In a secret underground space, several people wearing black robes and bizarre masks were kneeling and looking down at the ground.
Ashad, a high-ranking member of the Cult who resembled a martial arts master from a wuxia novel, slowly scanned the group and began to speak.
“So, have you heard the news?”
“…”
Their reaction indicated that they didn’t know.
Ashad continued, “It seems that Vilg failed the assassination and was killed instead. I didn’t expect him to fail against a mere noble brat like David von Kaine.”
At this news, the members of the Cult were all shocked.
It was understandable, as Vilg, despite being one of the weaker members in terms of combat ability, was a top-tier assassin.
For him to fail in assassinating a mere noble and then be killed was unexpected.
Ashad ignored their reaction and continued,“Anyway, I didn’t call you here to deliver this news. Let’s get to the main topic. Soon, the Royal Academy will have an evaluation period, and we will carry out a terrorist attack during that time.”
At this, the members of the Cult laughed greedily. Ashad ignored their reaction and continued,
“So, for a while, don’t cause any trouble and take care of your condition. That way, you won’t disappoint His Highness.”
“Yes!”
“Okay, then. Each of you, return to your respective positions.”
With that, the members of the Cult, except for Ashad, returned to their assigned tasks.
.
.
.
Three weeks had passed since the unexpected crisis.
During that time, many things had happened.
First, let’s talk about the status window.
David von Kaine.
Age: 20.
Traits: Game-like abilities, Return by Death.
Talents: Magical Power, Delusion.
Points: 500.
Somehow, the talent section now included Magical Power and Delusion, in addition to the game-like abilities.
Well, the addition of Magical Power made sense, as I had been practicing magic tirelessly since my possession, but where did Delusion come from?
Maybe it’s because of my image visualization.
If that’s the case, it makes sense.
After all, I visualize images more efficiently than most mages, so it’s not strange for this trait to appear.
In a way, image visualization can be considered a form of delusion.
But why is it called ‘Delusion’?
With this name, people might think I’m a chuunibyou who fantasizes about beating up delinquents at night.
Anyway, aside from the talents,
the points have also decreased.
The reason is obvious; after making Ortein a eunuch, I gained 1,000 points, bringing my total to 2,000 points.
With these points, I purchased an item from the Cash Shop, and it was a permanent item!
In the world of the Leiston Continent, this was equivalent to a top-tier item, something that was hard to come by, let alone obtain.
Indeed, paying to win is the way to go.
I wanted to take out the item and lick my lips, but unfortunately, I couldn’t do that during class.
As I was feeling disappointed, William yawned and said,
“Alright, let’s talk about the evaluation period.”
Finally, it’s here.
It took a long time after my possession, almost two months, for the main episode of the game to begin.
Hmm, I feel a bit strange.
I had always perceived this world as a game, but now that the main episode was about to begin, it felt even more real.
As I was feeling a mix of emotions, William spoke with a nonchalant expression,
“The evaluation period is for all first-year students. However, it’s not done all at once; it’s divided into two parts: the first and second evaluations. And it’s not done individually; students are grouped into teams of three. Any questions so far?”
At this, Jenny raised her hand and asked,
“Me! Me!”
“Go ahead.”
“Is there any advantage to taking the first evaluation over the second?”
Hmm, that’s a sharp question.
Jenny was usually a playful and talkative person, but this time, she asked a surprisingly sharp question.
Not just me, but everyone except William looked at Jenny with surprise.
William nodded and answered,
“Well, of course, there’s an advantage. For the first evaluation, students will take the test without any information, so to ensure fairness, we’ll give extra points to those who take the first evaluation.”
Hearing this, the students all looked like they wanted to take the first evaluation.
William, anticipating this, continued,
“However, it’s not an absolute advantage. The extra points from the first evaluation won’t make up for a significant gap.”
Well, that’s obvious.
If the points were too high, students would do anything to take the first evaluation.
Then, those who had to take the second evaluation would complain that it was unfair.
So, it’s best to give a moderate amount of extra points.
At William’s words, most students sighed in disappointment and returned to their thoughtful expressions.
Eileen, unlike the others, raised her hand with a blank expression and asked,
“This is Elijah Von Eileen . Professor, where will the evaluation take place?”
“Well, the Royal Academy has a separate practice facility. For fairness, I can’t tell you more than that.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Okay, so the explanation is over. From now until the end of class, you can form groups of three with whoever you want. Once the evaluation date and groups are decided, the group leader should come to my office and report.”
William bowed and left the classroom, leaving the students to their own devices.
He should have been present as the mentor for Class A, but he quickly ran off to his office, using the evaluation as an excuse.
I’m sure he’s sleeping in his office, drooling all over himself.
As soon as William left, the students all stood up and approached their friends.
It’s the same everywhere; even on Earth, it was a rule to form groups with your friends for evaluations like this.
Here, too, students were either already in groups or looking for one more member.
But I was different…
Why isn’t anyone coming to me?
Of course, it could be because students were afraid of me, knowing I was Kaine, but it had been a month since the start of the semester.
It wouldn’t be strange if the image from the first semester had faded by now.
As I sat there, feeling anxious like a typical loner,
“Um, excuse me.”
Someone approached me cautiously.
“…”
I turned towards the sound, and
“Hiiik! Sorry, I think I mistook you for someone else.”
With that, the girl quickly ran away with her friend.
Why? Am I some kind of monster?
The way they ran away made it seem like they had encountered a giant monster, not mistaken me for someone else.
I felt a bit wronged.
Calm down.
It hadn’t even been a minute since William left.
It was clear that the students weren’t coming to me because they weren’t close to me.
Yes, that’s definitely it!
.
.
.
Thirty minutes had passed since William left.
Damn, I can’t understand why they’re prioritizing friends over grades in such an important evaluation.
In my time, we would do anything to get good grades!
If their parents saw this, they would definitely sigh in disappointment.
No, I’m not the only one thinking this.
Feeling a bit bitter, I turned my head towards Eileen.
Unlike me, she was surrounded by students, being invited to join their groups.
Damn you, popular kids!
As I was cursing them inwardly,
[The goddess of fate is pleased that there are no women near you.]
Hmm, I understand the jealousy, but why is she pleased about it?
Well, the constellation is in a position to have a crush, so I can understand her thoughts, but even so, she’s saying that she’s pleased that I don’t have any friends.
That constellation is definitely enjoying my situation of being an outcast in the Academy.
There’s no way such a trashy thought would come to mind otherwise.
As I silently cursed the constellation, Eileen stood up and walked towards me.
What? Why is she coming to me? Does she want to show off that she’s popular?
Of course, that’s not Eileen’s personality, but after sitting alone for thirty minutes, it’s not strange for me to think this.
Damn, I feel a bit pathetic.
“What, do you have something to say to me?”
“Kaine, have you found your group members yet?”
Hmm, is she making fun of me?
It’s obvious that I’m alone, so why ask?
I’m sure it’s because of the date incident three weeks ago; she’s probably trying to get back at me.
As I stared at her without saying anything,
“I’m sorry. I just thought it would be polite to ask.”
Eileen realized her mistake and apologized.
“It’s okay… So, why did you ask?”
“Oh, if you’re alone, would you like to join our group?”
Hmm, so she wants me to join her and Jenny’s group.
From the way she’s talking, it seems like she’s been rejecting other students’ invitations.
In terms of evaluation grades, it wouldn’t be bad to be carried by Eileen.
But the problem is that I don’t want to get involved with her.
I’ve already suffered enough from the butterfly effect.
Originally Kim Soo-yong would have defeated Ogtein at the beginning of the semester, but I had to fight him instead because of his jealousy over my relationship with Eileen.
And because of that, I had to commit suicide five times.
Now, if I get closer to Eileen during the main episode, I’m sure something bad will happen.
I can guarantee that it won’t end well.
Of course, in the first main episode, another heroine, Lane, will play a major role, but even so, it’s not a good idea to get involved.
Yes, I should reject this offer.
I don’t know what might happen if I accept.
As I was about to reject her,
“♪♬♩”
The bell signaling the end of class rang, as if by some dog-like coincidence.
At the same time, the students all stood up and left the classroom.
Only three people remained in the classroom: me, Eileen, and Jenny.
Damn, is this really a coincidence?
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