Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: S Class
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“Wow~ your body’s pretty damn pathetic too, huh?”
Veronica peered down at me, full of admiration.
But shouldn’t worry come before admiration?
*…Something’s off.*
No matter how pathetic my body was, it shouldn’t be pathetic enough for Veronica to look down on me like this.
“You’ve been out for over ten minutes.”
Ah, got it.
I’d collapsed.
No wonder it felt weird.
Even sitting down, it didn’t make sense for that shorty to be peering down at me.
*…?*
But was the backlash from 【Word of Command】 and 【Stigma】 really that intense?
*What the actual…*
What kind of pathetic character is this?
I’d only used it once.
Exactly once.
One word, and I was puking blood, writhing in agony, and finally passing out?
*No, but passing out is a bit much.*
…My future looked blurry.
Blurry? More like pitch black.
“Well, you seem to be coming around now… Ugh, wipe off that blood, kid.”
As I pushed myself up, blood dripped through the gaps in my mask.
Honestly, even I couldn’t stand the sight.
*This has to be a lethal amount.*
The blood I’d lost today had to be over a liter.
I wouldn’t be surprised if I dropped dead from blood loss.
“The more I look at you, the more problems I see.”
Veronica was still admiring me.
How many times was this real admiration?
[How about you stop with the admiration already?]
How long was she going to keep admiring?
I was genuinely curious.
“How can I not? Look at the state of you.”
[If you’re looking at this state, shouldn’t you be worried instead of admiring?]
“…Is that so?”
Is that so?
The dean… wasn’t human, huh.
*Yeah… logically, no human could be that short.*
Even being generous, she barely hit 150 cm.
“What are you thinking right now?”
[I’m not thinking anything.]
“Really?”
[Yes.]
“Hmm… something feels off.”
She really was a dragon, huh?
Was this the ultimate dignity?
Could she read thoughts too?
Scary.
“Anyway, you’re in S Class.”
[Yes.]
“…Why the lukewarm reaction?”
What else was wrong with our dean?
[What do you mean?]
“I’m putting you in S Class, and you’re not jumping for joy? You don’t even seem interested.”
It couldn’t be helped.
A tragedy bigger than that had just unfolded.
“Well~ anyway, it took a bit long, but S Class is different from the other classes—we teach each student individually~ and also….”
[Also?]
“Also… what was it?”
[What if you don’t even remember yourself?]
By the way, S Class’s homeroom teacher was Veronica.
“No idea, I forgot.”
Come to think of it….
✦━━━━━━━━━━━━✦
[ Veronica ]
Attribute:
: 「Void」
Unique Skills:
: 【Dragon Tongue】
: 【…】
Unique Traits:
: 【Dragon Sovereign】
: 【Pinnacle of Sorcery】
: 【…】
Stats:
: Stamina : 50 (S)
: Strength : 50 (S)
: Intelligence : 50 (S)
: Willpower : 50 (S)
: Mana : 50 (S)
✦━━━━━━━━━━━━✦
For starters, 【Laplace’s Eye】 worked fine on Veronica too.
And here’s a valuable lesson from this.
High intelligence doesn’t mean good memory.
“…What’s with you? My mood just soured big time.”
Oh boy, she could sense me looking too?
“…Suddenly it’s fine again?”
[Do whatever you want on your own.]
“Nothing~ I was just briefly wondering if I should gouge out those creepy eyes.”
And that was nothing?
That thought alone was violent.
“But hey….”
[?]
“Why don’t you ever speak? Seriously?”
[I do speak—it’s that I can’t.]
Our dean was under some massive misunderstanding.
“…Really? Then what’s with the mask? A student should dress properly. If it’s that shitty, why wear it.”
[I’m not choosing not to take off the mask—I can’t.]
“….”
And there she went, admiring again.
Third time already.
“You’re really… full of defects, huh?”
Defects? Like I was some product.
“Wait a sec, let me try taking it off.”
…What did you say?
[?]
No, stay back.
“Hold still, okay?”
I couldn’t hold still, you lunatic.
Her eyes were half-crazed.
“I’ll be gentle.”
Gentle still hurts.
***
*Oh, it’s Lev.*
Déjà vu hit along with spotting Lev again.
I could pick her out from a distance.
I gave Lev’s shoulder a couple taps.
“…?”
[Hey.]
“…What?”
[What do you mean?]
“…I didn’t feel a thing.”
Ah.
【Silent Step】 was still active.
I’d approached with my presence fully erased, so no wonder she was startled.
[That’s a sad story.]
“….”
Was she the type who didn’t get jokes?
Still expressionless.
[Lev’s in S Class too?]
I already knew, of course.
But no need to show it.
“…Yeah.”
[Impressive.]
“…You in S Class too?”
[Yeah.]
“…Impressive.”
[Yeah, I’m impressive.]
Honestly, even I thought so.
Topping the exams with this body.
[Well, I’ll head out then.]
“…See ya.”
The chat wrapped up quick.
Lev stayed blank-faced, but her eyes—hidden under her hair—darted around, like she was curious about the inside of the dorm.
No reason to bother her.
Lev was definitely the type who preferred wandering solo.
I knew because I was the same.
Didn’t want to rudely chat her up, so I backed off quietly.
And then I…
*Oh….*
Finally.
I’d miraculously made it to the dorm.
*Huge.*
Short review.
Concise and true.
Yeah. Huge.
Not just big—enormously so.
Fewer rooms since they were all singles, but each one was absurdly spacious.
Even came with a training room.
But the awe didn’t last.
My body screamed.
- Thud.
Training room? Didn’t need it now.
I picked any room and flung myself onto the bed.
*Ah, fucking hurts.*
That psycho Veronica was dead set on skinning me alive.
I felt it when her fingertips slid over the mask.
If she’d actually peeled it off, it would’ve been flesh, nerves, blood, screams.
All of it echoing out.
*Ah.*
Breath caught in my throat.
My already aching body hurt even more.
My head throbbed, and deep in my chest, blood crept up again.
It hadn’t been long since waking from a blackout, and now another loomed.
Surviving the day like this.
Pathetic.
*What happens from here?*
Klaus must’ve gotten harshly nerfed with the ‘Archaic Disaster’ update—his stats were no different from mine.
Even that overflowing confidence was gone, replaced by some extra brimming with self-loathing.
…How was he supposed to handle the disaster like that?
*Huh? Where’d that vow to build a world without suffering go, you hypocrite?*
Don’t say cool shit if you can’t back it up.
Couldn’t keep it from the start.
*No, wait—can he even survive the Cradle to begin with?*
Forget the disaster—surviving the Cradle was questionable.
It was seriously too much for him.
…Hang on, so if Klaus can’t, does that mean I have to?
*Me, taking down that disaster?*
My stats were honestly worse than Klaus’s.
This wasn’t a joke.
*I’m dead. Absolutely dead.*
Zero chance.
“….”
The dorm was dead silent.
So quiet my ears hurt.
In that stillness, I stared at the ceiling.
*…This is my first day, huh.*
The other S Class kids were probably ending theirs with puffed-up shoulders, buzzing with excitement, dreaming of glory.
Me? Half-dead, sprawled on the bed like I was fleeing.
*Well, that’s my life.*
Familiar.
No smooth days ahead—or behind.
Sleep came crashing.
My body was screaming.
Rest or die.
I shut my eyes.
And swallowed the end of the day with my crumbling body.
***
*Mm….*
I stretched my arms up high.
My shoulders cracked.
One stretch, and muscles everywhere responded.
*My body’s fighting back….*
I forced my heavy eyelids open, clock entering my view.
*Late.*
Maybe ten minutes late.
Not surprising.
If anything, pat myself on the back for surviving last night’s state.
*But so what.*
The world didn’t revolve around me.
Ten minutes late wouldn’t end it.
*I should finish stretching at least.*
I extended my arms again, loosening up.
My spine popped.
*Urgh….*
Muscle soreness? Aftereffects? I couldn’t tell anymore.
I glanced out the window.
*I fell asleep with the sun up… and now it’s up again.*
What sorcery was this.
I rubbed my eyes, lost in thought for a while.
Looked less like sleep, more like a coma.
*How long did I sleep?*
i passed out yesterday afternoon.
The clock now shoed past 9 a.m.
*Yeah, my condition was dire….*
I flopped back onto the bed.
The mattress so soft and plush.
But even that was meager comfort compared to my grueling day.
My Half-lidded eyes were on the ceiling.
But there was nothing to see.
*No class, right?*
Even in the Cradle, the first day was the first day.
Orientation, intros—some ceremony?
*I'll take it easy and prep.*
There was no need to rush out on time or stress needlessly.
Who’d complain?
And above all…
*I’m the top student.*
Hit the peak day one.
Plus, my backing?
It was nothing to brag about, but.
*It’s Veronica.*
Who’d dare say shit to me?
***
“You wanna die, punk?”
A chill ran down my spine.
I was on my knees, arms raised high.
In front of me, arms crossed, Veronica glared down like she’d kick me into oblivion any second.
“Daring to be late?”
It wasn’t like I wanted to…
“On the first day, no less?”
[Dean, there’s a reason for it.]
“Spit it out. If I don’t buy it, you’re dead.”
[I nearly got killed by you yesterday and barely made it to the dorm.]
“And you made it.”
[Then I lay on the bed.]
“And then?”
[I opened my eyes!]
“You opened them?”
[And it was morning.]
“…That’s it?”
[Yes.]
“Aaah~ so you’re saying you want to die right now?”
…It was not working.
She had zero empathy.
Could someone really be this numb to suffering?
…Right, she was not a person, but a dragon.
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