Summoning Genius of Kizen Academy - Chapter 43

Summoning Genius of Kizen Academy - Chapter 43 Missions. One of the core elements that constitute Kizen's unique system. After the student protection period ends, Kizen students are given a 'mission period'. This period, typically around 2 to 3 days including the weekend, totaling about 5 days, allows students to undertake various missions requested from outside. From simple chores and part-time jobs to monster extermination, escort duties, assassination of key figures, and even proxy wars. The types vary widely. Even missions typically undertaken by active Necromancers are made available to Kizen students. 'Evaluation points' are awarded based on the mission's difficulty and success, and the commission fee can be officially received. For Kizen students, who often face financial difficulties due to massive material expenditures, it was also the fastest way to earn a significant amount of money. And as Professor Hong Peng mentioned last night, Kizen set this week's 5-day period, including the weekend, as the mission period. "During the mission period, students' strategies vary," Dick explained during lunchtime in the cafeteria. "You have to take and clear at least one mission during this period, right? Some kids just clear a simple mission on Rochester Island and then focus on studying hard to boost their grades for the remaining time. Others take a teleportation magic circle out of the island to solve a major incident, aiming for big profits and mission points." "Hmm." Simon took a sip of his drink and nodded. "What happens if you can't clear a mission within those 5 days?" "That's a mission failure, of course. No money, no points." Dick shrugged and continued, "In special cases, you can submit a reason and continue the mission, but then you miss all your classes, so it's your own loss." "There's a risk involved." Dick nodded with a serious expression. "So I'm just going to pick something easy that can be resolved in Rochester and focus on expanding my business." [We have nothing to deliberate about!] Pier's sub-body, hanging from Simon's uniform, spoke to him. Of course, his voice was only audible to Simon. [Use the mission as an excuse to go to the continent! Our top priority is to gather the Legion's forces scattered across the continent and restore our former prestige!] Simon agreed. If ancient undead who were under his father's command were scattered somewhere on the continent, he absolutely had to acquire them. No matter what anyone said, it was the greatest power-up Simon could attempt right now. 'But are there undead even stronger than Pier?' Pier's sub-body grinned. [Kuhuhu! I am the administrator of the Legion! No one would dare defy me, but in terms of combat ability, there are true monsters among the ones who served as captains under the Legion!] 'Captains under the Legion?' This was the first time Simon had heard of it. [The Legion was originally divided into several undead units! And intelligent Ancient Undead commanded the forces under them! If we gather all the captains and the undead they lead, it won't be long before the Legion regains its former prestige!] The thought of being able to acquire new Ancient Undead besides Pier made Simon's eyes sparkle. He felt he absolutely had to do this. 'But how do we know where the captains are?' [Kuhuhu! There's no way those crazy bastards would stay quiet without causing trouble. They're undoubtedly causing problems all over the continent. There's a high probability that those very incidents are listed as Kizen missions!] 'If there's even a slight clue, I definitely have to go.' "Simon." Simon was so engrossed in talking to Pier that Dick was looking at him with a puzzled expression. "Why are you suddenly grinning to yourself?" "Oh, oh? Ahahaha! No, I just had a funny thought..." Simon quickly laughed it off. "Anyway, just taking an easy mission isn't a good idea either," Dick said, waving his fork. "Mission grades are at stake, you know. If you keep putting it off by only doing easy missions, you might end up having to take on dangerous missions like assassinating key figures later." "So, putting it off isn't the best strategy either." "Exactly." Simon felt his resolve solidify even further. * * * The next morning. Mission boards were installed in various key facilities at Kizen, including the male and female dormitories. Students crowded around the boards. "Anyone want to go exterminate werewolves on Rochester Island? Party of three!" "A blue request, a Langerstein mission! Those are the best." "Langerstein's commission fees are too stingy. I'd rather go somewhere further." Listening to other students' chatter, Simon also checked the mission requests posted on the board. He noticed that the requests were color-coded. White - Missions within Rochester Island. No possibility of Priest conflict. Blue - Missions within the Dark Alliance. Extremely low possibility of Priest conflict. Red - Missions within Neutral Zones. High possibility of Priest conflict. Black - Missions within the Divine Federation. Conflict with Priests guaranteed. It was natural that more dangerous missions offered higher commission fees and mission points. And even among blue requests, the commission fees varied greatly depending on the mission content. As he watched, the white requests disappeared the fastest. First-year students were still in the process of adapting to Kizen, and they tended to focus more on school life than on missions. The psychology of wanting to avoid difficult first missions also played a role. Of course, Simon's thoughts were different. 'There's no way my father's undead would be on Rochester Island again.' Simon immediately skipped the white requests and went straight to the board with blue requests. Blue requests were also popular due to their shorter distance and less psychological burden. Students who wanted a moderately safe mission but also desired income chose these. 'Pier.' [Hmm, I'm looking.] Pier's sub-body, attached to Simon's uniform, diligently rolled its eyes. [Nothing noteworthy.] 'Then I'll move on.' Simon took a step and headed to the board with red requests. The number of students looking at these had significantly decreased. As Simon approached to read the small print, he accidentally bumped shoulders with someone next to him. "Ah, I'm sorr..." It was a large male student. None other than Hector. Simon quickly put distance between them after realizing who it was. He knew Hector disliked him. "Simon Pollentia." Then Hector spoke. "Are you also going to the Neutral Zone?" "...Just looking." Hector let out a scoff. "The Neutral Zone is a lawless area where Kizen's influence doesn't reach. If something happens to you there during a mission, or however you meet your end, Kizen will have no way of knowing." His lips curled into a deep smile. "I hope we meet during a mission." Hector tore off one of the red requests from the board and strode away. "Hector." "?" Hector turned back, and Simon smiled. "Be careful." "...!!" Instantly, Hector's expression crumpled terribly. Bulging veins stood out on his neck, and his fists clenched tightly. Simon straightened his shoulders and met his gaze with a calm expression. "..." "..." A brief staredown ensued. Finally, Hector turned away in annoyance and walked up the stairs. Simon also turned his head back to examine the board. [Hehehehe! Why is that kid like that?] 'I don't know either.' No matter how much he thought about it, Simon couldn't understand why Hector disliked him. Was it because he embarrassed him in the first Summoning Studies class? But then, Hector embarrassed him in the Curse Studies class, so shouldn't they be even? What about their confrontation in the bathhouse? That was also defused by Kazhan's intervention before a real fight broke out. Unable to come up with a reason, Simon completely erased Hector from his mind and refocused on the red requests. 'Pier, what about this one? A village attacked by infected zombie hordes.' [Infections are too common a case.] 'Then this one? Damage to buildings and crops from a sudden attack by red snake hordes.' [Interesting, but none of the captains have that ability.] It was then, as Simon and Pier meticulously examined the requests. 'Why is this here?' In a corner of the tightly packed mission request bundles on the board, there was one particularly noticeable request. That's because it was a blue request posted on the red request board. 'A mistake?' The moment Simon approached to look at that request, someone swiftly tore it off. "Ah, this is still here. Please ignore this one." It was the mission board assistant. Simon quickly asked, "What mission is that?" "Ah, this is a request that's been here for several months... It's about a Necromancer Kizen subcontracted who went missing." Simon's eyes widened. Not just a student, but a Necromancer went missing? "Could I take a look at it?" "Huh? B-but this isn't a mission suitable for students..." "Please." The assistant reluctantly handed over the request with an uneasy expression. Simon and Pier quickly examined it. Request: Missing Person Case Resolution Request Rank: D -> B Reward: 50 Gold. Location: Arneish Territory. Details: Young women found as mummified corpses. Special Notes: Mission recipient missing. Simon was startled by the photo enclosed with the request. People were truly shriveled up like mummies. [Found it!] Pier grinned widely. [This trace belongs to her! Erzsébet!] 'Who's that?' [She's an Ancient Undead who leads a spider unit. When Erzsébet or her spiders suck out a person's bodily fluids, they turn like this. No doubt about it!] Simon carefully tucked the request into his pocket. Perhaps because of its high rank, the reward was a whopping 50 gold. Simon, who had been struggling with financial difficulties recently due to buying too many skeleton sets, couldn't miss this opportunity. "...Student. Are you really going with this one?" "Yes." "Your supervising professor probably won't allow it, though." Simon smiled. "I'll try to persuade them." * * * While white requests could be taken freely by anyone, red requests and missions of B-rank or higher required consultation with a supervising professor. Simon took a deep breath and knocked on Jane's research lab door. "Professor Jane, it's Simon Pollentia." "Come in." Jane's voice came from beyond the door. Simon cautiously entered. Bookcases packed so full that no empty wall space was visible caught his eye, and towers of countless documents were piled in every corner of boxes. Overall, it was a well-organized room, but the only messy part was the documents scattered haphazardly on her desk. Simon knew these were the tasks she had to handle today. "Are you here about a mission?" Jane, examining documents, had her hair tied up and wore glasses, unlike her usual appearance. Even as she asked the question, her eyes remained fixed on the documents, and the quill in her hand moved at an incredible speed. "Yes! Professor." "Let me see." To avoid disturbing her, Simon approached quietly and carefully placed the request on the edge of her desk. Jane's eyes merely flickered over the request once, then she resumed writing her own documents. 'D-did she even check it?' As Simon stood there hesitantly, she spoke. "Go change to a different request. It's not something a freshman should be doing." It seemed she had indeed seen it properly. Simon swallowed hard and said, "I'm confident, Professor. I really want to take and resolve this request." Her quill stopped. Jane's sharp eyes, peering over her glasses, fixed on him. Simon, feeling a sudden surge of tension, straightened his back. "Confident?"}```