Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Dormitory Ghost Incident (4)
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A time when Wolfram von Loengrin could truly call himself pure.
In other words, before his life went up in flames at twenty-nine and Yi Young-jin barged in to turn him into a super convenience store enthusiast—back when he was Student Council President Wolfram.
His misdeeds pierced the heavens, but most notably, he'd sown discord between the Magic Division and Knight Division to skim profits from the rift.
There was a place called the Forest of Lingering Shadows.
Located deep within the Eastern Forest, its defining feature was as a prime farming spot for material items.
Since it yielded magic light trees and magic conductive stones, everyone wanted it—the Knight Division, Magic Division, Maestro, Yggdrasil—but it was directly controlled by the Student Council.
Wolfram had leveraged the mining, quarrying, and logging rights there for backroom deals, raking in bribes galore. Not me—Wolfram. Though I am Wolfram, anyway.
So how had a total nerd Wolfram with stamina 2 and willpower 4 pulled that off?
The secret was the tier-1 skill, Imperial Bloodline.
This was a skill shared by the Loengrin family, including Eve. Mediocre on its own, but it shone when conditions stacked up.
One such perk was priority in negotiations—a surprisingly fun effect.
It compared your bloodline to your opponent's, and if yours was superior, it exerted pressure like a charisma burst.
Remember, this skill needed three conditions to trigger.
First: Your bloodline had to overwhelmingly outrank theirs—meaning they were commoners or slaves.
Second: Their willpower had to be lower than yours. Success hinged on the willpower stat.
Finally, a hidden tooltip omission: Third, they had to hold some favor toward you.
Thus, Zolph was a commoner with a grad student's broken mindset—willpower lower than mine—and he'd taken a liking to me from the donut incident last time.
That let me, despite it being 1-1, secure direct negotiation rights with the boss.
Couldn't show any hostility. Would mean instant death in a second.
Total non-resistance. I plopped right down in front of Zolph.
Let's talk this out. Words can solve everything. We're civilized people, right?
"On my honor as Wolfram von Loengrin, I swear I have zero intent to attack. Come on. Let's talk, Zolph."
Nefti was dumbfounded.
She couldn't be sure how much longer she could hold off the black-maned attacks.
She'd said she'd manage somehow, but honestly, her resolve was cracking, her convictions crumbling.
Even Nefti lacked real combat experience, and facing a monster like this was a first. Her sword was broken, and now she had more people to protect.
Then, in that moment, he appeared.
Why is His Highness coming out there? she almost blurted, his entrance so out of nowhere.
And the overwhelming pressure and aura that burst from him in that instant.
Nefti's eyes widened as the inexplicable black mana manes that had been assaulting her slithered back into the main body.
A being who could kill her on a whim—and he approached with a body whose stats didn't even hit 10, sitting right there.
'Your Highness, it's dangerous. Run!'
Nefti swallowed the words.
Here.
If she drew attention instead of Wolfram here, who knew when that black thing would rampage again? Picking up the longsword dropped by useless underclassman Coolpis to attack meant Eve and Coolpis, passed out, would be in the way.
'The guardian barrier needs a blade, so—' As Nefti reached stealthily for Kelters' sword,
Wolfram's words halted her hand cold. She looked up at him in disbelief. He spoke low and calm to the man lost to reason.
"In exchange, don't touch the ones behind me. Just you and me. We'll sort this with words."
Nefti saw it there. Felt it. Knew it for sure.
A prince with the bearing of a ruler who enfolded all the myriad masses stood in that place.
It worked.
It worked yesssss!
Now Zolph wouldn't touch me, Nefti, Kelters, or Eve until I attacked.
I clenched my fist inwardly and took a deep breath.
Plan was simple: Hold out till Eve woke, or till Zolph freed himself.
Wolfram couldn't fight!
No choice.
That utterly useless jammin Kelters was down, Eve was out, Nefti's sword was smashed. Rudika could've taken his head, Aila would've demolished the dorm in style, but they weren't here.
So, Wolfram-style, doing what Wolfram could.
Don't give up thinking—talk our way out.
"...I-I really tried so hard to live... Y-Yeah. Yes. Really..."
Speech like a forty-something downing four bottles of soju on the spot. Good. Got a read on his mentality.
"I see. Tell me more. Speak freely."
"Hngh... Urk. D-Do you know? Grad students work hard but get no reward. Yeah."
Can't say I know here. If I act like I do, he snaps "What do you know?!" or if clueless, the resentment boils over and Wolfram dies. So...
"Sorry, I'm not familiar. What's so tough? Explain it to me."
"...Well, it's like this..."
Wolfram von Loengrin was a 'prince' with negotiation skills.
Yi Young-jin was a 'convenience store nut' who'd dealt with every kind of crazy customer.
Alone, impossible. Together, we got this.
"Guh... I-I just... wanted a degree and grad ring... to have them... Kkh."
"I see. A degree and grad ring."
"Y-Yes... If I had them... I'd be satisfied... Or maybe become a freshman again..."
Got the hint.
While handling this drunkard—no, Zolph—I sorted my thoughts.
Pulled a notebook from my pocket, grabbed a pen, and scribbled.
"...So anyway, prof said send by today, stayed up till 4 AM, sent it, next da—... Said he'd review this week..."
"I see."
"So if it's this week, that's fine, right?!?!"
BAM! Black mana formed a fist and smashed the floor. Stone chips pelted my cheek.
Body twitched. Scary as hell, total panic.
Calm down. Calm. Let's talk, buddy.
"The prof was out of line. You're not wrong."
"Hic. Khuh... Your Highness!"
Suddenly bawling grad student. Seizing the moment, I hurled the scribbled note low across the floor to Nefti.
Power through, my strength 4! Stamina 2! Deliver this note!
It spun and whooshed safely to Nefti.
Delivered. Now it's up to her!
Nefti read the note and stared blankly at me.
What? ...Ah, the number's too low? Three. Three items satisfy you, greedy girl?
Held up three fingers.
Soon, rustling from her side. Glanced over—Kelters and Eve slung over her shoulders, bolting out of the hall.
"...Uh, hm? What was that sound?"
"Zolph. Let's keep talking. Vent all your grievances freely."
"Y-Yes, hng. So anyway... Last time, called to the knight dorm tavern at 3 AM...! Damn, daaaaamn!"
BOOM! KABOOM!
Emotions overflowed; black mana lashed out again. A bigger stone grazed right by my shoulder.
Whew.
Gonna die for real.
"Right. Calm down a bit as you talk."
"Y-Yes. Kh... So...!"
Nefti.
I'm counting on you.
Come back before I die.
Nefti ran.
She didn't know what Wolfram von Loengrin's orders meant exactly, but that miraculous place—his store, the convenience store—surely held the solution.
Three fingers.
Probably meant he could only buy three minutes.
"...If you'd offered 300,000 rin, I'd be happier, but anyway."
Who stays this calm in mortal peril?
Eve von Loengrin, Student Council President with mana 22, went down in one hit. Even blocking, Nefti could barely keep up. Wolfram von Loengrin could only stall with talk for a very short time.
So Nefti ran.
A skill she could normally only cast twice due to her inherently low mana.
But she had to now.
She ran. Ran and ran and ran.
To her old part-time job spot. Where all Wolfram von Loengrin's mysteries, wits, and ingenuity converged.
"Hoo. Hoo. Haa."
At the convenience store, Nefti opened the drawer as instructed and checked inside.
Just two items. She hesitated briefly.
"...Magic tool? And this... a scroll?"
No time to ponder. She grabbed them and spun around.
Faster than she came.
"...Please hold on safely, Wolfram-nim. Your Highness... No. My lord!"
Zolph's hatred and rage swelled to pierce the heavens.
"D-Do you know? G-Grad students aren't even treated as human. They say you're not human, not human. Why? Because."
Words shaking, hands shaking, dark mana flaking off, stones crumbling around—my neck next, probably.
"G-Grad students choose to study themselves. S-So by the sacred Imperial law of Loengrin, they're n-not students. No protection or support as such."
"I see."
"H-Haha, but not workers either. Why? Because they still seek learning. Can't get societal support as adults. S-So we're neither workers nor students, just aging... n-not even humans!"
BAM! KABOOM!
Whoa. That stone just whizzed by my head.
At this rate, real death incoming.
Sorry, Nefti. If you're even a bit late, yeah. Total game over.
Eve showed no sign of waking. Useless Student Council President...
"I-I just wanted a degree. No, a grad ring. Or be reset to freshman. What do I do now? Your Highness. I...!"
"Hm. I see."
What do you want me to do? Don't ask.
Tragic story, but I can't do squat.
"What do I dooooo?!"
Oh. Black mana scatter.
This is 1-1 boss's final phase: Rage Frenzy.
Instant death pattern if you don't clear in time limit.
And here I am seeing it.
"I'll k-kill you."
Oh, even this line.
In the original, AOE blasts fly, first-year building collapses, end.
"Kill the prof and burn this rotten Jefrin in purifying flames. Kill them all!"
"Too extreme. Calm down."
"Urghaaa! N-No one acknowledged me. Tonight the prof dies!"
Prof dying doesn't bug me much, but I'm dying first right now?
Terrified to death, but Imperial Bloodline forbade crassness in any situation, so I just sat, facing Zolph's rampage.
Then. A sprinting sound echoed from afar.
The knight I'd waited for.
A knight staking her convictions, never late.
The knight earning 300,000 rin in a mere five minutes.
"Wolfram-nim!! Are you safe?!"
"Still safe. The items?"
"Here!"
Nefti tossed them; I reached and caught both.
No issue. Dexterity's 10!
Staring at them in hand, I faced Zolph on the verge of explosion.
"N-No one acknowledged me. No diploma, degree, grad ring—nothing left!"
"I see."
Whew. Now comes the real crux.
Ode to Jefrin 1-1's final battle.
Not that downed jammin Kelters, but the Kelters I'd played said this to the fading ghost:
'We can't stop.'
And
'We'll carry your regrets too.'
The vanishing grudge replied to the hero of light:
'Thank you.'
Classic ending: ghost ascends, hero resolves.
Just twisted a bit.
Should work.
Deep breath, channeled mana into the skill, opened my mouth.
Wolfram's mana was 3, but it'd do.
Low mana 3 meant short duration.
"【I shall bestow it upon you】"
⟨ Imperial Bloodline ⟩
"...Pardon?"
Whoa, that one line burned all 3 mana. Insane body.
Head spun, but skill activated perfectly, halting Zolph's frenzy.
Steady breath.
Every word from here counted.
"By the Imperial Bloodline of Wolfram von Loengrin, I bestow this. Your graduation ring."
No real authority, but
Dexterity 10 fake grad ring made to sell to grad students, but
Take it anyway.
"By former Student Council President Wolfram, I hand you this degree."
Just a regular student now, but
Nothing special, just saying.
Take this too. Wrote it by hand myself.
"Receive it, Zolph. You've done enough."
"Ah."
What Nefti brought:
Fake grad ring and forged degree, made to hawk to grad students for dexterity practice.
But that last line was sincere.
Stamina instead of mana. Poured into my words.
"【Congratulations on graduating. You worked hard.】"
⟨ Imperial Bloodline ⟩
"Ah, uh. Aaaah."
Right then.
Black mana behind him scattered.
His howling face softened. Black mana dispersed, revealing a grad student with the most serene smile.
To him, a farewell.
"Rest in peace."
Don't go to grad school in your next life.