I Became the Terminally Ill Character in My Friend’s Academy Novel – Chapter 4

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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The academy entrance ceremony was in March, but official classes would start in April.

All academy students were required to live in dormitories, and the month-long gap was apparently to give them time to move their belongings into the dorms and spend some time with their families before a long separation. However, in the original story, classes were postponed to May due to the terrorist attack.

For some, it was simply a boring time, and for others, it was a precious time that could be spent with their families. But for me, this one month was especially precious and valuable.

Now, as someone in the special position of being a transmigrator, what was the first activity I engaged in immediately after the academy entrance ceremony?

Assassinating the traitor hiding within the school?

Struggling to resolve the impending major incident?

Making friends with the protagonist?

None of the above.

That’s right. I was climbing a mountain.

“…Shiiiit. Really.”

I’d hardly ever climbed a mountain in my original world, but now here I was, doing it in a novel world.

Haha, climbing a mountain with my internal organs twisted was a truly special experience.

“I think I’m going to die…”

Special my ass.

While most academy cadets were superhuman, with physique surpassing ordinary people, Kang So-hyun, the character I was possessing, was far from superhuman.

This body was naturally weak, and I already depleted my innate Qi several times by using my ability after I possessed him, making his body incredibly frail.

I wanted to question why this character was like this, but surprisingly, he was really modeled after me.

That’s right. I was originally weak and clumsy.

“Uwaaaaagh!”

Then why was I, a clumsy person, climbing a mountain?

Of course, it was to get healthy.

I needed to be healthy to change the novel’s story or do anything else for that matter.

This pathetic body was, without exaggeration, at the level where I might die just by walking down the street tomorrow.

What could I possibly do in this state?

Oh, of course, I wasn’t trying to achieve long-term health benefits by climbing mountains and breathing in fresh air.

A transmigrator had a transmigrator’s way of doing things.

I came here to find a hidden fortuitous encounter.

Although it couldn’t be considered hidden to me, since I had the settings book memorized.

In such a case, I practically already found the treasure.

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There was a time when I thought that way.

Ta-da! There was no such thing as absolutes!

I never thought I’d run into trouble thanks to my body, which had become even more pathetic than before I possessed it.

To put it simply.

I was too exhausted to move.

“Huff… huff… gasp… huff…”

Again, I knew this body was frail.

The problem was that it was far more pathetic than I had anticipated, and I didn’t know my stamina would be completely depleted in less than an hour after starting to climb the mountain.

This was insane.

There was a clear reason why I sought this place out first.

The biggest reason was that, among all the fortuitous encounters I could attempt in my current physical condition, the one that would be most helpful to me was the one hidden here. The second reason was that, in the original work, this fortuitous encounter was obtained and wasted by some insignificant extra villain relatively early on.

At a point where most significant fortuitous encounters were beyond my reach, my choice was an extremely rational and calculated action.

Everyone has a plausible plan.

That is, until they get fucked up on a mountain.

But I couldn’t give up either.

A frail body that might die at any moment – some people might consider it a blessing, but I never wanted to live a life like a ticking time bomb.

“Shit…”

The moment I couldn’t hold back my curse.

“Excuse me, are you alright?”

As if I wasn’t allowed to die, a lifeline was thrown my way by the heavens.

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Cathy.

A professor at the academy and the self-proclaimed right-hand woman of the Chairman whenever she played along with the Chairman’s hobby.

She didn’t know what the Chairman thought of her, but whenever she found a student she liked, she would assign Cathy to monitor them.

Surprisingly, all such students had been a ‘win’ in some sense so far, but this time, Cathy could confidently say that her intuition was wrong.

She should have made a bet with her when she confidently suggested it.

Kang So-hyun.

A prospective student scheduled to enter the academy this year, an enhancer with an A-rank talent.

She was a little surprised to find he had an A-rank talent when she discovered him on the list, but after checking the attached investigation report and confirming the penalty associated with his ability, she couldn’t help but shake her head.

Possessed Talent: Enhancement, A-Rank. Elevates the target’s level without restriction. However, consumes innate Qi upon use.

The reason for his weakened physique, too frail to be considered superhuman, seemed to be due to the side effect of his ability.

This caused discord within his family.

His relationship with his family deteriorated afterward.

The records became more dismal the further down she read.

The fact that it was unrestricted was quite surprising, but what use was an ability that brought you closer to death every time you used it?

Enhancers, albeit with some restrictions, were common.

She couldn’t understand why this talent was A-ranked.

After quietly observing him, just in case the records were falsified, she found that the records were completely true.

He was already panting so heavily during a climb that wasn’t even particularly steep, so he couldn’t be considered superhuman.

Unless he had a hobby of pretending to be exhausted in the middle of nowhere.

Having reached such a conclusion, she decided to talk to him.

If he was just a frail student, she couldn’t just leave him struggling like this in the mountains.

And she wasn’t the type to ignore someone trying to do something about their situation.

“Excuse me, are you alright?”

Because she approached him with such unguarded and pure goodwill, she didn’t see it.

The way the corners of his mouth subtly curved upwards for a fleeting moment.

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“Yes, I’m fine.”

First, I made a friendly smile.

I couldn’t afford to miss this unexpected opportunity by failing to manage my expression.

Fortunately, one of my few strengths was maintaining a neutral expression in unexpected situations.

“You look very tired. You should go back down.”

The woman pretending to be a random hiker also wore a friendly smile, but I knew her true identity.

The Chairman’s right-hand woman and friend.

Cathy.

A professor at the academy and the person who would become the protagonist’s homeroom teacher.

A beautiful woman with gorgeous, warm blonde hair and emerald green eyes.

It wasn’t a common appearance for a hiker, but of course, the reason I was certain it was her was something else.

She was wearing earrings with emerald green jewels that resembled her eyes. These were a gift the Chairman had personally made and given to her when she was young.

I could roughly picture what happened.

The Chairman must have heard about either my reckless remarks in predicting the terrorist attack or me using Enhancement.

She was the Chairman’s friend, but also a loyal… subordinate, not lackey.

She had probably been monitoring me all along.

…She could have helped me a little sooner, damn it.

“No, thank you. I’d like to go up a little further.”

“…You’re sweating so much and breathing so heavily. You’ll collapse soon at this rate.”

“I’m naturally weak, so I want to go on a little further for my health.”

By the way, her character in the novel…

“Exercise is good, but…”

She thought of herself as someone who had a cool personality, but she was incredibly meddlesome and kind.

Could such a person say that someone who consumed their innate Qi couldn’t improve their health just by climbing a mountain?

And she couldn’t just leave a student to die here.

“Actually, I heard there’s a spring with medicinal water around the middle of this mountain, so I came to look for it. I’m not very healthy, so I wanted to try it.”

Pity began to cloud her expression.

“Ah, I’m sorry for bringing up such a heavy topic even though we’re strangers. I’ll excuse myself now.”

After saying that, I moved my reluctant feet.

I tried to look as pitiful as I could, but I didn’t even need to act since I was actually struggling and exhausted.

At this moment, I was a challenger facing my limits. A pitiful young man not wanting to succumb to fate.

“I… I’ll!”

“Yes…?”

“I’ll help you.”

“Oh, you don’t have to.”

“No, I think I’ll feel better if I do.”

Wow! A superhuman bus! Just kidding. I was grateful, but her excessive kindness was worrisome.

The problem was compounded by the fact that she mistakenly believed herself to be wary and cool-headed.

This problem was so severe that in this crazy, disastrous novel, she, a relatively popular character, died because of this personality.

It was one of the reasons this novel was so unpopular: Death Before Heroine Status.

In other words, killing the heroine before she becomes one! Meeting one of the typical victims of this trope in person made me feel quite complicated.

There would have been a strong backlash even if there was a grand reason for her death, yet she died in a completely absurd way.

“You’re sweating so much, are you sure you’re alright?”

It was absolutely unacceptable that this kind and beautiful teacher would die at the hands of a criminal, even if it was for the protagonist’s awakening.

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Thirty minutes, which felt like three years, passed as we climbed the mountain path.

It took thirty minutes to reach the middle of the mountain even with the help of a superhuman. How long would it have taken me had I been alone?

No, could I have even made it here?

“Thank you. I wouldn’t have been able to get this far without your help.”

“No, it’s fine. I offered to help. The spring seems to be over there.”

“Yes, thank you.”

I slowly walked towards the spring.

I couldn’t make any mistakes from here on out.

Even though this was the place where that idiotic extra villain discovered it, a fortuitous encounter was still a fortuitous encounter.

In other words, it was hidden.

The method of obtaining the fortuitous encounter at this spring was ridiculously simple once you knew it.

“Excuse me, student. What are you doing…?”

Apparently, this was the expression people made when someone suddenly started bowing towards a spring.

But I couldn’t help it.

This was the proper way to do it.

“It’s just, they say this is good for your health. I’d be grateful if it really worked.”

I just made up an excuse, but her expression changed to a lukewarm gaze, like she was looking at a pitiful, rain-soaked cat.

No, it’s okay. My time-limited life was ending today.

I’m definitely going to repay her kindness in the future.

The moment I finished bowing three times.

The spring vibrated and emitted light.

It was time for me to meet my first fortuitous encounter that would fix this crappy constitution of mine.

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When the dazzling light subsided, I was standing in an unfamiliar space.

It was also identical to the description I read in the novel, and thankfully, it meant I would soon find the fortuitous encounter.

The being who hid the fortuitous encounter here was quite eccentric. The conditions for entering and obtaining the fortuitous encounter were truly absurd.

Someone who could be grateful for even the smallest things, or someone who could sincerely sacrifice themselves for others.

The easiest way to fulfill the first condition was to bow three times to the spring.

Surprisingly, in the original story, this fortuitous encounter was picked up by that idiotic villain. The bastard, luckily escaping into the mountains, discovered the spring and, in his excitement, bowed and stumbled upon it.

Ridiculous, isn’t it?

I thought so too.

Now, let’s end the digression here.

“Where is this?”

Huh?

I turned my head and saw the beautiful face I had become familiar with after being close to her for about thirty minutes.

Cathy.

Why was she here?

“It seems we’ve entered a dungeon. Stay close to me.”

Given the circumstances, she could have suspected that I knew about the dungeon, but this professor didn’t seem to have such thoughts.

Uh, but this was a bit of a problem, wasn’t it?

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T/N – Here we go, the cliché of the MC taking the opportunities of other characters is here. I’m glad that he’s taking a minor villain’s opportunity instead of the protagonist’s like other novels. I understand why it happens. Novels tend to concentrate mostly on the protagonist’s POV so most of the opportunities readers are aware of are for the protagonist. The only reason this MC can take a minor villain’s opportunity is due to him reading the author’s settings book. Still, I appreciate the difference.

If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.