Academy's Drunk Fighter-Chapter 33: First Crisis (5)

Hee...

“Uuugh... I’m so tired...”

Noah yawned as she rolled her shoulders.

She hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep in weeks.

Every waking hour was spent sorting through data and reports. In the rare moments of rest, she sustained herself with cheap food from the convenience store, dragging herself through hellish days one after another.

In the corner of her room, stacks of coffee and energy drink cans had piled up neatly.

Sometimes she used vitality or healing magic just to keep going, but even that wasn’t enough. She’d been pushing herself far beyond her limits for a long time now.

“Huu...”

She exhaled as she tossed another empty coffee can into the trash bin.

It was kind of funny how, in a world full of magic and technology, there was still nothing better than caffeine when it came to cheap and effective ways to stay awake.

Sure, you couldn’t revive the dead, but you could instantly save someone with a critical wound—yet there still wasn’t a stimulant that beat coffee.

Well, maybe there were better ones out there... but those were probably illegal.

And she wasn’t about to use something like that just to stay awake.

“Still... I can’t afford to rest.”

Besides, if she just got through this, she was sure she’d finally be acknowledged by that person.

She couldn’t let herself rest until she finished what she needed to do.

Even so, the only reason she was still managing to stay afloat... was probably because of that one kid who’d been lingering around her lately.

Every time she saw her, it reminded her of someone she’d missed for a long time.

A kid with a lazy streak, sure—but when she needed to, she got things done. The kind of person you didn’t feel like criticizing or hating.

Maybe it was because she resembled one of Noah’s younger siblings. That’s probably why she felt so familiar and easy to approach.

Almost everything about that girl reminded Noah of her little sister.

So stupidly kind, trying to hide things in her own way, but so bad at it that any halfway observant person would immediately notice—though she herself remained oblivious to how obvious she was.

At first, it had been hard to approach her because of the rumors.

But once you got close, you realized she wasn’t a bad kid at all.

“Pfft.”

She already knew the girl drank—but she hadn’t caused any real trouble.

And besides, it didn’t seem like she was the only one who knew anymore, so Noah decided not to bring it up.

She just hoped she wouldn’t cause a scene in the future.

Though she hadn’t been able to properly eat the meal Esha gave her, the lingering taste of curry still clung to her tongue, and it lifted her mood.

Had she gotten better at cooking after all this time?

Then again, curry was a pretty simple dish.

Just chop up some potatoes and carrots, throw in some meat if you can afford it, and cook them in the right order. That’s it.

“Well... it turned out fine, I guess?”

She hadn’t been able to tell Esha the truth because she didn’t want to hurt her feelings—but the porridge before was honestly terrible.

So bad, she seriously questioned why anyone would eat something like that.

She’d even secretly dumped most of it out because she didn’t want Esha eating it, either. But the next day, it had somehow reappeared, like magic—same amount, same awful smell. It made her wonder if it was cursed.

When Esha told her the porridge had gone bad, she was actually relieved.

Clutching her sleepy eyes, lost in fantasies and drifting thoughts, Noah arrived at the outer archive building.

Her task today was simple.

She needed to retrieve a few documents that weren’t stored in the central archive.

Most of the records were kept on servers, so she usually didn’t need to move anything physically—but a few older materials were different.

They were still in physical form, reinforced with protective and preservation magic just in case something ever happened.

Some of them were ancient contracts signed between the academy and various market vendors.

Those would be essential for negotiating booth fees and rent in the upcoming event.

And besides... she still remembered Esha’s request.

“Alcohol... was it?”

Normally, anything that could damage the academy’s morals—like cigarettes or booze—was totally banned. But during festival periods? Maybe not.

Plenty of students were of legal age outside the academy’s grounds. If it were technically allowed...

Well, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to try.

Clunk.

She opened the brightly lit door to the outer archive and stepped inside. A vast marble floor stretched out beneath her, and row upon row of metal shelves lined the space.

It was a place she’d visited many times since her first year, but even so—it was always striking how massive this building was, despite being just one of the outer facilities.

She could see the security officer who was always stationed there, as well as several other students browsing for their own purposes.

“What material are you looking for today?”

“Documents from the 2000s regarding the academy’s commercial lease contracts.”

“That would be... bottom shelf, sixth from the right in section C-24.”

“Thank you.”

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She followed the guide’s instructions and found the spot—packed with stacks of documents.

“Pretty heavy...”

As expected from the sheer volume—easily over a thousand sheets of A4 paper. The weight bore down on her shoulders, but luckily there were carts available for just this purpose.

“So now I just have to bring this back.”

It wasn’t the end of today’s work, but maybe—maybe—she’d be able to grab a nap later.

But right at that moment—

Thump.

“...Huh?”

Goosebumps ran across her whole body. A chill raced up her spine.

“...???”

The haze in her mind, which not even caffeine could fully shake off, vanished in an instant.

And the only thought that followed was: I have to get out of here.

“Why...?”

She didn’t even have time to figure out what was going on—when her phone suddenly started exploding with alerts.

[Emergency Disaster Alert]

Buzzing in at one-second intervals, each one matched the rising ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) dread in her chest with eerie precision.

“There’s no way... It’s the academy—what could possibly—”

BOOM!

Before she could even finish reassuring herself, a thunderous crash came from the direction of the entrance.

She rushed over—just in time to see the guard locking the door and pulling down the shutter.

He turned to the panicked students around him and explained:

“You all probably saw the alert. Until the professors arrive, we’re locking down the area.”

“Eh? Maybe it’s just a glitch...”

“Even if it were a glitch, we can’t rule out the possibility that it’s not. And this place is far from the central buildings, so it’ll take time for the professors to get here. Plus, I’m the only guard on duty in this section.”

Noah thought—just from how quickly he assessed the situation, this guy really was a proper academy security officer.

Still, there were always students who didn’t agree or who had questions.

“Shouldn’t we just run for it? Like, go to where the professors are?”

“The main hall, where most of the professors are stationed, is about a 20-minute walk from here. Even if you sprint, it’s 10 minutes minimum. And that’s if you’re a combat-track or physique-type.”

“So?”

“So if you take your sweet time walking, you’re a prime target to have your throat ripped out by magic beasts from the Gate.”

“W-What...?”

A student wore a look of disbelief.

“They’re just magic beasts, aren’t they? And this is the Academy?”

“That may be true—but the strong ones are them, not you.”

“...Ha. What do you take me for...?”

The student was clearly offended.

But he was clearly mistaken.

Even if he was combat-track, it wouldn’t matter.

Because a Gate doesn’t just release one beast.

“......”

Unless that boy had the power to take down every magic beast pouring out of the Gate, trying to escape to the central building would be incredibly dangerous.

Not just for himself—but for everyone else in this archive room.

“I’ve dealt with beasts before. They’re just lumps of mana stone.”

“...Don’t tell me you’re thinking about the stones you’d collect from the beasts in this situation?”

“Well, I guess I am.”

He didn’t even deny it. The desire burning quietly in his eyes was unmistakable.

“You probably fought ones in weakened states. And even if that wasn’t the case, we don’t know how many are coming. Leaving now is not allowed.”

“And who the hell are you?”

It was true—mana stones were extremely valuable.

Even the lowest grade ones sold for over a hundred silver. Anything higher was worth far more.

But were magic beasts really that easy to handle?

“No...”

Noah remembered the shock and terror she’d felt when she saw one in the past.

Contrary to popular belief, they weren’t just walking bags of cash.

They were biological weapons—creatures built entirely for slaughter and ferocity.

Mana stones were just a byproduct. The hard-won spoils from killing one of those monsters.

They weren’t something you could casually scoop up with a bit of greed.

“That’s enough. I’m going.”

“You’re not.”

“Fuck off—who even are you?!”

“I’m a guard of the Academy. It’s my duty to protect you all. That’s what I get paid for. So no—you’re not going anywhere.”

“Tch...!”

The muscle-headed student swung his weapon like he meant to push the guard out of the way—but the man caught it easily with one hand.

“You caught a sword barehanded? Are you crazy—?”

“I said you’re not going anywhere.”

The student’s sword trembled in his grip, clashing against the calm, unflinching arm of the guard.

He tried to wrench it free with all his might, but the blade didn’t budge.

The two of them looked ready to explode—but surprisingly, the student backed off first, spitting curses as he lowered his weapon.

“Goddamn it, this is bullshit.”

“I know you’re all frustrated, but this situation will be over soon. Just bear with it a little longer.”

Noah let out a breath of relief as the guard turned away and moved to reinforce the door—

THUD!

CRACK!

“...Tch. I guess we were a bit too loud.”

“The door...!”

The thick steel door had just been dented—by something outside.

“...Student. What time is it now?”

“Uhh... one-thirty...”

“I see.”

The guard calmly accepted the answer and walked over to the nearby glass case, pulling out a long spear stored within.

“If they breach the archive, and I can’t hold them off—do whatever it takes to survive until 2 PM. By then, the professors will be here.”

BANG!

BANG!!

BANG!!!

The steel door buckled, seconds away from bursting apart.

Noah’s breath came in gasps, uneven with fear.

And yet—the guard gripped his spear and took a steady stance, prepared to intercept whatever was about to burst through.

CRAAAAASH!!!

The door finally exploded outward.

And through the gaping hole came magic beasts, towering several meters tall, shaped like bears.

“I was hoping I was wrong... Looks like the Gate was a lot closer than we thought.”

But before the creatures could even set foot in the archive—

The student who’d fought with the guard earlier broke into a run, eyes gleaming with excitement.

“Ahaha!! All of these bastards are mine!”

“Student!! Wait—!!!”

The guard shouted in panic.

But the student was already dashing past him—far too fast to be stopped.

Like he was chasing golden goblins in a game, the fool charged forward, grinning stupidly as he stabbed with his sword.

And then—

.

.

.

.

.

Before his blade even touched one of them—

Crunch.

His torso was sliced clean off.

His lower half crumpled to the ground, spraying blood in all directions.

“Ah... Ahh...”

“...Fucking idiot.”

The guard muttered under his breath at the sight.

“That bastard—why did he recommend this damn job to me...”

And in those words, there was nothing but genuine regret.