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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Dylan, the spearman with sleek auburn hair, was facing the second crisis of his life.
“Damn it… Damn it all!”
-■■■■■■■!
There was no fighting against a colossal monster. Whether first or second-year, any student who challenged the Cerberus was mauled and transformed into a gruesome spectacle.
‘I don’t want to die like this…!’
Spurt!
The area became a scene of carnage, a feast of gushing blood fountains and the aroma of infectious toxins, as if flesh had been soaked in a magical solution.
“It stopped! R-Run!”
“Don’t look back!”
“Wh-When are the Guardians coming?!”
In the end, all they could do was run. Dylan was no exception.
Swept along by the crowd, he suddenly noticed…
“?!”
…a lime-green-haired man who had somehow stopped the Cerberus in its tracks.
“He’s actually going to fight it?”
It was Edwin Gwynne, the weakest student in Clarice, the one who’d defeated Kaelan, along with his party.
‘He’s insane.’
While Edwin had experience defeating stronger opponents, this was a high-ranking magical beast steeped in malice. With no duel rules or safety nets, challenging this hellhound radiating oppressive mana was objectively suicidal.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a beam of light reflected in Dylan’s glasses.
“What’s that…?”
A memory surfaced. The horrific experience in the sewers, damp and reeking of blood and decaying corpses. The mysterious beam of light that saved him as ghouls tore at his flesh, while he lamented his fate. This felt very similar.
“Lev Denec…?”
The source of the light stood behind Edwin. Come to think of it, he had also fought Kaelan on equal footing.
“No, no way… Even so…”
They were mad. No student in their right mind would make such a life-threatening decision.
Tremble… tremble…
Just looking at the Cerberus made his entire body tremble and his strength drain.
‘Still, I’m grateful for their sacrifice…!’
As Dylan offered a silent prayer for their souls and prepared to run again, he noticed…
“Senior Liris…?”
Liris Larochelle, who had arrived unnoticed, stood beside him, tears streaming down her face.
“Junior Lev, the sword meant for you is ready…”
“What? What are you…?”
Swish.
“!!! “
Muttering cryptic words, she drew a sword emanating a cerulean aura from her bosom.
“So you weren’t a demon after all?”
‘There’s more than one crazy person here…’
Her sorrowful expression had shifted to a chilling smile.
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Thud!!!
With our combined efforts, the Cerberus collapsed, only its torso remaining.
“Mwahaha! Lily’s skills! See!”
Fizzle!
It began to disintegrate, emitting black mana.
“Whoa!”
I caught Lily before she could be blown away and focused on the pop-up status window.
Ding!
‘Rewards first.’ I quickly opened the reward window.
Ding.
Befitting a high-ranking monster, the Cerberus dropped tremendous rewards.
‘Definitely Hell’s Balance.’
While both skills were beneficial, I had given the Orb of Posedaros to the Water Spirit, and the Black Dragon’s Orb and Essence of Immortality to Edwin and Yeriel respectively, leaving me with no Blessing.
So, to optimize my passive slot, I chose Hell’s Balance, a Blessing-type skill.
‘The effect is better than I expected.’
It was perfectly suited for me.
As long as I minimized damage and maintained my HP, this ridiculously overpowered ability would allow me to rapidly recover Black Mana, Aggro Gauge, Wind Energy, and Mana—the resources I needed to use skills.
‘And that’s not all.’
The ability I obtained from defeating the demonized Nikolseta Heismann was also crucial.
Ding.
Without hesitation, I reverently chose my reward.
“Choose, Heismann Family Secret Technique.”
There it was. My final piece. After organizing my status window, Edwin, who had been checking to make sure the Cerberus was truly dead, approached.
“Whew… Is everyone okay?”
“Ahem! Lily’s perfectly fine!”
“We’re okay, thanks to Edwin…”
“Good work, everyone.”
Looking at the relieved girls and Edwin, I quietly asked Aria, “Aria, can you check for injuries? And if everyone’s alright, could you please restore Edwin’s divine power?”
“Yes.”
Whoosh.
While they tended to themselves, I looked across the bridge where the Cerberus had been standing guard. A pitch-black space like an unknown realm, thick with fog like a scene from a horror movie.
‘There’s no time to waste.’
Kaelan must have reached Area 4 by now. And Violet, as a committee member, was already stationed there.
‘So this is what it feels like.’
There was a common trope in movies and anime: when comrades had to press forward, one would say, “Leave this to me! You go on ahead!” pushing the protagonist forward.
But that only worked when everyone shared the same interests and ultimate goals. Unfortunately, only I knew the bleak future that awaited us.
‘Stay calm.’
It was the same in Reincarnation Academy. Edwin being abandoned in the end… that’s why I possessed his body in anger.
‘A crucial turning point…’
In the worst-case scenario, I might have to go alone. But even then, I wouldn’t give up. This was the final hurdle. I just had to get past this. As I took a deep breath and prepared to address everyone…
“Everyone…”
“I know,” Yeriel responded firmly. “Lev, you’re planning to go across that bridge, aren’t you?”
“…Eh! Lily’s a little scared…”
“We all know. Lev has always been like this. This is who you are. And everything you’ve done so far has been leading up to this moment, hasn’t it?”
“…”
“But…! Lev made a promise with me, remember? That no matter what… we’d be together. So take me where you’re going.”
“Yeriel.” Leaving Yeriel’s sad eyes behind, Edwin approached and patted my shoulder.
“…Honestly, I… I’ve been doubting you too.”
“…”
“But I guess I’m too stupid to understand.”
“…”
“I vouch for you. Lev, you’re a good guy. And you always will be.”
“…”
“We’re a party. I’m going too.”
Situations like in dramas actually happened. Telepathy. Did our hearts connect without words? This climactic atmosphere… I thought it would be cringey, but it wasn’t.
Thud.
“!!”
Aria, the silver-haired girl, stepped forward without a word.
“Aria?” Yeriel, Edwin, and Lily stared at her in surprise.
Aria turned her head and muttered, “Let’s go. I’m your watchdog.”
“…Okay.”
I couldn’t bring myself to thank her. But I had to make sure this would be her last time acting as my watchdog.
‘I’ll apologize to her properly later.’
With the situation settled, Lily put her hands on her hips and declared, “Then Lily will go too~! Decided~.”
“Uh…” Yeriel looked at me with concern.
‘Lily…’
While Lily was following a standard summoner build, that didn’t necessarily make her stronger than in the original Reincarnation Academy.
She was one of the author’s original characters, so I didn’t know her awakening conditions. Plus, considering Lily’s young age and stamina, the denser demonic pressure would be dangerous for her.
“Lev~! Just follow me!”
“Lily, about that…”
“Hmm?”
As I was trying to figure out how to dissuade Lily,
“Junior? Hello?”
“!!”!
A seductive voice I hadn’t heard in a while echoed in my ears. The tall, black-haired woman, Liris, approached with a smile.
“Can we talk for a moment?”
Did she figure out my true identity? I felt the same way I did when I first met her. I was flustered then, but I managed to deceive her unintentionally…
‘I wonder what kind of gift she has for me this time.’
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Ahhh, I can’t believe this novel and Terminally Ill Character are both gone, or at least delisted from the site… they were some of the only novels I was still reading when I had the chance, I’m pretty sure the only novel left I’m still even reading on Arcane right now is Academy’s Joke Character, which is absolutely crazy to me when Arcane’s usually one of my go to translators for series I enjoy.