Chapter 18 - Luck: The Standard Roguelike Reward Popup for First Named Monster Kill
The moment of choice has arrived.
[Choose your demon hunt reward]
▶[Tough Hide] [Lv.1]: Permanently increases max HP by 0.2. However, if current HP is 3.0 or higher, the increase is halved.
Acquisition Difficulty: Moderately Low
▶[Cuaaaagh!] [Lv.1] (Active) (Basic Skill): Roar fiercely to boost Strength by 0.3 for 1 minute. However, Agility drops by 0.9 during the duration. Cooldown: 24 hours
Exp: (0/100)
Acquisition Difficulty: Low
▶[F-Rank Monster Kill Reward]: Gain 50 side character points. A randomly selected stat increases by 0.1.
"Total garbage..."
It wasn't some big deal of a monster, or maybe I'm stuck on an old patch version, but no good skills dropped anyway. Something like 'Cuaaaagh!' has a ridiculous penalty, true to its roots as a skill from Reincarnated Hero 1. Sure, leveling it up might improve the performance a bit, but dumping side character points into that? Instant trash build.
"This one's the least bad..."
I let out a small sigh and selected the third option, 'F-Rank Monster Kill Reward'.
[Gained 50 side character points]
[Luck +0.1]
"Huh???"
Luck—a stat that doesn't even exist—went up. Unlocking Luck normally requires a ton of annoying achievement grinding. Hitting it randomly like this? Jackpot. Scratch the garbage label. Speedrunning Luck in random builds was always a dead end in Reincarnated Hero 2... this is pure honey.
[Strength]: 1.75
[Vitality]: 2.0
[Agility]: 1.4
[Magic Power]: 1.0
[Mana]: 1.0
[Mental Strength]: 1.25
[Empathy]: 1.0
[Luck]: 0.1
[Specialization] Circle Magic (1) Crossbow - Proficiency (4)
'Ah... no resisting this.'
The stat that tempts me so.
No need to hesitate.
"All in on Luck."
Even that super-elite Japanese Ido-ryu baseball player never skimped on Luck training. Point is, no matter how genius you are, more Luck is always better!
[Luck 0.1 → 2.1]
[Remaining Side Character Points: 15]
Holding off on spending side character points right away was smart. It cost 5 points per 0.x increment, 10 for 1.x, and 20 for 2.x.
[Hidden skill drop rate on named kills increases]
[Critical hit chance slightly increases]
[Stat gain amounts slightly increase]
"Nice, nice."
Phrasing that screams 'plot armor incoming' already has me hyped.
'Right after exams, straight to the hidden dungeon grind.'
At least D-rank named drops should net skills with high acquisition difficulty on low odds. Landing even one is massive profit.
That's when instructors' voices echoed from afar.
—Everyone okay?!
"Oh, right, still in the exam."
I woke Melissa and Hazel first, buried in rag chunks.
* * *
—As of now, the exam is immediately terminated!
The exam ended while Selena Windforce's 2-2 party—half-elf archer—was already on goblin thirty-something. Her party ended up waiting at the Lint Forest temp camp for results.
"Sudden end? What's up?"
"Some party must've forfeit."
"Why no announcement yet?"
The instructors far off were in a serious huddle. Felt like a major incident.
"It's that Lev whatever. Magicless guy thinking he can shoot a bow? Dragging deadweight Hazel too?"
"Ridiculous, right, Miss Selena?"
"..."
Selena ignored Raymond's chummy, polite probe. She'd seen it coming.
His shooting range form? Total newbie. Nothing more, nothing less. Hiding skill? Nah, that beginner shake was real—no method acting pulls that off.
Then the brown twintail girl recapped the mess.
"Whew, total shock at first!"
High-pitched voice: Lily Forzet, summoner handling mid and front lines.
"Necromancer hiding... Good thing Selena spotted it."
Post-hobgoblin kill, they slacked, necromancer revived—nearly broke their flow. Selena's sharp instincts caught it, no major losses, turned it into a faster token farm.
Even genius Melissa Prominence couldn't carry alone. Exams test instincts too—archer's job, she was sure.
—Now announcing Group 2 results!
"Let's go."
"Good work, team. No DQ worries here."
"Everyone, great job!"
"Exam over—feast to celebrate? Lily, Selena?"
"Uh... Lily's busy..."
Selena tuned out Lily dodging Raymond, mind on Lev Denek. Losing parties lose one member—academy expulsion.
—I figured he could handle it. Probably him getting DQ'd.
Bowman, any role without aura or mana ain't easy. Hope he gets it. Unavoidable. Even against another archer, he'd lose. Cowards get no paradise.
—Step.
2-2 lined up before the instructor. Not Sylvester—sub-instructor Bella.
"Hm, 2-2? 2-1 rushed to revival chamber, so announcing as-is."
Big incident, then. Carted off straight...
And her unexpected verdict:
"Draw. If anything, 2-1 closer to win... but special circumstances. Processed as tie."
"Pardon?"
"Instructor? We're 2-2...?"
"I know."
'What...?'
Selena's head spun like a blow. Obvious loss, now this.
"Your grades ride on this exam. No appeals. Reason tomorrow."
"Wh-what?!"
"Draw??"
"Wait, sub-instructor! This!!"
Even as Bella moved to Group 3, Selena couldn't process it.
* * *
Post-exam, faculty emergency meeting. Hopefully unprecedented.
Real monster in empire academy? Beyond absurd.
"How did this happen..."
"Assistants inspected puppets. All internals. Probably one of..."
"Internal traitor?"
"Seems so."
Worse: McLonn professor's retirement exam, good rep. All hushed.
"My failing."
Wrinkled McLonn spoke.
"This old fool lost beginner's mind."
"No... fault shared."
His puppet check slipped, sure, but impossible for one man on masses. Response time long too—complex issue.
"Still... no casualties, right?"
"Visible damage isn't all. Huge shock to freshmen."
Near-miracle, really. Illusion rags weren't kill targets. Real rag golem? Needs trained sync to beat.
"Prominence's Melissa shone?"
"Likely. Once-a-century genius."
Exam proctor Sylvester cut in.
"Pardon interruption. I checked site. She was comatose, rags shredded."
Steadily:
"Heard she's fire magic specialist. But no scorch around shards."
"Meaning?"
"Maybe... another student's work."
Faculty faces twisted further in confusion.
* * *
Two moons in full evening sky. Post-exam, our 2-1 party straight to revival chamber for treatment.
Edwin woke but silent, shocked by weakness. Fine. Protagonist—won't quit, grows from dirt.
Melissa: mana exhaustion from reckless magic in haze. Combat-weak type—will sulk on wake.
Hazel: body okay, mental shock—resting.
If game, tutorial chars vs. named? Over long ago. Author cranked to hell mode...
My wildcard patched it. Results.
'Poked Lilith too hard.'
Moral debt vibe—I ward-rounded.
[Inpatient: Aria Bluebell]
"Aria last..."
Knock knock. Entered her room.
"......"
Aria sat, staring. Like she knew I'd come. Blue moonlight embroidered her silver hair.
"What brings you."
"What else—teammates, checking status."
Her brow furrowed. You? Worried about me? Why?
Unfair, but main cast safety is my job. Blocks Kaeran ending, sends me home.
"Know you hate me, but brought this."
Handed academy shop vitality tonic bag.
"Anyway, eat up. Overdid holy power."
—Rustle.
No refusal. Took with both hands, slow.
"Alive confirmed. Later."
[Third-Rate Posturing!: +10 side character points]
Ward rounds this awkward? Yeah, barely friends.
Since posing cool, door handle in hand, added:
"Th-that confession thing, thanks for keeping from Melissa."
Not my confession attack, but helped dodge expulsion.
'Tricky.'
Too tangled with mains. Stick to backup from shadows?
As I turned to leave:
"Thank you for today."
Clear voice behind. Aria Bluebell—not one for casual thanks.
"Without you, Lev... we'd all be in danger."
Even tone continued.
"But..."
Felt eyes on back.
"I still suspect you."
"Sorry, not what you think."
"...Is that so. Then why?"
Why ask me? Swallowed retort, exited.
['Aria Bluebell's' surveillance level on 'Lev Denek' rises to 2]
"..."
Signs of rough academy life ahead.