Chapter 47

<47 - Criteria for an Expert to Pick Lectures> Despite her disagreeable personality, Mahabharata was always certain to convey the necessary information to her students. "From now on, during your time at the Academy, you will attend <Core Lectures>, <Department Lectures>, and <Elective Lectures>." "Core Lectures are mandatory for all students, and you do not have the freedom to choose them." "Department Lectures require students to select and attend a set number of lectures within their chosen department." "Elective Lectures, on the other hand, are lectures you can choose at will, purely for the purpose of broadening your knowledge. Though some students attend these classes with impure motives, such as converting grades into points, I hope you will attend with true scholastic enthusiasm." Isabel was scribbling notes diligently and showed me the page. Don't Elective Lectures seem great? You can earn points. I looked at her with the same pity I would a grad student about to make a poor choice. You're in for a tough time later. If it were me, I wouldn't take extra lectures just to earn points. Why's that? The penalties you get during the lectures might be greater than the points you earn. …Really? You think so? I had given my advice. It's up to him whether to listen or not. "Department Lectures vary depending on the department. First off..." The Academy’s departments are divided into five. Knight Department. Magic Department. Administration Department. Adventure Department. Production Department. Knights. Magicians. Administrators. Adventurers. Producers. Each department aims to nurture different classes. Within these, one would find specialists like Wandering Knights or Knights employed by a lord, royal knights, or even Guardians of specific races. Depending on one’s goals, the same occupation can require different names or skills. 'These classes are different from the world-class talents Gift Academy aims to teach.' The Academy still needs support. That’s necessary for it to operate. These minor classes are mostly for show, created to please the governments of various countries. ...Or so I knew from the game. But considering the words of the Dragon Principal, I can't shake the feeling that these are just sub-par jobs for inferior students made for the sake of collecting tuition. 'The difference between lower and upper-tier jobs.' Regardless of the principal's comments, from course registration onward, one must think that the promising buds and the rest are beginning to separate. The ideal candidate the Academy is looking for. The path to graduating with top grades is to obtain a special class and become an apprentice who receives world-class knowledge from the professors. A true <Knight> who defines his own taboo and acts with righteousness is fundamentally different from someone who simply hones combat skills within their profession. Whether choosing to be a Magician, Administrator, Producer, or Adventurer, the same principle applies. In short, if you only look for easy courses and grade inflation during course registration, you may jeopardize your future. "I will give you an hour to consider which lecture to take. Please consult the course timetable posted on the Magic Clock's course bulletin board and make a thoughtful decision." Isabel asked, "Oknodie, which department are you thinking of joining?" "What about you?" "No need to ask. The Adventure Department for me." "Ah, I see. You are an adventurer." "Let's do it together. I'm confident that Oknodie will become an excellent adventurer." I also think so. If I, who knows many secrets of this world, become an adventurer, imagine the vast treasures, dungeons, mysteries, and dangers I'll discover. Just the thought of it brings excitement of the wealth and honor that lie ahead, but there's a problem. "The Knight Department is also tempting." "The Knight Department? Oh, you were good with a sword in the last duel. And Oknodie handles a sword well. You surely want to learn swordsmanship, right?" "No? That's not it?" Think about it. A female knight donned in form-fitting armor vs. a relentlessly garbed adventurer in the standard set with no exposed skin. Based on the balance alone, isn't the former overwhelmingly better? How could anyone forego classes with female knights as classmates? "So you're going to abandon me?" "……Uh, uh, uh. Don't look at me with those eyes. We can meet in other lectures." When persuasion didn't work, Isabel changed tactics. "Given Oknodie's height, the Knight Department is definitely a stretch. There won't even be armor to fit you." "By next year, I might grow 30cm!" "No way, definitely not." "I will grow!" Provocation inevitably backfired. I won't be attending the same lectures as Isabel! * * Munching on berries that Isabel gave me, we walk hand-in-hand to sign up for classes. The hallway was becoming a battleground due to the other students registering for courses. "Out of the way, you tiny pests!" "Waaah!" "That damn brute, charging through with his body!" Son Ocheon, a simian-human tank, was barreling towards the lecture hall in the most direct line possible. "C'mon! Anyone who wants to be shot step forward. I'll shoot anyone faster than me dead!" "Aaaargh, that woman's insane!" "Wait, wait! You're moving so we can go ahead, why rush this way!" "If no one stands before me, how can I shoot? Come on, stand in front, and die!!" Jigoku, the inexplicable pirate, was racing back and forth in the hallway chasing away fleeing students. "Wow, they're intense. Should we hurry too?" "This pace is just perfect. I'd rather not get caught by an instructor and lose points." Like during the opening ceremony, causing disturbance in the hallway could deduct points ranging from 10 to 100, depending on the severity. Like getting soaking wet in a drizzle without noticing, run amok and a speed camera might catch you, resulting in a hefty fine. "Is it okay to choose an adventure course for our first registration?" "It doesn’t matter. I'm not that interested in highly competitive lectures." More concerning is Giselle, who seems to be following us in the same direction. "What is Uncle Giselle planning to get out of an adventure lecture? While being a merchant, wouldn't it be better to take a class in the Production Department’s merchant class?" "Heh heh. It seems Oknodie, still a child, doesn't know. If an adventurer in the wilderness desperately needs to lighten their load, one can easily extract an exorbitant profit of over 1000%. Understanding the mentality of adventurers is a lecture of much greater value to a merchant." "...Are you the devil?" So this is the type of person in the game who sells consumables at outrageously high prices and buys loot for a pittance! Appearing at the perfect timing as a black market ticket scalper and otherwise as a field merchant. Truly, a hard-working minor villain. "Here's where the Adventure Department gathers." "There's a sign over there." <Adventure Department> The highly anticipated Adventure Department. These were the possible courses for registration: <Basic Physical Conditioning for Adventurers> <Basic Weapon Training for Adventurers> <Supply Management for Adventurers> <Trap Mastery for Adventurers> <Wilderness Cooking for Adventurers> <Developing Discernment> Can you feel the harsh reality, devoid of blood or tears? Yes. Nowhere among these is there something like Dungeon Exploration Studies. If it were included in the basic education curriculum of the 1st semester of the 1st year, wouldn't that rather be a problem? If you really want to listen, there is a workaround. 'If you skip a grade, you could take 2nd-year lectures. You can apply to skip if you have enough points and credits.' You would then attend classes alongside students one year your senior. This feature is sometimes used by players who aim for speedruns or unlocking special events to save a specific character. Naturally, as a seasoned player, I remember trying this, but I don't particularly want to now. 'No imminent humanity-ending crisis is near, and this playthrough appears to be relatively lucky.' No national disaster-level events had occurred in the border regions. Without a catastrophic failure in these events, the apocalyptic <Empire Invasion> world event does not occur. Neither the <Hero of the Nation> event, which occurs in the midst of the Empire's grave crisis, nor the <Hero of the Turbulent Times> event, which unfolds in the tattered west, are present. There's no need to rush a time attack and start a depressive academy life like "Sob sob, I didn't get an A-rank in class today. Because of my stupid brain, tens of thousands of local residents are going to die." 'If I had entered the academy during a wartime generation, I would have actually faced such a predicament. Perhaps it's fortunate.' In a nutshell, this playthrough's continent is on the peace route. It's a world of <Status Quo>, where there are threats but humanity isn't immediately on the brink of destruction, nor is there an imminent colossal threat. In such a world, instead of martial prowess, cultural development takes center stage. 'The hit skills are probably the imperial cultural studies surrounding the divine.' A list of relevant lectures comes to mind. <Understanding the Sole Deity of the Central Imperial Divine> <Understanding the Twelve Great Gods> <Understanding the Minor Deities of the East> <Introduction to Non-Mainstream Theurgy> <Using Theurgy Without Faith> There were indeed some interesting lectures. The last lecture was particularly so. -If your physical abilities are exceptional, you can safely land from a height of 20 meters without the power of faith. -What? You lack such physical abilities? But you still want to earn credits? -Then place your belief in the full embrace of faith in Markr and descend to earth with the power of the <Iron Ingot>. As a note, entry-level priests of the Markr worshippers are guaranteed at least a B-rank. Will you believe in Markr to secure a B-rank, or will you undergo extreme training and techniques to face a test of jumping from 20 meters without theurgy? Those who took this extreme hawker's lecture are either tearfully converted to believers or determinedly refuse religion and end up in the infirmary, even if it means breaking their legs. "Hmm. A lecture on handling theurgy without the power of God is enticing." "The Grand Duke Andersen is taking the <Using Theurgy Without Faith> class!" "Let's attend too!" The freshmen are pitiable as they blindly follow the misguided choice of the top Western nobility like moths to a flame. "Oknodie. I've already made my choice." "Ah, you chose the same thing as me!" Isabel had selected <Developing Discernment>. Compared to the Grand Duke Andersen, this lecture was a million times superior choice. "I may have chosen this because I'll learn the rest while living as an adventurer, but Oknodie, do you have a reason for choosing <Developing Discernment>? I was sure you would have gone for cooking." "I like eating, not cooking." Of course, there's a proper other reason. "How peculiar. Freshmen coming to this class. Do you know it's hard to earn grades in a class attended by both 1st and 2nd years?" The female professor, wearing a white suit with a jaunty silk hat, leans back against the lectern, a challenging pose. Her commanding presence cannot be hidden, even with arms crossed, drawing the eyes. Although she gives out the lowest grades and her classes are some of the toughest, and her classroom is tucked away in the furthest corner of the Adventure Department, there’s a reason why one would seek her out. Regardless of what I choose, they're all lectures I’m familiar with. The top criterion for an experienced player when choosing a class is not easy grades, proper timetable distribution, or picking professors who teach well. It doesn't matter if the grading is tough. Or if the times are a mess. Or if the lecture isn’t taught skillfully. 'A D-cup, glamorous professor in a white suit, is irresistible.' To an experienced player, as long as the professor is sexy, all is forgiven. A Word from the Author (Author's Postscript) Good students should never follow this kind of course registration criteria.