When I took Elena’s outstretched hand, a log alert popped up before my eyes.[You have been appointed as a Manager of the Monster Purification Club. You gain the following bonuses.][Monster Purification Club]Club Scale : ForestManager Grade Level : 1You can access all hunting grounds within the Meteor Isles.Material drop rates from monsters and magical beasts within hunting grounds increase slightly.Damage against [Lower] classification monsters within hunting grounds increases slightly.Club grade EXP gained from defeating monsters within hunting grounds increases.[You acquire a Title.][Manager of the Club]Grade : RareFame +3Random Stat +3Affection of members of the relevant club to which you were appointed as Manager increases.Notoriety decreases.'Not bad.'I curled my lips as I watched the stream of logs float up.Even at only level 1, being appointed at manager tier gives pretty good benefits.First, I now have entry rights to all hunting grounds within the Meteor Isles, a treasure trove of monsters; if I need materials, I can go fetch them anytime.If it’s high-grade material that’s hard to obtain even on the black market, I’ll go get it myself.Next, the title I acquired this time.With this title, my chronic problem—Notoriety—decreased slightly.And the increase to [Fame], which helps in all sorts of ways, is also nice.Fame translates directly to influence over other NPCs.The higher the Fame, the more readily they listen and the faster Affection rises. On top of that, it grants advantages in trade—a considerable perk.Since the Monster Purification Club’s scale is [Forest] tier, the benefits are quite decent.'Come to think of it, I also had the Student Council President title.'While I was at it, I decided to check that too.Ting-.[Union’s Student Council President]Grade : UniqueFame +50All Stats + 0.02 (applied starting from the ones place.)Your speaking authority toward all students of the Union increases.You can access all areas within the Union.Your influence over all residents within the Union increases.You can open an unlimited number of clubs within the Union.You can found an unlimited number of academies within the Union.You can register students into the Union.Notoriety decreases.[Current Approval Rating : 0.2%]“……”I’d been looking through the rest with a satisfied smile, but my face went stiff at the approval rating.'Only zero point two percent.'A truly miserable figure.It made me feel how far I still had to go.Even that tiny handful likely came from Izelin’s students supporting me because of the Territorial War incident.In any case, the stat increase granted by the Student Council President title seemed to scale with approval rating.'If approval hits one hundred percent, all stats go up by ten.'A +10 to all stats is tremendous.Life, Strength, Agility, Mana, Intelligence, Charm. A total of 60 stats raised.Considering how, in the extreme endgame, even +1 stat feels precious, the value of this title is beyond words.But unless ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) you’re Freya or Elena, hitting 100% approval in Loen’s body is impossible—practically pie in the sky.It’s a limitation of the character called Loen; a corner of my chest ached.Well, anyway.As of today, I joined the Monster Purification Club as a Manager.“Everyone, a round of applause!”Clap-clap-.When Elena began clapping, the other members followed, welcoming my admission.Clap-.Clap-.Clap-.“……”Reluctant applause, and a barrage of stinging gazes.For a “welcome,” their eyes were a little scary—shot through with jealousy and envy, perhaps.Only the few students who’d bet money on me and won looked at me with favorable eyes.After the greeting concluded—Elena used a magic device to project an image onto the wall and began the club activity.“Now, we’re a little late, but we’ll begin the 1,043rd regular symposium of the Monster Purification Club. Everyone, be seated.”***Unlike the Alchemy Club, where I’d only hammered out a rough agreement with Trishi and drifted through, I applied myself diligently to this Monster Purification Club activity.I lifted my gaze and took in the text and monster photos on the screen.The theme of this symposium was the upper-rank monster “Dire Wolf.”The very ones that ambushed Yulina’s team in the previous practical exam.The ability to select a recent incident as a topic to draw the members’ interest and induce active participation.Truly Elena-like.Pointing earnestly with a baton, Elena continued her explanation.“…Thus, there is a considerable genetic difference between the werewolf lineage—represented by Lycanthropes—and Dire Wolves. It’s faster to look for similarities instead. Naturally, their innate habits, traits, and weaknesses differ, and so do their habitats. Does anyone know about the genetic differences between these two species and the reasons for them? If so, raise your hand.”“……”At Elena’s sudden question, the members who had been gazing at her with sparkling eyes fell silent.Judging by the mood, nobody knew.Seeing how the ones dying to exchange even a word with Elena kept their mouths shut, it was certain.Elena’s gaze swept the members, then stopped on me; she blinked.A look that said: don’t pretend you don’t know—if you do, speak up.Her gaze pricked, so I finally opened my mouth.“…Dire Wolves are a higher species of wolf. They’re evolved variants brought about by strong magi or contact with Dark Magic Stones, or by becoming vassals of high-ranking demons. Of course, calling them variants is odd—within the Demon Realm, Dire Wolves are the default form and an ancient species that has existed since long ago; some even hold that wolves of the Middle World are the lower, imitative branch of Dire Wolves… a degenerated race. By contrast, Lycanthropes are those of the Lycan clan who were transformed by the curse of the ancient evil god Eclipse…”Reluctantly, I rattled off my in-game knowledge.It was verified information cross-checked with the system encyclopedia’s monster bestiary.I simply omitted portions not yet known to academia.When I finished, Elena applauded in admiration.“Everyone, applause! I didn’t expect it to be to this degree. I thought you were reading straight out of the bestiary.”“……”I flinched inwardly.“I also heard your recent grades in Theoretical Magic and Spirit Studies are good—did you study quite hard over the break?”Elena half-lidded her eyes and asked me.Rather than praising me, it was closer to asking how I’d managed such a leap in grades.A perennial bottom-feeder who used to crawl along the floor had, after the break, suddenly surged to upper-mid-tier and above.She seemed to think I’d used some special trick; to dispel such suspicion, it’s better to be brazen.I put on a shameless air and answered.“It’s nothing special. Studying, once I actually tried it, turned out to be easy. Apparently… I had a talent for studying.”The [Studying Was the Easiest] operation.“……”A shower of prickly looks, all at once.The members glared at me as if to say, “What did this bastard eat wrong?”Even Garfield, whom I trusted, gave me a strange look.I quietly asked him,“What is it, Garfield?”“Ah, nothing. You’re just a bit insufferable.”“……”If even Garfield is saying this much, maybe I overdid it.I thought for a moment, then shook my head.'No. When it’s time to be shameless, be properly shameless.'Fortunately, thanks to the traits [Sophist] and [Thick-Skinned], I didn’t feel very embarrassed.Loen has the talent to spout nonsense with a straight face and wipe his mouth clean.Can’t let such talent go to waste.Watching my answer and the students’ reactions, Elena let out a small puff of laughter and spoke.“Talent, is it. That could be. In any case, I’m glad you discovered your talent for studying—even now. I’ll look forward to much from you.”Calming the chilled mood, Elena worked the magic device and moved on.She continued the symposium.Judging by her reaction, she didn’t seem overly suspicious, thankfully.***The 1,043rd Monster Purification Club symposium ended in great success.A symposium that began with the differences between Dire Wolves and Lycanthropes.Afterward, we learned, in order, the ecology, habits, and weaknesses of Dire Wolves, then held a discussion on how to respond to them across various environments and situations.At the end, we were assigned homework: to research the next meeting’s topic, golems.Turning off the magic device, Elena addressed the members.“Good work today, everyone. This club activity will be recorded in your student records and can be used as grounds for symposium participation.”“Yeees!”The members answered energetically like kindergarteners.From the club members’ point of view, they got to do club activities with the idolized Elena and gained extra benefits that helped Union grades—a win-win.Also, Monster Purification Club members received, each quarter, minor items or artifacts helpful for monster hunts.Since they didn’t receive systemic benefits like hunting-ground unlocks or increased item drop rates the way players like me did, these seemed to be compensatory rewards.“Now, the official club activity ends here. There are simple refreshments prepared afterward, so enjoy them, and feel free to disperse when you wish.”Clap-clap-.At Elena’s clap, the door opened and delicious foods, loaded on carts, rolled into the room in sequence.Clunk-.A variety of dishes on carts pushed by students wearing chef hats.'Hooh?'From roast turkey, the main dish, to desserts like tarts and parfaits—the lavish spread was far too varied and high in quality to be called “simple refreshments.”It was the on-site catering service from Lamankre Academy, which had previously prepared festival food for thousands at Izelin Academy in just a few hours.Great academies like Saintea did have separate provisioning departments, but they couldn’t compare to a cuisine-specialized academy’s catering service.Watching the food being lined up on the tables one after another, I slowly nodded.'No wonder the club’s so competitive.'Perks come in all flavors.On top of the earlier benefits, if a club offers a feast like this every time, of course you join.While the members served themselves and sampled the food, Elena, from afar, beckoned to me as if to say, “Follow.”Looked like she had something to say to me separately.'The Ring of Derode is… fine.'Confirming the ring was intact, I glanced at Garfield, who had already piled up a mountain of food.Before him, various meats and desserts were stacked like a hill.Good grief, where’d the man who said he’d diet go?He seemed utterly absorbed in the food; asking him to come along would be pointless.I tapped Garfield’s shoulder—already stuffing his face—and spoke.“Eat in moderation. I’m going to step out for a bit.”“Mm? Where are you going? Without eating.”Jerking my chin toward Elena, I smiled.“I have a dinner I postponed.”

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