The Extra's Odyssey

Saying goodbye to Jessica and Jack I went toward the Research department.

Although I needed to meet with the other student council prospect, Vice-headmaster allowed me a few days before we dived into the dungeon.

I had 25 days to reach the 13th floor. I decided to use a week to prepare accordingly.

"The student council prospect that I will be replacing, is it Isabell?"

That would make sense.

I did not see her with Leon. She must have something to do with the Goliaths.

It took me almost an hour of walking to reach the Research Department sector.

Ward already looked more sci-fi than the rest of Bermuda Island. However, this place put even that to shame.

"Wow," I could not help but say it aloud. "It's beautiful."

Every department had its own sector. I had already seen the majority of them, but in terms of appearance, Research Department was otherworldly.

The sector looked like a futuristic city made out of glass and metal with all kinds of windows. It reminded me of an amusement park because everything was so bright and colorful.

Cadets, professors, staff, everyone was bustling about in the busy streets. Some were walking around while others rode on electric scooters or hoverboards.

Quite a few were lost in their own world as they worked on their projects even while walking.

The place screamed eccentric in all rights.

Seeing everyone busy with something made me feel a bit out of the place.

Ward has many departments but even among them cadets enlisted in Research Department have the most autonomy.

Research Department follows the method of mentor and trainee.

Seniors will take juniors will similar interests and knowledge in fields and train them under themselves. Professors do exist to help however anyone seldom goes to them.

Any information can be gained in the library and the topics of research are too diverse to be covered properly by professors. This resulted in the Research Department's current method of teaching.

Presently I did not have an assigned mentor.

So, one could say I was almost a free spirit. I needed to attend only a few compulsory classes but due to the nature of the Research Department, no one would single me out even when I skip them.

It was baffling. I was studying in the Earth's most prestigious academy that followed strict military rules.

Yet, I could spend all of my time doing nothing and I couldn't be punished.

"tch tch, you poor souls."

Taking one last look at the misery of these poor souls who did not know the joy of freedom I went to look for a particular building.

It took me another hour to find it but I was here.

A slightly dilapidated building that stood out from the rest. Its paint was falling off and dust covered the windows like blankets.

Cluck-

"Is anybody there?"

The door was unlocked and I entered without hesitation.

I cocked my eyebrow at the condition of the building while closing the door behind me.

Just like the outside, it was dusty and dirty.

I walked through a hallway to where there were two rooms on either side, each with a door. The one next to the entrance had been converted into a washroom. It also contained an ancient-looking tub, which looked like it would collapse if you turned your back on it even once.

Dozens of different odors attacked my nostril the more I walked inside. A strong smell of mold filled this space, so much that the air felt sticky.

Even though I could see no light in here, I could still tell it was quite dim because I couldn't see anything clearly from the darkness.

It made me question if I came to the right place. But I knew from the name of the building that was hung outside for all to see that I had come to the right place.

The board read: [Future Alchemist King]

I couldn't help but chuckle.

The owner of this building had a very timid personality and hated attracting attention. There was no way she placed that board herself.

It was probably done by some entitled brats who felt superior in shaming discarded heirs of a high-class family.

Though in her case it was a fallen family.

"Ughh.."

I covered my nose at the strong smell of various chemicals.

In the center of the room, there was a desk with several tools. Judging from their appearance, they weren't used for cleaning. On top of that, many pieces of equipment had been stacked up in a corner.

They were likely remnants of experiments. If I had to guess, most of them were parts of old alchemy machines.

Some of the materials I saw around didn't seem to have any use in alchemy.

The owner of this place lacked the fund to procure even the most basic of equipments.

Her family, having fallen from grace, had limited resources. Trying to get their prestige back they decided to make a secure investment and as such poured everything into her twin sister, leaving her with nothing but scraps.

"Pshh…pshh.."

At the corner of the room, someone was sleeping on the couch.

"Cough, cough"

I coughed slightly to wake her up.

However, it didn't seem to be enough.

Since I was the one who was trespassing, I decided to wait and let her sleep peacefully. Just because I was an asshole didn't mean I was an asshole.

In the meantime, I decided to train in my art.

I found a clean corner and sat cross-legged on the ground.

Closing my eyes, I began meditating. It felt like I was back in the memory world.

Vupp-

A sword appeared in my hand and I placed it over my thighs.

Scan

A sword constellation started forming inside my mind.

Ever since I entered Ward I had been careful to use only swords with my art. This was because I was trying to hide the fact that I could create other weapons too.

Although I only used Second Technique to fight during the tournament, it did not hurt to have extra precautions.

Scan

The constellation brightened slightly as another sword constellation overlapped on top of it.

With all my previous constellations gone, and the fact I needed to advance in Dungeon of trails, I needed to re-stash my constellations. I would be using my art in front of everyone I needed to have enough swords before creating other weapons constellations.

"Huuu...."

I lost the track of time while repeatedly using Scan.

This was one of the benefits of Memory World. It didn't take me much effort to enter a mediating state and once I did I could easily pass days, even months like this.

Scan

A thought popped into my head.