standing in front of a shabby door.
I gave a light knock and waited. A languid voice came from inside.
“Come in.”
I entered the club room and gave a polite bow.
“Hello, senior.”
“Knew it was you. I’m not taking any more commissions.”
The Sculptor Club president cut me off before I could even say anything.
“You’re probably here with some rare materials again, trying to get me to at least take a look, right? But this time, I’m seriously not accepting any. I’m being clear.”
“…That’s a shame. I’ve always admired your work.”
I decided to take a step back for now.
With that firm a stance, no amount of sweet talk or pressure was going to work.
Maybe I’d even have to give up on the sculpture idea entirely and look for a different trade item.
Still, I figured I’d at least check if there was any wiggle room.
“Could I ask why you’re not taking requests anymore?”
“What’s the point in telling you?”
The sharp reply came right back, but I kept up my businesslike smile and continued speaking.
“Who knows, maybe I could help in some way… Or even if not, they say sharing your troubles halves the burden. You might feel a little better if you talk about it.”
“……”
The club president stared at me with a furrowed brow for a while.
Then, maybe thinking there was no real reason not to say it, she gestured to one side of the room.
“You see that?”
The place used to be packed so full of sculptures that there was hardly space to walk, but now more than half of them were gone, replaced by stacked boxes.
Most of the sculptures were probably stored in those boxes.
“Are you packing up?”
“They told me to clear out by the end of the year.”
Turns out the student council had issued a disbandment notice.
Except for herself, there hadn’t been a single new member in the past two years, and the club had no notable achievements to speak of.
In short, they were being told to hand over the clubroom to one of the newly established clubs.
Given how minor the Sculptor class was around here, the lack of new recruits was understandable. But the lack of achievements? That was harder to accept.
“With your skills, I’m sure you could’ve racked up accomplishments easily, senior.”
Despite being only a second-year, her sculpting skill was already above third-year level.
Even the dimensional crows acknowledged her work.
To this, the Sculptor Club president replied,
“Turns out, it’s harder than it looks to get useful effects.”
Dragon Slayer Academy is, after all, an institution meant to train future heroes.
Sculptures with only artistic value don’t count as accomplishments.
By “useful effects”, she meant traits related to combat or growth.
That [Orc Hero Statue] Hong Yeon-hwa recently pulled was a good example.
▷ Grants a proficiency bonus to combat skills of A-rank or below.
Of course, it’s not like you can slap on those kinds of effects just because you want to.
“Skill matters, sure, but the materials have to match up too.”
“……Mhmm.”
The club president’s face immediately darkened.
So the problem really was material sourcing.
Naturally, the primary source was dungeons. But given a Sculptor’s limited combat ability, their access to raids is severely restricted.
And obtaining dropped materials is no easy feat either.
“Everyone wants the good stuff, after all.”
To get your hands on it, you’d have to compete with big players like blacksmiths, tailors, and magic engineers.
She probably didn’t have the connections to secure priority access, nor was the club’s budget in any shape to keep up.
“I tried rushing a few pieces with what I had, but none of them turned out to be anything special.”
“I see.”
I nodded silently, deep in thought.
As expected… butlers and sculptors really don’t have much luck.
Of course, I was the one who’d miss the Sculptor the most if the club shut down, so I suggested another solution.
“Have you considered taking commissions?”
“I got a few offers earlier this year.”
“And?”
“…They all seemed like a hassle, so I turned them down.”
“……”
“…I know. I regret it too.”
Well, this upperclassman did seem like the type who only worked when inspiration struck. Most of the incoming requests probably didn’t meet her standards.
The other clubs must’ve taken it personally when she rejected them, and since they weren’t that desperate for statues, they probably just stopped coming altogether.
To sum it up: it’s a complete mess.
Still, I had a rough grasp of the situation now.
“You want to avoid disbanding the club, if possible?”
“If possible.”
She said that, but the Sculptor Club president looked pretty much resigned already.
So I carefully brought it up.
“There is one way… but it’d cost me a little too.”
“You mean you won’t do it for free? You want a statue out of it?”
“Isn’t it nice when people help each other out?”
The Sculptor Club president thought for a moment, then gave a nod.
“…It’s not like I have the luxury to be picky. If this keeps up, I’ll either have to turn it into a personal hobby or leave the school altogether. As long as you help, I’ll make as many statues as you want.”
“As many as I want?”
“Yeah, as many as you want.”
“You promised.”
You should never throw around words like “as many as you want” or “whatever you need”.
When this is over, I’m getting myself a full-time sculpture slave.
Suppressing an evil grin, I asked,
“You do have [Extraction], right?”
“Of course I do.”
As the name suggests, the skill breaks down an item to extract materials from it, with a certain probability.
I don’t have to rely on breaking things down or gambling with chances to get items, but for crafting-type classes, which don’t have it so easy, it’s practically a must-have skill.
“What’s the rank?”
“I’ve raised it up to B+.”
“Perfect. Then use this as the core material.”
What I pulled out next was the Orc Hero Statue.
The Sculptor Club president looked a bit surprised. She probably didn’t expect me to hand over an A-rank item.
At the same time, she looked worried.
“What if it fails? You won’t even get your money’s worth back.”
“It won’t fail.”
[Activated ‘Amplification’.]
[The skill level of ‘Extraction’ has increased. (B+ → S+)]
At S+ rank, the chance of failure was nearly zero.
And if by some miracle it did fail, I’ll just chalk it up to bad luck and bring another material.
With a grin, I handed over the statue.
“Go ahead. Try extracting.”
“…Alright.”
The president must’ve had the same thought, because she accepted the statue without hesitation.
Then, slowly, she reached out with her glowing hand.
Crackle,
The form of the Orc Hero crumbled instantly into dust.
A soft glow rose from the remains, then coalesced into a single mass.
[Hero’s Valiant Spirit (A+)]
“It actually upgraded from A to A+.”
“…Looks like it.”
Even though she was the one who used the skill, the Sculptor Club president looked dazed.
It’s not like successful Extractions happen that often, after all.
At the same time, life gradually returned to her face. Probably because hope had sparked, even after the club’s disbandment had already been confirmed.
“With this, we’re guaranteed to get a valid effect. No, probably even more. It’s a major success material.”
That was exactly why I had readily offered such a valuable statue.
The risk could be minimized with Amplification. Most of the time, I’d at least break even, secure a sculptor-slave in the process, and if we hit a jackpot like now, I’d even turn a profit.
But just as the club president was about to begin planning her piece, I stopped her.
“This alone isn’t enough.”
“Not enough?”
“Yes. Since we’ve started, let’s scale it up a bit more.”
“……?”
The confused club president stared at me, and I gave her a grin as I sent a message.
[Kim Ho: Senior.]
[Song Cheon-gi: What is it?]
[Kim Ho: I’d like to use my Wish Ticket.]
It was time to use the Medium Wish Ticket I’d earned through a bet.
I told him we should meet in person and sent my location. A little while later, Song Cheon-gi came to the club room.
Apparently, the club president hadn’t expected the student council president to show up in such a humble place, and she looked visibly flustered.
Not like her usual self. She seemed rather tense.
In contrast, Song Cheon-gi casually scanned the club room and asked me,
“This has something to do with this place?”
“Yes.”
I explained the situation from start to finish.
That the Sculpture Club had received a notice of disbandment and, for now, had failed to produce any tangible results.
“What you want is a cancellation or extension of the disbandment, then.”
If a one-year grace period was granted, the club president could likely keep it running until she graduated.
So I said—
“I wish that were possible, but realistically, it isn’t.”
“A decision I made on my own can just as easily be overturned by the next student council. For the club’s survival, solid results are essential.”
Without any achievements, once Song Cheon-gi graduates, there’s no way the next student council president will leave the Sculpture Club alone.
They’d bring the hammer down immediately.
“I understand. That’s why the help I’m asking for is related to those results.”
“I’m not sure what kind of help I could possibly offer a sculptor.”
“She’ll be handling all the sculpting. I can vouch for her skills.”
I nodded toward the club president as I said that, and something flickered in Song Cheon-gi’s eyes.
“I’ll admit you have a good eye, but I still can’t help wondering. Why hasn’t she produced any results until now?”
“She had some external issues. Her activity’s been a bit… limited.”
In other words, she’s been holed up in her room so much she doesn’t have any friends.
Song Cheon-gi glanced briefly at the club president but didn’t press the matter further.
“Tell me the concrete plan. That’ll help me figure out how I can contribute.”
“I’m thinking of using this as the core material.”
I showed him the [Hero’s Valiant Spirit] I’d just extracted and explained the effect it would grant once the piece was complete.
“Why not just make it as is? Doesn’t seem like you’d need my help.”
“I’m aiming for more than that.”
“More than that?”
“The effect of a statue usually scales with its size.”
Generally speaking, the larger it is, the stronger the effect or the wider the area it covers.
A glint passed through Song Cheon-gi’s eyes.
“How big are you planning to make it?”
“Big enough to cover the entire training center….how does that sound?”
That way, every student using the space would be able to benefit from it.
It seemed Song Cheon-gi had figured out what I wanted from him.
“We’ll need to decide on the location. And get approval too.”
“That’s right.”
To use school property, we’d naturally need permission from the administration.
Normally, it would require going through a series of tedious procedures, but with the student council president’s help, it could be handled in one go.
Just then, the Sculpture Club president who had been quietly listening cut into the conversation.
“Hold on. Isn’t this all moving a bit too fast?”
“Do you have something to say?”
“I do. If we’re making it that big, it’ll take a ton of materials. Where are you planning to get all of that?”
Even if the core material was ready, we’d still need separate supplies for the body like metals, gemstones, and so on.
For a large statue, it wouldn’t just take a few ingots. Even if we poured all the club’s assets into it, it wouldn’t come close.
At that, Song Cheon-gi looked at me, as if to ask what I planned to do.
Instead of answering, I asked a question in return.
“If we assume the materials are ready, would you be able to make it?”
“Making it is possible, as long as I have the materials.”
“Then that’s good enough.”
I smiled confidently and continued.
“Now, let’s go find what we need.”
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