When we arrived at the classroom, Lucia approached me with groggy eyes, still half asleep.
"Senior, why are you bundled up like that? Isn't it hot?"
The way Lucia looked at me felt like she was looking at a pervert. Not only her, but all the students in the classroom turned to look at me once.
"I'm not feeling well."
"Then why did you come instead of resting?"
"I have to attend class."
"It's surprising. Senior, taking attendance so seriously."
Of course, I have to. There's a scholarship at stake.
"In any case, you're an unusual senior."
"I didn't mean to say anything to you."
As if I'm doing this because I like it.
I had no choice but to wear a scarf because of what happened the day before.
If I just wore a scarf, it would look suspicious, so I ended up taking out winter clothes and wearing them. It felt like I was freezing to death.
"When will this end?"
The reason I'm like this is none other than the scars. The distinct fang marks on my neck couldn't be erased at will. If I were to show this to Charon or let him find out, he would surely catch me.
'It's a relief that I'm still alive, but playing such a cruel joke.'
Sigh. What can I do?
I have to endure as a weakling.
Yesterday, Angela bit my neck, promising that she would see me while keeping only one of her previous promise.
The promise she kept would save my life.
The promise she didn't keep was to kill Charon.
Even if it wasn't for the promise, she would have had enough resentment towards Charon to just leave. But it's just a question.
I was simply grateful for the fact that I survived.
"Cough, cough."
The herbology professor entered the lecture hall. As soon as he saw me, he frowned, noticing me standing out.
"Hey, student."
"Yes."
"Why are you doing that? Are you in pain somewhere?"
"Yes, I have a slight cold."
"If you're sick, just go in. I'll check your attendance for the lecture."
Oh yeah.
I immediately stood up and bowed in thanks.
"Thank you, Professor."
"Alright. What's your name?"
"Adrias Cromwell."
"Adrias?"
The professor, who had suddenly stopped moving, looked away from the attendance book and stared at me. But his gaze was filled with hostility.
"Ah, so you're that student who invented the potion?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"And you were the one who asked about the witchwood during the last class?"
"...Yes."
What's going on? The atmosphere feels strange.
Why is the atmosphere in the professor's office suddenly tense?
"I don't understand why you would do that without leaving the herbology professor like me. Did I make you feel burdened? I could have given you some advice."
That's why he did this.
In other words, he didn't share his expertise in his field. Is that what he's saying?
What an amusing guy.
He made fun of me when I asked.
"I clearly remember asking for advice back then."
"What did you say?"
"I understand that you were the one I asked for advice during the last class. And coincidentally, those were the ingredients of the potion I recently invented."
"That's not what I meant. Did you attend the class alone? Of course, at that time, I conducted the lecture without causing any disturbance to the other students."
"So, are you saying that I should have come separately after the class?"
"...You, your words are quite aggressive."
Ah, I don't know.
Just let it go!
I'm an 8-ton truck with a broken steering wheel! Adrias and merged Kim Jin-hwan have personalities that they can't control at all, I mean!
"I don't know why I had to seek separate advice from the professor. Well, does it mean to do well in social life? Instead of mocking the students who ask questions during class, it's perplexing for me to hear such words casually."
I shouted.
I shouted clearly.
Professor Beoban's face, which had turned red from my words, trembled.
Well, what can I do?
...Are you going to deduct my grade? That would be difficult...
"Th-this...!"
"Professor."
Just as Beoban was about to explode, Lucia interjected at the right moment. Beoban tried to give her a look as if to ask what she was doing this time, but he soon realized it was Lucia and suppressed his excitement.
"Is it okay for me to speak? In the last class, I had doubts about the materials mentioned by a fellow student, so I went to ask separately. Thanks to that, I was able to have my name listed as a co-creator of this potion."
At Lucia's sudden outburst, Beoban nodded his head, as if refraining from getting angry with me.
"If you had sought advice from the professor, we could have made it faster. However, it is also meaningful to research on our own, questioning each and every detail without anyone's help. Isn't that our duty as wizards?"
"Y-yes."
Did Professor Beoban raise his voice? And unlike when it was my turn, he didn't even make a sarcastic remark. Perhaps there was something between them.
What could it be?
Even thinking about the Lucia in the game, there was nothing that came to mind. The only thing that could be deduced was that it might have something to do with Lucia's family, Everlast.
Still, thanks to Lucia's intervention, the situation took a turn.
"From now on, I will seek advice from the professor and try new concoctions. Of course, I believe that you, Professor, will passionately develop new potions with us."
"Ahem! Yes. Of course."
Beoban forcefully turned his gaze away with an awkward throat clearing. Lucia turned her head towards me and smiled mischievously, as if to say thank you.
Yeah, thanks.
.
.
.
.
Lucia watched Adrias' back as he walked out of the room.
"He has changed."
She didn't know when it started.
Since she herself had no interest in Adrias. Her first impression of him was a gloomy seaweed. A stupid expression that she couldn't tell what he was thinking with his bent posture. His hair, which covered his face, made his appearance even darker. Contrary to the impression of being gloomy and introverted, he was actively clingy to her at first.
He even invited her to an expensive restaurant, saying let's eat together.
His expression at that time. That incident may have been the catalyst.
Adrias began to avoid her.
Since she had no interest in him in the first place, naturally, they never had a chance to face each other.
Then one day, it happened.
"Do you happen to use Hwonsi's sap or Matara root bark?"
Suddenly?
That thought and a premonition that it could be something when she thought about it carefully touched her senses.
Since she was young, she had researched all sorts of herbal medicines, including monster by-products, to cure her congenital illness. The ingredients Adrias mentioned had enough potential and were worth testing.
Adrias, who had spoken about it, was strangely different from before. Of course, that was all. Based on the hints she got, she came out of her research, and coincidentally, she met him again. She never thought that Adrias would do research himself, as she had never thought about it.
She was somewhat surprised.
Like a piece of seaweed, he seemed to be doing something. Then, when she tested the bait without expecting much, he immediately took the bait. Honestly, it was something she blurted out without expecting anything, because even she wasn't sure about the ingredient.
But his facial expression and conversation after that were so different that she wondered if this person was the Adrias she knew. That's why, without realizing it, she said, "Let's work on it together," and he eventually agreed.
Unlike before, there was no awkwardness, and it was refreshing that he was unaffected when facing her.
"Why is he so unaffected? Is he just enduring it?"
Actually, she was aware of her own peculiar personality.
4th dimension? Sociopath? Egocentric thinking? Indolence?
It all seemed like fitting descriptions. It's just a matter of degree. There's no need to attach a reason to how things turned out like this, but it seems that the influence of an incurable disease played a significant role.
Externally, she seemed fine, but her body was already like a ticking time bomb. As a result, the sense of despair that she could only die no matter what she did shaped her into who she is now.
"Well, then, Jaha's fruit, you should handle it carefully so as not to damage the roots too much..."
Even the professor giving the lecture in front of her couldn't cure the illness.
Despite receiving such a large amount of money. That's why she studied and researched on her own. Of course, the more she studied and researched, the more despair and frustration grew. Due to this environment, she had no friends by her side.
Initially, people tried to get close to her because of her background and appearance, but in the end, they all drifted away.
Perhaps that's why.
Although it had only been a week, she found Adrias, who accepted all her peculiar behaviours, fascinating.
Recently, he even started exercising, which was unexpected for a wizard.
"A wizard doing exercise. And it's that gloomy Adrias."
By now, the gloomy adjective could be removed.
"Then, is he Adrias? Adrias..."
Phew.
When she burst into laughter, the students who were listening to the lecture turned to look at her.
But after checking the face of the person who was laughing, they just let it go.
"Surely, if she were a senior, she would have said something."
Why is that?
Even though they had just parted, Lucía already missed Adrias' nagging.
.
.
.
.
It's been a while since I had free time.
My lecture schedule was unexpectedly tight, so I didn't have a day off except for weekends.
"Even on the weekends, I was busy with potion research."
Even without potion research, most of my usual weekend activities involved running errands for Charon.
"Now, what should I do with this free time to make it worthwhile?"
First, there were three options to choose from.
Potion making, exercise, and magic training.
Of course, I had to do all three consistently, but what I needed to decide now was the detailed plan.
Honestly, potion making wasn't something I would pay much attention to if it weren't for my bet with Bahart. Even if I considered the bet, there were still nearly four months left in this year, so the burden wasn't too great.
Moreover, Bahart gave me a card and told me to research freely without worrying about the cost of materials.
"Besides, I've developed a talent for potion making."
Of course, it was still a beginner's level and didn't provide much help.
But...
[Adrias Cromwell: Evolution Potential of Potion Making Buffs - 41%]
The evolution potential has increased by 9% since I last checked.
I learned this information in just a few days, and the evolution potential seemed similar to proficiency.
The more experience I gained, the higher the potential became.
'I wonder if I can try again if the evolution fails?'
This was still a question, but just in case, I decided to raise the potential to a safe level and attempt the evolution.
On the other hand, none of my other talents showed any signs of being able to evolve. It seemed that I had to accumulate proficiency just like in potion making...
'The problem is that I can't freely use dark magic.'
Currently, it was the biggest issue for me. Unless I had a hidden personal laboratory like Charon, it was impossible to practice dark magic.
'Wait, what if I just summon it and keep it hidden? Wouldn't that increase my proficiency?'
Suddenly, a crazy idea came to my mind. What if I roughly dressed Nickel and just concealed its appearance?
If I only summoned it in my room, there would be no reason to get caught. And in the rare chance that someone witnessed it, I could just make them not notice that it was a skeleton.
With that in mind, I immediately summoned Nickel.
[A Summoned Skeleton Soldier]
Nickel popped out of the distant dimensional space right away. I wonder what's inside.
"Long time no see, Nickel. Let's start with putting on some clothes."
I dressed Nickel in the thick winter clothes that I had worn.
At first glance, it looked like an ordinary person.
"Now, let's see if the proficiency increases."
When I raised my summoner character, just summoning the creature increased not only the proficiency but also the skill level. I had to check if it worked the same way for a necromancer.
-Dark Magic: Basic Command (20/100) 〉〉 Skeleton Summoning LV3
Hmm, I'll leave it for now.
While keeping the proficiency window open, I glanced at Nickel. He was swinging his arms up and down in a strange posture.
"What are you doing?"
In response to my question, he seemed annoyed by the interruption and wrote something in the air.
"Training?"
Wow, this guy.
Even though he's my own skeleton, his concept is clear. He must have been swinging a sword and died or something.
...Wait a minute?
A sudden thought struck me.
"Nickel, can you teach me swordsmanship?"