NOVEL NEXT Chapter 18
Upon the first defeat of a Named Monster, a pop-up appears,
a typical reward system of a roguelike game.
The moment of choice has come.
[Choose your Demon Hunting Reward]
——————————————————
[Toughness] [Lv.1]
: Increases your health permanently by 0.2.
However, if your current health is above 3.0, the increase will be halved.
Acquisition Difficulty: Slightly Low
——————————————————
[Aaargh!] [Lv.1] (Active) (Basic Skill)
: Let out a loud wail, increasing your strength by 0.3 for 1 minute. However, during this duration, your agility decreases by 0.9.
Cooldown: 24 hours
Exp: (0/100)
Acquisition Difficulty: Low
——————————————————
[F-Rank Demon Defeat Reward]
: Earns 50 Supporting Role points.
Randomly increases a stat by 0.1.
——————————————————
“That’s trash…”
Whether it was not that impressive or I happened to get an old patch version,
no good skills dropped.
The ‘Aaargh!’ skill comes with a staggering penalty typical of Reincarnated Hero 1 skills.
Sure, upgrading the skill level might improve performance a bit, but investing Supporting Role points there guarantees a trash character.
“At least this one’s better…”
I let out a small sigh and chose the third option, the ‘F-Rank Demon Defeat Reward.’
– Wooooo!
I’m not sure if it’s just my imagination, but I felt something wash over my body.
[You have earned 50 Supporting Role points]
[Your Luck has increased by 0.1]
“Uh???”
My nonexistent stat for Luck has gone up.
To unlock Luck, you need a rather tedious achievement grind.
How lucky is it to randomly roll a stat? What a windfall.
Trash is canceled.
In [Reincarnated Hero 2], speeding up Luck via random tries was blocked…
There’s no greater bounty than this.
——————————————————
Status
[Strength]: 1.75
[Health]: 2.0
[Agility]: 1.4
[Magic Power]: 1.0
[Mana]: 1.0
[Willpower]: 1.25
[Perception]: 1.0
[Luck]: 0.1
[Specialization]
Circle Magic (1)
Crossbow – Proficiency (4)
——————————————————
Ah… I can’t resist this.
The stat that tempts me.
[Remaining Supporting Role Points: 180]
No need to think twice.
“I’m putting it all into Luck.”
Even the top dual-wielding baseball player in Japan didn’t neglect training Luck.
That means no matter how much of a genius one is, the more luck, the better!
– Cha-ching!
[Luck 0.1 → 2.1]
[Remaining Supporting Role Points: 15]
It seems like it was a good choice not to spend Supporting Role points immediately.
5 points are spent in the 0.x range, 10 points in the 1.x range, and 20 points in the 2.x range.
[When defeating a Named Monster, the chance of dropping a hidden skill increases.]
[Critical hit probability slightly increases.]
[Stat increase amount slightly increases.]
“Perfect, perfect.”
With phrases that seem like they’ll bring good fortune, I’m already feeling great.
“I’ll clear the hidden dungeon right after the test.”
At least against a D-rank Named, even with a low probability, difficult-to-obtain skills are given, so if I land just one, it’s a huge gain.
At that moment, I heard the distant voices of the instructors.
– Is everyone okay!?
“Oh right, we were in the middle of a test.”
I started waking up Melissa and Hazel, who were buried in the Goblin’s flesh.
*
– “From now on, I declare the test to be immediately over!”
The test ended while the half-elf Selena’s party 2-2 was already capturing their dozens of goblins.
In the end, her party was in a situation waiting for results in the Lint Forest temporary waiting area.
“What’s with the sudden end?”
“Maybe that party declared they’re giving up.”
“But why isn’t it announced right away?”
Over there, the instructors seemed to be having a serious conversation for some reason.
It felt like something had gone wrong.
“Must be because of that Lev guy. What does a guy who can’t even use magic think he can do, shooting arrows? Plus, he brought along that heavy-weight Hazel?”
“Don’t you think that’s absurd, Selena?”
“…”
Selena didn’t bother to respond to Raymond, who was sneakily trying to act friendly and maintain his poise.
She had already anticipated the situation.
The lack of skill he displayed in the shooting range was that of a regular guy picking up a bow for the first time.
It was neither more nor less than that.
It wouldn’t even be surprising to say he couldn’t hide his skills.
The shaking of hands due to his stance was that of a complete novice, and even with method acting, it would be hard to immerse oneself to that extent.
At that moment, a girl with brown twin tails began to recount the earlier situation.
“Phew, I was really surprised at first!”
Her high-pitched voice belonged to Lily, the summoner maintaining the front and back lines of the party.
“I never expected the specter to be hiding… Thankfully Selena found it out, or we’d have been in big trouble.”
After the hobgoblin hunt, they had all gotten lax, and if the specter hadn’t revived again, they might have broken the flow.
Thankfully, Selena’s high intuition had led to the discovery, avoiding greater damage, and they ultimately expeditiously collected the tokens.
Even if the princess Melissa, called a genius, was around,
the test wasn’t merely assessing personal ability and battlefield sense.
What mattered was intuition, which was the marksman’s job, she firmly believed.
– “Now, we’ll announce the results for Party 2!”
“Let’s go.”
“Thanks for your hard work, everyone. Our team won’t have to worry about disqualification.”
“Great job, everyone!”
“How about a feast to celebrate the end of the test? Lily, Selena?”
“Uh… Lily is too busy…”
Leaving Lily, who was trying to find words to appropriately refuse Raymond’s proposal,
Selena was primarily concerned with Lev Denec.
In the party that lost the duel, one person had to drop out of the academy.
“I think I’ll be fine…”
Most likely, he would be the one getting disqualified.
Bows, marksmen, and any position not wielding aura or magic aren’t necessarily easy. That’s what she hoped he’d soon realize.
It’s unavoidable.
She could affirmatively say that even if it weren’t her, should he face another marksman, his odds weren’t good either.
Those who run away have no paradise.
– Snap.
Party 2-2 lined up in front of the instructor to hear the results of the test.
The notifier was not Sylvester but Vice Instructor Bella.
“Hmm, Party 2-2? Since Party 2-1 was urgently transported to the Restoration Chamber, I’ll announce it as is.”
It must have been quite an incident.
If they had to be taken to the Restoration Chamber…
And what came out of her mouth was an unexpected result.
“Draw. If you really insist, … Party 2-1 was closer to victory, but due to this unique situation, it will be treated as a tie.”
“What?”
“Instructor? We are Party 2-2…”
“I know.”
‘Uh…?’
In the face of such an unexpected result, Selena felt like she’d been hit on the head.
“Your ranks will be decided based on this test. And I will not accept any objections to the results. You’ll find out why tomorrow.”
“What the heck is this?”
“What do you mean a draw??”
“Wait a minute, Vice Instructor? This is!!”
Even as Bella turned to the next party,
Selena’s mind was still struggling to accept this fact.
*
After the test, an emergency meeting of the faculty began.
This was something that should never happen again.
The appearance of real demon creatures within the Imperial Academy was beyond absurd.
“What on earth happened…”
“The teaching assistants were the ones who tested the dolls. All of them were internal selections. Perhaps, among them…”
“Do you mean to say there is an internal traitor?”
“It seems so.”
What’s worse is…
It happened to be the last test before Professor McClone, who was well-regarded even within the academy, retired, making it a situation where everyone had to hold their tongues.
“It’s all my fault.”
Professor McClone, with his sagging wrinkles running all over his face, spoke.
“This old man has lost sight of his original intentions.”
“No, it’s not… To be fair, the fault lies with everyone.”
Certainly, he was at fault for not properly vetting the spectral dolls, but,
it’s unrealistic to directly check so many dolls.
Considering how lengthy it took to grasp the situation and call for a test halt, it was more reasonable to see it as a complex issue.
“Nonetheless… The silver lining is that there were no casualties, correct?”
“Visible damage isn’t the only damage. This incident will be a major shock to the freshmen.”
In fact, it was a near-miraculous situation.
The specter rag, which wasn’t even meant to be captured in the first place.
But a demon rag would require well-trained students to synergize to guarantee victory.
“Is it indeed due to the incredible Melissa, Princess of Prominence?”
“It seems so. People say she’s a genius that comes once in a century.”
At that moment, the exam instructor Sylvester stepped in.
“Sorry to interrupt, but I’ve just returned from the scene. She was in a coma state, and the rag was nothing but shards.”
He spoke slowly without a break.
“I’ve heard that Princess Prominence specializes in fire magic, but there was no soot near the shards as if they were burned.”
“What do you mean?”
“Then it could be the skill of another student… implying that.”
The professors’ faces filled with bewilderment at his words.
*
On a perfect evening under two moons,
after the test ended, our Party 2-1 was immediately transported to the Restoration Chamber for treatment.
Edwin had regained consciousness but remained silent, likely overwhelmed by his own helplessness.
It’s fine. He’s the protagonist, so he’ll grow by not giving up.
As for Melissa, she was probably recovering after carelessly using magic in a state of confusion, exhausting her mana.
She was weak in actual combat, so she’d likely vent a lot once she woke up.
And Hazel, while her body was fine, was taking some time to stabilize psychologically due to the shock.
If this were a game, the scene would have ended already.
It was a difficulty of having to capture a Named Monster as a tutorial character…
Not to mention, the writer had set it to ‘super hell mode’…
Yet somehow, I seem to have patched up the situation, resulting in such an outcome.
Did I provoke Liris too much?
Feeling a sense of moral responsibility, I found myself making hospital rounds.
[Inpatient: Aria Bluebell]
“The last one is Aria…”
After knocking a couple of times, I entered her hospital room.
“……”
Aria was sitting on the bed, watching me.
As if she had been waiting for my arrival.
The blue moonlight coming from the window cast a glow on her silver hair.
“What brings you here?”
“What do you mean? I came to check on my comrades.”
At that moment, Aria’s brow furrowed.
As if to say: You? Worrying about me? …Why?
But unreasonably, it’s only natural for me to care about the main characters.
It’s the only way to prevent the Caeran ending and get home.
“I know you don’t like me, but I brought you something.”
I handed her a paper bag filled with an energy drink I bought from the academy store.
“Anyway, eat up. You’ve used too much Sacred Power.”
– Swoosh.
She wasn’t one to refuse gifts.
Slowly, she accepted the bag with both hands.
“Well, I’ve confirmed you’re alive, so I’ll take my leave.”
[Daily Achievement]
[So Tacky! : Earn 10 Supporting Role Points]
Is visiting the sick this awkward?
Well, considering we’re not that close, it makes sense.
Since I’ve already tried to look good,
I decided to add one last comment while grabbing the doorknob.
“Uh, thanks for keeping my confession to Melissa a secret.”
It wasn’t an actual confession attack, but she helped me avoid being expelled.
It’s not easy, is it?
I’ve become more entangled with the main characters than I expected.
From now on, perhaps it’s best if I remain in the background.
Just as I was about to leave,
“Thank you for today.”
A clear voice came from behind me.
Aria Bluebell, normally not one to carelessly express gratitude.
“If it hadn’t been for you, everyone would have… been in danger.”
She continued speaking in a steady tone.
“But…”
I felt a sense of being watched from behind.
“I still find you suspect.”
“Sorry, but I’m not what you think.”
“…I see. But why is that?”
Why are you asking me that?
I held back what I wanted to say, managing to exit the room.
– Ding!
[‘Aria Bluebell’s’ Surveillance Level on ‘Lev Denec’ has risen to 2]
“…”
I have a feeling my academy life is going to be anything but simple.