I Became the Academy’s Hidden Skill Master – Chapter 14

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Shio
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The first-year representative speech.

An occasion to select the student who showed the most potential in the entrance exam to deliver a speech and outline their resolutions for the year.

One unique aspect of Mirinae Academy was that they didn’t give prior notice to the speaker.

They called the name on the spot to assess the representative speaker’s skills.

The reason for this approach was the difference in perception between the professors and the students.

To students, the representative speech set the tone for the year.

But to the professors, it was merely a temporary position until the real representative was chosen mid-semester.

‘It’s like picking someone from the front row as class president at the start of the semester,’ I thought.

Though the temporary speaker usually had a high chance of becoming the actual representative, it wasn’t a rule at Mirinae Academy.

Thus, it was truly a temporary role.

-Is this enough to determine the rankings? Who should be the representative speaker?

-There are so many good candidates this year…

-Shouldn’t we go in order? Two years ago it was a magic student, last year a martial arts student. This year, it should be from Other Studies, right?

Gainad recalled the discussion from yesterday’s meeting as he watched Lee Seok-Hyun climb onto the platform with a pained expression.

‘What a peculiar fellow,’ he mused.

Lee Seok-Hyun’s expression was like that of livestock being led to slaughter, yet he was chosen as the representative from Other Studies after a long time.

For the past decade, a representative from Other Studies had been rare.

Given that students from Other Studies had fewer opportunities due to their focus on non-combat skills, this choice was refreshing.

“Ahem, can everyone hear me well? Hello, I am Lee Seok-Hyun.”

Despite his initial reluctance, Lee Seok-Hyun transformed as soon as he took the microphone. His voice was soft and relaxed, his demeanor calm, as if he had been rehearsing.

After his greeting, he paused, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Before giving the representative speech, on behalf of everyone here, I would like to express my gratitude to the Chairman for his wise words.”

Huh, he had social skills too?

From his combat sense to his social awareness, Lee Seok-Hyun seemed far beyond his 17 years.

‘So, what will you say, Lee Seok-Hyun?’

Gainad and the students awaited Lee Seok-Hyun’s next words with anticipation.

In this tense atmosphere, Lee Seok-Hyun began his speech calmly.

“Before entering Mirinae Academy, we all nurtured various dreams. From small goals of becoming better individuals to grand ambitions of greatness, now we are ready to pursue those goals.”

Was he taking a safe approach?

Gainad felt a pang of disappointment, even considering the sudden selection. Expecting something special from this speech seemed unreasonable.

Just as the professors behind Lee Seok-Hyun were about to be disappointed, an unexpected song filled the auditorium.

“In that sense, I will now sing the meaningful Mirinae Academy anthem. I hope everyone will feel pride as students of Mirinae Academy and do their best in everything. Bright as the sun, high Mirinae Academy~ How beautiful its purpose is! Star by star, we gather to form the Milky Way, Mi-ri~nae Academy…”

A bizarre scene unfolded as a mere student sang from memory what even the Chairman barely remembered during the representative speech.

‘What is this?’

The students’ expressions grew blank as the anthem continued.

Faces reflected thoughts of confusion and disbelief.

‘Huh… He’s singing with such shameless confidence?’

Lee Hwa-Ryeong admired Lee Seok-Hyun’s performance. The key to such a situation was maintaining thick skin. A hint of hesitation could lead to criticism for not maintaining a serious atmosphere.

But Lee Seok-Hyun sang with pride, as though he was performing a righteous act.

“…Ah! Powerful and beautiful Mirinae Academy, let’s run forward strongly without losing hope! Aja! Aja! Aja!”

He concluded with a dramatic flourish, spreading his arms as if conducting an orchestra. With a solemn bow, he looked at the audience with a proud expression, as if challenging them to match his performance.

As soon as Lee Seok-Hyun finished and stepped down from the platform, the auditorium erupted in laughter.

‘A truly peculiar guy.’

The moment Lee Seok-Hyun finished, the three characters “Lee Seok-Hyun” were indelibly imprinted on everyone’s minds.

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6th place overall among first-years and the representative speaker.

These were titles I had never achieved while playing as Lee Seok-Hyun before.

It was natural that a character with extremely poor early growth couldn’t get a good start at the starting line.

‘This time is so different.’

Just by transmigrating into Lee Seok-Hyun in this turn-based RPG, the result had changed dramatically.

I wasn’t sure if I should be happy or not.

Due to Lee Seok-Hyun’s limitations, even with a strong start, there was an upper limit.

No matter how good the momentum, what this cursed character needed most was time.

‘Well, I guess it’s better than nothing.’

I returned to my seat and checked the buffs I had received from the representative speech:

‘This is pretty good.’

It wasn’t bad for a moment of embarrassment.

Although I had hoped for stat buffs, a growth buff was more ideal for the long run.

With about 4 years at the academy, a 10% growth increase meant substantial free rewards over time.

‘So what’s left now? Class assignments and dormitory move-in, I guess.’

Skipping the minor details, those two were the important things left.

‘Being 6th place probably means I’ll be in S class.’

Mirinae Academy was meritocratic, so classes were divided based on performance.

The top 38 students went to S class, 39th to 76th to A class, and so on.

S class was unique and considered the most prestigious.

Classes changed every year based on grades, but S class was almost fixed.’

Originally, the plan was to gradually move up and barely make it into S class by the 4th year.

‘Until then, I had planned to live quietly, grateful for whatever dormitory I was given.’

But now that the situation had changed, there was a need to adjust the plan.

“You did well.”

“Oh, thanks.”

Yu So-hyun hesitated before speaking to me.

“I could never give a speech like that…Being randomly selected… and having to deliver an impromptu speech.”

“It’s nothing. You could do it well too.”

Those words were not empty flattery.

When I briefly played as Yu So-hyun, I became the representative speaker and delivered a great speech.

It was just pre-saved dialogue, but it remained true that Yu So-hyun had done well.

“I still couldn’t sing the school anthem like that.”

Yeah, you definitely couldn’t.

Even though I had only theorized about it before; this was my first time actually performing it.

‘I had no choice.’

With no impressive words in mind and being flustered, I had chosen to sing the Mirinae Academy anthem with gusto.

The result was exactly as seen.

“Puhahaha, you’re really funny.”

“This year’s representative speaker is truly special.”

Roaring laughter and admiration filled the air, alongside…

“Why someone like that…?”

“How can 6th place give the representative speech?”

“Is he crazy?”

The end result was a mix of jealousy and criticism.

But the plan to sing the anthem and gain a growth buff had succeeded, so it didn’t matter.

“Attention, I will now explain the subjects you must learn and those you can choose.”

Gainad’s voice calmed the atmosphere, which had become noisy from my speech.

Subjects at Mirinae Academy were divided into mandatory majors and electives, similar to Korean university course registration.

‘For first-years, it’s probably Basic Main Studies, Basic Martial Arts, Magic… and Other Studies is elective, right?’

Despite being a main subject, Other Studies was not mandatory, clearly indicating its narrow role. Often referred to disparagingly as a “trash bin,” it housed everything outside Martial Arts and Magic.

‘Well, I’ve roughly decided what to do.’

Though the plan had changed, it wasn’t enough to alter Lee Seok-Hyun’s development route entirely.

‘There shouldn’t be much left now.’

The entrance ceremony concluded with the representative speech, subject introduction, and professor introductions.

One professor, the representative of Other Studies, was absent but not missed.

‘They appear in the game with a certain probability… or not at all.’

I stood up, checked my assigned dormitory and room number, and prepared for the end of the ceremony.

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As soon as I entered the dormitory, I rushed to the desk for quick subject registration.

The desk drawer contained neatly folded registration papers.

‘It’s first-come, first-served, huh?’

From easy “honey courses” to challenging but substantial ones, knowing everything required was crucial.

Speed was key to building a strong foundation in the first year.

Scribble scribble scribble.

‘Required courses done, electives filled, all set.’

Just as I was about to toss the registration paper out the window like a paper airplane, someone suddenly appeared, grabbing the back of my neck.

“Student Lee Seok-Hyun, looking at your paper, it seems you haven’t registered for any Other Studies courses. You forgot, right?”

“Ack shi-, oh, you startled me.”

“Were you about to curse just now?”

“Ah, no, it’s because I’m lacking in vitamins…”

Kerrar Mera, the representative professor of Other Studies and the NPC I’d mentioned earlier, had been waiting in my room.

“Well, that’s not what’s important, Student Lee Seok-Hyun.”

“Pardon?”

“The lecture…”

Bang crash!

Just as Kerrar was about to continue, two more professors entered my room.

“Student Lee Seok-Hyun! Please explain how you knew all the answers to the first question!”

Magic representative professor Lee Hwa-Ryeong demanded.

“Lee Seok-Hyun, what were you thinking when you cut the ogre’s ankle? I want to hear your mindset, and also about the new lecture I’ve created…”

Martial Arts representative professor Gainad added.

‘What is going on…’

The attention was almost overwhelming.

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[Shio here~!

There’s no way they let Seok-Hyun get away with singing :sob:]