An additional reward?
This didn’t happen in the Soul Academy game.
Agra’s interference itself was supposed to be a new farming opportunity, but there was no reason to add extra rewards on top of that.
So this must be the work of our useless god, Armath.
Why couldn’t you have done this sooner?
If you had, I wouldn’t have called you a pathetic, useless, sadistic, perverted piece of trash, Armath.
Well, I apologize, Armath!
You don’t deserve all the blame, so please be generous with your forgiveness!
[Your divine power has been enhanced.] [The functionality of your cross necklace has been enhanced.]
Pretty normal rewards, huh?
I half expected the useless god to pull a fast one on me.
The enhancement of divine power means that the holy magic I use will be more effective, so that’s definitely something to be happy about.
And the enhancement of the necklace’s functionality—does that mean my luck has increased?
Given that I did pretty well on the magic exam by guessing, my luck must be pretty good right now, though I’m not sure if I’ve noticed many lucky situations in my daily life.
Anyway, there’s no reason to refuse what’s given, so I’ll accept it gratefully.
It may seem minor compared to all the tricks Agra has pulled, but our useless god probably thinks this is a big deal.
I get it.
What else can I expect from a pathetic god like you?
As I taunted Armath in my thoughts, another message window popped up.
Haha! What’s this, useless god? Are you unable to resist the allure of my Mesugaki skill too?
[One of your existing skills will be randomly enhanced.]
...What? Randomly?
Wait, hold on a second.
Pathetic. No, I mean useless. No, that’s not right. Anyway, Armath!
Please, wait a moment.
I was out of line!
How could I complain about the rewards you’ve given me?
I’ll repent for my lack of virtue at the church, so please, just remove the word "random" from this!
I can’t help but imagine an unlucky outcome!
You don’t have to give me any rewards, just please!
Like a madwoman, I desperately pleaded, but the god did not understand the heart of a human.
[Your Mesugaki skill has been enhanced.]
Gyaaaaah!
This can’t be happening!
Out of all the skills I have, it had to be the Mesugaki skill that gets enhanced?!
This is rigged! It’s rigged, I tell you!
Hey! Armath! Show me the odds!
Is Mesugaki the only skill in the pool or something?!
I don’t get it. I have good luck!
You even enhanced my luck stat!
So why did the worst possible outcome happen?! You bastard!
Calm down. Calm down.
Maybe, just maybe...
“Enhancement” doesn’t always mean increasing the numbers.
Sometimes, adding penalties is also called an enhancement.
So maybe the Mesugaki skill’s tone will just become smoother or something.
Yeah, that’s got to be it.
[Your taunting ability has been enhanced. The percentage increase in physical abilities from taunting has been raised.]
Yeah, right.
Armath, you pathetic, useless, sadistic, perverted piece of trash god.
What kind of god screws over their own apostle like this? Huh?!
Just you wait.
I’ll make sure to stomp your head underfoot and tell you you’re nothing but a pathetic god who got beaten by your own apostle!
“Lucy Allen? Are you feeling alright?”
As I was seething inwardly, Arthur, who had followed me into the safe zone, looked at me with concern.
From his perspective, it must have seemed odd for me to just stop as soon as we entered the safe zone, so his concern was understandable.
But there was no way I could explain the situation to Arthur.
How could I tell him that the useless god had screwed me over?
So I just nodded.
Thanks to Armath’s mercy, my body was in perfect condition, but I still looked like someone who had been severely injured.
“Let’s rest until the rescue team arrives. I’ll keep watch.”
There was no reason to refuse Arthur’s offer, so I leaned against the wall and sat down, letting out a deep sigh.
While Arthur and I were in the safe zone, nothing happened.
After a bit of rest, Carl and the professors came and joined us.
Carl, seeing my disheveled appearance, kept hovering around me, asking if I was alright.
He was so insistent that he wouldn’t even let me walk on my own two feet.
In the end, we were rescued, and since I had already warned them that the dungeon boss couldn’t be defeated through normal means, we exited the dungeon through the entrance on the first floor.
Luca?
That bastard had somehow joined the group of teachers.
When he saw Arthur, he started crying, saying how relieved he was that he was safe. I thought to myself, if that guy had been born in the modern era, he’d be an award-winning actor.
On top of that, he was an expert at covering his tracks.
The professor who had given Arthur the magical artifact had already taken his own life by the time we returned.
As a result, all the blame was pinned on that professor, and Luca got away as a mere victim.
I wanted to accuse him right then and there, but I had to give up because my trash reputation was still far worse than Luca’s pristine one.
Without any evidence, anything I said would just be dismissed as nonsense.
I had to wait for the right moment to catch him red-handed.
That was the gist of it.
There were minor things, like the dungeon being closed for a few days for magic inspection, or Arthur insisting he should be punished for his mistakes and being confined to the dorms for a week.
There was also the fact that the duel between Arthur and me was left unresolved due to the commotion, but those weren’t important.
Oh, there were two important things left.
First, the good news.
The underdog wins.
“Here it is, miss.”
The moment Carl handed me a pouch containing ten platinum coins, each worth ten gold coins, I felt a surge of joy.
Thanks to Benedict, the doting father, I didn’t have to worry about money, but now I had even less to worry about.
With this much money, I could live lavishly for quite some time without any issues.
What should I spend it on?
Maybe I’ll talk to Alsetine about getting a good shield.
Yeah, that sounds good.
The shield I’m using now is just a basic piece of equipment.
I need to get a proper one that won’t break every time I fight a strong opponent.
What’s the best shield I can get at this point in the game?
I’ll have to think about it.
“And one more thing.”
‘What is it?’
“What, you useless mutt?”
And then there’s the bad news.
After we returned to the Academy from the dungeon, I decided to test out how the Mesugaki skill had changed, with Carl as my test subject.
This damned skill directly affects me, so if I don’t check it out beforehand, who knows what kind of trouble it might cause.
The translation aspect of the Mesugaki skill hadn’t changed much.
The tone was a bit more casual, but it was still the same cheeky brat as usual.
The increase in the taunt’s effectiveness was definitely noticeable.
Even though I wasn’t being completely serious, Carl felt compelled to stop me at one point.
If someone as used to my taunts as Carl reacted that way, how would others or monsters react?
The physical boost from the skill was also more tangible.
I could withstand Carl’s serious sword strikes to some extent.
The downside was that the high I got from the Mesugaki skill was now even stronger.
Sigh. Damn it. I really need to find a way to get a mental fortitude skill or something.
If I keep losing my mind and taunting like I did yesterday, I’m going to end up in serious trouble.
Carl, who had been treated like a dog since we met in the dungeon, gave me a wry smile and continued.
“Lady Parten has come looking for you, so I’ve brought her here.”
Hearing that, I turned my head to see Joy standing there.
Whoa, when did she get there?
“Greetings, Lady Allen.”
‘Hello, Joy.’ “Hey, airhead lady.”
???
Hey, Mesugaki skill.
Why are you suddenly using informal speech?
You used to at least speak politely when it was appropriate.
Why are you suddenly talking down to Joy?!
Look! Now she’s glaring at me.
Considering Joy’s personality, I know she’s just surprised, but it’s still scary!
“Lady Allen, why did you suddenly start speaking informally?”
Joy closed her eyes for a moment before reopening them and asked me.
But I couldn’t give her an answer.
I don’t know! The useless god enhanced the skill, and now this is happening! How should I know why?!
If you want to blame someone, blame that pathetic, useless god!
‘I don’t know.’ “Just because. What? Can’t you handle someone speaking informally to the person who saved your life? Are you really that small-minded? You’re tall, but you’re narrow-minded? How curious.”
As I giggled thanks to the Mesugaki skill, I found myself meeting Joy’s gaze, and my smile froze.
Wow, I’m screwed, aren’t I?
I was supposed to invite Joy to go to a café with me, but with this, the Stophe special ticket is worthless.
Can I fix this?
“Sigh.”
As Joy let out an exaggerated sigh, I mentally shrank.
Meanwhile, the Mesugaki skill made me puff out my chest in defiance.
What the hell are you so proud of?!
“Lady Allen.”
‘Yes!’ “What? Airhead lady?”
I waited for Joy’s response with the dread of a prisoner awaiting judgment.
I crawled on my hands and knees to earn her favor during the entrance exam, and now I’m about to lose it all like this?!
It’s unfair! So unfair!
Damn it, Armath!
You’re sabotaging me, aren’t you? Trying to stop me from completing this quest, right?!
“I came today to deliver a message from the Third Prince.”
Joy’s message went something like this:
Thank you for saving my life.
Once my punishment is over, I’ll publicly acknowledge my defeat.
I still find it unpleasant to be called the “Pathetic Prince,” but I won’t make an issue out of it.
However, I’ll strive to become someone who doesn’t deserve to be pitied by you.
“That’s all. Congratulations, Lady Allen. It seems you won’t be disliked by the Third Prince anymore.”
Joy congratulated me in her usual tone, but I couldn’t help but feel that she wasn’t actually congratulating me, probably because of what I’d just done.
You’re glad the situation is resolved, right? Right?
“Well then, I’ll be going now. I have another appointment.”
As soon as the conversation ended, Joy stood up to leave.
What should I do?
If I let her leave like this, I feel like I won’t get another chance to invite her.
But it also feels weird to invite someone who looks so upset to hang out.
Ah, damn it. Whatever. I’ll just go for it.
If all else fails, I can always bring Freyr along.
Though I doubt she’d even understand the taste of cake in her usual spaced-out state.
‘Wait a minute!’ “Hey, airhead lady. Hold up.”
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“What is it?”
I pulled out the Stophe special ticket from my pocket and showed it to Joy.
‘It’s a Stophe special ticket!’ “You know what this is, right?”
Joy’s eyes widened as she looked at it.