novelraw Chapter 89 : Chapter 89
Chapter 89 : Chapter 89
Chapter 89 : Principles
"Who do we have here? Isn't it today's protagonist? The person who should be passed out from a hangover is walking around just fine?"
Seeing Sal enter the workroom, Upgrade spoke to him playfully.
At those words, smiles spread across the faces of Martin and Gosha, who looked up at the same time.
Applause, started by who knows whom, spread out to welcome Sal.
Sal was flustered, but there was no trace of teasing in their expressions.
Even Upgrade, who would normally be the first to tease Sal, wore a warm smile this time as she walked toward his desk.
"I didn't see the battle in real time. I was stuck in the infirmary. But I heard you were really amazing? Headmaster Quest promised to send me the video once the scoring is done, so I'll watch it later."
She grinned, leaning against the high work chair next to Sal's desk.
"See, what did I tell you? Everyone else is a mess, so I said you'd do well."
However, Sal couldn't hear her words clearly after she mentioned the infirmary.
"Were you hurt badly? I saw the video of the dungeon raid. You were really incredible! I didn't know Mr. Porge was such a scary person, but I was completely amazed seeing him coordinate with you, Professor. The two of you were sweeping the dungeon floor."
Upgrade laughed even brighter and waved her hand as if it were nothing.
"Just a few scratches here and there. I was briefly held up just to check if I was okay since I haven't been out in the field for so long. Still, it felt good to confirm that I'm not dead yet!"
Sal exhaled slowly and nodded.
"You really fought almost like an Attacker? Sweeping everything away at the front. Weren't you scared? I can't even imagine fighting like that."
Upgrade's smile faded for a moment, and her right eyebrow went up.
"Like an Attacker? I'd appreciate it if you didn't lump me in with those barbarians. Of course, I was scared. But I had my team. Thanks to them, I stabilized a bit. Supporters can be plenty active in the field too. Not that we have to like that job, and don't assume you aren't suited for it either. No one knows until they face a monster for the first time."
At those words, Sal flinched involuntarily, and Upgrade chuckled softly seeing that.
She leaned forward and waved her hand in front of Sal's eyes.
"Wow, I heard you smashed the other teams in the cohort, but you're still doubting yourself?"
There was no mockery in her tone, but a vague sense of regret seemed to permeate it.
Without giving Sal a chance to answer, Upgrade stood up, walked to Sal's workbench, and placed both hands on the desk.
"Then let's think about it this way. If you were placed in a situation where you had to protect a precious person, and you could handle that situation... would you do it?"
Sal nodded without hesitation.
"Of course. Anyone would."
Upgrade met Sal's eyes and smiled briefly before speaking.
"That's it. I just acted according to the situation..."
Then she raised her right hand and pointed straight at Sal.
"To protect a precious person."
Only then did Sal realize the meaning of those words, and his face turned red.
Upgrade wore a mischievous smile, relieving his embarrassment.
"Teasing you is fun and all, but did you come here to get sentimental on your holiday? Or did you come to craft? Days like today when first years don't bombard me with questions are rare. Please don't ruin such a precious day."
Sal cleared his throat awkwardly and pointed toward the Blueprint Office.
"I came to do some designing. What are you doing right now, Professor?"
Upgrade glanced at the Blueprint Office and frowned.
"Someone's using the Blueprint Office. There's enough space to sit next to them, but... I think it would be better not to run into that person for the time being. Instead, want to look at class project proposals with me? Let's check their feasibility together. I'll count this work toward your grade."
Sal shook his head slightly and took out the tracking device Quest had given him last night.
The black translucent lens had scratches on the surface, and the silver earpiece showed natural signs of use.
"I don't know how long I can keep this device. I want to make my own version as soon as possible. Can I take a few pieces of equipment out of the Blueprint Office and work on it here?"
Upgrade frowned as she looked at the device.
"You have the Appraisal ability. You shouldn't need a device like this?"
Her eyes narrowed as she examined the device more closely.
"Wait a minute... Headmaster Quest gave this to you? Then it might be connected to his System ability. What do you plan to make with this?"
Sal shrugged, looking at the small device in his hand.
"I met Professor Beck last night, and he told me to try replicating his Analysis ability."
"Professor Beck?"
"Yes, but it's too complicated... Thanks to this device, I can barely understand it even partially. So I want to make a device that can utilize both the System and Analysis simultaneously. So I don't have to maintain the ability constantly. I think it will help when the Analysis class starts... At least, I hope so."
Upgrade bit her lip and looked toward the Blueprint Office again.
"Okay, go in. But don't mix words with the person inside. They're preparing for the next mission, and their mood is completely terrible today."
Sal looked at her cautiously and chose his words carefully.
"Hearing you say that, they sound like a scary person. What is their name?"
Upgrade tapped the surface of the desk with her finger and looked at Sal.
"Name? They have many. Former special forces, current Hunter Network agent, and a visiting instructor at our academy. They just returned from an external mission with the second years, and apparently, the situation was quite terrible. If such a person sees a bright-eyed student crafting instead of hunting monsters... they probably won't have high expectations for the next generation of heroes."
Sal's enthusiasm to enter the Blueprint Office was gradually disappearing.
The tension radiating from Upgrade was planting an ominous feeling in him.
However, to complete the blueprint to improve the tracking device before the first Analysis class, he had to go in eventually.
Noticing his hesitation, Upgrade sighed and walked toward the Blueprint Office.
"Let's go, I'll go with you. I'll do all the talking."
"...Okay."
Sal got up from his seat and followed Upgrade.
As Martin and Gosha poked their heads over their desks to greet him, he smiled and waved his hand.
As they approached the door, faint cursing could be heard from beyond the soundproofed wall.
It meant the unidentified person inside the room was shouting quite loudly.
And as soon as the automatic door opened, the unbridled cursing spilled out directly.
"If you want me to shut up, why don't you come and help instead."
A rough and exhausted voice flew from one side of the room.
'Young...?'
A man who didn't look much older than Upgrade was rummaging through numerous blueprints.
He had sandy hair and a shaggy beard, and the area under his eyes was sunken and blue, making his blue eyes stand out even more thanks to the contrast.
He looked as if he hadn't slept for the past year.
Upgrade stepped in front of Sal, shielding the man from his view.
"What help do you need?"
While doing so, she gestured with one hand for Sal to go to an empty workbench on the side.
Just as Sal was about to move, he saw a red light flashing around the man's arm.
"Why don't you tell me why your department only produces designs that don't fit their abilities? Ignoring all the basics. One of the biggest problems in this mission was that the students' gear was universally poor. I think I'm starting to understand why now, huh."
There was anger in every segment of the man's words.
"Do you encourage these crafters to create masterpieces or something? Hmm? There are blueprints for exoskeleton suits and snares, but not a single blueprint for basic armor. Are you saying this is the level of the third years?"
Despite his shouting, Sal's gaze remained fixed on the red light that wouldn't disappear from that arm.
Upgrade looked down at the blueprints on the man's desk and tried to maintain her smile.
"Those aren't third-year designs. The third-year designs are on the shelf over there. They are all designs made based on realistic materials."
She headed toward the shelf, but the man raised his hand to stop her.
Then his eyes met Sal's across the room, and that seemed to sour his mood even further.
"No class today, kid. Get lost, hurry."
It was closer to an order than a request.
Sal felt like a complete stranger in this space he loved the most.
He hurriedly began to gather the necessary equipment, but his speed didn't seem satisfactory to the man.
The man sprang up, strode over to Sal, and roughly grabbed his arm.
"No time. Get out, now."
At that moment, the runes engraved on Sal's shirt reacted, and the defense function activated.
Normally, it would have been forceful enough to blow the opponent across the room, but this time, it only pushed him back a step.
Before Sal could apologize, a wave of red energy radiated from the man's hand and wrapped around Sal's torso.
Sal tried to pry the hand off, but his grip was surprisingly firm, contrary to his appearance.
"Don't get tense, kid. I'm just trying to take a look."
His voice became much softer than before.
He was now completely focused, his eyes following the flow of red light running over the shirt.
Upgrade immediately approached Sal and pulled the man's hand off.
"I apologize, Captain. I think you're going a bit too far."
The man took a step back with a slightly frowning face and retracted the wave of red light into his arm.
"Why is a first year wearing an Epic rank shirt?"
As soon as he finished speaking, red light flashed, and his upper body was enveloped in the exact same form as Sal's shirt.
It was a perfect replication composed of light.
Sal immediately activated his eye ability and analyzed that shirt.
'No way... This is impossible.'
Name: Argento Shirt (Principle)
Origin: Essence Construct
Age: Temporary Summon
Rank: Epic (Intermediate)
Measurements: Chest 42 inches | Neck 17.5 inches
Material: Refined Concept Essence
Attributes:
* Defiance: Shirt nullifies piercing and impact damage. Reflects damage with a certain probability.
* Synergy: Shares abilities between set items.
* Chameleon: Changes form to match wearer's ability essence.
Abilities: Defiance | Synergy | Chameleon
Power Source: External Essence
Evolution Possibility: None
Quality: Perfect
Durability: 100%
Sal's eyes widened.
He had created a temporary duplicate possessing all the abilities of the shirt Sal was wearing.
The man had perfectly replicated the shirt after just a few seconds of observation.
Sal regretted that he hadn't trained his Analysis ability beforehand.
Because he wanted to know everything about that man and his power.
Upgrade stepped between the two.
"Captain, this is Salvatore Argento. He is one of our first years."
Then she turned to Sal and forced a smile.
"Sal, this is Captain Chatfield. He will be one of the instructors teaching you later."
Sal politely held out his hand.
But Chatfield glared at him as if looking at someone with two heads.
"Salvatore Argento. The captain of the winning team from the Silver Cohort, right?"
Sal looked at him with surprised eyes and stopped his hand.
Upgrade looked up at the ceiling and let out a long sigh.
"The blueprint you were looking at earlier, this child made it. Since he is still at the stage of learning basic concepts, please understand if the design quality is inexperienced."
But Chatfield didn't seem to care much.
He moved to Sal's side and observed him from a different angle.
"You're a Supporter. Not a Controller."
The moment he made eye contact with Upgrade, he snapped his fingers, and the illusion of the shirt disappeared from his body.
Then he firmly grasped Sal's outstretched hand and muttered lowly.
"Enjoy your holiday, Argento. Because it's going to be frantic from now on."