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“…”

Lina’s eyes sank.

After gazing at Ian for a moment, she suddenly disappeared through a portal.

A ripple of mild surprise spread around.

“Hasn’t Lina changed lately?”

“She seems a little, or rather, quite aggressive.”

“Did you see how she glared at Ian earlier? There’s definitely something going on between them.”

The whispers about Lina’s transformation ended up reaching Ian.

“Hey, did you guys hear those rumors from Kirtos? When Ian jumped off…”

Various rumors started to circulate briefly. The final team had arrived.

Gerald Bomel, an instructor and former war hero, finished his evaluation. He then approached the gathered students.

“Were you all surprised?”

“…”

“Your answers are weak.”

“Yes!”

Whispers of “that old b*stard” could be heard among the students, but it didn’t reach the instructor’s ears.

“Making quick and accurate judgments even in times of surprise. This is what combat is all about. I believe you all have learned something.”

Ian nodded his head.

Thanks to that, he would get a good grade, the logical conclusion.

“Next, you’ll be facing quite dangerous monsters. Even though they’re engineered with magic, their realism is quite high. They can cause serious injuries, so be prepared. That’s all!”

And so, the first practical combat training was concluded, and the teams were assigned.

‘It will be perfect if I go and eat, train, write in my journal, and sleep.’

Training never stops, no matter what happens during the day.

With this enjoyable thought in mind, Ian walked.

“…Oops!”

He bumped into someone.

“Sorry… Oh, it’s you, Silvia.”

Blink blink.

Her cat-like violet eyes blinked twice in quick succession.

“Oh, it’s you, Silvia? What a rude reaction, isn’t it? If you’re going to apologize, you should do it all the way.”

“Anyway, you weren’t looking where you were going either. It’s 50-50.”

“Huh?”

Silvia’s eyes widened. To be honest, Ian thought that he was being a bit too brazen right now. It was a somewhat calculated action.

‘Silvia tends to like people who live on their own terms.’

To be precise, she admired people who lived on their own terms.

It could be attributed to the counteraction of the strict etiquette training received by the daughters of prestigious families.

That’s why Ian maintained a confident, or rather, somewhat brazen attitude in front of Silvia.

“But does the Aether class do their training here too? Speed Run?”

“Hmph! Is that even possible? We’re going to deal with monsters right away.”

“Monsters? What kind of monsters?”

“Grade 5 Danger Type, Frost Bear.”

Grade 5. It meant a monster that could single-handedly raze a small city. By the way, a Frost Bear, huh? That’s quite a strong start, isn’t it?

“Isn’t it different from ordinary classes?”

Silvia chuckled with her hand over her mouth. She seemed like a genuine fantasy world noble daughter, and it was a bit annoying.

Due to her personality, Silvia had strong self-esteem. Perhaps it was because she was still upset about the mud incident, but…

Ian wasn’t one to back down so easily.

“Yeah. After you put on your mud mask, we chant ‘Omtoke! Omtoke!’ just like the high-level Aether class.”

“That… that’s!”

Silvia was about to argue something but gave up on her logic and jumped into a mud fight.

“Hmph. So you’re a washing machine, then?”

“…Washing machine?”

“A washing machine, a device for washing clothes. Ah, commoners wouldn’t know about this, right? Pfft!”

“A washing machine…”

Ian’s eyes trembled with intensity.

With the legacy left by Pongpong, he could understand going as far as to be called ‘Dishwasher’.

But a washing machine…?

That was a direct hit to Ian, who had purified Silvia’s clothes himself.

“…I didn’t mean to hurt you that much. I just wanted to win the argument. I can’t stand losing.”

Silvia, who was more flustered than expected, couldn’t find the right words.

Yeah, don’t apologize.

That’s even more hurtful.

After a brief pause, she tucked her hair behind her ear. In the dim light, her hair had a slight silvery sheen.

“Well… I was thankful last time.”

“You act all tough, but surprised that I’d express gratitude? Saying thanks to me won’t do anything for your reputation.”

Ian and Silvia were indeed different from the other students.

“Hmph. It doesn’t make sense to put Laurent’s name on it and forget to express gratitude. It doesn’t matter what other people think when expressing gratitude.”

It was a touching statement at first glance, but…

Ian’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

Silvia slightly avoids her eyes.

Silvia, who had previously been confident and composed, now started to show signs of unease.

Ian’s “assassin radar” had kicked in.

“Don’t you have any friends either?”

“Hah? No, it’s not that!”

“But why isn’t anyone asking you to join their team?”

“Well… maybe it’s because I’m a bit lacking in skills?”

Ian had a rough idea of how things were turning out.

Perhaps she had developed a different talent, like Pongpong, rather than combat.

No matter how much an Aether like her was treated as a top in Lichten, it’s natural for some to excel while others lag behind.

However, Ian nodded in agreement.

If you were in the upper echelons of the Laurent family, you’d know quite a bit about most monsters.

In the world of Fanta X Aca, “information” was a closely guarded commodity.

Information itself was a valuable asset, a major industry where various profiles, weaknesses of monsters or hostile entities, the quality of weapons crafted by different artisans, and even the peculiar fetishes of the empire’s second princess.

All information was processed and sold.

The IntraMuse guild, which exclusively handled information, held immense power and value.

Even regular guilds placed great importance on information, especially when it came to details about monsters.

So, it was hard to understand why Silvia was struggling to find a team.

“Are you bad at calculations, perhaps?”

“That’s a rather rude thing to say all of a sudden!”

“No, if you knew about monsters, wouldn’t you gather a team, even if you had to use that information?”

Lichten Academy, particularly the Aether class, held significantly higher value than the information about one or two monsters.

“Ha! Of course, I know that! How do you think we evaluate our information-gathering abilities?”

“But then why are you acting like this?”

“…”

Silvia, who had been confident and sharp just moments ago, was now stumbling over her words.

“Could it be that you don’t know the weaknesses?”

“…Yes.”

“Wow. And Laurent’s top doesn’t know?”

Ian was genuinely amazed.

It seemed that information about monsters was meticulously guarded.

However, Silvia interpreted this differently and was getting irritated.

“…This isn’t because I lack knowledge. It’s just impossible for me to gather information about monsters living in the far northern snowfields.”

Her explanation made perfect sense.

Frost Bear.

Certainly, it was a monster that could only be encountered in specific regions.

‘In the game, you had to defeat it to advance the story ‘

But in reality, it’s a different story. Of course, the monster’s byproducts might have some value, but it was not worth the risk.

Therefore, there probably weren’t many individuals crazy enough to venture into the territory of that massive beast.

‘But I am different.’

Through playing the game, one inevitably acquired knowledge about a wide variety of monsters. With repeated gameplay, you could naturally learn their patterns down to the second.

A subtle smile crept across Ian’s face.

‘I can sell the information I know.’

Selling information.

It didn’t sound like a bad idea at all.

Moreover, there was a significant advantage to this kind of venture.

There was no need to establish a physical store, hire employees, or make an initial investment. All that was required was a platform to access the information stored in his mind.

This meant that it didn’t rely on Pongpong’s decimated bank account.

‘But trustworthiness will be important.’

Buying information ultimately boiled down to trusting the person providing it. However, Pongpong’s body presented the worst possible condition for building trust.

“True, even you might not know about it, do you? Information regarding the Frost Bear.”

These thoughts naturally occurred to him.

If it’s Silvia, she’s the heir to the Laurent family.

Even though she’s been overshadowed by the heroine, Emilia’s position as the top student, it doesn’t diminish Silvia’s abilities.

She’s good at calculations and has business acumen, but most importantly, she knows how to repay a debt.

Ian crossed his arms and continued his calculations.

Moreover, since the Frost Bear has become a subject of study for Aether students, the information about it was likely to be disclosed.

‘It means that the value of information will decrease.’

Now might be the prime time for information about the Frost Bear.

Plus, there was someone right in front of him who desperately needed it.

Investing in Silvia seemed like a good idea to Ian.

“Come here for a moment.”

“…Yes?”

Silvia, with narrowed eyes, approached cautiously.

Was this guy trying to confess his feelings?

Ian knew exactly what that expression meant.

However, Ian had no qualms.

He had information that could be sold at the highest price right now. There was no need to haggle.

He would simply hand over the information initially, like pushing dr*gs into an unsuspecting neighborhood.

Just like spreading drugs to places where people don’t know about drugs, at first they just give out information purely.

“Exploit the Frost Bear’s ears.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“The Frost Bear’s weak point is the area behind its ears, where the muscles connect to its head. While the rest of its body is covered with tough fur, this area is different. It’s particularly significant because the mechanism that generates its ice elemental powers is located there. You can neutralize abilities like its ice barriers or roar.”

Silvia blinked with a bewildered look in her eyes.

It was too specific to dismiss as nonsense, and Ian wasn’t someone she would trust without reason.

“…Why are you telling me this?”

“Just because I want to win against you in a verbal fight, even if just for a moment.”

“…Are you crazy?”

“Even if I were, the information is real.”

Doubt, surprise, hope…

A mixture of complex expressions filled Silvia’s face.

“Now, go gather a team quickly.”

Ian urged her to leave with a push on her back.

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