I’m the Slit-Eyed Character at the Academy, but I’m not the Mastermind

"..."

To be on the verge of drowning in a place where your feet touch the ground just by standing up.

Rezé was indeed a handful.

I slipped my hand under Rezé's small shoulders and lifted her up.

Sssss-.

Water dripped down from Rezé’s entire body.

She looked like a rabbit drenched in water.

Hmm, but this rabbit. Despite her small stature, she’s quite plump.

I hadn't noticed because she always walked around with a hunch, but she’s quite well-proportioned for her small frame...

A chilly voice came from behind me.

It was Luna, the child I was raising along with Rezé.

"Keke, I wasn’t thinking about anything."

"Hm~ Were you not thinking something perverted?"

"Of course not. Look at these pure eyes filled with innocence!"

"I can't see anything since you have those squinty eyes. Move that ugly face away!"

Luna pushed my face aside and snatched Rezé from me.

Not being able to show my innocent eyes to prove my innocence, all because of these damned slit-eyes.

"Rezé, get a grip."

"Mmm... Luna?"

"Yes, it's me."

Luna smiled softly, and Rezé responded with a small smile at the corners of her mouth.

"You were the one who attacked the demon earlier, right? Thanks to you, I survived."

"He, hehehe... It was no big deal."

Luna nudged my waist with her elbow, urging me to praise Rezé.

Well, it wasn’t difficult, so I gladly did it. I had planned to do so anyway.

"Well done."

"See? Our Rezé can get things done when she wants to."

Luna was pleased, raising her chin proudly as if she were happy that her friend was being recognized.

But Rezé wasn’t the only one I wanted to praise.

"Both of you did well."

"Huh?"

"You did well too, Luna. It was a tough fight... You did great."

I patted both Luna and Rezé on the head with each hand.

Luna stared blankly at my hand for a moment before breaking into a wide smile.

"Hehe, it's only natural to help a friend, right? It’s nothing to be praised for."

Whether she was genuinely pleased or trying to hide her embarrassment, Luna scooped water from the water with her hands and splashed it on me.

Splaash-.

"Hahaha! You're all wet now."

Hmm, my clothes, which had been drying out a bit, were soaked again.

As a responsible adult, I shouldn't succumb to a child's provocation, but I decided to join in.

After all, I looked like a fifteen-year-old to anyone who saw me.

Splaash-!

"Ah!"

"L-Luna!"

Using the [Wind] skill, I sent a large wave of water crashing onto Luna.

Unable to contain her anger, Rezé gathered water in her small hands and threw it.

Her movements were so slow that I couldn’t help but dodge it.

Splaash-.

"..."

The water Rezé threw hit Rodelin instead.

"Eek!"

Seeing this, Rezé froze solid. She became a petrified rabbit on the water.

Rodelin, who had been watching, swept her wet hair back.

"Are you challenging me? How cute."

"W-What?"

"A soldier always gives their best in everything!"

With those words, Rodelin plunged her hand into the water. And then.

"Earth Flip!"

Splaash-!

Following Rodelin's hand, a small wave rose in the water.

"A wave..."

"It's getting bigger!"

Well, of course, it was. It was heading towards us.

The problem was that the wave was enormous.

Big enough to engulf all the children around us.

Splaash-.

Naturally, everyone was drenched again, looking like drowned rats.

"Hahaha!"

Rodelin laughed heartily at our state.

Using a family secret technique for water play. It was so like Rodelin to give her all in everything.

"A noble playing in the water. How vulgar."

"Oh my, are you running away? I won't stop you. I have no hobby of bullying puppies."

"Do you think this Victoria will fall for such provocations?"

"Next puppy, please come out."

"Ugh! Fine, I will play along this once!"

Victoria and Yuridia began splashing water at each other.

"Water play, huh? Sounds fun."

"Playing with friends is enjoyable."

"He's my friend, not yours."

Soon, everyone joined in the water play.

Dreams, families, revenge, survival, and other burdens they each bore on their shoulders, but they were still children at heart.

Everyone laughed and enjoyed the water fight, one after another.

‘It’s peaceful.’

Even though Rezé was floating unconscious on the water, this was still within the range of peace(?).

While playing in the water with the kids, I slowly backed away.

There was something I needed to do.

Something more enjoyable than playing in the water and the most important part of the game.

That’s right. From now on...

‘It’s reward time!’

Seizing the opportunity, I took out a cloak from [Pocket Dimension].

It was the [Cloak of Silent Storm] obtained after defeating the demon, Kroga, in the second district.

A cloak that not only hides one’s presence but also has the effect of [Invisibility], making the wearer transparent.

Now my appearance was invisible to anyone’s eyes.

Although it couldn't hide the ripples in the water, it didn’t matter.

"Earth Flip!"

"Force!"

Boom!!

A water fight resembling a war was unfolding next to me.

In such chaos, no one would notice the ripples I created as I moved.

Thanks to that, I easily escaped from that spot.

I headed towards where Mabelga’s corpse was.

The area around it was stained black with the blood flowing from Mabelga’s body.

[Main Quest #7]

- Defeat four low-grade demons!

Defeat the demons with the students of Annwood Academy.

Earth Demon Amonga (1/1)

Wind Demon Kroga (1/1)

Fire Demon Balmonga (1/1)

Water Demon Mabelga (1/1)

Reward: 200 exp, 15 gold

Additional reward: ???

Failure Penalty: All stats decrease by 3 for each missed demon

A touching quest window.

Why is it touching? You sociopaths, open your eyes wide and look.

[Water Demon Mabelga (1/1)]

‘(1/1)’ isn’t it? How touching is that!

What? It’s not impressive? Try getting beaten by a mid-boss for 18 years.

You’d be so moved you'd shed tears.

Me? A man like me doesn’t shed tears. Instead.

Gulp-.

I swallow my saliva.

Leveling up twice and 15 gold. It’s a pathetic reward for the quest’s difficulty.

But.

‘The additional reward ???.’

I had a strong feeling this was the real reward.

A powerful skill? A legendary weapon? A mystery? Or something I don’t know?

If it’s something I don’t know, it’s safe to say no one in the world knows.

Because I’m the last survivor of this game.

"..."

I waited for a while, but the tally didn’t start.

‘The tally for the Carpathia invasion begins after Mabelga escapes...’

Does killing Mabelga change the timing?

Everything is new, so each moment is fresh.

Well, let’s trust and wait for now.

The system wouldn’t skip the tally, and there was nothing I could do but wait.

I decided to collect another reward first. I placed my hand on Mabelga’s body.

‘Predation.’

Then a black aura seeped into my body.

[You have gained the skill ‘Water Dragon Bullet’ through the power of Predation. The grade is lowered to F.]

[Water Dragon Bullet: F]

Has a certain probability of counterattacking.

Can only activate once per turn.

Current skill activation probability: 1%

[Water Dragon Bullet]. As seen in the recent battle, it’s not a bad skill.

A counter skill that activates by blocking an opponent’s attack. It’s like absorbing an attack.

Although the probability is low now, it will become more powerful as the skill’s grade increases.

I took off the cloak and returned it to [Pocket Dimension], then looked around.

"Huh?"

Something was floating on the water.

A spellbook.

[Water Shield Spellbook: D]

A spellbook that allows learning ‘Water Shield.’

It’s written in human language. A common spellbook.

Mana usage: 100

Damage absorption: 500

Cooldown: 3 turns

A [Water Shield] spellbook dropped after killing Mabelga?

I didn’t know if I was lucky or unlucky as it was my first time killing Mabelga.

‘That’s why information is crucial...’

As I was lamenting the disappointing reward, a notification appeared.

[You have fulfilled all conditions.]

[Main Quest #7 ‘Defeat four low-grade demons!’ is cleared.]

[You receive 200 exp and 15 gold as a reward.]

[You have achieved a great feat, and an additional reward will be given.]

[The ‘Water Shield’ spellbook transforms into the ‘Absolute Defense’ spellbook.]

As the quest window appeared, light burst from the spellbook.

A moment later, what was in my hand was.

[Absolute Defense Spellbook: S]

A spellbook that allows learning ‘Absolute Defense.’

A legendary spell that can block any attack.

It’s written in ancient language. An extremely rare spellbook, the only one of its kind in the world.

Mana usage: 1,000

Damage absorption:

∞

Cooldown: None

‘A-Absolute Defense?’

The skill name was shocking, but the description was even more so.

Not only can it block any attack, but it has ‘∞’ for damage absorption.

∞. The symbol and concept of infinity.

There were several abilities marked as infinite in this game, like the Holy Grail, Holy Sword, and Eternal Flame.

But I had never seen a shield with infinite damage absorption.

‘It means it can block any attack as described.’

Moreover, with no cooldown, it’s an overpowered skill that can be used anytime as long as mana is sufficient.

If I could secure enough mana, it meant I would never die.

‘Written in ancient language’? That’s no problem for me.

[You possess the ‘Translation (S)’ skill.]

[You can read the ancient language.]

[Do you want to learn ‘Absolute Defense’?]

A holographic window appeared before my eyes.

A spellbook of immeasurable value, impossible to quantify with money.

Would I learn such a spell? In times like these...

"Keke, I will learn it."

There was no need to hesitate. This wasn’t just a game; it was reality.

A skill that essentially makes my life infinite, selling it would be foolish.

"Keke, I’m different from those fools."

"...People usually call someone who talks to themselves a fool."

I turned around to see two mountains in front of me.

‘Rodelin.’

Even without seeing her face, I could tell. It wasn’t weird for me to think this; anyone would.

"Zero, what are you doing here alone? Not playing with us?"

"Keke, I was enjoying the natural scenery."

"Hmm, personal growth is important, but loving nature is equally important. Did you realize that already? Zero, you are impressive."

No, you’re the impressive one.

Are you really sixteen? You can still grow more? I look forward to your future.

‘No, I shouldn’t think this way. I’m not a pervert.’

But despite my resolution, my eyes were busy moving around.

Rodelin raised her arms to scratch her head, causing the mountains to move(?).

Yeah, just give up. Men are animals who love mountains. It’s not something I can control; it’s irresistible.

Maybe accepting nature like a man, I could enjoy the scenery comfortably.

Then, Rodelin, who had been scratching her head, spoke awkwardly.

"Luna and... Rezé have adapted well to the academy. Thanks to you, Zero. Thank you."

I finally understood why Rodelin started the water play.

Rezé, who struggled to mingle and often wandered alone.

For a child like that to have friends like us, it must have felt great.

Enough to want to play in the water. But I was grateful too.

"Keke, thank you as well."

"Hmm? For what?"

Rodelin tilted her head, but I couldn’t answer.

I couldn’t say I was thankful for the good(?) things I saw with my body and mind.

"Ah, that was fun."

"Just to be clear, I didn’t lose! Using magic in a water fight is cheating!"

"Ah, noisy. The loser always complains. Isn’t that right?"

"Kyaaa!"

The children chattered and gathered around us.

As the second water play was about to start with Yuridia and Victoria, Luna approached and whispered.

"Hey, haven’t you been picking these up?"

"What?"

"They were floating over there."

Luna handed me a small orb glowing with a clear light.

Though I’d never seen it before, I knew exactly what it was.

[You have defeated the Water Demon Mabelga.]

[You have acquired the ‘Water Essence.’]

[You currently possess ‘Earth Essence,’ ‘Wind Essence,’ ‘Fire Essence,’ and ‘Water Essence.’]

[Final damage +40% until the end of the Carpathia defense.]

...Water Essence? Why is it here?

Many users speculated that ‘Water Essence’ existed.

An orb that adds +10% final damage per energy.

It’s too valuable to be used as a one-time gimmick, so users speculated that ‘Water Essence’ would be the final reward if Mabelga were killed.

An item that could be used outside Carpathia, adding +10% to +15% final damage.

My thoughts were similar.

If Mabelga was killed and Water Essence obtained, a +40% final damage buff was a scam.

What benefit would it give the user? The buff would disappear after the Carpathia defense.

That’s why many users speculated.

+40% is too game-breaking, so the reward would likely be an item that adds 10% to 15% final damage, which would be...

‘Water Essence.’

But why.

If Water Essence exists as a gimmick... why is there a +40% buff?

Piecing the puzzle together, I reached one conclusion.

‘Could it be... it’s not over yet?’

At that moment, Rezé’s complexion turned pale. Simultaneously, her idiot hair stood straight up.

"Something’s coming! It’s... the same rank as the demon that attacked the academy last time...!"

Before Rezé could finish speaking, I cast a spell.

Absolute Defense.

A hazy shield formed around us, written in ancient characters.

"Ancient characters?"

"Where did that suddenly come from..."

While the children were examining the shield in wonder.

Something enormous fell from the sky onto it.

Boom!!

With a flash of white lightning.

--TL Notes--

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