The biggest difference between the wilderness and civilization is conversation. In the wilderness, communication between things living there is hardly possible, and only the law of the jungle applies.
However, in civilization, it is not the case.
Instead, when faced with difficult challenges, they can be resolved through dialogue rather than force. Force is only a last resort.
However, there are occasional instances where people intentionally use force and violence to create a negative image.
As someone once said, civilized individuals are ruder than savages. The reason for this is that even if civilized individuals behave rudely, their heads do not get split open.
“What’s wrong with that person? Are they a pervert?”
“There was someone like that at the academy? Why haven’t they been expelled?”
“Wait a minute. Isn’t this woman the top-ranking new student? What’s going on?”
“Look at that squirrel. It’s so cute.”
Behold, as soon as I entered the academy, all sorts of rude comments entered my ears. Instead of being impressed by the encounter with civilization, I felt an urge to split someone’s head open.Of course, since I’m in this state, there’s nothing I can do about it. I only put on a makeshift robe, so anyone would find it strange. Even savages would at least wear proper clothes. Although their level of exposure might be high, they don’t dress like me.
“…Hurry up and get some clothes. Even if it’s just a robe.”
“Yeah. That seems like the right thing to do.”
Luna and Ellie, who couldn’t overcome their embarrassment, ended up dressing me in clothes. They covered me with the cheapest robe, which didn’t do much.
Thanks to that, the gazes around me lessened ever so slightly.
Nevertheless, my hair and beard were so unkempt that they covered my face, surely attracting attention. Even sages don’t grow them like this.
‘By the way, this is the real Academy.’
I followed behind while looking around the Academy. The United Academy, where promising talents from all over the world gather.
It’s a main stage in the Soul World, playing a crucial role even in the late game. It’s a place steeped in the traces of civilization that I longed for.
The infrastructure was excellent, as befits the world’s top educational institution. From basic general stores to spaces where non-combatants can practice.
It’s hard to believe this is a world in a game. Who on earth would consider this place a game?
As I followed the group, I couldn’t help but stop abruptly when I noticed something quite irritating.
“··· ···”
“Huh? Sivar, why aren’t you following…”
Before Ellie finished her question, she turned her head in the direction my gaze was focused on. Luna, who was walking ahead, also turned around to look back. Ŗά₦ȪВΕ𐌔
She also turned her gaze in the direction where my gaze had fallen. There stood a tall bell tower.
“Seems to be Gaia’s church. Is it the towering structure that caught your attention?”
Ellie said with a smirk. As mentioned before, there were gods in this world.
-The Goddess of Life, Gaia.
-The God of Chaos, Chaos.
-The God of Destruction, Gulak.
These three gods existed as siblings, constantly bickering and tormenting each other. The God of Chaos, in particular, is neither male nor female, as its gender was not defined, just like the name implies.
“Now that I think about it, Ratatoskr also uses lightning. Isn’t that the ability of the God of Destruction, Gulak?”
“Usually, that’s correct. He is also a deity mainly believed in by barbarians.”
“Luna. They’re not barbarians but rather the Tatar tribe. This is an academy, after all.”
“Sorry, I misspoke.”
The three gods have different abilities, as their names suggest. Gaia mainly possessed healing-related abilities, while Gulak possessed various attack abilities, including lightning.
Chaos, on the other hand, was the most ambiguous and complex. Its whims were extremely unpredictable.
Sometimes it granted healing abilities, and sometimes it granted attacking abilities, among other things. There were too many situations where it deliberately made things difficult.
It tends to prioritize “fun,” so users often referred to it as “Lotto God.”
However, it can show the greatest growth potential as long as certain conditions were met, which could be problematic even for hardcore gamers to grasp.
‘I really want to curse them out.’
Of course, it was all the same to me. Whether it’s Life, Chaos, or Destruction, it was those bastards who sent me to this place. It was impossible to explain otherwise. The demon’s chosen deity wouldn’t have summoned me.
And living in the forest, my faith was barely above zero, about to hit rock bottom.
‘Is there a stone around here?’
I looked around the ground. Even though the distance was quite far, I could easily hit it with my throwing ability.
“Let’s go quickly. We can visit the church later.”
“Alright, Sivar?”
Unfortunately, I had no choice but to postpone it. I bit my tongue and followed them silently. Two female students and one wild man.
Thanks to the combination of a giant squirrel as the last member, we attracted attention. It was no different when we entered the building that appeared to be an administrative institution. They all had the same expression of confusion.
“We’ve come to report, Professor.”
“…I could see from afar that there seems to be a lot to report.”
This world had the concept of weekends, and United Academy was no exception. In other words, it meant that there were professors who had to take duty on weekends. This was also reflected in the Soul World.
The male professor sitting at the desk, carrying out his duty, looked at my companions and made a complicated expression.
After returning from the forest, they brought back a wild person, which was unnatural. And there was even a squirrel the size of a large dog as a bonus here.
“First of all, let me ask about that person. I’ve never seen someone like that during my tenure. Who on earth is he?”
With his short sport hair and a beard that gives an austere impression, the professor pointed at me.
Known as the “Tutorial Boss” among newcomers, the professor with a name reminiscent of cigarettes, Marlboro Redca.
Although the name sounds funny, he was a nightmare-like boss to newcomers.
He won’t die no matter what he does.. Even if you hit him hard, the fight would end with just one shot from him.
Even if you didn’t get hit by him once and depleted all his stamina, it was meaningless.
He’ll just say, “Excellent!” and force a game over.
Although the game developers have set it up so that you couldn’t defeat him at all, they prepared for the possibility of him being defeated.
‘I heard that defeating him gives you bonus stats.’
This didn’t apply to me but to the protagonist, Luna. I wonder if Luna made it through.
“You may not believe it, but he’s a survivor of the Forest of Chaos. Let me explain what happened…”
Luna provided a detailed account of what had happened so far. From Ellie almost being killed by Manki to me crushing Manki’s skull.
However, Luna didn’t mention the last battle, perhaps to hide the fact that Popori was a divine beast.
Instead, Luna explained that Eliie saved me by using a potion when I was wounded and on the verge of dying.
“You know that wild animals are unhygienic and carry many germs, right?”
“We plan to give him a rabies shot and deworming medication.”
“Well, then it should be fine. The problem lies with that person, Sivar…”
Malboro stroked his chin and wore a perplexed expression, drawing everyone’s attention towards him.
I simply sat comfortably in my chair, emphasizing that I was harmless.
“Sivar is a good person. He listens to us well.”
I almost burst into laughter at Ellie’s defense, but Malboro looked at me intently and expressed a negative opinion.
“Well, I think he appears to be a survivor, but I don’t think he really is.”
“Why is that?”
Luna asked with a puzzled expression, clearly showing her curiosity on her face.
Finally, Professor Malboro’s words had a slight impact on everyone.
“The Academy is not entirely irresponsible. Once every five years, we venture into the forest to create a specialized compass. In the process, we sometimes come across traces of survivors. However, there were no traces of that person even five years ago. There have been no reports of disappearance during that time.”
“Then…?”
“He either entered through a completely different entrance, or he teleported from somewhere. It must be one of the two possibilities. For now, I don’t think it’s someone from the Academy.”
I didn’t even know such a setting existed. I was so focused on survival that I forgot about such trivial things.
However, this revelation seemed quite shocking to the group, especially Luna, whose sky-blue eyes widened significantly.
What about Ellie? Her reaction was not much, but Luna was the only one showing such a response.
Judging from her expression alone, it seemed like she had some doubts. But since I couldn’t speak, I decided to keep my mouth shut.
“Judging from the black hair and beard, we can assume he’s from the East. But his fair skin makes him look Western… Anyway, it would be difficult to find his identity without knowing his name.”
“What should we do then? Are you going to throw them out again…?”
“Sigh… he can’t speak or read, like a savage or a wild person… It’s an unprecedented situation for the Academy…”
Professor Malboro wiped his face with his hands, seemingly faced with a problem that couldn’t be easily resolved. Clearly, he was in a difficult situation when it came to dealing with this.
Sending me in as I am is risky. They don’t know what kind of trouble I might cause at the academy, but it’s also ambiguous to send me back. It would be much easier to communicate with the savages.
At least they were human, not beasts-like. Although I’d like to appeal that I’m harmless, it seemed meaningless. It was better to believe in the saying that ‘if you stay still, at least half of the problem will be resolved.
“I think I should talk to the other professors and even the dean about this. It’s not a problem that can be solved in a short period.”
“Then what should we do about Sivar until then?”
“First, we need to get him cleaned up, so let’s have him get a rough shave. We can wash him afterward. Take that pig to the infirmary as I mentioned earlier too. He might spread rabies if we mishandle him.”
“Kyang?”
Perhaps my use of the word “pig” bothered him. Porori, who was sitting next to me, reacted angrily. It was an expression asking if I was picking a fight with him.
The professor widened his eyes in surprise.
“Wh-what. What’s the matter? Did it understand what I said?”
“That’s just because it’s a pig! Anyway, I’ll do as you say.”
“Uh… alright. Come back after you finish shaving him. I’ll take care of washing him.”
“Thank you.”
I can wash by myself. Besides, I’m not that dirty.
I didn’t have soap, but I washed my body in the stream every day. Otherwise, I would really get dirty, and there would be no solution.
Of course, there was no way to express that to them. I guess I’ll just have to wash myself when the time comes.
“I’ll take Sivar with me. Ellie, you take Ratatoskr to the infirmary.”
“Okay.”
“Oh, and if you can get another dewormer, please do. Sivar needs to take it too.”
I think there may be some parasites in my body. I’ve eaten too many things raw, after all.
Still, considering my [Digestion] trait, there’s a possibility of me not having any. If there were parasites, I wouldn’t have fully digested what I ate.
“Shivar, come with me. Understand?”
“··· ···”
Right before leaving, Luna pointed at herself with her finger, as if to emphasize it.
It seems like she’s worried about following Ellie. Coincidentally, Ellie walked away to the infirmary with Ratatoskr.
When Luna saw them in that direction, she emphasized again in a slightly anxious tone.
“No, not Ellie. Look at me. Sivar, me, not Ellie.”
“··· ···”
“You have to come with me. Understand? Got it?”
“I talk to my son the same way.”
Marlboro, who was watching, giggled and threw a joke. After which Luna looked at him with a sharp gaze.
I didn’t want to bother responding, so I nodded as if I understood.
Luna stepped out of the administration building with a look of relief on her face.
“We need to go to a barbershop, not a beauty salon… right here.”
By the way, at United Academy, there were separate establishments like beauty salons and barbershops. Both places could do simple haircuts, but there was a difference, and that’s the management of facial hair.
Beauty salons can handle complex hairstyles, but they struggle with beard grooming, while barbershops are the opposite.
Even if the protagonist’s appearance was predetermined, it could still be changed to some extent, and the same goes for NPCs if you build up a good relationship with them.
‘I don’t want to trim my beard… ‘
I’ll just cut it. It was a shame because there were people who liked it, but a neat appearance was better.
Shortly after that, I arrived at the barbershop.
The barbershop resembled a Western barber shop quite closely. It had a vintage feel with British-inspired decor, or at least that’s what it seemed like.
I’m not sure if my knowledge was accurate.
“Welcome… um, how can I assist you?”
The barber’s assistant was taken aback when she saw me, but she quickly regained her composure and put on a professional smile. Since it was an academy, people of various races came here for shaving and grooming. However, it must be their first encounter with a wild man like me.
Luna looked at the male employee with neatly trimmed side hair and placed an order.
“Please tidy it up neatly like this. Shave off all the facial hair and just give the hair a decent cut.”
“Understood. Please have a seat here.”
“Sivar, you can sit over there.”
After the employee, Luna pointed to the chair and I followed obediently. The employee professionally didn’t ask any questions.
Sitting on the chair, I felt strangely different. The feeling of the soft and comfortable felt foreign.
“Sivar, just in case, even if scissors or a razor blade comes close to your face, you have to stay still. Understand?”
“… …”
“… No, if something like that happens, just go along with it and don’t move. I wonder if it would be reassuring if I hold your hand?”
While saying that, Luna held my hand. Due to her being a knight, her hands were filled with calluses in various places.
Still, it’s a first person’s hand I had held in a long time. And it wasn’t just any hand, but a woman’s hand.
Just as I was about to let the emotions that I had forgotten well up, the employee interrupted.
“Excuse me, but what about the robe? Will you keep wearing it as it is?”
“Ah, yes. There’s a reason for it. Since I’m going to throw it away anyway, please leave it as it is.”
“Understood. First, I’ll quickly trim the hair and then proceed with the shaving.”
It was time to bid farewell to the hair and beard that I’ve grown for years.
Finally, the hairdresser approached me with scissors in hand, unknowingly causing me to instinctively shrink back.
Living in the wilderness for a while, my instincts had taken over more than reason. It seemed Luna’s concerns were not unfounded.
It was the moment I realized that “instinct” was more fearsome than I had thought.
“Ah! Ah! Sivar! Ease up! Easy!”
While shrinking back, I exerted force in the hand that held Luna’s. In my perspective, it was a gentle grip, but it seemed different to her.
Upon hearing her outcry, I quickly released my grip. Luna tightly held onto her hand, fidgeting.
“Don’t worry. He won’t harm you. You understand, right?”
It felt strangely like I was becoming a dog. I should try to reassure myself like she said.
“…Is everything okay now?”
A staff member next to us asked in a slightly anxious voice.
When I turned my head to look at him, he seemed to be gauging my reaction.
“It’s okay. Please continue.”
“Understood.”
Puff! Puff!
The staff member sprayed water haphazardly on my damp hair. I barely managed to suppress the urge to shake my head vigorously.
Then, the staff member neatly combed my hair and spoke in a slightly surprised tone.
“Huh? Sir, has your hair ever caught fire?”
“What?”
“The top part is really smooth, but the bottom part is frizzy. It’s unusual unless it has been burned by fire.”
Impressive. It wasn’t a fire, but I’ve been charred by lightning.
Upon hearing those words, Luna briefly held back her words and awkwardly smiled.
The barber no longer asked any more questions, recognizing that the smile was filled with multiple meanings.
Snip- snip-
Goodbye, my beloved hair.
The barber cut off my hair from the back. It felt noticeably empty from the nape of my neck.
Snip-snip-snip-
Starting from the back and trimming it overall, he neatly styled the curtain-like bangs at the end.
Thanks to that, my two eyes that had been covered all this time were revealed. Without a mirror or a lake, I couldn’t confirm my own face until now.
Luna softly muttered as she looked at my reflection in the mirror.
“…Your eyes are red?”
It was still difficult to assess my appearance properly due to my beard. However, I could confirm at least my two eyes.
A deep red color so intense that it could be perceived as threatening just by looking at it. It was the same color as the red magic power I use.
It is known that there were few individuals with red eyes in the Soul World. As far as I know, one must obtain a special “ability” for that.
‘Could it have been the [Crimson Magic]?’
I didn’t remember it well now. Even though I emphasized it repeatedly, I’ve mostly forgotten the minor details from the game besides the main storyline.
I was only remembering things when situations like Ellie’s arised. That should be enough in the future though.
Snip-snip-snip-
After tidying up my bangs, the barber also neatened my scruffy beard. He first roughly cut it with scissors.
Whee-ing-
I pushed aside my thoughts due to a buzzing sound. You might ask what buzzing was in a fantasy world. It was magic, or more precisely, the power of magic engineering.
It was a world where even “guns” existed in the first place. However, the guns were similar to bows and not all-powerful. There are many superhumans who could deflect bullets after all.
“Now please lie back.”
Finally, for shaving, the barber leaned back the chair. I blinked while holding Luna’s hand. Thanks to leaning back, I met Luna’s gaze directly.
Her shining blue eyes held a hint of longing. It seems she got lost in thought after looking at the color of my eyes. It’s probably best to let her think for now.
Swish-swish-swish-
He then shaved my chin clean with a razor. I don’t know why, but it felt really refreshing.
‘But how do I take care of my housing after washing?’
Suddenly, I felt that kind of worry.
******
While Sivar closed his eyes and enjoyed shaving, Luna was lost in thought. His red eyes that she had just seen moments ago. It was said that there were very few people with red eyes, to the point where it was almost unheard of.
Even the Tatar people, who were regarded as savages, only had red hair.
‘In the books, they definitely say that only raging monsters have red eyes.’
In the world, there were various monsters, and among them, there were monsters that possessed the characteristic of [Frenzy]. Unlike ordinary monsters, when cornered, they go on a rampage. When their frenzy is unleashed, they become several times stronger.
That’s why there’s no choice but to deal with them swiftly before their frenzy is triggered or wait until they exhaust themselves.
‘But could it happen to Sivar too?’
I’ve never heard of someone who was not a monster experiencing the frenzy. Of course, it was possible for someone to have naturally red eyes from birth. However, since he grew up in the wild” it wasn’t easy to make a quick judgment.
‘Judging by the power he showed, he probably won’t get cornered and go into a rage, but…’
It’s frightening. If Sivar really enters a frenzy, what would happen then?
Whether he’ll go crazy like a monster and rampage, or hold on to the fragile thread of reason until the end.
“It’s all done. Sir.”
While lost in thought, Luna heard the barber’s words and lifted her head. Before she could fully grasp the fact that they had been holding hands from the beginning to the end, she could only stare blankly at Sivar’s face.
“How do you like it, sir?”
“… …”
Sivar, who had become much tidier than before, touched his chin with his hand. His expression exuded a refreshing vibe.
Meanwhile, Luna slowly scanned his improved appearance.
The first thought that came to mind was that he’s handsome. To the point of being bewilderingly handsome.
‘He, he’s handsome?’
At the United Academy, good-looking men and women were a dime a dozen.
However, Sivar stood out even among them. Even roughly cut hair couldn’t hide his appearance.
Prominent cheekbones and a sharp jawline. And finally, his large pupils gave a pure impression.
He was flawless, lacking nothing. It felt mismatched to have such beauty while living in the wild.
“Shibal.”
Sivar muttered to himself as he examined his reflection in the mirror.
Although he regretted not having a beard, he couldn’t express how refreshed he felt.
He also possessed a really handsome appearance. Sivar had never had a chance to see himself in a mirror before, so he didn’t know he had such a face.
While his body was covered in scars, he had somehow managed to protect his face, boasting smooth skin without a single scar.
If Sivar were to receive a blow to his face, it would surely be fatal after all. He had to prevent that, not because he cared about his appearance, but for practical reasons.
“… …”
But why does Luna continue to hold his hand until the end? Luna, with a blank expression, was still looking at him.
She also realized belatedly and snapped out of it. She hurriedly pulled her hand away.
“Hmm. Hm, hm. How much does it cost?”
She said with a flushed face.
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