The Academy’s Deceased Ate It All
chapter-44

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I woke up earlier than usual and immediately headed to the training center where I had decided to meet with Lee Myung-Joon.It was still 30 minutes earlier than the scheduled time, but I hurried because I thought I might make him wait.

"Eu… ."

Suddenly, the cold wind that blew made me flinch and I made a squeaking sound.It was still chilly because the sun hadn't risen properly yet.Walking on the road where the dark blue light fell, I straightened my collar.Eventually, I pulled out a can of coffee from the vending machine and rubbed it like a hand warmer.

When I arrived at the training center for freshmen, it was quiet.Even if it's the weekend, it's still dawn, and everyone must be exhausted from their advisor's many classes there.Thinking like that, it was when I was about to enter roughly anywhere.

"Huh?"

One of the doors of the private training room opened, and Han Soo-Young walked out of it, looking exhausted.She also looked at me and was surprised, and soon blinked her eyes.

"What, it's you? I was so surprised!"

"Hey, I was more surprised. Me."

Han Soo-young grumbled, saying, 'What are you talking about?' and glanced at me.Her bangs were wet, so I looked at her and she showed a rarely embarrassed expression.

"What are you looking at?"

"Have you been here all this time?"

At my question, Han Soo-Young wiped her face with a towel wrapped around her neck without replying.Then she answered, looking at me as if to say, what's the problem?

"You didn't think wizards don't do physical training, did you? Simple self-defense is essential for anyone in the rear position."

That was right.Just because you were in the rear, you couldn't have just held a bow, a staff, a crossbow, and a gun.At the very least, it was basic to carry something like a simple dagger or a club.

"No, it's not that I don't know that."

What if she collapses like this?It wasn't that I didn't know, but her eyes were full of dark circles.

Even though she and Choi Hyun-Woo were the motif of 'genius who works hard', I thought this was a little too much.As I looked at her with a tired gaze, Han Soo-Young mumbled her lips as if she was embarrassed.

"By the way, haven't you ever been to the library?"

"Huh? Library? Why all of a sudden?"

"You're in the same reading club as me. They asked me to ask you because you never visited."

"Ah."

Come to think of it, I forgot.When I made a blank sound, Han Soo-Young sighed.

"Make sure you have time next Monday. And go with me. If you don't show up for a few more days, you'll be expelled."

"Oh, okay. Thanks for letting me know. I'm not kidding. I really forgot."

"You and him, why are you like this in a place like this… ."

Han Soo-Young muttered a small grunt, and suddenly gave a small shudder.I reflexively handed the canned coffee from my pocket.

"Coffee?"

"It's cold outside."

Han Soo-Young pondered for a while and then took the canned coffee I had given her.she muttered in a small voice.

"… Woah."

"What?"

"No, Th. Thank you."

Han Soo-Young snapped back like that and immediately walked away with a quick step, telling me to train hard.I watched her back for a while and then headed straight to the training center where I was supposed to meet Lee Myung-Joon.

* * *

"Alright, so what can I help you with?"

Lee Myung-Joon arrived shortly after I did, didn't look tired at all.Even though it was early in the morning, he didn't seem to be bothered at all, in fact, he seemed to be expecting something.

"It's not much."

In order to use the Designated Confirmation Acquisition Right, the other party's fixed favorability and consent were required.This meant that in order to use it to get 'Electricity Storage' from him, I had to hear him say, 'I agree to teach you the skill.'

‘That in itself is not difficult.'

I looked a little embarrassed.

"Well, there is one thing I would like some advice on. It's a similar case with Hunter Lee Myung-Joon's… ."

"With me?"

"Yes."

I nodded and mumbled as if I were grabbing a floating cloud.

"Should I say that it feels like something like energy is being stored in my body? Normally, I should be able to get out of it, but I can't, and it circulates around my body and gathers...… Sorry. It's hard to explain in detail."

Lee Myung-Joon was listening to me with a serious face.I muttered as if asking him.

"I heard that Hunter Lee Myung-Joon also keeps lightning in his body. So I was wondering if I could get some advice."

"Hmm."

Lee Myung-Joon seemed to be agonizing for a while, then raised his right hand.And when he moved his hand as if grasping something with his palm facing upward, immediately, with a buzzing sound like a mountain bird barking, an electric shock was created that I could see with my eyes.

‘I saw that in a cartoon.'

If you stab it like that, won't it be mild and pierce as it is?As I was thinking this, he immediately shook off his hand and scattered the lightning.

"As you said, I have one such skill and art each. It's about storing things like lightning or energy in your body... Once you get used to it, you can use it like this. Can you do it?"

"I'll give it a try."

Of course, there was no way I could.When I was pretending to be whining, he stopped me, saying it was enough.

"Maybe it's because it's your first time. It's important to get a feel for it first."

"Yes."

"Once you get used to it, You can use it like a cloak by wrapping it around your body, or you can wrap it around your weapon to increase its power, and the uses are endless. To put it simply, you have another mana tank, which is advantageous for long-term battles."

Lee Myung-Joon, who said that, smiled and slapped me on the shoulder as if to say cheer up.

"Stock-type abilities are surprisingly rare. Since I'm here, I'll give you my know-how whenever I have time."

At Lee Myung-Joon's words, I smiled and opened my mouth as if throwing a joke.

"Thank you for your words. It would have been easier if I had the same ability as Hunter Lee Myung-Joon. Surely the name is Electricity Storage right?"

He burst into laughter at my question.

"Right. It's an intuitive name, isn't it? If I could teach you, I would have taught you as much as I could."

[All conditions for use of 'Designated Confirmed Acquisition Rights ― Arts' have been satisfied.][Do you want to use the ‘Designated Confirmed Acquisition Rights - Arts'? (Target ― Lee Myung-Joon)]

When the notification window that I had been waiting for appeared, I immediately clicked on Use.Then the notification popped up again.

[Please select the art to be specified.]

[Mixed Martial Arts][Electricity Storage][Leap][Spear Mastery][Emergency Evasion][Intuition][Lightning Rod][Overwhelmer]

8? isn't it crazy?

Talent, Skill, Art.Among these three, the most difficult thing to acquire was none other than art.Even the playable characters, who can be called fraudulent characters in the original, literally had to put time and effort in order to acquire this many arts.

It was a moment when I could see how much of a fraudulent character Lee Myung-Joon was.In addition, the fact that he lost to Isabelle Gaudi and was a person who had to leave due to the circumstances of an adult was too sad.

[Note: '어른의 사정으로' 'Adult Circumstances' - It refers to the dirty side of society that you will come to know when you spend some time in social life, or a situation that is unavoidable, but difficult to tell children.- Namu-Wiki.]

No, come to think of it, two of the Seven Evils were involved in his death, so I guess that should be it.

Putting aside my thoughts, I quickly chose Electricity Storage.Then a notification window popped up to confirm one more time, and I clicked OK again.

[Art ― 'Electricity Storage' has been acquired!]

[Electricity Storage (Growth)][You can store extra mana, energy, and strength flowing inside the body.At this time, it can change into various forms depending on the nature of its owner.]

'It's done.'

I didn't feel any special feeling or discomfort in my body, but the fact that I had acquired it was an unchanging fact.

"Shall we continue? The first thing to do is to feel where it is stored inside the body. In my case, I deliberately divided it into several places… ."

I listened to Lee Myung-Joon's story.Based on experience alone, there were few active heroes or hunters who could keep up with him.There was nothing wrong with listening to him because it was originally his art.

It was an art acquired by consuming one of the most important acquisition rights.That was why I paid more attention and accepted his guidance.

I knew instinctively that this would definitely come in handy in the future.

* * *

In the original 'Clouds on the Horizon', many facilities that appeared confidential or hidden were especially located around Seoul.

For example, the general server of Aegis, the fortress system that defends the sky over Seoul, was cleverly hidden in Bukhansan.And Isabel Gaudi's dungeon I was going to visit was located in Gwanaksan Mountain.

Of course, many things were different from the world I originally lived in, but at least the fact that it was a place frequented by hikers had not changed.That was why I had vaguely thought that I would be okay since I had been there once before, but I never thought I would resent it so much.

"Gasp, gasp… ."

I grabbed a branch with one hand and let out a ragged breath.How the hell did I get up?Everywhere I looked, the scenery was exactly the same.

Trees, grass, cries of birds and insects.The sparse sunlight.And, very rarely, an old sign that said 'Danger Zone - call for help or return to safe zone immediately.'If the map had not been used, I'd have been in trouble.

I had no idea that it was a restricted area.

Unlike the Gwanaksan Mountain that I originally knew, most of the areas prohibited the entry of hikers.It was because of the monsters in wild state, and the remnants of a gate from the past.Because of this, there were no proper paths, let alone a well-maintained one, and I had to cut my way up the mountain, which was so dense that I couldn't see an inch.I was already worried about the way back.

Was it like this in the original story?No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't remember.I looked through the setting book just in case, but seeing that it was recorded properly, it seemed that I was simply forgetting.

Thanks to this, I couldn't get angry with anyone, I just climbed the mountain vigorously.

"Whew…… ."

I sat down on a roughly gentle rock and gulped down the bottled water.Sweat dripped down like rain, and it had been a long time since I had taken off my top coat.Looking at the map, there wasn't much left.

I was thinking about taking a little more rest and moving.

"Kicck!"

A startled breathing sound erupts from above.At the same time, a disgusting odor came in as soon I breathed in, and fallen leaves and dirt fell on the water.When I looked up, I saw a green cow struggling in the air.

It was a goblin.

In fact, it was the first time I'd ever seen one, but he was a guy I had seen until I was sick of it.The bones, which appear to be the thighs of beasts in his hands, seemed strong enough to break through the skulls of any man.Most of all, he fell off the tree, aiming for my head, so if I had made a mistake, I would have been hurt.

"Kiek, Kicck!"

"It's fine."

The guy caught in Henir's shadow and the branch of the World Tree struggled with strange noises.The guys with some intelligence barely noticed and ran away, but this guy didn't seem to have that much sense.

"It doesn't hurt, so stay still a little."

"Keeek! Keruk, kkiiik!"

Was it because of the branch of the World Tree?It felt like my senses were sharpened several times in the forest and mountains.So I could feel the whole thing that he had whimpered up the tree after aiming at me, and that he was smacking his lips while looking at me.His disgusting breath was also felt several times thicker.

"Where… ."

"Keeek, Kick! kkiik!"

Seeing that he couldn't even speak properly, he was at a level that it was embarrassing to even rate him.Some of the branches of the World Tree that were squeezing him swayed and dug into his body.He struggled with a shriek-like scream, foaming bubbles.

"Damn, pee!"

I stepped back quickly.Fortunately, it didn't get on my clothes or skin.Fortunately, I remembered that the goblin's bodily fluids had been mentioned many times in the original story as having a particularly nasty smell.Of course, no one anywhere would want to get a goblin's pee.

"Kreuk… ."

The goblin couldn't even let out a proper moan anymore.In an instant, he turned into a mummy-like figure with only bones and skin left, and the branch of the World Tree came out of his body.Then, as if there was nothing to see, it hurriedly tossed him.At the same time, a notification window appeared in front of me.

[The branch of the World Tree consumes a very small amount of nutrients.]

[A muddled, low-purity energy accumulates inside the body.]

"Hmm."

It was so insignificant that I did not even feel that I had recovered.As if dissatisfied with it, I felt the branches of the World Tree swaying inside my body.After all, was it wrong to try to use something like a goblin?

It didn't say anything when it drank the water produced by Mandragora.In addition, when I was talking about Cass Lyle, it even pretended not to hear me and ignored me.Grumbling inside, I got up from my seat.

"Well… ."

Its appearance just now was a perfect image to be misunderstood.

To be able to suck someone's body fluids like a parasitic plant was a sight that, frankly, I was reluctant to see as the owner.In any case, it would be better not to use it in front of others.

Lee Ye-Eun, who was an extreme believer in the World Tree, might have fainted if she had seen it.Or try to kill me for defiling the World Tree.With such silly thoughts, I mechanically climbed up the mountain.

It was when I wandered around for another thirty minutes or so.

"Whoo."

I let out a ragged breath and relaxed my body.There was a small cave in front of me.The map floating in the air was telling me that I had finally arrived at my destination.

"I'm tired, fuu. I thought I was going to die."

Isabelle Gaudi's Dungeon.The so-called treasure trove, which was ranked first in the list of things to do among the numerous dungeons in the original story.

I was finally able to get there.