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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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The main quest was just a day away.
Everything seemed peaceful.
This academy story which should have started in the worst possible atmosphere, with many students dying due to a terrorist attack, was now flowing like an ordinary youth novel.
However, that would all end if I failed tomorrow’s main quest.
If an academy professor killed students to satisfy his delusions and desires, and then was able to escape afterward, not only would the academy’s hard-earned trust and reputation go down the drain, but the other students would also be intimidated and frightened by the reality of a classmate’s death.
As a reader who hated depressing stories, it was an unbearable development for me.
“Loser~”
So…
“I didn’t realize it until now, but you have really long eyelashes, loser. And your skin is so pale.”
…even though his first prey was the annoying, clueless butt, I was planning to save her.
Though the butt, who was unaware of what would happen to her tomorrow, was teasing me with her usual nonsense.
“If you just styled your hair and wore contacts instead of glasses, you’d look so much better. Why do you keep dressing like a loser?”
The butt giggled and snatched my glasses.
By the way, those were safety glasses, so they weren’t related to my eyesight.
I had been wearing them since I first possessed this body, so I just kept wearing them out of habit, but they weren’t really essential to me.
However, regardless of that, someone who didn’t understand the danger of snatching someone else’s glasses needed to be punished.
“You…”
“See?”
But the butt spoke before I could say anything.
“You look much better without glasses.”
She looked at me closely, probably thinking I couldn’t see well without my glasses, then smiled bashfully and blushed slightly.
Damn it.
I wanted to pretend I didn’t notice it, but the butt’s attitude had been strange lately.
It wasn’t anything concrete yet, but it felt like a strange kind of goodwill.
There hadn’t been any incidents between us that would make her conscious of me. Instead, it was all because of that idiot Lilac blabbering about what I said.
Tsk.
I looked at the culprit who was smiling happily right now.
I’ll let it go since you had to work hard tomorrow.
“…Are you mad?”
Perhaps thinking that my frown was because of her, the butt offered me my glasses back with an unusually timid expression.
As I silently took my glasses back, she fidgeted, as if she was really concerned about me.
I knew it.
Her teasing and constant chatter were her way of showing goodwill.
Only an idiot like Lilac wouldn’t notice.
“I’m not mad.”
“Really!?”
She jumped up and down, as if those words were a great relief to her.
“Hehe, our loser is so nice.”
Nice, my ass.
I could have dealt with that crazy bastard before anything terrible happened, but I was letting it go for various reasons.
You couldn’t call someone like me nice. I ignored someone when I could have at least offered a word of comfort.
“Ah, I wish I was in the Holy Fire class. Then Yoo-hak, Lilac, and the loser would all be there with me.”
I wouldn’t replace anyone’s role in this, but I would at least make sure she didn’t die.
“Be careful.”
“Huh? Of what?”
“Everything.”
“That’s vague.”
As soon as Professor Cathy entered the room, the butt ran back to her class as if escaping.
“See you later, loser!”
That damn “loser.”
That butt ruined the moment every time I tried to see her in a positive light.
Judging by the intense urge I felt deep down, the saying about not spitting on a smiling face was definitely a lie.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Professor Cathy, who would normally greet us and leave, seemed to have an announcement today.
“As most of you know, you’ll soon be receiving points.”
Ah, right, I had forgotten about that because of the main quest.
“I’ll explain it formally, just in case. Points are scores that can be gained or lost through all activities at Reilan Academy. Simply put, it’s a reward and penalty system.”
Yes.
Points were basically a reward and penalty system.
Troublemakers and those with poor grades lost points, while model students who consistently volunteered or resolved incidents gained points.
There were various penalties for having negative points. If your points dropped below -500, you won’t be able to graduate, if I remember correctly.
Of course, there wasn’t anyone like that in the original story, but now that the students who were supposed to die had survived, it was hard to say.
“Of course, since it’s a reward and penalty system, there are rewards. You can use points like cash within the academy, and you can also rent special equipment that’s difficult to obtain with points.”
Special equipment mainly referred to magic weapons crafted by artisans, but it also included artifacts occasionally found in dungeons from other worlds.
Actually, the Saint’s Will was also considered a special equipment, although its effect was weak.
-The Saint’s Will protests.
You might think it was useless, but it was just that the Saint’s Will had few compatible users. Most artifacts were often depicted as powerful weapons that could even close the gap in talent.
Even if it was just a rental until graduation, you could use it to earn money or clear other dungeons. And the biggest benefit of the points system was this:
“Yes, it’s not just a rental. The top three students, based on both their grades and contributions, will be given the right to own the equipment they rented upon graduation. It’s a chance to get the equipment you want for free.”
Of course, it wasn’t really free since Cheon Yoo-hak and Lilac were in the same year. It might be wiser to just buy it with money than to try to rank in the top three.
“Ah, and Cadet Lilac and Cadet Cheon Yoo-hak, who played a major role in stopping the terrorist attack, will receive additional points.”
Oh, that was good. This didn’t happen in the original story because it was glossed over. As expected of an academy.
Since they weren’t dealing with the aftermath of a terrorist attack, rewards were properly distributed.
Lilac was looking at me for some reason as if he was displeased, but I wasn’t bothered with missing out on a few points.
I didn’t need points since I could just steal the settings my friend neglected and the opportunities that would have gone to the villains.
As I always said, a transmigrator had a transmigrator’s way of doing things.
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The academy was surprisingly lively after school.
Some used the well-equipped training facilities, some enjoyed extracurricular activities, a kind of club activity, and some consulted or sought advice from professors.
Kim Ga-eul was also among them, receiving counseling from a professor.
He was popular among the students due to his warm appearance and polite demeanor, so there were many waiting for his counseling, but she was lucky enough to be seen by him right away.
“So, have you made up with the students you fought with, Ga-eul?”
Jin Kyung-tae, the Basic Monster Studies professor.
He was wearing his usual friendly smile.
“No, not most of them, but the one I bullied said he forgave me.”
“That’s good. If the person involved forgives you, the surrounding atmosphere will gradually improve.”
“Actually, I don’t really want to become friends with them again. I didn’t know that they could abandon me so easily.”
“Well, this might sound like something an old fogey would say, but I hope you can forgive your friends, just like that friend forgave you. I think it’s a privilege of young people to be able to make up after fighting and making mistakes.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, when you get older and become an adult, you have so many things to worry about and so many relationships to consider that you often can’t apologize even if you want to, or you can’t become friends with someone you want to. Of course, it’s not like that doesn’t happen to students, but adults are political creatures, so it’s much more complicated.”
“…Now that you mention it, I think you’re right.”
“Haha, it’ll be difficult to decide today, so just think about it for now.”
He took out the Illusion Butterflies from his pocket.
The beautiful butterflies flapped their wings, scattering shimmering powder.
“Ah, I smell something nice.”
“Yes, if you inhale too much, you’ll lose consciousness, but a small amount has a relaxing effect. It works even better with the tea I gave you.”
It was true.
After drinking the tea, she felt much more relaxed.
“By the way, who was the friend you bullied? Forgiveness isn’t as easy as it seems, so I’d like to see them if I have the chance.”
“Ah, you actually know him. Kang So-hyun, from the Holy Fire class.”
“…What? Ah, yes, I know him. I remember him because he has a very good attitude in class.”
“Yes, and he’s really kind. He even told me to be careful today.”
“…Careful?”
“Yes, I asked him what I needed to be careful of, and he just said ‘Everything,’ which is vague. But it seems like he really forgave me since he’s worried about me.”
“So he told you to be careful.”
Kim Ga-eul was perceptive.
If she hadn’t drunk the tea with the tranquilizer or inhaled the Illusion Butterfly powder, she would have noticed the slight change in his voice.
But she was currently very relaxed and unguarded.
“Uh… I suddenly feel sleepy…”
“I see. He was a much more capable friend than I thought. I was originally planning to wait another day, but now that I think about it, he seemed strangely wary of me from the day we met.”
Kim Ga-eul tried to keep her eyes open, but the more she tried, the deeper she fell into unconsciousness.
“I wonder how he knew… I never showed it. No, did he really notice? I’m curious, but it would be troublesome if he did.”
He carefully carried the unconscious Kim Ga-eul in his arms and opened a secret compartment in his office.
“I wanted to find two or three more by tomorrow, but it can’t be helped. I’ll have to be satisfied with you.”
The students who had come to him for counseling today were restrained there.
“Professor…?”
“Oh, you weren’t completely asleep. Just rest for now. We have to start class when you wake up.”
“Class…?”
“Yes, a class I’ve been wanting to teach for a long time.”
He was still smiling his usual friendly smile.
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Kim Ga-eul was awakened by the annoyed noises around her.
“What is this…!”
A rather large student was tied to a chair and was shouting.
To be precise, only one student was shouting, but there seemed to be quite a few other unconscious students tied to chairs, including herself.
Her head throbbed, as if she had been smelling strong perfume for too long.
“Ugh…! What the hell is this!?”
He seemed to be trying to break free using his talent, perhaps a physical enhancement type, but it wasn’t working.
At his shouts, others started waking up one by one.
They were of various ages and genders, with no apparent commonalities.
The room quickly became noisy.
They wondered where they were, who played this prank, and what their motive was, but naturally, their discussion yielded no answers.
“Ah, is everyone alright?”
“Ah! Professor, you came to save us!”
“No, I was captured too.”
“What…?”
“Just kidding. Students these days like these kinds of jokes, right? Ah, the ‘captured’ part was a joke, but the rest is true. I didn’t come to save you.”
Her head hurt, but she was starting to understand the situation.
If her understanding was correct, the situation was nothing short of the worst.
“I’m actually closer to the culprit who restrained you. But there’s no need to worry too much, I just want to have a class with you.”
“A class…?”
“Yes, a class. It’s a bit late, but let’s have some fun. I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.”
His tone and expression were the same as usual, but there was something ominous about him. Was it because he was the one who kidnapped them, or maybe it was due to the class they were about to have didn’t seem like it would benefit them in any way?
“Stop joking around and let us go!”
“That’s right! Professor! We have curfew!”
They started denying reality.
“I’m a little hurt that you think it’s a joke. I worked so hard to prepare all this. Do you really want to leave that badly?”
“Of course!”
“Really?”
At his gesture, the wall started moving.
To be precise, it wasn’t the wall itself, but something clinging to the wall that was wriggling.
“I’ll ask one more time.”
A centipede-like monster, larger than a human, was crawling on the wall.
“Do you really want to leave?”
No one could answer anymore.
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-Achievement unlocked: Butterfly Effect. The main quest has started early due to your influence.
“What the hell?”
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
“What the…!”
Whatever it was, running was more important than explaining right now.
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T/N – And so the main quest begins. So his thoughtless warning triggered the event early. Let’s see how the MC handles this pedo psychopath.
If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.
[[MAIN QUEST.]]
[[START!]]