“I’m so sorry for breaking the ceiling….”
Sion immediately bent at the waist and apologized to Kainstos.
He never imagined that beams would shoot out of the Hextech Arm like Iron Man.
It was something he had never even considered.
“Ha ha ha! It’s fine, it’s fine! I told you to stretch your arm toward the ceiling, so it’s my fault too!”
“I’ll definitely make up for it.”
“No, there’s no need for compensation. It’s just a wooden board that needs to be replaced.”
Kainstos laughed as if it were no big deal.
Sion sighed in relief at the words that there was no need for compensation.
“So what was that? A beam just comes out suddenly.”
“That’s a kind of gimmick put in to prevent overload.”
“…A kind of gimmick?”
“Yeah.”
Kainstos continued explaining.
The Hextech Arm covered the entire arm.
Unlike a wand, it was in close contact with the body, so if the Hextech Arm was used excessively, it could have adverse effects on the body.
The gimmick to prevent that was the ‘Magic Release.’
“If a certain level of magical energy remains in the Hextech Arm, it will automatically gather the remaining magic and release it.”
“It’s like excreting when too much waste builds up… I see.”
“Ha ha! That’s a good analogy. It reduces the burden on the body due to magic and can be used as an attack method… it’s a nice gimmick, isn’t it?”
“I think it’s great. But… this.”
Sion inspected the Hextech Arm.
“It seems that no magic can be released when in an overload state. Plus, it takes quite a bit of time for the magic release. Is that the original design?”
“…Oh, you noticed that.”
Kainstos’s eyes lit up.
The ‘Magic Release’ of the Hextech Arm needed about 10 seconds.
During that time, you couldn’t cast magic, which would leave you defenseless.
No matter how threatening the beam was, a 10-second gap in battle was fatal.
“Of course, you can use magic with your left hand at that time, but… it would feel awkward for those who cast magic with their right hand.”
“Hahahaha!! Sharp, sharp. Did you say Sion? I want to ask if you have any intention of working officially in my magic workshop.”
“…Me?”
Click!
Sion took off the Hextech Arm and responded.
Being scouted for the magic workshop…
It wasn’t bad, but there were many concerns.
“But I’m still a student. Can I even get a job at the workshop as a student?”
“Hmmm… you’re going to graduate soon, right? Once you graduate, you can get a job! Until then, just work part-time or on a contract!”
“…I still have a long way to go until graduation, though?”
“Hmm? With your level at the 2nd circle… weren’t you in 3rd or 4th year?”
At Kainstos’s question, it was not Sion but Kathleen who replied.
She had just experienced a similar situation as Kainstos a moment ago.
“Kainstos, with all due respect… Sion is a 1st-year student.”
“…A 1st-year student? Then he’s only been enrolled for 1 year…?”
“Yes, that’s correct. I was also surprised.”
“Huh…”
Kainstos looked at Sion as if he were a monster.
Eventually, he reached out his hand to Sion.
Without hesitation, Kainstos started squeezing Sion’s limbs.
It reminded him of when they first met at the magic tool shop.
“Uh, Kainstos…?”
“Having such a neat magical aura and that impossibly thin circle for a 2nd circle is quite incredible.”
“I, um…”
“It’s hard to believe you’re only 20 years old. Ah, did you perhaps take a year off or repeat a year?”
“No, it’s not like that… Ah.”
Squeeze—
Kainstos continued to rub Sion’s limbs while asking questions.
Sion, who was no longer surprised, didn’t appear that way to others.
“K-Kainstos! You can’t sexually harass Sion!”
“S-Sexual harassment? No, I don’t have that intention…”
“What if Sion reports you for sexual harassment when he returns to the academy? If you keep squeezing like this, the magic aura will remain on Sion’s clothes! It’ll be undeniable evidence!”
“Uh… is that so? I’m sorry. Please don’t report me.”
Kainstos stepped back from Sion with an awkward expression.
…Saying that made it feel like sexual harassment had actually happened.
Since Sion had no thoughts of reporting, he nodded appropriately.
“Ahem! Anyway, if Sion is okay with it, I would like him to come by this weekend. There are things like the Hextech Arm and gifting magic, so I can provide sufficient compensation.”
“Is it sufficient compensation?”
“Specifically… would this be enough for a day?”
Whoosh.
Kainstos casually tossed a bag to Sion.
When he unintentionally grabbed the bag, it felt quite heavy.
When he checked its contents….
“Y-You’re giving me this much?!”
“Of course. This is the workshop of Kainstos, who makes the best magical tools in the academy’s boathouses!”
She pointed at herself with her thumb and showed a beaming smile.
The bag Kainstos handed him contained more than five gold coins.
Though he couldn’t work every day, if he could consistently come in on one day of the weekend to work…
“I want to work. Please.”
“Oh! That’s a good answer. Then shall we start by writing the work contract?”
“Uh… Kainstos? I don’t even have a work contract yet…”
“Hmm?”
Kathleen pointed out in a voice so soft it was like a mosquito buzzing.
Kainstos gestured toward the door with his chin.
He treated Kathleen quite differently from how he treated Sion.
“Kathleen. Are you still here? You’ve filled your quota for today, right?”
“Ah, yes. S-Sorry!!”
Zoom!
Kathleen dashed out of the room at the speed of light.
…There’s no way the pile of magic stones and wands that had been stacked up was today’s quota, right?
Sion felt a twinge of sympathy.
“Alright, sign here… and it’s done. You keep one copy, and I’ll keep the other.”
“Then… what should I do first?”
“I’d like you to respond to a simple experiment.”
“Sure! Leave it to me.”
Sion looked forward with sparkling eyes to her next experiment.
‘Will it be something like the Hextech Arm again? Then maybe a full-body suit? Or… another type of combat magical tool?’
His expectations were heightened due to the Hextech Arm.
If possible, he also had the desire to conduct the experiment in a slightly more serious environment like the academy’s training grounds.
Kainstos pulled out some kind of vial from a corner of her workshop.
It was a bottle containing a purple, gooey liquid.
“Kainstos, what exactly is that bottle…?”
“Oh, this… I haven’t named it yet, but it’s a potion that enhances singing ability when drunk.”
“…Huh??”
“Drink this now.”
Splash.
Sion stared blankly at the potion she handed him.
When she had just given him something like the Hextech Arm, now she was suddenly giving him a potion to sing better.
He felt a great dissonance between these two things, and Kainstos tapped Sion’s shoulder.
“I know what you’re thinking. But Sion, you might not realize yet…”
“Yes?”
“Sometimes in life, you have to do things you don’t want to do!”
Boom.
From her shout, Sion felt… the hardships of a working adult.
“I want to just make things like the Hextech Arm all day! But I can’t! Why?”
“…Is it for money?”
“Right, it’s for money. To keep the magic workshop running, I need to earn money first. You must have realized it since you worked with Kathleen.”
“Ah…”
He recalled the time when they used gifting magic like machines in a cramped room with Kathleen.
And this potion in front of him… was all just a ‘means’ for her to conduct research that she enjoys.
Sion understood well.
‘Our professor occasionally lamented about these things too.’
When she couldn’t receive research funds for her pure research field.
When she had to pivot and find research funding through forced adaptations like incorporating trending technologies such as AI or NFTs.
…Thanks to that, Sion was able to fully understand Kainstos’s situation.
“…Ah, ahhhh~.”
“How’s that? Do you think you can sing better?”
“No, it’s just that my voice is trembling, so it automatically vibrates…”
“Tch, you really are sharp. When the effect wears off in a minute, drink this as well.”
“Okay… understood.”
After that, Sion had to experiment with various potions and magical tools with Kainstos.
Aside from some inconveniences like needing to go to the bathroom after consuming too many potions.
He thought it wasn’t a bad part-time job when considering the compensation.
*
The next day.
“Sion, let’s go soon.”
“Okay.”
Having spent a day working at Kainstos’s workshop.
The next day, Sion left the dorm with Patrick.
Today was Saturday, a day with plans.
‘Technically, it’s a day for a group project….’
Professor Bariyes’s class, “How to Survive in a Dungeon.”
The assignment for that week’s class was as follows.
[Category: Announcement]
[Title: Week 3 Team Project Assignment]
[Content: Hot hot hot! You rookies, great job writing your reports. But remember, the report is an assignment to submit every week! I hope you’ll write your next report with a bit more sincerity, like Beasil! The assignment for next week is as follows!
1. Successful strategy for E-Rank dungeon
2. Write a report on the process and outcome of the E-Rank dungeon strategy.
And of course, there will be an assignment next week as well. It would be troublesome if you start complaining already! So do your best! Hot hot hot!]
‘Whether in medieval fantasy or modern society… having assignments every week is tough.’
He was a good student, but the tasks given by Professor Bariyes were quite annoying.
He was such a peculiar professor that one could neither love nor hate.
Such professors tend to be remembered fondly after class ends when saying, “Well, at least his lecture was good.”
“Sion, what are you thinking about so much?”
“Huh? Nothing, really.”
“Shall I guess? Were you thinking about girls again?”
“Sorry, but you’re wrong this time.”
“What?!”
Patrick dramatically exaggerated his shocked expression.
He was still genuine when teasing Sion.
As they walked while talking about various things, they soon arrived at the adventurer guild, which was the meeting place.
“Sion!”
“Boryan, long time no see.”
“Hello. This is Patrick.”
“Ah, yes. Hello. I’m Boryan…”
Boryan Bist, a first-year girl from the Combat Department, was waiting for Sion.
He had specifically asked for her to be able to participate in this dungeon strategy.
‘Is Estroja not coming?’
They were to meet at the adventurer guild at 10 AM.
Sion had intentionally posted this information in the group chat with Estroja.
[Sion: So, we meet in front of the adventurer guild on Saturday at 10 AM.]
[Geivolg from Rodenburg: Ha ha ha! Good idea! Let’s also steal a dragon’s horn while we’re at it! One of the maxims of the Rodenburg family!]
[Geivolg from Rodenburg: I’m already looking forward to tomorrow!]
[Patrick Matric: Don’t mess up and lose sleep over it.]
[Patrick Matric: E-Rank dungeons are no joke. You could die.]
[Geivolg from Rodenburg: Ha ha ha! A skeleton-like weak monster is no match for me!]
‘…In the end, Estroja left me on read.’
Last time, her message hadn’t disappeared at all in the chat, but this time, at least the number was marked, indicating she had seen it.
…The problem was that there was no response at all.
‘If she doesn’t come, we’ll just go without her.’
He wished deep down that Estroja would show up, but if not, it couldn’t be helped.
Sion wasn’t exactly a paragon of virtue either.
Rather, if he save the chat without a response as evidence, he could submit it to Professor Bariyes—
Tap tap.
Someone poked Sion’s shoulder with their finger.
Turning around to see who it was—
“…Hello.”
“Huh?”
“Please take care of the E-Rank dungeon with us today, Sion.”
Estroja Perrawell.
She greeted Sion with a picture-perfect smile.
“…Sion, who is that woman?”
At the same time, Boryan’s eyebrows twitched.
