Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Spam Message
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Entrance ceremony and ranking test for new students underway in the auditorium.
The place was shrouded in silence.
"……."
"……."
The professors eyed the spots where the prospective cadets had vanished with sharp gazes.
In case of any accident, they needed to move immediately.
'Subway Monster. Even though it's one the academy tamed... can't let our guard down.'
That was why they held even their breaths shallow.
So their breathing wouldn't disrupt another professor's focus and cause an incident.
'Three minutes passed. At least six more hours to go.'
It was the moment one professor glanced at the second hand on his wristwatch.
Crack—.
A sound like space itself shattering.
At the same time, one person's footsteps rang clearly through the silent auditorium.
'Hm?'
Sin Bihyeong, the man who appeared at the center of the auditorium, looked around and tilted his head.
'Did everyone else already come out?'
He stood alone in the vast auditorium.
Well, precisely, the professors were there too, but he was the only prospective cadet.
'Oh no... dead last?'
Sin Bihyeong mistakenly thought he was in last place.
And understandably so... since he hadn't cleared the Subway Monster.
A perfectly natural mistake.
'Annoying.'
Sin Bihyeong's brow furrowed.
'I already know the strategy perfectly. I've played the academy entrance test to death.'
If he just followed what he knew, top ranks were a given.
Yet even knowing it, he couldn't use it—how could he not be irritated?
'...Why did that have to happen during the test of all times.'
Just as a sigh nearly escaped him unwittingly,
Sin Bihyeong felt eyes on him.
Stern gazes looking down impassively.
The professors.
He was fairly confident they hadn't noticed he was a half-demon,
but separately from that, bearing the focused attention of dozens of Hierarchy Rank 6 exorcists was burdensome.
Sin Bihyeong's neck shrank back.
'Ugh. Everyone's got such scary resting faces.'
With all their faces exceptionally handsome without a flicker of expression,
separate from their striking features, they felt intimidating.
'Are they getting paranoid because I'm a half-demon?'
Sin Bihyeong felt increasingly uncomfortable staying there.
'Time to get out?'
Those who finished the test could head home immediately.
Waiting around for others' tests that could end anytime was just too boring.
Sin Bihyeong glanced at the professors, then quietly slipped toward the auditorium exit.
"……."
Until then, the professors simply watched his retreating back without a word.
And the moment Sin Bihyeong fully vanished from sight,
with one corner of their senses still on the Subway Monster, the professors began chattering about him.
"This... has to be record-breaking, right?"
He'd only been in there for a mere 'three minutes'.
"The Korean shortest record just got shattered."
"Who was the last one to set the record?"
"Fighting Immortal. The monster exorcist who once reached Hierarchy Rank 9. Pretty sure the record was... '12 minutes 32 seconds' from ten years ago?"
"...Whoa. That's cutting her time to less than half?"
"Straight-up insane. Even Fighting Immortal's record was something the world marveled at."
Not every country's academy tests were identical,
but Korea's was considered among the toughest.
To clear such a test in just three minutes...
The professors could only agree on one assessment of Sin Bihyeong.
"Heh. A genius... no, a monster just enrolled."
"Heard this year's freshmen are exceptional overall... but he's gotta be the undisputed number one."
Soon, the professors' eyes began to sparkle.
Lurking beneath was raw possessiveness.
"Innate talent for comprehending and scouting yokai. That kid looks like a perfect match for me at a glance."
"You're in charge of third-years. Why are you staking a claim?"
"Does that matter? Just skip him up a grade."
"...Is this witch insane?"
"Perfectly normal? Jealous much?"
"Fine. You're on. Meet me at the sparring grounds later."
A squabble over Sin Bihyeong was about to erupt among the professors.
That was the moment.
"Everyone, quiet down? The test isn't over yet."
The plainly dressed, unadorned man—the most senior here—scolded them all with a sharp glare.
"I get being excited about a rising star, but there are still untested sprouts struggling in there."
"……."
The professors shut their mouths and nodded.
Having witnessed historic talent firsthand, they'd gotten carried away without realizing.
They turned back to their duties.
But then, a female professor monitoring the Subway Monster's voice trembled faintly.
"...Huh? This isn't supposed to happen......"
"What? What's wrong?!"
The professors rushed to her side and recoiled at the state of the 'Subway Monster' they sensed.
"What the..."
"No response? That means... exorcised?!"
"The Subway Monster? By a pre-enrollment cadet!?"
Shock rippled through the auditorium once more.
＊＊＊
Click.
Creeeak....
Forcing a key into the worn lock and turning it.
The equally rusty hinges screamed as the door opened.
An old villa.
The place where he had opened his eyes.
Moldy wallpaper, bathroom tiles half-peeled off,
yet somehow thinking of it as 'home' brought a sense of stability.
"Home really is the best."
No threats to me here.
That security instantly relaxed his tense body.
"Well, not my home."
But whatever.
I'd been summoned here anyway.
Sin Bihyeong thought that as he flopped onto the bed in the corner of the room.
He rolled around contentedly even on the mattress devoid of any cushioning.
Then, suddenly recalling what happened, he let out another sigh.
"Haa... Guess top ranks are out of reach now?"
Sin Bihyeong had aimed for top ranks due to his half-demon status.
Not right at the start of academy life, but eventually he'd have to operate outside.
Being a top-ranked cadet offered major advantages in that process.
'Top cadets get leeway for independent action on assignments and missions.'
He'd planned to use that to avoid Audit Division encounters.
He had... but now...
"Argh! Still pisses me off thinking about it!"
Why did the Subway Monster freak out just from eye contact?
"Freaking out would be one thing. Why speed up from there!?"
He suppressed another escaping sigh.
At least he'd learned one thing.
'Yokai fear me.'
He didn't know why.
Probably due to his half-demon—or 'yokai' nature.
'Not sure how far it extends.'
The Subway Monster was academy-tamed.
Not a particularly high-threat specimen.
Whether higher ones would fear his yokai nature too would require testing,
but at least one thing was certain.
'If I leverage this for rapid growth?'
Stack merits, rack up achievements?
If things went smoothly, aiming for Chief Student next semester wasn't a pipe dream.
'Entrance Chief was never meant to be achievable anyway.'
Not even characters Sin Bihyeong, a hardcore player, had meticulously raised had ever hit entrance Chief.
Not even exploiting reincarnation advantages over normal characters.
The reason was simple.
It was just too hard.
'Usually, NPCs outpace players until late-game.'
Solo Biography was no different.
Though it had one unique twist.
'NPC talent.'
An academy drawing students from abroad beyond the nation.
True to that, contemporary NPC cadets had insane talent.
'From bloodline trait holders players call specializations, to heroine and side character roles.'
Solo Biography's late game required team battles.
Solo play game, so teammates were naturally NPCs.
'Characters who must share the player's start and end.'
Their talent and potential were sky-high, of course.
Even maintaining hard-earned Chief against them was brutal,
let alone aiming for it at enrollment with zero growth?
'Still, next semester Chief is doable. Before they all grow, I'll snag Chief for one term.'
Unlock a Hidden Piece that way,
and chain it to more Hidden Pieces.
That was when the hardcore Solo Biography player steeled his resolve.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ You have defeated the yokai, 'Endless Death Line'. Your yokai nature strengthens. Achievement 'Perfect Neutrality' is at risk of disruption. "Huh?"
Sin Bihyeong gaped at the following messages.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ If 'Perfect Neutrality' is disrupted, your yokai nature will strengthen. As your human nature diminishes, your race draws closer to 'yokai'. Grace period granted. (14 days) "...Perfect Neutrality was keeping me from turning full yokai?"
Sin Bihyeong's face drained of color.
"You didn't tell me about this!?"
In-game, achievements were just trophies.
Did this, so here's yours.
Something casual like that.
"No effects or anything!"
A change now that it's reality?
The thought flashed, but more pressing issues loomed.
'...If I go full yokai, can I hide it?'
Sin Bihyeong recalled in-game yokai briefly.
And,
'Impossible.'
He was certain they couldn't be concealed.
'Yokai are huge compared to normal humans to begin with. Even juveniles tower over adult men.'
If he became one, who would see him as human?
'...Calm down and think. How to resolve this?'
Info from countless playthroughs flashed by like a montage.
It all led to one conclusion.
'The library's Hidden Piece.'
In Sin Bihyeong's view, only that could solve it.
'Top ranks would've let me access it easily...'
To get that Hidden Piece, simply entering the library wouldn't cut it.
He needed a high rank to meet a specific person and trigger the event.
"Seriously! Nothing goes right!"
As Sin Bihyeong clutched his head and wailed,
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Notification of entrance test results for prospective cadet Sin Bihyeong.] Chief Student. To check guidelines regarding the entrance ceremony speech, please click the link below......] His phone chimed again with a familiar alert, snapping him alert.
A phone notification.
He pulled it from his pocket, read it, and his expression darkened.
"......"
Sin Bihyeong stared blankly at the message before spitting out one word.
"Argh! Now even spam yokai are coming after me!?"
Okay. You're dead.
He immediately called the number to exorcise the spam yokai.
Ring ring...
Click.
After a brief ring, it connected.
-Hello...?
Before the voice could finish,
"Hello my ass! Not interested!"