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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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The Balantes family, a name that couldn’t be omitted when discussing swordsmanship in the empire.
Aveline Balantes, the daughter of this prestigious lineage, had been invited to Clarice Academy based on her exceptional achievements.
-The fourth daughter of the Balantes…
-I hear her older siblings all surpassed the level of Sword Expert?
-Blood will tell, after all.
Clarice Academy S-Rank,
Aveline Balantes.
Golden waves cascaded gracefully through her hair. Her posture and gait, so elegant and refined, could easily be mistaken for royalty.
The academy staff who showered her with flattery, the guild officials who tried to curry favor, they all held no interest for her.
What piqued her curiosity were
a commoner boy, devoid of any talent, who tirelessly dedicated himself to training,
-One more time!!
… Edwin Gwendeth,
and…
-Already done?
-…!
-Good work~.
… Kaelan Heath, a mysterious nobleman whose skills far surpassed hers.
She was intrigued by both,
but her primary interest lay with Kaelan.
‘He would make a… suitable husband.’
A child born from the union of the Sword Emperor’s daughter and the most skilled student at the academy…
Their offspring’s talent would be unparalleled.
However…
-Pant… Pant…
That green-haired boy, Edwin, whose only redeeming quality had been his relentless efforts…
…had grown.
To the point where she had to wield her sword with both hands to defeat him.
It was just a simple swordsmanship spar, without any magical interference, thanks to Yeriel’s request,
but he was only a C-rank student.
‘I didn’t want to give him even a sliver of hope…’
Having witnessed and sparred with countless swordsmen, Aveline could now gauge a person’s skill just by looking at their eyes.
She had seen in Edwin’s eyes during their last match…
… determination.
She had also sensed a hint of untainted purity, the kind of naivety a paladin should possess…
but his gaze seemed to be reflecting someone else.
‘What could have happened to him…?’
Before the Positioning ceremony, his skills, displayed under the moonlight at the abandoned training grounds, had been abysmal.
His fundamentals were lacking.
But since that day, it was as if someone had entered his heart, transforming him.
‘It wasn’t me… Could he have received an Inheritance ability…?’
Edwin had evolved with each step, from the Positioning ceremony to the Selection Test and the Dungeon Exploration Practice.
Could he have another mentor?
Yeriel and Edwin had no apparent connection,
yet Yeriel had personally asked her to train him.
“What could be the link…?”
As a haze of confusion clouded Aveline’s mind,
Kaelan, with his fiery red hair, approached her.
“Aveline?”
“Ah, it’s Kaelan.”
“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
“I was just reflecting… on today’s spar.”
“Hmm~.”
“I heard your opponent has been decided. Aren’t you… training?”
“Well. Is there really a need?”
Kaelan’s opponent was Lev Denec.
Aveline had heard about him through Melissa, her fellow Royal Class member.
He was a B-rank student who, according to rumors, had been keeping a low profile lately, unlike his previous unruly behavior.
He was someone Aveline had no connection with…
Yet Kaelan had personally chosen him as his opponent for the ranking matches.
‘Why that man…?’
Aveline couldn’t help but be intrigued by Lev Denec
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I returned to my dormitory, washed up, and flopped onto my bed.
‘It’s been a while since I got sucked into this world.’
It had already been over three weeks since the duel with Gailon.
Rumors, as they always did, had faded away.
Unfortunately, my standing in the academy hadn’t changed much.
I was still a B-rank, spending most of my time cooped up in the training room.
Meanwhile, Kaelan, thanks to the author’s blatant favoritism, continued to grow stronger,
and the characters from the original game that I needed to support were becoming victims of this power creep.
‘This is so unfair.’
To ensure the core characters’ growth, I had to incorporate some elements from the novel.
Aveline Balantes was a crucial figure in Edwin’s development.
She, who spoke in archaic Korean, was attracted to Kaelan.
Though a non-canonical heroine, according to the novel, she would eventually become Edwin’s ally.
This was because she was drawn to strong men and had developed a fleeting interest in Edwin after witnessing him defeat the Patchwork monster and awaken as the Executor, especially with Kaelan and Edwin becoming rivals.
‘But!’
My rapid growth had thrown a wrench into the story.
Lev Denec’s interference had altered the narrative, and Edwin was far weaker than I had anticipated.
Yeriel was the perfect link in this situation.
Even now, as Kaelan was forming his own little clique with the Royal Class,
Yeriel, as an upperclassman and Aveline’s former mentor, had a connection with her.
So, I had arranged a training session between Edwin and Aveline.
As in the original game, Yeriel was the only one who helped me without asking for anything in return.
She hadn’t even been swayed by Kaelan’s advances. I was impressed.
-This is for doing me that favor.
That’s why I had given her the cake Scarlett had given me.
‘Was that… too casual?’
Surely her affection wouldn’t fluctuate based on a simple gift?
‘Whatever, time to check the rewards.’
▶ Guaranteed Rewards
▶ Choice Rewards
Checking the guaranteed rewards first was the standard procedure.
As I muttered “Guaranteed Rewards”,
a familiar status window popped up.
-Ding!
▶ Physical Resistance [Lv.3]
Permanently increases Physical Resistance to level 4. However, the effect is diminished if the current level is 4 or higher.
Physical Resistance, since I had defeated the Black Armor.
Simple enough.
-Ding!
Another line was added, and my body briefly glowed.
Physical Resistance would definitely come in handy during the melee brawls in the ranking matches.
‘What the…?’
-Ding!
“Oh, wow. This works?”
In the original game, defeating certain bosses sometimes rewarded you with items from the heroes who had attempted to subdue those bosses in the past.
It was a system meant to enhance immersion and didn’t offer significant benefits.
Perhaps because Adrin was also an elf archer…
My Wind Archery had been enhanced.
“I’m always running out of Wind Energy, so this is a welcome addition.”
An unexpected stat boost.
And the guaranteed rewards didn’t end there.
-Ding!
“Yes…”
Today was a good day. My Agility, the stat I needed most, had increased.
And finally, I had enough Supporting Character Points
to level up my unique trait.
‘Unique Trait.’
-Ding!
▶ Gamer [Lv.1]
(0/1000)
.
▶ [Gamer] [Lv.1]
Grants you special abilities based on your experience playing classic games in your previous life.
› Gamer (0/500)
Allows you to utilize the ‘Reincarnation Hero’ game system.
+ Details
› Classic (0/500)
Allows you to apply the ‘Reincarnation Hero’ closed beta patch version.
+ Details
‘500 Supporting Character Points for Gamer.’
“As expected.”
The outcome was exactly as I had anticipated.
“Yes… good, good.”
I let out a sigh of satisfaction, like an old man after a sip of beer.
Investing 500 Supporting Character Points had yielded incredible value.
One additional slot for Passive and Ultimate skills, and two extra slots for General skills.
I had been struggling without ‘Demon Eye’, but now I could equip it again.
‘And…’
… the grand finale, the choice reward.
‘Choice Rewards.’
-Ding!
.
.
.
A blessing that granted additional damage.
A defensive skill, Black Armor.
And a mysterious curse, Black Wyrm’s Trajectory.
‘This is… tricky…’
This was the first time I’d encountered a lineup that truly made me hesitate.
Closed beta skills were notoriously complex, and I needed to be careful.
There was a time limit for choosing a reward since it was from a high-rank boss,
and I needed a skill that would be helpful for the ranking matches against Kaelan…
‘Let’s put this on hold for now.’
With this, the preparations were almost complete.
All that remained was…
‘Obtaining the Parasitism skill.’
-Buzz!
Right on cue,
my communication crystal glowed red.
Hazel had discovered something unusual during the homunculus experiment and was signaling me.
‘She must have found the parasitic monster.’
If left unchecked, it would become the boss of Chapter 3.
I had to eliminate it before it reached its full potential and obtain the ‘Parasitism’ skill.
‘Sigh. Another outing.’
I wasn’t fond of leaving my room right after showering, but the situation demanded it.
“Kaelan, brace yourself for a parasite.”
-Thud.
I flung open my closet, searching for my uniform shirt.
‘…?’
Yeriel must have laundered it; the white shirt was neatly hung on a hanger, a pleasant scent wafting from it.
‘Did she put it there when she came into my room the other day?’
Pushing aside this question, I left Seraphi Black Dormitory.
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Probably his clothes are now bugged with spells to spy on him now.
Also glad to see the girls in general (beside the stupid princess) not fall 100% to that red goblin
Considering how she acted towards Lev, it just seems like she’s someone who easily falls in love to people who are better than her. On other hand, are we sure the red bastard doesn’t have some sort of brainwashing skill? Nothing like that was listed on his status window when Lev scanned him, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s hidden in there somewhere.
I would have personally chosen the blessing. As it is both defense and attack focused and isn’t lousy in the stat increase in either category.
Black wyrm’s trajectory is something that wouldn’t only be incredibly obvious as being a demonic ability, but would also be completely useless if my opponent was a demon