This Actually Really Works
Three years had passed.
“Oppaaaa.”
“Yo.”
“Oppaaaaaaa.”
“...”
Lucia clung tightly to my body and refused to let go.
“Lucia, I have to go now.”
“Yeah.”
“Then I have to let you go.”
“I don’t want to.”
She had her face buried in my chest and showed no sign of moving.
I glanced down.
Back then, the little guy had been tiny, but now he had grown quite a bit.
His height had shot up, and his once childish face had matured quite a bit. Long silver hair cascading down with crimson eyes.
A face of confident beauty.
His body had grown properly too. Well, not in the weird sense, but in the chest area.
...That was the weird sense.
“Lucia.”
“Yeah.”
“You know how long you've been doing this?”
“I don't know.”
She must not have gone through puberty yet.
Normally, at this age, she should be annoyed just by having her oppa in the same space.
-Rubbing, rubbing.
Lucia burrowed deeper into my arms, rubbing her cheek against my chest.
“Hehe.”
This wasn't puberty, it felt like regression had set in.
I sighed and stroked Lucia's hair.
-Stroke.
“Oppa's scent.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I want to remember it.”
“I'm not going to die today, am I?”
“But we can't see each other every day from now on.”
“...”
“I haven't even taken the exam yet.”
“But.”
Lucia put more strength in her arms.
Yeah, after sticking to me almost every day for three years, it would be tough to suddenly let go.
Me too.
“I'll come often.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Since it's a dormitory, I probably won't be able to come during vacation, but I'll have to soothe her for now.
Lucia spread one finger.
“Once a week.”
“Why go to the academy then?”
“Twice.”
“It increased.”
“Three times.”
“Hey.”
I finally grabbed Lucia's shoulder and forcibly pulled her away.
“Okay, it's really over now.”
“...”
Lucia looked sad, letting go of my clothes. Then she pondered for a moment, lifted her head.
“Then if I take the exam today, can we sleep together at night?”
“...Okay.”
“Hehe.”
Only then did Lucia obediently let go, and I received my family's farewell and boarded the carriage.
-Clunk.
After a few hours.
“Young master, we have arrived.”
“Yeah.”
I opened the carriage door and got out immediately. The entrance was already bustling with people taking the exam.
“Applicants, please prepare your exam tickets!”
The instructor's voice came from afar.
I took the exam ticket from my pocket and mixed into the crowd.
I can look around later.
Just hang in there.
『Everyone Has a Plan』
Claim first place in the practical exam.
Reward: Random A-rank skill
Failure: Demon descends upon your head.
At the training ground of Rubellion Academy, above.
One of the professors flipping through the list while looking down at the applicants.
“The third prince of the empire.”
One sheet.
“Son of the Sword Saint.”
Another.
“Even the saint candidate.”
“What a bountiful year.”
“Yeah. If it's like this, at least one──”
“Don't say useless things.”
A sharp voice cut in from the side.
Erika was standing with arms crossed, looking down.
“This isn't a place where you enter based on your name value.”
“...You're as always.”
“I'm listening to the praise.”
One professor let out a small laugh.
Erika was the professor who had flunked the most applicants in the entrance exam so far.
She was more interested in finding unqualified students than finding good ones.
“But those three are not to be expected?”
“You'll see when you look.”
Erika closed the list.
“If you're lucky, you'll pass.”
Her gaze went down.
“If not, you'll fail.”
“From now on, the practical exam will begin.”
The noisy applicants fell silent.
The exam is a way to measure scores by attacking the magic engineering dummies placed in front.
In the center of the exam hall.
The dummies were lined up at regular intervals.
Erika's lips curved up just a little. It was the item she designed herself.
“Simple, isn't it?”
“That's why it's good.”
Whether sword, magic, bow, or anything, it doesn't matter. In the end, what you have to show is one thing.
How strong are you?
Ready.
Ten applicants each picked up their weapons.
Beep.
-Boom!
Beep.
-Thwack!
Beep.
-Fizz!
Numbers floated above the dummies.
[48,231]
[62,104]
[91,557]
[103,882]
“One hundred thousand points.”
“Not bad from the first group.”
Erika scanned the scores without much reaction. One hundred thousand points is enough for passing.
But it wasn't surprising.
“Next applicants, please come forward.”
So the exam proceeded quickly.
Ten at a time.
Another ten.
Occasionally, when an applicant exceeded one hundred thousand, short evaluations came from the professors.
“Eh.”
The professor looking at the list leaned forward.
“This group.”
Erika also looked down.
Ten applicants were walking towards the exam hall.
Among them, the red-haired one that stood out.
Son of the Sword Saint, Evan Lowell.
Upon hearing that name, the professors' gazes naturally turned to Evan.
“Son of the Sword Saint.”
“This is the first time seeing it directly.”
Evan didn't care about the surrounding gazes and stood in front of the dummy.
And next to him.
Another black-haired applicant also walked out to his seat.
“That student wasn't good.”
“Why?”
“Coincidentally, right next to him.”
“Ah.”
Another professor nodded as if understanding.
“It can't be helped.”
Beep.
It was Evan’s turn.
-Swoosh.
Red light spread along the sword.
“Aura.”
“As expected, son of the Sword Saint.”
Evan lifted the sword without much preparation.
And swung it down.
-Kwaaaang!
A sound that didn't compare to the previous applicants echoed through the exam hall.
[412,853]
There was a brief silence among the professors.
“Forty thousand?”
“Is that a student's score?”
Erika's eyes narrowed for the first time. Much higher than expected.
“Impressive.”
“If it's like that, the top spot this year is almost decided, isn't it?”
Erika stared at the score for a moment.
“...It seems likely.”
She wasn't one to easily admit, but she couldn't deny a score like that.
Beep.
The sound signaling the next turn rang out.
But.
Nothing happened.
The black-haired applicant stood blankly in front of the dummy.
“Why aren't you attacking?”
“Are you nervous after seeing the previous student's score?”
The professors' gazes gathered in one place. But he still didn't move.
Then he dropped the sword and approached the dummy.
“...?”
-Swoosh.
He stroked the dummy's head once.
-Stroke stroke.
Once more.
“What... are you doing right now?”
Upon closer look, he seemed to be muttering something to himself.
When Erika focused mana in her ears, the distant voice became clearer.
“It was pretty scary, wasn't it?”
“...?”
-Pat pat.
“It's okay, you've worked hard so far.”
At that moment.
[999,999,999]
“...”
“One hundred million...?”
I hate being noticed.
...Really.
Why the hell are you pouring salt on my painful wound? I had dreams too.
How beautiful is the back of someone who knows exactly when it's time to go...
Shit, but the one going is me?
It's unfair enough that the previous applicant is Evan, and now the quest is going crazy.
Evan Lowell.
In the game, that guy was insanely strong. If you put him in a party, he solo'd 2-3 people.
Moreover, his face was handsome and his personality was good.
'How am I supposed to beat this guy.'
Of course, I'm not weak now either. I've been grinding like crazy for three years, and even with the Third-Rate trait, there are a lot of things stacked up.
The problem is the top spot.
'Why do I have to be first?'
If I keep second, I'll remember it.
“Hey? You use swords too?”
At that time, Evan spoke first.
“Yeah, that's right.”
“I'm Evan.”
“Rian Marque.”
Evan muttered my name once, then extended his hand.
“Nice to meet you.”
“...Yeah.”
Whoa, a handshake between guys?
I lightly shook his hand.
Still, his personality was good. He greeted me first when seeing a stranger.
It's not like he did anything wrong, but I just don't like it. If I were to be born as a big-breasted smiley girl, it would be better.
“Next applicants, please come forward.”
“Our turn.”
“Yeah.”
Please, do it moderately.
[412,853]
Liha ha ha ha!
I'm an emotionless psychopath, so I don't react to this. Or does laughter come out?
“...”
I glared at Evan.
Hey, you bastard. If the demon descends because of you, are you taking responsibility?
Beep.
It was my turn.
Can I exceed that score by attacking normally?
Without thinking, it's impossible.
I thought of another way in my head, but whether it would work was a gamble.
But what to do.
'I have to try.'
I put down the sword I was holding and walked in front of the dummy.
The dummy that was often called the damage meter in the game. It was used to check the performance of skills or equipment.
And this guy had one weird bug. If you pat the head instead of attacking and soothe it, the score goes to the maximum.
Whether it's a bug or the creator's prank, this was the only hope right now.
-Swoosh.
“It was pretty scary, wasn't it?”
-Pat pat.
“It's okay, you've worked hard so far.”
And a moment later.
[999,999,999]
Oh.
It really works.