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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Reincarnation Academy Chapter 4.
The Hero Candidate Selection Test. While the event’s theme was island survival and adventure, it was, of course, not going to be peaceful.
Due to the meddling of Kaelan Heath and the Auxiliary Magic Department Head, Macleod Heisman, a demonic power stone would be activated.
This would act as a demonic portal, turning the island into a hellish landscape.
It could be said that this chapter marked the point where Kaelan became able to copy and wield demonic power, and Crow Fey firmly shifted his allegiance to the demons.
Of course, looking at this alone… one might think the subsequent story would be completely dominated by the demons, but that wasn’t the case.
In Chapter 5, following this arc, a powerful ally… the former war hero, Saintess Psyche, would enroll in the academy. She was officially listed as missing in action, but… the setting was that she had been reincarnated through the power of divinity.
Thus, the story went that she enrolled in Clarice in disguise to keep Yelody in check. The reason Selena, Yeriel, and Aria remained safe, despite incurring Kaelan’s wrath… was thanks to her.
In other words, in this world with its hyper-inflated power levels and extreme difficulty… Chapter 4 was the final hurdle for the main heroines I cared about.
After this, it would be Kaelan’s one-man show, and Psyche would protect them.
But now that Darian had transferred her power to me… Marcosias would definitely come after me. This was inevitable, especially because of Kaelan.
Since I had changed the original story, I didn’t want to put the heroines I cared about in danger.
Therefore, if I used the method I had in mind, there was a chance of victory, but… considering the worst-case scenario, I might not remain in this world.
.
.
.
Time flew by, and the day of the selection test arrived.
Since there was no direct portal from the magic tower to Mystic Island, we traveled to a nearby tower and then took a boat to the island.
I opened my status window to double-check the skills I inherited from Darian.
-Ding.
Thanks to Darian’s blessing, my stats were boosted, and I even acquired a new wind archery skill without clearing Trial 4.
The final skill, the Fifth Style Pinnacle of Wind Archery… hadn’t appeared even in the live server, so it was likely unlocked by fulfilling specific conditions or through a combination skill.
-Rumble!!!
The surroundings grew dark, as if we had entered another world.
-Oh, dark clouds…? What’s this?
-The atmosphere suddenly changed.
Soon, the ship arrived at a small dock on Mystic Island. Thick fog shrouded the area, obscuring the island’s landscape from view.
The only place we could discern our location was… the beach, our starting point. And in the distance, the Valley of Death, blazing red like a volcano on a high plateau, loomed ominously.
-Wow, is this for real…?
-I heard there used to be a village here.
-How can anyone live here…?
-Idiot? That’s why everyone evacuated.
The students disembarked one by one in an orderly fashion. Lily, with her hand on her hip, approached me.
“Lev, today, or rather, lately, something feels strange…”
“…What?”
“Lily senses something suspicious. Lately, Lev feels different than usual.”
“…That’s impossible. I’m counting on you today. Lily, you’re a valuable asset to our party.”
“Yeah! Just trust me!”
As I patted Lily’s cone-shaped hat, I thought, ‘It’s showing, I guess.’
I wasn’t sure how the past few days had passed. No words had been exchanged between Aria and me.
Yeriel, observing this, seemed to sense that it wasn’t a simple quarrel and silently supported me.
-I’ll prepare dinner at Lev’s place today…!
-Oh, okay.
-…Thank you for your effort.
We communicated with minimal conversation and focused on our individual training… until the day of the test arrived.
As I checked our party members, Instructor Bella’s magically amplified voice echoed from the front.
“Now, a warm welcome to all of you participating in the Hero Candidate Selection Test. I’ll skip the tedious explanations you’ve heard countless times. As soon as your party check-in is complete, you’ll move out immediately.”
Bella pointed her chin towards the depths of the island and concluded her explanation.
“We’ll distribute the necessary equipment and supplies for the adventure now. The quantities are ample, so stay in line. And when you’re ready after waiting, we’ll send a signal with a magic flare from the center. Consider that the start of the test.”
-Whoosh…
The magical pressure here was already quite heavy.
-Ugh… Urgh…!
While it was nothing compared to Pandemonium, quite a few students were already retching, likely a combination of seasickness and the magical pressure.
“You all look eager to enter that forest teeming with monsters. Don’t worry. This time, there are not only illusory monsters but real ones too.”
At that gruesome explanation, tension filled everyone’s faces.
Heroes… were warriors who had to fight in the deepest, most dangerous places, not just the front lines. Naturally, this stage was for those skilled enough to protect their own lives.
As Bella finished her explanation and intimidation tactics, I checked on Edwin next to me. His face was stiff, unlike usual.
He seemed to be looking straight ahead, trying his best to avoid looking at Abelline and Melissa.
‘You must have a lot on your mind too.’
Sadly, Edwin grew stronger each time Kaelan stole a heroine from him. So, as I requested… he must have overheard the conversation between Kaelan, Melissa, and Abelline.
To prevent the frustrating situations caused by Edwin’s naivety and blind trust, as seen in the original story, it was necessary to clearly distinguish friend from foe beforehand.
Even though I had only told him the truth, not manipulated him, I felt a pang of guilt.
“Are you alright?”
I casually asked.
“…Huh? Yeah! I’m fine…! Lev, aren’t you the one who’s nervous?”
He forced a smile.
“…Nervous… I am, quite a bit.”
“Eh? You, Lev?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t worry…! Just… trust me, okay?”
His confident expression was clearly forced.
As the students received their supplies for camping and minimal food and drinks, it was finally our turn.
“Next! Edwin Gwynne’s group!”
“Let’s go, everyone!”
“Okay.”
“Just trust Lily…!”
“Yes.”
Starting with Edwin’s energetic voice, Lily and Yeriel walked towards Bella in turn. And Aria, who was in front of me, stopped briefly as she followed.
“……”
It wasn’t déjà vu. I remembered. It was like this during the first selection test too. She slightly turned her head and looked at me.
-……
Unlike back then, Aria’s gaze was clear and direct. Sad eyes, asking if I had anything to say to her. When I remained silent, she simply said,
“…Let’s go.”
Still blue… those azure eyes. Even if she knew I was entangled in her revenge… would she still show me those clear, lake-colored eyes?
‘It won’t be easy.’
The Spring of Souls skill I obtained after defeating Bune was essential for exploiting Marcosias’s gimmick…
Like any great demon’s skill, it came with a significant penalty: it could only be used in Pandemonium.
Even if I died and revived, I would revive in Pandemonium… and the chances of returning alive from there were slim.
In other words, in the worst-case scenario, as soon as I completed Aria’s revenge quest… I might have to immediately use the ‘Game Over’ reward.
Then I would completely disappear from this narrative.
Let’s assume I managed to barely suppress Kaelan and Marcosias and return to my original world. Unlike the original story, Edwin would be awakened by the Black Dragon’s essence and Melissa and Abelline’s actions.
Selena would have learned wind archery, Yeriel would have grown with the Elixir of Immortality,
Lily would walk the righteous path of a summoner, and finally, Aria… would awaken after completing her revenge against Andras… Even if the worst came to pass, at least they would be prepared.
‘Even a veteran player would cry.’
Of course, I didn’t want to run away so pathetically… Since I had already become trash, I wanted to take responsibility like a veteran player, endure it until the end, and get thoroughly scolded by Yeriel and Aria.
‘There’s just one last variable…’
The reward skill for maximizing Luck to 5.0.
-Ding!
The Dice of Fate, a skill that would create one last probability variable in a critical situation.
If I used this one-time skill at the optimal timing, a single route to overcome all adverse conditions… would open.
But the key to this was… Aria.
I had to complete this quest.
‘The Courage to be Disliked… huh.’
If Aria knew that I would disappear the moment she achieved her revenge… could she kill me? Absolutely not. Aria’s feelings for me were genuine.
-Swish… Splash…!
Dark waves scattered across the gray sandy beach. And so, listening to the sound of the waves, we simply exchanged gazes for a while.
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Why do i feel he jinxed himself?
Smell like a kim dokja kinda move ngl
And we know what happens if the heroines realize that Lev is Dokjaing himself