Rather than a school, the academy is closer to being a city, with the entire Arken Mountains as its premises.
This place is in the northeast of the academy.
'Hua…' (heavy breathing)
"The Undeveloped Forest."
I was trying to escape the prying eyes of the students and ended up walking for half a day.
That's plenty of time to understand the situation I'm in.
"First things first. I'm not leaving the academy. I don't want that beggar ending."
At the point when I was just disowned,
it was the extreme starting part of the scenario.
Fortunately, even though I was 'disowned' by my family,
I had not been expelled from the academy yet.
Here comes the important part.
Because, in the setting, SYLVANIA ACADEMY is a top-notch academy.
As long as I graduate from it,
I am guaranteed a secure future.
And as long as the game is set in the academy,
I can use the intel of a five-time dedicated player of the game to its fullest.
Yeah, I was obsessed with it, and to get the ending, I played five times in a row.
This means if I just graduate quietly,
I can live a way more comfortable and awesome life than the one I left behind in the past.
So obviously, my goal is GRADUATION.
The issue is the enormous tuition fees.
This semester must already be paid for,
so if I can just get a scholarship for next semester…!
'…'
"With my stats, can I get the scholarship?"
I think I'd be lucky not to flunk.
I can think about the tuition later, but first, I gotta think about the urgent matter.
Things I need right now to survive:
"Food, clothing, and shelter."
"So, for around the next week, how can I avoid turning into a bum?"
I questioned myself.
Searching my belongings, I found a pair of showy clothing, a ceremonial dagger, and, last but not least, an ornamental cup.
"I have enough clothes."
As for food and shelter…
"But the main problem is I don't have a place to stay or food to eat tonight."
"And given this guy's reputation, it'll be hard to get a job."
"I can't go to the dorm I was kicked out of either."
So I guess I'm stuck here in the woods for the time being.
The first thing I needed to do was make a livable environment so I could continue going to the academy. I could build something in ten days.
I should build a place I could live in. There was a pleasant, cool spring breeze blowing, so I could sleep out in the open if I really needed to, but… I didn't know if I would be able to sleep on the ground.
Should I make a simple tent?
I don't need to go out of my way to make a proper tent. A simple shelter shouldn't be all that hard. If I were to use thick tree trunks as supports and cover them with a canopy, it should become somewhat of a roofed shelter.
The forest in the northeastern part of the Arken Mountains was quite well preserved.
Spotting a spirit meant the place had yet to be touched by humans.
There were many tree trunks that could be used to support the canopy in the area.
"I should at least be moving while thinking."
I don't have the luxury of only thinking. I should also be working.
Staring at my reflection in the stream, I focused on my eyes once again.
[Name: ED ROTHSTAYLOR]
Gender: MaleAge: 17School Year: 2ndSpecies: Human
Achievements: None
Vitality: 3Intelligence: 4Dexterity: 7Willpower: 7Luck: 6
Combat Skills Details ≫Magic Skills Details ≫Life Skills Details ≫Alchemy Skills Details ≫
Ignoring my embarrassing stats, I focused on the details of my Magic Skills.
[Magic Skills Details]
Grade: Low-grade MagicianSpecialized Field: Elements
Common Magic:܀ Fast Casting Level 1܀ Mana Sense Level 1
Fire Element Magic:܀ Ignite Level 2
Wind Element Magic:܀ Wind Blade Level 1
Magicians specializing in elements only have two basic magic spells.
Furthermore, first-year elemental-based magicians were required to choose two elements to specialize in. I seemed to have chosen fire and wind, but seeing as I hardly trained even the most basic spells, I really was lazy.
Whatever. At least I was able to check that I had magic spells I could use.
I felt the mana in my body the deeper I went into the forest. Of course, compared to the protagonist's overflowing amount of mana, mine was infinitely weaker. At least it enabled me to cut down these moderately sized tree trunks.
I used Wind Blade to cut the branches down to a manageable size. There would be no point if I couldn't carry them back.
After cutting through five to six tree trunks, I was already out of breath. Just like I expected, this body couldn't handle mana freely. I desperately needed to train.
"Seriously. What a freaking pain."
I spat on the ground and caught my breath for a moment, then took the cut branches to where there was sunlight.
The frames kept slipping off the ground because the strength wasn't balanced. This wasn't working. It would be better to dig out holes to put down the foundations.
After digging out the holes and setting up the four foundations, I angled them to meet in the middle.
It wasn't an easy task. I only had two hands for the four support beams. Thankfully, I was able to compensate by holding the pieces of wood with my head and shoulder.
I tied the pieces of wood together where they met with a leather belt. It was from a high-class tunic I found in my bag. I then used the last piece of wood as a stake through the middle, digging it into the ground to make sure the whole thing wouldn't fall over.
Although a bit lame and unstable, the frame of my shelter was completed. It wasn't pretty. The branches didn't exactly meet in the middle, and because I didn't calculate anything, the resulting height was lower than I anticipated.
That said, once I covered this with a canopy, it should be good enough to spend the night in.
I considered using some of my clothes to cover the top but ultimately decided against it.
Not only would I need to use four to five pieces to cover the whole frame, but it would also mean sacrificing clothes I would wear starting tomorrow. I didn't want to do that.
Besides, these clothes were of high quality. I may even be able to sell them. I didn't want to just use them as a roof.
To compromise, I decided to tie two pieces of clothes together and lay them on the ground. I couldn't just sleep on the dirt.
What should I use to cover my shelter with then? No matter how much I thought about it, I still didn't know what to do. I eventually went back into the forest and brought back tree branches with long, wide leaves.
The whole process took almost an hour.
And another hour to cover my shelter with the branches.
"Phew… Ha… This is exhausting."
Finally done, I stretched my back and wiped my sweat off. It was hard work, but at least it's now over.
In front of me was a shelter I could lie down in. I felt a sense of accomplishment at the feat.
"Production completed. Production skills have increased."
"The list of completed products has been updated."
The message popped up.
"Hm?"
I tilted my head, puzzled. I went to the stream and focused on my eyes.
The window that materialized wasn't the usual long information window. Instead, it was different.
[Life Skills Details]
Grade: Beginner CraftsmanSpecialized Fields: None
܀ Handicraft Level 4܀ Design Level 1܀ Collecting Skills Level 1
"Oh? What's this?"
It seemed like I was someone with a talent for production rather than magic. It made sense, I guess, given how my Dexterity was better than my Intelligence and Vitality.
[Newly Crafted Product]
Simple Wooden Shelter
A shelter where you can temporarily rest.It's of low-grade quality and is quite shabby.If you don't maintain it, its duration won't last long.
Production Difficulty Level: ◐○○○○
The window was a welcome sight. I didn't know the production system could be activated like this.
If I were to manage my production proficiency, then wouldn't it be possible for me to do the same in other areas? That's great news.
Thinking about it, it's possible to overcome my current situation after all.
I'm too tired right now, however, and am mentally at my limit.
I needed a break.
I went and lay down in my completed shelter, listening to the buzz of nature all around me.
Darkness arrived. Unable to see anything, I closed my eyes and felt myself slowly drifting off to sleep.
I knew I was in a difficult situation, left with so many things to resolve.
But for now, I needed to sleep. Sleep first, then I will face tomorrow.
And tomorrow, after sunrise, I will find a long-term plan to survive in this academy.