Chapter 4: Ability Demonstration
des gladly accepted my proposal and then left.
After that, I resud the ability check that had been postponed due to the earlier incident.
But then, on Dicendel’s character sheet, I discovered an entry that had been added without my knowledge.
§§{Skills}
…
[Sponsorship] Deus Ex Machina
??
… §§
‘What’s this?’
As far as I knew, “Deus Ex Machina” ant “a god descended by ans of machinery,” an omnipotent being that could end all conflicts in a play without any logical progression.
Of course, in the AaA world, no such deity existed.
However, there was one suspect that ca to mind.
‘The Ga Master. If they can end a story, then surely they can also make it begin, right?’
Just by the na Deus Ex Machina, it might sound like a beneficial skill.
But the problem was that it was categorized as a sponsorship.
Dicendel was already under the sponsorship of the World Tree, and being sponsored by more than one powerful being at the sa ti could easily lead to disastrous consequences.
Above all, I could sense the malice of the Ga Master in those words.
Most Ga Masters were benevolent and excellent guides who led players with care.
But there were always those who dedicated themselves to ssing with players.
Soone who had forcibly dragged here and now manipulated and controlled the flow of information could only be the latter.
Therefore, I had to see Deus Ex Machina as a ans to manipulate the campaign’s progress at the Ga Master’s whim, exceeding even their usual authority.
‘Deus Ex Machina, huh.’
As I pondered this, my eyes fixed on the text, and I silently repeated the na in my head—
§§{Chapter Information}
…
Completion Goal: Recruit ‘Galanuel Tudil Paladeltion’ and graduate from Alvheim Seminary
Completion Reward: Experience points, an additional question opportunity
Failure Conditions: Recruitnt failure, ranking below the top 10% of the grade in any sester
Failure Penalty: Death §§
A holographic window appeared.
The na written there was the full na I hadn’t even known.
When I created the character Galanuel, I had simply given her the background of “an illegitimate daughter who inherited a massive fortune from a wealthy family.” I never thought that detail would be used to make her appear in this world.
I took out the freshman guidebook with the ornate cover that read “Alvheim Seminary.”
The na of the principal printed there was “Jemula Paladeltion.”
According to what des had told , the current principal, who had no children, had been gathering branch family mbers from all over in search of a successor.
The minimum condition he set for them was “graduate with high grades without skipping any grades.”
So, what I had to do was obvious.
Hold Galanuel back in at least one subject.
Once she failed to beco the successor, I would recruit her and then graduate at my leisure, bringing her into the next chapter.
The key point here was that I could not beco completely hostile toward her.
‘Still, early graduation… I should keep that as a backup plan.’
I began reading the section of the guidebook that outlined the requirents for early graduation.
Deng— Deng—!
When morning ca, bright sunlight and the deep chis of a bell seeped in through the window.
Out of habit, I checked my character sheet. My HP and other status resources were at full, and the duration of the Mana Rampage had ended.
‘I feel like I’ve already gotten used to being dragged into this world.’
In the setting, elves released almost no waste through their skin and could cleanse themselves with just sunlight and wind.
Thanks to that, I simply tidied my still-silky silver hair, packed my belongings, and headed for the lecture hall.
Today’s class was the second core subject, Botany. Because I had missed the classes from the day before yesterday and yesterday due to the Mana Rampage incident, this would be my first class in it.
Most of the students in the lecture hall were elves, but there was also a good number of humans, dwarves, and even orcs.
It might sound strange to hear of dwarves or orcs worshipping the elves’ divine World Tree.
However, in the AaA world, that was entirely natural.
Since all races were scattered across multiple planets and dinsions, there were places like this where relationships were close enough that even other races would revere the World Tree.
As soon as I entered the classroom, dozens of eyes turned toward .
It seed that the incident from two days ago had already made famous within the school.
Of course, there was also the penalty trait , which increased charm by 3 points but decreased perception by 2 points and gave a penalty to stealth actions.
Among the stares were Galanuel and her group. Unlike her followers, who looked at as if I were their mortal enemy, Galanuel’s expression seed more like she was appraising a curious object.
Yes, this was the “good idea” I had asked Training Director des if I could do.
Skipping three grade levels at once to take the sa classes as Galanuel.
Naturally, this was only possible because the instructor for this class was des himself, who held a high position in the seminary.
I ignored the stares pouring down on and took a seat at an empty desk.
Before long, des entered the lecture hall and stepped up onto the podium.
“Now, welco, everyone. I am des Holimdrasir, Head Instructor of Botany, in charge of Class 1 of the 4th-year, first-sester Botany course.”
After introducing himself, des explained the learning objectives and schedule.
“…Since today is the first day of class, we’ll begin with an assessnt of your current level. This will also serve as roll call, so when your na is called, co up to the podium and demonstrate the power of the Mother World Tree that you are most confident in.”
One by one, the students stepped up to the podium in the order des called their nas, beginning their demonstrations.
The demonstrations consisted only of low-level skills such as , , , and , which could be acquired early on.
‘Their average overall level seems to be around 8.’
Considering the nature of academy settings, where leveling up was notoriously slow, level 8 was a reasonable level for soone who had just entered their 4th year.
While the demonstrations continued, the owner of a stare that had been following since I entered the room—and hadn’t left—spoke up from the seat right behind .
“Hey, you’re already famous, friend. Ah, I’m ‘Achelian.’ Achelian Paladeltion.”
He was an elf with striking tawny curls, sharp features, and vivid blue eyes.
Just monts ago, he had been the first to perform his skill demonstration. He had cast , drawing a green-glowing blade from his wand, then showcased a refined sword dance—an impressive display.
Most likely a forr paladin serving the World Tree.
But more importantly, as his na revealed, he was another candidate for the Paladeltion family succession.
According to des, he was Galanuel’s strongest rival.
“Yeah, hello. I’m Dicendel Lio. Things just sort of turned out this way, haha.”
The reason he approached was obvious, and I welcod it.
If I used him well, it would make toppling Galanuel’s position and stealing her away much easier.
“I heard the rumors. That you attacked Galanuel when she invited you to join her club? And that the fight was so intense it collapsed part of the dorm building? Hah, I like that.”
Those were all ridiculous rumors Galanuel must have spread herself, but I had no intention of correcting them.
After all, I could use them to my advantage.
“Her proposal was way too absurd. Well, in the end, I lost though.”
“I was going to invite you to join the riding club too… but if you don’t like , will you attack as well? Hahaha. We offer waived fees and even a monthly activity stipend. What do you say?”
“Compared to Galanuel’s conditions, which were all about squeezing money out of , yours sound appealing. I’ll consider it positively.”
From what I could guess, combined with des’s hints, Galanuel’s club was likely one of her tools for extorting money from students.
“…From that vague reaction, I guess soone else already invited you to join their club? Another Paladeltion heir candidate, perhaps? You’d better think carefully. There’s no better lifeline in this school than .”
Just as I expected, it was working well.
Joining sothing like the riding club would likely put in complete opposition to Galanuel.
Since I didn’t yet know her exact intentions, I planned to keep my options open, raise my value, and keep this as insurance in case things didn’t work out.
“Oh, looks like it’s Galanuel’s turn now.”
Our conversation must have gone on longer than I realized, because it was now Galanuel’s turn to perform her demonstration.
After Achelian’s earlier display, the students’ reactions had grown lukewarm, but suddenly the atmosphere shifted.
The mont Galanuel stepped onto the podium, she casually took out a whip and swung it.
Unlike the other students, who needed at least a mont of focus to cast, her casting speed was incredible.
Ssshhhk—
Uwaaaah!
With Galanuel’s , the spacious lecture hall—large enough to hold hundreds—was instantly filled with a dense forest of thorny dark-green thickets.
The most amazing part was that every single bush had grown while carefully avoiding all people and objects.
Her unmatched casting speed, scale, and precision drew constant gasps and cheers from the room.
‘What the— and ? Just what level is she?’
was a summoning spell that created an obstacle or defensive barrier, blocking movent and damaging nearby enemies while inflicting a bleeding status.
was a support skill that doubled the number of plants summoned, allowing her to bypass the usual restriction of that only one familiar could be summoned at a ti.
Considering that and were sub-skills unlocked at levels 5 and 6 of , and recalling Galanuel’s level back when I last played her in a session—
Her current overall level had to be at least 17.
Given that the average overall level of an academy instructor was about 15, it was clear just how powerful she was now.
‘Just how much ti has passed since then? If a lot of ti’s gone by, she might no longer be the Galanuel I knew. No—more importantly, can they just raise the character I created however they like? Still—’
She had grown far stronger than I expected, which ant she would be even more helpful if she beca a party mber.
Of course, that also ant recruiting her would be harder.
“Hah! That’s nothing to make a fuss over. If I’m on horseback, she’s no match for .”
When Galanuel finished her demonstration and looked this way with a smirk, Achelian was visibly irritated.
The demonstrations continued, and finally, the last na called was mine.
Probably because my na had been added to the attendance list at the last minute.
The mont I stepped up to the podium, the mood in the room shifted again, just as it had during Galanuel’s turn.
* * *
Summoning magic was one of the most unique branches among all skill trees.
Unlike other skills that required training or bonus point investnt, summoning magic could endlessly increase the variety of skills you possessed if you were either lucky or wealthy.
A pri example was Galanuel, who had held dozens of summoned creatures since level 2.
Of course, the easier it was to acquire a skill, the easier it was to lose it as well.
The most common cases were the cancellation of a summoning contract or the death of the summoned creature.
Yes—death.
Mana Rampage had a very slight chance of occurring whenever you used any skill that consud MP.
And if the skill that triggered Mana Rampage was a summoning spell, the summoned creature in question was almost certain to die.
That could happen either because the dinsional gate distorted or because the creature went berserk and its body collapsed.
But what if the summoned creature wasn’t an ordinary living being?
What if it was a plant-type creature, one that could survive even if its body was torn apart, and a familiar of the highest divine being—the World Tree?
‘.’
[Player’s Dice: 50, 2]
[Notice. Dice roll result: 52, success.]
[Notice. You have successfully used the skill.]
For targetless dice rolls, any result of 26 or higher was a success, so as expected, the summoning spell was cast without issue.
Naturally—unless so contrived misfortune got in the way.
Kugugugugu—
Still, when the classroom floor shook violently like last ti, I instinctively flinched.
Swoosh— Bang!
With a trendous roar, the that appeared before , just like during the Mana Rampage incident, boasted a massive trunk thick enough that an elf would need two armfuls to wrap around it.
In AaA, a skill’s power was affected by the caster’s stats, traits, mastery, skill level, support skills, and dice roll results.
Normally, summoned a vine whose thickness ranged from an elf’s wrist to an orc’s waist, depending on the caster.
But the one before was like the massive tentacle of a kraken writhing to snatch prey from the water’s surface.
Uwaaaahhh—!
After a brief mont of silence, a cheer far louder than the one for Galanuel shook the room.
“Oooh—! Look at that outrageous size and speed of the vine! Isn’t both the and magnificent?”
des exclaid in admiration as he analyzed it.
was a sub-skill that could be used alongside plant summoning to increase casting speed and power.
Of course, I hadn’t used that skill at all, aning des’s explanation was incorrect.
In other words, my outperford an enhanced version of the skill purely through its own scale.
And contrary to my worries, I could clearly feel the soul connection with this .
Naturally, it wasn’t hurling my body through the air—instead, it moved precisely according to my will.
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