Chapter 1
Chapter 0: Became the Black Sheep of a Wealthy Family
Terror, combat, and violence are everyday life at the Academy. I became the Young Master of a Wealthy Family who bribed his way into an illegal enrollment.
Fighting is scary.
Getting hurt is something I hate.
I don't really understand Magic or Martial Arts.
"I'll do your homework for you!"
"You just stay still. I'll handle all the Strategy myself."
"Tired? Want to sit on my back?"
So, I decided to buy geniuses with money.
Chapter 1: Tardiness Is 1 Demerit Point
"Demian Darmore. Boldly showing up late on the first day—you've got some nerve."
"Pardon?"
"That's 1 Demerit Point. Cadet Demian."
"Pardon?"
When I came to my senses, I was standing inside an unfamiliar building.
My head felt hazy.
My head was throbbing—I must have drunk too much yesterday. Where am I?
"I've heard plenty of rumors about Cadet Demian. They say you made a massive donation to the Academy and got in through a special admissions track."
"What do you mean……"
"For the record, don't even think about trying to buy your way out of Demerit Points. An S-rank Hero's wallet isn't quite that light. From now on, make sure you arrive before attendance is taken."
I turned my head and surveyed my surroundings.
A massive tiered classroom.
In front of me, a giant white board, and young students still looking boyish, wearing what looked less like school uniforms and more like military ones.
The building's structure itself looked less like a high school and more like a university.
Where on earth is this?
Since they're calling people Cadets, is this some kind of military academy?
"Go take the empty seat all the way at the back."
"O-over there?"
"Cadet Demian. If you're going to waste any more of my time, I'll hand out another Demerit Point."
Who the hell is Demian, you nerd.
I'm not entirely sure, but I can tell from context that this is some kind of university. That professor must be mistaking me for a student called 'Demian.'
For now, let me just sit down.
I'd feel bad for that Demian kid if I racked up even more Demerit Points on his behalf.
What an exotic name—is he an exchange student?
Having taken the seat the professor pointed me to, I quietly struck up a conversation with the girl sitting next to me.
"Excuse me. Hey."
"Y-y-yes?!"
Oh no. I startled her.
But this student also had something of an exotic appearance.
Sky-blue hair and sky-blue eyes.
Too natural-looking to be dyed.
Is this an international school?
"W-w-why, why are you talking to me?"
A stumbling reply came back—she was clearly very nervous.
This was hopeless for getting a proper answer.
Well, of course she'd be flustered if a strange guy suddenly sat next to her and started talking. Even if the professor was the one who told me to sit there.
I wonder if there's anything that might help her relax.
Come to think of it, I had some gum in my pocket……
"Hm?"
My pocket felt oddly heavy, so I checked inside—and found a fistful of what looked like Gold Coins.
Oh. This is that thing. The Gold Coin Chocolate that was popular when I was a kid.
At that moment, one old embarrassing memory came to mind.
Back when I didn't know my own limit.
Dead drunk, passing by a stationery shop, I had, for some reason, walked right in and committed the atrocity of buying every last piece of Gold Coin Chocolate they had.
According to eyewitness testimony (my younger sister), I had apparently collapsed to the floor while shouting, "Heh, heheh. G-gold! I'm rich!" in a drunken stupor.
Don't tell me, again?
'Damn it. What were you thinking? Yesterday-me.'
Could it be that I got wasted, wandered into some nearby university, and just passed out?
Damn it. This is exactly why I don't drink.
My drunk behavior is so bad I can't handle it.
……Wait? Did I even drink yesterday? I was definitely at home—
"Shit."
"Eek?!"
"Oh. Hey. Sorry for startling you. Want one of these?"
"P-pardon?"
I pulled out one of the Gold Coin Chocolates stuffed in my pocket and held it out to her.
Oh. She might be wary of food from a stranger.
"Th-that, is that, a Gold Coin?"
"I'm giving it to you, so just take it. I've got plenty."
"R-r-really, is this really real?! For someone like me, something like this……"
"'Someone like me'?"
What an odd way to speak. Is that how kids talk these days?
"Th-tha, thank you. Um."
"So, what's your name, friend?"
Oh. Is it sexual harassment to ask a strange girl for her name?
It probably isn't, but it makes me nervous for no reason. The world's been such a scary place lately.
Surely I won't get reported for this.
No. Even if I do get reported, it'll be for trespassing drunk into someone else's school. Let's not worry too far ahead.
"I-I'm, my name is Si-a. Lee Si-a."
"Si-a?"
Oh. She was Korean.
Then is the hair dyed? Well, even for a foreigner, sky-blue hair is a bit strange.
"Um, by the way, where is this?"
"Pardon? It's a classroom……?"
"No. Like, the name of the area, or the name of this school. I guess kids these days are more used to street addresses."
"Pardon?"
"What's the name of this school?"
"Th-that, well, if you're asking for the name of the Academy… it's Lucid Academy."
"……Hm?"
Lucid Academy?
A strangely familiar name had just come out of her mouth.
'That's…… the name of a game I played.'
I'd heard that name before.
No. More than just heard it. I had been playing that very game just yesterday.
And with that, the hazy memories began to return.
I clutched my throbbing head and traced the memories as they grew clearer, piece by piece.
. . .
[CLEAR]
[Ending: Demon King Slayer]
"Ah. I wonder if there's some interesting new Build."
Lucid Academy.
A multi-run roguelike RPG game set in an academy.
"Heavenly Demon, Hero, Trickster, Beast Tamer, Glass Cannon, Hypnotist—I've tried all the famous Builds at least once, so there's nothing left to do."
In this game, you use a limited resource called 'Trait Points' to build various Builds and challenge the ending.
These 'Trait Points' can be increased through 'Penalties'—essentially weaknesses—so it was important to pick and focus wisely to earn as many Trait Points as possible.
"Let me pick all the Penalties first and figure out the rest from there."
After starting a new game, I scrolled through the screen and selected every Penalty that gave the most 'Trait Points.'
The plan was to pick all the Penalties first, and if progression became impossible, remove them one by one.
[Penalty: Mana Runaway]
[Casting failure probability for all Magic-type skills fixed at maximum. Casting Failure penalty increased by 200%.]
[* An uncontrollable power is like cola with a Mentos dropped in.]
A Penalty that forces you to give up the strength of Magic-type classes—'superior crisis management ability.'
A mage who keeps blowing up her own spells can barely even qualify as a Glass Cannon.
[Penalty: Blocked Energy Channels]
[Proficiency of all Martial Arts-type skills fixed at 'High.']
[* Sharp mind, but no epiphany. You understand it, but it's nothing new.]
A Penalty that surrenders the strength of Martial Arts-type classes—'high combat ceiling.'
Having Proficiency for all Martial Arts-type skills fixed at 'High' acts as an advantage early on, but becomes useless past the midgame.
[Penalty: Bad Luck (Strong)]
[Negative Modifier applied to all probability-based items and probability-based skills.]
[* A die that always rolls a 1—isn't that actually good luck in its own way?]
The Dice-type classes are all sealed off too.
These probability-based skills are a favorite among dopamine-addicted players for the incredible highs they can bring, but they were never my style.
[Penalty: Psychic Core Corruption]
[Resource consumption of skills using mental energy as a resource increased by 200%.]
[* You've got a bad headache. Need some aspirin?]
Giving up on Psychic Ability-type classes too, with their high resource efficiency as their strength.
Mental energy has higher resource efficiency than other combat resources, but precisely because of that, the downside of fully depleting it is equally severe—so it was hard to spend recklessly.
[Penalty: Slow Learner]
[Stat increases through repetitive actions and training: disabled.]
[* Instead of working out, why not sleep more? Or take a walk, watch TV, or play a game. Enjoy a leisurely life.]
[Penalty: No-Kill Principle]
[Experience Points gained through hunting: disabled.]
[* No grand conviction. Just inefficient, that's all.]
Grinding raw stats through leveling up or training is sealed off too.
[Penalty: Pushover]
[Currency and item acquisition through quests, missions, expeditions, etc.: disabled.]
[* The common term for this is being a pushover. Do I hear a black cow crying somewhere?]
All secondary rewards obtainable through missions: gone too.
Looking at it up to this point, it's the worst weak-character setup imaginable—every possible avenue of growth is blocked.
Now, I had to cancel a few Penalties and decide on a Build to develop the character with.
For example, canceling 'Mana Runaway' and pouring all remaining Trait Points into Magic-type traits to create a pure Magic Glass Cannon.
But.
At that moment, a strange idea flashed through my head.
"Hmm? Wait, let me calculate the Trait Points I've stacked up……"
Various 'Traits' surfaced and disappeared again in my mind.
There was no need to check the Traits list.
I had already memorized every single Trait and its required points.
"I think it works out if I pick these."
Without canceling a single Penalty, I moved straight to the Trait selection screen.
And.
I began purchasing the Traits I had in mind, one by one.
[Wealth (Large)]
[Start the game in possession of 1,000,000,000G.]
[* Gold. More gold. Yellow and heavy. Need I say more?]
[Spendthrift]
[Affinity Points gained through 'gifts' increased.]
[* What does it take for a relationship to deepen? Sincere conversation. A cup of black tea. A VITA-Box. Oh. Forget that last one.]
Wealth. A Trait that determines how much Gold you start the game with.
Not a particularly popular Trait. Given the nature of RPGs, Currency Inflation tends to run rampant, and top-tier gear can't be bought from shops anyway. It's standard practice to pick only Wealth (Small) for the gold-related Traits.
But I boldly selected the Trait that lets you start with the maximum possible Gold.
Money is everything! I love money!
On top of that, I also selected the 'Spendthrift' Trait to boost the efficiency of the Wealth Trait.
The higher the Affinity Points, the easier it is to recruit companions, and if Affinity Points with a companion exceed a certain threshold, you can also receive special buff effects.
[Golden Generation]
[Growth potential of all friendly and neutral NPCs fixed at maximum.]
[* Your companions, friends, rivals, enemies—all blessed with the finest talent! You, though? There has to be a last place for there to be a first.]
Golden Generation. A Trait that raises the ceiling of NPCs.
In place of the player character, whose growth ceiling is capped by all those stacked Penalties, it sets NPC potential to its maximum.
There's a minor downside in that the potential of neutral NPCs who could turn hostile also increases, but if you're going to raise companions, this Trait is essential.
[Non-Aggression]
['Non-aggression' applied to all hostile monsters.]
[* My dog doesn't bite! Well, that is, as long as you don't bite first.]
[Potion Addiction]
[Effects of all 'Potions' amplified by 200%. Potion cooldown removed.]
[* Excessive Potion abuse is, on the contrary, good for your health.]
Non-Aggression. Potion Addiction.
These 2 Traits cut off any chance of 'sudden death' caused by low combat stats at the source.
The 'Non-Aggression' Trait prevents ambushes, and even if damage is taken, the 'Potion Addiction' Trait allows for rapid recovery.
With the Wealth (Large) Trait, Potions can be bought from the shop in any quantity.
[Comfort Doll]
[During any type of positive interaction, nullifies Mental Status Ailments of the corresponding NPC.]
[* Holding it when you're anxious makes you feel better.]
[Growth Totem]
[Proficiency growth of friendly NPCs adjacent to the user increased.]
[* Just being nearby makes them stronger—perfect to keep in your pocket.]
Finally, I selected the 2 Traits essential for companion development.
With that, the remaining Trait Points hit 0.
"Wow. That fits perfectly."
Having allocated every Trait Point to good use, I pressed the start game button—and lost consciousness.
. . .
Right. Memory recovery complete.
My mind had grown a little clearer through the process of recalling the memories. Only then did the murmuring voices around me reach my ears.
"Is that him?"
"I heard he bribed the admissions examiner with money."
"Should I go ask him for just 1 Gold……"
"Bribing your way into an Academy that trains Heroes—is he actually insane?"
"Leave him. He'll give up soon enough once he can't handle the training."
Alright.
If all of this isn't some massive film set, then the conclusion is one of 2 things.
Either I'm having an incredibly vivid dream—
'Am I… possessing someone?'
Or the surreal event of Soul Transmigration into a game has come upon me.
The more likely possibility is that all of this is a dream, but the vivid sensations and sharp intuition were screaming that all of this was real.
"……But why of all people, 'Demian'?"
And once I recognized that I had transmigrated into the game, only then could I recall who 'Demian' was.
An arrogant fool who believed money could solve everything.
A cheap villain destined in the main story to be taught a harsh lesson by the protagonist.
That was 'Demian Darmore.'
In other words, a third-rate thug who gets beaten up by the protagonist.
"Could it be because of the Traits I selected in the game before transmigrating?"
Wealth (Large). A Trait that lets you start with an enormous amount of starting Gold.
The character that fits it best is 'Demian,' so perhaps that's why I woke up in this world possessing Demian's body.
Having reached that conclusion, only then did I realize what I had done.
"……Wait. Am I screwed?"
I haven't even tested this Build once yet.
Normally, crafting a new Build requires hundreds of trial and error runs.
Meaning, deaths and restarts.
But survive on 'reality difficulty' with an extreme Build that hasn't even been cleared and verified?
"Oh."
That sounds like an absolute blast. Let's get started right now.