Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Hidden Pieces Are Always Right
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Boom!
As in the original story, Behemoth was defeated by the combined efforts of Choi Do-han, the heroines, and the professors who arrived later. I had also finished giving my statement to the dean about veteran Professor Lee Seok-ho's death.
"Thank you for preventing further damage. You will be awarded a commendation along with Choi Do-han and the three other cadets."
"Yes, sir."
"Ah, and I will personally oversee the full-scale investigation into the Alchemy Department, so don't worry."
"Yes, sir."
Two hidden piece skill books, a commendation, and the promise of a thorough investigation—it felt like the whole event was orchestrated for my benefit.
Of course, I hadn't had time to check them yet, so I didn't know what skills I'd get, but I was undeniably thrilled.
And then…
“Waaah! Master—!! Where were you?! Without a word!”
As soon as I arrived near the graduating class theory lecture hall, I was met by a tearful Bersha.
…Anyone would think we were long-lost family members reuniting.
“Ah, you were looking for me?”
“Of! Course! Do you think that’s okay?! I was running around like crazy, worried something terrible had happened to you!”
“Haha, sorry. I was watching from the window and saw Choi Tae-won heading towards the main building with a dagger.”
“Even! So! You should have told me!”
I patted Bersha’s head as she fumed. Of course, she was currently in her disguised form—Renia, with black semi-formal attire, long violet hair, and glasses.
Seeing her cry in her cool city girl persona was quite comical.
“Whoa, whoa, calm down. See? I’m perfectly fine.”
“Hmph! If you disappear without a word again, I won’t look for you! You’re so good at using that useless 'Go! Succubus!' skill, but…”
“Sorry, sorry. I’ll definitely tell you next time. Okay?”
“Hmph! We’ll see!”
Annoyed by my flippant response, Bersha stomped her foot and sulked, prompting me to pull out my trump card.
I leaned close to her ear, covering my mouth with my hand, and whispered.
A hamburger wouldn't cut it this time.
I needed a more enticing offer.
People were starting to stare.
“I’ll grant you one wish next time.”
“…A… a wish? Really?”
Bersha’s ears perked up at the word 'wish.'
The right to make a wish, an absolute reward for the summon, was the ultimate reward for her.
“Yes. I’ll grant you a wish. But it can’t be anything too unreasonable.”
“…Y-you promise?”
“Do you want me to pinky swear?”
“Yes.”
“…O-okay.”
I didn’t expect her to actually want to pinky swear.
Bersha held out her pinky finger, and I, slightly flustered, linked mine with hers.
She then raised her thumb, and I followed suit.
“There, sealed with a promise. Happy now?”
“Yes! I’m happy!”
…Seeing Bersha’s bright smile, as if she had never been crying, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
And I felt a pang of guilt.
Imagining Bersha running around frantically, searching for me with tears in her eyes…
'She's so precious.'
[T/N: thats fucking right]
I patted her head again.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Alright, all students are dismissed for today. It will take some time to deal with the situation, so classes are suspended until further notice. Everything should be back to normal before the group projects, so prepare diligently.”
““Yes~!””
The athletic field was in ruins, and parts of the auditorium and gymnasium had collapsed. Above all, since an academy student had summoned a colossal monster using alchemy and dark magic, things were bound to be chaotic for a while.
Therefore, the academy issued a three-day suspension of classes, and Bersha and I happily(?) headed home.
I couldn't wait to get home and check out the skill books.
“Master, why are you walking so fast?”
“Ah, well. The walk to home is always enjoyable, isn't it?”
Bersha was puzzled by my hurried pace, but how could I resist the allure of a skill book gacha?
As soon as we arrived home, I asked Bersha for hot water and quickly prepared to shower.
Even with Bersha around, I still had to be careful.
Having the secret of the hidden piece, known only to the protagonist, exposed because of Bersha's mistake was something we both needed to avoid.
“Master.”
“Hmm?”
Just as I was about to enter the shower…
Bersha handed me something.
A piece of paper.
“What’s this?”
“It’s… a written promise, a guarantee.”
“A guarantee? For what?”
“Well… it’s not that I don’t trust you, Master, but I just wanted a… written record of our promise…”
“Ah.”
So, she wanted a written promise instead of a verbal one.
It seemed she wanted a guarantee in case I refused to grant her wish.
What kind of wish did she want to make that she needed a written promise?
I was curious, but also a little worried that I might have made a rash promise, but a promise was a promise.
“You wrote it so diligently.”
A simple promise written in crooked handwriting.
I chuckled, imagining Bersha writing this as soon as we got home.
“Hurry! Sign here!”
“Haha, alright, alright.”
Pretending to be exasperated, I signed it, and Bersha snatched the paper away.
She grinned and turned to leave.
I could almost hear cheerful music notes trailing behind her.
'Anyway…'
The important thing was the skill books.
I quickly entered the shower and turned on the water.
I undressed and stepped under the spray.
'Item Inventory.'
1▼
[Item Name: Main Skill Book (Unique)]
[Upon opening, acquire 1 Unique grade Main Skill at random.]
2▼
[Item Name: Special Skill Book (Epic)]
[Upon opening, acquire 1 Epic grade Special Skill at random.]
A satisfied smile spread across my face.
Special skills were originally only obtainable by the protagonist and were generated through hidden pieces like this.
Main skills were different.
They could be naturally acquired through rigorous training and enlightenment, but it took a considerable amount of time and bone-crushing effort.
That’s why Han Tae-jin only had the two basic skills he acquired upon class awakening.
In other words, skill book hidden pieces were like time machines, drastically reducing the time and effort required.
First…
I calmed my racing heart and opened the Main Skill Book.
[Opening Main Skill Book (Unique).]
..
..
An ancient-looking book, something you’d see in a martial arts novel, appeared before my eyes. The pages began to turn, faster and faster, until they stopped on a single page.
Then, a chime rang, and a system voice echoed.
[Inspection complete.]
[Congratulations.]
[Acquired Main Skill: Multi-Shot.]
[Multi-Shot – Consumes 3 times the magic power to nock 3 magic arrows on the bowstring, allowing simultaneous firing. Can instantly switch between multi-target attack and single-target attack. Single-target attack deals 3 times the damage.]
[Grade: Unique]
[Level: 1]
[Proficiency: 0%]
[Special Ability: Upon reaching MAX level, the number of magic arrows is not limited, depending on the user’s capacity.]
Oh…
The skill description was impressive, befitting a Unique skill.
What stood out the most was the [Special Ability]. So… once I reached MAX level, I could use it like an infinite duplication bug, firing 10, 100, or as many arrows as I could handle?
“Holy… shit?!”
I couldn’t help but curse.
It was that kind of skill.
Unique grade skill books had only appeared once in the original story, and experiencing its power firsthand sent shivers down my spine.
I felt a chill, even though the water was warm.
“Wow… this is amazing.”
I could only fire three arrows for now, but it had the potential to become a cheat-level skill later on.
Of course, it depended on my effort.
'Damn it, special training starts tonight.'
Suppressing my excitement, I immediately opened the Special Skill Book.
Another ancient book appeared.
The difference was that the Unique skill book was orange, while the Epic skill book was purple.
Since I had already acquired a cheat skill from the Main Skill Book, I was prepared to be disappointed with the Special Skill Book.
But soon…
I realized that was the arrogant complacency of someone who reincarnated with max luck.
[Opening Special Skill Book (Epic).]
[Congratulations.]
[Acquired Special Skill: Telepathy.]
[Telepathy – Once a day, can read the thoughts of a target with lower magic power.]
[Grade: Epic]
“Oh… so I can read minds?”
Wasn’t this a skill you’d only see in erotic novels?
The kind where the protagonist reads minds and uses that knowledge to manipulate the heroines.
Well, I didn't have any intention of committing such crimes, but even without that, it seemed like a pretty useful special skill.
And a thought suddenly occurred to me.
‘…Could I perhaps… glean the thoughts of the main heroines?’
It would be difficult with Yoo Su-ah, Han-Na, and Ella, whose magic power stats were significantly higher, but…
'I’m pretty sure my total magic power stat is 0.1 points higher than Baek Mi-jin’s, right?'
I couldn't forget that.
Because of that 0.1 point difference, I couldn't switch groups.
And since the skill description mentioned ‘stat value’ and not just ‘stat,’ it seemed like I could read Baek Mi-jin’s thoughts.
I could find out why she stayed in my group instead of switching to Choi Do-han’s.
'Hmm, this could be quite useful?'
Dealing with the main heroines’ advances was one of my top priorities.
Choi Do-han seemed to be getting wary of me because of the group assignments.
'If I can read minds, it will definitely be easier to respond.'
The downside was that I couldn't read Choi Do-han’s thoughts yet.
Still, it was clearly a useful skill.
Having acquired a cheat-level skill and a useful skill, I couldn't contain my excitement and shouted.
This hidden piece haul was truly epic.
“Fucking awesome!”
And immediately…
—Master! Master?! Are you okay?! What’s wrong?! Open the door!!
I had to quickly come up with an excuse as Bersha pounded on the shower door as if she was going to break it down.
Living with someone was quite inconvenient.
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“We commend Cadets Choi Do-han, Han-Na, Yoo Su-ah, and Baek Mi-jin for their courage in facing a life-threatening crisis and protecting numerous students, preventing further damage, for the greater good.”
““Thank you.””
The three-day school suspension was over, and we received commendations in front of all the students gathered in the auditorium.
First, Choi Do-han and his group, who had played a major role in defeating Behemoth.
And then…
“We also commend Cadet Han Tae-jin for his quick thinking in preventing secondary damage and for his significant contribution to identifying the culprit.”
“Thank you.”
I received a commendation as well.
A medal with a gold-plated pendant was placed around my neck.
'Oh, shit, is this real gold?'
After receiving the commendation and stepping down from the podium, I was about to bite the medal to test it when…
“Han Tae-jin.”
“Huh?”
“Can we talk for a moment? Just the two of us.”
Choi Do-han had requested a meeting.
Exactly three weeks after being reincarnated into the Hidden Piece Academy novel, I was finally face-to-face with the protagonist.
I had to postpone my gold-tasting and follow him.
I was curious as well.
He had been giving me hostile looks since the morning.
If I couldn't avoid him, I should at least understand why before trying to enjoy the situation.
'Master, I don't like that guy. He's not even as handsome as you.'
'It's okay, he's not a bad guy. Stay here for now.'
I told Bersha, who was growling, to wait.
If things got dangerous, I could just summon my ultimate R-rank housekeeper, using [Go! Succubus!] skill she complained about.
“I'll be back.”