5 – Gift
The evening descended with a thick spiderweb.
Having finished her meal, Lily entered her room,
letting her neatly braided hair loose as she lay on the bed.
“I saw you after three years, and you looked so cool that I couldn’t even speak!”
Lily had worried that maybe love had cooled off during the three years they hadn’t seen each other,
but she realized it was an unfounded concern in an instant.
Instead, the emotions she had suppressed and ignored for three years
burst forth in a single moment of their reunion.
“He seems taller, and he’s gained quite some muscles. And his face… hehehe.”
During the past three years, she, trained as a warrior, had been given numerous nicknames.
Iron-blooded warrior, demon disguised as a warrior, bloodthirsty warrior, and more.
Those nicknames were nothing compared to what she truly was now—a girl in love.
“Wait. Could it be that he’s already dating someone?”
Although he had some eccentricities,
with a face that was half and half, a great physique, and a kind disposition, he couldn’t help but be popular with women.
Her face, which had been smiling mischievously due to fleeting anxiety, turned cold in an instant.
Even if he wasn’t currently dating anyone, if he entered the Academy, that would be a big deal in itself.
Unlike Fuji Village, the standards in the royal capital were different from the very beginning.
‘The women of Wangdo, half of them are beauties, and the other half are exceptionally beautiful in different ways.’ This saying is not without reason.
If it’s about figure, they have it; if it’s about face, they have it.
There are no missing elements among these beauties.
Such Wangdo was nothing short of a treasure chest that Ron could pick and choose from.
“Breasts! Hips! Unlike that flimsy Lily!”
Puff!
Thinking of Ron surrounded by the beauties, Lily, filled with rising anger, burst the pillow she had been clutching with just pressure.
“I haven’t stopped growing either.”
Even in the midst of feathers swirling, Lily lowered her head to examine her own body.
As a result of joining forces with the maids of the Bright family and employing all means available, she succeeded in growing from a flat plain to a towering hill.
Yet, she couldn’t beat Ron’s younger sister, Lin.
“Since it’s the growth phase, she must have grown even more than back then.”
Knowing the dignity of Lin’s future, Lily couldn’t help but feel despondent.
It was an impossible task to surpass Lin, who always followed closely like a faithful dog.
“One! Two!”
That’s why, knowing it was futile effort, Lily still persisted in doing her bust-up exercises today.
In order to make Ron fall for her, and not to lose to Lin.
***
The male dormitory of Iris Academy.
Upon arriving at the place that would be my new refuge, I jumped onto the bed.
“I’m going crazy, really.”
To think I had back-to-back interviews.
It felt like my soul had been drained out due to exhaustion.
When my tired body met the soft bed,
I declared a strike by forming a labor union, saying, “Now is the chance.”
Thanks to that, I couldn’t even get up when the alarm rang on the ship.
“The more I think about it, the stranger it seems.”
Looking back now, there were more than a few strange things about it.
The atmosphere was different from that of the academy.
And the interviewer was suspicious enough not to be mistaken for a teacher.
Even though we had countless question-and-answer sessions, time hardly seemed to pass.
As it was not an ordinary thing, my head was screaming louder than ever in my previous life.
“I’m so hungry, I can’t even think.”
It’s good I did well on the interview.
If I had poured out everything on the suspicious interview, I wouldn’t be here now.
How nice it would be if all of this is just a dream or an illusion.
But because of this thing that flaunts its existence in my waistband, it’s not even possible.
A bag received from a suspicious interviewer.
I haven’t checked inside yet, but this bag has proved that it isn’t a dream.
“… It’d be nice if there was something to eat.”
It’s not that big, so I hope there are at least small candies as I reach into the bag.
“Uh?”
It went in too far.
So much that it would swallow up my entire arm.
I quickly pulled my arm back because of the sudden abnormal phenomenon.
But it was the same as before I put my arm in, with no changes.
Then it means that the cause isn’t my arm, but is the bag.
“There’s nothing we can do.”
Just like a thirsty person digging a well first,
If I’m curious, I have to check it out myself.
Reaching my arm in once again, I thoroughly checked inside.
“It’s not that big.”
A roughly 50cm cube area.
It was spacious enough for a small handbag but still disappointing in size.
“There’s something here.”
Feeling regretful, I searched and something flat landed on my hand.
The item that turned upside down in the bag which I thought was empty.
To figure out what the item was, I extended my hand and picked it up.
“This, this is it!”
A familiar rectangular object.
I pressed the switch as if befuddled and turned it on.
“Why is my tablet here?”
It was a tablet PC.
It was the one that I used to carry around with me before being possessed.
To confirm if it was indeed the tablet that I used, I checked the corner and found a small scratch.
It was definitely a scratch caused by accidentally dropping it a long time ago.
So why did my tablet come out of my bag?
Even though solving one mystery leads to another like a Russian Matryoshka doll, my hand automatically operated the tablet since it knew what I wanted.
“There are only two apps left.”
There were only two apps left on the tablet that was previously full of games.
Neither one of them was an app I had installed.
I could easily guess what one of the apps was from its well-known icon.
The symbol of the “Academy Series”.
Since it was pinned as an icon, it had to be related to the “Academy Series” without a doubt.
Leaving my trembling heart behind, I pressed the icon.
“… They finally give compensation.”
A familiar interface.
I felt nostalgic even for the design that I’ve seen hundreds of times.
When I pressed the icon, the interface of the “Academy Series” appeared.
With the character name boldly written as “Lone”, I could tell my current state rather than a game character.
Instead of being flustered by the unexpected situation, I calmly checked it, thinking that I might be able to save Lily.
“Name: Lone Age: 20 Race: Human”
I breathed a sigh of relief at the first information that came up.
I was worried that the information from the previous incarnation might not be included.
Fortunately, only the information about the current self, ‘Ron’, was recorded.
“I should look at this frequently.”
He narrowed his eyes at the word ‘race.’
At first glance, it may seem unimportant, but it could be considered more important than stats that prove strength.
It is a game based on the web novel ＜Academy Series＞.
Naturally, as the game progresses, the main character often exceeds the races as well.
If they deviate further from being human,
a percentage will appear next to the human and gradually distance themselves.
And if the non-human part exceeds 30%, their identity is revealed through an attached form.
In other words, it is evidence or proof that they are still within the human category.
“I don’t need to be human.”
As I vowed before, there was no need to cling to being human.
I would be willing to become a hideous monster if it meant saving Lily.
Even if it means being killed by her in the end.
“…My stats are high in strength and agility.”
Shaking off his thoughts, my gaze turned to the stats.
Thanks to the training, I had already reached a convincing level even before officially starting.
It was a level where I could use emergency measures, but it could be considered a pass.
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, rare information caught my eye as I was reading.
Characteristic.
A hidden ability that appears when creating a character for some reason,
It was a rare thing that not even I, who has played more than ten thousand times, had only seen twice.
[Growth (Mid)]
“Mid, huh?”
At first glance, it may not seem great, but in reality, it’s completely different.
Even if most of the characteristics are weak when added,
It was so difficult to find even the slightest presence in the community.
But there’s no need to add any explanation if it’s a higher number than that.
Above all, it is the character that completely changes the game just by taking a pill.
So, drugs should never be ignored.
“Is it okay to distribute it like this?”
I felt uneasy with an excessive line that was burdensome.
At the same time, it was a relief that the worries that passed through my mind before the interview were resolved, and hope barely appeared.
I shouldn’t take away the protagonist’s destiny.
However, the characteristics I possess are no less beneficial than the protagonist’s destiny.
If I use them well, it might be possible for me to replace the protagonist who hasn’t properly grown.
“Of course, Lily has to fall for him, so the protagonist has to pretend like he did something.”
But I’ll think about that when the time comes.
For now, it seems like the confirmation is over, just as I was about to check another app.
*Knock knock*
In a quiet room, I hastily put the tablet in my bag at the sound of knocking.
“Can I come in?”
“Uh, yes, come in.”
Answering the polite voice, I naturally opened the door and let him in.
“There are really surprising things happening today.”
I have now reached a stage where admiration comes out beyond perplexity.
The young man who entered as my roommate is one of the characters I know,
A person who is commonly known as Silnoonkae with a characteristic of having black eyes.
But he didn’t betray me.
That’s why the nickname applied to him is
“The man who betrayed betrayal,” Carryon.
Contrary to his appearance, he was a honest man who knew nothing about betrayal.