Chapter 96
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Zekiel 223.38 (3)
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Congratulations. You are in 1st place overall.
Shattered scarecrow, notification proclaiming 1st place.
"... "
Silence lingered inside the training grounds for quite some time.
"...Master."
Seina asked without taking her eyes off the wreckage.
"How on earth did you do that?"
"What you saw is everything. I just used magic."
1st place, Verd.
At any rate, it seemed he'd averted the catastrophe of the emperor's name sinking into the lower ranks. Even with a mediocre job and appearance, this would count as respectable specs.
Seina still sounded like she couldn't wrap her head around it.
"A job like Loafer putting out that kind of power? There shouldn't be any bonuses to spellcasting or elemental manipulation, so the damage output should've been way lower for it to be normal..."
She scrutinized him from head to toe.
"Did you maybe get a hidden job?"
"Hidden job? What's that?"
"Think of it as a perk. It's a job so superior even top-tier ones can't compare. Tons of bonuses for all sorts of activities."
It was a plausible guess, but when he checked, it was the opposite.
[Loafer]
─You find activities bothersome.
─You lack motivation for everything.
─All action power reduced by 40%
Despite being saddled with all sorts of curses, he'd claimed 1st place. He had a vague idea of the cause.
'Constitution adjustment?'
The Black World had flagged his constitution as an error and patched it arbitrarily. Being a virtual world made fixes possible.
That was probably having a massive impact.
At the same time, faint possibilities stirred in his mind.
'Then, if I fix this constitution in reality too...'
By the time he gathered Sunweed bit by bit and broke free of his terminal prognosis, Zekiel might reach an unimaginable height.
It was bound to happen.
Just imagining it filled him with happiness.
His resolve to obtain Sunweed grew even stronger.
Meanwhile, Seina still looked shell-shocked.
"It's a hidden job, right? Right?"
"Hm..."
"I've been playing Black World for years, but my master who just started today is stronger? That doesn't make sense. It has to be a hidden job. Right?"
"... "
A faint desperation flickered across her face.
Was it the pride of a Black World veteran?
She didn't want to be overtaken by a total newbie, wanted to at least play the senior here... Her complex emotions were plain in her eyes.
As he held off on answering.
Flutter flutter flutter─!
A flock of crows flew toward them.
"Oh? Operators."
Seina's eyes widened.
"Operators?"
"A new ego suddenly snagging 1st place—they're probably checking it out. Since it's a virtual world, some egos occasionally try to distort and exploit it."
"What happens to those bad egos?"
"Permanent ban, obviously."
Caw! Caw!
Five or six crows circled him, scanning him from his pupils outward, inch by inch.
"Master, did you maybe...?"
"I didn't exploit anything."
"Phew~ To play such a nasty prank, you really wanted to beat this disciple that badly, huh?"
Seina actually looked relieved.
In moments like this, she shed her Cyan Spire elder persona for pure girl-next-door charm—it was pretty cute, honestly.
Unfortunately, he truly hadn't exploited anything.
[Scanning...]
[No anomalies.]
[Unauthorized interference, exploitation. None detected.]
Flutter flutter─!
The operator crows finished up and vanished swiftly.
"Huh...?"
Seina stared blankly at their retreating forms.
"No way... After all I've poured into this..."
"Your job's Singer, right? Could be weak."
"Master's job is Loafer..."
"... "
She drooped her arms and head like a ghoul freshly risen from a corpse.
As he pondered how to console her.
"...Master!"
She suddenly grabbed his hand.
"You absolutely can't abandon me! You have to stay with me until I become a great freezing sorceress!"
"What's this all of a sudden?"
"It's not sudden. Achieving 1st without any exploitation means... your ice is so great it ignores all those bad conditions, right?"
Seina's eyes sparkled.
"Overcoming adversity is the spirit of the Snow Ghost!"
"... "
"Be with me! For life!"
"I'll help with training, so calm down first."
"For real?"
"Yeah."
"Really? Really!"
"Ask one more time and I'll ditch you."
"Eep...!"
Seina clamped her mouth shut and cleared her throat.
"Anyway, Master, you've hit 1st place, so no more random kicks from anywhere. Great news."
"Yeah. What's next?"
"Only the thing you've been dying for."
Seina winked with one eye.
"Shall we go? To get Magic Tower info!"
They arrived in front of the social club building.
Seina smiled brightly at him.
"Ta-da, we'll get info from here on out."
She beckoned, and two massive guards approached. They seemed to recognize her immediately, likely from frequent visits.
"Seingna, same as always today?"
"Yep. I want to attend the secret assembly."
"Secret assembly... You're not alone today."
The guard narrowed his eyes.
"Seingna. You know the rules, right? Can't bring guests to the secret assembly."
"Think I'd forget? It's not a plus-one."
"Then..."
As the guards moved to shove him away.
"I'm transferring a secret assembly ticket."
"...Transferring?"
The guards' eyes bulged simultaneously.
"Transferring? A secret assembly ticket?"
"You're the first to suggest a transfer. Few understand the huge privilege of access like you do."
"Enough chit-chat? Just do the transfer."
But Seina's attitude was unyieldingly firm.
"Hmph, fine. We'll process it right away."
The two guards' gazes finally turned to him.
"Hey, name?"
"Verd."
"... "
A brief silence fell.
"... "
The guards exchanged looks, then glanced back and forth between him and Seina. Their eyes brimmed with bewilderment and disbelief.
"...What was the name again?"
"The one you just heard is right."
Unable to believe it, they even sent a friend request, confirming the three letters matching the emperor's name before clicking their tongues.
"Damn, not a joke—it's real."
"Better if it was a joke by a mile. What possessed you to use that name?"
Perhaps the name alone instilled massive fear; the guards grew wary yet extremely deferential in a dramatic shift...
But it didn't last.
"Job?"
"Loafer."
"Login days, level."
"First time today, level 1."
"... "
The guards' attitudes flipped again.
This time, not trembling in fear, but faces like they'd encountered a scumbag ego and were utterly exasperated.
"Seingna, what the hell is this trash?"
"Looks like a malicious ego. Report him now..."
Thankfully, Seina jumped in quickly.
"Give him a pass—hidden job owner, so his history's unique. Wanna see the scarecrow damage rankings? My companion's the overall 1st in Black World."
At the same time, Seina sent a mental message.
─Master, mind if I just say it's a hidden job? Too hard to explain in detail.
The guards quickly checked the damage rankings.
1 second.
5 seconds.
10 seconds.
"... "
Their expressions shifted by the moment until they nodded, everything clicking into place.
"...It's real. This guy's actually 1st."
"Day one login and straight to top damage? What insane hidden job did he snag? Grand Archmage or something?"
Grand Archmage.
Zekiel murmured the word to himself.
It had a nice ring. The kind of height he one day absolutely wanted to reach. Not impossible by any means.
"What level of handover details do you want?"
"As thorough as possible, please."
"Got it."
The guard nodded.
"See that top floor of the social club?"
His finger pointed to the 4th floor.
"Truth is, there's one more above it. VIPs only—that's where the secret assemblies happen."
"What's the secret assembly exactly?"
The guard glanced at Seina.
"What, you really know nothing?"
Seina just shrugged. Like, don't mind her, do your job right.
The guard grumbled reluctantly before speaking.
"Even without full backgrounds, it's a gathering of top-status mages from reality. Incredibly valuable info flows freely."
"That valuable?"
"Of course, when only elites gather. No Imperial Tower oversight either. No holding back on any talk."
"Sounds like they totally shun the Imperial Tower."
"Hah..."
The guard furrowed his brow at Zekiel's words. Like, what a ridiculous question.
"Most info's sensitive. Perfect fodder for Imperial Tower trouble. Who'd invite that in common sense?"
"Yeah, figured as much."
Zekiel nodded quietly.
He hadn't asked out of ignorance. Just reconfirming before entry.
"Hey, you."
The guard grabbed Zekiel as he moved to enter.
"Seems you just lucked into Seingna's connection and a good job... Be careful. More VIPs than you think."
"VIPs, huh."
Hard to imagine anyone more VIP than him.
Zekiel muttered that as he climbed the stairs.
Creeeak─
Zekiel finally reached the 5th floor.
The interior was narrower than expected, with only a massive round table. Not many people—just five in sight.
"Hahaha!"
"So, what I'm saying is, I..."
Thud—thud—
Lively chatter filled the air, but it cut off instantly at Zekiel's footsteps. All heads snapped toward him.
"... "
Observant, guarded stares.
"...Wasn't it Seingna's turn today?"
"New face."
Their tones dripped hostility.
Truly an ultra-exclusive gathering—newcomers were clearly persona non grata.
"Who's that?"
"I'll check."
One stepped forward: an elf-eared mage with reindeer antlers sprouting from her head.
She swiftly scanned him top to bottom.
"...Job's Loafer, level a measly 1?"
Short words, big ripple. Doubt spread across the others' faces instantly.
"No way Seingna transferred to some bonehead like this. How'd he get in?"
She muttered, then suddenly gawked wide-eyed.
"Wha, wh-what...?"
Blinking in disbelief repeatedly.
"Alias, it's an alias...? Everyone, look at this...!"
The five clustered quickly, checking the alias Reindeer Antlers displayed. Shock bloomed across their faces like spreading ink.
"You can just use an alias like that?"
"...Obviously not."
"Then what's this guy?"
Moments later, Reindeer Antlers' face darkened twice over.
"Hey, bonehead. Spill it straight. What cowardly trick did you pull to find this place?"
She even strode right up to Zekiel.
"Better be honest. There's an Imperial Tower mage here. We can dig up your whole profile and punish you... What'll it be?"
Zekiel snorted inwardly.
'Imperial Tower mage, my ass.'
Ah, it might not be a lie. Now that Zekiel had set foot in the secret assembly hall.
But Reindeer Antlers' antics were outrageous.
Impersonating Imperial Tower to scare newbies and pry info—textbook malicious ego behavior.
"Think I've only seen one or two scum like you? This is your one chance to confess."
"Imperial Tower, huh. Scary, my voice is shaking."
His voice did shake.
Not from fear—from laughter.
Zekiel casually raised both hands.
"I got the chance via damage rankings approval. Seingna transferred it to me."
"Damage rankings? A day-one scrub with what damage..."
But Reindeer Antlers' words halted.
Zekiel's ranking boldly showed 1st.
"...Wha-what the? 1st? How?!"
Reindeer Antlers' eyes doubled in size.
"What? Exploiting? Why this guy of all people!"
She glared daggers in utter disbelief.
"Hey, bonehead! How'd you do it?!"
Zekiel just shrugged.
"Pretended it was your mom and smashed it."
Virtual world, virtual avatar—didn't erase his mischievous streak.
Standing here was Zekiel.
The real deal.
"...It shattered so easily, didn't it?"