The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 1

In the Snow Country, where blizzards rage all year round, no one can see an inch ahead due to the white blizzard, which is why it’s sometimes called a white labyrinth. Legends tell that there once existed an ancient civilization that shone brilliantly long ago.

They say that stepping into the Snow Country is akin to committing suicide.

Yet, there were 15 suicide seekers determined to find the ruins of this ancient civilization, even though no one ever came out once they went in…

A group of gambling addicts who risked their lives to chase an uncertain legend, amidst crazy folks of all ages and backgrounds, I found myself among them.

To say I was among them feels a bit off.

The captain of the Snow Country Exploration Team, who gathered these crazies, is none other than me, Seo Ji-hoon, the villain Atlas Titan from that “Kill for Mocking My Height” novel.

I recruited those fools willing to dive into the Snow Country, trusting only one diary of a man who claimed to have survived a disaster there fifty years ago. And eventually, we discovered the ruins buried deep beneath the thick snow of the Snow Country.

The ruins of the ancient civilization were real.

Breaking through various traps set to repel invaders, we pressed on and ultimately succeeded in finding the treasures said to be legendary.

A pale light conjured by a magician reflected off the heaps of gold inside the treasure trove, casting a yellow glow on the exploration team’s faces.

“Grandpa’s diary was real…”

Seeing that incredible sight, a woman with braided brown hair said in a trembling voice. She held an old leather notebook, which was the diary written by the survivor of the Snow Country who brought us into this madness.

Overwhelmed by the realization that everything her grandfather had said was true since we entered the ruins, she remained in high spirits.

“Is there time to sit? We have to check if the rest of the content is true!”

“Right! Let’s show those academics what’s up!!”

Having been laughed at by the academics for claiming she’d write a paper on the ancient civilization in the Snow Country, she was meticulously documenting every bit of information using magical tools.

Now that the real ruins have been discovered, if she submits her thesis based on this data, she could shatter their pride.

“Ha ha ha!! Gold! There’s piles of gold!!”

“This miserable mayfly existence is over!! We are rich!!”

How many people come here for research purposes?

While everyone was stuffing their bags with mountains of gold and jewels, I wasn’t looking at the treasure but examining the precious artifacts displayed separately.

I picked up a small vial carefully preserved among the armor and various magnificent treasures crafted in unfamiliar styles.

Inside the transparent vial, processed crystal and gilded surfaces held a swirling mixture of red and green liquid that looked strangely mystical.

“Yes, this is it..!!”

It looked just like what I knew. This was the Elixir of Growth, said to make you taller instantly.


The one treasure I desired in the Snow Country.

It certainly had the characteristics mentioned in the legends, but I couldn’t know if it was really safe.


But I didn’t have the luxury to ponder such things.

As my gaze shifted forward, I saw the back of my teammate who was busy collecting treasures.

When I turned my head, all I could see were their backs or chests, not a single face or nape of the neck visible.

Well, it’s not like anyone was decapitated or anything brutal like that.

It’s just that because I have a dwarf-like stature, unless I strain to lift my head, I wouldn’t be able to see even the face of an average adult male.

Ever since I possessed this body, I hadn’t even reached 150 centimeters.

The person with the next shortest height in this exploration team was 165 cm, so there was no one I could meet eyes with while looking straight ahead.

I couldn’t stand this low sight any longer.

I opened the vial and gulped down the ominously swirling mixture of green and red liquid.

-Boom!

As soon as I drank it, a sound like deflating air echoed, and white smoke began to rise all around.

“What’s going on?!”

“Captain?! Are you okay??”

The teammates who were busy collecting treasures turned to look at where the smoke was rising, surprised.

“Did… it work?”

It was only a brief moment, but I felt something had changed.

As I broke through the smoke that had blocked my view, an entirely different world unfurled before me.

No longer could I see only chests.

Even without lifting my head, I could see the astonished eyes of the exploration team.

Everyone had gleaming scalps from not having bathed in ages, reflecting my heightened line of sight.

My short arms and legs had elongated, and my waist had stretched.

“Ha… ha ha ha!!”

Laughter erupted from me.

Finally.. finally, I returned to my height before possession.

Sixteen long years had passed since I possessed the body of Atlas Titan, the villain who kills people for mocking his short stature in a web novel.

In this world, kindness is never bestowed upon a man burdened by his physical shortcomings.

Especially if he’s the eldest son of a clan.

Sixteen years had flown by, tormented simply for being short.

Now, I could see the faces of people without straining my neck.

The familiar sight I longed for every single day for the last sixteen years.

Now everything would be resolved.

Being taller meant much more to me than just physical growth.

My fate as defined in the story, my relationships with my parents, everything would improve.

“Oh…!! Captain, did you finally fulfill your wish??”

“Is that the Elixir of Growth? The legend was real!! Congratulations, Atlas!”

Everyone around the exploration team cheered for me.

They had witnessed how much effort I put in for my mere desire to be taller, so their congratulations were genuine.

While receiving the applause, I marveled at my newly lengthened limbs, and someone observing closely interjected.

“…..But weren’t your clothes supposed to not fit if you suddenly grew that tall?”

Now that I think about it, they had a point?

Upon closer inspection, I was still wearing my clothes just as before.

It was as if my clothes had grown along with me, despite me having shot up over 30 centimeters.

A dreadful thought crossed my mind.

“This… could it be…?”

-Boom!

With a laughable explosion, pale smoke erupted once more.

As the smoke cleared, out came the small version of me, the one I was before drinking the potion.

“Uh… Captain??”

Seeing my shrunk stature again, my teammates couldn’t find words.

Gathering the swirling energy of the potion that swirled within me, I tossed the empty vial aside and said.

“Sigh……… This is trash.”

What I found was indeed a potion that appeared in the legends.

But it was not the Elixir of Growth; it was the Elixir of Polymorph.

Polymorph is the magic of dragons that truly allows for ‘transformation’… this potion permits the drinker to freely use the high-level magic of polymorph.

Wow, it’s indeed a real dragon treasure, and despite abandoning my studies of magic, I can polymorph as easily as breathing. What an incredible treasure.

But this doesn’t make me taller.

“I… find myself… searching for something else….”

While I can transform into a taller version, inside I remain my dwarfish essence.

Once the magic wears off, I revert back again.

This isn’t growth.

Just a trick convincing myself I’m taller.

Sitting down heavily, the events of my life raced through my mind like a vivid dream.

Possessing the body of Atlas Titan, the betrayal of my parents who had abused me for not growing taller even as I aged, running away to join the knight order believing I could grow taller there, and starting my journey for the Elixir of Growth after experiencing a dead-end in the knight’s order.

And now, this unchanged short stature remained the same.

“Damn it, why is it only me suffering like this!! This damn life!!!!!!”

The pent-up anger erupted.

I began throwing the gold that surrounded me in a frenzy.

“Hey, captain! Calm down! Everyone run away!!”

“I had a feeling things were getting too quiet lately!!!”

“What the hell is this!!!!”

After about 20 minutes of my rampage, my explosive tantrum finally subsided.

—————————————

After recording everything relevant in the ruins and gathering all the loot, the Snow Country Exploration Team made their way back out of the Snow Country and headed to a nearby village.

Anticipating to bring back a fortune, everyone had packed a magic pouch, and although they carried a quantity of gold that would typically be staggering, they felt light-footed.

Normally, the Snow Country is a white labyrinth you can enter but never exit.

And so, it has been designated as a magical realm, a place feared by all nations, but the exploration team left without any issue.

Of course, this was only natural.

Because I, Atlas Titan, was the leader of the Snow Country Exploration Team.

Having read the web novel that depicts this world’s story, I know many of the background details that the people here are unaware of, and I haven’t forgotten them yet.

Among them, was the strategy to conquer the Snow Country.

In the original story, the protagonist also broke through the Snow Country, and I merely followed that method.

The protagonist in the novel, having grown sufficiently tall upon arriving at the ruins of the Snow Country, didn’t spare a glance at the Elixir of Growth, either.

Had they known that the potion was the Elixir of Polymorph, they might have drunk it; it would have been more useful to them than the Elixir of Growth.

Before returning to the Empire, exhausted and seeking to rest, the exploration team arrived at the last supply point, which was a village near the Snow Country.

Seeing the exploration team covered in thick white snow after exiting the Snow Country, the villagers were all wearing expressions as if they had seen ghosts.

It was a village we had stopped by before entering the Snow Country, so they all thought we had died, and were shocked to see us return unscathed.

Regardless of the villagers’ thoughts, the Snow Country Exploration Team entered the village’s only tavern and began to drink merrily.

Bella, the female exploration team member who had provided the diary of the Snow Country, sat in the corner of the tavern, looking dejectedly at the fireplace while sipping a drink. She came and sat in front of me.

“Atlas… are you still mad?”

“You’re lucky… you got what you wished for.”

“Wow, you’re still mad…”

Seeing me sulking, Bella glanced at me anxiously.

She got what she wanted, yet I, who played the most crucial role in the exploration, had nothing to show for it, so she felt guilty.

“I guess I had too much expectation for the potion. I shouldn’t have thought it would definitely work… so stupid,”

Though she spoke in a self-deprecating tone, I couldn’t help but think that the Elixir of Growth should naturally exist in those ruins.

After all, it was a definitive item that the author had stated exists in the backdrop of this story.

While the exact location was never specified, it was assuredly said to exist.

Therefore, when I heard the legend of the Snow Country, I mistakenly believed it to be true.

Well, it wasn’t.

“It’s not that I’m stupid… I know, at least, that you are bigger than anyone else… everyone is shorter than you, so they just can’t see you properly…”

“Thanks for the comfort, but what I really want is to grow big, not just have a big heart.”

“I’m fine with it as it is.”

“I can’t stand being like this,” I said.

Seeing her trying to cheer me up was quaint enough that I wanted to stroke her head, but with my stubby little arms, reaching her hair from across the table would have been comically awkward, so I gave up.

As I raised my glass again, an elegant letter envelope fell from the ceiling with a soft thud.

Looking up, I noticed a silhouette melting into the darkness.

“Uh? What’s this??”

“Don’t be surprised; it’s just a letter from home.”

It wasn’t surprising that a letter fell from thin air.

What made it familiar was the wax seal firmly affixed to the envelope, marked with a phrase I knew all too well.

Removing the seal and reading the letter, I immediately sprang up from my seat, packed my things, and dashed out of the tavern.

“Atlas, where are you going?!”

Bella exclaimed, startled, as she followed me outside.

“Sorry!! Can you take care of my stuff? I have an emergency at home and need to head back!”

The letter contained a message saying my parents had unexpectedly passed away in good spirits, and I was needed to return.