Elden Ring, but with Wind Spirit Moon Shadow

Chapter 521 Extra: Six After School, I Picked Up Melina
Regardless of the inexplicable rumors circulating on campus, the break between classes quickly came to an end, and the last class was about to begin.

Bai Shi perked up, not daring to relax in the slightest.

It's not because the content of this lesson is particularly important or difficult.

It was simply because this class was taught by their homeroom teacher, Ms. Se Lian.

Before class started, Teacher Selian walked up to the podium and tapped the blackboard.

"Recently, it seems that some problems have arisen in our class."

"A classmate told me that it seems someone in our class is ranking the girls' popularity?"

Hearing Teacher Seren's serious words, Lancelet and Hakan couldn't help but swallow hard.

Serian slammed his hand on the table, the loud noise startling everyone below.

"I said it!"

"Regardless of who did it, why not include the teachers in the ranking as well? Or create a separate list?!"

"I'm really looking forward to someone not making the list, you know?"

Serian revealed a strange smile, which sent chills down the spines of the students below.

Bai Shi was so shocked by Se Lian's words that he almost choked on his saliva.

Well, you've spent half a day on this.

As expected of the teacher known as the 'witch', is she already planning to bully the other teachers?

Hey! Our school has a new ranking of teachers' popularity. Guess who didn't make the list?!
—It's you! Hahahaha!

After the brief interruption, Serian coughed lightly and opened his textbook:
"Alright, let's begin the lesson. Today we'll continue with the history of magic."

"Last time we talked about how the ancient stargazers once accompanied the giants and received the sword of night and fire as a gift from them."

"Why do stargazers preserve this history? You don't know..."
-
The agonizing class time was finally over, and it was time to let out.

The bell rang, and Bai Shi immediately packed his things and picked up his handbag.

He's a member of the 'Going Home Club,' and he'll leave immediately at Teacher Seol-ryeon's command.

There's no need to wait for Lancelet and Hakan today, because after school, they'll head to their respective clubs and departments to enjoy campus life.

Lancelot recently transferred to the astrology department, and according to him, there's a really pretty girl there.

This is his fifth time switching clubs this semester. According to the rules, such frequent transfers are generally not allowed.

However, if they stay in their original department, there is a possibility that emotional disputes could lead to physical conflicts, or even murder.

Furthermore, given the past collaboration between the Storm Group behind him and the Kalia royal family, the school made an exception and allowed his actions.

Bai Shi once lamented that if a playboy like Lancelet had obtained the romance system, he would probably have maxed out his points by now.

Hakan, on the other hand, was to go to the equestrian department and then to the pet feeding area in the academy.

There are also many hungry Rune Bears and Forge Lions waiting to be fed, plus a bunch of Stormhawks to go out and wind, and the ponds for raising shrimp and crabs to be cleared...

Hakan also expanded his family business within the academy, working diligently as a mercenary.

He not only has a good reputation among students, but teachers also often ask him for help with trivial matters.

Of course, the teachers won't pay.

Instead, he, or rather the three of them, could obtain some advantages within the academy...

In short, Bai Shi went home alone again today.

No...it doesn't seem so.
-
"Bai Shi, let's go home together~"

"No, no, that seems a bit too intimate..."

"Bai Shi, we seem to be going the same way?"

"No, no, what am I talking about? We've already moved, it's not on the way at all."

Xia Duo stood at the school gate early, pondering how to invite Bai Shi to go home together.

The two were childhood sweethearts, but Xia Duo moved away when she was in junior high school, and they didn't meet again until high school.

Although she attends Golden Tree National High School, the distance between the two schools is negligible.

The two schools are very close for some reason, so close that... they are located across the street from each other, and there is a pedestrian bridge connecting the two schools across the street.

Furthermore, with the marriage of the two royal families, the two schools also share a student council, and events such as school anniversaries and memorial ceremonies are basically held together.

In short, as they went to school together again, the relationship between the two quickly warmed up and even heated up.

However, just as Xia Duo began to develop some vague and special feelings for Bai Shi, he suddenly became indifferent.

Since last weekend, Bai Shi hadn't contacted her much, which made Xia Duo feel very anxious.

Xia Duo even asked her friends, and they patted her on the shoulder and said earnestly that this was one of the "three great illusions of life".

I have absolutely no idea what they're talking about...

Of course, she would never know what Bai Shi had encountered in another world.

Just as Xia Duo was thinking about how to start the conversation while blocking the door, Bai Shi also walked out from the other side of the school gate.

The two were separated only by a two-lane road.

Xia Duo, who was guarding the door, saw Bai Shi appear and immediately stepped forward to call out to him.

But at that moment, an airship suddenly shot out from inside the academy and launched itself out.

Xia Duo and Bai Shi were completely separated by the super-long airship. She could only stare blankly as the huge moon pattern printed on the airship swept past her eyes.

This is the personal vehicle of Lani, the young lady of Reallucalia Academy.

Once the super-long airship had left, Bai Shi had already disappeared from sight.

Xia Duo stomped her foot angrily, but had no choice but to walk home by herself.

Her current address was not on the way to Bai Shi's house at all, which annoyed her.
-
Bai Shi walked down the street, looking at all sorts of carriages and horses, various types of airships, and even rickshaws pulled by mountain demons.

No matter how many years you've lived here, all you can say about the traffic is how incredibly tolerant it is.

He was currently contemplating whether he should get something to eat before going home.

The newly opened boiled shrimp restaurant on the street is said to be delicious, and it seems they also have crabs.

The jerky shop I frequent has a good variety of flavored jerky, it's so hard to choose...

"Ugh——!"

A cemetery vehicle roared past, recklessly weaving through the streets, clearly not driving normally.

Bai Shi's eyes widened as he watched the aggressive dump truck overtake him and eventually hurtle toward the sidewalk where he was standing.

"Holy crap, does he even know how to drive?!"

"I knew this traffic was weird!"

Bai Shi leaped to the side and jumped into a nearby alley.

Turning around, I saw that the bricks and stones at the corner of the alley had been cut open by the sharp blade on the side of the cemetery chariot.

Behind the cemetery-themed vehicle, a series of streamlined, deep blue airships sped past Bai Shi's eyes, closely following the recklessly modified car.

The spirited voice of 'Twin Moon Sheriff' Lera came from the airship:
"Hey! Stop the car right now!"

"Tomb raiding, illegal vehicle modification, and disturbing the peace in the border area—surrender now!"

Bai Shi shook his head and stood up helplessly.

Such incidents have happened quite often, but he is a good citizen, so it has nothing to do with him.

Since he didn't bump into him, Bai Shi dusted himself off and walked towards the other end of the alley with his head down.

I can get home this way, so I won't buy boiled shrimp today.
-
Bai Shi only wanted to go home peacefully, but unfortunately things didn't go as planned.

A lewd voice came from the front of the alley:

"Give me all your money, or I won't be polite, hehe."

Hearing the voice, Bai Shi looked up. There stood a massive, limb-spanning nobleman blocking the alleyway, and the threat had come from him.

However, the target of the threat was not Bai Shi; he just happened to stumble upon the crime scene.

Standing in front of the aristocrat with his limbs extended, with his back to Bai Shi, was a girl in a school uniform with rose-gold hair.

Her petite figure looked pitiful at the moment, staring at the other person with her head tilted back without saying a word, as if she was terrified.

Bai Shi frowned, pondering whether or not to leave.

The limb-splitting nobleman wasn't very strong; he was just a small-time thug in this neighborhood.

However, their leader, Grek, ruled the nearby underground district, mainly dealing in organ and limb transplants, tomb raiding, and illegal hospitals.

Moreover, according to Grek himself, he has some connection with the royal family of the Golden Tree, but it is unknown whether he is exaggerating.

Generally speaking, Bai Shi doesn't like to cause trouble for himself, especially not for someone with such a sensitive background...

Moreover, if it's just a passerby, even if it's a heroic rescue, it's not certain that you'll get many points, which is a bit troublesome for Bai Shi.

If he doesn't get involved, he's just a witness, and it has little to do with him.

But if you get involved, things are different; you might even have to go to the police station for an investigation.
-
When Bai Shi realized what was happening, he had already started running wildly for no apparent reason.

However—not to escape, but to rush towards that aristocrat with a limb extended.

The other party had also spotted Bai Shi running wildly in the alley and realized that he was trying to cause trouble.

The aristocrat with the extended limbs chuckled, and the limbs in front of him pulled out several folding knives. Five or six hands swiftly began to wield the knives.

If you ignore the extra wounds that appeared before the battle even started, and the blood that splattered from time to time, the action was actually quite cool.

Forget about whether you get hit or not, just tell me how fast you are!
Bai Shi had to admit that his opponent's knife skills were indeed fast, but his fists were even faster.

Bai Shi, charging at lightning speed, lowered his body and sped along the ground like an arrow, closing in on his opponent in an instant.

The aristocrat with the extended limbs licked his lips, stopped making pointless fancy cuts, and charged forward like a tank with his bizarrely shaped body.

In his eyes, Bai Shi would be sent flying by his collision at any moment.

However, just as they were about to get close, the limb-splitting nobleman saw a hook pop out of Bai Shi's left sleeve with a "clang" and hook onto one of his legs.

"Varied--?!"

The aristocrat with the extended limb was pulled forward by the sudden force and almost fell during the charge.

Five or six wildly swinging blades scraped against the brick wall, leaving a string of ear-piercing sparks, before he finally stopped.

Although he didn't manage to pull the other person down, Bai Shi still managed a smile.

If he won't come, then go to him yourself!

The mechanism on Bai Shi's left arm suddenly contracted, accelerating him as he was already running towards the other person.

Just now, the limb-slinging nobleman, in order to avoid being pulled to the ground by the grappling hook, not only stopped his charge but also broke his weapon stance.

Bai Shi leaped up suddenly, propelled by the hook lock, his right fist already poised to strike, slamming down like a heavy hammer.

The punch bypassed the flustered folding knife and struck the still handsome face of the limb-splitting nobleman.

The dull thud of knuckles colliding with the jawbone exploded, blood-stained teeth flew everywhere, some even piercing Bai Shi's fist.

The enormous impact caused the aristocrat with the amputated limb to stagger backward in excruciating pain, his massive body momentarily frozen in place.

But Bai Shi didn't give him a chance to breathe. He opened his right fist and gripped the other's face like an iron clamp.

Using this as a fulcrum, Bai Shi spun around and slid in, using the last bit of momentum from retracting the grappling hook, and instantly slipped under his opponent.

The body of the limb-splitting nobleman resembled a giant spider, covered in armor pieced together from materials collected from all over the world.

Looking at the messy, punk-style armor, Bai Shi laughed even harder.

When it comes to armor-piercing techniques, he's an expert!
Beneath the magician's school uniform, the safety bolt of the modified crossbow was snapped open with a "click," and the iron stake, as thick as an adult's leg bone, was loaded, the sound of the mechanical engagement clearly audible.

This modified crossbow had long since lost its firing function, replaced by extremely high burst damage at close range.

Bai Shi let out a low roar, took a sudden step forward with his left leg, twisted his body, and delivered a powerful Rising Dragon Fist to the abdomen of the limb-splitting nobleman.

The moment it struck the nobleman's limb, the loaded gunpowder erupted violently, and the iron stake, radiating a chilling aura, was propelled out by the mechanism amidst the flames.

The orange-red flames erupting from the pile driver instantly vaporized the air between the two men, and the punk-style patchwork breastplate of the limb-splitting nobleman was shattered like an eggshell by the iron pile.

The aristocrat's massive, heavy body was blasted vertically, and finally crashed into a fire pipe at the corner of the alley with a loud bang, falling into a garbage dump like a ripped sack.

In the disoriented pupils of the aristocrat with the extended limbs, the last thing he saw was the shattered stake on Bai Shi's arm.

Bai Shi took a deep breath and slowly straightened up, the floor tiles beneath his feet shattering from the massive impact.

Shaking his wrist, which was numb from the shock, Bai Shi began to put the still-smoking iron stake back in its original position.

The smoldering stakes slowly retracted into their slots, leaving only the groaning of deformed metal and the murky smell of gunpowder and blood in the alley.

Bai Shi confirmed that the nobleman with the extended limbs, who had fallen to the ground, had fainted before turning to look at the girl.

She had a pretty face and her eyes sparkled with a brilliant golden light. She was about the same age as Bai Shi and was holding a small plush toy of a cow and a horse in her arms.

Not only that, but she didn't seem to be as petite as Bai Shi had just thought; her school uniform also clearly showed off her impressive figure.

With such an appearance, she obviously cannot be categorized as just another passerby.

The only flaw was the white square medical eye patch she wore over her left eye, which looked rather childish.

Whenever she changed into a black lace eye mask, Bai Shi would always praise her for her imperfect beauty.

Bai Shi silently met the girl's gaze, suddenly wondering if he should have intervened earlier.

Because—the girl in front of him had a calm expression, without the slightest panic, as if the limb-splitting nobleman he had just encountered was nothing at all.

Moreover, the system hadn't indicated any increase in the other person's favorability. Not knowing if he was just imagining things, Bai Shi forced himself to speak:
"Hmm... that guy has already passed out, you'd better leave quickly."

Bai Shi rarely spoke to girls at school, and now he is very uncomfortable in situations where he needs to speak.

The beautiful girl in front of him blinked but didn't say anything.

However, when she looked at Bai Shi, a faint smile appeared on her face.

Bai Shi rubbed his hair and simply turned around and continued walking home.

After walking a few steps, Bai Shi stopped again and looked behind him.

The girl silently followed behind Bai Shi, standing an inch away with an expressionless face.

Bai Shi continued walking forward, then turned back again.

Every time he turned around, the girl was always about a meter behind him.

After repeating the "one, two, three, wooden man" gesture several times, Bai Shi couldn't help but speak up.

He looked at the girl behind him and asked:

"Why are you following me?"

The girl held up the doll in her hand, facing Bai Shi.

"Toret, you have been chosen."

Bai Shi looked blankly at the doll in her hand.

Toretto? That doll?
Could she be the legendary quiet, eccentric beauty?
However, it was clear that Bai Shi was not on the same wavelength as the girl at this moment.

Bai Shi touched his chin. He hadn't shaved this morning. What kind of gemstone was this?
Oh no, have we run into some weird people?
Bai Shi suppressed his inner thoughts, feeling somewhat puzzled, and asked again:

"What's your name?"

The girl answered very obediently:

"Melina."

As the beautiful girl uttered her name, a panel appeared before Bai Shi's eyes:
Melina

[Affection Level: Unobservable]

Bai Shi was taken aback; this was the first time he had ever encountered a situation where favorability levels couldn't be observed...

(End of this chapter)