A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 170

Carriages usually travel only in the morning and take a brief rest at night.

This is because traveling at night, no matter how well-maintained the road is, is far too dangerous.

Even if public safety isn’t bad, the appearance of nocturnal beasts or monsters can still be a major headache.

Therefore, carriages operate only in the morning and either stop or camp outdoors at night. Fortunately, there are places similar to stations scattered along the way.

Think of them as something akin to gas stations on Earth. Thanks to these, I was able to have meals there. I didn’t have to suffer by going back into the forest.

“We’ve arrived.”

And so, the much-anticipated morning of the second day.

I was able to reach the village closest to the Academy, ‘Unity Village.’

The station was literally just for meals, and since I kept moving day and night, I arrived early.

“It’s cheap, super cheap! Today is the cheapest day!”

“This is beef caught yesterday! Give it a try!”

Unity Village is the closest village to the Academy. Perhaps because of this, it has flourished immensely.

Although it doesn’t have a train station like the Academy, that alone hasn’t hindered its growth.

After all, as talents from all over the world gather, the population naturally swells.

The Academy, being fundamentally an educational institution, lacks infrastructure.

Hence, this village takes on the role of providing the necessary infrastructure and facilities.

‘Perhaps due to the influence of the Forest of Chaos, there are quite a few beasts and monsters nearby.’

To be precise, it’s better to think of it as a gate that passes through the Forest of Chaos. Those who fail in the competition often return here.

The ecosystem remains robust as long as humans don’t recklessly destroy it. In fact, there are times when humans have to intervene directly.

This is due to the weather of the Academy and this village, which are considered ideal places for humans to live year-round.

Even in winter, the coldest season, the temperature rarely drops below freezing. This makes it highly suitable for activity.

A place that is good for humans to live is also good for beasts and monsters.

‘If it weren’t for that, I’d have frozen to death in winter.’

I consider this truly fortunate. Even just walking around in light clothing was enough.

I wandered through the bustling Unity Village, taking in the sights before moving on. Gathering information comes first.

All I know is that the place where the demon resides is near this village. I’ll have to figure out the exact location through rumors.

‘If I’m unlucky, it might not even be nearby.’

If that’s the case, I’ll just stay here for a few days and then return. That’s fun in its own way.

If the Academy is the main quest, Unity Village is a hub for sub quests.

Most beginners tend to prioritize leveling up, and Unity Village aligns perfectly with that.

As for me, I don’t particularly need to level up, but I came here to get an item. No matter what, I must obtain that item.

‘To get even a little closer······’

I looked around. The tempting aroma of delicious-looking street food tried to lure me in, but I resisted for now.

What I’m looking for is a guild—a place where I can take on requests. Sub quests are usually obtained through guilds.

In a fantasy setting, one might think only specific professions can take on requests. That’s only half true.

‘Anyway, I’m an Academy student, so it doesn’t matter.’

I’m not actually an Academy student. As long as I can properly present my ID card, I can take on requests.

It’s a kind of privilege. For this reason, I made sure to bring my ID card.

‘There it is.’

I headed toward a building that looked unmistakably like a guild. The sign blatantly said “Guild.”

After all, a guild is just a place where you skim through requests or gather rumors. That’s all I intend to do.

While I’m at it, I’ll also grab a meal. Since it doubles as a tavern, I should be able to have a simple meal there.

Clunk-

As I opened the characteristic tavern door and stepped inside, it was surprisingly quiet. Although there were people drinking even in broad daylight, it was relatively calm.

No one was causing a ruckus, shouting, or being a nuisance.

Perhaps because the Academy is nearby, it seemed like the place was well-managed in various ways.

‘Other places are probably a mess.’

Especially in areas with poor public safety, violent incidents occur frequently. Sometimes, those incidents even escalate to murder.

I looked around the quiet guild interior before heading to the counter. As I approached, a female staff member greeted me with a bright smile.

“Welcome! How can I assist you?”

“Requests?”

“Would you like to take on a request? First, I’ll need to verify your identity.”

At her words, I immediately pulled out the ID card I had stored in my small bag. It was issued as soon as I became an Academy student.

Upon seeing the Academy Student ID, the staff member nodded and maintained her signature kind smile as she spoke.

“So, you’re an Academy student. Do you happen to know your year?”

“First year.”

“First-year students are allowed to take on requests up to Orange Rank due to the rules.”

Just as realms are divided by colors, request ranks are also categorized by colors.

Naturally, red is the lowest, while purple is the highest. For the safety of first-year students, only orange ranks are permitted.

Privileges don’t mean you can take on anything recklessly. Many students are overly ambitious, so the guild has imposed restrictions.

‘Otherwise, there would be too many student casualties.’

It’s a surprisingly sensible system. Since I only plan to gather rumors, I didn’t say much.

After asking the staff for a simple meal, I moved to another area. This time, to the bulletin board where various request forms were posted.

There were quite a few people around the bulletin board, and they all looked like seasoned veterans.

“Hmm? What’s this? A student?”

“Looks like it.”

A few people noticed my approach and muttered quietly. It wasn’t in the common language but in another language.

Then, they glanced at me and continued speaking casually, as if I couldn’t understand them.

“Well, around this time, a lot of kids do show up. How many came yesterday?”

“Quite a few. I heard some recklessly went off to do a goblin subjugation and got beaten badly.”

“Learning and actual combat are two completely different things.”

Were they saying that for my benefit? It wasn’t in the common language, but I understood everything.

However, I didn’t bother pointing it out. Judging by their expressions and tone, they seemed genuinely concerned for me.

The more experienced someone is, the humbler they tend to be.

‘Those who weren’t like that are all dead.’

They’re closer to barbarians than civilized people. People who act faster with their fists than with words.

Moreover, since their lives are constantly on the line, they often avoid unnecessary trouble.

“But hey, those red eyes of his······ is he an Easterner or a Westerner?”

“I heard from some Academy kids before. They said a wildling with bright red eyes joined. Isn’t that him?”

“Could be.”

Could the rumors have spread all the way to this village? It’s not entirely unreasonable.

This village is the closest to the Academy and attracts people from all over the world.

Moreover, even high-ranking officials sometimes visit this village for rest, which helps drive the economic cycle.

“Hey. Do you need an Orange Rank request?”

That’s when one of the men who had been chatting in their language spoke to me. Though his common language was clumsy, it felt considerate.

Since I was standing behind them, it seemed like he was trying to be polite, which I couldn’t help but appreciate.

“Yeah. Anything’s fine.”

“Before that, that axe. Is it yours?”

A man with a rough appearance pointed at the Ragnarok strapped to my back as he spoke.

I wasn’t sure why he was asking, but I nodded in confirmation.

At this, the man stared at me for a moment before shrugging and speaking.

“Well, despite your face, your build looks solid. Let’s see······ something that requires decent strength······”

“How about this one?”

“No way. That’ll waste too much time. The first one is important, the first one.”

“What about this? It’s just reconnaissance.”

“He’s a warrior, not a thief or an archer. What if he gets lost?”

What, what’s going on?

The area around the request board suddenly became lively. All these burly men were discussing among themselves.

Standing behind them, I could only stare in bewilderment, unable to grasp the situation.

“Here. These are the ones you can handle. We carefully picked them out. Good luck.”

Not long after, the man who had first spoken to me handed over the request forms. There were three in total.

I accepted the request forms with a reluctant expression. Somehow, I ended up taking on requests I didn’t even want.

‘…I should just think of it as doing something for honor.’

Honor is important even within the Soul World. Sub Quests, in particular, are a perfect system for building honor.

I figured I could do them as a way to adapt to the world, killing two birds with one stone. Still feeling reluctant, I checked the request forms.

The first thing that caught my eye was manual labor. I didn’t need the money, and it was an extremely simple task.

“Don’t let your pride get in the way. That one’s a good place to start.”

As I began examining the request forms, the man offered what could barely be called advice.

Then he went on about how Academy kids are too proud and always start with the hardest tasks, only to get hurt, and so on.

These people were oddly concerned about me. It almost felt like I had become a child in their eyes.

There wasn’t really any need for me to do this, but I decided to go ahead anyway. I felt a bit guilty, as if I was causing unnecessary worry.

‘…Huh?’

While I was checking the request forms, something caught my eye among the Orange Grade tasks.

[Anomalous Phenomenon discovered in the Northwest Forest. Animal and Monster corpses found completely drained of blood. Please investigate.]

It was classified as Orange Grade simply because it was an investigation. However, this was exactly the kind of request I had been hoping for.

I wouldn’t know the details until I went there myself, but there was a high chance it was the work of that demon. It had started with animals and monsters the first time, too.

From there, it gradually extended its evil influence toward this village. It began with Missing Person Reports and escalated to actual victims.

‘These people… They’re incredibly kind.’

I stared at their retreating backs as they moved away from the bulletin board. Judging by how they stuck together, they seemed to be a team.

They had given me such a great request; I should at least thank them. But there wasn’t much I could do for them in return.

“Hey!”

“Hmm?”

Still, I called out to them. Clutching the request forms tightly in both hands, I approached them.

The adventurers, as I assumed they were, all turned around at my call. Their expressions seemed to ask what was going on.

They all had rugged looks, likely from years of blade work, but at least their hearts were kind.

“Thank you!”

Bowing deeply at the waist, I expressed my gratitude. It might have seemed like a waste of time, but it was undoubtedly a big help to me.

At my thanks, the adventurers flinched momentarily before breaking into warm smiles.

“Wow. Whoever you are, you’re really polite. Do you need any more help?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Fine, huh? Do you even have a compass?”

“…Huh?”

Now that I thought about it, I didn’t have a compass. Up until now, I’d only relied on my instincts for direction.

At my reaction, the man nodded knowingly and pulled something out of his pocket.

Then he tossed it to me. Startled, I caught it, and though it was a bit worn, it turned out to be a compass.

“Make good use of that. I’ll just buy a new one for myself.”

“You’re really well-off…”

“Hey now. Where would a student get money?”

No, I really do have money. I was so taken aback that I couldn’t even respond.

“Here’s a map. Do you know how to read it?”

“…No?”

“Ugh, I thought so. Here, look at this.”

Not only did they give me a map, but they even taught me navigation skills.

They say words can repay a thousand debts, but I felt like I had already received ten thousand.

“This is your first time in this village, right? On a whim, I’ll introduce you to some faces.”

“That’s not really nec—”

“Quiet. You’re a student, so you’ll be coming here often. I’ll just help you get familiar with the people.”

These people were too kind. Their faces didn’t match their personalities at all.

‘…Well, kindness begets kindness.’

Truly, kind words bring kind responses.

[Faith Increases!]