LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 5
Chapter 5: Private Tutoring (1)
“...?”
It was a look I often saw during class.
The gleam in someone's eyes when they came up with something brilliant.
“Employees of the Arcane Research Lab can access the ‘Library of Stone Knowledge.’ I haven’t gone often since I wasn’t good at reading and didn’t have the time, but...”
The Library of Stone Knowledge. It was essentially a library.
“Talking with you today made me realize something. What am I even doing right now? What about my family in England? My friends? The research project I was working on in grad school? Why... why am I being bossed around by monsters in a game instead of supervising my own students?”
Evelyn’s eyes trembled as she spoke.
“Hah. I guess life was hard. Even though this world doesn’t have electricity, plumbing, or anything functioning properly, I found myself thinking life here isn’t all that bad... Honestly, I might have liked it. After all, this was a game I enjoyed playing.”
Well, grad students were often called “slaves” too, weren’t they? At least here, Evelyn wasn’t a slave.
“But now I see. I must have been out of my mind.”
“...That’s perfectly understandable.”
“I need your help! If I bring books back from the Library of Stone Knowledge, can you help me understand what’s in them? You’re the only one who can do this. I’m sure there are clues in there.”
Books, huh.
It’s not like I hadn’t thought about it before. I just never had the time.
Both Evelyn and I had been ridiculously busy until now.
If there were any clues about going home, they’d probably be in books.
Neither of us had much awareness of what was happening in the outside world, being stuck in our desk jobs.
Well, she was probably in a slightly better position than I was.
I thought about it for a moment before speaking.
“Let’s do it.”
A groundbreaking hidden trait or whatever—it didn’t matter if I couldn’t use it. If I could go back home, what wouldn’t I do?
“...!”
The possibility of returning to Earth.
Of escaping this barbaric life.
The flicker of hope I had almost forgotten began to burn again.
The two Earth-born players, brimming with determination, spent a long time laying out their plan.
“Got it! I’ll focus on books that include the keywords you gave me!”
“From now on, I’ll keep my Saturdays free.”
As we finalized our plans, the sun outside the window began to set.
To see Evelyn off before her dorm’s curfew, I accompanied her to the streets of the commercial district.
“You don’t have to go any farther. Nothing good happens if you wander around here at night.”
“...I have somewhere else to be.”
“Eh? Where would that be at this hour?”
Where else? I needed to earn my tax money.
* * *
The ceiling was at least 10 meters high.
Torches lined the walls of the vast circular room.
Every detail—from the chaotic patterns on the carpet to the assortment of weapons scattered across it—was overwhelming.
‘Why is this place so massive?’
After seeing Evelyn off, I had arrived at Stone Grunder’s house. It felt like someone had compressed a gymnasium into one building.
“Krurk! Human!”
And his size…
It didn’t register when I saw him from the lectern, but now that I was face to face with him, he was enormous.
Towering well above the troll average of 2 meters, his body was a monument of compacted muscle.
If Arcane Chronicle had featured ogres as a race, he would have been closer to that than a troll.
Stone Grunder. Nicknamed “Blockhead.”
At the academy, he lived up to his name. But he was also a next-generation combat weapon, backed by the tribe.
“Now tell me! What does private tutoring mean?”
For reference, even his Trollish was clumsy.
I pulled out the lines I had prepared to spark his motivation.
“Private tutoring is a system that will elevate you beyond an ordinary warrior to a battle commander, and eventually, a battlefield leader. Accepting my proposal was an incredibly wise decision.”
The troll warrior hierarchy ascended through the ranks of novice warrior, intermediate warrior, advanced warrior, battle commander, battlefield leader, and finally, Arkan.
Stone Grunder was currently an intermediate warrior.
“Gooooh!”
I wasn’t sure which part of my speech excited him, but... it didn’t really matter.
“Battlefield leader! I want to be a battlefield leader!”
…
So that was it.
Well, a clear goal was always a good thing.
“So, what is private tutoring?”
Making concepts easy to understand for the learner is a basic responsibility of a teacher. I calmly matched his level as I explained.
“Simply put, I’ll come here once a week at a set time. Just like at the academy, I’ll teach you the human language.”
“Krurk?”
“As you know, learning the human language guarantees promotion. For a warrior as recognized as you within the tribe, becoming a future battlefield leader isn’t impossible. If you follow my curriculum, in a year—”
“Human! Isn’t this different from what you said before?”
Huh? What was different? What the hell, don’t tell me he’s—
“I trusted your words about fulfilling my dream and paid the money! To become the great battlefield leader of the Abyssal Stone Trolls!”
“Th-that’s right. As I said, learning the human language can make you a battlefield leader!”
THUD!
Stone Grunder’s massive frame took a step toward me.
“No... You’re lying.”
What the hell? Why was he suddenly acting like this?
“Our Abyssal Stone Troll tribe... traditionally, a battlefield leader doesn’t need to learn the human language. I know this for certain. There’s someone in my bloodline who has already reached that rank without even knowing it exists.”
THUD!
This was news to me. Did promotion methods differ by tribe? But then, why had he consistently attended my classes?
THUD!
“Did you deceive me?”
Stone Grunder, now looming right over me, stared down with an intimidating posture.
His fist, as large as a boulder, seemed ready to crush my skull at any moment.
I needed to stay calm.
“...Stone Grunder.”
“Speak, human.”
“If becoming a battlefield leader doesn’t require learning the human language, then why did you take those classes? And for such a long time?”
Stone Grunder was one of the most diligent and long-standing students at the academy. If it wasn’t for promotion, then why?
“Krurk! Krk-krk-krurk!”
Laughter. His shoulders began to shake.
“I wanted to hear it.”
A simple reason.
“The last words of the humans I’ll one day tear apart with my hands.”
Oh, shit. He’s a psychopath.
‘Hah…’
He attended language classes every evening because he wanted to understand the dying words of humans.
“Goooooh!”
This was insane. What kind of twisted situation was this? The only reason I hadn’t lost my composure was likely thanks to the hidden trait, [Calm Mind].
“...”
“Speak, human. Did you deceive me?”
Stone Grunder flicked his tongue.
Ah. Trolls do that when they’re genuinely angry. I needed to keep my wits about me.
I raised my voice in response.
“No! Why would I deceive you?”
“Then what is it? The human language has nothing to do with becoming a battlefield leader!”
“Didn’t I already explain? I came to tutor you. I’ll say it again: private tutoring is a system that will lead you to becoming a battlefield leader!”
“Battlefield leader! I want to be a battlefield leader!”
The mere mention of that word had him spitting in excitement.
I needed to steer this conversation carefully.
“What is necessary to become a battlefield leader in the Abyssal Stone Troll tribe?”
First, understand what the other party wants...
“Krurk! That’s obvious—overwhelming strength! What else could it be?”
Right, that’s the angle we’re working with.
“To be a warrior strong enough to twist an enemy’s neck in any situation! That is the way of the Abyssal Stone Trolls!”
In any situation. A warrior capable of twisting necks, no matter what.
“Stone Grunder.”
Once you know what they want...
“Speak!”
You need to reflect on what you can offer.
“Let’s begin tutoring now.”
“Gooooh-!!”
[Eyes of the Dark Priest]
Darkness will no longer hinder you. Your dynamic vision is greatly enhanced, granting clear sight even in the darkest conditions.
[Hidden Trait: Eyes of the Dark Priest is activated.]
“Human! I can’t see anything!”
Of course not. I had extinguished all the torches.
“Human! Is this really what tutoring is? I can’t see a thing! Krurk!”
You said it yourself, didn’t you? A warrior should be able to twist an enemy’s neck in any situation.
“Stone Grunder! Get a grip! Don’t you want to become a battlefield leader?”
“I... I do!”
“Then listen to me carefully. This is tutoring.”
“You just put out the torches! I can’t see!”
“Didn’t you say it yourself? A warrior capable of twisting necks in any situation is a condition for becoming a battlefield leader.”
“...!”
“In a battlefield, nothing is out of the ordinary. If there’s no light, will you just die there?”
That much was true.
Even in the game, countless deaths had occurred because players couldn’t see in the dark.
There was a reason [Eyes of the Dark Priest] was considered a broken trait.
“Humaaaannnn!!!!”
Stone Grunder’s roar was so loud it felt like the entire house was about to collapse.
‘Damn. Is he not dumb enough to fall for this cheap logic?’
This plan had been improvised. I didn’t have a Plan B.
If this didn’t work, I’d be in serious trouble. Would he calm down if I offered a full refund?
Just then...
“C-continue! This is the most interesting thing you’ve said so far!”
The grin stretching across his face, visible even in the dark, told me everything.
I panicked for no reason. This guy was a warrior to his core.
“Ahem! What I mean is, a true warrior must be able to defeat their enemy even in the dark!”
“Krakrakra!”
Stone Grunder let out bizarre noises, as if the very thought of future lessons thrilled him.
...Perfect.
At least he had the enthusiasm to learn.
“Then, let’s start the tutoring now! Dodge with all your might!”
And...
“If you can twist my neck, you’re welcome to try.”
I had to give him some incentive.
Damn it.
“Gooooohhhh!!!”
The permission to snap my neck sent him into a joyful frenzy.
His eyes darted around the darkness, searching for me.
‘This feels more like a raid boss fight.’
Of course, I hadn’t granted him free rein without precautions. My judgment was based on four points:
There was no way he’d accept an order to simply dodge.
I could see him, but he couldn’t see me.
In combat, visual superiority was a massive advantage.
[Eyes of the Dark Priest] granted enhanced dynamic vision.
My [Survival Instinct] remained dormant, meaning I wasn’t in mortal danger.
Tap-tap-tap.
Never in my life did I imagine I’d conduct a tutoring session like this.
“I am a warrior destined to become the battlefield leader of the Abyssal Stone Trolls!!!”
Whoosh!
With a deafening shout, Stone Grunder’s fist swung toward where he sensed my presence.
Fast.
Even though it was a blind punch thrown in the dark, in the real world, I wouldn’t have stood a chance.
But
Swish!
For a moment, the punch seemed to slow, its trajectory becoming visible to me.
The enhanced dynamic vision of [Eyes of the Dark Priest] was kicking in.
From then on, it was all instinct.
Fwoosh!
The massive fist cut through the air where I had been standing moments earlier.
Being able to read its path was the only reason I avoided it.
Though still an intermediate warrior, Stone Grunder was a tribal prodigy.
Taking a direct hit from him would likely break more than a few bones.
“Humaaaannn!!!”
Fwoosh!
Another blind punch sliced through the air. He was relying on animalistic instincts, following faint traces of my presence.
Fast.
But the good news was that, over time, [Eyes of the Dark Priest] was starting to decipher his patterns.
A wave of indescribable ultra-sensory awareness began guiding me, showing me where to move.
How much time had passed as I tangled with Stone Grunder in the darkness?
Thud!
“...Gooooh?”
Before I knew it, I had punched him square in the face.