Chapter 5: Penthouse

Bella Nerielle is one of the very few humans who have directly faced Otinuus, and she knows it.

She knows how high Otinuus’s standards are and how valuable her interests are.

Every individual who has taught at Eden has always been the “best” in her eyes—not necessarily the absolute best in any field, but the best possible individual brought in within the available range.

Even Bella herself, currently working as a professor of healing magic, exemplified this.

She went from being a student at Eden to working as a hunter after graduation, and now she’s retired and become a professor.

She has encountered numerous talents, witnessed countless famous individuals, talents in swordsmanship, creativity, martial arts, magic…

She has faced so many talents that it would be impossible to list them all.

Bella leaned back in her chair, gazing up at the ceiling.

Perhaps it was due to the moment of contemplation, but her life flashed before her like a panorama.

The time when various talents were abundant around her, and she herself was part of that time.

“Hmm.”

A small chuckle escaped her lips.

The image of the student covered in blood who had just left the infirmary a few minutes ago lingered in her mind.

“To think he directly released Otinuus’s seal and pulled out the Repliace of Gungnir.”

What would happen if this fact were known to the public?

Most hunters renowned in this era have attempted and failed to pull out that golden spear to obtain the title of “Champion.”

Otinuus placed the spear in the center of the square to select the individual who possessed “something.”

What Otinuus wished for and why it was necessary remained unknown to the public.

What is certain is that the Repliace of Gungnir had been left in the square without an owner for 100 years, and no one had been able to pull it out.

Bella herself had memories of gathering with friends in the square during her student days to try to pull out that spear.

Of course, nobody succeeded and they all failed.

The fact that the relpica of Gungnir was pulled out was already a tremendous event.

But when she read the note left by the Headmaster on the student’s uniform, Bella was left speechless in shock.

This student had simply used his own ability to pull out the Repliace of Gungnir without satisfying Otinuus’conditions.

According to Otinuus’s note, he had unsealed all the magic on the Repliace of Gungnir and claimed ownership through his own power.

It wasn’t a selection based on qualifications but rather a usurpation of qualifications.

It was unbelievable.

A miracle that could never happen under normal circumstances.

However, due to the credibility of the one who wrote it, Bella had no choice but to believe it.

“Seong Yujin….”

Bella murmured the name of the student who had left abruptly, etching it into her memory.

Should she try to have a calm conversation with him the next time they meet?

He was a student with unprecedented talent in the history of Eden’s establishment.

A student with unknown potential.

Once again, the world would become noisy.

Bella smiled at the thought of the storm that would unfold.

Her delicate hand touched the note left by Seong Yujin, the chancellor’s note.

The image of Seong Yujin, who had hastily read the note, naturally came to mind.

His cute demeanour, but still, the determination he showed at the end made her smile.

Surely, he wouldn’t have uttered such insults to Otinuus.

Most people didn’t know, but the chancellor of Eden had a strong temper.

Still, if Otinuus had moved personally, there would be no intention to make such severe decisions.

Bella silently cheered for the unfortunate future of the student who had been rushed into a situation.

***

Why did I utter such words before falling?

I held the Gungnir, hidden by a barrier of perception magic, in one hand.

Since Otinuus had written a note to send to him directly, there would surely be some kind of trial awaiting him.

“Otinuus does have a strong temper.”

I learned this when I raised the Barrier Magician for the 3rd time.

It was fortunate that I had met Otinuus early on in his branching character arc.

There was a choice option that teased Otinuus, and I remembered pressing it without much thought.

The reaction was quite entertaining.

The reaction was like scratching an itch in a sensitive spot, and I hadn’t forgotten it yet.

However, due to that one choice, the difficulty level of the later part of the story skyrocketed.

It was a quest where Otinuus’ help was almost always necessary.

But just because of the bad first impression, I ended up not receiving Otinuus’ help in that run.

“Sigh…”

I couldn’t help but let out a deep breath, feeling embarrassed.

Even though other students around me were giving me weird looks, I honestly didn’t care.

Who would worry about a hand grenade when there’s a nuclear bomb about to be dropped right in front of them?

But still, regardless of the situation, resting now seemed like the best option.

After all, there’s a real entrance ceremony tomorrow, not some disguised pseudo-entrance ceremony.

“I should go back to the dorm and take a quick shower.”

Even though I must have gotten enough sleep at the infirmary, my body felt strangely heavy.

Did I almost pass out from exhaustion due to my injuries?

I felt an urgency to return to the dormitory.

I urged my tired body to move faster.

“Wow…”

As I entered the residential zone, I couldn’t help but marvel, forgetting about the heaviness in my body.

It truly lived up to its name as a residential area.

There were giant department store-like shops lined up, and even the restaurant alley was impressively spacious.

It felt like looking at a bustling street in Seoul.

“I know this place inside out, but it still feels new every time.”

I realized the stark difference between the game and reality.

After a brief moment of reflection, I concluded that the dormitory seemed like the best place to head to now.

The dormitories consisted of three buildings, from 1st to 3rd, all towering skyscrapers.

It was decided to showcase Eden’s prestige by accommodating many students.

“Well, building regular apartments would have required a lot of space anyway.”

Taking the elevator from the lobby, I ascended to the floor where my assigned room was located.

I received the information about my assigned room via a text message on the phone I found on the hotel table on the first day I woke up.

Somehow, it was registered under my name with a bank account too.

“Thanks to that account, I could survive until Eden’s enrollment.”

If I hadn’t found that account, I might have starved to death or had to work part-time much earlier.

Ding!

The elevator arrived at my assigned floor, and its doors opened, revealing only one entrance door blocking the way.

As I stepped out of the elevator, the only thing in sight was a single entrance door.

There were no long corridors or other room doors.

That entrance was for the room I was assigned to, the only room on this floor.

“Wow…”

I couldn’t help but marvel as I entered my assigned room.

The view I thought I’d never see in my lifetime unfolded before my eyes.

Ultimately, the room I was assigned turned out to be the penthouse on the top floor.

Why “ultimately”?

Because the message had been revised once.

“Your assigned room is 2107 in the 1st Residential Hall.”

“Your assigned room is the penthouse on the top floor. Please move to room 2107.”

Was there a mistake in the transmission?

I didn’t mind the penthouse; in fact, I welcomed it.

One thing felt uneasy, though: the penthouse was supposedly reserved for the top-scoring students…

But since I didn’t directly take the entrance exam and was already accepted through a different process, I had no clue why I was given this room.

“Well, a good thing is a good thing, right?”

There’s no point agonizing over something that doesn’t have an answer.

It’ll only give me a headache.

I shook my head to dispel the growing unease.

Now that I think about it, my heart was pounding.

The more I explored the dormitory, the more excited I became.

After some time had passed, I realized I was bouncing around like an excited child.

“It might be childish, but who can resist the romance of a penthouse?”

How many people have actually lived in a penthouse?

It was safe to say not many.

However, despite my excitement, I couldn’t continue admiring the penthouse.

As mentioned earlier, my body was extremely tired.

Tomorrow morning, there’s an early welcome ceremony for new students.

To avoid standing out by being late, it’s best to go to bed early.

“I should just quickly shower to wash off sweat and odor and go straight to bed.”

I finished a simple bath in the luxurious and stylish bathroom befitting the penthouse.

Since all the necessary bathing supplies were already provided, I had no issues.

Similarly, I put on the indoor clothes that were already prepared and headed straight to the bedroom.

The bedroom also had a very high-end interior.

The size of the bed looked like it could easily accommodate three people.

“But there’s only one person sleeping on it.”

Still, it was spacious.

It’s better than worrying about falling off a narrow bed.

Without hesitation, I threw myself onto the bed and propped my head up on the pillow.

I covered myself with the blanket up to my neck.

The softness and warmth I felt for the first time in my life enveloped my entire body.

Thanks to the illicit comfort, I once again fell into a deep sleep as if I had fainted.

“[Absorbing the Mystery of the Otherworld’s Gungnir’s Golden Rune.]”

“[With the rise of the Mastery of Martial Arts, the succession ritual is accelerated.]”

“[Continuation of Play Data: The succession of ‘RomanceTwo # Barrier Mage’ is in progress.]”