episode_0003

Breaths echoed through the wide room. As if she had held her breath for a long time, her ragged breathing hungrily sought oxygen. The calm air became boisterously tainted. At the center of this chaos, a woman lay collapsed.

“Cough, hack···!” Finally, she even coughed up a gasp. Her name was Selena Drunkerd. She held the position of Head Professor and was currently the person in charge of overseeing the entrance examination. Her red eyes trembled. Her long purple hair cascaded across the floor. Suddenly collapsed, Selena couldn’t get up for a while and had to catch her breath. A solitary groan escaped her lips.

“What in the world is this······.” Her sentence couldn’t conclude, scattering into fragments. Only a persistent aftershock remained. The purple-haired woman, clutching her forehead, recalled the scene she had just witnessed.

The examination of a boy named Yuda Snakers. Selena had linked her consciousness to the target of that examination. It was a unique mental magic she had developed. For a certain period, one could possess a designated inanimate object. Her examination method was unusual. It involved directly experiencing the opponent’s attacks while in the doll’s state, and then assigning a score. In short, it meant taking the hit directly.

-You’ll directly take the students’ attacks? -Haha··· Selena. I knew you were eccentric, but I didn’t realize it was this much. -Professor Selena··· You’re not sick, are you? -Perhaps you’ve gone mad from too much drinking······. -Sigh. -I knew this would happen. -After drinking so much, you’ve finally lost your mind.

Despite her fellow professors’ dissuasion, Selena didn’t care. Because she knew it was safe. It was magic she had experimented with thousands of times. Noisy worries could simply be proven by results. In fact, for the past five years, Selena had led the entrance examinations without any problems. She even secured the position of Head Professor as a reward for her contributions. It had certainly been that way······.

‘Unbelievable.’ She felt a fear of death. When the boy’s magic struck the doll, an unknown pressure briefly crushed the woman. A sense directly linked to survival rang an alarm.

Why was that? It wasn’t a particularly strong blow. The raw output of the magic itself was only on par with the academy’s average. However, there was something. Like a venomous snake hidden in the shadows, a chilling sense of unease flickered its tongue. A feeling as if a snake was licking her nape. It was the intuition possessed by superhumans.

‘No. I’ll die.’ If the boy applied even a little more force like this, it felt as though not only the doll but her own head would split open. She hastily released the link. As the doll’s vision cut out, she saw.

There was a squinting eye, muttering with a sly smile. Power control? What did that mean? Without time to think, Selena collapsed. After taking time to calm down, she was now back to the present situation.

“Ugh, ugh······.” Her forehead throbbed as if it would shatter. Stumbling to her feet, Selena roughly guzzled from a liquor bottle on her desk. The strong alcoholic scent diluted the pain. Yet, the tremor in her fingertips didn’t disappear.

“Ha.” A hollow laugh suddenly escaped her. Was she really going mad from alcohol? He was just a kid who hadn’t even had his coming-of-age ceremony yet, so what did she see in him that terrified her so much? She couldn’t understand herself.

[Magic Power Measurement] Name: Yuda Snakers Attribute: Darkness Power: C+ [Predicted Entrance Rank: 607th] (Top 53%)

“······.” The measured value reflected in the crystal ball. Selena remained silent. It was a value derived from a thoroughly objective perspective, based on numerous data points. She felt the same way herself. The First Princess of the Empire entering this term. The twin siblings from the ‘Vanity Ducal Family,’ known as a renowned swordsmanship household. Other prodigies called rising stars. Compared to them, his output was infinitely inferior. So ordinary and simple that comparing them felt almost apologetic.

‘But.’ Selena hesitated to record. It was a reason difficult to explain. To put it simply, it was a kind of intuition. As a strong individual, it was a caution towards an existence she couldn’t understand.

“······This is crazy.” Even thinking that, the woman picked up her pen. She wanted to test it. What she had seen. The pen nib, sliding as if held by a drunk, left letters on the paper.

[Top Student – Yuda Snakers] In the spot that should have originally gone to the First Princess, she filled in the boy. If he was just chaff, he’d be filtered out anyway. Selena simply wanted to know. The true identity of ‘that’ which had briefly shown itself beyond his empty smile.

“If the dean finds out about this··· he’ll raise hell again.” Thus, an unexpected top student was born.

Meanwhile, the person who was about to be caught in a sudden storm······. “It seems my act worked well, don’t you think?” =Wow, the mastermind is hiding his power. Goosebumps. He was reportedly muttering something to himself, unaware of anything.

***

The entrance examination ended anticlimactically. I sat quietly, waiting for Regia’s turn to finish.

“······.” I pouted my lips timidly. If I looked like I had a complaint, you’d be right. Because I was full of grumbling at the moment.

-You just need to attack the target here. It felt like I had been scammed. I had clearly expected something amazing, but I never imagined it would be so anticlimactic. It was like biting into what I thought was chicken, only for it to be fried tofu. Anyway, I was disappointed.

‘Still, it was my first event······.’ Honestly, I knew absolutely nothing about the entrance examination. The original work always started after the academy entry point. It was an unknown world, after all. How much my heart had pounded in anticipation.

“Sigh.” I was a bit calmer now, but my disappointment at the examination venue had been truly immense. It was hard to suppress the surging sense of betrayal. Naturally, because of that, I think I might have released a bit of killing intent······.

“Well, it seems no one noticed.” Even the assistant supervising the exam didn’t catch on. They probably only felt a slight chill. Unless someone was truly perceptive, they would have certainly just overlooked it. Everything was proceeding according to plan. Class is indeed eternal, I suppose. Even if some of its luster had faded, I was still an old-timer who had memorized the strategy guide by heart.

‘I uploaded strategy guide videos and they became a huge hit··· I even debuted as a content creator.’ Memories came flooding back. I was the one who had garnered 3 million subscribers with my specialized videos on ‘The World Seen by the Little Prince.’ You could say I was the best gamer. If it weren’t for this sudden possession, I would have become the only player to find the hidden ending and been remembered as a legend. It was a little infuriating.

“Ah, my departed glory.” A humorous lament scattered into the air. As I was lost in thought, a large screen projected into the sky came into view. It was a display showing the situation in the examination hall. Light from a magic tool created a screen in the air.

A fierce roar pierced the eardrums. In the reflected scene, a large-bodied, winged lizard was roaring. Beautiful deep crimson scales. A presence exuding dense mana. A rarely seen mythical beast: a Wyvern. Perhaps it had just breathed fire, as embers lingered around its mouth. Exclamations of awe erupted among the examinees watching the test.

Following that, a refreshing voice was heard. Following the camera’s panning, a pink-haired girl appeared on screen. She was riding on the beast’s back. Her appearance, wearing old goggles, was exactly as it had been in the game.

A hand casually stroked the formidable-looking creature. Indeed, she was exactly the protagonist I remembered. I noted that the examination was nearing its end and stood up to greet the girl.

Wyvern Rider. That was the moniker used for Regia in the game. Summoners were common enough, but those who could handle such rare creatures were few. It was indeed a protagonist-worthy ability.

“Oh? Young Master Snakers···?” “Regia.” I raised my hand lightly to greet the girl. Following her steps towards the back gate, I moved my feet along with her.

“That was a splendid performance. Truly, I couldn’t help but be amazed.” “Hehe··· So you were watching.” “Of course.” “I feel a little shy.” Her cheeks flushed, as if unaccustomed to compliments. Just moments ago, she had been a formidable rider, but now she was undeniably just a girl. I chuckled softly.

“Have confidence. Regia, you possess truly brilliant talent.” “Ugh, ugh······.” Her fair face quickly flushed hot. It looked as if steam was rising from her. Finding her reaction amusing, I teased the girl several more times. Until her pretty lips eventually stuck out in a pout.

“Hey there~ Regia?” “······” “Are you perhaps sulking?” “······No.” She’s sulking. I chuckled, enjoying her innocent reaction. She could have gotten angry at least once, but seeing her not do so truly showed she was our protagonist. To not be swayed even by the whispers of a wicked snake.

“How admirable.” “Ughhh······.” After a brief moment of enjoyable time. Our steps had already taken us outside the academy. Unfortunately, it was time to return to our respective lodgings. Entry to the dormitory was restricted until admission processing was complete, so we had to stay somewhere nearby. I had a specific inn reserved, and Regia probably did too.

I clapped my hands lightly and spoke. “Well then! Shall we part ways here?” “Ah··· you’re right. We’re already outside.” The girl nodded belatedly. A hint of regret seemed to linger in her green eyes. Perhaps I was the first person she had truly befriended. Since she had been wandering the continent alone until now, she might be feeling a little lonely. I winked to reassure her.

Even if I, who always have squinting eyes, winked, it would probably only look like a furrowed brow. But the intention is what matters, isn’t it?

“Friend······.” Regia chewed on the word in place. Her reaction was as if she hadn’t expected to hear such a thing. The girl, who had been stiff, soon clenched her small fists and her eyes sparkled.

“Yes···! Let’s definitely meet after we’ve both been admitted!” “Hehe, then I’ll be going.” With that, I turned my back. As if suddenly remembering something, I added one more word.

“Please be careful on your way back.” Because it seems like rats are scurrying about. I continued my steps. My toes pointed towards an alleyway. The liar moved in the exact opposite direction from the inn I had reserved.

***

A street a little way outside the academy. It was an alley where darkness prevailed more than light, due to the complex tangle of buildings. Though not a pleasant-feeling place, traces of people were still found here. Mostly beggars asking for alms. Occasionally, drunkards also appeared, seemingly inebriated. Originally, it was a place where only profound silence descended. But now, it was different. Because there was noise coming from a secluded corner.

Thump, thud-! The sound of something being beaten. Followed by an anger-soaked voice.

“Damn it! Damn it! Die···!” The owner of the voice was Dexter Hollinte. The second son of the Hollinte Baron family, and a noble of high lineage. He was violently swinging his fists. On the ground, a young beggar lay sprawled. Judging by his bloodied face, he seemed to have been beaten for a long time.

“Damn it! You fucking bastard! I’ll kill you!” Thud, thump-! The violence showed no signs of stopping. He was swinging his hands with murderous intent, but there was no particular reason for it. It was merely an outlet for his anger.

-How amusing. -Seeing him act so brazenly··· I can’t help but laugh. The voice lingered in his ears. The more it did, the more Dexter gritted his teeth. If he didn’t vent his rage like this, the squinting eyes that had mocked him kept coming to mind.

“······.” The young beggar, who looked to be around ten years old. The child didn’t even flinch from the relentless, unjust violence. No, it was closer to ‘couldn’t’. A corpse couldn’t resist.

“Daaamnnn it!!!” “Young Master, it’s almost time for us to leave.” “Shut up!!” “······Yes.” Seeing Dexter completely lose his reason, the guard knight sighed inwardly. What in the world was he doing? Crawling into the slums just to vent his anger, and beating up beggars. It was a pathetic situation beyond words. Perhaps the only saving grace was that he wasn’t doing this at the mansion. After all, assaulting beggars was certainly better than assaulting servants.

After a short wait. Dexter flung the ragged child onto the ground. “Haa, haa······.” His body was drenched in sweat, but his rage had not yet subsided. Especially after being mocked so much. Dexter gritted his teeth.

“This is all that bitch’s fault. Damn it.” Regia Filers. That commoner mongrel bitch who bumped into him. If it hadn’t been for her, he wouldn’t have encountered the snake’s son, nor would he have suffered such humiliation. Dexter shouted at the guard knight.

“You!” “Yes, Young Master.” “Find out the whereabouts of that commoner bitch··· Regia Filers.” “Are you planning retaliation?” “What’s it to you?! Just shut up and find out!” The guard knight, unable to resist the scolding, nodded. At his expression, Dexter seemed to click his tongue, then slyly muttered.

“To make me suffer such humiliation··· I’ll show her a lesson.” Come to think of it, her chest was quite large. Her face was also fairly pretty. The pig’s lips twisted into an ominous grin.

“It would be good to use her as a one-night toy too. I’ll torment her until she begs for her life.” Dexter cackled, harboring gruesome fantasies. Just as he was leading his guard to leave the alley, a blurry figure appeared in his sight.

“······Ha.” A man standing in the opposite alley, as if blocking the way. Dexter furrowed his brow and let out a hollow laugh. Now, it seemed all sorts of riff-raff were flocking around.

“Can’t you move at once? How dare you block the path of someone like···!” “Honestly~” A voice cut off the pig’s words. Normally, it would have been a moment for an outburst, but Dexter could only freeze. It was a familiar tone. One that had just been lingering in his ears.

“Are all third-rate villains really the same, I wonder? They just love to overdo it.” Yuda Snakers. “And don’t know their place.” The blonde boy stood in the alley. With his characteristic sly smile playing on his lips. A sudden chill permeated Dexter’s entire body, and he froze involuntarily.

Why? He couldn’t move his body. As if he were being crushed by an immense pressure. The guard walking beside him was in the same situation.

“How unfortunate~ Joint Young Master! Is that not it? Horo Young Master? Oriental Young Master?” The correct term was Hollinte Young Master, but it didn’t seem particularly important to the snake. An unidentifiable fear descended. The shoulders of the two men, frozen like stone, trembled miserably. As if their reaction was amusing, the golden viper let out a chilling sneer. It wasn’t merely a sly, amused laugh. It was a bizarre, fear-inducing laugh, as if something was about to happen at any moment.

“I clearly gave you a chance.” The snake flicked its tongue. “And you’re the one who threw it away.” His white eyes glowed emptily. Eyes that were now fully open. The next moment, swirling darkness swallowed the entire street.