Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint - Chapter 765

WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 765: Episode 33: The Ball (4)

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* * *

There are certain things that come to mind when people hear "academy story."

"First, the school is the main setting."

Since it was an academy story, the setting was naturally a school. But school life alone would be boring, so other genres were mixed in.

"Everyone has supernatural abilities, so it's got some Hunter story elements."

We could use the skills we had used outside here as well, so it was an ability-based Hunter story mixed with an academy setting.

"The protagonist will obviously be in the remedial class."

That was right. In developments like this, the remedial class usually overcame the elite class through tremendous effort and won.

"Then I really am the protagonist."

I ignored Killer King's nonsense and asked what I was curious about first.

"You mentioned a graduation exam earlier. What does that mean?"

"Fool. Have you still not grasped this world's setting? Have you forgotten our objective?"

As he spoke, Killer King pointed at the notice on the bulletin board.

"Notice for the third-year graduation exam."

I had already seen the notice on our way here.

"That is this Scenario's objective."

Killer King's reasoning was plausible.

The point at which we had taken Possession must have been just before a key event in this world's setting. Considering that we were third-years, the graduation exam was undoubtedly this Scenario's main event.

The Scenario was even called "Graduation."

[You have discovered a key clue for this Scenario!]

Just as I thought.

"But, Kang Ilhun-ssi."

"I am not Kang Ilhun."

"Is it all right for you to say things like that?"

Gyeong Sein, who had caught the meaning behind my words, cut in.

"That's right. Killer King-ssi has been saying things that don't fit this world's setting since earlier. Egeggegek!"

Kang Ilhun, or rather, Killer King, had been making remarks that completely ignored this world's rules. Yet he had received no punishment from the world.

[The Exclusive Skill Character Profile has activated!]

[Character Profile provides information in a form appropriate to this world's setting.]

Character: Kang Ilhun (Chae Seongwoo)

Potential: S

Core Settings: Delusionist (S), Analyst (S)

Description: One of the key figures in Class Z. He cannot distinguish reality from delusions and often says strange things.

I see. If that had been his setting from the beginning, was it all right for him to say that kind of thing?

"Third-year Class Z, Kim Dokja. Third-year Class Z, Kim Dokja, please report to the faculty office immediately..."

After asking the others to excuse me, I entered the faculty office.

If the graduation exam wasn't starting right away, it would be fine to calmly look around first.

When I opened the door, I saw a broad space filled with colorless partitions. The sight of a faculty office, which I hadn't seen in a long time, gave me a slight chill.

...But why was that bastard over there?

In one corner of the faculty office stood a boy with both hands raised over his head. I could tell who he was just from his broad shoulders and messy hair.

"Yu Junghyeok?"

Looking annoyed about something, he turned toward me while muttering.

"In a world like this..."

Tzzzt.

Junghyeok clamped his mouth shut.

Of course. Even when he faced the backlash, someone like him didn't make undignified noises like "Egeggegek."

A teacher was lecturing him from across the room. This person's back was familiar as well.

"Junghyeok, students aren't allowed to smoke."

"I never smoked."

"Then what is this that came out of your pocket?"

"A Mana Cigarette. It's an item that helps Mana circulation and sharpens the senses."

"Isn't that a cigarette?"

I roughly understood what was happening.

When I approached and quietly cleared my throat, the teacher turned to look at me.

"Ah. You're here?"

It seemed this teacher was the one who had summoned me.

Deep emerald eyes showed through flowing blond hair. The lower half of her face was hidden by a mask with a cute lamb drawn on it, but there was no mistaking this Constellation.

One Who Brought Ten Lambs.

"Sorry, I caught a cold. Cough, cough."

That didn't sound like the voice of someone with a cold at all.

White wings fluttered behind the teacher's back.

I wondered what I should call her.

[The Exclusive Skill Character Profile has activated!]

[Character Profile provides information in a form appropriate to this world's setting.]

Character: Teacher Yang (One Who Brought Ten Lambs)

Potential: Unable to view this character's potential due to the difference in Status.

Core Settings: Unable to view this character's core settings due to the difference in Status.

Description: Class Z's homeroom teacher. She is often scolded by the principal for neglecting her students' grades. She likes watching livestreams alone, and her wings flutter when she is in a good mood.

She was quite famous when she was an active Hunter. She is frightening when angry.

I watched her constantly fluttering wings closely before asking,

"Teacher Yang."

"Yes, Dokja?"

Teacher Yang inspected my face with sparkling eyes.

For some reason, her gaze made me uncomfortable, so I lowered my head as I asked,

"Um... didn't you call for me?"

"Ah, right."

Teacher Yang gave a startled gasp, then smiled brightly as she opened a drawer.

Inside was a test paper marked with a zero.

"You wrote strange answers on yesterday's test. Why did you do that?"

The test paper fluttered in front of me.

Even at a glance, every answer I had chosen was deliberately wrong.

[This Scenario's initial settings are affected by the method you used to clear your previous Scenario.]

I thought hard about how I had cleared the last Scenario.

「"Kwaaah!"」

「"W-Why are you doing this...?"」

「"My fable! My fable...!"」

Well, it certainly hadn't been the normal method the Scenario recommended.

Still, hadn't everyone been satisfied in the end? That was why I had become Area 13's Representative.

"Are you rebelling?"

Damn it. Was there really a setting like "rebel" assigned to me?

"Or do you not want to graduate?"

I looked at Teacher Yang, who seemed to be smiling in amusement.

[You are moving away from this Scenario's key objective.]

I hurriedly answered.

"I need to graduate."

"Then why did you deliberately get every answer wrong?"

"I don't know either. Maybe Junghyeok possessed me for a moment."

Yu Junghyeok, who was standing with his hands raised while facing the wall, glared at me.

[You have satisfied this character's inherent setting.]

[This world has awarded you 300 Coins.]

Seeing Teacher Yang laugh, I had a rough idea of what my setting was.

I just had to act like Kim Dokja.

"That's a funny joke. But if you only joke around like that, you won't be able to graduate. What should we do?"

"Does this school refuse to let students graduate just because they do poorly on a few tests?"

"You know that points are assigned to each class according to their final exam scores, right?"

I nodded for the moment.

Teacher Yang continued.

"At this rate, Class Z will be 500 points short. That means everyone will be ineligible to take the graduation exam."

"That can't happen. I have a reason I need to graduate. Can't we take a retest?"

"Hmm. There isn't a rule for that. What should we do?"

"You said we were short on points. How can we raise them?"

"There is a way."

Teacher Yang's eyes sharpened.

"But it will be difficult."

"I'll do anything."

Whatever she had imagined in response to my words, Teacher Yang's ears reddened.

"Anything?"

* * *

After school, we all gathered to pick up trash around the school grounds.

"All right, let's clean!"

Teacher Yang even gave up going home after work to help with our school service.

"Over here too!"

"Yes."

"And over there!"

"Yeees."

"Aaaand over here too!"

That looked like one of the cigarette butts Yu Junghyeok had smoked and tossed aside earlier.

The culprit who had littered was sitting on the landing by the school gate, staring up at the sky in deep thought. He had the expression of someone who couldn't understand why he had entered a world like this only to clean the school grounds.

"I feel thirty years younger. Egeggegek."

"Cleaning is fun when you haven't done it in a while."

Unlike him, the others looked happy.

Killer King, who was picking up trash beside me, nodded.

"Volunteer work is the best kind of club activity."

"We aren't doing club activities."

"Kim Dokja, let me tell you something important."

"You don't need to."

"If you sweep like this, you can gather five pieces of trash at once."

When I thought about it, there was nothing strange about the others enjoying themselves.

Uncle Dansu, Gyeong Sein, and Killer King. All they had done until now was desperately clear Scenarios.

After fighting for their lives every time, a mission as simple as picking up trash was practically a break.

[The Constellation One Who Brought Ten Lambs looks pleased.]

Perhaps that had been Teacher Yang's true intention.

But did Teacher Yang think she was hiding her identity well?

I watched Teacher Yang glance this way from afar for a moment, then bent down to pick up a piece of trash.

[You have acquired 1 point.]

Another cigarette butt.

Was Junghyeok actually a chain smoker? Why had he smoked so many?

"You look happy."

The one who said that was Chae Yerin.

"Not really."

"Then you're not having fun?"

"What about picking up cigarette butts is supposed to be fun?"

"Your expression looks happy for someone who says that."

We picked up trash together while exchanging meaningless conversation.

Of course, every word of it was planned.

More precisely, it was bait to conceal our real conversation.

―Yerin-ssi. Did you find out?

Chae Yerin gave a slight nod in response to my Group Chat.

[This world is taking notice of your actions.]

Group Chat was the only way for us to exchange opinions without attracting this world's attention, but we couldn't overuse it.

So we had agreed to exchange brief opinions only when our paths crossed like this.

―Ye Hyeonu-ssi is in Class A. Gu Seona-ssi is in Class B. Ji Eunyoo-nim is in Class C.

Just as I thought. All the elite students were concentrated in the upper classes.

―Shin Yuseong, Jeong Huiwon, Lee Jihye, Kim Namwoon, and Lee Hyeongseong are in the upper classes too.

It was good to hear those familiar names again.

It seemed that most of the original story's characters had also been placed in the upper classes.

―But the original characters were acting a little strangely.

―They were acting strangely?

―Even though they're all in different classes, they were going around with Gu Seona-ssi.

The characters were going around with Gu Seona? Not Junghyeok?

Chae Yerin seemed to have considered an answer and added,

―Could they have gained some kind of school-bully fable?

A school-bully fable. It didn't seem likely that such a thing existed, but it was clear Gu Seona had done something.

If she had diligently gathered Kim Dokja Fragments until now, and if one of those Fragments was related to Crowd Control, it wasn't impossible.

It was definitely not a good sign, but I answered in a cheerful voice.

―Still, the situation isn't bad.

Normally, I would never have said that. "The situation isn't bad" was practically taboo in ORV.

But this time, I wanted to say it.

Chae Yerin would probably understand what I meant.

―I suppose so.

Perhaps she was the only one who did.

[You have activated Character Profile!]

Character: Lee Seyeon (Chae Yerin)

Potential: A+

Core Settings: Literary Girl (S)

Description: A literary girl who has read more books than anyone else in Class Z. She remembers every book she has read even once. She knows an oddly great deal about the Academy.

We looked over the school grounds at sunset with bitter smiles.

―I never expected this "world" to become a Scenario.

I nodded as well.

―Classes distinguished by letters of the alphabet. A setting structure similar to ORV. Constellations and Demon Kings. And...

We looked at the school name written on the grounds at the same time.

"Phileia Hunter Academy."

There might be countless academy stories in the world, but there was only one academy with that name.

―I wonder if this was how Asuka Ren felt.

This school was the Hunter Academy from "The Infinite Prison Warden," a novel I had started writing and left unfinished.

In other words, this Scenario was similar to the situation in peace land.

Just as Kim Dokja had received help from Kyrios, the original protagonist, in peace land,

―Did you find the protagonist?

We only had to safely find the protagonist in this world.

「Ma Hyeonseong, a student of Phileia Hunter Academy's Class Z.」

The protagonist's name sounded similar to Lee Hyeongseong's, but that was just a coincidence.

―Once we find him, this Scenario will be over.

Ma Hyeonseong was a typical Junghyeok-type protagonist.

If we could get our hands on that bundle of talent, we would have nothing to fear, whether this Scenario's enemy was the Twelve Zodiacs or the Gourmet Association.

―Well...

However, Chae Yerin didn't look pleased.

I asked just in case.

―You remember the protagonist's name, right?

―Yes. But Ma Hyeonseong probably isn't in this world.

―What? Why? This should be around the time he transferred here...

For reference, Ma Hyeonseong transferred to this school at the beginning of his third year. So by now, he should have been a member of Class Z.

After hesitating for a moment, Chae Yerin said,

―You were asleep during the Fifth Scenario, so I suppose you don't know.

What was that supposed to mean?

[This world is watching your movements.]

This world was beginning to suspect us, but the timing was too important to stop talking.