Chapter 32 - I Became the Daughter of the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 32 32 - The Reason Why Mosquito Repellent is a Major Concern <32 - The Reason Why Mosquito Repellent is a Major Concern> I tried to score points with Irene, the main character, using sweets, but my efforts were thwarted by my colleagues. "Damn. That was such a good opportunity." While I was disappointed with Isabel and Mr. Son Ocheon, Giselle's explanation made sense to me. "If you eat sweets and can't brush your teeth afterward, won't your teeth rot? It's not easy to eat them outdoors." "Ah! I've been eating a lot of them!” "I was thinking about when to give it to you anyway. Here, this is a spare toothbrush I prepared for later use." Taking care of dental health as well, Giselle is truly the best! "Let's take this opportunity to reapply the mosquito repellent spray." "Yes~" "But why do you hate mosquitoes so much? Is it because it itches when they bite?" Perhaps due to my frequent expressions of loathing towards mosquitoes, Giselle asked with a curious look. "You'll find out soon enough!" * * The time had come to enlighten everyone on the importance of mosquito repellent. Specifically, it's about the last three paths leading to the second checkpoint's destination. <Shortcut (paid, no mosquitoes, quick)> <Shortcut (free, lots of mosquitoes, takes longer)> <Detour (free, fewer mosquitoes, takes much longer)> Proctor Minerva. She had followed the examinees thus far and spoke to them. "You've all done well coming this far!" "Wow! Is this the goal line?" "No. It's just well done.” "???" "I, the proctor, will go on ahead. Follow me on the path you prefer." Beep. Minerva herself stepped onto the magic circle. The instructor disappeared with a whoosh through spatial translocation, accompanied by the sound, [10 points have been deducted.] The examinees who thought following the proctor would lead them to the goal line were sorely mistaken. "Is this for real? Seriously? No way!” "Just leaving us like this?" "Dammit, you bitch! Bloody hell!" "Ha. Haha." "Do we really need points for this?” The examinees were in chaos from the sense of abandonment, some bursting with rage, while others lost their sanity altogether. Then, a piece of bark fell from a tree standing at the crossroads. "Mom, I’m scared!" "Huh? Is that a light?" "That’s not a tree!" A crossroads shop disguised as a tree. The green-hatted instructor popped his head out. "If you have points, buy mosquito repellent! It doesn't hurt even if you get bitten with it. Though it's in limited supply, it's better than dying from the itch, right?" "What about the mosquito repellent spray?" "Hm? If I sell that, I can't sell the mosquito medicine. Of course, I don't sell it. Are you dumb? Hahaha." "...” The fists of the examinees trembled. Both proctors and instructors alike were infuriating! "Hm? Can't we just take that magic circle?” "That's right. We all have more than 60 points." Minimum passing score of 50 points and transportation cost of 10 points. As long as you have more than a total of 60 points, you don't have to risk taking the long detour or fight through mosquitoes on the shortcut path. "Damn mosquitoes! Let’s just go through the shortcut." "Right. We are examinees aiming for the world’s best academy." A few overly confident examinees headed towards the shortcut. In less than ten minutes, they returned covered in dirt, their eyes unfocused as if they had seen hell. "It’s, it’s hell! That place is hell!" "There were... thousands of mosquitoes!!" "We're gonna die. If you go in there, you'll get sucked dry of blood and die!!" "My God!" "How could there be such a horrendous place!" Far worse than the fourth auxiliary task, the Mosquito Swamp, there was an astronomical number of mosquitoes. “You hated getting bitten because of the many mosquitoes? You can’t pass through there if you're bitten beforehand?" "That's not it. Look over there." Triggerhappy pirate wench from hell, Jigoku, had returned from point hunting. With an air of confidence, she stepped onto the magic circle. "If you hate mosquitoes, just use the magic circle. Keke. Are you all fools?" Jigoku confidently pushed her ticket clock towards the mana board next to the magic circle. What greeted her was not the blue effect signaling spatial translocation. [Mosquito poison has been detected.] [Use of spatial translocation magic circle is not possible.] "!!" The usage condition highlighted the malicious intent to drain the examinees’ points! "That's the impudent redhead from before, right? Euhehat, it’s quite the scene watching him be humiliated." Jigoku's face turned beet red with humiliation. "Mr. Ocheon, your laughter is too loud." "Euhehat. How can I not laugh at that?" Jigoku, who seemed ready to draw a revolver and charge at any moment, suppressed his boiling anger when he spotted me next to Son Ocheon. "You damn monkey. Let’s settle this another time when the child isn't around." "Just as I wished." Giselle did not hide his astonishment. "I've heard that patients with sword wounds or gunshot wounds refrain from using spatial translocation magic circles for fear of worsening their injuries, but it’s the first time I've heard of being unable to use due to mosquito poison." "It’s a starter lesson for the examinees’ level. It's not just to infuriate them." "Shall we go?" "Didn’t you see what just happened? If you get bitten by mosquitoes, you can't move!" "Ah, it's okay. We didn't get bitten." You should have put some effort into not getting bitten by mosquitoes. [10 points have been deducted.] [Using spatial translocation magic circle.] We arrived at the goal line with ease, and Minerva welcomed us with an impressed look. "You've done well. It must've been hard to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes in this forest." "We could have bought mosquito medicine." "Do you think a ranger can't smell mosquito repellent? I know you didn't buy it. Instead, you used the mosquito repellent spray, didn’t you?" Isabel exclaimed in admiration. "The proctor indeed knew." "What do you take this proctor for? Anyway, congratulations. You have passed." "Wow!" Giselle looked down at his ticket clock, puzzled. "But why have my points increased?" [Ticket Clock Score] <Oknodie 122 points> <Giselle 112 points> <Son Ocheon 112 points> <Isabel 112 points> Despite spending 10 points on spatial translocation, their scores had surprisingly increased by 50 points each. Minerva spoke with an indifferent expression. "It's a completion reward. For the second checkpoint, everyone who arrives within the time limit gets an additional 50 points." "Then what was the purpose of the supplementary task?" "Was it to make us buy mosquito medicine?" "..." "That's a joke. Relax, examinees. You probably didn't realize with the balance of your team, but this second checkpoint had a demand for various items such as food, water, and wilderness survival kits." The stores that appeared from time to time where points were spent. Usually, points earned from supplementary tasks were partially used there. Of course, most were completely spent on mosquito medicine in the end to use the final magic circle. "During long adventures, ignoring the minor damage from insect bites can drain stamina over time, similar to getting drenched by a light rain, or lead to falling ill." "I presume the examinees have felt the importance of insect repellent through this checkpoint." After Minerva's advice, Giselle, Son Ocheon, and Isabel accepted the lesson, realizing anew that she was indeed a proctor. As for me, I knew from the beginning. Noticing my unperturbed demeanor, Minerva suddenly asked. "Examinee Oknodie, were you aware of this?" "Of course. I'm always thoroughly prepared for poison resistance." My colleagues revealed their complex thoughts. "Perhaps the genius education was effective?" "Goodness. Could it really be that?" "Candy with poison training... maybe we should introduce this to our adventure team..." Between the self-reflection of my colleagues, I took the chance to excuse myself to the restroom. Only after confirming that no one was following me with my <Stealth>, did I laugh and pull out an extra pouch from my pocket. A pouch I carry separately from the candy pouch. Inside it were three stat stones. "Heheh." The reason I bothered with the supplementary tasks at all was right here. Stat stones are scarce even when accumulated bit by bit! <Lowest-grade Stat Stone (Limit Increase: 20)> <Low-grade Stat Stone (Limit Increase: 40)> <Mid-grade Stat Stone (Limit Increase: 60)> <High-grade Stat Stone (Limit Increase: 80)> <Highest-grade Stat Stone (Limit Increase: 100)> Not all stat stones guarantee an increase in stats upon consumption. Some stones won't improve abilities further if all stats exceed 20, and it’s more efficient to save higher-quality stones for later use. ‘You won’t lose out by consuming them early, but once you have some leeway, you should start saving!’ That's why I had set aside particularly large stat stones, big enough that swallowing them in one go would be a bit of a stretch. They were my secret stash of stat stones, saved for a time when I could eat them without anyone knowing. "Collecting stones? For someone so precocious, you have an unexpectedly child-like aspect." "?!" Startled, I quickly closed the pouch and retreated behind a tree, then I locked eyes with the black-hatted instructor who was gazing down from a tree branch overhead. The voices transmitted through the familiars Minerva had summoned must have shared their sight and speech magic with her. I never imagined she could track me so perfectly while bypassing my <Stealth>. It was a chilling experience. "I've seen an examinee like you before." "There was someone else gathering stones like me?!" "Not that. I meant the poison resistance training." Proctor Minerva spoke through the body of her summoned familiar. "I investigated because there were many similar examinees." "Outwardly, organizations provide support to potential students for entry into the Gift Academy, but in reality, they train agents and send them to the academy." "Examinee Oknodie, I take it that you are also a scholarship student receiving support from the <Whyhem High Foundation>? Am I wrong?" A Word from the Author (Author's Note) How could a foundation have such a perilous name as the Danger High Foundation?