Chapter 52

52. Merit and Punishment (1)

The morning after returning from the ant nest.

“Sigh...”

Sighs kept escaping my lips as I stared at my status window.

Why, you ask?

Because the results of the potential gamble were right there in front of me.

‘It wasn’t a dream.’

That’s right. The 100 points I gained from the unexpected level-up.

As soon as I returned to the dorm last night, I poured all the points into my potential stats and attempted the gamble.

And the result was this [Super Senses].

‘With the Divine Imitation, I don’t really need most attack skills. So, I did want a support skill...’

A passive skill that detects nearby hidden enemies and can also detect traps.

It’s not bad. It can help me avoid assassination threats.

But.

‘It’s not a skill I can call good either!’

Skills like [Divine Power], which allows the use of holy power, [Inferno], which multiplies fire skill damage by five, and [Rage], which prevents health loss for a certain period.

This game has various skills, some of which are outright broken.

But [Super Senses]? After [Clean] and now [Super Senses]!

“Sigh...”

I couldn’t help but sigh.

In short, if I were to summarize the [Super Senses] skill in one line:

‘It’s an ambiguous skill.’

I put on my school uniform and stepped outside.

When you feel drained, you need to eat.

As I stepped out of the dorm and took a step forward, Luna said:

“What’s wrong? You seem a bit down today. Is something bothering you?”

Luna.

Something is bothering me, but before that, one thing.

“Haha, were you waiting for me?”

“Me? No way. I just happened to run into you on my way to breakfast.”

“...Just happened?”

Here, let me point out one of the rules of Andwood Academy.

-There is no discrimination in meals.

Anyone can eat as much as they want.

The cafeteria should be a fair place for everyone, regardless of gender, age, or anything else.

And this applies to the ‘location’ of the cafeteria as well.

What does that mean?

The distance from the teachers' dorm, the boys' dorm, and the girls' dorm to the cafeteria is the same.

The boys' and girls' dorms are located on completely opposite sides, with the cafeteria in the center.

Yet Luna says she ‘just happened’ to run into me.

That’s ridiculous.

‘How long have you been waiting?’

Since 6 AM? 7 AM?

Or did you watch me all night?

Just thinking about it made the hairs on my body stand up.

“Come on, we need to go eat.”

“...Yes.”

But there was nothing I could do.

I chose Luna as my companion.

And there was a solution.

‘Recruit more companions.’

A companion who can be friends with Luna.

As the party gets stronger, her obsession with me might decrease a bit.

By the way, I haven’t used the skill upgrade points I received as a quest reward yet.

It’s most efficient to use them to upgrade an A-rank skill to S-rank.

‘I can level up from F to A with effort.’

But not to S-rank.

Having combo skills, compatibility, and interactions with specific NPCs.

You can’t get an S-rank skill with just effort.

Here lies the value of the skill upgrade points.

They can level up skills without meeting the conditions mentioned above.

Meaning, they can upgrade an A-rank skill to S-rank.

‘So, I have to save them.’

To begin with, among the skills I have, only [Sinister Aura], [Wake Up], [Super Regeneration], and [Spatial Control] are not S-rank.

Except for [Sinister Aura], they are all F-rank.

Using the skill upgrade points on them would be a huge loss.

Especially for a skill like [Wake Up].

“Ah, this seat will do. Enjoy your meal.”

Luna smiled as she sat down.

But I couldn’t smile. Something felt off.

“Miss Luna, I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“...Why are you sitting next to me?”

A regular table that can seat four people.

When there are two people, they usually sit opposite each other.

But Luna sat next to me.

“It’s too far.”

“...Too far?”

“Yeah. There’s at least a two-step difference over there, right?”

Jesus Christ. What a world.

She wasn’t joking when she said she wouldn’t be a step away?

‘...This is bad.’

Is she a real stalker?

My companion is a stalker. That’s not good in any way.

Murmurs.

“Good timing.”

“She’s really into it, isn’t she?”

“How romantic. Love can overcome even appearance, as evidenced right there.”

“It doesn’t look that way, but it must be intense (??)!”

...I don’t know what’s so intense, but anyway.

The kids’ gossip is one problem, but the biggest issue is the restriction on my activities.

It’s fine now, but after Chapter 1, the places I need to go will increase.

There are also places where I need to move secretly. Taking Luna, who’s prone to accidents, would be a disaster.

Beep! Beep!

“Improper relationships are grounds for penalty... huh?”

Rodelin, as usual, was busy guiding the students.

She tilted her head as she approached us.

She seemed to notice something was different.

“Hehe, hello, senpai.”

“Yes, I heard about the incident. Zero and Luna are not on the injured list. That’s a relief.”

“Does it look that way? I’m not fine at all.”

“What do you mean? Are you hurt somewhere?”

“Hehe, I’ve got something more terrifying than a monster attached to me.”

Luna, a monster with the characteristic of biting people when she’s in a bad mood.

Right now, for example.

“...It hurts, Miss Luna.”

“I bit you because it hurts, so it’s natural.”

Luna, who had bitten my head, started eating again.

Rodelin chuckled.

“You two seem even closer today. It must be because you experienced battle together. Comrades are like that. It’s a good sight.”

In Rodelin’s eyes, we looked like close comrades who had overcome death together.

I had to do something to lift my spirits, even if it meant teasing Rodelin.

“Hehe, senpai, I’ve had a question for a while.”

“Hmm, what is it?”

“You said improper relationships are grounds for penalty... then what about proper relationships?”

“Of course, it’s fine. You can study together, support each other, and move forward. If you get married and have children, that’s a model citizen contributing to the empire’s development.”

Thinking about the future of the empire. That’s Rodelin for you.

Now, let’s ask the real question.

“Hehe, what’s the standard for distinguishing between proper and improper relationships?”

“Hmm?”

“Holding hands or hugging is fine, right? But to have children, as you said, that’s not enough...”

“T, that’s...”

Hmm? How far is it allowed?

What exactly counts as improper?

To clarify, this is purely out of curiosity.

A fresh curiosity of a new student at the academy.

Bang!

Something seemed to explode in Rodelin’s head, and her face turned bright red.

Oh, she must have thought of something.

The line between proper and improper. Or the end of improper behavior.

What does Rodelin consider the end of improper behavior?

I was genuinely curious.

For the record, I consider the end of improper behavior to be holding hands.

These kids, who haven’t even turned nineteen, acting so presumptuously about relationships...

“P, penalty!”

“Huh?”

“Improper thoughts are grounds for penalty!!”

Rodelin pulled out her notebook and instantly gave me a penalty point.

Then she disappeared into the distance.

What? She had the improper thoughts, so why am I getting the penalty?

I was genuinely confused.

“Tsk, tsk, you should fix that perverted personality. If you weren’t my friend, I’d give you a good scolding.”

Luna, the pervert is you, not me.

No one would call this relationship friendship.

‘Phew... At least I feel a bit better now.’

The failure of the potential gamble, Luna’s obsession, and the kids’ misunderstandings.

Stress was building up.

“Let’s get more food.”

“I’m full.”

“You promised not to be a step away. Follow me.”

“Hehe, a one-sided statement is usually not called a promise...”

But I had no choice but to follow Luna.

It’s not because she bit my ear. I’m just nice.

“Did something happen? I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Yes, senpai. And...”

Chatter.

Rodelin, Alex, and Raymond were having a normal conversation.

Honestly, I’m a bit envious. Being with normal kids like that.

Click.

Then, a strange sound came from my neck.

Luna had twisted my neck, forcing me to look at her.

“Don’t look at that guy, look at me.”

If you only heard the line, it would be a romantic line that makes you cringe.

But knowing the reality, it’s not at all.

‘Did she think I was looking at Raymond?’

Luna, who is obsessed with friends.

Raymond, who has the title of Best Friend, must be a thorn in her side.

“Oh my, did you hear that?”

“It’s so intense.”

“Wow, they say love endures even in war. Why are there so many couples since yesterday?”

Sigh.

It was a morning where the snowball of misunderstandings kept growing.

* * *

“Don’t even glance that way.”

Just before the morning class.

Luna, who was sitting to my right, said this.

By the way, the person she was referring to was Raymond.

‘As if I could look at anyone else besides you?’

After Luna twisted my neck, something was wrong with it.

My neck was fixed at a 90-degree angle to the right.

‘I tried to get help from Luna...’

But she seemed very satisfied with this state where I always look at her.

There was no solution, so I had to come to class like this.

“What will the evaluation be like?”

“Lord Teron will definitely get full marks and bonus points!”

“Didn’t you see Lady Yuridia’s magic? They should have seen her slaughtering five at once!”

“Lady Yuridia will get the most bonus points!”

The classroom was busier than usual.

It was time to evaluate yesterday’s events.

There would be a merit and punishment session.

‘A time to give rewards and penalties based on merit.’

Merit and punishment are not just for emperors and nobles.

It’s also part of the academy classes.

Good students get bonus points.

Bad students get penalty points.

This is the merit and punishment system of Andwood Academy!

‘In the game, we also had such a session after each battle.’

Of course, the only rewards are bonus and penalty points.

Isn’t the reward too meager?

No, it’s not. In “Hero of the Academy,” bonus and penalty points play a significant role.

‘They are added to the mid-term and final exam scores.’

If you perform well in the exams, you get a title.

Like the title I have, [The One Who Swept the Demon with a Mop].

‘The problem is that the opposite can also happen.’

If you don’t perform well in the exams, you might get a title that decreases your stats.

So, today’s merit and punishment session is quite important for me.

“Caron is coming! Everyone, take your seats!”

“...He’s already here.”

“Eek!”

Caron kicked the butt of a student who was daydreaming as he entered.

His gaze swept the room and landed on me.

“Zero, what are you looking at?”

That’s what I want to know.

My body is facing you, but all I can see is Luna’s face.

“Hehe, I was attacked by a fierce monster.”

“...”

Click. Click.

Caron twisted my neck in different directions.

Oh, it moves.

I could finally see Caron’s face.

“Tch!”

Luna clicked her tongue, disappointed.

Hmm, I’ve decided. I need to recruit a new companion.

Someone very tough, who can survive even with a twisted neck.

“First, I’ll commend you for your efforts. Surviving in any situation is a great achievement.”

Caron, who had returned to the podium, said to us.

“Now, I will begin the evaluation.”