Chapter 4: Shop (2)

After finishing my conversation with Neike, I dragged my exhausted body to the dormitory building.

Elinia Academy's dormitories are divided into several locations.

Naturally, males and females have separate buildings—staff members are not restricted—and they are also separated by grade.

Theo has a preference for high places.

Thus, my room is located on the top floor, the 20th floor.

However, this dormitory doesn't have an elevator.

So, I had to walk up to the 20th floor, carrying my heavy body.

I wanted to climb the stairs hunched over, but I straightened my back and walked with dignity.

Rather, I was forced to walk like that.

Finally arriving at the 20th floor,

"······."

A girl was standing near my door.

She was a slender woman with long black hair.

It was Amy.

Did she hear my footsteps and come out?

Or had she been standing there waiting for me all along?

I was curious.

Clip-clop, clip-clop-

Amy, whose eyes met mine, approached and bowed her head 90 degrees.

"······You have arrived, young master."

Her voice was still emotionless.

"Yes."

I felt uneasy.

I had clearly told her to rest comfortably.

I was curious how long she had been waiting, but decided not to ask.

Old habits from the past few years wouldn't change easily.

Amy, who raised her head gracefully, licked her lips.

"Young master, it is getting late. It would be best for you to go to bed soon for tomorrow's class."

"I understand."

Of course, I had no intention of going to sleep right away.

I needed to look into the shop more.

After passing by Amy, just as I was about to enter my room,

"Then, have a good night, young master. I will see you in the morning. Have sweet dreams."

Amy bowed her head again.

"Alright. You too, have sweet dreams, Amy."

Amy hesitated for a moment before bowing her head 90 degrees and murmuring.

"······Yes."

As soon as I entered the room, I took off my sweat-soaked clothes.

It felt incredibly uncomfortable.

I've been feeling a tingling pain for a while now.

I should take a shower first.

I grabbed the bathroom doorknob.

The luxurious bathroom greeted me as always.

The warm stream of water soaked my long silver hair.

······I feel exhausted.

But it's good.

The world of 'Kyren Zena Chronicles' is a mix of medieval and modern.

The plumbing facilities are modern.

It's not much different from the present.

I should be grateful for this······

It seems that Neike is on the Spearmaster route.

I can't guarantee it 100%, but after talking to him, there's a 90% probability.

Unlike the mage or the paladin route where hidden pieces are practically unnecessary, the Spearmaster route requires a minimal amount of pieces.

Having a route that doesn't require countless hidden pieces to clear, like the merchant or martial artist, is a relief.

An overpowered class like a mage can clear the game just by following the main quests.

In contrast, a martial artist, a weak class, must collect all the sub-quests and hidden pieces to barely clear the game.

It takes a veteran like me to see the ending as a martial artist.

Anyway, there's a 90% chance that Neike is a Spearmaster.

In other words, there's a 10% chance he'll choose a different route.

I'll know the route with 100% certainty in six months, but the time until then is too precious.

I know all the methods of obtaining hidden pieces.

But knowing them doesn't mean they'll come straight into my hands.

Some hidden pieces take more than a week just to travel to their hidden locations.

So, from now on, I must carefully plan and collect hidden pieces.

I'll start with those that can be obtained near the academy.

I'll trust the 90% possibility and my intuition.

Honestly, it's not a desperate situation.

If there's a 90% chance in gambling, one should bet their house.

In other words, it's extremely inefficient for protagonists—players—with top-tier Mana stats from the beginning.

In exchange for the enormous penalty of permanently losing Mana, the effect is only enough to block a novice mage's Fireball.

A niche trait that no one uses, except for a handful of masochistic players who enjoy suffering.

However,

"...This is it."

My Mana stat is 0.

Even the local innkeeper has a Mana stat of 2 or 3, but mine is a complete zero.

I don't have any Mana to lose in the first place.

With my 0 Mana stat, I should be able to block quite high-level magic.

And Magic Nullification is a trait, not magic.

It doesn't require Mana to use.

There's a daily limit, but no one can make better use of this trait than me.

'Fools. Who asked for a character with a 0 Mana stat to be possessed?'

I immediately purchased [Magic Nullification].

[Purchase completed.]

[Remaining funds: 10 store silver coins]

Nothing happened except for the appearance of the message window.

There were no special effects, nor did I feel any power.

It just felt familiar, as if I had always possessed this ability.

I tilted my head and looked up at the high ceiling.

There, three magical lamps powered by magic stones were hanging.

Hooong-

I jumped and touched one of the magical lamps, thinking, 'Let's turn it off.'

Swoosh-rung-

The magical lamp I touched went out, as if it had always been that way.

Good.

It's working according to my will, even though I just bought it.

I need to find out the level of magic I can nullify as soon as possible.

A sense of satisfaction fills me, making me feel drowsy.

I should go to bed now, as I have an early class tomorrow.

I turned off the lights and closed the curtains.

Though the day was tiring, it was equally fulfilling.

I drifted off to sleep almost instantly.

***

Knock. Knock. Knock-

"..."

The rhythmic knocking sound woke me up. It was probably Amy.

Knock. Knock. Knock-

The knocking continued.

"I'm awake."

Finally, the knocking stopped.

─Understood, Young Master. I will wait.

"Alright."

I wanted to tell her not to wait, but I didn't know the specifics of Theo's daily schedule.

For now, I'll just go along with what Amy has arranged.

I pulled back the heavy curtains and opened the window.

Warm, golden sunlight filled the room.

I quickly showered and changed into the freshly laundered academy uniform.

Like the robe, it had a soft, fragrant scent.

Now that I'm ready... I looked around the room.

Old-fashioned paintings hung on the walls, a mood lamp made of precious metals gleamed softly, and a plush-looking chair sat beside a large bed.

However, I couldn't find the textbook I was looking for.

As I suspected, the textbook I saw in Amy's room yesterday was mine.

"Tsk."

I clicked my tongue and looked in the full-length mirror. With a natural motion, I adjusted my clothes.

With this, 'that trait' shouldn't bother me.

However, just as I was about to grab the door handle-

"Uh, ugh."

A sharp pain struck me again.

─Young Master, is something wrong?

Amy's voice came from beyond the door. At the same time, my head turned involuntarily.

There was a dressing table. On it were various colorful perfume bottles.

There must be at least ten of them.

"... It's nothing. Just wait a moment."

Damn it.

I still can't get used to this.

***

Enjoy the chappy!