Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Moth to a Flame
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It's only been two days since enrollment, and my RP is already hitting rock bottom.
This is all because of that gray-haired guy named Yuha and Liliss—those two.
But in the original history, wasn't History class taught by Professor Macal?
If my memory's right, it should have been someone younger. I have no idea why it's been changed to someone like Professor Macal.
He seems to know Liliss's true identity... He might actually be more capable than he looks.
Of course, it wasn't exactly pleasant to witness him nearly throwing his life away in real-time because of that capability.
'That said, just the Behemoth situation alone is forcing me to accelerate all my plans, which is bad enough. If Liliss goes berserk too, we're really screwed.'
In the original story, the Behemoth rampages due to the Demon God Cult's schemes around the start of the second semester, arriving at the Academy by the end of the first year.
But because of the Sword Saint and the Beast, that timeline got pushed forward by a full six months.
'At this rate, the Behemoth subjugation will happen during summer break.'
That's why I scrapped my plan to slowly build up and acquire the optimal class. Instead, I got it ahead of time before enrollment.
I went through absolute hell in the process, but it worked out in the end, so...
'Spatial Swordsman. Unlike the corny job name, this class is the real deal in terms of power.'
The Spatial Swordsman—a class favored by veterans for time-attack runs—is a top-tier swordsman who manipulates space, living up to its name with top-class performance.
It's not a class you get through normal means; it's a hidden class, so its strength is on another level.
The core concept is simple.
Reducing the distance between me and my opponent to zero.
It's not about firing formless sword waves to take out distant foes. This overpowered class actually shrinks the physical space between you and your enemy to near-zero when you swing your sword.
That said, it doesn't make you completely unavoidable. For example, if you're about 10 meters apart, it makes the enemy feel like you're right in front of them—but it's not instantaneous closure.
With performance like that, it comes with some penalties.
The biggest one is the exponentially increasing mana cost based on distance from the target.
Its relatively weak attacks make it inefficient against high-defense opponents compared to other DPS classes.
But mana can be covered with elixirs, and the lacking damage can be patched up with buffs or items. That's why it's the go-to for time-attack veterans.
You could call it a free hidden class win.
Since this is reality, not a game, its utility is even more limitless. From the moment I realized I'd possessed this game world, I had my sights set on switching to Spatial Swordsman.
It's already plenty broken, but it gets even more insane after awakening later on.
That's probably why veterans avoided it outside of time-attacks.
Because it made the game too easy and boring. For me, now that the game is reality, I'd love for it to be easier.
I planned to farm thoroughly, switch classes, and shine in the Behemoth fight.
'But building up enough power to meaningfully damage the Behemoth by summer break? Impossible.'
Spatial Swordsman isn't great against Behemoth anyway.
So what if you can attack safely from afar? Your hits won't even scratch it.
So right now, I have to pull every trick in the book to boost my strength and gather allies to cover my weaknesses.
If I miss the Behemoth subjugation, my plans will spiral into unfixable chaos.
I obviously can't take it down myself, but I need to make some kind of showing there.
That's her unlock condition, after all.
With all that headache on my plate, and Yuha and Liliss acting up, it's frustrating as hell.
On top of that, I hear Professor Carlton is absent because of the Behemoth.
Getting direct guidance from Professor Carlton is the most efficient way to power up in your first year.
I'd planned everything around that, but of all the bad luck...
'Guess I need to seriously aim for stat gains through clubs.'
Thinking through all these headaches one by one is giving me a migraine.
And the murmurs around me are making my head throb even more.
"But seriously, what are we supposed to do about that guy?"
"Why didn't the professors stop him yesterday? I don't get it."
"If I have to see that again today, I'm saying something."
Yeah, having Liliss perched on his thigh is pretty over the top.
In more ways than one.
Fortunately, Liliss doesn't seem fazed by the whispering behind her.
But the other cadets are already fed up with their antics.
It's ridiculous that they've built this image in just one day since enrollment.
If I mediate, my reputation tanks too. But if I ignore it, who knows what Liliss will do.
I need to find a solution before public opinion sours further. I can't keep getting dragged around forever.
As I mulled that over, waiting for class, three figures appeared at the training ground entrance.
First to catch my eye was Yuha, strolling in with Liliss hooked on his right arm.
The sight of his face made me sigh involuntarily.
And then...
'Who the hell...?'
On Yuha's left walked a stone-faced woman with a massive greatsword slung across her back.
Her platinum blonde hair gleamed softly in the sunlight, but her stunning beauty was even more striking.
I closed my eyes and racked my brain, but nothing came up.
There was zero info on a woman like her at the Academy.
No—not just the Academy. I'd never seen her in the game at all.
Unlike Yuha heading to the cadets' area, this platinum blonde was walking right up front.
I frantically searched my memories, but no new info materialized.
"Whoa..."
"Was there someone like that here?"
Everyone else seemed to be seeing her for the first time too, whispering about who she was.
She swept her gaze over the cadets without a hint of unease despite all the stares, then spoke.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Gloria, filling in temporarily for Professor Carlton in Practical Combat class."
'Gloria? Never heard of her...'
I wasn't the only one; the murmurs grew louder.
"For a short two weeks, or possibly the entire semester, I'll be teaching you with utmost sincerity. Please keep that in mind during class."
Gloria gave a crisp, straightforward self-introduction.
Curiosity about her wasn't just mine, of course.
"Professor Gloria!"
"Yes?"
"Pardon me, but we've never heard of you. Could you give us a brief introduction?"
Right. There was always that one character who loved stepping up to voice everyone's questions.
I remembered how, even in the game, players got info handed to them without lifting a finger thanks to people like that.
"As I said, my name is Gloria. Until recently, I was active in Dungeon City Argon, where I cleared up to the 50th floor."
'50th floor?'
"Isn't the 50th floor basically the endgame? I heard bosses start from there on up."
"Someone that strong should be famous... I've never heard the name Gloria."
'Exactly. Past 50, you need a raid party to clear. But I've never heard of any party with her.'
Then an unbelievable possibility flashed through my mind.
No way. Could it be?
It seemed unlikely, but if it was true, she was an absolute powerhouse I couldn't ignore.
"Professor Gloria, are you a solo clearer by any chance?"
I couldn't hold back and asked directly.
"That's correct."
Everyone stared at Professor Gloria in shock.
"For real?! Isn't that something only the Sword Saint has done?"
Exactly. For some reason, the only one active in Dungeon City right now who could claim that was the Blood Sword Saint. Or just Sword Saint now, maybe.
No one else in this era, at least.
In the game, players couldn't even aim for that until the very endgame.
I wondered if she might be the Sword Saint, but no way.
The curse from the witch is unbreakable except by the witch herself or the Demon God, per the lore.
Plus, I heard she had a brutal fight with Behemoth recently.
Considering the battle traces left behind, the Sword Saint should be recovering right now.
Or dead in the worst case.
The Sword Saint has faded grayish hair, not pure platinum like hers.
All things considered, Professor Gloria can't be the Sword Saint.
Thud—
"Quiet down."
Professor Gloria yanked the greatsword from her back and slammed it into the ground, instantly seizing everyone's attention.
"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is what you'll gain from my classes going forward—not pointless trivia."
She lifted the hefty-looking greatsword effortlessly with one hand and pointed it at us.
"So, to gauge your skills, everyone..."
She swung the massive blade through the air like it was a wooden stick and declared,
"Come at me."
But no one charged at Professor Gloria right away, despite her overwhelming presence and pressure.
Or so I thought.
"Cadet Yuha here! Charging in, Professor Gloria~!"
Eh?
I never expected someone to actually charge right away when told to, and of all people, Yuha?
As everyone gawked in disbelief, he gripped his greatsword two-handed and barreled toward Professor Gloria like a wild moth to a flame.
'Reckless.'
Well, since it's class, charging like that might not be a bad call. But isn't that way too reckless?
The other cadets, who missed the first move, just stared blankly at him.
No one expected the hot potato to be the first sacrifice.
But they quickly snapped to, deciding to observe the clash closely to gauge her strength first.
"Hrah!"
Yuha raised his greatsword high with a huge wind-up, then brought it crashing down.
Good momentum, but way too many openings.
Thinking back to the entrance exam, he seemed like the type who used his head in fights.
Was I wrong?
But my doubts vanished with what happened next.
Bang—
We all gasped as Professor Gloria sidestepped Yuha's greatsword in a flash, slipped inside his guard, and flat-smacked him with the side of her blade.
More precisely, because we watched Yuha fly in a straight line right into the training ground wall with a massive crash.
"Uh...?"
He's not dead, right...?