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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Near the end of vacation at Clarice Academy.
With the impromptu trip planned with the dungeon investigation group just around the corner, I received two pieces of news regarding myself.
First, the disciplinary committee acknowledged my achievement in defeating the Crimson Ember and decided not to hold me responsible for my actions.
Second, considering my contribution to the Crimson Ember subjugation, clearing Trial 3, my written exam scores, and recommendations, I was to be promoted to Rank A.
Having completed the necessary procedures and finished course registration for the second semester, I was leaving the administrative building.
‘Smooth sailing.’
While Chapter 4 began with the second semester, so far, everything had been going as smoothly as a ship with the wind at its back.
‘Is the only thing left dealing with Kaelan?’
That’s what I was thinking when,
“Lev Denec.”
A cold voice, similar to Selena’s.
“…?”
Violet, a woman with flowing purple hair, stopped me.
“Congratulations on your promotion.”
She congratulated me out of the blue.
Violet wasn’t the type to show unnecessary interest in others, so there had to be a reason for her approach.
I voiced my suspicion.
“You recommended me? For the promotion.”
“…”
As I suspected, it seemed Violet was the one who recommended me for promotion.
Otherwise, Clarice would have suggested a promotion test, and the notification wouldn’t have come so quickly.
“…That’s correct.”
She coolly admitted it.
“It’s not a bad thing, is it? You’re quite skilled.”
“…”
“Every student has a rank that suits them.”
Praise from the Student Council President of the Ranger Department.
If that male elf, Gale Shafty, who’d picked a fight with me, heard this, he’d be furious.
“So? I imagine there’s a reason you’re going this far.”
“…You’re perceptive. The reason is simple. I’d like you to join the Ranger Department representatives, as a Hero Candidate student.”
“…”
A Hero Candidate student. Edwin had told me in the Imperial City that being a Hero was his dream.
It was literally a student aspiring to become a Hero.
The reason students aspired to be Heroes was simple: to defeat demon generals or the Demon King.
For immense power and fame.
And surprisingly, connections were essential for this. Hero Candidate students had to find party members who best suited them.
The recommended party size in the Reincarnation Brave game was five.
It was impossible to progress without a proper team composition.
‘Hmm.’
Putting all this together, I guessed that this young lady, who probably believed herself to be the perfect candidate for a Hero party, needed me.
As a member of her party.
“What do you say? If you join under my nomination, no student will object. After all, I am the representative of the Ranger Department.”
“…”
As I remained silent, Violet spoke, seemingly a bit embarrassed.
“Just so you know, I was just caught off guard during the Crimson Ember incident.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Of course. I was momentarily flustered, but I’d like you to know that I’m not incompetent. If you’d like, you can come watch my mock battles.”
“…”
‘She came prepared…’
Violet, true to her quiet character setting, had said everything she needed to say, concisely and clearly.
Well, she had a point. If it weren’t for the Sealing Strike at the right moment, my plan would have failed.
And in Reincarnation Academy, she was depicted as incredibly strong.
But my answer was already decided.
“I refuse.”
“!”
A blunt refusal. The reason was obvious.
My priorities were stopping the Kaelan ending and graduating from the academy safely.
Of course, to keep Kaelan in check, it would be ideal for me to form my own party and defeat the Demon King.
But that wasn’t easy. I might have acquired some fortuitous encounters, but I wasn’t the protagonist.
For now, I thought it best to observe the situation until I graduated.
“…”
Violet froze, her mouth slightly agape. She probably hadn’t anticipated this.
Up until now, only those who wanted to impress her had surrounded her.
“…Would you reconsider? If my proposal was too hasty, I can give you more time. Or… is there a specific reason for your refusal?”
“Well, it’s dangerous.”
“Dangerous…”
“I can’t do that kind of thing. I’m not cut out for it.”
“…?”
“So, I recommend Selena Windforce instead.”
I subtly inserted Selena into the conversation.
In the original story, Violet was completely sidelined due to Kaelan’s schemes and couldn’t pass on her archery secrets to Selena, whom she’d been observing.
‘It was so frustratingly unfortunate…’
But now, I was here. If I could change the story, their synergy would be incredible.
And this would undoubtedly be a great help to Edwin, a fellow Hero Candidate student.
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Violet was taken aback. She hadn’t anticipated a refusal.
She’d only considered whether or not she could accept Lev Denec as a Ranger Department representative.
He’d risked his life during the Crimson Ember incident, yet he considered being a Hero Candidate dangerous…?
No, no. Considering his unexpected actions so far, this might be the right outcome.
‘…My thinking was shortsighted.’
Violet, tasting the bitterness of her hastiness, said,
“…I understand. I’ll consider Selena Windforce.”
She wasn’t the type to cling.
Trying to force something that wasn’t meant to be was just unsightly. Besides, Selena Windforce was another student Violet had been observing.
Even among the professors, Selena was known for her skill in wind archery.
‘Still, it’s interesting.’
Selena Windforce, the archer recognized by everyone. And Lev Denec, the human archer with immense talent but little attention.
For them to be connected was quite intriguing.
‘If he’s recommending her, they’re not rivals…?’
He was a man who became more interesting the more you learned about him. Having gathered her thoughts, Violet made another proposal.
“Although the main topic is concluded, I’m actually interested in your archery as well.”
“…”
“So, I was wondering if we could occasionally exchange pointers. Would that be alright?”
“Sure, why not.”
“Then, since we’re both archers and you’ll be staying in the Green House, we can use this lounge to coordinate our schedules.”
Striking while the iron was hot, as Violet checked her schedule, Lev said something unexpected once more.
“Ah, I moved dormitories.”
“…Excuse me?”
“I’m staying at the Seraphi Black Dormitory.”
“…”
This, too, was difficult for Violet to understand.
‘Wasn’t it closed…?’
She’d heard the Black Dormitory was incredibly inconvenient.
Putting aside the building’s deterioration, any student concerned about their points wouldn’t even consider it…
Violet carefully broached the subject.
“…The Seraphi Black Dormitory… is where Student Yeriel is the supervisor, correct?”
“Yes, you’re aware.”
This was how Violet had learned about Yeriel in the first place.
The story of a second-year, outstanding magic student becoming the supervisor of an old dormitory was quite memorable.
Suddenly, the image of Yeriel, who had been next to Lev Denec, overlapped in Violet’s mind.
Living in the same dormitory as her…? Wasn’t that a bit risky at their age?
“Then, are only the two of you… residing in the Seraphi Black Dormitory?”
“No, there’s one more person.”
Unsure whether to be relieved or not by this, Violet swallowed and asked,
“Could it be… Student Selena?”
“…Perhaps.”
“……”
Complicated. What was with this man’s relationships with women…? This was an academy attended by refined nobles.
A man who played the field would undoubtedly attract a lot of gossip.
“Well then, I’m busy.”
“…!”
Leaving Violet, who, despite her appearance, was weak to such matters, Lev Denec casually walked away.
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Leaving the administrative building, I was sketching out my future plans.
Chapter 4, which began with the second semester…
According to the original story, the academy, now with a somewhat tense atmosphere, would shift its curriculum to focus on group activities and practical training rather than individual study.
Therefore, as a newly promoted Rank A student, I’d have to interact with these students whether I liked it or not.
Since Rank A was just a step away from Rank S, it was filled with highly motivated students.
Anyway, in the unfolding story, Violet… would have an accident due to Kaelan’s schemes.
‘I definitely have to prevent that.’
I’d nurtured characters to support Edwin, and while I doubted Kaelan would be that powerful without his copy ability, Crowfey, gradually turning into a villainous guild, would be backing him, so I had to be prepared.
I needed to make at least one ally. And I had to be mindful of the demons of Pandemonium.
By now, they would be fully aware of me, the one who destroyed fourteen of their ranks.
‘How should I overcome this…?’
I was pondering a way to effortlessly navigate this, as I’d been doing so far.
‘The demons aren’t stupid… I need a groundbreaking method.’
And such a card…
“Ah!”
I suddenly remembered the status window I’d tucked away in a corner of my mind.
‘Wow, I really was out of it.’
I hadn’t made a final selection because I was too busy analyzing the rewards.
In the closed beta patch version, if you obtained a new reward without choosing one, it would overwrite the previous one, so you couldn’t save them for later.
‘I have no choice but to choose.’
I immediately opened the status window.
-Ding.
‘Hmm.’
The reason I hadn’t chosen was simple: they were all quite ambiguous.
First, the reason the Crimson Ember suddenly generated a fire shield while enduring Melissa’s attacks that day was probably because of the second skill, [Dawn of Resurrection].
Since the Crimson Ember was defeated in Eternal Flame every quarter, it had stolen skills from fire mages.
Stealing was perhaps a superior version of copying. It added a skill to me while simultaneously removing one from the opponent.
However, the dropped skill [Dawn of Resurrection] didn’t include the most crucial function: resurrection itself.
It was simply a trait that added an effect upon resurrection.
Considering its versatility and rarity, the first option, [Blessing of the Crimson Ember], was arguably superior.
Of course, I already had a resurrection skill obtained from defeating the great demon Bune.
‘Wellspring of Souls.’
Therefore, [Dawn of Resurrection] wasn’t a completely useless trait. The problem was the prerequisite for activating the skill’s effect: death.
I wasn’t some skeleton archmage from a certain MOBA… And with the one-time use limit, it was a difficult decision.
“Wait…”
Then, another effortless idea popped into my head. The puzzle pieces were falling into place.
‘If this works, it’ll be incredibly overpowered…?’
It was an absurd risk, but… perhaps there was a way to kill two birds with one stone. As if possessed, I made my decision.
‘Choice… Dawn of Resurrection.’
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MC totally going to have “dead” where everyone think he actually die moment
If he’s able to copy Kaelan’s copying, that’d be busted lmao