—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
‘Was it too crazy?’
Perhaps because of me, an additional rule about the time limit appeared on the ranking board.
When I left after getting the promise of clearing from Honorary Professor Sinatis, her face was flushed red.
-Tremble, tremble
And she was trembling her hands as if she was furious.
It was a cute reaction for a monster.
Was it because she was a loyal and pure fellow who only had eyes for the hero Kroon, even in the novel?
Even though Trial 1 had no time limit, I would obediently come out if she declared it was out with her authority as the administrator…
But I got an unexpected huge gain.
-I, hate, you.
-Never, come, again.
That’s how I ended up being pushed out of the chamber.
‘But at least she granted my request to do it anonymously.’
If I had boldly put my name up there, the supporting role passive might have been triggered, and a penalty might have been imposed.
Moreover, considering my reputation, there would be quite a few people who would object.
Wouldn’t it be best to bury it roughly like this?
I rubbed my numb arms and opened the status window.
“Stats.”
“Stingy, stingy.”
Perhaps because the base stats were so low or because the stat increase amount was stingy during the closed beta period of Reincarnated Hero, even after receiving the trial completion reward, there was no dramatic growth.
Still, a new phrase appeared in specialization.
“There’s a reward for grinding.”
It was definitely just like the game system.
It meant the minimum proficiency to use the crossbow weapon had been built up.
However, if it were a different weapon, I might have been able to learn additional damage or specialized skills proportional to magic power, strength, or divinity.
Still, there was none of that for the crossbow.
Instead…
[Gems Possessed: 5337]
“It’s quite substantial.”
The reward for ranking 3rd was very substantial.
The entrance congratulatory and essential funds were about 20,000 gems, but this was a whopping 5,310.
Since 1 gem was roughly equivalent to 100 won in Korean currency, I now have quite a large amount of money.
From now on, it seemed there would be no problem using the fitness center and practice room as much as I wanted.
I could also have proper meals.
“As soon as the fitness center door opens tomorrow, I’ll grind some muscles first.”
The motivation was welling up.
Thinking of myself as a character whose favorability had already gone down the drain and acting dirty, it felt like I could see the answer.
‘It would be perfect to have a fatigue recovery agent at a time like this…’
It was midnight, so all facilities, like the cafeteria and convenience store inside the academy, were closed.
“Wait, would the black market be open at this point?”
The black market.
It referred to the mysterious peddler beast-man and the pawnbroker Gut in the tavern basement, which appeared in Chapter 2 of [Reincarnation Academy].
It was easy to understand if you considered it an anonymous secondhand marketplace.
In the case of the peddler, he had a simple trading system.
Student A would entrust an item to the black market agent, and student B could purchase it.
The sales proceeds would be distributed and received by A and the agent.
Since it was run by beastmen in a village near the academy, it reeked of illegality.
It was a system ideally suited for money laundering or shady deals.
Therefore, in the story, students get involved in this black market, leading to a detective concept story for the main characters, which is eradicated afterward.
In other words, the period it could be used was limited to Chapter 2, starting from now.
‘Suck the honey while you can.’
Since it was before Chapter 1, I didn’t know what items would be available, but since I had quite a bit of money, wouldn’t I be able to buy something?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Next to the academy’s commercial district is the old town.
On the street with lamps that looked like they would go out at any moment, laborers working nearby were gathered together, drinking and dancing.
-Drink up!
-Cheers!
According to the setting of [Reincarnation Academy], the Claris Academy itself, which was established under a direct contract with the empire, had controlled access, but such adjacent villages were also resting points for wandering mercenaries since they had shrines.
‘Coming here gives a bit of a fantasy vibe…’
The winding alleys in the darkness were eerie, but fortunately, the agent was not challenging to find.
“Welcome…”
A furba… no, a cat girl greeted me with a languid voice.
I didn’t want to be prejudiced against beast men.
Still, it was necessary to be cautious of those who wandered like gypsies without settling in a residence.
So, when selling items, it was safer to find a pawnbroker who paid an advance rather than a beast man.
In the novel, Edwin is also properly scammed once after trusting a beast man.
“Let me see the items…”
“Take your time…”
I searched for valuable items among the goods she had spread out in her bundle.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Hmm…”
👜 Black Market 👜
› [Faculty Cafeteria – Meal Ticket]
[Rarity: E]
[A meal ticket that allows you to use the faculty cafeteria at Claris Academy]
› [Central Cafeteria – Meal Ticket]
[Rarity: E]
[A meal ticket that allows you to use the central cafeteria at Claris Academy]
› [Fitness Center – Usage Ticket]
[Rarity: E]
[A usage ticket that allows you to use the fitness center at Claris Academy. 2 hours]
› [Vitality Potion]
[Rarity: D]
[Stabilizes a tired body and mind. The effect decreases as the stamina stat increases]
› [Mermaid’s Scream]
[Rarity: C-]
[A potion that allows you to breathe underwater. Lasts 30 minutes]
Perhaps because it was the early part before the black market even appeared, only these were worth buying when narrowed down among the numerous miscellaneous items.
‘I should come a bit later to buy better things…’
The Mermaid’s Scream would come in handy soon.
Once the academy’s curriculum started and we attended the mana sensitivity lecture, the worst test was given by the bald professor Harpan.
It was to find an object hidden in the lake using mana detection ability.
On the surface, it was a test of sensitivity ability.
Still, it was at the level of seeing how long you could hold your breath while diving, so students protested that it lacked fairness.
According to the original story, Caeran would come in first, crushing the pride of Melissa, who took pride in her magic.
Here, the item he used with his innate characteristic was the Mermaid’s Scream.
When I think of it, he was also involved in the black market, so he might have obtained it through this route.
The only hidden dungeon inside the academy was underwater, so a honey item was a must-have.
There were 2 in stock.
‘I’ll buy them all.’
Caeran was a villain.
You could tell just by looking at how he treated the heroines.
Since I had to push the sucker protagonist Edwin to avoid the Caeran ending, it was right to preemptively strike down anything that seemed to benefit him even indirectly.
After selecting all the items, I asked the merchant.
“Do you have a practice room usage ticket?”
“I don’t have it…”
“Then, I’ll buy this fitness center usage ticket.”
“30 gems… give me.”
This sly bastard?
The regular price at the academy was 25 gems.
She intended to properly scam me, thinking I was a freshman who hadn’t even set foot in the fitness center.
“Then, what about this?”
When I showed her the Mermaid’s Scream, she replied in the same drawling voice.
“…1000 gems.”
‘Of course.’
It was a good thing I checked the price beforehand with the fitness center ticket.
It seemed like she was asking for about twice the market price?
I immediately asked back.
“The regular price for the fitness center usage ticket is 15 gems, right?”
“……”
It was 25 gems, but seeing her silence, it seemed to have worked properly.
I started bargaining with momentum.
“5 gems for the ticket, 400 gems for the potion. Deal?”
“12 gems, 650 gems…”
She didn’t back down easily, making a half-asleep expression.
A naughty and brazen cat.
“500 gems in total.”
“600… I’m sleepy…”
-Swish.
Saying that, she took a stance of packing up her bundle as if she would close the shop.
“Then I’ll buy both bottles, so make it 1100 gems for everything. And throw in one of these vitality potions.”
“…Suit yourself.”
With that, the deal was made.
She had a habit of calling it quits when there were too many things to calculate because of her lazy personality.
‘I’ll report you later for running an illegal stall.’
It might be a business with nothing to lose for her, but it couldn’t be helped considering the hidden piece.
If necessary, I could even buy up the entire stock…
It was when I was organizing my belongings and leaving the alley after completing the transaction.
“Junior, hello?”
Someone had come close behind me and was whispering in my ear.
“…”
When I slowly turned my head, I faced dark black hair, a tall stature, and a senior student’s brooch on the uniform.
Even though it was a woman I was seeing for the first time, I could probably say with certainty.
It was Liris, the mastermind trying to demonize ‘Lev Denec.’
She smiled brightly in front of me.
“What were you doing here?”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
She finally appears