Tested

Tested

To Pei Renli, who had come from Earth, the common sense of another world was somewhat unbelievable. Someone like Litia, who looked exactly like a cat walking upright, would practically be considered a monster back on Earth. But here, tabby catfolk were counted among mortals and were usually described as people rather than beasts.

She pushed open the door and came out. Seeing Pei Renli and Gary, she smiled and greeted them:

"Are you heading to the cafeteria?"

"Gary's going to the cafeteria. I need to stop by the teachers' office first."

As he spoke, Pei Renli suddenly remembered something:

"Right, you went to see the teacher just now too?"

"Yeah. I had to report what happened yesterday."

When students went on assignments during school, finishing the job was not the end of it. The entire process had to be reported, and that was usually handled by the team leader appointed by the teacher.

So Litia had probably just returned from the teachers' office as well.

At the mention of that, Litia drooped her ears and shook the slip of paper pinched in her cat paw.

"I need to head out in a moment. My equipment has to be sent out for repairs."

Boarding students were not allowed to leave campus whenever they pleased. The slip was an exit permit issued by a teacher.

After yesterday's battle, the weapons and equipment used by all three of them, Litia included, had suffered varying degrees of damage. They could only be repaired by specialized craftsmen, and it had to be done quickly.

To adventurers, equipment was a second life. Ideally, every piece of gear should be kept in perfect condition.

The reason Pei Renli had nothing to deal with was that the only equipment he used was a short sword—and rather than send that short sword in for repairs, he might as well simply buy a new one...

In the end, it was because he was poor.

"I'll just eat outside at noon. Is there anything you want me to bring back?"

Forced by the emptiness of his purse, Pei Renli could only politely decline.

Litia did not linger either. After exchanging a few words, she hurried off to take care of her business. Gary, meanwhile, watched her receding figure with a look of longing on his face...

Holy shit? No way.

"You wouldn't happen to..."

"Huh? What?"

Gary turned back, saw the strange expression on Pei Renli's face, and immediately realized what he meant. He hurriedly waved his hands.

"No, it's not what you think!"

Pei Renli patted Gary's vambrace.

"XP may be free, but I'd still advise you to see a doctor."

"It really isn't!"

With a sigh, Gary said:

"I'm just jealous that Litia is not only good with a shield, but can also master all kinds of weapons with ease."

That was true enough.

During yesterday's assignment, Litia had been extremely important as the warrior holding the line at the front. If she had not blocked most of the skeletons, it would have been difficult to maintain their formation while being attacked from both front and rear.

Litia's shield had played an indispensable role in that. The reason she was going out today to repair her equipment was also because the shield had been damaged too badly.

And unlike Gary, Litia was often praised by the teachers in weapons training classes. Perhaps it was a talent of the tabby catfolk?

Putting that aside, if they kept dawdling, there would be no food left in the cafeteria.

The two quickened their pace, planning to cut through the auditorium like Litia had.

Entering through the side door and turning slightly, they could see the auditorium's vast, empty interior, along with the podium used only when the principal gave speeches.

The auditorium was enormous. Because there had once been so many students in its heyday, the building was actually formed from several auditoriums connected side by side. To get through it, they had to pass through several doors.

As Gary talked about how much he envied Litia, the two happened to pass behind the podium.

"I don't know if it's something innate, but I also want to... Ow!"

Gary was cut off halfway through by a dull thud. Gary, who had been walking alongside Pei Renli just moments ago, was now sprawled flat on the floor, his helmet crashing down from his arms onto the ground as well.

"You didn't seriously trip on flat ground while walking, did you?"

"I-I can't get up!"

Falling over was no big deal, but when Gary tried to rise, he could not move at all. Pei Renli could clearly see him struggling, as though an invisible pair of hands were pinning him to the floor.

But the next moment, Gary panicked and shoved hard with both arms, pushing his upper body up.

"Looks like... it's fine again?"

He scratched his head, completely baffled.

At that moment, the red curtain beside them, behind the podium, was lifted to reveal a gap. Someone crawled out from behind it.

"Sorry, sorry. Are you two all right?"

This person was Kamil, the handsome blond guy who had been drawing particular attention ever since enrollment.

"I wasn't hurt... but what was that?"

Not only was Kamil handsome, but more importantly, his smile was especially approachable—a clean, friendly grin like the boy next door. Just looking at him, no one would think he harbored any bad intentions, so he was extremely well liked.

"Actually, it was because of this."

Kamil pulled back the curtain, revealing something behind it about the size of a family car, resembling some sort of mechanical device.

Its main body was made of brass, with iron plating wrapped around many parts. Here and there, gears and springs of unknown purpose could be seen.

"We found it yesterday beneath the school. After examining it, the teachers said it was probably a weapon developed back then to deal with the Demon King."

Its official name was the Directional Magnetic Force Generator. It was a magical machine that, once activated, could generate a special magnetic field within a designated area.

The Demon King of Tyranny was known for wearing heavy black armor, which was why this device had been specifically developed. As long as it was activated while fighting the Demon King, it would pin both him and his armor flat to the ground, just like Gary a moment ago. Since Pei Renli had not brought his short sword and had no metal objects on him, he had been completely unaffected.

It had to be said that the Demon King of Tyranny's existence had placed enormous pressure on the entire plane. Back then, even a design that sounded so wildly unreliable could actually get approved.

Of course, the reason it had been abandoned was also simple. Its inherent flaw—that the magnetic field could only last a very short time—was not much of a problem. No one expected to leave the Demon King at others' mercy; even creating a momentary opening would have been enough.

The biggest problem was this thing's size...

"The principal said that until someone comes to transport it away, it'll stay in the auditorium. I was really curious, so I came over to study it while no one was watching."

As he spoke, Kamil put on an embarrassed expression and apologized to Gary again.

It had been mentioned before that beneath the school lay many research facilities left over from the era of resistance against the Demon King of Tyranny. Since they had been built by different countries, and the evacuation back then had been extremely rushed, no one could say for sure just how many designs like this—reliable or otherwise—still remained.

Still, just because the devices themselves were unreliable did not mean the technology behind them was entirely useless. The school would contact the original owners and have them send people to transport the items away.

Naturally, a finder's fee would be paid. Not only would the school benefit, but Kamil, as the person who had found the device, would receive a bonus as well.

To Pei Renli, who had only a little over twenty copper coins in his pocket, that was truly enviable...

Kamil seemed to be planning to continue studying the magical machine. After apologizing to Gary, he headed behind the curtain.

"Oh, right. I heard your magical abilities are very strong, Pei Renli. We should have chances to take on assignments together in the future, so please look after me when the time comes."

It was nothing more than a simple pleasantry. Pei Renli casually replied, "Next time, for sure," intending to brush it off. But before the red curtain fell, he saw that the magical machine had only a single lever on it—possibly its activation switch.

Could it be... I was being tested just now?

Pei Renli had not had much contact with Kamil. He only knew the man's name and had heard a few things about him. That was all.

Aside from his instinctive reluctance to stand next to handsome guys, he genuinely had not had the time.

It had only been a week since school started. There were more than sixty new students in total, so it was impossible to become familiar with every one of them. The people he knew best were only the few he interacted with regularly.

So although Kamil had a good reputation, there was no telling what kind of person he truly was. Yet after this encounter, Pei Renli felt that this guy was probably not someone who merely grinned stupidly all day.

After all, the timing had been a little too coincidental, and magical machinery was not something that could be activated casually.

As mentioned before, Pei Renli was always somewhat wary of strangers. It was perfectly normal for him to have such suspicions.

But whether that was the case or not did not really matter. After giving it a little thought, he tossed the matter to the back of his mind.

After passing through the auditorium, Gary went to the cafeteria for lunch while Pei Renli headed for the teachers' offices, and the two parted ways in different directions.

The teachers' offices were likewise housed in a very large building. But with so few students at present, there were naturally even fewer teachers, and the overwhelming majority of offices stood empty.

Pei Renli walked all the way to the deepest part of the building, stopping before the most inconspicuous office, and casually knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

The instant he heard a voice from inside, he pushed the door open without waiting to be invited in.

"Why did you just come in? What if I was changing clothes?"

"Because I knew Teacher Grace would definitely tell me to go away."

"Tch. What an unlikeable brat."

This Teacher Grace was the female teacher from before who dressed rather revealingly. She was responsible for teaching all theoretical subjects related to magic.

The adventurer school did not currently teach actual magic. Anyone who wanted to learn it could only bury their head in books and gnaw their way through them alone, but self-study was bound to raise a mountain of questions. Pei Renli had no choice but to come to her often for answers.

But this teacher... was far too much of a slacker.

During formal classes, she often talked for ten-odd minutes before disappearing. Sometimes, she would simply show her face and run off. For a teacher to be as lax as she was was truly excessive.

The reason she had not been fired was that the principal had only found one mage willing to come teach here. No one else had applied. Besides, since no spells were being taught, the lessons mainly covered common knowledge useful to adventurers.

For example, basics like identifying magical items and recognizing magical traps. So even if she was a slacker, two years was enough time to finish teaching all the courses. There simply were not that many of them.

That left Teacher Grace with a great deal of freedom. Like today: the moment Pei Renli entered, he smelled alcohol. Even though Teacher Grace had hidden the bottle, the look of someone thoroughly drunk on her face was impossible to conceal.

"More questions? Haven't you had enough of this morning's Alchemy Basics class? Or did you fall for me, brat, and come looking for an excuse?"

"Teacher Grace, please conduct yourself with dignity."

To be fair, Teacher Grace was indeed a very charming mature woman, but tastes differed from person to person.

Pei Renli had no interest in women more than a decade older than himself. He preferred girls closer to his own age.

"How boring."

Muttering that, Teacher Grace sprawled across the desk and waved a hand.

"Wouldn't it be better to ask that little girl called... oh right, Eve, if you have a problem?"

"It's precisely because Eve doesn't know either that I came to ask you, Teacher!"

As he spoke, Pei Renli took out his enrollment certificate.

"Also, I need your signature and seal."

Students borrowing books from the library had to return them within a week, and there were strict limits on the number they could borrow. Pei Renli had far too much to learn; it simply wasn't enough.

With a teacher's permission, the return deadline could be extended to a month, and he could borrow a few more books as well, so he would not have to keep running back and forth between the library and the dormitory.

Teacher Grace looked it over through bleary, drunken eyes, apparently completely misunderstanding him.

"You need my signature? What do you want to leave the school for? Going to a club to find some pretty ladies?"

In that instant, Pei Renli felt an urge to smash the wine bottle.

And it was a powerful one!