I Became the Academy’s Hidden Skill Master – Chapter 5

—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Shio
—————————————————————–

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

 
Hidden skills.

The conditions to obtain one were stringent, and even if you managed to fulfill them, only one could be learnt per character.

Even if you wanted to acquire a better hidden skill later on, most had no choice but to give up that idea with tears.

‘But Lee Seok-Hyun is different.’

There was a single reason Lee Seok-Hyun, a trash character, was in demand in FD.

That was because he was the only character with no limit on hidden skill slots.

A character with access to multiple game-breaking cheat skills?

You were practically guaranteed to clear the game with a high score.

‘That’s why it’s extremely difficult from the early to mid-game though.’

A character whose every stat was randomized and could die in the prologue.

The worst possible early growth rate, and an infinite number of death routes.

But the only existence with the possibility to have multiple game-breaking hidden skills.

That was Lee Seok-Hyun.

And I, who belonged to the rotten water, knew all the hidden skills that could be obtained from the beginning.

‘I really need to obtain only what’s necessary and escape. The prologue’s great success reward will be bigger than hidden skills.’

The anthill was hell for beginners but a small bonanza for old-timers.

The skill most needed in the current situation was…

‘This one.’

I quickly made a decision and got up from my seat.

It was time to slowly raise the beacon of counterattack.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

Kim Hyuk-jun, the most senior among the orphans belonging to the anthill, had been keeping an eye on Lee Seok-Hyun for some time.

Even the expression “most senior” was awkward, he was just the one who came in the earliest and was still alive without dying.

Nothing more, nothing less.

‘Lee Seok-Hyun…Why is he buttering up to the guards like that?’

In fact, there were many orphans who wagged their tails to the guards, so it wasn’t a particularly strange action.

‘Wanting to stick to the strong is human instinct.’

Kim Hyuk-jun, who had experienced the bitterness of society from a young age, was already very familiar with human relationships despite being ten years old.

But ten was still ten.

He was still young, so fully understanding Lee Seok-Hyun’s behavior was beyond him.

‘What the hell is he doing?’

At first, he wagged his tail at the guards and disregarded his fellow orphans.

But now, he was purposefully begging the guards for snacks and distributing them, which was incomprehensible to Kim Hyuk-Jun.

Lee Seok-Hyun spread the nuance that this was why he had wagged his tail, in order to obtain food for them.

And after repeating this a few times, he naturally became the leader among the orphans.

“Why are you doing this?”

In the end, Kim Hyuk-jun couldn’t hold back his curiosity and asked Lee Seok-Hyun directly.

Sweet pancakes and orange juice that he could eat for at least a week if he didn’t share.

He couldn’t understand why he was sharing this with the children for no reason.

“Why do I do this?”

“No, if you eat it alone… you can eat it for a long time.”

“It tastes better when we eat together, doesn’t it?”

The pure answer spat out so naturally by a seven-year-old.

Kim Hyuk-jun considered teaching him the harsh realities of society, but decided it would be better for him to learn it on his own.

‘Does he not know that no matter how much food he gives, it all becomes shit in the end?’

When it came time, humans were animalistic creatures that you couldn’t trust.

Even now, the only reason the orphans liked Lee Seok-Hyun was because he temporarily satisfied their appetites.

They didn’t actually like Lee Seok-Hyun as a person.

‘What meaning is there in being treated as a leader?’

If all he gained was false trust after having to wrap his entire body in bandages to get snacks, it wasn’t worth it.

‘You’re the same in the end too.’

Knowing that if one chose immediate comfort over distant hope, they’d never escape from here.

Kim Hyuk-jun bitterly looked at the floor and erased hope again.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

After a month of buttering up to the guards and offering snacks to the orphans to become their leader, the results were finally starting to show.

Finally.

‘It popped up!!!’

Working my ass off and caring for the orphans for a month finally paid off.

Lee Seok-Hyun was the only character that could get the hidden skill [United Will] early game.

‘Over 90% of the group will trust me and have the perception of me as the boss set in.’

Here, the leader or boss didn’t have to be the official head of the group.

Anyone in charge of something significant to the group was treated as such.

In my case, I was recognized as the leader of the orphans.

‘The standard for a group is at least 20 people…and the only way to satisfy this condition early on is Lee Seok-Hyun’s prologue.’

It was a skill that other characters might or might not get even after entering the academy,

However, Lee Seok-Hyun could easily obtain it early on.

The trust and faith referred to in the hidden skill [United Will] were possible because it was recognized as genuine, even if they only briefly believed in me fully.

The stats added just by meeting the minimum conditions were a whopping +20.

This was a number that went beyond and exceeded ordinary people,it meant that the guards were fodder now.

‘I found the map and obtained a skill too, the best result.’

There was a reason I deliberately continued catering to the guards, even though I had already obtained the map.

The “group” mentioned by the skill wasn’t limited to just the orphans, but the entire anthill.

So I had no choice but to fully gain the trust of the guards.

‘Stage 1 is all finished.’

All that was left was to wait for the right moment and handle one final task.

‘To create the best result, I do have to get it.’

In reality, if I wanted to escape alone, I could easily do so right now.

‘But if I was going to do that, I wouldn’t have chosen Lee Seok-Hyun.’

The reason I chose Lee Seok-Hyun in the first place wasn’t simply because he had unlimited hidden skill slots.

While my personality as a shit sommelier also played a part in choosing him.

The biggest reason was that Lee Seok-Hyun had the most ‘heroic’ choices.

A character who didn’t lose hope even in the worst situation and could save everyone.

That was Lee Seok-Hyun.

‘And since I already transmigrated intoLee Seok-Hyun, I must go for the happy ending no matter what.’

I decided not to use the kids I gave snacks to as meat shields just for my own survival.

“Hey! Seok-Hyun! We have to go give the head guard a massage today!”

“Yes! Understood!”

While I was refining my plan with such determination, the manager called for me.

Now that I had obtained a hidden skill, it was actually the best time to execute the plan.

If there was one problem, it was questionable whether the children would fully follow my words.

‘In the game, they simply follow when favorability is filled, but this isn’t a game.’

Although this world was based on a game, it was also a real reality where events and incidents were no longer decided by data fragments.

It wasn’t realistic to mindlessly believe that the orphans would follow me just because I gave them some food.

The manager physically examined me by touching my body right before entering the head guard’s room.

It was just a formality, but because of this, I couldn’t even dream of bringing something like a sharp stone.

‘If there are no teeth, you have to do it with your gums.’

I clenched my fist tightly and followed the manager to the head guard’s room.

Unlike the guards’ quarters, the head guard’s room was incredibly luxurious.

The refreshing air and pleasant environment made it hard to believe they were digging a cave and living underground.

Even the floor was covered entirely with marble, leaving no room for any bugs.

“Head Guard! I brought Seok-Hyun.”

“Hello, Head Guard.”

“Oh, come in, Seok-Hyun. I’ve been waiting.”

The head guard was a middle-aged man in his 50s who used to be a reasonably famous wandering knight.

Then he tasted illegal money one day and became a typical third rate bastard who kidnapped orphans.

His insides were blacker than a king cobra, he was sly and would do anything to fill his own pockets, a genuine piece of shit.

‘The reason he treats me well is just because I’m good at massages.’

In fact, even though the head guard received massages from me for a long time, he never gave me anything.

Noticing that he didn’t even provide common bandages when it was time to change them, I could get a sense of his perception of me.

‘Just a well-behaved, somewhat kid-controlling, massage-skilled tool.’

I could swear on my very bones that he viewed me as such..

But even excluding that, there was another reason the head guard was truly a disgusting piece of shit.

“Hmm, yeah, Manager, you can go, and make sure no one is near my room until I call separately.”

“Yes!”

As soon as the manager left, the head guard approached me in an instant, licking his tongue.

The head guard began blatantly groping my body and licking my ear with his old-smelling tongue.

Yeah, it was as expected.

‘This pedophilic bastard.’

He got off on preying on innocent children and dyeing them in his color sexually.

Of course, since I became in charge of massages, I made sure that such a thing never happened even once.

It was because I made sure to drain all his energy with massages while being somewhat receptive.

“Don’t even think about running away anymore today.”

“Before that, may I give you a massage?”

“Hehe…yeah…let’s do that.”

The head guard kneaded my butt a couple of times and then laid down on the bed with familiarity.

I was shocked the first time I gave him a massage and he laid down, exposing his naked stomach.

It was like bearing witness to some-type of eldritch horror, but in real life.

“I told you that you’d have a unique experience when I turned my back today, right?”

“Of course, I’m looking forward to it too.”

I slowly climbed on top of the head guard’s body and clenched my fist tightly, pretending to prepare for a massage.

The strength of all the children, guards, and the head guard merged, unified, and entered my body.

Even if a child tried to exert any force, they couldn’t do anything, so he let his guard down and turned his back

‘That’s your biggest mistake.’

Bang!

The combined strength of everyone directly assaulted the head guard’s neck.

It was time to escape from this damn anthill.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

[Shio here~!

Imagine a child clocking you with the strength of a Gorilla ;-; I’d fucking cry.]