Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Entrance Exam (8)
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His first impression upon seeing the stats was, "Not bad at all."
Nearly a million in stats?
Over fifty achievements?
As a veteran player, he was far too seasoned to be surprised by such things.
In the game, reaching level 100 meant your main stat hit the counter cap of '999999' right away.
The other stats could easily climb into the 900,000s by then, too.
If anything, the achievements actually felt a bit lacking to him.
The one unexpected detail, though, was the aura.
'Over a million?'
The word OVER after '999999'.
A hidden system he'd never seen even once in the game.
Had he broken through the limit? Surpassed a million?
Or was this a new system from Failure Hero 3?
Even as a diehard veteran of the Failure Hero series, this was uncharted territory for him.
Naturally, speculating on the unlock conditions for a system he'd never encountered before was no easy task.
'Did achievements or titles—or maybe advantages from the Heavenly Martial Body—trigger this somehow?'
Countless hypotheses flashed through his mind, only to sink into the depths without resolution.
One thing was certain: the aura he possessed had already shattered its limits and advanced to another stage entirely!
He'd certainly felt it growing just by breathing, but he hadn't imagined it would increase indefinitely without bound...
Now that he'd confirmed the exact numbers, he thought:
'At this level, maybe I could ignore the main story and go straight for the Demon King?'
Until now, it had been hard to objectively gauge his own strength, so he'd played it safe. But with clear confirmation like this, things changed.
As long as he met the conditions to challenge the Demon King, there was no need to stay defensive.
But...
'Still too soon.'
This wasn't enough.
In the Failure Hero series, taking down the Demon King typically required the protagonist to hit max level first.
It wasn't impossible without maxing out, but the variables piled up, and it felt more like a challenge run for veterans—which meant no reason to push it in his current situation.
'With my life on the line, I have to be cautious.'
The standard clear benchmark was a max-level protagonist with endgame gear, backed by five party members in the mid-to-late 90s.
'No worries about party members. I've got the Seven Great Powers—not just me.'
The Seven Great Powers, representing the continent's strongest, boasted outrageous levels—even the lowest at seventh place was early 90s.
'That's why they're mandatory picks for time attacks.'
Other party members needed grinding after recruitment, but the Seven Great Powers started at such high levels that you could dive straight into the Demon King fight.
By the time you reached that point, you'd hit the minimum requirements anyway.
'The problem is the protagonist.'
He gazed at Noah, his expression hardening.
'【Purifying Light】—only usable by a protagonist who's mastered every skill. Without it, no killing the Demon King.'
A special skill exclusive to the goddess-chosen hero.
It dealt extreme damage to demons, an absolute execution move against the Demon King especially.
Not implemented as a playable skill in the game, but every hero in the Demon King ending CG finished with it.
'Rumors swirled that it was too OP, so they deliberately excluded it from the game.'
Many players figured blasting 【Purifying Light】 as an opener would trivialize the Demon King, but reality differed.
Skyana, the developers, clarified it was a finisher with harsh conditions—usable only when the Demon King's HP was critically low.
'That's why it only appeared in dedicated CGs, not gameplay.'
Still, the developers confirmed its existence beyond doubt—all past heroes had inevitably learned 【Purifying Light】.
Some power user dissected the data files and found it auto-unlocked at level 96, past the final tech tree at 95.
To tackle the Demon King, he'd need to raise the protagonist to at least 96.
'Protagonist grinding is key, after all.'
He ran the numbers in his head.
In time attacks, the protagonist hit max level by late college year at earliest, high school third year at latest—then began the Demon King push.
Always starting as a high school first-year, that meant three to four years until the assault.
'Impressively hero-like growth rate, sure...'
Even that assumed skipping scenarios and events optimally. In a strong New Game like his, it was usually post-graduation before starting.
That pushed it to high school and college graduation—minimum seven years for the Demon King clear.
Factor in years just for the boss itself, and it ballooned to a decade-long plan.
'No time attack right now. I can prep grinding gear, but endgame stuff? No clue where it is. And experience events? Unknown.'
No way he'd shove the protagonist on the front lines recklessly.
He needed moderately risky events for max EXP—ones that typically triggered along the main scenario.
'Dedicated gear's another headache. No idea where Noah's comes from.'
As crucial as endgame gear, dedicated equipment dramatically boosted player stats.
Not the level 95 capstone, but indispensable—especially for the protagonist, with its demon-slaying bonus.
'Noah's gotta have one.'
Every hero had stylish dedicated gear; removing it would've sparked user backlash.
'It's been years since the series peaked. To draw new blood, they'd absolutely include newbie support packs.'
Looks like Failure Hero 3 had a beginner starter pack.
The chairman let out an inner cheer at the unexpected boon.
'I don't love surprise variables, but this one's welcome anytime!'
Embracing it wholeheartedly, he turned to Noah.
"You should claim that for now. The system seems suspicious, sure, but it's clearly helping us too. If its goal is Demon King subjugation, we can use its gifts to achieve ours."
Noah, unaware this was a game, eyed the system warily.
Too much suspicion meant underutilizing it, so a gentle nudge was in order.
Thanks to trust in him, Noah calmed somewhat.
"You're right, Chairman. It shows objective stats and provides growth items, so playing along makes sense for now."
"Good. If the system ever harms you, tell me. We'll figure it out together."
"Chairman..."
I get the gratitude, so drop the puppy eyes?
Feeling an odd unease at Noah's sparkling gaze, the chairman averted his eyes and looked to Lulu.
"Anyway, we'll check the starter pack and other systems later. For now, let's discuss this terror incident."
This was the main topic from the start; the detour felt off.
Time to explain to Noah properly.
"Oh, the starter pack has an experience coupon too."
"...! Tell me that first!"
Not the time for irrelevant terror talk!
How many? How much EXP...?