Chapter 97

Edu rides onto the stage on Bungbungi.

Flashes from the cameras pour in my direction.

With the sound of shutters, applause resonates through the air.

“Uh? That kid is….”

“I think that’s the same kid from… you know, from the Explorer Guild last time—”

The press recognizes me and whispers among themselves.

Meanwhile, Bungbungi moves to the center of the stage and stops between Ryuje and Freya.

Freya raises her voice again.

“I present to you! This girl is humanity’s little hero! Edu Nimbus Day!”

As her explanation ends, camera flashes burst forth continuously like shining stars.

At first, I tried to endure it, but it was too dazzling, so I squint my eyes slightly.

At that moment, I feel someone’s gaze on my cheek.

When I turn my head, I see Freya and Ryuje staring intently at me.

That’s right. I should greet them.

“Ah, hello. I’m Edu Nimbus Day…”

My voice grows quieter as I speak.

Nervousness leaves my face stiff, yet I force a smile.

Then Freya steps forward again.

“As you can all see, Edu is still young. But her skills surpass even ours adults.”

As she signals, Diana reacts.

The hologram screen rapidly transforms.

It is filled with videos and photos showcasing my achievements.

Repelling the invaders who invaded the academy.

Intercepting enemy armored units despite unfavorable conditions.

Suppressing enemies by infiltrating alien ships.

Defeating the enemy flagship with a special task force.

Even engaging in a one-on-one battle with a dire creature.

All of my thoughts and actions are captured on that screen.

As I quietly watch it, memories of the past rush past me like a movie.

“Ohhh…. Ohhh?”

“They’ve got all of that….”

Surprise and admiration fill the air.

Perhaps because it was accompanied by videos and photos supporting such hard-to-believe content, not a single member of the press expresses a negative opinion.

The kindness reflected in their eyes directed at me.

Freya, perhaps thinking that I’ve sufficiently showcased my presence, leans closer and whispers to me.

“Then Edu? Would you like to say a final word before we wrap things up?”

“Ah, yes.”

Freya hands me the microphone.

I take it with my hands and clear my throat.

…But what should I say?

In a hurry to respond under the weight of their gazes, I stammer and finally choose my words.

“U-Um, I may be lacking in many ways, but I’ll do my best. I ask for your support and interest.”

I bow my head, selecting only the most ordinary words.

The people watching me stare blankly.

At their subtle reaction, my face turns bright red, and I hurriedly hand the microphone back to Freya.

“L-Let’s go down, Bungbung!”

[Beeep. /⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝]

….

Edu hurriedly descends from the stage.

After a brief moment of uncomfortable silence, the words that spill from a journalist’s mouth are completely unexpected.

“Cu-cute….”

A sincere murmur of honest impressions.

Others seem to have similar thoughts, their cheeks slightly flushed.

“Ahem.”

Freya, showing a similar reaction.

At first glance, their responses may seem out of the blue, but there’s a reason for their behavior.

It’s because Edu has attained as much as 250 CHA – charisma points as she has grown.

Edu’s actions are grounded in the knowledge and experience of AOE.

Therefore, while Edu did not place much importance on her CHA points, thinking they only increased the likelihood of success in persuasive options during dialogue events, that is a big misconception.

In this world, where conversation is not simply processed as an event, high CHA literally signifies persuasiveness and the character’s charm.

Until now, having low points meant there was no significant effect, but with the rapid growth, CHA points have begun to accumulate.

The stats, which had quietly become stronger, start to shine in places Edu is unaware of.

“Well, we have prepared so much, but does anyone among the journalists have any questions?”

Hands from journalists rise in unison.

“I want to hear more detailed information about Edu!”

“That’s right, please give us more information! We need details about our little hero… not just a small one!”

Voices from journalists rise.

Freya responds with a bright smile, surprised by the overwhelming response.

“Understood, then let’s all talk about Edu!”

A heated discussion ensues.

Thus, Edu becomes the most popular figure in Fangju.

….

The next day in the afternoon, during lunch break.

Dragging my fatigued body to my desk, I rest my head heavily.

Bong.

A slight impact touches my forehead.

“Ugh, this is tough….”

Muttering to myself, Bungbungi suddenly makes a surprised noise.

[Beeep, beep? / ∑(๑°ㅁ°๑)]

“It’s okay, Bungbung, I’m not hurt or anything.”

[Beeep. /⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝]

Bungbungi seems relieved and makes a cheerful sound after hearing my answer.

As I lie quietly on the desk, there’s a soft knock at the door.

“Nisia? Come in.”

– Mhm!

The door swings open.

“Edu, I brought lunch.”

She approaches while gently shaking the plastic bag in her right hand.

Lunch boxes and bread are placed neatly on the desk.

“…How’s the atmosphere outside? Is it the same?”

“Well… yeah.”

Nisia nods while looking a bit shy.

I let out a big sigh at her response.

I’m sulking in my room during lunch because of everything that happened yesterday.

What I thought would end with just a simple self-introduction turned out to be something much bigger.

“…ID, can you search and display information about me?”

[ Code check, visualizing information about the user Edu Nimbus Day. ]

A hologram window appears in front of me.

As I check it, a sigh escapes my lips.

“Ugh.”

Articles continuously update, prominently featuring my face.

No matter how I look at it, I can see myself in there.

“Why…?”

I just made a plain greeting and got reported by the media.

So why are there so many articles pouring in?

Not to mention, the titles of these articles….

– A divine presence has appeared! Through an interview with the captain of Fangju No. 3, about the little hero…

– An unbelievable past! Finally, a star of hope for humanity…

– Edu Nimbus Day. 20 charms you didn’t know about…

No, it’s too excessive, no matter how I look at it.

And what are the 20 charms about me that I don’t even know?

Still, I’m relieved they’re treating me positively, but the excessive attention is also overwhelming.

Thanks to the media eagerly making a fuss, my academy life has completely changed.

“Oh? So you’re the new student! Let’s be friends!”

“Little hero! Edu!”

“Look over there! Edu saw me!! She’s going to take me to Nuon Park!”

In a nutshell, countless requests for handshakes.

From upperclassmen to classmates, everyone recognizes me and approaches.

Because of this issue, even during lunch breaks, I can’t go near the cafeteria and had to ask Nisia to bring me food.

“Sigh. What the heck….”

My true feelings slip out.

“Edu?”

“Ah, sorry. Did you call me?”

“Yeah, what do you want to eat?”

I lower my gaze to the desk.

Various lunch boxes and bread.

But none of them include the shake I like.

“Umm? Nisia, is there no shake?”

“Yeah, they ran out today. Apparently, news got around that you mainly eat shakes.”

“….”

Now that I think about it, there have been fans who go too far, even doing bizarre things.

But what if they all take the shakes and I can’t have any?

“Geez.”

My cheeks puff up involuntarily.

I tap on the desk, but that doesn’t create a shake out of thin air.

“Edu? Don’t you want to eat something?”

Nisia asks, looking worriedly at me.

“Well, that’s not it….”

The reason I mainly drink beverages like shakes.

It’s because I can’t eat regular food due to my negative trait of indigestion.

“…Ugh.”

But I have afternoon classes, and this lunch box and bread are things she bought for me.

Even if my stomach will feel bad, whether I can’t concentrate due to hunger or feel sick, it’s all the same.

So there’s no reason to reject Nisia’s kindness.

“…Then I’ll eat this and this.”

I tap on a lunch box and a piece of bread.

“Ah, okay!”

Only then does she smile brightly and unwrap the lunch box and bread.

I hand the chopsticks and spoon she gives me to my hands and start my meal.

Nom nom. Ah, it’s delicious.

Quickly finishing my meal.

I lie down on the bed while maintaining my tension, preparing for the pain that will come soon.

Ugh, to think I have to feel that unpleasant feeling again.

But for some reason, even after rolling around on the bed for a while, I don’t feel any discomfort.

“Huh?”

I tap my belly to make sure, but my body feels fine.

There’s a surprisingly lively energy; it feels even more comfortable than when I was just drinking shakes.

“Could it be…. ID, can you show me my stat window?”

[ Code check, visualizing status. ]

——————————————————–

LV. 35 Edu Nimbus Day *(■)

[ HP 73 / 73 ] *(■)

[ MP 1145 / 1145 ] *(■)

[ ST 75 / 75 ]

ATK 40 *(■) / DEF 35 / RES 40

STR 6 *(■)

DEX 8 *(■)

INT 382 *(Growth bonus x6)

CHA 260 *(Growth bonus x6)

CON 16 *(■)

LUK 225 *(Growth bonus x6)

SP 0 / SK 36 / EXP 59218

Physical traits *(■)

Character traits *(■)

Bonus *(■)

Achievements *(■)

——————————————————–

The stat window appears before me.

While I can see that I have grown noticeably in various areas, that’s not what I wanted to check, so I skip that and touch the ■ next to the character traits section.

The trait window unfolds wide.

Among them, I check in the positive traits to confirm if what I recalled is correct.

——————————————————–

Positive Traits

——————————————————–

Genius / Bundle of talent / Jack of all trades / Revealed brilliance / Intellectual / Predator

——————————————————–

Yes, that’s it, Predator.

A minor trait obtained by catching Earth Eaters, granting additional buffs when consuming food.

I confirmed that the negative traits of indigestion or clumsiness had a significant difference from AOE, but is it possible that the positive traits have additional effects that I don’t know about?

A bit of curiosity arises.

At that moment, an ID notification sound rings.

[ Sender: Hafundel Chronos, you have received a message. ]

“Uh? Mr. Hafundel?”

After momentarily pondering, I give instructions to the ID.

“Can I see it now?”

[ Code check, displaying the received message. ]

A hologram window appears before me.

As I read through the contents, Nisia come closer to me.

“Edu, what’s going on?”

“Well, you know, the person Mr. Hafundel said he’d introduce to me the other day.”

It was probably a name like Hilton Jo.

“Oh, right. I remember.”

Nisia quickly nods, recalling our conversation from that day.

“He’s asking to meet since the appointment has been set. Do you want to come with me, Nisia?”

“Yes!”

“Okay, then I’ll send a message.”