Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Entrance Exam (7)
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The Guidance Corps building at midnight was relatively quiet.
There were on-duty members, and occasionally drunkards or troublemaking students would show up, but that had dropped off sharply ever since word of the Guidance Corps Chief's notoriety spread.
The Chief had crushed anyone who underestimated her due to her youth, making her a figure of terror among delinquents.
A mad dog who roamed back alleys out of boredom, picking fights.
A battle maniac who appeared out of nowhere whenever someone tried something shady, wreaking havoc.
Thanks to the rumors about the Chief spreading subtly, the Guidance Corps—which used to be noisy every night—now enjoyed peaceful days.
But right now, at this moment...
The Guidance Corps was facing a commotion for the first time in ages.
"Noah!"
"...Gasp! P-President!"
Noah shoved her tear- and snot-streaked face toward him, letting out a cry of shock.
Yeon Je-seong, who had rushed over at Lu's call, was inwardly startled by her state but grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet.
"What are you doing in a place like this?"
"Ugh! I-I'm not a bad person!"
Does even the President misunderstand me?
Realizing that much, Noah desperately began defending herself.
'Anyone but the President! Not him!'
If this incident left a bad impression on him, she'd be in trouble.
As she poured out her words, filled with anxiety, a voice interrupted her midway, making her stop and stare at him quietly.
"Enough. I already know the gist of it, so it's fine."
"...Ah."
She was wrong.
He must have already heard from the Guidance Corps.
Of course he'd be disappointed.
Was it her imagination?
His gaze, which had seemed warm just moments ago, now felt especially cold.
"Th-that, uh, ah..."
Unable to speak, she just worked her mouth silently. He, who had been watching quietly, finally spoke slowly.
"You did well."
"......Huh?"
Hearing words completely different from what she'd expected, Noah involuntarily looked up at him.
And she saw it.
A gaze filled with infinite trust, without a shred of doubt.
"Eek!"
The intense faith in his eyes shattered the lock she'd forcibly sealed on her emotions in an instant, letting them pour out.
Her face flushed hot, and it became hard to meet his gaze.
But regardless of Noah's reaction, the President's voice rang clear.
"You said a terrorist attack was coming."
"...!"
"I'm curious how you knew, but we'll talk details later."
"...Yes."
As she waited anxiously for his next words, the President's voice reached her ears.
"First off, what you know is the truth."
"I knew it!"
"It's top secret, so it's natural other students don't know. Only a select few in the student council, the board of directors, and the representatives are aware."
So you're not wrong, he added.
The President glanced around before slowly opening his mouth.
"Let's move somewhere else first."
It's not something to discuss here with the Chief and Corps members around, he added, turning to leave the Guidance Corps building.
She hesitated but followed his back, and Lu, who had been leaning against the wall, slowly came along too.
Outside, a luxurious carriage—clearly the one the President had arrived in—awaited.
"...You're coming too?"
"Can't I?"
"Do what you want."
The President noticed Lu following and looked puzzled for a moment, but nodded at her response and approached the carriage.
Infused with magic engineering, the black-tinted carriage looked different in form from those of other nations at a glance.
Above all, the absence of horses made one question if it was even a carriage—Noah tilting her head at the sight was only natural.
"Th-this is...?"
"A magicar. Tougher and faster than the horse carriage you're thinking of."
Saying that, he opened the door, gestured for Noah to enter, and followed.
"I can see outside clearly?"
"It's designed so only outsiders can't see in. From inside, the view is perfect."
From outside, all windows were pitch black, hiding the interior completely. But inside, the outside was surprisingly visible, startling her.
As Noah's eyes widened in wonder, Lu—who had boarded with them—puffed out her chest proudly.
"Impressive, right? The President invented it himself! Pretty amazing, huh?"
"A-amazing!"
"That's an exaggeration. I just provided the idea. The real work was by the research team in the development district."
The President lightly refuted Lu before falling silent as the magicar began gliding smoothly forward, staring ahead with an inscrutable gaze.
Lu, who had been excitedly explaining the magicar, stopped at his demeanor and quietly watched them both.
"First."
Gulp—
The sound of someone swallowing came from somewhere.
"How did you learn about the terrorist attack?"
"Actually..."
Noah, who had anticipated the President's question, calmly began explaining without panic.
The President listened silently to the self-driving magicar, but as her words continued, the atmosphere shifted. By the time she finished, even his impassive expression had cracked, replaced by wide-eyed shock.
"I-is that really true...?"
The system actually existed!
It was a shock that snapped his weary mind awake.
How much had he searched for system elements since possessing this game world?
He'd found NPCs and items from the Academy City's Failure Hero series, but not a trace of levels or quests.
So he'd assumed they didn't exist in this altered reality.
'To think it was only for the protagonist!'
Thinking it over, it made sense.
In the game, the viewpoint was always the protagonist's first-person.
Levels existed only in the status window; he'd never heard NPCs use system terms like that.
It was obvious now.
People in the game, except the protagonist, didn't even know the system existed—so they wouldn't know levels or quests.
'Skills existed as skillbooks, so NPCs knew those, but achievements, titles, and other stats? No way.'
"Hold on."
A sudden hypothesis struck him, and the President cut Noah off, hand to his chin.
'If the protagonist has the system, this world is influenced by it. NPCs can't see it, but they might still be affected.'
For example, if he himself cleared achievements.
Or gained titles for extra stats.
'Maybe I already have some without realizing.'
That thought surged gamer excitement within him.
The thrill and euphoria he'd felt long ago resurfaced, curving his impassive face into an intrigued smile.
"Noah, can you check other people's stats too?"
"......"
"Noah?"
"...Ah!"
Noah, gazing at him dreamily, startled at his repeated question and answered.
"Y-yes, it's possible. But if the level gap is too big, I can't."
Indeed, the first time she'd met Lu nearby, she'd tried but failed.
She'd been disappointed, thinking even fellow students were beyond her, but it made sense now.
Not just any Corps member—the Chief herself.
Of course she couldn't see it.
Unaware of Lu's inscrutable gaze, Noah nodded readily.
The President, listening quietly, closed his eyes briefly in thought before speaking.
"Too big a level gap... Then what if you suppress your energy?"
"Pardon? I've never tried..."
"Then try now!"
Lu interjected suddenly from beside them.
"Guidance Chief?"
"Nah, whatever! We're similar ages, and you know the President. Just call me Lu."
More importantly!
"How about now? I've suppressed my energy—can you see?"
"Uh, wait a sec!"
No visible change, but the President saw Lu compressing her energy to the limit.
'Her qi gathered in her dantian from everywhere. I don't know the system's logic, but minimizing presence should allow a peek.'
Values might weaken from suppression, but he was certain it wouldn't.
'This is like the vaccine (inner power) auto-blocking the virus (system). Remove the vaccine, and even with it in the dantian, the virus can scan freely.'
In short, the vaccine was offline.
Especially sealed in the dantian, it couldn't move—so the system could probe freely.
'If this fails, squeeze inner power to the limit and check manually.'
Heart pounding as he watched Noah, the President clenched his fist secretly when her expression changed dramatically moments later.
'She sees it!'
Meanwhile, checking Lu's stats, Noah gasped at the status window filling her vision.
"Gasp!"
"You see it?"
"It worked!"
Their voices overlapped, but Noah couldn't spare a glance.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ Name: Lu Karna Level: 72 ⚡ Strength: 32100 💨 Agility: 33700 ✨ Mana: 11050 💪 Stamina: 41080 🍀 Luck: 300 🛡️ Endurance: 43200 ⚔ Aura: 43100 🌟 Divinity: 10 Job: Highlander Title: One Who Rose from Defeat Fame: 35100 HP: 623520/623520 MP: 32500/32500 Achievements: 'Conqueror of the Back Alleys!' and 6 others "My God..."
Overwhelmed by stats incomparable to her own, Noah couldn't speak.
'A monster. A real monster!'
The half-superhuman numbers seized her eyes, making her finally feel how dangerous the girl beside her was.
"So? Did it come out good? I think I've trained pretty hard!"
Noah couldn't muster a bright smile for the eagerly awaiting Lu.
"Um... By any chance, are there many people as strong as Lu in Academy City?"
'She said she'd work hard, but it needs some realism—this is too much!'
If countless students like this filled the city, Noah would break.
"Hmm... Probably not many? In the student council, only the President and Vice President are stronger. City-wide, maybe under five?"
"For reference, Lu's benchmark includes even the instructors."
Lu just grinned as the President murmured about her skewed standards.
But unlike their laughter, Noah couldn't smile.
'The levels are way off...?!'
This girl who looked her age was one of the city's top powerhouses!
The unbelievable reality left Noah dizzy.
"So, what is it? C'mon?"
"Well..."
Hesitating under Lu's urging, Noah explained.
Lu nodded with sparkling, interested eyes before beaming.
"72! That's high, right? It is high!"
"Uh... I'm not sure exactly, but probably high?"
If the cap was 100 as she guessed, 72 made her plenty strong.
Noah thought that—then gaped at the President's follow-up.
"72. That's mid-tier demon cadre level."
"Heh..."
"What? Just cadre?"
"'Just' isn't fair—few your age match you."
Cadre weren't weak enough for "just."
Though below the Four Kings, they were elites among countless demons.
'Probably that infiltrator too.'
To sneak into Academy City required that caliber.
Lower, and they wouldn't dare.
'Well, he walked into me and Higho anyway.'
Speaking of, was Higho doing okay?
Slayn had belatedly approved use, so he was probably handling it now.
'Better avoid the control room for a bit.'
Knowing his personality, he'd chew me out.
Not wrong, since I promised Slayn support.
"...President!"
"Hm? What?"
His brief distraction ended at Lu's shout.
"What're you thinking?"
"Nothing."
"Anyway, check yours too! I'm curious!"
Lu's eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Noah stole curious glances too, holding back.
Under their gazes, the President nodded.
"Of course. I was going to ask. Noah, would you check mine too?"
A chance to see decades of training's results.
Couldn't miss it.
'Haven't done many achievements or titles. Should set a day later.'
If even NPCs could gain extra stats, prioritize that over work.
I suppressed my aura fully and watched Noah tensely.
'What if no status window?'
Aura contained, but if the system rejected me for some reason, real disappointment.
Especially after Lu's smooth success—double the letdown.
'Don't reject me as a possessor!'
Bracing for the worst with closed eyes, Noah's short gasp came.
—Ah.
The brief voice followed.
"Eeeeek—!"
Her high-pitched scream paled her face instantly.
"9, 99!"
My eyes snapped open at her outburst.
"Gasp!"
"Th-the stats...! The stats are insane...!"
Lu startled and looked up. Noah scanned the details, nearly fainting in shock.
"Details! Exact stats—say them!"
"Th-they're...!"
Stammering, Noah spoke.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ Name: Yeon Je-seong Level: 99 ⚡ Strength: 923250 💨 Agility: 853401 ✨ Mana: 0 💪 Stamina: 949520 🍀 Luck: 10000 🛡️ Endurance: 899769 ⚔ Aura: 999999 (-OVER-) 🌟 Divinity: 100000 Job: Martial Apex Title: Pioneer of Destiny Fame: 1685500 HP: 4794560/4794560 MP: - Achievements: 'The One Who Reached the End' and 51 others Her eyes shook wildly, cold sweat beading on her forehead as she finished arduously. Then she collapsed into the soft seat.