Chapter 37

〈 Chapter 37 〉37. Preparation (2)

After finishing the preparations to save Lucy, I returned to the dormitory.

Is Lilianna doing well? I wonder if she’s hungry. I’m a bit worried.

Ding!

I tapped my smartwatch on the door and entered, but there was no sound from inside.

“Is she sleeping?”

Considering she was treated roughly outside, it doesn’t seem like she would run away...

“Ahh, damn it. Why isn’t that Jungle bastard coming! The tool and the jungler keep coming to top only!”

The sound of cute curses from inside the room seemed to calm my worries.

I peeked through the slightly open door.

Lilianna was streaming.

She was so focused that she didn’t even notice I had come in.

“Ahh, take this. You damn bastards. Quit the game, you milk bastards!”

“...”

“Oh, thank you, Ace of the Magic Research Club. A 10,000 won donation~. Thanks.”

“Is the reaction too harsh? If you don’t like it, leave, you bitch.”

Lilianna was streaming in a succubus cosplay, her tail swaying.

I realized that succubi are adaptable creatures.

I became curious about what Lilianna was streaming.

I checked to see if it had been uploaded to EveryDay.

As soon as I entered, there was a post at the top.

The post featured a screenshot of Lilianna’s stream and explained that the room structure was identical to the Victoria Academy dormitory for various reasons.

The post also mentioned the stream’s name, so I found it and watched.

The stream was called ‘Sexy Succubus’.

It’s called a sexy succubus, but she doesn’t look like one at all.

– Sister, please curse more.

– I’m a current student at Victoria Academy, and this is definitely a dorm. This is legendary.

– Wow, a Victoria Academy cadet is streaming.

– How much donation do you need to call me by name and curse?

“Hmm... She’s definitely lost her mind.”

There are so many people who have lost their minds in this world.

Still, seeing her work diligently from the first day made me feel good.

She’s also causing some good misunderstandings as I intended. Hmm, good, good.

I’ll talk to her when I come back from the training building, as the stream will probably be over by then.

I changed into my cadet uniform and headed to the training building.

The public training room was moderately crowded since it was Monday.

Unlike the private rooms, the public training room is where people gather in groups of two or three to train.

In other words, it’s a space for the in-crowd.

I ignored the gazes of those watching me and headed to the corner where the holographic monitor was.

“Show me the materials from today’s 1st-year A-class lesson with Professor Im Sol and the barrier materials.”

Whoosh—

The AI, having heard my command, projected the printouts Professor Im Sol had distributed during today’s class on the holographic monitor.

Not only that, it listed all the barrier magic arrays that Victoria Academy had publicly released for the cadets.

“Wow, there are too many. Show me only the advanced ones.”

Whoosh—

Eight magic arrays appeared before my eyes.

Among them, five used a double helix to prepare for the opponent’s attack.

Three were lightweight magic arrays designed for use in urgent situations.

Naturally, I wanted the former.

“Exclude the lightweight magic arrays.”

Whoosh—

Now it was time to analyze these.

First, the common feature of these magic arrays is that they use a double helix to bind and enhance the mana.

The only other differences are which type of magic they are more effective against, whether they are more effective against physical attacks or magical attacks.

In other words, there’s no significant difference in the overall structure.

However, there were slight differences in the details.

‘Oh, if the mana is spread from the center, it becomes more effective against fire magic.’

‘This magic array’s final stroke is a bit lacking. If a little more mana was allocated at the end, it would have been more efficient.’

I found areas for improvement while analyzing the barriers.

Actually, it’s an impossible task for a mere cadet to find improvements in barrier magic arrays, but it’s possible with [Mana Sensitivity].

“Ho Yeon, what are you doing?”

Ah, I was startled.

Lumi had approached me without me noticing.

“Hey, you should say something when you come. What if you sneak up on me like that?”

“Hehe… I’m sorry.”

If it were the first time, she would have run away saying, “Eek, I’m sorry.” But she’s grown a lot.

But is it okay to talk to me? If Lucy finds out, she’ll be mad.

“Is it okay for you to be here? Lucy will be mad if she sees you.”

“It’s okay. Once Lucy falls asleep, she doesn’t even notice if someone carries her away. She said she was tired and went to sleep earlier. But, um, were you practicing barriers?”

“Yeah, I found the lesson interesting, so I was practicing on my own.”

“Then! Would you like to train with me?!”

Lumi’s eyes sparkled.

———————-

『A side quest has been transmitted.』

Lumi envies training with friends!

Enjoy a fun barrier training session with Lumi!

– Reward: 1 Mana Ability

———————-

A quest after a long time. There’s no reason to refuse.

“Hmm, I’m fine with it, but it might not be beneficial for you to train with me.”

“No, it’s not. Telling each other about our weaknesses is what, um, friends… do!”

Hehe. It’s quite cute how she hesitates when saying ‘friends’ and looks at me.

“Right, we’re friends.”

“Y-Yes, yes!”

It’s cute. I wonder why she’s so happy to be called a friend.

Lumi is a character with talent in defensive magic. For her to train with me, I feel a bit guilty.

“You were practicing barrier magic, right? I’ll show you a demonstration.”

“Sure.”

I still vividly remember the magic Lumi used in the last class, but there’s no need to refuse.

Lumi glanced at me as if to show me, and slowly began to form a barrier.

The double helix-shaped mana intertwined and overlapped, forming a solid defensive wall.

‘Wow, she’s really good.’

It’s a level that could be considered the peak of what a cadet can achieve.

Especially, the defensive attributes embedded in the mana stand out. Lumi’s warm will was embedded in it.

“Is it because Ho Yeon is watching? It’s going well. Would you like to try, Ho Yeon?”

“Sure. I’m a bit nervous, though. Hmm.”

“It’s okay. No one is good from the start. I’ll point out your weaknesses.”

Seeing her do it so well, I feel a bit pressured.

The magic arrays I’ve seen so far play in my mind like a panorama.

I firmly imprint the attributes of the barrier magic Lumi just cast in my mind.

My talent is to gather the strengths of the magic arrays and incorporate the attributes of the mana I learned from Lumi.

Whoosh—

The mana twists into a double helix and overlaps in a crisscross pattern.

More solid. More solid.

This isn’t enough.

Phew. I take a deep breath and start again.

‘Third Eye’

Whoosh—

I observe the gaps in the barrier I created.

More solid. To fill the tiny gaps, I need to make the shape of the mana more solid. A double helix can’t fill the tiny gaps.

A thought flashed through my mind.

‘If a double helix is the problem, make it more compact.’

An additional line is added to the double helix.

The mana rotating in a triple helix eliminates the tiny gaps and crosses beautifully.

I incorporate the attributes of the mana I learned from Lumi.

The will to defend everything is embedded in the magic array.

It’s not as strong as Lumi’s, but the lack is supplemented by [Mana Sensitivity].

Eventually, a wall is formed in front of me.

A barrier of a completely different form from Lumi’s or Im Sol’s.

However, both Lumi and I could feel it.

A work of art that surpasses beauty, a creation too precious to be used as a barrier.

If Professor Im Sol were here, he would have shouted and tried to strip me to study this magic.

Before my eyes was a barrier that was so beautiful, elegant, and perfect.

“...”

“...”

Lumi, who had shown the demonstration first, was so impressed by the beautiful form that she looked dazed.

───――「 Cotton Guard 」───――

▶ Unique Skill

▶ A magic that embodies a complete understanding of barriers and a firm will.

Can be used in a lightweight form according to the user’s will.

───――───――───――───――

Cotton Guard.

It was even registered as a unique skill.

Lumi’s face gradually turned red as she looked at the beautiful form.

“A, a... Y-Yes... That’s amazing. If you could teach me a bit...”

“Eh, eh. Sure. Of course. Telling each other about our weaknesses is what friends do.”

“...Y-Yes. That’s right.”

She seems embarrassed about offering to point out each other’s weaknesses.

There’s no need to be that embarrassed.

*

After finishing the training with Lumi, I returned to the dormitory.

We agreed to meet regularly to help each other with training.

At first, I was the one receiving help, but getting closer to the heroine is always welcome.

Even if that’s not the issue, there must be research somewhere that shows training with a pretty girl improves training efficiency.

When I entered the dormitory, Lilianna was tearing into a chicken at the dining table, and the stream seemed to be over.

“Hey, are you done?”

“Huh? Oh, it’s the contractor. If you mean the stream, it’s over. I made a lot of money today, so I ordered chicken. Is that okay?”

“That’s fine, but... Do you know my name?”

Thinking about it, I know Lilianna’s name, but I don’t remember telling her mine.

If she had a system window like me, she wouldn’t call me ‘contractor’.

“Hmm!? Well, you didn’t tell me, so I don’t know.”

Blaming me for this?

“Hey, at least you should have asked first. I thought you knew it.”

“Oh, whatever. Is a guy going to be petty about that? So, what’s your name?”

“I’m called Ho Yeon.”

“What’s so great about telling me a name that sounds like milk?”

“What?”

“Nothing. Anyway, aren’t you curious about how much money I made today?”

Damn. I’m speechless. She’s already so sly after just one day. I miss the Lilianna who was beaten up by a thug and sobbed yesterday.

“So, how much did you make?”

“Ta-da~ 800,000 won.”

“What?”

“Did you not hear me? 800,000 won. Isn’t that a lot? A chicken costs 15,000 won.”

I heard it clearly, but I asked if I heard it wrong, and it was still 800,000 won.

This isn’t just a lot; it’s a huge amount.

Damn! If they had possessed me as a woman, I would have streamed and copied money.

Fucking gods!

“That’s one thing, but there’s actually a serious problem.”

At that moment, Lilianna’s playful expression hardened, and she whispered to me.

“A problem? What is it?”

Actually, I have too many things to worry about.

Surely, she didn’t reveal her existence to others, did she?

I told her to set the delivery to ‘leave it outside the door’!

“I’m bored.”

“What?”

“I’m bored!”

“How can you be bored! You should be streaming to make money!”

What is this girl doing, refusing to work?!

“Anyway, you can’t stream during academy class hours! That’s why you said you’re a cadet during the day and a perverted succubus at night!”

...This girl is surprisingly smart?

“Then, why don’t you watch other streams to improve your streaming skills or practice games?”

“I’m already good at games, so I don’t want to play, and I can’t chat in other streams because people will recognize me. There’s no reason to watch streams without chat!”

This kid is a real troublemaker. She just wants to be quiet, but why does she have so many demands?

From the way she talks, it seems like she’s asking for something, but I hate her whining.

“So, what do you want to do? Tell me.”

“I want to go out with you.”

Huh? Did I hear that wrong?

“I want to go out and see the world.”

“How are you going to go out? Do you have a way?”

Lilianna is clearly a succubus in appearance. Her tail with a heart is swaying.

Of course, if she wears proper clothes and covers the horns on her head, she looks similar to a human, but a passing priest might feel the aura of hell and hit her with a cross.

That’s a joke.

I don’t know what will happen if she goes out alone without me. I’ll be responsible.

I won’t let her out of my sight.

“Yeah, I do have a way.”

Puff!

With a playful sound, smoke spread around Lilianna.