Chapter 18

“Is this roughly how long the duration lasts?”

The morning after making the potion with Layla’s help.

I woke up early again today and was checking a few things with the potion I’d made yesterday.

‘Confirmed that the Strength Boost works. The fact that I can lift the bed with one hand proves it, and the Defense Boost—I tested that last night by rolling down the stairs a few times…….’

I jotted down the potion-related details on paper.

“When I drank about this much, it lasted roughly five minutes. If tomorrow’s Disciplinary Committee entrance test takes about thirty minutes…….”

This was about all I could do to prepare for tomorrow’s entrance exam for the Disciplinary Committee.

To be precise, it was all I could realistically prepare at the moment.

‘There are quite a few ways to increase one’s physical stats, but within this Academy, there’s not much to work with.’

After all, the Academy in this game functioned literally as a training institution—a kind of tutorial for players.

The true open-world gameplay began only after graduation.

Until then, players focused on raising favorability with key characters from their chosen routes, leveling up skills, and collecting skill points.

‘Originally, it was designed as an open-world game, but people ended up loving the interactions with characters in the Academy way too much.’

Of course, I was one of those players too.

Raising a character and interacting with others in the Academy.

I thought that part of the game was truly well-made.

The game had managed to make med feel like I was really attending an academy.

‘Though I never imagined I’d actually become an Academy student for real.’

I couldn’t help but let out a small, helpless laugh at my situation, but since things had turned out this way, it seemed best to just enjoy it.

Anyway, ways to enhance my physical stats, huh.

‘There aren’t many right now.’

Normally, you could get items from the Academy’s treasure vault by achieving excellent grades, or acquire them from regions outside the Academy through trips like school excursions… those were the usual methods.

Honestly, I wanted to mass-produce overpowered potions and use them freely, but acquiring special cauldrons and ingredients for potion-making wasn’t easy.

Even the potion I made yesterday was only possible thanks to Layla’s help—otherwise, I wouldn’t have even thought about making one.

Besides, potions weren’t all that efficient.

They only made you stronger temporarily—just for as long as the effects lasted.

As for elixirs or items that granted permanent stat increases, there weren’t any within this Academy……

‘…Wait, now that I think about it, there was a broken item available in the Academy, wasn’t there?’

No—that’s not the right way to put it.

To be precise, it wasn’t a broken item, but a broken creature, an overpowered pet that slumbered within the Academy.

‘A pet that could only be obtained while attending the Academy. Once you graduated, it would be considered “discovered by someone else” in the lore, making it permanently unobtainable.’

The moment you formed a contract with that pet, your attack and defense slightly increased, and as the pet grew, its stats would in turn enhance its master’s as well—a growth-type pet.

But as the pet leveled up, the stat boost it provided became enormous. It was considered a must-get pet for every player attending the Academy.

‘Sure, you could get better pets later, but this one boosted attack power so much that even endgame players kept using it.’

Of course, my defensive swordsman character never bothered getting it.

Since he wasn’t built for offense, after graduating from the Academy, I obtained a different pet that better suited the defensive concept.

But for my current self, that pet slumbering in the Academy seemed very tempting.

After all, unlike my in-game character, I wasn’t planning to invest everything into defensive swordsmanship this time.

‘Defense-based swordsmanship will still be my main focus, but relying solely on that won’t keep me alive. I’ll need other offensive options too. And to enhance those attacks… I’ll definitely need that hound.’

And then there was the Disciplinary Committee entrance exam tomorrow.

Even if I obtained and contracted the pet today, it had just awakened—its attack and defense wouldn’t increase by much yet.

“But it’s still better than having nothing.”

The pet’s defensive stat at level 1 would be low, but as I said, better something than nothing.

Plus, come to think of it, if I was going to get that pet anyway, the earlier the better.

I hadn’t thought about it since I’d been too distracted after transmigrating, but now that it crossed my mind……

“…Should I go find it today?”

The earlier I raised it, the greater the benefit. It’d be better to go find it right away for the long term.

Besides, if I really did end up joining the Disciplinary Committee, I probably wouldn’t have much personal time in the future.

It’d be more convenient to get the pet now, while I still had free time.

‘But… can I actually get that pet right now? That’s the real question.’

Obtaining that pet wasn’t exactly easy.

To get it, I’d have to defeat the monster guarding it—and that monster wasn’t some common creature like a Rock Lizard.

‘It’s not something a first-year player could beat right after starting the game. Usually, players waited until the first semester of their second year before going after it.’

A normal gamer would have played it safe—trained until their second year, then gone to get the pet.

But I was a veteran among veterans of this game.

I knew plenty of hidden strategies that most players never discovered.

Among those strategies was a method to easily obtain the Academy’s pet—the Hound of Hell.

“I’ll prepare after class today… and head out in the evening.”

I already had a rough plan in my head.

Which was why, after today’s classes ended, I planned to visit the place where theology lessons were held.

* * *

After finishing all my afternoon classes,

I went straight to the cathedral inside Lysquare Academy.

In this world, there existed a setting where gods were real, and accordingly, the Academy offered theology-related courses.

‘Come to think of it, wasn’t the state religion of the Arium Empire the one that worshipped the god Barna?’

The god of nature—Barna. And the Barna Order, who served that god.

Since the Arium Empire worshipped the one and only god, Barna, all of its religious facilities were related to Him.

The cathedral I had just entered was also a place within the Academy dedicated to training future priests of the Barna Order.

“You seem to be a first-year student. What brings you here?”

As I entered the cathedral, a third-year student holding a scripture approached me.

“It’s still a while before prayer time. May I ask what you’re here for?”

“Yes, I came because I have a favor to ask.”

I pointed toward the large fountain in the corner of the cathedral.

“I’d like to take a little holy water, if that’s alright.”

“Ah… holy water?”

The third-year student looked troubled at my words.

That reaction was, of course, expected.

“A cup or so wouldn’t be a problem, but… how much do you need, and may I ask why you want to take it?”

“I need three bottles of holy water. As for the reason, I can’t tell you. And if possible, I’d appreciate it if you could pretend you never saw me take it.”

“…I don’t know who you are, but even if you’re a noble, to say such a thing in the great Barna’s cathedral……”

“Here. Take this.”

I pulled out a gold coin and pressed it into his hand.

The third-year senior fell silent, hesitating for a moment.

“…I-I can give you one bottle. But three… that’s simply too—”

“Please.”

Smiling, I placed another gold coin into his hand.

The male student, now holding two gold coins, seemed to experience a storm of emotions in just a few seconds— anguish, guilt, hesitation—all flickered across his face before he finally nodded cautiously.

“…Three bottles, then?”

“Yes, three. Ah, and one more thing.”

This time, I handed him a silver coin.

“No one hears about what happened today. Understood?”

The third-year glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, sighed, and nodded again.

“I’ll take it to my grave.”

“Good. Very good.”

Thanks to this flexible senior, I was able to secure a generous amount of holy water.

As expected, whether before or after transmigration, there was nothing money couldn’t solve.

“Well, that’s about all the preparation done.”

As I left the cathedral, I looked at the three glass bottles in my arms.

With this holy water imbued with divine energy, I’d have a much easier time making that hound mine.

I hesitated briefly, wondering whether to start after dinner or to skip it and begin right away.

In the end, I decided it’d be easier to move on an empty stomach.

‘I’ll just make do with a Honey Beef Sandwich today.’

With that thought, I gave my belongings one last check.

To be honest, there wasn’t much to check.

Just my sword, and the bag containing the three bottles of holy water I’d gotten from the Academy’s cathedral earlier.

Those two were all I had, but they were both essential for this plan.

Especially the holy water—I had to keep it safe at all costs.

If I lost it, I’d have a hard time obtaining that hound.

“…Let’s go.”

After confirming the holy water was secure inside my bag, I headed toward the Academy’s main gate.

I passed through the massive front gate and began walking along the outer wall.

After silently walking for a while, I reached the western wall and found the mark I was looking for.

“This is it.”

A scorched black brick about two meters up the wall.

I reached out and placed my hand on it.

Then, I placed my other hand three bricks down and one brick to the left of it.

Immediately, that brick too began to darken and burn.

“Three to the left and down, then two to the upper right, and four above that.”

Relying on memory, I touched the bricks in order.

Before long, four blackened bricks appeared on the wall, and then—

Ku-ku-kung―

The wall collapsed.

And in the space left behind, a stairway leading underground revealed itself.

“Phew.”

Taking a deep breath, I started descending the stairs.

A few seconds after I entered, the collapsed wall repaired itself, sealing the entrance shut.

Meaning there was no longer a way out from this underground area.

‘Well, not that it matters—I know another way out if things go wrong.’

Having obtained this pet dozens of times with different characters, I knew every single path down here.

If things went bad, I could always escape.

But of course, my goal was to succeed in one go without any trouble.

“…I’m here.”

After descending for several minutes, the stairs leveled out.

It was pitch-black—no light at all—but that didn’t matter.

Because I already knew what would happen next.

Fwoosh―!

As soon as I stepped off the stairs, countless torches along the walls burst to life all at once.

The underground chamber brightened as if it were midday, and I could see the creature slowly rising in the distance.

Grrrrrr―

A black hound the size of a bull.

Flames burned all across its body, but what caught my eye most was its mouth— the area around it was blazing fiercely, impossible to ignore.

“Alright, stay calm. Stick to the plan.”

That black hound— the Hellhound.

I had to defeat it to make the Hellhound, the Hound of Hell, my pet.

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