Ichinose coolly gave out her number.
Thanks to that, Rohan was humming a tune in the shower room of the training hall.
Ichinose’s profile picture was a small dog that seemed to have been taken on the street, and just looking at it made all the accumulated fatigue disappear in an instant.
After that, it was back to the academy’s routine.
While I don’t know what the teaching styles of other instructors are like, from Rohan’s perspective, Juyun’s practical classes were substantial and easy to understand.
Starting today, the class focused on body enhancement without mana leakage, and Noah and Ichinose had already mastered this part perfectly.
Thus, the two had time to practice more advanced techniques.
However, Rohan and the rest of the first-year cadets couldn’t participate in that.
Rohan was somehow managing to control the power of mana, which was similar to but different from abilities, but if you asked whether it was neat, the answer was no.
Because he had never been properly taught.
But those gloomy days are now a thing of the past.
“Rohan, mana is not a force to be suppressed and dominated.”
“Yes!”
“Don’t force it by pushing your back to add strength to your body. Embrace the mana, accept it softly, and let it seep in. At first, the speed will feel frustrating…”
Juyun’s teachings, which were like Rohan’s first mentor.
Thanks to that, the mana began to find its way to be harnessed.
And then, the problematic theory class.
“Monsters are rarely encountered in urban areas, but if you step outside the city into unmanaged areas, you can encounter them every few steps.”
“Most monsters increase their numbers through reproductive behavior, but there are also many observations of Monoliths, which are black tombstone-like forms, or situations where they appear using special methods like dimensional rifts.”
It was added that the Void Whale, which destroyed the south, creates massive dimensional rifts in its mouth.
I listened to the class indifferently and continued taking notes.
As for other theories… the moment I saw formulas with numbers, I felt a thick wall, and a horde of mathematical beasts rushed in like a special forces unit, choking my throat.
But since I had someone to ask, I decided to somehow embrace the joy.
“Good work today. Go back and rest.”
“Good work, everyone!”
After the academy, Rohan quickly had a meal at the dining hall and headed straight to his part-time job.
‘Wow, if there wasn’t a dining hall, I would have had to split a pack of ramen into four.’
Checking his pitiful balance, he headed towards the Flowering Chrysanthemum Bookstore.
A notification window he had been waiting for popped up before his eyes.
[Shop list has been updated]
Time to satisfy his curiosity.
Stopping on the street.
He immediately used the Shop skill.
‘I’ve saved up a few points.’
Two achievements from exercising and one from the Flowering Chrysanthemum Bookstore. Plus, kicking that ghost kid during a late-night walk added a bit more to his leftover points.
Maybe he could go shopping right away. With that hope, Rohan checked the Shop.
< Shop ─ Lv.1 >
◇ Unique Skill Level Up – 2,000P (One-time purchase available)
◇ High-protein Jerky – 3P
◇ Cloud Bread – 2P
◇ Coral Jelly – 2P
◇ Energy Drink – 2P
◇ Bottled Water – 2P
··
··
[ Remaining Points – 273P ]
‘Unique Skill!?’
Another new mechanic appeared. Just looking at it made his hands itch. He was excited to see how Weakness Affliction and the Shop skill would evolve.
‘If it’s a one-time purchase, does that mean all skills level up at once? Or do I have to buy and refresh?’
In Abyss City, you had to invest energy that accumulated over time to gather materials in specific dungeons. This must be replacing that.
Rohan started moving his legs and slowly headed toward the bookstore. The price tag was too ridiculous to get lost in happy fantasies.
‘2,000 points…’
It was a price that made his mind go blank. This wasn’t something achievable with just one achievement. If the Shop level increased, even more expensive items would appear. It was already starting to feel like there was a limit to getting things through achievements.
‘Should I head south? Or maybe roam around the academy city and kill every monster in sight…?’
When he closed the Shop, the Flowering Chrysanthemum Bookstore came into view. First things first—work. Rohan cleared his mind and tied on his apron.
—
A little later in the evening.
Clara, as usual, visited the Flowering Chrysanthemum Bookstore. Was she planning to stand and read until closing time again today? Rohan watched her and loaded the bait he had prepared.
‘Good. No customers except Clara.’
While the owner was away, he turned on a game on his smartphone at the counter.
─ Company Wave!
He only turned the volume up one notch. The game’s name rang out clearly. Even though the sound wasn’t loud, it was enough to be heard in the quiet bookstore.
‘I’m playing a gacha game even here…’
Rohan moved his fingers smoothly, already familiar with the mechanics.
Clara had been playing this game last time…
It’s ‘Company Wave.’
A game so famous that just tracing the clues I saw on the screen would make it pop up immediately. It’s about running a company that specializes in monster cleaning.
Looking at the monthly sales rankings, it sits around 50th place, but it’s rumored to be a pillar of the defense genre, with a solid foundation like concrete.
“Should’ve started a bit sooner. Missed the collaboration.”
Surprisingly, it’s fun. The quality is high too.
Even without aiming for a connection with Clara, the game itself is so engaging that I could keep playing.
It’s painful not being able to pull what I want because I’m broke.
“─ Three Chain!”
“─ Energy Supply!”
Even if the game sounds are kept to a minimum like now, they might not reach the manager’s ears, but Clara will hear them.
Just hearing the skill activation voices, the girl will know what game this is.
“Finished the daily quests… Should I give it a proper go?”
Rohan, who had been mulling over all the information about Clara he saw in Abyss City, decided on a strategy.
A way to stimulate a girl who’s serious about manga and games.
‘The stagnant water in front of the clean water operation.’
He runs auto with a formation that screams poor efficiency.
Placing healers and dealers in the front to self-destruct at an easy difficulty is a must. Just hearing the order of the characters’ voices as they fall would raise questions.
A formation with no synergy is also a good way to get under Clara’s skin.
The problem is, I might go crazy doing this myself.
Watching the wasted energy makes my hands tremble.
“Hmm, it’s not breaking.”
“─ Uh, somehow we have to complete the mission…”
A miserable voice indicating a failed strategy.
Clara’s shoulder, hidden between the bookshelves, twitched.
“Why did they make it so hard? Is it a section designed to make you spend money?”
Her hand holding the book trembled as she muttered.
I could feel her conflict about whether to look this way or not, so I turned my head to avoid eye contact.
‘Absolutely no first contact.’
Clara is the type of girl who would run a hundred steps if you take one step towards her. She has to come on her own.
So, patience-based waiting is the only answer.
Rohan sighed, regretting the game, put away his smartphone, and guarded the counter until closing time.
··
··
Tomorrow is Saturday.
Because of that, both the academy and part-time work are off.
I didn’t expect Flowering Chrysanthemum Bookstore to be closed too, but when the manager said he wanted to take a break for his grandson’s birthday this weekend, I readily agreed.
‘What to do for two days…’
“Should I…?”
Rohan is in a dilemma, torn between wandering the academy city to find clues for a quest or diving into his lacking theoretical studies.
As he heads back to the dormitory, still wrestling with this inner conflict, he checks the online newspaper he’s subscribed to.
“···!”
Finally, he stumbles upon something that feels like a precursor to the main story.
[30-year-old male creator goes missing while exploring and filming in the ruins of a restricted zone.]
─ According to the last call traced with an acquaintance, he was presumably attacked by someone during filming. Data released by the Elysium Security Bureau suggests only a severed leg was left at the scene…
“It’s here!”
The main story of *Abyss City* from its 1.0 version, which had been teasingly short, now seems to be unfolding.
This incident is definitely it.
The format itself is almost identical to the main story, with no noticeable difference.
[Quest has been triggered.]
A notification window pops up as soon as he realizes it.
[Broken Crown: Act 1]
◇ Quest Details: A heinous crime has occurred in the academy city! This incident might also be linked to the group monitoring Noah Frozenheart. Investigate and resolve the case before the Elysium Security Bureau officers do.
◇ Category: Main Story
◇ Success Reward: Combat Trace Erasure, *Murder Manual* Skill Book, Random Point Pouch
◇ Failure Penalty: None
“The rewards are pretty good, huh?”
The *Murder Manual* is a skill Rohan is familiar with—a solid passive that increases damage against humans or humanoid monsters.
The random point pouch is also intriguing. Sure, the word “random” is annoying, but it still means free points.
“···.”
*Creak!*
Arriving at the dormitory, Rohan throws on a pitch-black hoodie and grabs the mask he bought last time.
In his pocket, a single knife.
That’s more than enough for wandering the gloomy academy city after sunset.
