Chapter 8: Admission Welcome Party – 3

It feels like the whole world is mocking me.

Why can’t I catch a break?

“They decided on the Top Student, but then they changed their minds.”

There was a clear decision made during the professor’s meeting regarding the top student, so why overturn it like flipping over your hand?

It’s not like Seria Alvhaim lacks the capacity to be the top student.

On the contrary, she’s overflowing with those qualities.

Even if they bring in several active hunters, Seria Alvhaim’s capacity alone might surpass them.

Naturally, she possesses abilities that surpass mine.

Maybe in the future, I might become stronger, but that’s not the case right now.

“Why on earth?”

No matter how you look at it, it seems like they’re forcing a change just to favour me.

“What makes me more special than Seria Alvhaim…?”

Although I maintained a composed demeanour outwardly, internally, I spat out all sorts of curses.

From the first to the ninth round, no novice other than Seria Alvhaim has ever become the top student.

Since the time of enrolment, there hasn’t been a novice surpassing her publicly.

Yet they’re trying to place me as the top student instead of Seria Alvhaim.

‘It’s driving me crazy, seriously.’

At that moment, several scenes flashed through my mind.

The scene of the recent Divine Spear Gungnir incident was one of them.

-Really? Causing such a memorable incident in Eden’s history on the first day of enrolment.

The voice of Professor Bella, who treated me after I broke the seal of Gungnir and collapsed, came to mind.

I clearly heard her calling me a bastard.

Next, I recalled the postscript on the note Professor Bella handed me.

The resentful curse directed towards Otinuus that I shouted just before losing consciousness.

The warning note from Otinuus herself, promising consequences for those words.

“Could they have made me the top student just because of that?”

Of course, Otinuus wouldn’t have made me the top student based solely on such a reason.

Although she’s a bit eccentric, she thoroughly adheres to principles of justice.

It’s hard to believe there wasn’t an intention to teach me a lesson, but at least there must be a valid reason for making me the top student.

And perhaps, the true nature of that reason is lying beside my dormitory bed by now.

“Divine Spear Gungnir which I just tossed on the bed?”

Of course, if I decide to call it, I can summon it at any time.

When Gungnir moves, however, it hardly considers the surrounding terrain.

It just flies straight ahead, regardless of obstacles.

Although Eden’s architecture is of the highest magical standard, it’s meaningless in front of Gungnir.

It’s a replica, the most faithful and closest to the essence of Divine Spear Gungnir, personally crafted by Otinuus, the owner of the original.

In other words, it’s a “one-shot” window.

“It would be perfect for collapsing houses and buildings.”

From the outer wall of my dormitory, the Penthouse, to the Great Banquet Hall.

The moment I call Gungnir, a refreshing breeze hole will be punctured.

It’s inevitable that attention will be drawn to the commotion.

Once I become the cause of the commotion, it’s obvious that rumours will spread.

Then it’s all over.

The reason for getting the Gungnir without even attending the enrolment ceremony in the first place was to avoid excessive attention.

“Is there any way to hide it?”

I pondered, but no suitable method came to mind.

Should I just endure the attention and fully embrace it and reap the benefits that come with it?

My head is filled with all sorts of thoughts.

“Everyone must be curious. It’s been decades since she disappeared from the scene. The student handpicked by the mysterious Eden’s Headmaster.”

All the students’ attention was fixated on Vice Chancellor Odd.

Well, if I was a resident of this world since birth, wouldn’t I react the same way?

She’s the world’s strongest hunter who disappeared for nearly decades.

Since the great upheaval, she has been the greatest hero, maintaining her status firmly.

And now, she suddenly appears with a handpicked student.

‘I guess I have to give up staying quiet until I get stronger.’

I abandoned the plan to quietly immerse myself in training like a hidden dragon.

Holding onto a failed scheme and stubbornly persisting to the end is one of the worst decisions one can make.

So, I quickly abandoned my original thoughts.

But my worries were in vain, as an unexpected statement popped out of Vice Chancellor Odd’s mouth.

“However, we won’t reveal who that top student is.”

“?!?”

What on earth does that mean?

A question mark popped up in my head.

Looking around, I wasn’t the only one.

Everyone had a puzzled expression with question marks hanging over their heads.

Seriously, after laying all the groundwork, they’re calling it a secret now?

“It’s the Headmaster’s intention. Our faculty members know who the top student is, but we won’t directly tell you.”

They’re just beating around the bush, suggesting that we gather as students to find out who the top student is.

The situation started to get interesting.

It felt like a fantasy novel I was enjoying reading suddenly turned into a mystery novel.

“But I’ll give you one hint.”

A hint leading to the top student.

Most students perked up their ears at that fact.

Of course, I did the same.

If I hide the hinted element and live on, that’s the end of it.

“The replica of Gungnir, the weapon used by the Headmaster, was stuck there in Eden Square. I believe no student here is hearing this rumour for the first time.”

As soon as I heard the story from Vice Chancellor Odd, I inwardly cheered.

The context of the story indicated that the hint Odd gave away was the replica Gungnir I picked.

Now, unless I blatantly reveal Gungnir, the risk of exposing myself as the top student has significantly decreased.

With a bright smile inwardly, I listened carefully to Vice Chancellor Odd’s words.

“The day before, while all of you were engaged against illusion magic and wrestling in front of the gate, one student broke through the illusion magic and headed to the square. And he or she got his or her hands on the Replica of Gungnir, which has been ownerless for nearly 100 years.”

Although I let out a sigh of relief inwardly and cooled down my excitement, the excitement inside the hall surged.

The Replica of Gungnir that hasn’t been picked up for nearly 100 years.

It’s the symbol of divine intervention, which swept through the era of great upheaval and cleared the Orchard of Paradise.

And the owner of such an extraordinary weapon was born among new students of the same age.

This is something that every student, or anyone living in this era, would be amazed by.

“That’s all the hint I’ll give you.”

The students were already speculating about the identity of the senior student, exchanging words with each other.

Vice Chancellor Odd, who looked pleased watching them, cleared his throat, signalling them to stop chattering and focus on his words.

“Ahem. Now that the party’s atmosphere has settled down a bit, I’ll also take my leave.”

With that, he ended his words with a reminder to enjoy the party enough to prepare for future training, and his cane struck the stage floor.

Thunk!

Just like when he appeared, the moment the sound was heard, Vice Chancellor Odd’s figure disappeared from the stage.

If you’ve ever attended a reception, you’ll know the atmosphere.

You enjoy delicious food, talk with close friends, laugh, and have a good time.

Unless someone ruins the atmosphere or there’s some unusual incident, that’s generally how it goes.

“Let’s take a little break.”

Eden’s banquet, needless to say, was beyond words.

The quality of the food, the calibre of the people, everything was at the pinnacle of this age’s world standards.

The selection of music, too, was so fitting that even if one were to nitpick, it would be hard to find fault.

The sophisticated interior design also added to the dignity of the banquet.

And so, perhaps because of this, the atmosphere of the banquet surpassed imagination.

First and foremost, the atmosphere was shaped by the lively interactions of sociable individuals.

People enjoying themselves, tasting the abundance of dishes prepared for the banquet, sipping on luxurious drinks, and congratulating each other on officially becoming members of Eden’s society.

“I do enjoy banquets, but… this one is a bit too intense.”

I don’t particularly dislike the lively atmosphere, but such intense heat is a bit overwhelming.

Back on Earth before my reincarnation, I wasn’t good at handling alcohol, so I tended to enjoy myself moderately to avoid getting carried away.

“Maybe I should take a break and dabble in some barrier magic.”

I unfolded and dismantled various barriers several times.

I had anticipated it, but it feels like my skills have improved since before enrolment.

I attribute it to the recent changes in my status window.

For some reason, my status stats have increased recently.

The discomfort in manipulating magic has disappeared, and the use of mana within my body has become cleaner.

Although the amount of mana used was similar, there was a noticeable difference in the level of the barriers.

“It’s probably because the quality of the circuits has improved.”

Rather than saying that my skills have improved, it seemed more reasonable to say that the level of the circuits has increased, naturally improving the quality of mana.

Now that I’ve become proficient in manipulating mana to this extent, I’ll probably be able to handle other magics that I’ll learn in the future with ease.

“I should register for magic-focused courses.”

According to the research results up to the 9th round, magic was found to be the skill with the best compatibility with barrier magic.

Both magic and barrier magic use mana as a resource.

There’s definitely a reason for that, but fundamentally, it’s possible to carve the formulas of magic onto barriers and incorporate them into magic.

“It seems like simple magic like ‘Charm’ would be incompatible…”

Lost in thought while gazing at the distant horizon, I must have momentarily lost focus.

SH-

Suddenly feeling a presence, I turned around to look behind me.

There was nothing at first, but suddenly, I felt a presence behind me.

As my body, which had been caught up in the excitement of the banquet, turned to look, it cooled down abruptly.

“Wow…”

The owner of the presence looked surprised that I had noticed her.

Her black hair, flowing like melted night sky, reached down to her back, and her clear obsidian-like eyes met mine.

Her petite figure and densely packed features made her irresistibly charming.

“Why is she here?”

However, it was hard to get lost in her appearance.

At least, I couldn’t.

Just as she seemed surprised to see me, I, too, was surprised to see her.

Cheon Yuhwa.

Depending on the user’s choice, she had appeared as a hidden boss of malicious difficulty.

She wasn’t born with mana like humans before the Great Change, but she possessed extraordinary physical abilities that surpassed the norm.

“A character from the game.”

I should have realized it from the moment the game developers began to vilify barrier magic users.

But, as I’ve said before, reality sometimes exceeds fiction.

A very few individuals capable of directly confronting Seria Alvhaim.

And the representative figure among them, who appeared right in front of me, was Cheon Yuhwa.