I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City-Chapter 93: Shower (1)

"Can we eat this Horned Bird?"

Rohan picked up the decapitated Horned Bird, plucking out its tough feathers one by one with a sharp pop! pop! as he fiddled with it.

At the sight, Ichinose’s golden eyes rolled in stunned confusion as she hesitantly asked Rohan again.

"...You're saying we should eat a Horned Bird?"

"It’s not poisonous, and it's one of the edible monsters. I saw plenty of people eating it on the internet."

His tone implied, What’s the problem?

Rohan’s confidence made Ichinose’s voice tremble slightly.

"W-Well, that’s true, but..."

"Who knows? Maybe encountering a Horned Bird here is actually good luck. There might be nothing but inedible monsters deeper inside."

A completely logical argument, leaving no room for refutation.

The girl’s gaze shifted to the chunk of meat in Rohan’s hand.

The Horned Bird, its life already severed, was still leaking blood. It wasn’t classified as a mere beast—it was a monster.

Physiologically, monster-type creatures evoked a sense of revulsion. But just as Rohan said, it wasn’t inedible.

In fact, some people even filmed themselves eating them to rack up views.

Others tried them out of sheer curiosity.

And lately, there was another category added to the list—

Follow curr𝒆nt nov𝒆ls on fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com.

Those who got dragged into a dungeon by the Monolith and had no choice but to eat whatever they could.

Which aligned exactly with what Orion Academy was aiming to train them for through this survival test.

"Could they have even considered that?"

Ichinose’s mind raced.

It was highly likely that Orion Academy had deliberately chosen this uninhabited island with that in mind.

"I’m certain."

Whether it was true or not, believing so worked in her favor.

Thanks to that realization, Ichinose managed to nod with difficulty.

"...Y-Yeah! We don’t know just how strong these stickers are, so it’s best to keep it for now."

"Good, good. I’ll handle the prep."

"Prep... don’t tell me you've eaten Horned Bird before?"

Ichinose flinched and raised her voice at Rohan’s unexpected confidence.

To Rohan, it was amusing how she reacted more to this than to actual combat.

"It’s just big, but isn’t it basically a chicken?"

"So... do you cook often?"

"Living alone and traveling around, you end up picking up the basics."

"Ah..."

Ichinose recalled Rohan’s background and fell silent.

Meanwhile, Rohan scanned their surroundings, wishing there was a stream nearby, and started leading the way.

Rustle! Snap! Rustle!

They had no idea how far they had pushed forward while taking turns slashing through the brush.

The sound of waves was already gone, replaced by the dark forest’s natural noises.

Looking back, the night sea was now barely visible. Had they not taken an uphill path, it would have completely vanished from view.

"I was worried the smell of blood would attract beasts or monsters, but... it’s still quiet."

Rohan cast his gaze down at the plump Horned Bird in his hand.

He had only removed its innards and had no way to properly wash it.

Water was necessary.

"If we find a suitable place to stay, let’s settle there. As long as we can block the wind, it should be enough."

"Then we keep moving? If we go much ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) further, we won’t even see the ocean anymore."

"Let’s go."

Ichinose confirmed her decision as she smoothly unsheathed her blade.

And with a swift motion, she cleanly sliced through the dense overgrowth ahead.

***

'...I wonder how much time has passed.'

Ichinose, her eyes closed, pondered to herself.

They couldn’t move recklessly at full speed, so their pace had been slow. Yet, judging by how it felt, a considerable amount of time had passed.

Unfortunately, they hadn’t found a suitable place to rest along the way.

But they had encountered plenty of monsters.

After the initial Horned Bird, they hadn’t seen another, but they had taken down over ten Gero Eyes and Mud Slimes each.

From the occasional cries echoing through the forest and the claw marks left on tree trunks, it was likely that Honey Bear or Iron Turtle were also present.

"Assuming we’ve been moving in a straight line, if we keep heading in the opposite direction, we’ll probably run into a different class instead of our own, right?"

"If we follow the flight path of the transport ship, that should be the case."

"Even if we do, I doubt it’ll be a pleasant encounter."

A few casual exchanges to distract themselves, yet Ichinose couldn’t ignore the unfamiliar sensation overwhelming her body.

The sticker was definitely taking effect.

She knew just how much mental energy it took to stay sharp and maintain a constant state of tension.

Even accounting for that, her current condition was undeniably strange.

It felt like her metabolism had gone haywire, accelerating like a fast-forwarded recording.

'We have to endure this for five days...?'

Was this what Noah felt every day when he turned sluggish and whined about being hungry?

Her stomach felt hollow, like there was a gaping hole inside. Her throat, parched and dry, screamed for water.

She had always made sure to eat properly for the sake of growth.

For someone who had never gone hungry, this drastic drop hit her hard.

'Rohan...'

She cracked her eyes open slightly to glance at her partner.

His profile looked completely normal. There wasn’t a single sign of distress on his face.

It even made her wonder if the sticker’s effect wasn’t working on him.

"Hmm... Still no good resting spots in sight. Should we just dig into the ground?"

Just as Rohan spoke with a hint of disappointment—

Growl—

A loud, unmistakable sound rumbled from Ichinose’s stomach.

"!!!"

Ichinose’s face turned red as she instinctively clutched her abdomen with both hands.

A meaningless reaction born out of sheer embarrassment.

To Rohan, her flustered movements were simply adorable.

"T-that was...!"

"What’s the big deal? It’s only natural. I’ve been hungry this whole time too."

"..."

Rohan, smiling casually without a hint of teasing, simply continued walking.

Had he joked about it instead, maybe she wouldn’t have been as mortified.

Now, she just wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.

Her face burned hot, and for a brief moment, her mind went completely blank, even making her forget her hunger.

Step. Step. Step.

A few silent steps passed.

Then, both Rohan and Ichinose stopped at the same time and looked up at the sky.

"This... isn’t good."

"Ah."

As if the heavens were telling her to calm down and cool off—

A few fat raindrops suddenly plopped down.

Before they had a chance to react, the clouds, having given them just a brief taste, began to unleash their full downpour.

Whoooosh—!!!

A heavy squall.

The thick raindrops quickly soaked Rohan and Ichinose, who had yet to find shelter.

***

The main headquarters of the Reverse Praise Society, inside Hekes' laboratory.

Hekes, one of the two ruling heads of the Reverse Praise Society, was meeting with Omega.

It was a routine session—Hekes would use his skills to modify Omega’s body.

"As I mentioned before, I’ll inject as much fire-resistant factor into your muscles and skin as possible."

"..."

At a glance, the two of them were complete opposites.

Hekes had a gaunt, skeletal frame, while Omega stood over two meters tall, with an immense build of sheer muscle and mass.

But Omega’s most striking feature wasn’t just his size.

His face was severely burned—his eyebrows and hair completely gone. His lower jaw was damaged beyond natural recovery, replaced by a mechanical device crafted by Hekes.

At first glance, it looked like a black mask.

"If I win this time, will I finally get my face back?"

"You will."

The rest of his body had already been reconstructed with Hekes’ technology.

But Omega had stubbornly refused to repair the visible burns on his face.

A clear demonstration of willingly enduring suffering.

Hekes found it incomprehensible.

"Since the severity of burns depends on how deeply the heat penetrates the cell layers, this time, I’ll be using grafting materials from a Lava Gargoyle, a Magma Salamander, and—"

Hekes' speech quickened as he gripped a syringe.

Watching his excitement gradually rise, Omega cut him off, accustomed to the scientist’s ramblings.

"I’ve told you before—I don’t understand any of that. Just tell me how long it’ll take."

"And I’ve told you before—I can’t give a definite answer. We have to monitor how well your body adapts."

"Tch."

Omega clenched his fists, his frustration evident.

Hekes, however, was pleased.

Everything was moving exactly as he had planned.

"Haha! You seem desperate."

"...After what you just told me, how could I not be? I know you’re using me, but I’m letting it happen."

The news that had reached Omega—

Juyeon, formerly a Grand Marshal of the Tri-Nation Alliance, had left the Academy City with the cadets and was now stationed on an uninhabited island.

To Omega, this felt like fate.

The timing was perfect.

His major reconstructive procedures had just been completed, and an uninhabited island teeming with monsters was an ideal battlefield for Hekes to create chaos.

It was the perfect opportunity to confront Juyeon.

This is my chance to settle this grudge.

Pierce—!

A thick needle sank into Omega’s skin.

Hekes swiftly administered the drug and retrieved his surgical tools, casually feeding Omega more information.

"From what I heard, it’s not just the other instructors—Paradise Knights from the Sephia Archipelago are also there as support."

"Paradise Knights? Does that mean Lancelot is with them?"

"Fortunately, Lancelot is currently still in the Sephia Archipelago. If two big names were there, I wouldn’t even have brought this up."

Omega didn’t like the way Hekes seemed to anticipate failure.

"Without Lancelot, the rest are just flies. Deal with them yourself."

"But I’d rather take it easy. Causing that much disruption will take a lot of resources, and frankly, I’m too tired for that."

As Hekes spoke, a smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth.

His meaning was obvious.

Omega narrowed his eyes viciously as he underwent the procedure.

"Just say what you want, straight up."

As expected, Omega was sharp in matters like this.

Hekes’ lips curled into a grin at his question.