Chapter 19
The bases of magical beasts are collectively called dungeons.
There are many ways to make money in the world, but the most lucrative is running dungeons.
Just being good at killing beasts doesn’t mean you ran a dungeon well. Simply killing them doesn’t make money.
“So, to profit from running dungeons, this itemization process is necessary…”
In the morning, we had a mandatory class on Beast Itemization.
It seemed like a useful class, but not a single student was paying attention.
Probably because there were so many minor beast parts to memorize.
“Being good at fighting isn’t enough… Of course, defeating beasts spectacularly is important, but selecting items that can sell in dungeons and properly dismantling beasts is just as crucial.”
Professor Diranmidel’s gentle tone and soft appearance made the students act like unruly colts.
“Professor~ When’s the practical? The practical?”
“They make good itemization devices at the Magic Tower these days! Do we really need to know all these beast part names?”
For those talented enough to join a guild, this class might not seem that appealing.
After all, the Magic Tower now produces automated beast-butchering devices and item detection tools.
But for me, with weak strength and poor fighting skills, this class was a godsend.
It was a subject I could learn even without a core.
Seeing Luca’s well-prepared beast items earlier made me even more passionate about this class.
“Ugh, it’s kinda noisy.”
I muttered, frowning.
“Noisy?”
“Yeah.”
Hearing my murmur, Luca, sitting next to me, asked with gleaming eyes.
“Want me to quiet them down?”
He seemed annoyed too. This class was definitely his type.
I nodded, and Luca lifted his foot.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He kicked the back of the chair of the students chatting in front of us.
The sudden loud noise drew everyone’s attention, and Apple, who’d been dozing, jolted up from her seat.
“Guys, Sigrin says it’s noisy.”
“…”
“…”
The chaotic atmosphere settled instantly.
Apple, standing alone, wiped drool from her mouth.
She looked around dazedly, gave a half-hearted response to Luca’s words, and sat back down nervously.
“…Thank you, Sigrin.”
Professor Diranmidel’s freckled, honest face brightened more than before.
Touched, a faint spark of life flickered in her somber eyes.
“We’ve been looking at anatomy charts of common low-tier beasts so far, but today we’ll finally finish theory and do a practical…”
Glancing at the students, the professor continued with hopeful eyes.
“The curriculum schedules the practical about a month from now, but I thought doing it early would be more engaging… Is that okay…?”
“Yes!!”
The disciplined students’ enthusiastic response made the professor smile proudly.
On one side of the classroom was a box the professor had prepared for today’s lesson. When she opened it, it was full of dead beasts.
“Today, we’ll extract the ‘seed pocket’ from a spirit sprout. Spirit sprouts are among the weakest beasts in beginner hunting grounds, with a very simple internal structure. They’re one of the easiest to process… Everyone, come up and take a spirit sprout sample…”
Since it was an interesting practical, more students paid attention.
Holding the practical dagger the professor gave me, I looked at the spirit sprout in front of me.
It hadn’t been dead long, so it was in clean condition and didn’t smell.
For a sprout, its thick roots looked like human leg muscles. As a beast that walks with its roots, they were well-developed.
‘We learned about spirit sprouts in class before, right?’
Spirit sprouts could be divided into three parts: roots, stem, and leaves.
The part called the ‘seed pocket’ was attached to the roots.
Spirit sprouts stored excess nutrients in this ‘seed pocket’ and used the nutrients in the ‘seed debris’ to heal injuries.
When they died, all Ether left their bodies, but the Ether in the seed debris reportedly lasted up to a year.
‘That’s why it’s sometimes used as an Ether storage.’
I used my dagger to pry out the seed pocket, firmly attached to the roots.
Seeing something I’d only read about in textbooks was exciting and fun.
‘Should I check it with the Eye of Ether?’
It was obvious the Ether would be visible since it was used as an Ether storage, but I wanted to see it with my own eyes.
‘What’s that? There’s something else inside?’
Inside the seed pocket was a round, dumpling-like object made of compressed Ether.
Curious, I opened the pocket and took out the dumpling.
A brightly glowing orb, the size of a baby’s fingernail, rolled out.
It looked similar to a pearl.
“It’s okay if you don’t do well… I’m not expecting much… Just do your best…”
The professor, after waiting a few minutes in a daze, spoke again.
“It looks like you’re mostly done, so I’ll go around and check.”
Professor Diranmidel’s expression wasn’t great as she checked the students’ separated spirit sprouts.
“Hm… The pocket’s punctured, so all the Ether leaked out. This happens if you remove the roots sloppily. It’s okay! It’s your first time. …What? It’s supposed to burst? That’s because you ripped the roots out carelessly… No, I’m not saying the student is careless…!”
Sweating profusely, the professor moved around the classroom and eventually reached my side.
Luca was checked first.
“…You did it perfectly, textbook style. Not a single part damaged.”
“How much would it sell for? Can I keep it?”
Luca… so frugal.
“Yes… You can get about 5 credits at the credit exchange.”
“Not school currency, imperial money.”
“Students selling items is prohibited at the academy… But for something in good condition, wholesale is about 1 Aurum, retail around 5 Aurum.”
“Hmph, not much.”
“Haha… It’s a low-tier beast.”
The professor gave a hollow smile and turned to me, sitting next to Luca.
She looked oddly tense.
Gulp.
Professor Diranmidel swallowed hard.
“Sigrin, you… Huh???”
“Did I mess up?”
The professor covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide and sparkling.
She looked touched again.
“You sorted out the roots usable as material items…! That’s a very tricky task.”
Oh, I set aside the roots with Ether left. Good call.
“But it’s a shame the seed pocket’s burst. Removing the seed pocket should’ve been easier.”
“Sorry, I opened it because there was something inside.”
I held out the small glowing bead to Professor Diranmidel.
“…Huh???”
The professor rubbed her eyes and looked at the bead again.
“How did you extract this without special equipment?”
Her voice trembled with excitement as she continued praising me.
“This is an Ether gem called an ‘Epurl.’ It disappears immediately when you open the pocket, making it extremely hard to extract. That’s amazing!!”
“Wow.”
“As expected of our Miss…”
My ears turned red under the barrage of praise.
What’s this? I feel great. First time getting praise like this.
Should I switch my career path?
“How did you do it? Sometimes, by a very slim chance, the Epurl doesn’t disappear when you open the pocket, but even then, extracting it without breaking it is tough. Even I find it challenging with equipment…”
Explaining the Eye of Ether was complicated, so I made something up.
Feeling a bit shy, I spoke in an excited voice.
A flush rose to my cheeks, and a shy, flower-like smile bloomed on my face.
“I’ve… done a lot of processing.”
“…”
“…”
“…You mean beasts, right? Not people… No, never mind.”
“Huh?”
A sudden chill filled the classroom, but I tilted my head, clueless.
The awkwardness lingered briefly before Professor Diranmidel hurriedly moved to the next student.
“Apple, you… extracted only the spirit sprout’s excretory organ, its anus, precisely. That’s a talent in its own way…”
“What??”
✦ ✦ ✦
The Itemization class ended.
It was so rewarding and fun!
Receiving heaps of praise from the professor, I hummed happily.
Well, I’d gotten praise from other professors too… but those were due to misunderstandings, so they weren’t as welcome.
Plus, because of my background, everyone saw me as a delinquent and only scolded me.
Having done my best in every class, the accumulated frustration melted away with this round of praise.
Humming as I moved to the next classroom, a question popped into my head.
“By the way, what’s the exchange? I heard earlier you can trade processed items for credits.”