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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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A languid afternoon.
Clarice Academy, imbued with a fresh vibrancy from the rain that had fallen all day yesterday. And in the lounge, where this view could be seen, an uncomfortable silence settled.
Similar to the slightly chilly weather outside, the violet-haired woman, exuding a noble air, spoke coldly,
“First-year Rank S, Kaelan Heath. Explain what you were just trying to do.”
“…Nothing in particular.”
Kaelan grinned and stood up. Violet found even that displeasing.
He responded casually, as if unconcerned, “Ah, right, a member of the D’Crescent council, was it? It’s a pleasure to meet you like this.”
“Skip the pleasantries. You know forcing someone into a party is against the rules, right?”
“I think there’s been a misunderstanding… I wasn’t exactly forcing…”
“You were…”
“?”
Lily, with a pout, interrupted Kaelan.
“Even though Lily said no. You kept forcing me.”
“…”
“I’m busy now. I made time specifically to come here. And you just got angry.”
At Lily’s assertive words, Violet’s eyes narrowed further. Kaelan nodded as if dumbfounded, then conceded,
“Fine. Consider it forcing. I won’t say anything more. Happy now?”
“Yes. Then instead of handling this myself, I’ll first report it to your council head, Yellody Latasia.”
“…Ha.”
“There’s been a lot of talk recently about the Knight Department trying to select a Hero candidate from the Magic Department. What kind of impact even a small incident like this could have…”
“…!”
“You know best, don’t you?”
Kaelan instantly recalled Sera’s words. Regillus had strictly ordered him to stay quiet until he was confirmed as a Hero candidate from the Magic Department.
This incident wasn’t a big deal, but it irritated Kaelan, adding to his already mounting frustrations.
‘This is f**king…’
Besides, his opponent wasn’t an ordinary student. A council head, and the only daughter of the D’Crescent family.
She was different from the sleazy upperclassmen he could easily manipulate.
‘It’s better to take a step back here…’
Kaelan recalled his days during the vacation. Synchronizing his body with the demon circuits was a path paved with nothing but pain.
He had endured even as Edwin thrived at the academy and captured Melissa and Abelline’s attention.
-Grind…
He had endured for the sake of achieving something great. There was no need to waste energy on such pointless provocations. In the end, everyone, compared to his abilities, was foolish.
Kaelan placed a hand on his chest and composed himself.
“I apologize for my rudeness. And Lily Forget, I was reckless.”
He delivered a single line of apology calmly… and subtly met Violet’s gaze with a smile.
‘I’ll handle those haughty eyes myself… slowly.’
And inwardly, he sharpened his resolve for the future.
“Then, excuse me.”
.
.
.
Kaelan immediately left the lounge and summoned Sera.
“How did it go?”
He wasn’t thrilled, but he had no choice. He had to bring Melissa and Abelline, those two bitches, along.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The second weekend since the start of the semester.
-Grooooowl!!
I was taking Edwin and sweeping through all the hidden dungeons and named monster spawn points closest to Clarice, clearing them out.
Even as someone possessed, it was impossible to remember all the geographical information from the fan fiction, so I had almost given up on grinding and farming…
-Mr. Nameless Mercenary! A discovery!
-This time it’s on the opposite side! There’s no time!
Bennia, the guide from the Adventurers’ Cooperative, with whom I had made a connection after defeating the Pleasure Lord, was relaying information to me first, making progress much easier.
Normally, when a dungeon like this was discovered, the Adventurers’ Cooperative would handle it through bidding or preemption, and the rewards would be shared.
However, there were cases where the travel expenses outweighed the profits for distant dungeons or those with few monsters, making my involvement possible.
Since I prioritized growth through experience, I needed quantity over quality.
Perhaps because I had done a lot of odd jobs for them, the dungeon today was of an appropriate difficulty to greatly boost Edwin’s growth.
A short pop-up window appeared, and the bosses of this place, the Two-Headed Ogre [One-Eye] and [Odd-Eye], collapsed at our feet.
We took a moment to catch our breath before collecting the loot. Edwin cautiously approached me.
“Lev, wait, before we leave, about that…”
“Yes.”
“I’ll be… right back.”
When Edwin, who usually followed my instructions without question, said “just a moment,” it meant one thing: he needed to use the restroom.
As Edwin disappeared, only I and a small campfire remained in the humid dungeon.
-Ding.
“Hmm…”
These were my final stats as of today.
Thanks to the overpowered Luck stat, they were far above the average for a first-year Rank S character based on Chapter 4.
While it wasn’t enough to hyper carry alone, a character’s strength wasn’t solely determined by stats. I had overpowered skills and additional equipment.
That’s why, instead of simply increasing stamina, agility, or strength with the SP I had accumulated, I focused on investing in Curse Resistance and Physical Resistance.
“I used a tremendous amount.”
In Reincarnation Brave, the point of singularity always occurred at level 8.
Once this level was reached, I could ignore most curses, and it also meant I could ignore the ultimate skills, pressure, and magic resistance that great demons used as a warning not to mess with them.
In gaming terms, it was the minimum requirement for raids.
‘From now on, it’ll be difficult to avoid direct confrontations.’
The more cards I had, the better.
Just in case, I had learned dagger skills, which were essentially a last resort for pattern analysis and self-defense, and I had commissioned Hazel to custom-make a large quantity of crossbow bolts.
Unlike the original story, she hadn’t deviated and continued to build up her achievements, so I could look forward to the results.
‘Yes, I need to get my money’s worth.’
-Ahem!
Soon, I heard Edwin approaching from the corner. I gathered the loot and asked him,
“Did you mark your territory properly?”
“Mark my territor… No, I didn’t…?”
Edwin looked a little embarrassed and then plopped down next to me.
For some reason, whenever I talked to Edwin, there was a mix of awkwardness and the fresh, youthful energy of a shonen manga.
“Thanks.”
“For what again?”
“For bringing me here. Thanks to you, I could help the people from my hometown… well, I’ve lost my hometown now, but… anyway.”
“…That’s good.”
“Yeah…”
Edwin was from the countryside. He probably wanted to help the people from his hometown who had lost their homes due to demons.
Even though I had only acted to make him stronger, perhaps for my own benefit… he, like a true hero protagonist, seemed grateful for everything.
“By the way, Lev, you’re going to help me in this selection test too, right?”
“…What are you talking about?”
“At the Imperial Palace, I… said I would become a Hero candidate. You didn’t forget and remember that… did you?”
“Did I…”
As I feigned ignorance, he pounded his chest like a gorilla.
“I’ve become quite strong now. Besides, a Paladin, a swordsman, is definitely a vanguard, right? I think I can protect you, a rearguard…! Of course, you’re stronger than I thought… but I won’t lose to you!”
“Right…”
I chuckled, watching Edwin’s burning fighting spirit. A moment of silence passed, and Edwin asked me in a slightly lower tone,
“But about Yeriel and Aria…”
“!”
I couldn’t help but be surprised at the two names that came out of his mouth: Yeriel and Aria. It should be him, not me, who ended up with them.
‘How should I handle this?’
Fortunately, my worries about what Edwin was going to say were unfounded.
“I’m also grateful to those two for always helping.”
“?”
“If it weren’t for you, things would’ve gone wrong many times. I don’t think I properly thanked them… or you.”
His eyes were filled with regret and frustration. He was thinking about his own weakness.
“It’s fine.”
I said that and then opened a status window.
There wasn’t much time left.
To receive the ‘Game Over’ reward, which could appear at any time, I had to complete this quest.
And there was only one way to fulfill the condition of defeating Andras, who didn’t even exist in this world.
‘Me, who inherited him, dying instead.’
It was ridiculous, but as someone recognized as a Gamer, it might be possible.
In the closed beta test of Reincarnation Brave, there was coding that treated those who inherited abilities, including item equipment and skill usage rights, as the same person.
‘I’m not sure if this is for Aria’s benefit…’
I had already received her confession… I would need to sort out my relationship with her soon.
‘…Sigh.’
As complicated thoughts filled my head, I decided to use my Demon Eye on Edwin.
-Ding.
‘Hmm.’
Not bad, but still lacking. Edwin was the protagonist. He needed to be strong enough to protect the main heroines in my stead, even if I were to disappear.
Something to make him… stronger.
‘I need a catalyst.’
If he was truly the protagonist, it was only natural for him to grow through trials.
I asked Edwin, “Melissa and Abelline.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you still trust them?”
“Well… yeah… they were the ones who helped me when I first came to the academy and was struggling to adjust.”
It probably wasn’t pure kindness. Perhaps it was half pity and half curiosity. It was even less likely to be so now.
Edwin poked the campfire and spoke as if confiding,
“…It must have been because of the circumstances. My father told me that when you’re in a hurry, even things that should work out don’t.”
“…”
“I don’t think they’re bad people at heart. Whether it’s Divine Valhalla or Eternal Flame… there must have been pressure from the guilds… They’re probably regretting and reflecting on their actions now.”
“…”
“So I… will wait. If they come back after receiving their punishment… then…”
While Edwin’s washing machine was spinning at full speed, I briefly considered Kaelan’s next move.
-Lily. I turned him down because I’m going to be in a party with Lev~.
Kaelan, who had been flatly rejected by Lily, would be scrambling to gather party members now.
Then it was highly likely he would approach Melissa and Abelline, who were relatively skilled. He would be trying everything to get those two, who were currently suspended, reinstated…
Conversely, Melissa and Abelline might also consider Kaelan their last lifeline. Someone offering a helping hand during a difficult time… would appear quite appealing.
‘His moves are all predictable…’
The calculations of both sides, unfolding due to the changes in the original story caused by me… I would use this to my advantage.
“Lev, you think so too, right?”
Edwin’s eyes still held a flicker of trust. I projected that onto the campfire and made up my mind.
“…Yes. I hope it’s as you say.”
For everyone’s sake…
The naive, easily manipulated Edwin from the original story…
was no more.
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Ohhhh yeah. Now i see where the yandere part comes
I just hope Edwin doesn’t go out of control after losing his hero like naivety
If he dies by Aria’s hand what about Soul Well and Dawn of Resurrection, And will dying remove the interference of the Author about Demonization and partial inheritance?