Chapter 32

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 32

Chapter Title: The Reward for Beating the Boss with the Heroine is Sweet

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"Haa... haa..."

The dagger plunged into the heart of the [Cursed One] at the same moment a chilling voice echoed through my mind.

[Wanderer on the brink of eternity. Why do you resist fate...?]

-Crunch

Before the voice in my head could finish, I twisted the dagger.

Fate, huh.

This boss probably had its own circumstances too.

"I don't know what your deal is, but I'm way too busy to play along with your pathetic sob story."

Overturning my own bullshit fate is hard enough as it is.

-Clang

The black dagger that had bloomed from the [Cursed One]'s hand clattered to the floor, and its body slowly faded away.

At the same time, the dungeon—which had stretched out like an endless horizon—reverted back to a normal cave.

Before I could even catch my ragged breath, lines of text began floating before my eyes.

'Skill levels up, huh.'

Poor Strike had already reached level 4.

When it hit level 3, the description was just that its casting speed increased, but now there were all sorts of fancy modifiers added.

'Not bad.'

Skill LV. 4.

I'd gotten it faster than expected, but considering it's a level most academy students only reach upon graduation, it's a pretty solid reward.

'Well, soloing a B-rank boss on my own makes this a given reward.'

No matter that it's an E-rank skill—even at LV. 4, it's far from unusable.

And the Bunny Hop description is especially intriguing.

Controllability increased!

Now I can finally use the skill like an actual skill.

Up until now, it was basically just shoving my body into a cannon and praying.

'No more face-planting into the ground.'

Either way, it's remarkable growth.

Better results than I'd hoped.

'Sticking to the main story really is the way to go.'

I'd been hesitant to mess with the main story out of concern that my knowledge might affect it unpredictably.

But trying to snag the opportunities from [Awakening to SSS Hunter Academy] without touching the main story is impossible.

Above all, skillbook growth is influenced by the 'narrative.'

And the easiest way to build that narrative is by getting involved in the main story.

'I've already waded in too deep to back out anyway.'

Still, the more I interfere, the more the story changes—unavoidably so.

Just look at how this [Cursed One] showed up.

I need to find that balance point.

I'll think about that later.

Now, it's about time you showed up, right?

Right then, blue text floated before my eyes.

I can pick one out of these three, huh.

Why?

Why...?

Why force this cruel choice on me?!

Every single one is a gem.

My precious babies!

"I don't want to let go of even a single one!"

Causal Chain right now!

Just looking at it—it's not as good as the original that forces the opponent to spam skills until mana exhaustion, but 3 uses is plenty good.

No! Insanely good!

Blade Cursed by Fate?

No need to explain.

That disgusting blade it pulled from its arm earlier.

Even swinging it filled me with awe!

If I had all these skills, I could beat Lee Seong-hyeon like a dog on a hot summer day!

Wait.

Beating a cute dog doesn't sit right.

Let's agree to beat Lee Seong-hyeon on hot summer days from now on.

'In reality, even having both of the others wouldn't guarantee a win.'

Either way, having to pick just one is torture.

How horrific!

"Still, if I have to choose, there's only one option."

[Fate Intervention]

Simple but reliable effect.

It only blocks a single attack, so if the opponent reads it, even a flick to the forehead nullifies it. Plus, the cooldown is a whopping half-day.

But.

'Evades all types of damage.'

Exactly as it says—physical attacks, magic damage from skills, even a boss monster's devastating one-shot. It blocks everything without discrimination.

'It's busted.'

If not for the one-time limit, it'd be A-rank, no, S-rank easy.

If the timing's even a little off...

Actually, even used perfectly, it only blocks once. You're wide open to follow-ups.

'Still, blocking that one critical hit is huge.'

The other two skills are a shame to pass up.

So!

Precious like my own babies!

But as painful as it is,

For Professor Kang Geom-seon's upcoming class and the midterms match, [Fate Intervention] is the best fit.

Solid lineup.

Feels like my stomach's full even without eating.

The ranks are a bit tear-jerking, though.

Five skills, no less.

And one of them's even LV. 4.

Insane!

Too sweet.

My teeth are aching from how sugary it is.

The [One Cursed by Fate] nearly cost me my life, but the rewards were even sweeter.

Compared to the regular [Cursed One], the quality of rewards you can get is on another level. Totally different quality.

What the hell is this...? A guide?

Doesn't exist in [Awakening to SSS Hunter Academy] at minimum.

'Can't complain about having more tools.'

Acquire information, huh.

I picked up the blade of the black sword dropped by the [Cursed One] with my hand.

The reason I didn't pick [Blade Cursed by Fate].

Because of the drop item from the [Cursed One]: [Psyche's Blade].

Its effect is a downgraded version of the [Blade Cursed by Fate] skill.

In the [Awakening to SSS Hunter Academy] world, items that amplify skill effects are common, but weapons or items with effects comparable to skills themselves are exceedingly rare.

'This is relic-grade stuff.'

I don't know why it's Psyche's Blade instead of Cursed One's Blade.

Good!

Sweet!

Effective against humans means it'll come in handy for the upcoming academy raid too.

How far are you gonna go with these drops, you [One Cursed by Fate] bastard!

You incorrigible honey pot.

I lifted Psyche's Blade in my hand.

"Hngh...!"

The system window popped up, and at the same moment, a rotting pain spread from my fingertips gripping the blade.

I let go of the blade and tucked it into the pouch at my waist.

"Whew... so that's how it works."

I got how the guide functions.

It's just a game status screen, right?

"Whew..."

Only after securing all the rewards did it finally sink in.

My sense of reality was returning.

"It's finally over."

Yeah.

It's over.

"Kiyahoouut!"

A weird yell slipped out before I knew it.

No, how could I hold back?

I survived.

I came back from the dead.

Possessing into this bullshit world came with plenty of bullshit events, but none had deviated too far from my plans.

Except meeting the [One Cursed by Fate] in the [Temple of Fate]. That was completely unexpected.

'Hell, I don't even know why it appeared in the first place.'

Entering the [Temple of Fate] was my intention, but the Cursed One's hard mode showing up was a total accident.

Even with Erina Esnatia's [Heavenly Blessing], soloing it wasn't guaranteed.

'At least it was the [One Cursed by Fate], so that worked out.'

If it wasn't the [One Cursed by Fate]—which shared the weakness I'd prepared for the [Cursed One] via Erina Esnatia—I'd be dead for sure.

Whether it was really coincidence, who knows.

"I'm gonna die."

I'd love to just collapse and sleep, but no can do.

That girl over there sleeping peacefully.

She took hits blocking attacks left and right, and now she's mana-exhausted. Leaving her be could lead to serious trouble.

So how do I handle that heavy lump?

'How? I carry her.'

I hoisted her onto my back.

"Goddamn heavy."

She's pretty tall, so the weight's no joke.

"Telling me to escape and leave her, spouting nonsense."

The exit that appeared mid-fight with the [Cursed One] was a trap. Only way out was to take it down.

So how could I leave her behind?

'Even if it wasn't a trap, I wouldn't have.'

I'd tricked Erina Esnatia into coming here to save her life and collect on that debt. Abandoning her and running would just be sacrificing her for my one-sided gain.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Alright, sick of the dark.

Time to go see some light.

'Where...?'

Erina Esnatia.

What she saw when her eyes opened was Kim Si-woo, injured, carrying her as he made his escape.