The Obsessive Regressor of The Academy

38. The First Assignment (2)

Asel told the two that he was going to meet his group and got up from his seat. The assignment started in just two days, so it was probably best to meet them today, when there were no classes. The other two must have been thinking similarly, for they let Asel go and then scattered to meet their own groups.

‘The location is… roughly outside the Academy building, it seems.’

Asel followed the arrow on the paper, looking around as he went.

Students holding papers were bustling around the Academy grounds, apparently the other departments’ briefings had concluded as well. Some had already gathered all their group members and were discussing things, while others openly looked disappointed as soon as they saw their group.

“Ugh, god damn it. Why are all the others useless non-combatants except for me? How am I supposed to solve a request with this lot!”

“W-well… maybe we could gather herbs? I’m in the Alchemy department, so I’m good with herbs…”

“That’ll definitely get us a high score. Right? We’ll easily take the top spot, god damn it.”

It was only natural for complaints to arise from randomly assigned groups. But what could they do? From the beginning, luck was an important factor in group projects. No matter how skilled you were, there was nothing you could do if your team was below par; it was an unfair system. Which was why professors liked this assignment style so much.

Occasionally, there were those who somehow managed to solve things even when their group members were all screws loose, but such cases were rare. Usually, they were dragged down by their troublesome teammates and sank together.

‘Please, let that not be me.’

Asel thought as he completely exited the Academy building.

Upon reaching the street, the arrow began to point towards a certain café. Without hesitation, he entered the café. The door chimed as it opened, and the employee, who was making drinks, greeted him with a bright expression.

“Welcome! Are you here for the group assignment?”

She spoke as if she already knew everything, and nodded towards Asel, who made a grimace before nodding.

“Those gathered for the project are inside. If you take a seat, you must order at least one drink.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Alright, have a good time!”

The employee spoke with a bright expression and returned to making drinks. Asel entered the bustling cafe and walked into the area the employee had pointed out. Unlike the noisy outside, the space was incredibly quiet. The seating was divided into room-like compartments, preventing conversations from being overheard.

‘So that’s why she chose this place.’

I wondered why we were meeting here when there were other, better places. Turns out, she picked a decent spot.

Asel pulled out the paper and walked briskly towards the room indicated by the arrow. Arriving at the room, the arrow blinked rapidly. It was right here. He pocketed the paper and knocked on the door.

There was no reply. Instead, someone flung the door open.

“Oh my, who have we here?”

The first thing Asel noticed was a pair of twitching, golden fox ears. Gazing at the soft ears swaying back and forth, he muttered unconsciously,

“A beastkin?”

“Hehe, what kind of reaction is that? Are you seeing a beastkin for the first time?”

It was a girl with striking golden fox ears, hair, and tail, as well as captivating eyes. She wagged her large tail and smiled brightly.

“You’re from Team Two, yes?”

She then pulled a paper indicating the leader of Team Two from her pocket. Asel snapped out of it, showed his own paper, and nodded.

“So you’re the leader.”

“It just so happened that way. More importantly, talking here is a bit…uncomfortable, so please, come inside. Everyone else is already here except you.”

“What’s your major?”

Asel asked as he followed her into the room. The girl puffed out her cheeks in a pout and replied,

“We do that during introductions, top student of the Magic Academy. So, just take a seat first.”

She went behind Asel and nudged him towards an empty seat. Asel considered activating a shield to block her, but simply allowed her to push him along. Perhaps due to the beastkin’s inherent strength, Asel’s body moved precisely as she desired.

“Sit.”

Pulling out a plush chair, she gently guided Asel into it. Asel sat with an even expression, meeting the gaze of two people who were staring at him with bewildered looks.

One was a mage, and the other a spearsman. Asel looked directly into the mage’s eyes and spoke.

“A spirit wielder.”

“……!”

“Your magic power has traces of mana unique to spirits mixed in. Judging by the energy… of the Earth affinity, perhaps. The wielder themselves may be unable to use magic other than spirit rituals, but your bond with the spirit is strong, so it shouldn’t be a major problem.”

“…As top student of the Magic Academy, you can tell even that?”

“Just a parlor trick.”

The spirit wielder offered a wry smile at Asel’s answer. He summoned the spirit he was contracted with and carefully placed it on his head.

A lesser spirit composed of earth. A lizard-like form, possessed of self but not overly so, flicked its tongue and settled atop his head.

“Warren Brundel. A mage who, as you said, has mastered spirit arts. I find myself honored to meet a disciple of Gae-Byeok.”

“You flatter me.”

A subtle smile played on Asel’s lips as he replied. Warren continued with earnest expression.

“I saw you use magic during the entrance exam. The image of you landing high-level spells on Professor Fernand is still vivid. Even though we must be of similar age, I feel a profound respect for the level you’ve already reached.”

“Whoa, is he really that good?”

The swordsman, silent until now, interjected at Warren’s words. Warren frowned, a low growl escaping his throat.

“Was I not speaking? Do not interrupt.”

“Ha, such a different attitude? Is this some kind of mage cartel? Act like this and I can’t cooperate.”

“Enough, both of you.”

The fox-eared girl sighed deeply, directing the words to the two men now glaring at each other. She offered an awkward smile towards Asel.

“I apologize. Apparently, these two had a conflict during the entrance exam. Seems some of that animosity still lingers.”

“Conflict? It wasn’t a conflict, but a one-sided plunder. That b*stard took advantage of our group being exhausted and ran off with a backpack full of cores, that’s what happened!”

“Is plundering a problem when plundering is allowed in the exam? You’re just making a lot of unnecessary noise. Are all mages so vindictive? Or is it just you?”

“You son of a b*tch!”

Warren shouted, leaping to his feet. The spirit on his head, resonating with Warren’s emotion, glared intensely. The swordsman met the sticky, earthen mana head-on with a smirk.

The conversation devolved into mutual accusations. The girl desperately tried to mediate, but the argument showed no sign of abating.

Left to their own devices, they’d likely bicker for the entire day. Asel sighed and leaned back against the chair.

He quite enjoyed watching a good fight. But only when it took the form of a duel, a contest of skill. This kind of empty exchange of insults only left him feeling uncomfortable.

Like now.

He’d been holding back, assuming they’d wrap it up soon enough, but as time passed, they seemed on the verge of physically attacking each other. The girl’s mediation was falling on deaf ears.

‘This group project is doomed.’

Asel thought to himself, sighing. He’d harbored a sliver of hope, but his first group assignment was already turning into this mess. He openly displayed his displeasure, drawing mana into the air.

Formless mana bifurcated into two distinct strands. Asel simultaneously wielded these divided energies, colliding them together.

CRRaaaSSH!!

A thunderous boom filled the room. Warren and the swordsman, who had been loudly quarreling, halted instantly. The girl pressed her hands to her ears, looking at Asel. Meeting their gazes, Asel murmured in a low voice.

“I believe introductions are not yet complete.”

“…….”

“The swordsman and the team leader. I’d like to know your names, specialties, and faculties. It’ll make choosing a suitable quest easier.”

His tone and mannerisms conveyed the impression he was already the leader. Yet, no one could find it in themselves to dispute it.

Warren and the spearman recoiled, feeling the oppressive weight of Asel’s magic, while the girl’s eyes sparkled like she’d stumbled upon buried treasure.

As her dark irises bloomed, she spoke.

“I’m Saya, from the Department of Magical Engineering. I run a small trading enterprise and… I dabble in illusion.”

“Illusion?”

“Yes. I specialize in disruption, like hypnosis and glamour. Though I’m non-combat, it’s not as if I’m completely helpless in a fight.”

Welcome news. Asel wasn’t versed in illusion, but seeing her speak with such confidence, she clearly had something to offer. This meant they could take on higher-difficulty requests without too much trouble.

Thinking this, Asel turned towards the spearman. He met Asel’s gaze, glaring, but quickly lost his nerve.

“…Quill. I use a spear, ex-mercenary. I can handle the front lines, for sure.”

“Good.”

Asel nodded, leaning forward slightly.

“Asel. I’m a mage, specializing in lightning and fire spells. I can handle other types of magic, to some extent.”

“…A multi-element user, then?”

“That’s right.”

“Crazy. Never seen one in person before.”

Warren muttered, his gaze piercing Asel. Asel calmly met his stare, then turned to Saya.

“This should be enough, right?”

Saya didn’t ask “Enough for what?” Some things didn’t need to be spoken to be understood.

Clearly, he’d taken charge, sorting things out in place of the team leader. Meaning now it was her turn to take the reins.

Just as she’d hoped. Saya smiled a thanks.

She took in each of her teammates, committing them to memory, before speaking.

“First, our goal is crafting magical artifacts. As the only non-combatant in Magical Engineering, I have no choice. That means we can’t take on easy requests, like gathering herbs.”

“Doesn’t matter, does it? With this team, we can handle just about anything…”

“Indeed. Fortunately, our members are quite capable. We can easily handle requests like monster subjugation. Meaning getting the materials to craft magical artifacts won’t be a problem.”

Saya placed a Magical Engineering blueprint she’d taken from her pack on the table, and started explaining.

“So, the plan is to build a device with a lot of materials but with guaranteed performance. It’s called a ‘Blood Replicator’. Regardless of whose blood is used, it can replicate the blood of the target, which can then be used for transfusions. It’s very commonly used on the battlefield, so the blueprints are widely distributed. I also have experience in building one.”

“What materials do we need?”

“We can buy the metals with the money from solved requests. We just need to figure out how to get the important materials, Self-Regenerating Factors and Refined Doppelganger Blood.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Saya upended her pack onto the table. Requests scattered everywhere, and she quickly sorted them, neatly arranging the ones they needed.

“Self-Regenerating Factors are going for 40 gold coins on the market. Doppelganger blood is 10 gold coins, or 20 for the refined version.”

“That’s damn expensive.”

Quill grumbled under his breath. Asel found himself agreeing.

He’d never been on a monster hunt before. Consequently, he knew nothing of the prices attached to the byproducts of such a venture. From his inexperienced perspective, the prices Saya had rattled off were astronomically high.

Requests that trickled into the Academy were invariably less dangerous than those a mercenary or hunter might take on. This was to safeguard the students; only requests deemed relatively safe were permitted.

But because of that, the compensation received upon completion was equally modest. To purchase the materials Saya mentioned with such meager earnings would require completing dozens upon dozens of requests.

“Absolutely impossible in two weeks,”

Warren stated. He fixed Saya with a gaze and continued,

“A total of sixty gold coins. Unless we could dip into personal savings, it’s far too little time to purchase them with the compensation from requests alone. It’s just not feasible.”

“That would be the case if we were aiming to amass gold coins,”

Saya replied with a sly smile.

“Which is why I was considering a doppelganger hunt.”

She smoothly retrieved a small slip of paper from within the pile of requests.

It was humbler than the rest. Not worn with age, but simply made from a lower quality paper to begin with. Asel narrowed his eyes, attempting to decipher the contents.

[Lately, an increasing number of residents have reported seeing dead villagers alive and moving about, appearing as they did in life. Those who have attempted to speak with them testify that they were unable to properly communicate; they would repeat the same words, or suddenly scream and flee in a panicked state.]

[And those who interacted with them began to suffer from high fevers a week later. Eventually, they even began to die. My wife was one of them. Now, even my son has fallen ill with a fever.]

[I beg you. Please, resolve this strange occurrence in our village. As compensation, I offer five gold coins and a dagger passed down through generations in my family. Please, please help us.]

“The reward is paltry,”

Quill blurted out as soon as he finished reading the request.

“What can you do with five gold coins? You couldn’t even buy doppelganger blood.”

“Precisely. But we’re not focusing on the reward, but on the doppelganger hunt itself.”

“…Doppelganger hunt?”

“Yes. The request description—it screams doppelganger activity. The dead returning as they were, contracting a disease and dying after an encounter, the degeneration of cognitive abilities making proper communication impossible. These are all hallmarks of doppelgangers.”

Saya flourished the request with a captivating smile.

“We’ll use the request reward to purchase metals, and harvest doppelganger blood ourselves through hunting. And while we’re at it, if we extract a large quantity, we can even afford the self-regenerating substance. Since I can refine the blood, if we spend some time refining and selling it, we can earn even more.”

“…This is the plan you came up with the moment you confirmed our team members?”

Warren muttered, his voice laced with incredulity. Saya chuckled and nodded.

“Quick thinking and adaptability are essential qualities for a merchant. So, does anyone have an alternative plan?”

There was no response. With a smile, Saya returned the request to her pack.

“Then let’s plan to depart in two days at the earliest. The sooner, the better. And Asel?”

“…?”

“How about you join me tomorrow to purchase the necessary items for the request? Since we’re embarking on a monster hunt, I believe the opinion of a mage is paramount. Will you accompany me?”

Acel pondered for a moment, then nodded. There was no real reason to refuse.

“Alright.”

“Good. What time does your class end tomorrow?”

“Three in the afternoon. And you?”

“I finish at two. I’ll go ahead and wait for you. Is that alright?”

“Just don’t wait too long.”

“Okay~.”

Saya replied, drawing out the end of her words.

The corners of her eyes curved into crescents.