Chapter 332: According to Plan
Iron Fortress Territory, Evernight Academy.
Inside the Gomoku interest-group classroom, over twenty students sat in rigid,
disciplined rows, staring expectantly at the lectern.
On top of the wooden desk, a blue slime lay sprawled, its entire mass flattened
into a thin, unmoving pancake.
"What is the current status of Bochi-sensei?" an Orc student whispered to the
Elf classmate beside him.
"Unknown. He has maintained this 'Flat-Lay' posture for three cycles," the Elf
girl replied, looking confused.
"In the previous semester, Bochi-sensei was overflowing with kinetic energy. He
would bounce onto the desk and deliver lectures on the 'Invincible Briefs
Formation' at a deafening volume."
"Affirmative!" a Dwarf student chimed in, leaning over. "Last cycle, he promised
to instruct us in his 'Secret Technique'—the Twerk Defense."
"And now? He has occupied the lectern for two hours without a single
vocalization."
The students continued their hushed discussion. On the desk, Bochi's black-bean
eyes stared listlessly at the ceiling. Its tiny tentacles dangled limply at its
sides; the slime radiated an aura of total biological surrender—the essence of a
"Spent Unit."
"Guchi..."
Bochi let out a weak, pathetic vibration. The sound was saturated with despair,
regret, and a profound, localized resentment toward the "Carrot Protocol."
Why...? Why did I initiate the expedition to the Eldritch Realm? Why did I
utilize my vocal receptors for such excessive boasting? Why did I claim the
Sovereign was a submissive unit who obeyed my every request?
Now look at the metrics. Liquid assets: Confiscated. Glucose rations: Deleted.
Autonomy: Zero.
My existence consists only of carrots and teenagers.
The more Bochi processed its own tragedy, the further its body deflated.
"Umm... Bochi-sensei?" A human girl raised her hand tentatively. "Will the
lecture commence today?"
Bochi's eyes performed a slow rotation, fixing on the student.
"Commencing..."
Bochi struggled to a vertical position. Its movements were sluggish, like a
slime that had reached its thousand-year biological limit. It dragged its mass
to the blackboard and seized a piece of chalk.
"Today... we perform a review of the Briefs Formation..."
Bochi began to draw with a weak, trembling tentacle. In the past, illustrating
the "Briefs" would have been an event of manic passion. He would have covered
the entire board, accompanying the drawings with exaggerated tactical
explanations.
"Observe! This is the Invincible Briefs Formation, hand-crafted by the King
himself!" "Once the coordinate is set, the opponent experiences terminal
despair!" "Because they will realize their units have been enveloped by a
pattern resembling high-tier undergarments!" "This is more than a tactical win;
it is a psychological liquidation of the opponent's dignity!"
Back then, Bochi's eyes had glowed with the light of Tier-S confidence. His
tentacles had been a blur of movement.
Now? Bochi merely sketched three circles.
"There. Audit the pattern yourselves."
He collapsed back onto the desk, returning to his pancake-state. "Practice among
yourselves."
The students exchanged bewildered glances.
"Is that the entire curriculum?" "Where is the 'Essence of the Briefs'?" "What
of the 'Psychological Liquidation'?" "Sensei! We require data!"
Bochi remained motionless. "Exercise your own logic..."
The classroom plunged into a state of "Unsettling Silence." The students had
never witnessed their mentor in such a state of system-failure. In the past,
while Bochi was arrogant and prone to hyperbole, his dedication to the board was
absolute. His tactical models, despite their peculiar nomenclature, were
structurally sound. Several students had achieved regional rankings in the
Academy's Gomoku tournaments thanks to his instruction.
But this Bochi? This Bochi was a statistical zero.
"Bochi-sensei, have you sustained biological trauma?" a kind-hearted Elf girl
asked, walking to the front.
Bochi's black eyes flickered toward her. "Negative."
My core is simply hollow.
"Then... why is your output so low?" "Is there a variable causing you 'Sorrow'?"
"Can we assist in the calibration?"
Seeing the cluster of students gathered around the desk, their faces full of
genuine concern, a flicker of emotion touched Bochi's core. But it was quickly
suppressed by the weight of his reality.
You cannot assist. Unless you can convince the Master to restore my gold, my
cakes, and my freedom. Is that a viable mission? Negative. When the Master is in
'Disciplinary Mode,' even the Seven Generals avoid his coordinate. I am but a
slime. I possess zero leverage.
"Guchi..." Bochi let out a long, resonant sigh of defeat.
Just then, the classroom door swung open. Lloyd and Rosen, the heads of the
Academy, stepped into the sector. They took in the sight of the flattened Bochi
and the worried students, their faces masks of complex emotion.
"Cough." Lloyd cleared his throat. "Students. Return to your designated seats."
The students obeyed with visible reluctance. Lloyd walked to the lectern,
looking down at the dejected pancake.
"Bochi... sensei." Lloyd's voice carried a hint of professional sympathy. "I am
aware that your current mood-parameters are low."
"However, the curriculum must persist. The students have a high
expectation-rating for your instruction. You cannot provide such unoptimized
output."
Bochi lifted his head, his eyes hollow. "I possess the data. But I lack the
motivation-Od."
Rosen knelt down, bringing himself to eye-level with the slime. "Bochi, we have
received the report. We know about the... 'Minor Deviations' in the Eldritch
Realm."
"The Master sentenced you to this post and confiscated your glucose reserves."
Bochi's frame shivered. "Not minor... catastrophic. I nearly leaked the Empire's
core data. I claimed the Sovereign was my thrall."
"I... I am just a stupid sewer-slime with a logic error in its jaw..."
As Bochi's voice shrank, Lloyd and Rosen exchanged a quick look. To be honest,
when they had first heard that Bochi told an alien planet he was the Master's
"Handler," they had nearly suffered a collective cardiac arrest from laughing.
The child had impressive balls for a creature made of jelly.
But seeing him now, so thoroughly broken, they felt a pang of pity. Bochi had
failed, but his intent had been naive, not malicious. He was simply too easy to
manipulate with a well-placed cake.
"Bochi," Lloyd said, his voice softening into an instructor's warmth. "You are
experiencing 'Grief.' But you must understand: the Sovereign did not sentence
you here because his affection has statisticalized to zero."
"He did it because he expects you to archive the lesson. He wants his First
Slime to possess 'Common Sense'."
Bochi looked up. "Is that the official data?"
"Statistical truth," Rosen nodded. "If the Master were truly finished with you,
he would have processed you for recycling. Placing you in the Academy is a
'Correction Protocol'—a second chance."
"And..." Rosen lowered his voice to a whisper. "Between us... the Master issued
a secret directive before he departed. He commanded us to ensure your
wellbeing."
"He stated that if your performance rating is 'Superior,' he would consider an
early termination of the penalty."
Bochi's black-bean eyes ignited like two miniature suns. "TRULY?!"
"The Master issued that vocalization?!"
Lloyd and Rosen nodded in unison. "Affirmative. Therefore, you must provide peak
performance. Optimize the curriculum. Educate the students to a High-Tier level.
Show the Master that your 'Correction' is complete."
Bochi's mass began to expand. From a limp pancake, it snapped back into a
vibrant, glowing sphere of blue jelly.
"I UNDERSTAND!" "I SHALL MANIFEST THE HIGHEST PEDAGOGICAL OUTPUT!"
I will show the Master I am not a 'Failure-Unit'! I am a King! I am the Light of
the Interest Group!
Bochi leaped from the desk, his frame vibrating with renewed kinetic energy. He
spun toward the students, his tentacles waving with authoritative fury.
"STUDENTS! ATTENTION!"
"Your mentor committed a momentary logic error! The previous lethargy was a
'Tactical Pause'! Now, we re-initiate the session!"
"Today, I shall instruct you in the TRUE Briefs Formation! Not the 'Standard
Edition' you see in the parks! This is the Complete Finalized Archive!"
"The Advanced Version!" "The Ultimate Configuration!"
The students stared at the "Full-Health Reboot" of their teacher, their mouths
agape.
"What... what just happened?" "Bochi-sensei has achieved a state of
hyper-arousal!" "He was a pancake five seconds ago; now he's a god of war!"
Lloyd and Rosen watched from the door, nodding to each other.
"Plan successfully executed," Rosen whispered. "He'll be worked to the bone for
the next month."
"Indeed," Lloyd smiled. "The Master truly is a genius of management."
☆☆☆
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