Chapter 12

About two weeks have passed since the event of the buffet fair.

And a tense atmosphere pervaded the entire academy, as the first, second, and third years began to look at each other. This was mainly organized by Fabian, who hired people who started the conflict in the early years.

In the first week, things were not so bad with only minor conflicts. However, through the first week, into the second week, the conflict began to escalate to a whole new level.

It first started when a sophomore beat the first year for bumping into him. Before long, some of those angry early years were teaching themselves a lesson for the person responsible for the incident.

The day after the first year was admitted to the hospital, the second three years were taken to the hospital with serious injuries, of which the first-year injured person was the most seriously injured.

Accordingly, the conflicts began to escalate.

Things had gotten so bad that the teachers couldn't turn a blind eye to the situation and firmly stated that anyone caught fighting in the academy would be expelled. no exception. Regardless of rank or family background.

Thanks to this announcement, the conflicts within the academy have lessened.

…keyword. within.

This means that once you step outside the academy boundaries, it's all free.

Another major thing that happened was that Parkers and Roshfield eventually began to act against each other.

The stock price of each company fluctuates daily as businesses owned by both parties begin to go bankrupt.

It was utter chaos.

The conflict begins to escalate and will soon reach the academy…

-Click!

Closing the door to my dorm, I headed towards my {Culinary Discovery} buffet

As the name suggests, the elective that I took was a food-focused elective.

An elective that mainly focuses on food… it's not that simple but it's on the right track. This elective is an elective that Amanda took.

Elective subject in room B17

When I walked in, the classrooms were packed with students, most of them wearing the familiar blue blazer. There was about the first 40 years of which 32 of them were girls. The reason for such a gender difference was probably due to the class rep's charming appearance.

After scanning the room for a few seconds, I turned to Amanda and sat behind her. All the front rows have been taken up by the girls.

Sitting down, I could smell a rose-like fragrance emanating from her, making my nose crave. After being exposed to this scent for five minutes…

An elegant young man with beautifully combed hair entered the classroom. He has a gentle smile on his face, and his looks can be considered on the higher end of the spectrum.

… The club president finally appeared.

Arriving in front of the podium, the young man calmly put down his things and looked at all the students who had arrived. Smiling he said

"Nice to meet you. I'm Elijah Turner. I'm delighted for your participation in our culinary discovery buffet."

Elijah Turner, incumbent president of the electoral college and third-year student.

When he smiled, apart from Amanda, all the girls' faces were red with excitement

Rolling my eyes, I rested my head on my right arm and looked at Elijah.

Elijah Turner is Professor Thibaut's Villain and second-in-command. Before long, several incidents will occur in the academy, including one involving Amanda. Elijah will be the mastermind behind it.

For now, his main target should be Amanda. As a talented individual, along with her impressive background, the demons coveted her greatly.

That was part of the reason why his contractor was a high-ranking demon in the Charm family even though his talent was of a lower rank.

"Since today is the first day, I will briefly introduce myself and what the club consists of"

His captivating voice drifted through the classroom into everyone's ears as pleasantly as if it were a beautiful note from a fine-tuned instrument. Immediately the girls' eyes began to shine.

"In food exploration, we study and discuss the composition of monsters and plants. We will look at what monsters and plants are edible, and how they benefit our bodies. The topics that we will cover in this course are, monster identification, cooking methods, poison extraction, what combinations are best, and plant identification. "

"It sounds boring and all, but don't worry because that's just the boring part…"

Smiling brightly, Elijah looked at everyone in the class. As he was watching his eyes rested slightly on Amanda, who was quietly listening to the lecture.

"…As for the fun part, with the academy's permission, we'll go to different places and taste amazing food!"

A wave of cheers immediately enveloped the class as the boys celebrated their departure from the academy, while the girls cheered for another reason.

As odd as it may sound, 'food discovery' is one of the most sought after courses for lower level academies as it not only pays well but also doesn't have high risk compared to hunting in dungeons . This is especially appealing to those who don't have any combat talent. Despite their lack of talent in combat, they can still be recognized and respected by most people. The more famous chefs even have the same celebrity status as most S-rated heroes.

Approaching the desk neatly placed in front of the classroom, Elijah pulled up his sleeve.

"I'll show you a quick demonstration. Let's take a look at this steak. As I'm sure most of you know, this is the flesh of a D-class creature 'Man-o-War Horse'. "

Touching his ring twice, a large steak appears on the table. The steak was about the size of a wheel with a fine white fat that stretched like a cobweb all over the steak that reminded me of a wagyu steak. Just one look is enough for me to start drooling.

Pressing a button, a hologram of a large horse appeared for everyone in the class to see. True to its name, 'Man-o-War horse' is an evolved version of a horse. Having a giant body as tall as three people, the 'Man-o-War horse' is an extremely powerful D-class monster. What gets them in trouble is their ferocious and intimidating personality that makes them able to attack anything with minimal provocation.

"As most of you probably know, the Man-o-War horse is an extremely difficult creature to kill let alone capture. If it weren't for the fact that, after careful research and analysis, we discovered its weakness, the value of this steak would be in the five digits. "

When Elijah spoke, I felt quite sleepy because it also related to the fact that I already knew the content of the talk. Looking around the class, I saw Ren sitting in the last row looking bored from studying here and yawning while listening to Elijah lecture.

"Huaaaaaaa…"

A rather loud yawn caused Elijah's eyebrows to twitch slightly. Immediately after that, every female student in the class turned to Ren and glared hatefully.

Honestly, I wouldn't even be surprised when Ren yawns. Over the past few days it seems Ren must have been working too hard these days.

Only Amanda remained glued to the hologram and ignored what was happening around her.

"A cough…"

Elijah coughed dryly before continuing to explain.

"Because of the food it consumes, which is mainly fatty food, the meat of the Man-o-o-o Warrior horse as seen here is very famous…"

…

-Ding! -Dong!

Fifty minutes had passed since then, and finally, the loud sound of the bell signaling the end of the lecture rang out. Standing up, I packed up my things and prepared to hit the road.

I was on my way to the door when I saw Elijah approaching Amanda. My feet soon stopped.

"Junior Amanda."

"…Hm?"

"Here, here's a little gift for entering electives."

Taking out a small black object from her pocket, Elijah handed it to Amanda.

I looked at the small black thing Elijah gave Amanda, which seemed to have a picture of Amanda's mother inside. Maybe there's going to be a party organized by Elijah.

"Ah, yes, thanks."

Amanda took the box and nonchalantly left the classroom. That seemed to be the end of their first encounter.

Shaking my head, I walked out of the classroom.

Stepping out of the classroom, I thought for a bit before deciding to go back to my dorm.

-Click!

When I got back to my dorm, I opened the door and walked in.

-Pomf!

Placing the key on the wall hook, I dropped onto the bed.

-Ding!

"..Hm?"

Hearing the notification sound from my phone, I took out my phone and unlocked the screen.

[Notice Grade A25, A24, A23]

—Students, we are going on a two-week excursion from today. We're going to Hollberg, and we're going to visit their famous monster factory. The trip will last about a week and therefore, you will have to prepare in advance….

In two weeks, our class will be in Hollberg, a city two hours from Ashton.

The goal of this trip is for students to see how monsters are handled and how they are used to create weapons and artifacts.

It's a very useful class because it helps students better understand some of the topics in the class — it's always easier to learn visually than it is to learn theoretically.

Too bad the trip wasn't as fun as it seemed.

...

Having washed up, I went out of my dorm.

Looking at my bank account now weighing more than 50 million U from the C-rank dungeon's crystal exchange, a smirk appeared on my face. Is this the feeling of being rich?

Not bad…

"Where are you going?"

"Please give part C"

"Okay"

Sitting inside the minibus, I waited patiently for the driver to start the engine.

Right now I'm going to block C of campus which is quite far from where I am.

"Section C? Which area?"

"Northside please"

"Okay, we'll be there in fifteen minutes."

Starting the engine, the car quickly sped away.

I looked out the window.

Stare at the constantly changing landscape. I feel this moment quite peaceful since I came to this world. With every day I have to try to become stronger so for me this is quite a peaceful moment.

"We have arrived in our destination"

Right on signal, the truck stopped in front of a large facility.

"Thank you"

Thanks to the driver, I headed towards the facility.

Large metal fences covered the facility, where huge buildings could be seen behind them. The sheer size of the buildings left me gawking in awe.

"Stop"

Arriving at the entrance of the facility, two guards appeared in front of me. They wear black uniforms with the school's insignia printed on their chests. They have black military hats and exude strong pressure.

Gave my student card to a guard, they scanned it, and after everything was checked, they gave me permission to enter.

-Shlup!

Arriving in front of the main building of block C, two transparent retractable doors were opened.

A blast of cool air from the air conditioner immediately hit me.

The interior of the building is very modern and sleek. The most dominant color is white and everything is decorated with a simple design.

Arriving at the front desk of the building, a beautiful young lady greeted me with a smile.

"May I help you?"

"…Uh, I want to see Melissa Hall please."

The young saleswoman's smile instantly disappeared. Instead there was a slightly disgusted look as she coldly said

"I'm sorry but this is a research facility, not a place where you can just go and stand trial for Melissa. Honestly, you're not the first to have tried this and you probably won't be the last… and let me be honest with you. You are not eligible"

Being scolded by the young employee, my eyes twitched a few times.

'How did it turn out like this?'

"..Err, I'm not here to flirt with her"

Hearing my words, the young girl sneered and stood up with her arms crossed.

"Oh? so what did you come here for?"

She doesn't believe me at all...

"I'm actually her classmate and I have a business proposal for her"

"...Awesome. This is the third person who made this excuse."

Hearing her sarcastic voice, veins began to emerge from my forehead. Taking a deep breath to calm myself down, I said

"Fuuu... can you pass it on to her, if she rejects me, I'll leave"

"Hehe, fine"

Smiling lightly, the young saleswoman held the phone on the counter and dialed a number.

"What's your name?"

"… Sirius"

"OK"

[…Hi?]

Answering the call, a crisp and pleasant voice entered the young girl's ear.

"Hey Melissa, it's me, Rosie"

[Rosie from reception…?]

"Right."

[How do I help you?]

"I have someone here who insists on meeting you"

[… Why are you calling me for this? You know I don't care about these things. Just take him out]

Covering the speakerphone of the phone, Rosie leaned forward and smiled triumphantly at me.

"You heard her"

Rolling my eyes, I said

"Just tell her I have something important to tell her"

"He said he had something important to say"

[Never mind, if that's all I'll hang up... by the way, what's the name of the student trying to meet me?]

"Er… if I'm not mistaken, it was something along the lines of… Bend over?"

[…]

"…"

Multiple veins emerged on my forehead as I tried my best not to assault her.

Seeing my reaction, Rosie stuck out her tongue and said

"… Ops, I mistakenly meant Sirius"

[…Let him in]

"Seeing she doesn't want… huh? Did I hear you wrong? "

[No, let him in]

-Tak!

Before Rosie could finish, Melissa hung up the phone, leaving her dumbfounded to stare at her phone.

'What's going on? Doesn't Melissa usually hate interacting with people? '

A million questions popped into her head as she stood firmly in place.

"Well, well, look how the roles are reversed, Miss Rosie."

Smiling, I looked at Rosie who seemed to be lost in her own world.

"You-what did you do?"

Pointing at me, Rosie looked at me like I was performing some kind of witchcraft

"Nothing really… hey, why are you backing away from me?"

As I was speaking, I noticed Rosie backing up behind me. It's almost as if she's scared of me. Wait don't tell me she really believes I did something to Melissa?

"…Ho, nothing really, just take your card"

Coughing awkwardly, Rosie quickly handed me a card and sent me away.

Looking back at the front desk oddly, I shook my head and headed towards Melissa's lab. I can't be bothered to correct this misunderstanding.

Luckily, there was a small GPS map on the card that Rosie gave me, which kept me from getting lost.

Soon I was in front of a large metal door.

-The hit!

Knock one, I wait for the door to open.

...

Sitting down at the large white table, I drained the glass of water in front of me.

Wearing the blue school uniform provided by the academy, Melissa sat down in front of me.

She was currently drinking hot tea provided by a servant standing in the back.

By the way is staring at me.

Glancing at her, a word popped into my head.

'Beautiful'

Her skin is as smooth as milk, without a single flaw. Most notably, her most dazzling feature are her large mesmerizing pale blue eyes that are further accentuated by her thin-rimmed glasses. As she sat in front of me, an aura of coldness and arrogance opened from her graceful body that made it seem like there was anything underneath her.

"What are you staring blankly at?"

"..Open?"

Waking me from my stupor was Melissa's annoyed voice as she set down her teacup.

"If I knew you were mentally challenged, I wouldn't bother seeing you"

"…"

Feeling a tap on her shoulder, Melissa's eyes narrowed slightly. "Oh my god, my tongue seems to have slipped off. Please find it in your heart to forgive this poor woman."

"…"

"Tch"

Clicking her tongue, Melissa glared slightly at the servant behind her. Seeing him still unfazed, crossed her arms and legs, then she came over to look at me

"When most boys have their eyes on me, they give me compliments and tell me my beauty is second to none in the whole academy"

"At least it doesn't seem like you're one of those buffoons..."

"Don't worry, if you just state your purpose and leave shortly after, I might try a little harder to remember your name"

"Ah but, if you're here looking for a chance to date me, you can pack your things and leave too. I don't talk to delusional people."

"No thanks, I'm not thinking about that right now."

Stop her right before she can continue to say any more abusive words, I get straight to the point.

"I'm here to make a deal"

"…Oh? A deal? Is this your roundabout way of asking me out on a date?"

"It's a business proposition"

Though she doubted, Melissa stopped and allowed me to speak

"…Go on"

"I want Melissa Hal-khuk"

Before I could finish my sentence, a strong pressure began to emanate from Melissa as her sharp eyes looked down at me. Raise your hand, I say

"...let me finish"

"Watch your words carefully"

"I want you, Melissa Hall to sell me the potions you made"

"...Oh?"

Carefully examining me from top to bottom, she shook her head in disappointment.

"The only reason I came here is because you like me a bit. I mean you are the one who came up with the theory of mana poisoning"

"…ah thank you"

"Interestingly, I was doing the same research - too bad I just missed the testing phase"

"I thought you wanted to tell me something important… but it looks like I misunderstood you. Let me be clear, I am not your potion."

Standing up, Melissa prepared to leave.

"It's nice to know you...or, what are you called"

"Wait"

Seeing her leave, I immediately tried to call her but couldn't. Just as she was about to open the door, I finally decided to drop the bait Ren used when Melissa left.

"… Oh, it really sucks… and here I am thinking of helping you solve Slovaki's monster energy transfer theory..tut, tut, tut, what a pity"

Pausing, Melissa looked back at me.

"You... you, what did you say?"

Clenching her teeth and clenching her fists, Melissa glared in my direction, speechless as I put my feet on the table and indifferently picked my ears.

Looking up and seeing Melissa, I said

"Huh? I thought you left? Shoo, shoo, if you go then go. You don't have to pity me."

Seeing that I was being reacted by her, I continued my action. With someone like her, if you don't take the initiative, you will lose more than you gain.

Waving to shoo her away, I take out my phone and start a game.

- Greet!

Putting her hands on the table, Melissa smiled at me.

… Her mouth smiles but her eyes don't.

"Oh? I thought you left?"

"…I have changed my heart"

"Well isn't that great!"

Putting my phone back in my pocket, I returned to my serious expression.

"Kheum..kheumm, so what deal do we have?"

"…How do I know you're not lying?"

Squinting, Melissa once again showed her pressure on me.

To be fair, her power has no effect on me. For now, it's only those of rank B and above that make it difficult for me to fight them.

"How about this, I'll give you half the theory before and the other half after the deal is done"

"Hmmm... but what if the second half doesn't work?"

Rolling my eyes, I said

"You really think I have the ball to give you some theory that doesn't work?"

"…Good mark"

Taking her servant to the back, Melissa took out her tablet and began to write the covenant. We soon spent the next fifteen minutes agreeing on the terms of the contract.

"Is this okay?"

"Yup, everything looks good"

Looking at the contents of the contract, I nodded in satisfaction.

Essentially, in exchange for my research, Melissa would provide me with intermediate potions, on condition that I pay the cost of the raw materials. The potions that she will craft include [Physical Recovery Potion] [Muscle Recovery Potion] [Strength Enhancement Potion], etc.

Potions are classified from Low, medium, intermediate, high, advanced and advanced, with each tier being a major improvement on the last.

"Then sign"

Seeing the smirk on my face, Melissa smirked as she urged me to sign the contract. She couldn't have hoped for anything more than to wipe the smile off my face.

Touching the tablet, a holographic sheet of paper appeared in front of me. Using my finger, I quickly signed the virtual paper.

"…Okay, keep the end of your deal"

"Okay"

Pulling out a small USB stick from my bag, I handed it to Melissa. Inside the USB is the first half of the Slovaki monster's energy transfer theory.

In a nutshell, it's basically a theory that proves that monster cores are created by monsters that accumulate energy inside their bodies.

Although what I gave Melissa was not perfect, it had all the correct concepts and data to prove the theory… a lot of terminology and scientific data were missing. Plus a genius like Melissa could easily understand what was inferred from the article.

This theory is extremely important to Melissa and the world because if somehow, with the help of theory, she can create an artificial core it will make a huge scientific breakthrough. .

Cores would no longer be something that could only be found if one was lucky… just the level that humanity developed would greatly increase the world's chances of survival.

… Well, to be honest, even though she's one step closer to her dream of creating an artificial core, she's still missing the important part… but I won't help her with that.

If she passed the full theory regarding the creation of artificial cores, then she would surely die. When she pushes this theory forward in the novel, it's already the end of the novel and she's strong enough to defend herself against the S-rated villains.

Because of how man-made cores shook the world, the devil did everything he could to try to kill whoever was responsible for creating them. They used every possible means to remove any trace of this theory from the present… It was a big threat.

If Melissa suffers this at this point in the novel, god knows what the consequences will be.

"Tsk tsk, what did you say your name was?"

"Sirius"

"… Sirius"

Repeating this name a few times, Melissa looked at me dead and said

"Do you know what the scary part of a woman is?"

Feeling the atmosphere become tense, I took a step back

"…What if I don't want to know?"

"The fact that we never forget our grudge…"

"Personally, I always pay my debt…with interest"

Hearing her words, I involuntarily swallowed a mouthful of saliva. If she sets her mind on something, she will strive to achieve it no matter what gets in her way.

"Hehe, I have heard the famous name of the hall Melissa, the most beautiful, charming and generous woman in the whole academy."

"Oh my, you look, it seems like time is tight and it has to be my appointment. Let's get along with each other and hold no grudges haha"

Maybe I should leave if staying any longer would only bring me bad news. Say goodbye to Melissa with the servant behind her and me at once and leave.

…

Watching Sirius leave, Melissa's face darkened.

Coming to Melissa's side and noticing her expression, her servant asked

"Miss, do you want me to deal with him?"

Thinking for a moment, she shook her head

"…Forget it, I still need the second part of the theory and I don't seem to benefit from this deal."

Even though she said that, Melissa was fuming.

To really take advantage of her like that…

Melissa suppressed the rage that was rising in her heart and engraved the man's name in her mind.

Sirius, Sirius.

Congratulations, you succeeded in making me remember your name.