Chapter 30

"Such a huge amount of homework is impossible!"

The class had just ended, and Kuna said this while face-down on her desk. As she said, an amount of homework that defied common sense had been assigned.

"There's no helping it. This academy reduces the number of class periods and increases the homework to the limit."

Kuna wasn't as bad, but Anne said this with a rather displeased look. This academy basically only has classes for the first three days of the week. In exchange, a mountain of homework is assigned, which must be completed in the remaining four days. If you can't finish it, you'll lose credits and won't be able to advance to the next grade. After all, this is a knight school, and a certain level of education is required.

This system was apparently adopted to provide exploration time in the underground labyrinth. It's considered better than having classes every day. Even on days without classes, if you go to the academy, the instructors will gladly answer any questions about the homework, so if you have the motivation, it's not an unreasonable schedule.

"Among the nobles and even in the general classes, the children of merchants apparently finish their homework with the help of private tutors, securing exploration time."

"That's unfair. I can't do this alone, and even if I go to the instructors for help, the waiting time is terrible because so many students are there."

Indeed, even though the instructors say they will accept questions at any time, there are only so many of them. As a result, a considerable waiting time is inevitable. Students without money, as Kuna said, are at a disadvantage.

"Well, having money is a powerful weapon. They are just using it well. Rather, it's a nuisance for the rich to use the teachers' time when they could be helping general students. Besides, Kuna has the best private tutor, right? There's no need to envy them."

"Who is it?"

Kuna tilted her head in genuine confusion. Just who did she think helped her pass the entrance exam?

"It's me, of course! Let me be clear, there's nothing in the curriculum of this academy that I don't understand. I can easily teach you what the instructors do."

I didn't spend 168 years in this world for nothing. With the excellent intelligence of a homunculus, spending that much time results in a wide range of knowledge.

"Amazing! Soji-kun."

"Furthermore, I have an advantage that private tutors don't have. I can teach you in the underground labyrinth. Studying while camping in a tent is a unique benefit for Kuna!"

"Wow, Soji-kun, are you some kind of god?"

Kuna's fox ears twitched as she looked at him with admiration.

"Kuna, it's time to study. Soji will say this next: 'I'll add the cost of the private tutoring to your debt.'"

"Ah, ah, demon, devil, you dog!"

"I understand the demon and devil part, but why the dog?"

"I just don't like dogs!"

Come to think of it, dogs are the natural enemies of foxes. I often hear that wild fox cubs are killed by stray dogs, who find and raid their dens.

"I don't need money. I'll teach you for free."

"Really?"

"Teaching others is also a form of learning. Besides, if I start charging for tutoring, Kuna's debt will grow so much that she won't be able to pay it back. It wouldn't be fun, and it would be a problem for me."

"The reason isn't very kind!"

"Anyway, today we're going shopping for the expedition. We need to buy tents and preserved food."

It's free time now. The three of us can go to the city to shop. Shopping is necessary for the expedition, but it's also enjoyable.

"Soji, is our first underground labyrinth exploration going to be an overnight trip?"

"Yes. I want to aim for at least the third underground floor, where there are fewer people. It takes quite a bit of time to reach the third floor. Even on the shortest route, you have to travel 20 kilometers through the forest to go down one level. You'll also encounter monsters and face various troubles, and detours are necessary. I estimate it will take three hours one way, so six hours to reach the third floor. It would be foolish to spend twelve hours on travel in one day."

When we reach Rank 2, it will take less than half an hour, but that's our current limit. If we reach Rank 3, we can even break through the floors for shortcuts. The deeper the level, the stronger the floor, but in the lower levels, such tricks are possible. I can use shortcuts now if I'm willing to collapse, but it's meaningless.

"Spending twelve hours just on travel is too much of a waste."

"If we aim to reach Rank 3 in three years, we won't have enough time. We need to save every minute we can."

"... It's scary, but I'll be fine with Soji around. I'll be prepared."

"Kuna, you'll be fine. After all, you survived a month in the snow when you were nine. You have absolute confidence in your survival skills. I'll leave the local procurement of food to you."

Kuna patted her chest proudly. It makes sense that she has confidence in her survival skills with such an experience. But she's forgetting something.

"I'm looking forward to seeing how much you can endure the miasma-infested water and food."

"Ugh, that's why I hate the underground labyrinth."

"Anyway, we're going shopping in the city today and starting the labyrinth exploration tomorrow morning."

"But it will be tough. The water and food alone will be quite heavy."

That's true. After all, a person consumes about 2 liters of water a day. For four days, that's 8 liters, which is 8 kilograms. Estimating 1 kilogram of food per day, that's a total of 12 kilograms.

But I have a trick up my sleeve.

"Also, bring all your homework. We'll finish it faster if I teach you in the tent."

"Wait, Soji. The homework, including reference books, will be quite heavy. It's already heavy with water and food, and there's no room for more."

"You don't need to bring water and food."

"Soji-kun, you just rejected my proposal for local procurement... Are you delirious from the heat... How pitiful."

Kuna looked at me with pity. Her gentle expression was annoying.

"No, it's fine. I have [Purification]. I can remove the miasma from the water, making it just regular water. We still need water bottles, though. At least one liter per person."

This alone will reduce the 2 kilograms of water we would have to carry each day. We can also get by with minimal preserved food.

"Truly, one party, one Soji-kun. I realize that again."

"I understand about the water. What about the food?"

"There's plenty of food, right? There are countless monsters in the underground labyrinth. Did you know that they can be eaten normally if the miasma is removed? Besides, I have a magic spell that can extract water from blood and turn it into pure water, so as long as there are monsters, we won't lack for food or water."

"That's quite a shock."

"Living with Soji-kun, I feel like I'm straying further and further from the path of humanity."

The moment Soji mentioned eating monsters, Kuna and Anne made faces of deep disgust.

That's quite a reaction. To enable long-term exploration, we didn't just develop magic in the game era. We also studied and perfected delicious ways to cook monsters. Mental state affects the recovery of magic power, and a satisfying diet is essential for becoming stronger.