novelraw Chapter 115 : Chapter 115
Chapter 115 : Chapter 115
Chapter 115 : Recklessness
Despite Upgrade's objection, the scales tipped in Chatfield's favor.
He put down his chopsticks and pointed at the Tracker on the table.
The new Tracker possessed Analysis abilities, but without an external power source connection, it wouldn't work properly, rendering it useless until linked with a gun.
"The goal for today was to hand over the Tracker so Salvatore could analyze the materials I brought. Since we don't have enough materials, just crafting won't teach him their uses, so the Analysis ability is essential for this task."
Upgrade didn't seem very keen on pushing Sal to continue crafting.
She continued eating her sushi with a frown.
Their conversation revolved around the future potential of the Tracker, and Sal began to slowly realize it was a tremendous investment in the long run.
Chatfield glanced at Upgrade to gauge her reaction, but only silence returned.
So he continued, sending a meaningful look toward Sal.
"Just the fact that you can meld such high-grade materials into low-rank equipment is a great achievement. For us, supplying Savior Class students with high-quality low-rank sets might boost overall capabilities in the future. Ultimately, the key is how long it takes to absorb the Essence needed to move to the next stage. If it's a fixed amount..."
Chatfield looked away for a moment, seemingly calculating in his head.
"If the criterion for evolution is just filling a certain amount of Essence, it means there's no need to wait for synchronization over time. I was mistakenly thinking it evolves along with the wearer. But what if we supply that set to our frontline teams? They could recklessly break through thresholds and force evolution at a rapid pace."
At the sound of a sharp click, Chatfield and Sal's gazes turned toward Upgrade.
She clicked the tips of her chopsticks together once more, then used them like an extension of her hand to point at the Tracker on the table.
"Before jumping to conclusions, we need to verify what we're dealing with. There might be restrictions so that Essence accumulates only at a constant rate over time. That way, evolution would proceed gradually and consistently. Personally, I think if we follow the Captain's suggestion, the device will break. Just a strike from a Vampire could slash that Tracker's stats in half. If we send something like that into actual combat for heroes to wear, it's obvious it will be destroyed eventually."
Chatfield tapped the table with his fingers and smiled.
It was clear he was enjoying their debate.
"But what if they just need to push through to the first evolution? It might not be a set path. Salvatore himself said he has no idea in what order the abilities will unlock. What if the parts adapt to the environment and gain useful abilities on the battlefield? Then, rather than wasting three years in class, it would be best to send them to the front lines as soon as possible."
Sal raised his hand to draw Chatfield's attention.
"Excuse me, but that wasn't what I meant. There are runes I engraved for the visor to unlock. They are inscribed within the multiple layers of the Scarlet Screen and will activate when evolution reaches a certain rank. I don't think it will change into something completely different depending on how much Essence it absorbs. It seems there is a set path, just that we don't know what form it will take right now."
An awkward silence filled the room.
The only sound heard was Upgrade moving sushi to her plate with chopsticks.
Sal hadn't paid attention to his own appetite while engrossed in crafting, and despite being hungry, the sushi just didn't taste right.
Vanessa had advised diversifying his diet to fully benefit from training, but there were definitely limits to changing one's palate.
Sal looked up at Chatfield, wondering if he had become close enough to discern his inner thoughts.
"Then, what was that reckless plan for the freshmen? Since I'm somewhat involved too."
Sal laughed awkwardly and examined Chatfield's reaction.
He wished he were wearing the monocle to know his true feelings, but there was no need.
Because Chatfield willingly explained his thought process.
"The expression reckless was used by Upgrade, not me."
There was no sharpness in Chatfield's tone, and a faint smile was spreading on his face.
"Frankly speaking, the current growth rate of students is by no means sufficient. Making them fight each other through tournament-style sparring has meaning, sure. But the opponents we have to fight aren't human. I want to change the growth trajectory and expose freshmen to monster combat as quickly as possible. The expedition I conducted with the second-years was practically a complete mess. They have too much to learn, and there are only two years left to correct it. So, I plan to take the first-years on the same expedition around next month. Whether we tackle the lowest floors of the Tower or rotate through low-level dungeons."
Chatfield spoke while maintaining eye contact with Sal.
"This is the only way to prepare students for the reality outside. Just coddling them inside here for another year won't help anyone and will only hinder their growth. The details are still being fine-tuned, but it's highly likely to be announced at the Quest Assembly in a few weeks."
Sal looked at him in shock, and Upgrade burst into laughter.
Upgrade pointed at Sal with her chopsticks and looked at Chatfield.
"I see. But imagine this reaction bursting out from a thousand students simultaneously. Moreover, most of them have much louder voices than Sal. The original curriculum was designed to adapt students to that environment gradually, not to suddenly throw them into deep water. If we're not careful, students will drop out in droves before they even grasp their own capabilities."
Upgrade raised her hand to stop Chatfield when he tried to interrupt.
"I'm telling you this sincerely. Considering how many students need time to realize their own strength, giving such a shock from the start will make them give up before they even bloom. You might say if they drop out right now, they didn't have the aptitude in the first place, but what I want to say is that if that curriculum existed when I was a student, I wouldn't have survived the first year either. It was only when I moved up to the second year that I began to understand my power and realized how valuable it is to society. If your plan had been in effect back then, I wouldn't even be lecturing here right now."
Chatfield sighed, resting his chin on his palm and leaning his head.
He glanced sideways at Upgrade and shook his head.
"I understand fully. Not every student learns at the same pace, and the new reform proposal doesn't fit everyone's capacity perfectly. That's why we need to get the consent of all faculty members to ensure talented students who need more care receive proper support. Since you were one of those students who needed more time, I hope we can discover other Upgrades among the freshmen. Our curriculum reform is inevitable, and unfortunately, we must tailor it to the majority to get the best results. However, if you propose a plan to persuade more students to remain in the Support track, I will gladly review it."
Chatfield straightened up and pointed to the door leading to the workshop.
"The reason I tried to craft the breastplate set with Salvatore was to give Supporters at least a minimal lifeline in the monster combat evaluation. If a Supporter crafts in the way we need and fills the set quota, they can avoid expulsion even if they fall short of standards in combat or survival classes."
Upgrade raised an eyebrow and snorted as if in disbelief.
"So you're saying, Captain, that you had already prepared a lifeline for Supporters even before planning the curriculum reform?"
Even without the monocle, Sal could tell there were thorns in her tone.
He began to question whether Upgrade truly supported the Captain's plan or if she had just said so to reassure him.
Chatfield turned the chair he was perched on and showed a bitter smile toward Upgrade.
"Is that so unbelievable? I don't want to lose talent, nor did I come to punish anyone. The problem is that we aren't preparing students for war right now. All I'm doing is devising measures so students can reach their goals. For the sake of us all. Students in Support, Offense, Defense, and Controller tracks can distinguish themselves enough in combat evaluations, and Healers are absolutely necessary, so they will be nurtured swiftly."
Chatfield sighed and continued.
"Isn't it natural to try finding a solution for Supporters who intend to stay cooped up in this workshop until graduation? They too need to know how to defend themselves. Perhaps some of them will grow even more significantly on the actual battlefield. The more versatile talents we have, the more it benefits us."
As if losing her appetite, Upgrade put her chopsticks down on the plate and pushed it away.
Amidst the mixed emotions on her face, her firmly set jaw revealed frustration.
Feeling that the two wouldn't easily find common ground, Sal tried to change the subject.
"I thought about using an Epic rank Core as the main component of the gun. Machining it into a revolving cylinder to create hollow chambers."
Sal voiced the thought that had been lingering in his mind.
It was a perfect change of topic.
Upgrade looked at him with a curious expression.
"Wait, you want to waste an Epic rank Core on something like that? There are more efficient ways to infuse Essence into bullets. Like how you put Essence into the sniper rifle barrel."
Upgrade was very confused, and Sal tried to explain the crude idea that had popped into his head.
Looking at the small fragments of materials he was about to examine, the thought crossed his mind that he could process them into revolver bullets.
He wasn't sure exactly how it would work, nor did he intend to actually fire the materials.
He just wanted to utilize the individual effects each material possessed.
"What if we make casings or dedicated cases for each fragment in the box? The Epic rank Core could act like a catalyst for the attributes loaded in the chambers. For example... let's say we put Moonsilver in as a casing. Then wouldn't we be able to fire Essence bullets containing calming effects? I don't intend to make the materials into actual bullets. Instead, I intend to use them like small Cores where the effect changes with each shot. Ideally, it would be great if I could make the revolver itself and then craft casings separately whenever a new material is discovered. Then the gun's versatility would increase greatly, and I could switch loads depending on the situation."
Upgrade blinked, then gestured as if pointing into the empty air in front of Sal.
"Then check it quickly. See if that's possible."
Then she immediately got up and walked over to where the pile of blueprints was stacked.
She pulled one out absentmindedly and held it out in front of Sal.
"It's hard to understand what's going on in your head with just verbal explanations. You don't have to, but since you're at it, draw it yourself and explain slowly."
Chatfield was watching them carefully from across the table.
"I don't want to deliver uncomfortable news, but what you have now is a desynchronized Tracker. Whatever design you choose, it must have synergy with the Tracker. Otherwise, it's just a waste of resources. Your idea is interesting but feels a bit grandiose. In my opinion, it's better to utilize the materials you have now and the blueprint already provided by Quest. No need to make it complicated. This stage is strictly a process to understand the materials needed for evaluating the breastplate set."
Chatfield's voice was calm, but there was evident concern about the sudden change in project scope.
Just as Sal was about to apologize for seemingly ruining the mood, Upgrade stepped forward and looked straight at Chatfield.
"Captain, I don't mean to overstep, but speaking as the professor in charge of crafting and Sal's mentor, I think it's really good for Sal to exercise his creativity like this. If you want to take a break, Captain, we can call you when the work is finished."
Chatfield sighed in resignation and crossed his arms.
But he didn't seem to have any intention of leaving or stopping Upgrade.
He gestured for Sal to continue.
When Sal gave a faint smile to Upgrade, she responded by handing him an engraving needle.
"Don't leave anything out. I want to see it as detailed as possible. Draw everything that comes up in your brilliant head. Got it?"
Sal's smile broadened into a wide grin.
He activated his Mythos Crafter ability and immersed himself in the design work.
His idea was somewhat reckless, but the ability understood it and molded the Epic rank Core into a revolving cylinder for the revolver.
Just as Sal reached for the monocle, Upgrade grabbed his wrist and showed a playful smile.
"Reinforcing your ability is fine. But you can make it without this piece of glass. You are enough on your own."
Sal laughed sheepishly, withdrew his hand, and turned his gaze to the image of the revolver moving slowly before his eyes.
Upgrade leaned in slightly and whispered quietly.
"Besides, when you're wearing that, you're a real mess to talk to."