The SSS-rank Guide Doesn't Need Saving novel Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Branch of a Divine Tree

Aisha had no idea that a new rumor was beginning to spread among the students. She headed toward the building responsible for keeping samples of monsters for students at the Academy to research.

To reach it, Aisha had to cross an open walkway that connected the main campus to a smaller annex. The walkway offered a clear view of the training ground below. Sentinels in dark uniforms sparred against holographic projections of monsters. Small bursts of psychic pressure ripped the air around them like heat waves. Some even took off their upper clothes to spar with another sentinel, sweat making their bodies glisten under the setting sun.

A few guides stood at the sidelines, carefully watching everything so they could immediately rush to any accidents and stabilize sentinels after their fight.

Aisha continued walking, the noise of clashing energy and weapons fading behind her the further she went. A modest sign above the entrance of a building read RESOURCES DEPARTMENT in plain lettering.

She pushed the door open.

Long aisles stretched out on either side, lined with shelves holding specimen jars, sealed containers, and stacks of files that hadn’t been converted to holographic format yet.

And at the front desk, an old man hunched over a thick, leather-bound book. His silver hair was sticking out unevenly. He wore a long grey robe with the Association’s crest stitched on his collar.

He didn’t glance up when Aisha approached, clearly more interested in what he was reading than who was entering the door.

"Excuse me," Aisha said. "I’m here to collect a specimen sample."

"Mm," he mumbled, still reading. "Class and rank."

"Class 7-D. D-rank guide." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

He merely gave her a nod before he shuffled from behind the counter. He gestured for her to follow him into the tall.

"7-D’s assignment this time is the D-class corrupted monster. It should be around here," he muttered as they walked past columns filled with different samples, each one pulsing faintly with light. Some glowed a soft blue, others a sickly green, and many others. "Right this way."

They stopped before a glass canister the size of a person. It held dozens of identical samples, marked with faint green lines.

"Take one," the old man instructed, waving a hand toward the canister. A small hole opened with a soft hiss.

Aisha reached forward, her fingers closing around one of the samples. It was slightly heavier than she thought, and she sensed a faint presence of miasma within.

"Ah-ah," the old man suddenly said, smacking her hand before she could fully withdraw it. "Don’t hold it with your bare hand for too long. Put it in your spatial ring immediately. Skin contact can let the miasma seep through, even through a suppressed sample. You need to be careful with it."

Aisha nodded and quickly tucked the sample into the small ring she wore, feeling it vanish into the pocket space. The tainted presence faded the moment it was stashed away.

"That should be enough. You can go."

"Can I look around for a bit?" Aisha asked suddenly.

"This isn’t a shopping mall. But, fine, you can look around. Just don’t touch anything."

Seeing that she was genuinely curious about the samples inside this place, the old man didn’t stop her. He only reminded her that he would only allow her a few minutes to wander around.

Aisha thanked him before turning around, looking at the countless columns and canisters surrounding her. Each canister and shelf displayed a holographic panel, flickering with rotating images, depicting the very creature the samples had been extracted from.

She walked toward the nearest one to her right, studying it quietly.

A beast with elongated limbs and a shell that resembled something from her original world. A crab, she thought. But this easily dwarfed any crab she’d known in her old world. A serpentine creature with too many eyes lining up its body, its scales shimmering in an aqua hue. Another that looked very similar to a boar was also one of the displayed creatures in there. However, it was so thin as if it had gone on a diet.

She paused before one that unmistakably resembled a large shrimp the size of a house.

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