"The professor was right. Even though I knew all the material from studying, my mind just went blank when I saw the Death Worm."
"But how can that guy Jeron stay so calm in front of a monster like that? He's seriously impressive…"
"I saw it clearly. He didn't even twitch an eyebrow."
"There's that rumor that he sleeps during class because the academy lessons are too boring…"
Whisper, whisper.
The cadets were whispering while glancing at me.
Though calling it whispering was a stretch—they were loud enough for everyone to hear.
It was a situation straight out of yesterday morning.
The only difference was that yesterday it had been malicious gossip, but now it was praise.
The two scenes I'd shown must have made quite the impact.
Standing still against Kaiser for a three-second takedown. Not even blinking against the Death Worm.
In reality, both were total freebies.
The cadets' eyes were sparkling so intensely it was starting to feel burdensome.
"Alright! Great! Now let's get into the real lesson!"
Fortunately, Zephyr resumed the lecture, putting an end to the impromptu worship.
"When I was still active in the field, I once got stranded in the Great Forest of Magical Beasts…"
From there, Zephyr emphasized the importance of staying calm in real combat, weaving in his own vivid experiences.
His stories were so realistic and captivating that they felt less like a lecture and more like tales from a neighborhood big bro recounting his adventures.
They were engaging enough that even the system didn't stop me from listening—proof of their quality.
That said.
Zephyr had mentioned a "gift" earlier, and that was crucial.
That's why I'd coolly answered his question with something like, "Eh, just a hunch," without milking extra sloth points.
I couldn't risk missing the right answer and forfeiting the gift.
So I'd played it by the textbook, just like in the game.
Similarly, I could've skipped the lecture for a bit more sloth, but I didn't want to risk annoying him and losing the gift—or getting something worse.
It was a reward worth sacrificing a little sloth for.
Honestly, the stories were pretty interesting anyway.
The other cadets were just as engrossed, eyes gleaming.
'He's a great lecturer.'
I was impressed inwardly.
From the shock therapy opener to grab attention, to blending his experiences for an engaging delivery without the boredom. No wonder the headmaster handpicked him as a professor.
Despite the lighthearted vibe from his looks and aura, he was dead serious about teaching.
A little later.
"…That's it for today's class! Hmm, but we've got some time left."
He checked his watch and said.
"Use the remaining time for self-study! You're all free to go!"
He even ended class early.
That explained why Zephyr was one of the most popular professors at [Stella Academia].
Clap, clap, clap, clap!!
Thunderous applause erupted. Even the cadets who'd doubted him earlier joined in.
And then.
[You participated in class.]
[Intelligence increased by 1!]
'Whoa. First time seeing this.'
It was the first time I'd sat through an entire class.
Normally, a measly intelligence bump took a backseat to sloth points.
With that, class ended, and Zephyr called me aside.
"…Ah, Cadet Jeron! Mind sparing a moment?"
He walked over with heavy steps and grinned broadly.
"Man, your nerves of steel are no joke! Even realizing it was an illusion, to stay that composed in front of a Death Worm!"
…Nerves of steel.
Sorry, Zephyr, but that was a total misunderstanding.
Truth was, I was scared shitless.
I'd barely held it together because my brain fully registered it as illusion magic.
It's just a 4D movie, just a movie… I must've repeated that to myself a hundred times.
Especially at the end when the Death Worm gaped its maw—I legit freaked.
Damn. It even replicated that rotten breath. The game never had that detail.
Of course, I didn't let it show, just acted chill.
"I said there'd be a gift for you, right, Cadet Jeron?! I've got something very, very special prepared, so get excited!"
Professor Zephyr winked.
Finally, the gift I'd been waiting for.
The first class in 'Grand Beast Magic' at [Stella Academia] was originally a jump-scare event.
New players had no clue it was fake and bolted for their lives…
But veterans who'd been burned once would just stand still.
That skipped the escape scene and unlocked new content instead—that was the gift.
Specifically…
"…My autograph!"
Ta-da!
Zephyr thrust a paper scrawled with his signature right in front of me.
What? An autograph?
…That's not it.
As I stood there dumbfounded, Zephyr burst out laughing and patted my shoulder.
"Hahaha! Just kidding! Wait, Cadet Jeron! You look more shocked now than when you saw the Death Worm? Ouch, that stings. And here I thought you were a fan!"
Sigh.
I got played.
As I gave a wry smile, Zephyr finally looked satisfied and pulled out the real gift.
"Here's the actual present. A Green-rank dungeon entry ticket!"
Dungeon.
An unknown space teeming with magical beasts.
Dangerous, but a land of opportunity with rewards to match.
Dungeons were graded by conquest difficulty into six colors: White, Green, Blue, Yellow, Red, Black. Green was just right for academy cadets.
"It's a good one. I won it at auction a while back and was saving it for an outstanding cadet like you!"
"Thank you."
I carefully tucked the dungeon entry ticket Zephyr handed me into my pocket.
As he said, this dungeon punched above its Green weight in rewards. But more importantly.
'This dungeon hides a secret.'
It had a hidden element known only to hardcore players, making this ticket basically treasure to me.
And so, with 100 sloth points, the dungeon ticket, and Zephyr's autograph (shoved at me forcefully), my first elective class came to a close.
***
The first thing I did after class was check my status window.
[Level: 22]
[Sloth: 970]
Compared to yesterday, level up by 2, sloth up by 300.
Thanks to the 200 points from full-time napping through four hours of morning general classes, plus the 100 from this class reward.
My level had ticked up accordingly.
'Keep this pace!'
We were past smooth sailing into high gear. Just 30 points to [Elixir of Ultimate Growth]. Faster than even I'd expected.
"Something good happen?"
Just then, Artel, walking beside me after class, asked. She must've noticed my sudden grin.
I was about to brush it off when a mischievous idea hit.
"Yeah? Just happy to be with you, Artel."
I laid it on thick on purpose.
Dropping corny lines like that at [Stella Academia] always got hilarious shock from Artel. Delicious.
"…That again."
But oddly, Artel didn't snap at me like usual.
She just muttered that and walked a step ahead.
Hm? Just ignoring me?
A bit thrown, but something more important came up.
"Hey, Artel. Wanna hit a dungeon with me this weekend?"
At my offer, Artel stopped and turned with wide eyes.
"…A dungeon? …With me?"
"Yeah. Got a Green-rank entry ticket as a reward from Professor Zephyr. Figured you'd be a big help."
She hesitated a moment, then nodded.
"…Sure."
Pretty willing acceptance.
Makes sense. Dungeon runs were prime for real combat experience and rare loot. No reason for her to say no.
"But… just the two of us?"
She asked cautiously.
"Nah. Thinking of bringing one more. Cool?"
"Oh… Okay. That's fine."
A flicker of disappointment crossed her face.
More mouths to split rewards with—fair to feel bummed.
But no choice.
To fully clear this dungeon, Artel and I alone wouldn't cut it firepower-wise.
'Got the perfect guy in mind.'
I pictured the ideal third party member.
Karen, the Sword Saint's daughter. Sword girl.
She lived for combat and training, so no way she'd turn down a dungeon raid invite. We'd even chatted briefly last time, so easy to ask.
That aside.
'Gonna need full prep to snag the hidden element too.'
My stats were still rock-bottom F's outside agility.
Worse than your average couch potato.
First, chug the [Elixir of Ultimate Growth] to normalize stats, then buy 'that skill' from the sloth shop for the dungeon.
Meaning I needed a massive sloth haul.
'Gotta slack off… er, harder than ever!'
I steeled my resolve.
"Hey, Artel. Class ended early again today. What's your plan?"
"Self-study at the library. Can't waste even a minute."
Whoa…
Way too model student.
But I already knew from the original story why she obsessed over growth and strength, so it didn't feel entirely admirable.
Gazing at her with mixed feelings, a message popped up.
[A sudden quest has occurred.]
[Sharing Sloth Doubles It]
[Goal: Spend slacking time with Artel.]
[Reward: Sloth +200, Random Low-Grade Spellbook]
"Artel."
I called her name in a serious tone right away.
"…What?"
She looked a tad tense.
I told her.
"Let's ditch class."