The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character

We didn't find any other artifacts aside from what Leo and I picked up.

But that didn't mean the place was empty.

Magical fruits.

They weren't on the same level as the Drakevolt Lance or my newly acquired [Soul-Bound Staff]—disguised as a rusty bracelet—but they were still valuable.

Not priceless treasures, but good enough to fetch a decent price on the market. Maybe even rare enough for alchemists or scholars to come running with fat purses and bigger egos.

And judging by the way everyone was huddled in a circle and chatting, that's exactly what they were discussing.

As I leaned against the wall, letting them figure it out, Violet broke away from the group.

She was walking toward me.

I straightened up slightly.

Now what's this about?

Her eyes scanned me from head to toe, then stopped at the bracelet on my wrist.

Wait a second.

No. Don't tell me…

I instinctively placed my hand behind my back, covering the bracelet with my sleeve.

There's no way she was going to ask for it.

Not a chance in hell I'd give it up.

I was ready to make up some ridiculous excuse if she even breathed the word "trade."

But then she stopped a few steps away, smiled faintly, and said,

"Thank you for giving up the spear. I know that must've been a hard choice. But because of you, Leo has a powerful weapon now."

…That wasn't what I expected.

Not even close.

I blinked at her. "Oh. Uh… yeah. No problem."

And here I thought…

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding and chuckled lightly.

"I figured Leo would be better off with it. Besides, I've already got what I came for," I said, lifting my wrist slightly to show the bracelet—not too obviously, though. Just enough for her to see.

Her gaze lingered on it for a second, but she didn't say anything about it.

Smart girl.

She just nodded and gave me a sincere look. "Still, thank you. That kind of decision takes more strength than people realize."

I scratched the back of my head.

"Don't give me too much credit. I'm not exactly noble."

Violet smiled again—then handed me something.

"I know this doesn't make us even, but… here. Take this magical fruit. Also, we'll split the profit from the rest with you after we sell them."

Huh?

That… I didn't expect.

There was definitely a big misunderstanding going on here.

I glanced at the fruit in my hand.

Honestly, I didn't need this. I already got what I wanted. More than I expected, even.

"I appreciate it, but I don't need it," I said, offering the fruit back to her. "You guys can keep it."

But before Violet could respond, a voice came from behind her.

"You're less greedy than you look," Mira said, walking up with a teasing grin. "You might want to work on that if you're planning to keep hanging out with Leo."

I raised a brow. "I'll take that as a compliment… I think."

Mira chuckled. "In any case, this isn't charity. We're giving it to you because we respect our leader. It's your right to claim a share. So don't feel guilty or noble about it, alright?"

I opened my mouth to protest again—then closed it.

Honestly, Mira had a point.

Even if it wasn't as valuable as the Drakevolt Lance or my [Soul-Bound Staff], the magical fruit was still worth a solid sum.

And refusing a gift when everyone was in such a good mood… well, that'd just kill the vibe.

"Well," I said, giving a shrug, "if you're offering it like that—I won't say no."

I pocketed the fruit with a nod.

With that, our reward distribution wrapped up smoothly. The dungeon had been cleared, everyone got something valuable, and the team atmosphere was better than ever.

All we had to do now…

Was head back.

Simple. Easy.

Right?

Ding.

That familiar, unpleasant chime rang in my ears like a warning bell.

[You have acquired another character's opportunity.]

Ah, hell.

Not again.

[That Character has significant important in the story.]

[As result, Penalty will applied. Penalty level (E+)]

My expression froze.

Penalty?

E+?

What the hell did that mean?

Well it's not like it's first time happened but still.

Can't I just take whatever I want without caring bit for penalty for once?

Apparently:No.

I instinctively scanned the room. Everyone was still chatting, packing supplies, dividing fruits into little bags like they were prepping for a farmer's market. Nothing looked out of place.

Nothing felt out of place… yet.

But that notification lingered at the edge of my vision like a fly refusing to die.

[You have acquired another character's opportunity.]

[That character has significant importance in the story.]

[As a result, Penalty will be applied.]

[Penalty Level: E+]

I hated the way it phrased that.

"Significant importance."

Great.

Just great.

I sighed and rubbed my face. "Why can't I ever just get things without strings attached?"

"What was that?" Mira tilted her head.

Crap. I didn't realize I said that out loud.

"Nothing," I replied quickly. "Just muttering to myself."

"Bad habit," she smirked. "People might start thinking you're plotting something."

I am, I wanted to say. Trying to figure out what is going to happened next.

"Everything okay?" Violet asked, noticing the shift in my expression.

"Yeah," I lied. "Just thinking about something."

She gave me a look—half skeptical, half concerned—but let it go.

I turned toward the dungeon's exit. "Let's head out before something else decides to crawl out of the walls."

"Agreed," Leo said, slinging the Drakevolt Lance over his back like it was a fishing rod.

We walked toward the exit together, torches flickering against damp stone. Everyone was in high spirits.

Except me.

Because while the others were chatting about how they'd spend their cut, my mind was still chewing on that damned notification.

What kind of penalty was "E+"?

It didn't sound serious, but the system didn't assign grades just for fun.

I was about to ask the system for clarification when—

Crack.

A loud, echoing noise cut through the corridor.

The ground trembled beneath us, just enough to make pebbles bounce.

We all stopped.

"What was that?" Leo asked, tightening his grip on the spear.

And then it happened.

"Ah, which bastards got here first?"