I Became a Mythical-Tier Tamer Due To A System Error

Chapter 28

‘Well, at least it looks decent.’

It was nearing evening.

I wiped the sweat trickling down my forehead and looked at the sight before me.

‘It’d be a lie to say I’m not proud.’

This was the result of my own work.

I hadn’t looked in a mirror, but perhaps I was even smiling with satisfaction.

“Hm.”

Lapin’s short voice.

By my side, Lapin, who had come on her own, opened her mouth.

“The grave looks prettier now.”

“It’s not a grave, it’s a pond.”

Whether she was really listening to me or not—

Maybe Lapin actually liked the pond, because she was strolling around slowly, taking it all in.

After filling it with water and decorating it here and there, it now had the look of a proper pond.

Large and small stones were arranged harmoniously, and I had brought over some reeds and water plants to make it look more natural.

In that process, the sea otter had even helped me out. Thanks to that, it hadn’t taken too long to complete.

I pulled out an egg from my arms.

“Here, take it.”

* Beep!

The sea otter received the egg from me and disappeared into its hideout.

It had piled up twigs and built a small den of its own in a corner of the pond.

“Is this little one the only one here?”

At Lapin’s question, I nodded.

For now, the pond only had the sea otter.

‘It’s empty now, but…’

If I befriended more animals and brought them here, wouldn’t the pond be bustling and full someday?

‘Of course, there’s no need to rush and force it. That’s something for the distant future.’

I checked the ✿Animal✿Farm✿ system once more.

‘If nothing else, point acquisition will definitely go smoothly.’

That was one of the reasons I had built the pond.

Filling the pond with water – 8 points

Today, I had earned 23 points.

A few more than usual, and the quest itself had been an easy one.

Lapin softly gazed at the pond and spoke.

“Villed, is raising animals your hobby or something?”

Even though I was already managing a livestock shed, she seemed curious as to why I had suddenly built a pond.

But there was no need to explain the reason.

“…It just ended up that way.”

“Hm, I see.”

Lapin blinked, showing a moment of curiosity.

Perhaps she was thinking, ‘You bullied your peers, but you like animals, huh?’

It felt a bit prickly, like she was poking at the past deeds of my body’s original owner.

But I could tell it wasn’t a gaze filled with malice. I didn’t bother with excuses like saying I regretted it, or that I wouldn’t do it again.

“By the way, why are you here?”

Lapin, who hadn’t shown up in ages, had deliberately come to find me. She must have had a purpose.

As expected, she answered right away, as if she’d been waiting for the question.

“Did you know we’re going on a trip soon?”

“I know.”

It was the first-year field trip organized by the school.

Groups had already been arranged, with students moving together with peers they got along with.

‘Don’t tell me she’s trying to team up with me?’

I hadn’t expected Lapin to bring it up first.

I tilted my head, but soon realized her actual intention.

“Can I take the lamb with me on the trip?”

Her voice carried a little expectation.

So that’s why she had come all the way here?

“No.”

“Ah.”

At my cold and sharp refusal, Lapin immediately deflated.

‘Time really does fly. The next episode is already starting.’

The duel episode had been rough, but this one wouldn’t be any easier.

‘After all, this is the section where Yggdrasil’s first raid content appears.’

Ren, the Princess, and Ren’s companions—it was going to be overwhelming for them.

Of course, I had no reason to get involved, since I was separate from them.

But there was always the “what if.”

So far, things had followed the main storyline, but who knew what might happen later?

To prepare for that risk, I needed to stockpile as much currency as possible.

‘The All Things Store will definitely be a big help in preventing disasters.’

It might even play a role in solving or at least alleviating problems.

‘Just like with Happy Nest.’

I accessed the All Things Store and checked the newly added item.

Accessory Crafting Set of the Goddess of the Animal Kingdom – 70P

A crafting box blessed by the Goddess. It vanishes with a shimmer once completed!

This morning, when I checked, there had been one new product for sale.

‘Since this is the opening stage of the next episode…’

It seemed that the store added one new item at the start of each new episode.

‘An accessory, huh.’

It looked similar to the knitting set I had used previously.

‘If I get my hands on good materials, it could be worth trying.’

To prepare for the next episode, it was necessary to craft some equipment in advance.

Unfortunately, I didn’t even have materials, nor could I enter dungeons to obtain them.

‘With farm work keeping me busy, and no companions to go into a dungeon with, it’s impossible.’

But then, something came to mind.

‘Good materials…’

Maybe I could get some without much difficulty.

---

At Yggdrasil, the subjects taught were not limited to magic.

History, literature, classical studies, and basic magic formed the foundation.

In more advanced areas, there were dozens of subdivisions, including mana control, weapon use, tactics, and strategy.

1st-years had no choice but to take basic and liberal arts classes.

From 2nd year onward, they would select their major field and begin focusing on that path.

I rested my chin on my hand and looked ahead.

This was Lecture Hall 7, where about 150 students had gathered.

On the stage, a bald professor was lecturing with intense gestures. He was already popular for being known as an easy-to-understand history professor.

The way he chose simple words and used powerful body language to capture attention made for excellent teaching.

But I had no reason to listen carefully.

‘There’s no point in me paying attention anyway.’

The reason was simple.

This was a lecture on the history of Yggdrasil.

‘Thanks to going through the settings in the official guidebook, I already know it all.’

That gave me confidence.

It was all information I already knew, so there was no need to attend.

Even without focusing on the lecture, I would be able to get the scores I wanted.

Sitting in a corner seat, I stretched lightly and glanced around.

Just a month ago, if I had zoned out during class like this, a few students’ eyes would have met mine.

‘But now, not a single one.’

No students looked my way anymore.

‘Before, they would glance at me once in a while, muttering about high nobility or calling me a thug.’

Now, no one gave me any particular attention.

It had already been over a month since the incident where I was humiliated by the Princess, so naturally, interest in me had faded.

It was only natural. By this point in the game, Villed’s presence had already dwindled to nearly nothing.

‘Yes, keep treating me as if I’m invisible.’

Once freed from attention, there were so many things I could do.

Thanks to that, even now during class, I could enjoy time to myself.

I picked up a pen and began writing something in my notebook.

Of course, I wasn’t taking lecture notes.

Nor was I pretending to be a diligent student.

So what was I writing during this time?

‘Because countless trials lie ahead.’

I was drafting plans to prepare for those trials.

‘Less than a week left.’

Crossing my arms, I stared down at the notebook.

It was time to prepare for the upcoming new episode.

‘The next episode… the field trip.’

All 1st-years would go on a 3-day, 2-night retreat to a massive mansion.

My peers probably thought of it as nothing more than a fun school trip.

But what awaited us there was a hellish ordeal.

‘Yes, one trial after another.’

During the 3-day field trip, students would act in groups, and based on their results, “exam scores” would be given.

That was the part I had to pay attention to.

‘Because this idiot Villed completely ruined the early semester exams.’

I had only recently learned the full extent of it.

I was aware that Villed had been teetering on the edge of failure.

But I hadn’t known he had already fallen into an abyss with no way back.

At Yggdrasil, exams were divided into two periods.

The 1st regular exam at the beginning of the semester, and the 2nd at the end.

‘Who would have thought he got zero on all of the 1st exams.’

It was shocking.

Even if they were subjective questions that you couldn’t just guess, how could someone fail to solve even a single one?

This was Yggdrasil, the world’s top prestigious academy, filled with the brightest of the bright.

‘It’s like a Harvard student failing every single class with an F.’

Just what kind of shady backdoor admission did this bastard Villed pull?

‘In the end, the only way to avoid failing is to pour everything into the next exam.’

If he somehow got a perfect score on all the 2nd exams, he could just barely advance.

But sadly, things wouldn’t go the way I wanted.

‘I can’t make sense of anything magic-related.’

Even with my perfect knowledge of Yggdrasil, there were limits.

‘At least history and geography are basic courses, thank goodness.’

My memories of enjoying Yggdrasil’s lore and worldbuilding helped immensely.

If I gave it my all, I could aim for perfect scores in those two subjects.

‘But the others are out of reach.’

Especially “Understanding Basic Magic.” From the title, it sounded like a friendly lecture with a bit of theory.

‘Not at all. Not even close.’

It was full of concepts beyond common sense, impossible for someone who had lived in the modern world to grasp.

‘Math would be easier than this.’

I was hopeless when it came to magic.

A brain and body with not even a speck of magical talent.

It was only natural that magical theory felt impossibly complex.

‘What a wonderful synergy.’

If it had been a practical test, I might have had a sliver of hope using the ✿Animal✿Farm✿ card.

But since it was only theory and written exams, it was impossible. Hard work alone wouldn’t cut it.

I couldn’t waste time clinging to the impossible.

‘Let’s give up on magical theory.’

If there was no sign of improvement, the only choice was to abandon it.

As a result, failing all the magic-related exams was inevitable.

And if I failed magic as well, I wouldn’t be able to advance to the 2nd semester.

Those who failed to advance would have to take a disciplinary exam, and in the worst case, face expulsion.

‘Even so, I can’t just sit back and watch myself fail.’

The next episode had to become an opportunity to prevent failure.

Not for the protagonist’s sake, but for mine.

‘Ren will manage fine on his own. I don’t need to worry about him.’

The mansion episode was Yggdrasil’s first true “raid” content.

Especially since it maximized the importance of “party composition,” I had to be careful in choosing teammates.

‘Teammates, huh.’

Who in the world would want to team up with someone like Villed?

‘But in the game, characters in the same boat would group together.’

It was survival of the fittest.

The elites stuck with other elites, the failures stuck with other failures, each grouping with their own level.

Thanks to that, I already had a strong candidate in mind.

Another extra character like me, one at risk of flunking, who would be left out by the others.

Scratch, scratch.

I heard the sound from a nearby seat.

When I turned my head toward it, I saw a girl slouched in the back row just like me, doing something else.

Scratch, scratch, scratch…

Her head was lowered, completely absorbed in her task.

Looking at her hands, I saw a carving knife and a piece of wood.

I recognized what it was at a glance.

‘A totem.’

A character in Yggdrasil with a very unusual ability.

Totem’s Karin.

Each time she pressed the carving knife, her blue hair swayed greatly.

“Ah.”

Perhaps she slipped, because Karin let out a small sound.

Thud!

The totem she was holding slipped from her hands.

Roll, roll.

By chance, it rolled all the way to my seat.

‘Well, this works out nicely.’

An unexpected opportunity.

If I picked it up for her, it would be natural to strike up a conversation.

I picked up the totem and lifted my gaze back toward Karin.

For a moment, I doubted my eyes.

Karin was sitting upright, as if she had been diligently listening to the lecture all along, holding a pencil and taking notes.

“Ahh.”

She even let out a natural little exclamation of understanding, as if impressed by the lesson.

“Well then, that’s it for today, everyone. Good work.”

The lecture ended at an impeccable moment.

The instant the professor finished speaking, Karin hurriedly packed her bag and sprang up from her seat.

Without even glancing back, she bolted out in a rush.

“……”

I could only silently watch Karin as she disappeared from sight.