bookpower Chapter 50
Chapter 50
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
Chapter 50
"Hey, have you heard? About the new Deconstructionist Department professor?"
It was only the second day of the new semester, but rumors about him were already spreading like wildfire throughout the academy.
"They say Professor D took down the Phantom Thief. And with Sword Saint, too."
"That's the thief the military association couldn't catch. How did he do it?"
"That's not all. Apparently, he's so skilled that Sword Saint was so impressed she's quitting the Emission Department and joining the Deconstructionist Department."
"Sword Saint is changing her major? What kind of person is this professor?"
Students were buzzing all day about the new professor who had arrived with such a scandalous reputation.
Little did they know that the professor's office was right above them.
"...This is going as expected."
I closed the window, listening to the chatter outside.@@@@
Two days had passed since I defeated the Phantom Thief. As expected, the incident had a far greater impact than it did in the 138th playthrough. The thief's death had caused a huge sensation, and both Sword Saint and I were receiving interview requests from various media outlets.
Of course, neither Sword Saint nor I were doing any interviews. Someone had blocked all their attempts.
"Didn't I tell you? Professor Do would be a great asset to the Masterclass? To make such a great achievement right after joining the academy! I have an eye for talent, don't I? Hahahaha!"
The vice principal was going around to reporters, claiming to have captured the thief himself, and doing the interviews in my place.
Honestly, it wasn't a bad thing for me. I got to avoid the hassle and complete the vice principal's quest.
[Main Quest 2: Raise the status of the Deconstructionist Department!]
[You have met the quest completion conditions!]
[Quest completion evaluation: A rank.]
[Your characteristic experience points will increase significantly as a reward.]
[Your fame score has changed from -99 to -35.]
[The vice principal’s favorability towards you has increased greatly!]
Unlike the previous playthrough, the increase in favorability this time was significant. It meant the little man was in a very good mood.
"But our relationship isn't really progressing."
Even though my favorability had increased greatly, my relationship with the vice principal was still in the Acquaintance status.
It was the middle stage in the game's relationship system. Usually, when a message appears saying that favorability has increased greatly, the relationship also progresses...
"Is Oh Ji-sung really that different?"
I wasn't expecting much, anyway. Developing a relationship with the vice principal. Even if I did, I would probably just acquire some useless skills.
Once, there was a challenge among players:
[Let's see what kind of skills you can acquire if you develop a relationship with Vice Principal Oh Ji-sung!]
...But no one ever found out. There was no player who became that close to the vice principal.
Oh Ji-sung is like the CEO of a small company.
The closer you get, the more he tries to use you rather than take care of you.
Of course, if you try hard enough, you might be able to open up Oh Ji-sung's heart... but none of the many players wanted to put that much effort into a character like the vice principal.
‘Anyway, the skills I'd get from the vice principal would probably be something like Bargaining or Social Skills.’
Those are useful skills for bargaining or establishing yourself in an organization, but...
[The skills you'd acquire by being Oh Ji-sung's lackey aren't worth it!]
This was the common conclusion among players.
‘...Anyway, that's not the point.’
I closed the laptop, dismissing the articles about Oh Ji-sung's interview. I logged into the academy bulletin board.
The first thing I saw was a job posting.
It was a librarian recruitment post from the Hwadam Library.
Hiring librarians.
Hourly wage: 4,800 won.
Someone I could bring to the Deconstructionist Department right now.
Someone with even higher potential than Arche or Seo Su-kyung.
Someone hidden from the world.
A truly hidden character that I could only assume was created by the developers.
‘But... this guy is too dangerous.’
I hesitated as I checked his profile in the student records. While he was undoubtedly a great candidate, there was one serious problem.
He possessed the special ability Villain Nemesis.
It was an ability that caused him to go into a berserk state when he saw a villain, and once he went berserk, he would destroy everything around him, especially unleashing deadly spells on villains.
‘I'd die instantly if he went berserk near me.’
He would indiscriminately cast spells on anyone, friend or foe, so if I was nearby, even a gleaming blow would kill me...
Creak...
Unable to find an answer, I got up from the creaking chair and walked to the window.
It was already dark outside.
I took a deep breath of the cold night air and looked up at the bright moon. The pale moonlight calmed my troubled mind a little.
"This is more difficult than I thought."
No matter how much I thought about it, it was difficult to find a replacement for Arche immediately.
But there's no need to be impatient. After all, as long as I have the Skill Inheritance weapon, time is on my side.
"I'll figure this out later."
It's foolish to keep dwelling on a problem I can't solve right now.
In this world, you can't survive that way. I need to focus on what I can do and maximize my potential.
‘First, I need to level up.’
Thanks to the Phantom Thief quest reward, my trait level had fortunately risen to 2... but it's far from enough.
To gain power in this academy, I need to strengthen Do Jin-hak's essence.
To strengthen his essence, I need to level up higher than in the previous playthrough.
‘Of course, I can't just go around sucking blood like I used to...’
I suddenly missed the old days. The days when I could grab anyone and suck their blood to level up.
‘...But that doesn't mean this route is completely difficult.’
I opened the desk drawer and took out what I had prepared in advance.
Empty blood bags and syringes from the medical supply room.
It was a bit difficult to get, but there's no doubt that this academy has the best quality blood in the world.
There are countless ways to get blood.
* * *
“I have no idea what to do,” Seo Su-kyung muttered, her voice filled with frustration. She was sitting on a bench, the academy building casting long, ominous shadows over the grass.
Her mind was consumed by thoughts of Professor D.
She had captured the Phantom Thief at the professor's suggestion.
Thanks to that, her reputation as the Sword Saint had skyrocketed within the academy. Her family would certainly hear about this, and it was only a matter of time before Chairman Seo Jin-chul found out.
For someone like her, who needed to establish herself both at the academy and in the Seo family, there couldn’t be a better outcome.
“If only it weren’t for that man, Professor D.”
Yet, despite this optimal outcome, Seo Su-kyung couldn't smile. She couldn't bring herself to. It was because she didn't know what other 'requests' Professor D might make under the guise of 'suggestions' in the future.
“A video and a sworn statement? That's so cowardly!”
Of course, this was the exact method she had planned to use on Professor D herself... but regardless, she was furious. As long as those two Achilles' heels were in Professor D’s hands, Seo Su-kyung had no choice but to obey.
“The fact that he made me transfer to the Deconstructionist Department means he definitely has some dark scheme in mind...”
Having been forced to leave the Emission Department due to Professor D's demands, Seo Su-kyung was terrified of what might happen next. She couldn't continue to be dragged around like this. Living in constant anxiety was unacceptable.
She needed to come up with a plan. A groundbreaking strategy that would reverse this humiliating master-servant relationship in one fell swoop.
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]