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Chapter 176

“They say that the department test is no big deal... and that the real challenge is the college-wide test. I also heard Professor Kasar is the one planning it all since he’s taking over the position of Dean.”

“We’re doomed...”

“Yep...”

The two students sighed deeply.

Unlike them, however, Jake, who happened to overhear their conversation while running past them, showed an intrigued face.

The college-wide test, huh...

At Babel, students were required to take two exams to evaluate their abilities at the end of each semester. The first was the department tests, which included exams for major and minor subjects; those were conducted on a small scale within each department, so it wasn’t that intimidating.

The second, however, was the college-wide test, which every student in the same college took simultaneously. This test was famous both inside and outside of Babel, as the scale of the exam was on a whole different level.

Unlike the department tests, which were conducted in their main building or other rented buildings, the entirety of their college’s grounds could be used as the test site for the college-wide test if needed. Because of that, the Dean, who was always the examiner, could design a test of enormous scale if they wished.

Can I do the test like my sister did...?

Forgetting he was running, Jake recalled a video he watched three years ago.

It was a video of Aria’s first-year college-wide test, a battle royale with the entirety of Aqar Quf as the stage. The other first-years started by building bases or carefully waiting for an opportunity, but his sister, Aria, just boldly walked through the streets.

She was unstoppable, smashing through traps and ambushes head-on, and uncovered all the hidden students to finish the test in just two hours. To this day, Jake could still not forget what she said after the test without a single scratch on her.

“That was an interesting test.”

Jake chuckled bitterly.

“...There’s no way.”

He knew he wasn’t lacking in skill, but there was always a wall in front of him that he could never surpass. Accepting it, he was about to focus on running again when he heard a blunt voice from beside him.

“What do you mean by ‘there’s no way’?”

Looking over, Jake was startled by Sung-Ha’s unexpected appearance beside him.

“Y-Yeom Sung-Ha sunbae?!”

Indifferent to Jake’s surprise, Sung-Ha asked again. “I asked, what do you mean by ‘there’s no way.’”

“Well, um...”

Flustered by his repeated question, Jake didn’t answer. He couldn’t even guess what intention Sung-Ha had by asking him such a question. Had he said something before that annoyed him? But that was unlikely; they only ever interacted when called together by their common friend, Se-Hoon.

He wouldn’t normally start a conversation with me like this...

Their ambiguous relationship left Jake hesitant.

Realizing what was going through Jake’s head, Sung-Ha added, “I’m not really asking with any special intention.”

“Oh... is that so?”

“Yes.”

Nodding his head to confirm, Sung-Ha then indifferently added, “You had the face of a loser, so I was wondering what pathetic thoughts might be going on in your mind.”

“...”

Jake seriously wondered if he was trying to pick a fight. But then, upon recalling the conversations between Se-Hoon and Sung-Ha, he realized that was just how he was. Sung-Ha often spoke with no ill intent; it was just that he always phrased it in a way that could anger anyone.

Finally understanding why Se-Hoon was always so frustrated with Sung-Ha, Jake shook it off before steeling himself and answering, “I was just wondering if I could do well in this semester’s evaluation test.”

“Are you worried about maintaining your honor student position?”

“No, I’m confident in that. It’s just...”

He hesitated to speak, but then he realized it wasn’t some grand secret and Sung-Ha didn’t seem like someone who would gossip.

So since that was the case Jake was finally able to honestly answer, “I was wondering if I could do as well as my sister did in the past.”

“Hm. You’re talking about Aria Myers.”

Contemplating Jake’s words, Sung-Ha eventually replied, “I don’t think there’s anything you need to worry about.”

“...”

Jake’s eyes opened wide at Sung-Ha’s words. From anyone else, they would have just been comforting words, but coming from Sung-Ha, it was different. He, someone known for always speaking his mind regardless of the surrounding mood or people’s feelings, had sparred the most with his sister, Aria. His words held weight.

He speaks harshly at times, but... I guess he’s a good person to the core.

Reevaluating the peculiar characteristics of the person before him, Sung-Ha’s indifferent voice made him look up again.

“If you’ve already decided that you’ve lost, there’s no real reason to worry.”

“...Huh?”

“I mean, there’s always a path for losers to follow. But it\'s unsightly to lose twice, so do your best and strive hard from now on.”

Finished saying what he had to say, Sung-Ha picked up speed and ran ahead. Stunned, Jake stared blankly at his back.

Did he just tell me not to worry about it because I basically already lost and could only do better next time...?

While it was true he had somewhat given up in his mind, he couldn\'t believe Sung-Ha had expressed it in such a blunt manner. He had encouraged him to strive hard at the end, but those words were completely meaningless because of his initial words.

All those words did now was cause his insides to boil with anger.

“...Alright.”

If he gave up after hearing such insulting words, he wouldn’t be able to achieve anything in the future. Resolved, Jake\'s eyes shone with determination as he kicked hard against the ground.

Whoosh!

Sprinting with all his might, he swiftly passed the other students and even passed Sung-Ha.

And Sung-Ha, now the one watching Jake\'s vigorous back, slowed to a stop.

It seems my advice worked.

He wore a satisfied expression.

***

Sung-Ha: I gave Jake Myers some useful advice since I noticed you\'ve been keeping an eye on him. If he does well later, consider it a favor.

“...”

Putting down the document he was reading at his desk and reading documents, Se-Hoon narrowed his eyes at the message that appeared on his phone.

This bastard... what kind of nonsense has he done this time?

Whenever Sung-Ha acted like he was doing someone a favor, it never ended well. For instance, when Se-Hoon complained about how a certain criminal organization was stealing materials that he needed, the Mad Dog raided their base that very same night and beheaded the leader and all the executives.

That incident back then made their allied organizations put a bounty on us, claiming we were behind it. Yet that bastard still shamelessly said I should be grateful for what he did for me.... Damn, just thinking about it makes me angry again.

Thankfully, such incidents didn\'t happen often, but they occurred often enough to irritate Se-Hoon periodically.

This shouldn\'t be anything too major... hopefully, Se-Hoon thought, rubbing his eyes.

If it were, Jake would have texted him about it.

Hoping nothing would happen, Se-Hoon sent a reply telling Sung-Ha not to cause any more trouble before turning his attention back to the documents.

The new treatment developed by the Pilgrim has been proven to be able to return most retired disabled heroes back to active duty.

Some argue that there is insufficient clinical evidence, but because the Pilgrim, a Perfect One, was the one to develop it, the hero industry already considers it a fact.

Support for the Pilgrimage Church is pouring in from retired disabled heroes, and guilds and corporations are sending representatives to negotiate with various branches.

Given the frequency of administrative transfers or retirements due to injuries within the Heroes Association, we will also establish a cooperative system with the Pilgrimage Church to correct our negative perceptions and supplement our workforce...

Se-Hoon smirked as he read the report he received from Seon-Woo.

What a commotion.

Just like in the past, the injuries that led to the retirements of high-ranking heroes were still significant losses to the hero industry. Every high-ranking hero had exceptional talent, making them irreplaceable, unlike lower-ranking heroes who could be trained with basic education and equipment.

Now that a solution has emerged, it\'s no wonder everyone is going out of their way to acquire the treatment method.

Aside from guilds and corporations who had already begun covertly competing to secure deals first, the Heroes Association was also trying to secure a deal with the Pilgrimage Church.

The Heroes Association does have a lot of injured heroes.

Being heroes of the Association, they often fought tough criminals and demons. And as a consequence, they were more frequently injured which meant the Association had a higher number of injury-related retirements.

Because of that, the Heroes Association’s public perception often worsened and led to staffing shortages. All in all, it meant the Pilgrimage Church\'s new treatment was an essential tool for the association.

The response was better than I expected. I guess I can afford to be optimistic about how this will go.

Satisfied with the results, Se-Hoon smiled. Normally, the Church’s enormous profits would make him envious, but not this time. The Pilgrimage Church had promised to hand over all the profits from the treatment, allowing him to gain wealth and effectively halt the expansion plans of the Pleasure District in one go.

Moreover, if the Pilgrimage Church’s status rises from this and they gain significant benefits... the Pilgrim will likely shower me with rewards again.

He still felt burdened by the previous rewards given as a gesture of gratitude, but it was far less than before. He had adapted quickly, finding it more acceptable as time passed. Now, if he received the same extravagant compensation, he could accept it without burden.

Overall, everything went quite well.

Initially, he had been worried about how to stop the plans the Pleasure District was cooking, but meeting Jane had made everything much easier. It was thanks to her that he currently felt a sense of relief, although a questioning expression lingered on his face.

To think I didn’t establish a bond with Jane...

They didn’t have that many interactions, but considering the recent events, he thought a bond would have naturally developed. Yet there was no reaction from Jane at all, suggesting that her inner world was as twisted as Erika\'s.

Well, I’ll figure it out slowly. She’ll likely be in danger soon anyway.

According to Frost Dog’s information, which he had seen through the Phantasmal Spyblade, Jane had died in her fourth year while participating in an event hosted by Babel. And Jane was currently in her third year.

For now, it was still too early to worry about it, but because the potential butterfly effect from Se-Hoon’s regression was unpredictable, he still needed to exercise caution.

It’ll be quite troublesome for me if something disrupts the alliance between Babel and the Pilgrimage Church.

Organizing his thoughts, Se-Hoon quickly memorized a summary of the report he had received from Seon-Woo and burned the report.

Fwoosh!

The report burned cleanly without leaving any ash.

Confirming that the report was destroyed, Se-Hoon leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling.

“Now, what to do...”

There were still many tasks on his checklist. He needed to find out what the Dream Demon was using the heroes\' copied synesthetic mindscape for, the true purpose of the expansion project, and whether they actually intended to create the Harbinger of Oblivion.

Flooded with more and more information with every event, the list of tasks just kept growing longer and longer. And each and every task was extremely complicated to solve.

Hmm... Maybe I should wait a bit.

In the end, he decided to address such matters only when he seized the right opportunity rather than tackling them head-on immediately. So, following that mentality, he put everything to the side and decided to focus on the pressing matter of the first-semester evaluation test, which was now less than two weeks away.

I must maintain my honor student position at all costs.

It wasn’t just about his external status; with his decades of experience from before the regression, he couldn’t afford to fall behind his much younger classmates. If he did, the shame would likely drive him to stab his own heart with a dagger.

The Department of Blacksmithing test should be manageable, but I’ll need to pay attention to the Physiology Controls test, Barrier Composition test, and Ancient Enchantment test.

Given Kwang-Soo’s unpredictable nature, the Physiology Controls test could even be absurdly difficult. And aside from that, Barrier Composition and Ancient Enchantment were areas where Se-Hoon felt less confident. He didn’t particularly struggle in those fields but wasn\'t strong in them either.

Well... I’ll just do my best within my limits.

His goal was just to maintain his current status, so he didn’t need to push himself excessively.

Vrrr-

His phone vibrated. Reading the text message, the sender of the message was simply labeled “Babel.”

This is...

It was a message from Babel addressing all students. Feeling a sense of foreboding, Se-Hoon picked up his phone and read the message.

Babel:

To prepare for the major restructuring of Babel next semester, the first-semester evaluation test will be conducted differently this time. All students are encouraged to refer to the following guidelines and demonstrate their abilities to the fullest.

* Introduction of a special exam in which all students from all three colleges will participate, divided by academic year.

* Selection of the honor student of each academic year from among the honor students of each college.

* Special privileges, including personal teachings from the Perfect Ones, will be provided during the summer vacation for the newly selected year-wise honor students.

The message wasn’t particularly long, but upon reading it, Se-Hoon narrowed his eyes.

“An honor student for the entire year... and special privileges...”

Given that the term ‘Perfect Ones’ was mentioned, it likely included not only Ludwig but also the Pilgrim, the Eternal Nocturne, and possibly even other Perfect Ones. And to seize such a rare opportunity, he would need to surpass other honor students in his year—Jake and Erika.

Staring at the message, Se-Hoon soon smiled.

“...This could get interesting.”

He began to feel motivated for the upcoming evaluation test.