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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Shio
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‘Finally, I can breathe.’
The low-rank Main incident had been swiftly dealt with, and with the rewards in hand, I could relax—at least for now.
Sure, part of me wanted to stir things up again, but I knew better. That would be a death sentence.
‘I still need the ‘General’ series… plus there’s magic research waiting.’
Unlike other characters, my advantage lay in acquiring hidden skills, an overwhelming benefit later in the game. But right now, it
was just the beginning—where longing for what I didn’t have gnawed at me.
‘Let’s check the rewards first.’
Instead of dwelling on unsolvable issues, focusing on what I could do now made more sense.
‘Starting with the hidden skill.’
‘Nice, that’s a solid skill.’
[Rival] was a passive, always-on skill, strong enough to carry through to the late game—though the activation condition was tough. You had to completely thwart a Main’s plan and win.
It sounded simple, but as the game progressed, stopping a Main became a near-impossible task.
Luckily, in the early stages, when everyone was still relatively weak, the chances of unlocking this skill skyrocketed.
‘I got really lucky.’
Kim Bae-Seong was a Main specialized in summoning, a perfect match-up for me, someone skilled at handling multiple enemies. Stopping
the Daeporthan and subduing the Main was easy.
Had Kim Bae-Seong fought instead of wasting his strength on summoning a mid-rank monster, I’d be dead.
Still, things turned in my favor, so who cares?
Time to check the achievement reward.
The stat boost was minor, given the scale of the achievement, but that was fine. The conditions for rewards varied. If I earned the
same achievement under different circumstances, the boost would be greater.
‘Three hidden skills now.’
To get a clear overview, I uttered the awkward command.
“Status window.”
I felt a twinge of embarrassment. Saying it aloud felt strange, even though it was routine in the game.
I was starting to push Lee Seokhyun to his limits, and the stats were solid. At least now I wouldn’t be completely helpless in the early stages.
‘I can take a beating without falling apart.’
Though I’d been relying on tricks and loopholes to survive, this was only the beginning. I hadn’t even attended a proper class yet,
and my skill pool was still thin.
‘I’m probably ranked around 500th… if I’m being generous.’
My status window might look full of text, but most of it was just stat boosts. I lacked offensive and defensive skills, and even my
title was still in its early stages.
I was all bark, no bite—just a tank drawing aggro with my spider webs.
‘Time to figure out the bigger picture.’
The key question now: Should I go solo, or join a party? Both had advantages, but since I was at the academy, a party wasn’t a bad
idea.
Still, my skills were boosted when I was alone. Solo might be the better path.
‘I’ll deal with that later.’
Leaving the decision for another time, I collapsed onto the bed. The official investigation would start soon, and I needed my rest.
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The day after the investigation into Kim Bae-Seong’s incident concluded…
As soon as Lee Seok-hyun entered the classroom and took his seat, he felt curious eyes on him.
‘What is she doing here?’
He turned to see Meiri sitting next to him, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Why was she sitting in Benras’s seat?
He glanced over at Meiri’s original spot and found…
“Ahem… As expected, the seat of the 2nd-ranked student is different. The view is better, you could say. I was a bit puzzled when
you offered to switch seats, Meiri, but… thank you so much!”
Benras’s explanation made it clear what had happened.
‘They switched seats?’
Switching seats wasn’t against the rules, but it was uncommon. Seats were assigned based on rank, and losing your seat was akin to
having your rank stolen. Even the lowest-ranked students were sensitive about this.
To think they disregarded all that and she ended up sitting next to him…
‘Is it because I punched her in the stomach?’
It had only been two or three days since they started at the academy, but many Class S students had already experienced his fist.
Meiri had been the first, so to speak.
“Meiri, why are you looking at me like that?”
“What courses did you apply for?”
“Me? I…”
Ignoring his question, Meiri asked her own. He listed his courses: magic, magical engineering, basic physical training, and a few
other studies.
“That’s a lot.”
“I have to do what I can.”
Meiri’s expression turned serious as she reviewed his packed schedule until Saturday. This didn’t include the special training with
Acasa, which he preferred to keep under wraps.
‘It’s bound to become a hot topic. I need to lay low for a while.’
Once it was known that Acasa had taken on a disciple, he would become an instant celebrity.
He imagined the reactions: 70% jealousy, 20% genuine curiosity, and 10% indifference.
For now, he wanted to stay low and wait it out.
“Can’t you reduce it a bit?”
“No.”
What was going on?
Maybe he had hit her head instead of her stomach.
While he pondered this, Meiri nodded, stood up, and left the classroom.
‘She’s so unpredictable.’
He knew she had a unique personality, but it seemed to have intensified after the punch. He wondered if he hit her too hard and
considered apologizing later.
“How’s your body?”
Yu So-hyun approached him, finally dropping the honorifics and speaking casually.
“It’s fine.”
“You’re taking a lot of courses. Some overlap with mine.”
“Really?”
While they chatted…
Slam!
The classroom door burst open, revealing an unexpected figure.
“Lee Seok-hyun! It’s time for your answer! Are you ready to become my disciple?!”
Acasa’s proclamation heated up the classroom atmosphere.
To think he’d become a celebrity so quickly…
‘But you said you’d give me time.’
This playthrough was shaping up to be the worst.
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What is the release schedule?
When talking about the Rival skill in the beginning of the chapter, “Activation condition” should be “Acquisition condition”.