Chapter 256: Doom is Inevitable
Nina was holding a cup of iced cream with a few Potato Puffs mixed into the mountain of shaved ice. Just looking at it was enough to give you a toothache. Liam made no comment on her dietary choices; what other people liked to eat was their business, as long as they didn't force him to eat it too.
Soon, Liam's order arrived—a simple, savory, and spicy batch of Potato Puffs.
Nina glanced at his food and had a sudden realization. "Oh, right, it's almost time for lunch, so I can't eat too much. I won't have anything else before we eat."
What does she mean by that?
Liam subconsciously glanced at Nina's stomach. She had a very fit, slender figure. She was either the type with a high metabolism who never gained weight, or she was still young and hadn't reached the age where her body might change.
Nina pulled two bills from her wallet and handed them to the vendor. "Here's 190 Laguna. Keep the change."
Seeing that the money Nina used was completely different from Valis, Liam guessed it was a currency unique to the Academy District.
"What's Laguna? Let me get this for you next time."
"Laguna is the Academy's exclusive currency. And don't worry about treating me just yet. The cafeterias run by teachers or gods here usually provide free meals," she explained. "They're limited, though. If you can't wait, you can always go to the student bank and exchange Valis for Laguna."
Liam nodded slightly and continued to stroll along with Nina.
Nina patiently led Liam on a walk through the entire Academy, a sprawling campus that took a significant amount of time just to see once. As time passed, they eventually arrived at the dining area she had recommended.
The Blue Sky Cafeteria.
This was the internal dining hall of the Temple Tower. Besides the upper floors where the gods resided, the massive tower's lower levels also contained dining halls and other functional areas.
He had to admit, the food here was incredible. In terms of pure deliciousness, it was on the same level as The Hostess of Fertility.
Just as Liam finished his meal and was about to get up and leave, Nina stopped him.
"Gieg, have you completed your elective registration? It's for the classes you want to take here at the Academy."
Liam opened his bag. He remembered Professor Leon mentioning something about this earlier. It wasn't too late to look at it now. Following Nina's instructions, he found a scroll imprinted with the Academy's crest inside his bag.
On the scroll, Liam saw a vast number of subjects. According to Nina, some of them couldn't be taken in the first year. The mandatory courses for the Combat Division, for example, were Martial Arts, Field Survey, and Combat Missions.
Seeing Liam studying the scroll seriously, Nina added, "The practical parts of the mandatory courses, like Field Survey, have been replaced by the Dungeon internship for now. So, you mainly need to think about your electives. You need to take at least six to meet the minimum credit requirement. I'd suggest you pick subjects that you're interested in."
From Nina, Liam learned that failing to earn enough credits would result in being held back or even expelled. But that wasn't something Liam needed to worry about.
His goals from the very beginning were clear. First, he needed to awaken the Oni Power within him. Second, he wanted to learn as much as possible at the Academy to enrich his own life.
If, in the process, he could acquire a magic skill like Lefiya's or Ryuu's, that would be even better. Ryuu Lion's Stardust Memories allowed her to use all the magic of her deceased comrades. Lefiya Viridis's Elf Ring allowed her to master any magic known to the elven race. So, that was his third goal: if possible, he would try to master a versatile, all-purpose magic. Of course, this third goal was optional; if it was impossible, he wouldn't force it.
Liam patiently read the contents of the parchment scroll and was shocked by the sheer number of subjects listed:
Magicology, Incantation Arts, Magic Development, Spirit Studies, Alchemy, Harmonization, Esoteric Pharmacy, Forging, Comprehensive Theology…
The list was enormous. If there were actually teachers for every single one of these subjects, then it was no exaggeration to call the Academy the treasure trove of this era's knowledge, a sacred ground that gathered all the wisdom of the world. He figured that only a nation-sized Familia, a sanctuary of learning built by a coalition of knowledge-based gods, could amass such a wealth of information.
Take Orario, for example. A common laborer in the city, whether mining or unloading ships at the docks, might earn about a thousand Valis for a hard day's work. To buy a single parchment book on how to smelt steel and forge weapons, they would need at least 1,825,000 Valis. That was about five years of wages, without spending a single coin on food or drink. Of course, the price of a book fluctuated based on the author's fame, its condition, and the value of the knowledge within. And that was just for the most basic information.
Acquiring knowledge was the very first step to changing one's destiny. Once you mastered the knowledge of a blacksmith, you had the chance to go from an unskilled laborer to a skilled craftsman. Knowledge in this era was incredibly precious, not only because it was difficult to preserve and inefficient to teach, but also due to a series of other factors, like interference from monsters and obstruction from nobles and other elites.
Under such circumstances, the fact that the Academy could gather so much knowledge was a testament to its academic standing.
Liam's eyes were immediately drawn to one elective. "Nina, what's this one?"
"Comprehensive Theology teaches you how to read and understand Hieroglyphs. The main issue is that the passing rate for the class is less than ten percent..."
That passing rate was a letdown. As much as Liam wanted to learn, he wasn't looking to make himself miserable. He didn't know how long he would be at the Academy, but his time was still valuable. He should focus on subjects with a higher return.
Liam felt his swordsmanship still needed improvement. If he grew complacent just because his skills were already high, he would be blocking his own path to further progress.
With that, Liam had a few elective subjects in mind: Swordsmanship, Incantation Arts, Modern History, Ancient History, Elvish, and Magicology.
As for Comprehensive Theology, he would study it on his own. The Academy didn't forbid self-study, so even without officially enrolling, he could still sit in on a class as long as he didn't disturb the teacher or the students.
"Gieg, why don't you wait for me in this morning's classroom?" Nina suggested suddenly. "I'll go to the library and get the relevant books for you to prepare. Leave it to me, you'll be fine!"
Liam was stunned for a moment, then nodded.
Watching Nina hurry off, Liam didn't know what to say. They had known each other for such a short time, yet she was helping him with such enthusiasm. It was truly flattering.
Liam returned to the classroom from earlier and saw Nina wheeling in a large cart. On it were several tall stacks of books, which she pushed into the room.
She had brought an entire cartful of books directly to the classroom! What kind of super-scholar was she?!
"If you're just preparing for tomorrow's classes, reading through all of these should be enough," she said cheerfully. "Five hours should be enough time to get through this prep work, right?"
Even with Liam's strength at Level 6, reading all these books would require a tremendous amount of mental energy. For an ordinary person reading dense physical books, like scholarly histories, a normal pace would be about two hundred thousand words in eight hours. And that was just the length of a single standard book.
These stacks, at a rough glance, contained at least several dozen volumes.
"Read all of them?"
"Of course, all of them. Not only that, but I'll be giving you a pop quiz afterward," she declared. "Don't tell me you can't do it, Gieg. Everyone admitted to the Academy has been tested by the gods and possesses a will to learn. So, at the very least, your attitude should be one of a person who loves to learn! I'm absolutely certain of that!"
If he were still only Level 1, it would be a hundred percent impossible.
But now... that was a different story.
Liam began to read with incredible efficiency. Relying on the mental faculties that had been enhanced by his Sword Soul Template and adventurer levels, he rapidly memorized and understood the knowledge within the books. He maintained this high-efficiency study session for five full hours. It was a painful yet joyful experience that filled him with a sense of accomplishment.
When Liam finally rubbed his temples to take a short break, Nina was staring at him in shock.
"Gieg, have you really never studied any of this before?"
"Of course not. I only just arrived at the Academy."
Nina's mouth hung open for a moment before she seemed to process his words. She looked at him as if he were some kind of monster. "How on earth did you do that? It's your first time seeing any of this, so how did you master it all so efficiently?"
Because my mind has been strengthened, he thought. Of course, his willingness to learn was also a factor. His brain, enhanced by his Falna and the Sword Soul Template, possessed memory, calculation, and other abilities that far surpassed those of an ordinary person.
Beyond fraudulent tricks like quantum speed-reading, a person's mental power could be tested by their ability to memorize a large amount of text in a short period. Generally, the faster one could read and retain written and visual information, the more formidable their intellect. Of course, rapid calculation ability was another good measure.
"This is great, Gieg!" Nina exclaimed. "At this rate, you'll catch up with the curriculum in no time. Wait here a second, I'm going to return the books."
Just after Nina had loaded all the books back onto the cart and left, Professor Leon walked in.
Liam observed his teacher. He knew Leon was a Level 7, but since they hadn't fought, he didn't know the specifics of his strength. Still, he was certain the man was no weakling. With such a powerful figure as an instructor, Liam looked forward to his future lessons.
"You've experienced a day of life at the Academy. What are your thoughts?" Leon asked.
Liam recalled the day's events. "The students here are all remarkable, full of limitless potential. But for me, I'm more interested in acquiring knowledge, especially knowledge that will make me stronger."
"I can sense the power within you," Leon said, his gaze serious. "It's strong, and very dangerous. Perhaps when you're ready, we teachers can help you learn to guide it."
Leon's eyes glanced at Liam's left arm. Did he notice that my arm is different, too?
"Liam Moon," Leon said, his tone shifting. "If one day you were forced into a fight you couldn't win, a fight that would mean your death, what would you do?"
Liam clenched his left fist. "I'm the type who gets more excited when facing danger. Therefore, I will prepare as much as I can beforehand, constantly improving my strength. That way, even if I have to face that risk, I won't back down. If I die because of it, then that just means that was my limit. Of course, even if death is certain, I'll still launch one final counterattack before the end."
Leon was silent for a dozen seconds. "You really are completely different from the students here. You already possess a true warrior's heart. Is that something you gained through trials of blood and fire?"
Liam shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe I was born with it, and it awakened in a life-or-death struggle. Or maybe it's something that grew from nothing, little by little, in the heat of battle."
"What did you choose for your electives? Let me see."
As Liam handed over his registration form, Leon offered a piece of advice. "I recommend you also take Apocalypse Response Theory. So that we can prepare for the inevitable doom we will all one day have to face."
Humanity would eventually have to face an apocalypse. Even if the exact time of its arrival was unknown.
Liam nodded and added Apocalypse Response Theory to his application.
Leon studied him. "I told the principal that I would get a clear picture of who you are after just one day. While it may not be completely objective, I believe I have a general understanding of you now."
"I see."
It was completely unexpected. Although they were only one level apart, Liam hadn't sensed that he was being followed at all. As far as he knew, there were only two people whose presence he couldn't detect: Ottar, and the man standing before him, Leon.
"Actually, there's a reason I came to see you," Leon said. "I would like you to guide the Third Squad, the one Nina belongs to. I want you to join them and lead them."
Is this a personal request from Leon?
Liam thought for a moment before nodding. "I already promised Baldr I would, so you don't have to worry. I can't guarantee how well I'll lead them, but I will put my heart into it."
The Third Squad must be the students from Baldr's class. Looking after them was one of the conditions for his enrollment here, so focusing on a few of them was perfectly acceptable. As long as they were with him, their safety in the Dungeon would be largely guaranteed.
Even if something unexpected happened, he was confident he could rescue them from danger.
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