novelraw Chapter 93 : Chapter 93
Chapter 93 : Chapter 93
Chapter 93 : Tracker
"Can you give this to the Headmaster?"
Sal asked, placing the tracker on Joanne's table.
Quest's assistant, Joanne, examined it carefully and then showed an expression of realization.
"Ah, yes! I heard the Headmaster gave it to you a few days ago. I believe he didn't intend to receive it back for a while, but he will surely be pleased. He is currently in a meeting, but it should end soon. If you want to give it to him personally, you can wait."
When she gestured to a chair in the waiting area, Sal hesitated for a moment.
He was impatient to get answers about a few skills on the list Quest had provided.
'The Headmaster will be able to guide me on the right path.'
However, he planned to focus on meditation for the remaining time to get ahead in the Skill class.
Because of the recent tournament preparations, he had put off meditation too much.
'I can't develop if I rely only on Whisper and Nova.'
Then Sal noticed Joanne looking at him with expectant eyes.
Eventually, he smiled and moved toward the waiting area.
"Thank you. Then I'll wait. I'll organize the things I need to solve today."
"You are truly amazing. Your diligence, unlike a freshman, is very impressive. Still, don't overwork yourself too much. I've seen too many talented juniors get exhausted under the weight of expectations. Studying here is a marathon, not a sprint. Okay?"
Joanne pointed her finger at Sal with playful suspicion.
At that, Sal raised both hands defensively.
"I don't really like running itself! So don't worry, really."
Joanne smiled warmly and turned her gaze back to her work screen.
Just as Sal was about to take out his tablet from his pocket, loud voices were heard from beyond the door.
When Sal sent a questioning look to Joanne, she got up from her seat and approached Sal.
Glancing slyly toward the door, she whispered as if sharing a secret.
"About an hour ago, a high-ranking official from the military came and poured out a barrage of criticism on Headmaster Quest about how our academy is run."
She crossed her arms and shook her head.
"If it were left in the hands of people like that, our academy would have become a complete military school... We all know what kind of results that would bring."
Sal nodded, although he didn't fully understand what Joanne was trying to say.
Because he thought Joanne just wanted to vent her frustration.
As Jez said, Sal also knew well that information was power.
Sal cautiously offered his opinion as if to reassure Joanne.
"Was it Chatfield? I met him briefly in the workshop, and he was really rude."
"That's exactly who it is! He barged in without even looking at me, and before the door even closed, he severely reprimanded Headmaster Quest about the second years' practical training results. I really hate that kind of person. The type who appears out of nowhere and tears down what others have painstakingly built. The semester has only been going for a month, and he's already making a fuss about changing the curriculum! Does that make sense?! Trying to change everything just because he doesn't like it, ignoring everything we've built."
Joanne spoke in an agitated tone and ended up bursting out emotions close to anger.
Sal continued speaking as if he wanted to know more details.
"But he's just a professor, right? Doesn't he have no influence outside of his own class?"
Joanne stood with her weight on one leg, clenching her teeth and crossing her arms firmly.
"I wish that were the case, but Chatfield exercises immense influence over the United Guild Association and government offices. So if he forces changes, there's a high possibility it will go his way eventually. Headmaster Quest is probably trying hard to minimize the damage. It's really frustrating. No one knows how dedicated the Headmaster is to the safety of the students!"
Spitting out words, Joanne suddenly realized she had revealed her inner thoughts to a freshman.
An awkward silence followed shortly.
Her surprised face flushed slightly.
"Don't worry. Everything will be fine. Both Chatfield and Quest are doing their best for the academy, so whatever the result, it will be in a good direction for us."
Although there was no sincerity felt in Joanne's words, Sal kept his mouth shut because he didn't want to trouble her.
"Yes, Headmaster Quest is an excellent person, so I believe he will judge well."
Sal's distrust of Chatfield was implicitly revealed in his words.
At that, Joanne returned to her seat with a slight smile.
'Is Chatfield really trying to change the curriculum? In what form?'
The more he thought about it, the more confused he became, so Sal moved his gaze to the tablet screen.
Then he scanned his notes once more, trying to find another interesting point in the ability list.
While Sal was carefully examining the details of the Interface Generation ability, the door burst open, and a very agitated Quest and an angry Chatfield strode in.
Chatfield was pouring out a passionate speech as he entered.
"We can't just leave it to luck! This is the only way forward for us, Quest!"
Discovering Sal, Chatfield raised an eyebrow.
"Running into you twice in one day. Are you stalking me by any chance, Argento?"
At the somewhat prickly remark, Quest opened his mouth and barely calmed the situation.
"He came to see me, not you. Since we're done with business, let's stop here for today."
Ignoring Quest's words, Chatfield spoke directly to Sal.
"Let me give you a piece of advice, kid. If you want to be useful in the field, you'd better switch to the Controller class. A Controller who can arm the team is like a grace from God in times like these."
Chatfield continued speaking, looking at Quest.
"This place might look peaceful, but it's no different from a war situation, Argento."
Ignoring Chatfield's words, Quest gestured for Sal to come into the office.
"Come this way, Mr. Salvatore."
Sal got up from his seat and met Chatfield's eyes.
"Both my parents are from the Support Class and are proud of it, and the Argento Auction House also plays an important role during war."
His surprise at Chatfield in the workshop was brief; now his mind was clear.
Sal could never overlook the Support Class being dismissed as a useless category.
"I will remain in the Support Class and show people like you, Professor, how important we are."
Perhaps because Chatfield had been rude to Quest and Upgrade, Sal didn't feel like being polite.
At the same time, he was newly glad of the fact that he was on the same side as people who believed in and supported him.
Chatfield shook his head at Quest and laughed.
"You've learned properly how to brainwash people."
Leaving those words behind, Chatfield left the office without giving Joanne a single glance.
Watching him expressionlessly, Quest forced a smile toward Sal.
"Don't mind him too much. What brings you here today?"
Saying that, Quest headed back into the office.
Sal picked up the tracker from Joanne's table and smiled as if to say thank you.
When Sal entered the office and held up the tracker, Quest frowned.
"You didn't need to return it so quickly. I hoped you would learn how to use it in the upcoming Analysis class. Do you really want to return it?"
Quest sighed, leaned back in his chair, then turned toward Sal.
He gestured for Sal to sit and gave a thankful look to Joanne, who closed the door for them.
Sal placed the tracker on the table and sat in the seat Quest offered.
"I've already finished the analysis and completed the blueprint. I plan to use the Headmaster's tracker as a model to craft my own."
Quest raised his eyes.
"Already? Only one day has passed. Do you plan to modify it, or replicate it as is?"
He pulled his chair toward the table, rested his arms on it, and focused his gaze on Sal.
Sal smiled and explained the ideas he had conceived step by step.
"It's too early to be certain, but after talking with Upgrade, I established a hypothesis that I can infuse the essence of Mythos Crafter into the items I create. It seems I can apply the skills acquired through the Skill Master ability or internal threads to crafting."
Sal was surprised to see a bright smile spreading across Quest's face.
Quest tapped on the interface and began reading a list invisible to Sal.
"Beck's hypothesis seems to have hit the mark! He guessed that your Mythos Crafter ability was much more powerful than expected. When he analyzed your ability in the Skylounge, he evaluated that the synergy effect was extremely excellent. Your Skill Master ability is already creating excellent synergy with the Identification ability obtained from Pietro. The fact that you can see through the threads of ability with your eyes is precisely that effect!"
Quest spoke in a very excited state while typing, and Sal found himself drawn into his enthusiasm.
Sal sat quietly to not interrupt Quest and listened to his story.
Quest pointed at something on the screen and turned it so Sal could see.
"We have been studying synergy effects very closely for the past few years. Especially since the introduction of skill transplanting and engraving technologies. To ensure that inherent abilities and transplanted abilities harmonize as much as possible, we meticulously calculated which combinations could produce the greatest effect. Initially, we analyzed based on the most plausible categories, but there were several other combinations that demonstrated synergy. In your case, the Replication ability is combined with Invention ability and even Mental Type abilities. That is unknown territory for us too, but truly fascinating."
Quest glanced at Sal and noticed the confusion on his face.
"Ah, I must have gotten a bit excited. Is there any part that is difficult to understand?"
Sal smiled apologetically and spread his hands.
"Since I don't have Mental Type abilities, I was wondering where that part came from. I knew Mythos Crafter as Invention and Skill Master as Replication ability until now."
Quest snapped his fingers and shook his head.
"No! With your Skill Master ability, you can break down barriers and change the way essence is released. Didn't we witness you replicating Analysis skills and Foresight skills? Both of those belong to the Mental Type category. However, your ability to change others' skills gave us the conviction that you can naturally cross over to other categories. That originally belongs to the Body Manipulation category, but you achieved it without touching that... This can be seen as Mental Type influence."
Following Quest's logic, Sal nodded hesitantly.
He understood, but it didn't seem like such a huge deal.
Since replicating abilities across categories was already proven, it was hard to understand why he was so excited.
As if noticing Sal's mind, Quest smiled at him.
"As you may have already felt, since this ability can be utilized across boundaries of categories, its uses are endless. Now then, what combination do you think the Mythos Crafter ability originated from?"
At the sudden question, Sal paused for a moment.
Guessing that Quest already knew the answer, he decided to humor him.
"It was a combination of Appraisal, Restoration, and Upgrade."
Quest shook his head, surprising Sal.
With a smile, he pointed at Sal's chest.
"There was already an ability you were using when crafting threads. That was combined to create the Mythos Crafter."
Sal's eyes widened at the sudden realization washing over him.
"The Skill Master ability?"
Quest burst into laughter at his reaction.
"Isn't it surprising? That's why you can use recognized skills when crafting. Lombardi and Beck will analyze this part better, but I'm glad too that the hypothesis seems to fit!"
Quest stared at the tracker on the table once more.
"Ah, right! This was the reason you came here. The conversation sidetracked for a moment. Is there any part I can help with in crafting the new tracker? Do you perhaps want to add the System ability?"
"Actually, I wasn't sure if I was allowed to use the Headmaster's ability. The information I could check through it was limited, but... I could see parts of students' personal details..."
When Sal spoke awkwardly, Quest waved his hand as if it were nothing.
"The information seen through the System ability won't harm other students. Things like nicknames and ranks are something you can find out just by asking directly. Then do you plan to add other abilities? Have you thought about what to do with the rank?"
At Quest's nonchalant reaction, Sal smiled and pushed the notebook he had taken out on the table toward him.
Quest scanned the list with a satisfied smile.
Nodding repeatedly as he read line by line, his eyes suddenly widened.
"Evolution attribute? That would fit very well with the Memory Indexing skill. Amazing foresight!"
Sal couldn't hide his bewildered look.
Quest raised one eyebrow and looked up at Sal.
"As far as I know, combining such abilities with Memory Indexing can create a delicate information database. Data also possesses an Essence Signature. Adding more data to the tracker is akin to accumulating essence. Just by looking at a monster, you can get vital points, combat power, threat analysis, as well as insights into abilities... and even receive reports on behavioral patterns. Truly an amazing concept!"
Sal was also swept up in excitement.
'With this, the tracker's essence collection problem will be solved too!'
Quest continued down the list with a peculiar smile.
"I don't know how to explain this, Mr. Salvatore. If you truly want to get your hands on all these abilities..."
Before Quest could finish his next sentence, Sal's excitement died down in an instant.
"You will definitely have to join the next Paradox Guild expedition."