Surviving as a Con Artist at the Academy

45. Just a Trip (2)

Radian always dressed elegantly during classes.

His modified military uniform from his days as a knight in the empire had color adjustments and slightly shortened lengths, embodying the gravity of rank.

However, even such a professor enjoyed wearing casual clothes on his days off, making it his hobby to stroll around in sportswear every weekend.

His typical weekend routine involved taking a walk around the town to see if any incidents had occurred.

On the side, he would correct any immoral behavior he noticed.

Thanks to such reliable demeanor, he became quite friendly with the local merchants, with some saying they had no idea what would have happened to their businesses if Professor Radian hadn’t been around.

Radian, who lived a tough life during the weekdays and a relaxed one on weekends, now found himself in a state of neither here nor there.

“This is making my teeth chatter.”

Sure enough, it was the weekend, and he was dressed in sportswear. It was the time for his usual warm and friendly patrol, greeting merchants along the way.

“What on earth happened to come to this?”

Radian’s once-cheerful expression was now furrowed with concern. His scowling face could scare even the bravest of town folks.

He stood at Purgatory Volcano Park.

A landmark of Aligieri Town that, if you were to exaggerate, could be called a holy site.

True to its name, the volcano featured many formations of granite.

Unlike the vivid red molten lava that children usually envision, the park boasted a lush natural landscape.

Thanks to the unique geography of the volcano, a hot spring had been built nearby. However, this popular destination that attracted people from across the continent was being vandalized at the hands of its own people.

Knowing he was part of this wrongdoing made Radian clench his teeth.

“What on earth is this Elder thinking?”

Enviel Romanov, one of the twelve elders of the continent’s Magic Guild, was sitting in a position that required no explanation of his supreme power in the continent.

He was known to surpass even the principal, Kaiden, with his peak mastery in both magic and swordsmanship.

So, when such a person directly involved the academic officials in this mess, they had no choice but to swallow their complaints and go along with it.

Despite Enviel’s overwhelming presence, Radian could not help but question if this was truly in line with human morality.

While it would have been reasonable to consider that someone in such a high position could be arrogant, he could not tolerate when the teaching assistant, Adela, was insulted.

It was a miracle his fists didn’t fly.

“Professor! Professor Radian!”

As if summoned by the mention of his name, Adela hurried over.

She had brown hair braided down to her waist and azure eyes—she was Adela Merhenna.

Her appearance was so dusty and grimy that it was hard to recognize her.

“The demolition preparations are complete! All the flora, fauna, and citizens have been evacuated to safety.”

“Great job.”

Radian, unconcerned with the dirt on his hands, ruffled Adela’s hair.

She felt a bit shy, but it carried the meaning of remorse for putting her through such tasks.

“What? We’re not allowed to approach? Why?”

“The area is too dangerous to enter any further.”

Jenny argued with the guards blocking the entrance to the national park.

The national park was a total mess from the entrance. All the main facilities were destroyed, leaving no scenic views for tourists.

What made it absurd was that one of the people orchestrating this chaos was an academy professor.

“What’s going on?”

Just then, the mastermind approached to mediate. The guards wanted to send them away as uninvited guests, but as soon as their eyes met with that leading figure, everything changed.

“Radon? And Jenny too….”

“Professor Radian?”

Recognizing their acquaintanceship, the guards stepped back, allowing them a moment to converse at a distance.

Radian explained why he had been stuck doing this unpleasant work.

“An order from Elder Enviel?”

“Not just me; several faculty members are involved. Even Adela has been called here.”

“As much as that… This will surely drive tourists away. Besides, you know how important this park is to the town.”

Purgatory Volcano was like a living organism. It absorbed sunlight and enveloped itself in that energy, releasing it in the park.

Since the town and the volcano were one, merely standing in this region granted them the blessings of the sun.

But what would happen if they destroyed the outlet of that energy?

“Exactly. In the worst-case scenario, demons might flood in.”

“Knowing that….”

“All I can say is I’m sorry.”

This was not the usual dignified Professor Radian. Just like how there are always those who outshine others, he had to bow to a higher authority.

“Professor Radian! There you are! Once we conduct the sealing ritual, it will all be… Oh my, what are you doing here?”

A familiar face rushed in, filled with excitement. It was Adela, looking surprised as she addressed me.

“There’s not much time left until exams—are you allowed to wander around like this?”

“I’m just getting a bit of fresh air. By the way, when did it come to this?”

“It’s been a few days. We’ve been so busy, and it’s also exam season for you, so it probably didn’t spread.”

Both students and professors were busy. There was no time to wander around Aligieri Town.

“As you can see, most of the town’s authority is gathered here. They say they’ll compensate us handsomely, but there’s no way we could skip it.”

“As expected of an elder… he seems to be overflowing with finances.”

“This overwhelming spending for the demolition work has pulled all the town’s guards here. Soon enough, thugs will start swarming in.”

Jenny looked disappointed to realize she had come out without knowing even that fact.

“By the way! Since we’ve met like this, the teacher will give you something.”

Adela urged me to hold out my hands. Following her instructions, she placed a crumpled piece of paper in my palm.

“What is this?”

It was a talisman with signs of being crumpled.

“It’s an artifact that absorbs curses. With the blessings of the sun disappearing, it would be wise to carry it. Given that you’re in Class C, your resistance to curses probably isn’t all that high.”

“Why me?”

“Last time, I wasn’t around to protect the students from the lycans. This is my payback. Originally, it was a gift from Elder Enviel, but I really don’t want to accept something from that guy.”

I had no reason to refuse. Even if it was a curse, well… it wouldn’t matter much since I was already cursed.

“And I have something to ask Jenny too.”

“For me?”

“It will just take a moment. I don’t intend to take up too much of your time.”

As Jenny was led away by the professors, I took a moment to examine the talisman.

By description alone, it seemed useless to me. It granted immunity but could not dispel the curse.

Much like the scripture I received from Riplain, there was no other use aside from the immunity…

[‘Amulet of the Dead’ reacts to ‘Curse of the Lyre.’]

“Uh?”

Suddenly, the talisman began to glow purple. It felt just like when I received an artifact from the department head.

With that apprehension, I infused mana into the talisman. Normally, my mana would always emit a transparent aura, but now it was radiating purple.

Then, the talisman transformed into particles and seeped into my body.

[The curse within you grows stronger. Resonating with it, the absorbed Amulet of the Dead causes a mutation.]

[A new stat slot, ‘Spirit Power,’ has been activated!]

For a moment, I was taken aback, suddenly greeted by a notification screen.

__________________________

[Radon Crawler (16)]

Race: Human

Grade: 1

Occupation: Scammer (Experience: 50/100%)

– Stamina: 19

– Strength: 19

– Intelligence: 13

– Grit: 25

– Mana: 38/38

– Spirit Power: 5/5

[Special Skills List], [Lifestyle Skills List], [Combat Skills List], [Magic Skills List], [Spirit Skills List]

[Artifact List]

[Magical Device Recipe List]

__________________________

I couldn’t hide my surprise at the new stat I had never seen before.

– Spirit Power: 5/5

[Spirit Skills List]

Two things had just been added. This meant the talisman that reacted to my curse had granted me a new power.

Then I examined the description of the talisman.

__________________________

ㄴ[Amulet of the Dead (★)]

-Purpose: —

-Proficiency: —

An unidentified talisman made by an evil sect.

Simply possessing it absorbs all curses, aiding the mastery of spirit power. With this ability, it can absorb weaker spirits than its wielder.

However, the absorbed curse will never be purified.

__________________________

Just as one would expect from a talisman related to curses, it had a nasty backstory.

It absorbed curses and made the owner endure all of them… it was a truly heinous artifact.

In short, Teaching Assistant Adela was scammed.

“As expected of Elder Enviel. He has the sign of a crooked individual from the get-go.”

But this curse-absorbing monstrosity applied favorably to me.

Spirit Power was referred to as ‘Spirit Control’ for those committing evils.

[Artifact List]

ㄴLeviathan (★★★★)

ㄴAmulet of the Dead (★)

[Spirit Skills List]

ㄴCurse Bestowal Lv1

‘Isn’t this just like a Necromancer?’

As it had just manifested, it only had this single skill.

A very simple skill at that.

__________________________

– Curse Bestowal Lv1

Consume a certain amount of spirit power to cast a curse onto an object. The amount of spirit power spent corresponds to the range. The type of curse can be selected within the proposed area.

However, as usual, it will not work on those with strong resistance.

__________________________

This was a skill to curse and turn an object into a cursed item. For example, if someone drops a cursed coin and another person picks it up, they would be cursed.

But it’s obvious I would never drop money without reason, and even a worthless item wouldn’t attract attention.

I wondered if there was a skill to compensate for this.

*

Jenny and I were heading back without even getting a chance to explore the national park. While walking towards the academy, I asked Jenny.

“What was it that the professors asked for a moment ago?”

“It’s simple. They asked for a wall of ice. I’m the only one specialized for that ability at the academy.”

While there may be many ice spells, none could handle ice as artfully as the Silver Age.

“Then what about the talisman Radon received earlier? If it’s a curse-chasing talisman, they’re everywhere.”

“It seemed usable at least. At the very least, no misfortunes should happen on our way.”

I burst into a hearty laugh, unable to hide my pleasure.

I had absorbed a new skill for free, how could I be unhappy?

Watching me, Jenny seemed to have a weight lifted off her chest, wearing a face that showed relief.

“Really, thank you so much. Thanks to you, I can finally stop hesitating.”

“Feeling better now?”

“Yes. I’ve thought of myself as pathetic for not protecting Angela until now, but… I can’t just give up for you, who makes time for me despite being busy.”

With a playful glance over her shoulder, Jenny smiled back at me.

Her appearance, clad in a pure white dress, was so delicate that I couldn’t take my eyes off it.

“So, if something happens to Radon, I won’t just sit still.”

“Even though we met in such a bizarre way?”

“Oh, all those things have been regretted by now. Even if I find it strange that you still tell lies these days, I’ll come to understand eventually.”

Jenny took off her hat and stepped back, walking alongside me with a smile.

“As long as you don’t cross the line like last time, you don’t need to dig deeply into my business. Right?”

Her flowing blue hair danced in the breeze.

Could this be the same girl who swung her sword with such ferocity? It felt hard to believe she could look so angelic.

Thanks to that… I was about to let out a sigh of relief.

Thud—

Suddenly, a giant charged at me, attempting a body slam.

As I let out a “ugh!” while falling, the giant collapsed as well.

“Radon! Are you okay?”

“Yeah, for now….”

Whether I hit too hard or not, I simply touched my shoulder, and it hurt so much that I nearly exclaimed! Yet, there was something even more absurd.

“Ouch! My arm! My arm is broken!”

The giant who lunged at me contorted his face in pain. He seemed to be acting hurt.

His expression was so exaggerated that it was hard to believe it was just an act. Even Jenny could see through it.

“Why are you pretending to be hurt after running into someone?”

“Ugh… do you little brats think you can just break a person’s bones and not have to pay consequences?”

Jenny was left speechless by the ridiculousness of it all.

Since she had been backing away, Jenny witnessed the whole scene. The giant running up to slam into Radon, that is.

Moreover, despite his immense size, he looked like he wouldn’t get a scratch even if beaten with a hammer, so claiming a broken bone was absurd.

“I saw you intentionally slam into him; I saw it all!”

“Sorry, but we were watching too.”

Suddenly, several men emerged from nearby alleys. Their ominous laughter revealed they were up to no good.

“That little brat intentionally ran into our big brother, you see. Hehehe.”

A man with a scar on his eye approached Jenny, and the others followed suit, laughing along.

These were definitely the thugs the professors had warned about, guys that had flocked to the town in the hustle and bustle.

“Are you going to pay up for breaking our brother’s arm?”

“You’re the one who broke it.”

[Degradation Rate: -15%]

[+1500 Credits]

As I countered with exaggerated lies, the atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

“Broken…?”

Jenny murmured with a low voice. She raised her head to gaze intently at the scarred man.

With each step she took forward, the ground froze.

“How dare you shout such nonsense after breaking my friend’s shoulder…?”

The icy glare she cast held an intensity that seemed to snap any remaining sanity.

What she was emitting felt strangely familiar.

The same feeling I received when she attacked me during the practical exam. And the overwhelming aura that burst forth when Luska protected me during an attack…

Shwing!

“Do you want to die?”

“……!!”

Before I knew it, she had moved behind the scarred man, gripping her sword tightly.

It seemed she had used her acceleration skill, ‘Snowfall,’ and was poised to strike at any moment.

The scarred man and his entourage, even I, felt a chill run down our spines.

The angelic girl transformed, in an instant, into a ferocious demon. It felt tremendously disconcerting, yet knowing Jenny’s character, I realized there was nothing strange about it.

“Uh, go ahead…! You’re an Aligieri Academy student, right? If we harm you, we could report you to the academic authorities immediately.”

“…….”

While they started it, academy students couldn’t harm civilians.

Breaking that rule could draw a red mark against their school life, leaving Jenny momentarily hesitant.

In that gap, the gang dragged Jenny away. They pulled her close as they shamelessly drooled with desire.

“What do you want?”

“It’s simple. Just give us a hefty fee for treating our big brother, and we’ll leave. If you don’t have money… you know the drill?”

The scarred man remarked with an unpleasant grin.

But Jenny appeared unwilling to be swayed by such a trick, freezing the floor to bind their ankles while planning her escape with Radon.

“I have the money right here!”

At that moment, Radon shouted loudly. He openly pulled out a bag that seemed to contain money.

“I’m sure there’s 30 gold coins in there. At 10,000 credits each, that would be 300,000 credits!”

“Radon!”

Jenny yelled in disbelief.

How expensive could 300,000 credits be… that would be about 3 million won.

There was no way I would willingly hand over such a fortune to these punks.

“Th-thirty thousand…?”

Hearing the amount, it seemed the man was taken aback in surprise. As I threw the bag to him, he opened it without hesitation… and dozens of shining gold coins spilled out.

“Guys, this should be enough! Hahaha!”

With no lingering attachment, the man laughed heartily. Then he disappeared into the darkness of the alley with his lackeys.

In the process, they shoved Jenny back towards me, and the giant, who had been pretending to be hurt, was now moving around perfectly fine.

“Are you out of your mind? Why did you just give that up?”

Naturally, Jenny scolded me with a look of great disappointment.

She seemed ready to swing her sword in anger right then and there, but I merely chuckled.

“Hey, Jenny. The truth is, I don’t have that much cash.”

“What?”

“Hehe. An interesting event is about to unfold.”

Hearing me, Jenny momentarily lost her temper.

This time, the chill she felt was from my devilish grin.

*

“Hahaha! Is this our windfall, or what? Brother?”

“How about we throw a party together this evening?”

The thugs, who had turned the ruins of a back-alley tavern into their hideout, were reveling in a festive atmosphere.

The money they extorted from students had turned out to be thicker than expected.

“Well, since it’s noble offspring that roam, it wouldn’t be weird for them to give us a hand. Haha!”

The giant who acted hurt said, laughing heartily. Because of his contributions, the scarred man had given him a special opportunity to handle the money.

“Shall we check for ourselves…? Huh?”

The giant fondled the pocket he had treated like a child, but the contents were strange.

“What’s wrong?”

“Brother…. This isn’t money.”

“What do you mean? From what I saw, it was definitely….”

“There’s no money here… but b-b-bugs….”

Just then, an infinite swarm of bugs burst out of the pocket and engulfed the giant. The insects descended like a swarm of locusts, without regard for their kind.

“Aaaaah!! Brother!”

“Uh… uh-oh?”

The scarred man stood frozen in shock as he watched his brother being gnawed on by the insects.

These were not something that could easily come out of a small bag… the bugs numbered in the hundreds or thousands.

Moreover, each of them contained a tremendous curse. To be bitten even once would leave the victim in a near-death state.

“Aaaah!!”

“Brother!!”

“They’re… Aaaaah!”

The minions screamed in agony as they were bitten by the bugs.

The scarred man, realizing he had been duped too late, found it already too late.

“N-no! Don’t come near me! Aaaaah!!”

In the end, he too was consumed by the insects, succumbing to the curse. Despite his desperate attempts to flail about, his consciousness faded.

They were not trained like the academy students. Without resistance to even this small curse, they would be left immobile for a week.

With no way out, they would starve.

That bag’s identity was a fake, created by Radon’s bug-summoning illusion skill.

And it was the first experiment regarding the new power known as ‘Spirit Power.’

Surviving as an academy scammer.