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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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Fortunately, we managed to arrive in Eastvan without further incident.
The problem was, thanks to my cautious pace, we arrived just as the sun began to rise.
Worries and anxieties plagued me throughout the journey. My bleak future, my nonexistent dreams and aspirations…
In any case, we were finally here. Looming over the city entrance was Eastvan’s grand fortress.
“Hey, Ethan! We’re late! Why did you drive so slowly?”
Sepia wasted no time in launching into a tirade as soon as she stepped out of the carriage.
“I was ensuring your safety, my lady,” I replied calmly.
“…”
To my surprise, Sepia didn’t argue further.
“Let’s go sell the carriage.”
I followed her lead.
Before noon, we had sold the horses and carriage to the Elje Trading Company.
Trading companies valued trust above all else. We could rely on them to give us a fair deal.
Their reputation would be tarnished if they were caught manipulating prices.
And Sepia, of course, was overseeing the entire process from beside me.
If they tried to cheat us?
Sepia would have shut them down in an instant.
Anya, leaning against a wall, watched the proceedings with a bored expression.
My plan was to use the money from the sale to find the coachman’s family and provide them with some financial support. Sepia had already given her consent.
Finally, we arrived at our destination: Neydia Academy.
Just as it had been described in the novel, the academy stood before us, a majestic fortress piercing the azure sky.
I couldn’t help but stare in awe.
The written descriptions hadn’t done it justice.
Could this place even be considered part of a fictional world?
It felt so real.
Standing here, witnessing its grandeur firsthand, I understood why it was hailed as the greatest academy on the continent.
It dwarfed even the grandest medieval castles I had seen in history books.
“And I have to spend the next three years of my life here…”
Students clad in their academy uniforms were already milling around the entrance.
We navigated through the throng of people, eventually reaching the massive gate.
“Halt! This is Neydia Academy. Unauthorized personnel are prohibited from entering. State your names and business.”
The guards stationed at the gate stood at attention, their voices booming.
I was impressed.
Wow, they even spoke in cliché fantasy dialogue.
“Hero Candidate Sepia von Logness, here to begin my studies at Neydia Academy.”
“Do you have your acceptance letter or the Hero Candidate’s Mark?”
Sepia removed her leather glove, revealing the back of her hand.
The guard, his stern demeanor melting away, offered her a warm smile.
“Welcome, Sepia von Logness.”
Anya, in turn, presented her mark.
And then there was me… stuck with an acceptance letter.
What was the point of even having it?
With a resigned sigh, I retrieved the letter from my bag and presented it to the guard.
“The academy seal is authentic. Welcome, Candidate Ethan.”
I returned his smile.
To think that I, a university graduate, would be attending school again.
My anxieties about the future were starting to resurface.
Well, it’s not like worrying ever solved anything.
“Do you think those guards are strong?”
Anya nodded towards the gate, her eyes fixed on their halberds.
“Who knows? I’ve never fought them before.”
“I hope they’re strong,” she said, a hint of excitement in her voice.
As Anya and I engaged in our nonsensical conversation, a voice called out from the gate.
“Greetings. I’m here to enroll as a Hero Candidate.”
Blond hair, emerald eyes.
A kind, approachable face.
His skills were still underdeveloped, but his work ethic and talent were undeniable. He was destined to grow at an alarming rate.
Arthur Pendragon.
The hero of our story, standing at the academy gate.
“Ethan! What are you waiting for? Let’s go!”
Sepia’s impatient voice spurred me into action.
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Twelve days remained until the start of the semester.
I surveyed my assigned dormitory room.
West Building, Room 304.
The room was luxurious, putting even the finest inns to shame.
It wasn’t just elegant, it was extravagant. I collapsed onto the plush bed, sinking into its softness.
Even 21st-century hotel beds paled in comparison.
At least I had succeeded in getting away from Sepia.
The catch was, it was a double room.
And double rooms, as expected, were cheaper than single rooms.
It seemed that even with the Logness family sponsoring my tuition, providing me with a single room was a step too far.
I wondered who my roommate would be.
Who cares? Anyone was better than Sepia.
I went over my to-do list.
Three main tasks.
First, travel to the Winter Mountains and acquire the Heart of Winter.
Second, become Sylvia Linchester’s disciple.
Third, invest early in a rising merchant company.
Becoming Sylvia’s disciple came with several perks, one of them being the opportunity to learn a modified version of the Linchester swordsmanship style.
It was a versatile and powerful style, superior to the basic swordsmanship taught at the academy.
In the original story, there was an antagonist named Lorenz who learned the Linchester swordsmanship style in his second year.
He had challenged Arthur to a duel, only to be defeated, as expected.
Thinking back, I almost felt sorry for the guy.
To think his descent into villainy stemmed from jealousy, his own efforts dwarfed by Arthur’s overpowered status window.
After his defeat, Lorenz had left the academy in disgrace.
He reappeared around chapter 300, completely consumed by darkness and transformed into a demon.
And Arthur, despite his usual reluctance to kill, had cut him down without hesitation.
I still remembered the line Arthur had uttered.
“You were blessed with extraordinary talent, Lorenz. Yet you squandered it, selling your soul to the demons for a pittance. Farewell, my former classmate.”
Ugh.
I hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but the more I thought about it, the more infuriating it became.
Talk about rubbing salt in the wound!
That line was the epitome of a naturally gifted individual belittling someone who had to work for their achievements.
Arthur probably spent his days lounging in bed, casually allocating stat points with his status window.
What a load of crap.
The Linchester swordsmanship style was wasted on Lorenz anyway.
Thankfully, the author had revealed the requirements for learning the style in one of his afterword notes.
Author’s Note:
As mentioned previously, the world of this novel is based on a game. That’s why there are quests and skills. And there are certain conditions that must be met to acquire these quests.
Here are the requirements for meeting Sylvia Linchester:
Consistently train your stamina by running laps around the training grounds before the entrance ceremony.
If you do this diligently, you’ll eventually encounter Sylvia through a random event.
Defeat her in a spar, and you’ll become her disciple.
That’s all for today’s TMI!
So, Lorenz had stumbled upon an incredible opportunity, only to be crushed and driven to despair.
It was no wonder he had become a villain.
Thanks to the author’s generosity, I could now swoop in and claim all the advantages originally meant for the antagonists.
The Heart of Winter was the same.
It was originally a power-up meant for an adventurer named Elzak.
Elzak’s party had discovered the Heart of Winter by chance.
Naturally, a fierce battle had ensued, with everyone vying for the treasure. In the end, it was Elzak who had emerged victorious.
Thanks to the Heart of Winter, he had rapidly ascended the ranks, from a C-rank adventurer to an S-rank adventurer within a few short years.
Of course, his encounter with the Heart of Winter was a future event in the story.
And Elzak, as it turned out, was a spy working for the demons.
He, too, had met his end at Arthur’s hands.
So, I apologize, but I’m going to need that power-up.
It was better for me to have it than some villain who would just use it for evil.
It wasn’t like I was taking anything from the protagonist.
Despite driving the carriage all night, I wasn’t tired.
I sat up in bed, stretching my limbs.
The people in this world, with their swordsmanship and magic, possessed physical capabilities far beyond those of ordinary humans.
Still, I needed to get some rest if I wanted to acquire the Heart of Winter.
Because it was located at the very peak of a mountain.
Meaning I had to climb it.
Ugh, mountains.
My time in the military had given me more than enough mountain climbing experience.
The mere thought of it filled me with dread.
It was true that, as Sepia’s servant, I couldn’t just disappear without her permission. But I could probably sneak away for the weekend without arousing suspicion.
It was customary for the Logness family to give their servants weekends off.
Of course, knowing Sepia, she’d probably throw a tantrum if she found out I had left the academy grounds without her explicit consent.
Should I ask for a short leave of absence?
But what if she refused?
Better to be scolded after acquiring a valuable power-up than to play it safe and miss out.
I closed my eyes, forcing myself to sleep.
When I woke up, it was still dark outside.
I had only slept for six hours.
And lying in the bed across from me was someone I recognized.
Arthur.
Arthur Pendragon, the protagonist of this novel.
What the…?
My mind was filled with questions.
Why was Arthur Pendragon here?
In my room?
Then it hit me.
Roommates.
Arthur Pendragon was supposed to have a double room all to himself.
But thanks to my arrival, his previously empty room now had an occupant.
“This doesn’t bode well.”
My presence was already disrupting the established narrative.
If possible, I wanted to avoid getting entangled with the protagonist.
Getting involved with him usually meant getting caught up in all sorts of dangerous situations involving demons and otherworldly threats.
That was the protagonist’s job, wasn’t it? Dealing with all the messy, life-threatening stuff?
Right now, I had only one thing on my mind: reaching the Winter Mountains.
I slipped out of the room, leaving Arthur to his slumber.
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Could I really do this alone?
It would be a lie to say I wasn’t apprehensive about venturing into the Winter Mountains by myself.
Should I ask Anya to accompany me?
The thought crossed my mind, but I quickly dismissed it.
The Heart of Winter was something I needed to acquire on my own. Besides, it wasn’t like I could just split it in half.
It would be strange to invite her on a mountain climbing expedition when we had just met.
I left the academy and explored the city.
The closest town to the Winter Mountains was Herbeiravan.
Fortunately, Eastvan, the largest city in the eastern part of the empire, was connected to Herbeiravan via a city transfer stone.
With the help of one of the empire’s seven city transfer stones, I could reach Herbeiravan in an instant. Without it, reaching the Winter Mountains, located on the northeastern edge of the empire, before the entrance ceremony would be impossible.
“Next!”
There was a long line of people waiting to use the portal.
Merchants, knights, adventurers… people from all walks of life.
Most of them had bored or indifferent expressions.
Finally, it was my turn.
“Where will you be traveling to?” the operator asked, her eyes glued to the transfer stone control panel.
“Herbeiravan, please,” I replied.
“That’ll be 75,000 Elleh.”
75,000 Elleh.
That was a bit steep.
I waited for the operator to acknowledge me.
She finally looked up, and her eyes widened in recognition.
“Oh my! You’re one of the new Hero Candidates!”
She beamed at me, her brown hair pulled back in a neat bun. She was dressed in a smart uniform, her demeanor professional.
“That uniform looks good on you.”
My uniform, issued to us yesterday after we had completed the enrollment paperwork, consisted of a white tunic with silver-plated armor on the upper body and blue accents.
I might not have officially started classes yet, but I was, for all intents and purposes, a student of Neydia Academy.
And students traveled for free.
“My, my, a new student like yourself, traveling before the entrance ceremony? Where could you be going in such a hurry?” she asked, her voice laced with amusement.
“Just a quick trip to Herbeiravan,” I said vaguely.
“Very well. Be careful, and make sure you return in time for the entrance ceremony.”
“I will. Thank you.”
She waved as I stepped through the portal.
My vision swam as I was enveloped in a blue light.
And then, just as quickly as it began, it was over.
I was in Herbeiravan.
The towering peaks of the Winter Mountains loomed in the distance, their snow-capped summits a stark contrast to the clear blue sky. A gust of cold wind whipped at my hair.
Not that it mattered. My uniform was enchanted with a warming spell.
“Can I really find it?” I wondered aloud.
Find it, I must.
To survive in this world, I needed every advantage I could get.
Hidden pieces, lucky encounters, powerful artifacts… I needed them all.
My fists clenched.
The Winter Mountains were home to a diverse array of creatures.
Giant dragonflies, sabertooth tigers, woolly mammoths… untouched by civilization, they thrived in this harsh environment.
The mammoths, thankfully, were gentle giants, content to roam the central regions of the mountains.
The sabertooth tigers, on the other hand, were a different story. They were aggressive predators, and I had no desire to encounter one.
“At least there are no goblins.”
Sabertooth tigers, it seemed, had a taste for goblin flesh.
Thanks to their presence, the mountains were blissfully free of the pesky creatures that plagued every forest, cave, and coastline in this world.
I consulted my map once more, then looked up at the steep mountain path before me.
In web novels, protagonists always stumbled upon their power-ups near the start of the story. And here I was, no status window, no item shop, about to embark on a perilous mountain climb.
It was going to be a long day.
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Will Author leave him scratch Free ?