Villain Hides His True Colors

“Hmm…”

I looked at the skill that had been synthesized.

[ Materials used in Synthesis have a Synergy effect. ] 

[ The skill’s potential has increased. ]

[ Synthesis completed. ]

Classification: Magic

Grade: D (Growth Type)

Description: Summon a pair of eggs that gives off heat. Once growth is completed, the eggs will hatch into a random fire property summon beast.

*Feed the eggs to grow the skill.

“…I didn’t think I would get a Growth Type skill here.”

Honestly, just looking at the name, I thought it would be another trash skill, but it was beyond my expectations.

I activated the skill. A pair of bright red eggs emerged in the air.

As if a hot stove had been turned on in the room, the indoor air quickly gave off a warm heat.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be out of my control like before.

Did it say I had to feed it to grow the skill?

I took out the banana I had received from Eugene this morning. And when I shook the banana in front of the eggs, just like the egg from earlier, the thick shell cracked and a long tongue snatched the banana before disappearing.

This was quite fun.

It says the eggs will hatch into a summoned beast later, and although I didn’t know what would come out, I was already looking forward to it.

After all, there were countless fire property summoned beasts…

It would be fun to raise it step by step and see the result in the future.

Anyway, how should I sleep tonight?

I looked at the bed where the summoned beast had eaten up my blanket earlier. Only an empty mattress remained.

There was no problem for me to sleep like this, but without a pillow I tended to lose sleep.

Hmm…I couldn’t do it.

I walked down the hallway after leaving my room. The lights were turned off after 9PM in the hallway and only ambient lights were visible.

Was it around here?

After walking down the hallway for a long time, I finally arrived at my destination.

The candidate number was written on the door.

No. 079421.

It was Cheon Eugene’s room. Fortunately, this guy was staying at the medical center thanks to the injury he had suffered in the afternoon test.

That saved me the trouble.

For some reason, he had given me his room’s spare card key on the first day that we arrived at the dorms.

I took the card key out of my inventory and opened the door.

Beep–

The door opened and I entered the dark room. Then, a sweet smell resembling the scent of flowers pricked my nose. As expected of his room.

Although I didn’t really like using the same blankets that others had used…

It would be okay to just take off the blanket cover and use that.

As soon as I thought as such, a light groan came from the darkness.

“Keuh…uh…”

“Hmm?”

Why could I hear that guy’s voice? I put away the key card and turned on the lights in the room.

Then, the figure of Eugene talking in his sleep while sprawled out on his stomach and was on the verge of falling off the bed came into view.

He was still dressed in the black uniform he wore during the day. Anyway, next to him there was something like a medicine pack.

Did he just come back from the medical center?

Well, that wasn’t important. I was tired, so I’ll have to pack his blanket and head back.

I grabbed his pillow and then pulled the blanket that was underneath him. He rolled over and banged his head against the wall.

“Keuh…”

Seeing that he didn’t wake up like this, he seemed to be fast asleep.

In any case, the top of his uniform was loosened at an angle and I noticed that he was wearing bandages around his chest. I guess he really had come back from the medical center.

When I looked closely, the wound seemed to be a little swollen, but it didn’t look like a serious injury because it wasn’t very noticeable at a glance.

As soon as I thought as such, what was placed at the edge next to the bed caught my eyes.

Ah!

My treasure that I didn’t have a chance to take out of his hands because the brat wouldn’t let go of it.

Soma Sword.

I checked the sleeping guy again. I guess his fatigue was worse than I had thought because he was still fast asleep.

Heuheu…I didn’t think the opportunity would come this fast.

In that case, there was no need to synthesize the options, as I could just take the entire weapon with me.

Nevertheless, these days, I wanted to feel a new taste in my hands other than Red Velvet Curse. Good.

I picked up the pitch black sword.

And at that moment, I heard the voice of an old man in my head.

“Aiya~ Are you awake my baby? Papa here…Hmm? Who are you?”

“…”

Was this a sword with awareness? It was just the type of weapon I hated.

Even so…let’s take it and see.

As soon as I tried to put the sword into my inventory, suddenly, the Soma Sword stuck to the edge of the bed like a magnet.

Damn!

It didn’t budge no matter how much strength I gave. As I continued to pull the sword, I heard the voice again.

“Hey, you rascal! Ah, why are you in my Eugene’s room at this late hour? Don’t tell me, something impure…No, never. My Eugene isn’t like that, so you’re definitely a thief!”

“No. I’m Eugene’s friend.”

“Stop talking! No friend would sneak into another’s room at night like this! It wasn’t enough that you broke into my baby’s room, but you’re also coveting the treasure of our school!”

As the voice fell, an overwhelming energy immediately came from the sword. It felt similar to the overwhelming presence I had felt when I faced Turbak not too long ago.

The pressure I felt from this piece of iron seemed to be at least that of an A-Rank hero.

“Keuh!”

How the hell does a sword have such a tremendous presence?

I hurriedly tried to remove the sword from my hand, but it wouldn’t come off as if it was glued to my hand.

And…

Crack–!

Bright red spark soared from the sword. Formidable energy that couldn’t be handled with my current growth started pouring into my body.

I could have defended it with Absolute Defense if I had Red Velvet Curse, but unfortunately it was in my inventory.

Fuck!

I tried to resist by operating my mana to the fullest. The overwhelming energy that was eroding my body was briefly pushed out.

But…

“Oho, you’re quite a guy! How did you block this mighty one’s aura? Then, try eating this too!”

“Wait! I’m really Eugene’s friend…”

“There’s no need for words!”

Similar to the overwhelming presence I had felt from some of the absolute powerhouses in the first round, a new level of power exploded.

Crackle–!

“Keuk!”

My consciousness was fading away. Don’t tell me I can’t overcome this measly sword and will fall here?

“Eugene will dispose of you!”

I lost my consciousness after hearing that.

* * * * * * * * * *

“Keuh…”

With a painful feeling as if her whole body would break apart, Cheon Eugene slowly opened her eyes.

A strange yet familiar ceiling. Blinking her eyes, she stared blankly at the patterns on the ceiling for a while.

Where’s this…?

Soon, as her consciousness gradually returned, she realized that this was the accommodation for candidates located at the Hero Association.

Then, scenes from yesterday began to replay in her mind one by one.

Fainting after facing a giant robot in the 3rd practical skill test, and then waking up in the medical center.

Fortunately, she had come to her senses just before her clothes were changed. After that, she hurried back to her room after having received the medicine pack.

She recalled her head spinning as she collapsed onto the bed the moment she came back to her room.

I must have looked so pathetic…

She had inherited the blood of the great royal family of Crohart, and currently, she was the successor of the Cheonma Order, but fainting in front of so many people could be said to be an unforgettable disgrace for the rest of her life.

On top of that, when she imagined Noah seeing her like that, she sighed without realizing it.

“Huu…”

If she had trained a little harder, she wouldn’t have shown that side of her…

Even though she couldn’t outscore Noah, she was still outperforming her own expectations.

But now, she even fainted like this, so she thought she had no dignity of being his master in the future.

…After this exam, I’ll ask stepfather to train me more.

Vowing to herself, Cheon Eugene raised herself from the bed.

Her unbuttoned collar was wide open and her white flesh was exposed. She adjusted her disheveled clothes.

How low have I fallen that I can’t even dress myself…

She once again reprimanded her disgraceful appearance.

Fortunately, no one had seen this disgraceful side of her.

As soon as she thought as such, she felt something squishy between the blankets.

“Hmm?”

She slowly lifted her blanket. Soon, she saw a black-haired boy in white sportswear lying there.

***

[ Translator – Yasi ]

[ Proofreader – Karane ]

Somehow the figure looked familiar.

Having just been in an accident, she watched it blankly for a few seconds. And soon, she backed up in surprise.

“Wh-what the hell is this…?!”

Why was he here? She was sure this was her room.

Countless thoughts passed through her mind.

However, she couldn’t guess as to why Noah was lying on the floor of her room.

Then, at some point…Her outfit, which had been disorganized a while ago, came to mind.

“D-don’t tell me, this guy…?”

She was exposed to a lot of knowledge concerning the opposite gender after being adopted by her new family.

The absurd stories she had heard from her stepfather floated in her head.

N-no way…

As she was panicking, a voice came from the sword that had been placed on one side of the bed.

“Aiya, my baby~ You’re awake!”

She quickly turned her head toward the sword.

“S-stepfather! What the hell is going on here?”

“Aye?! Didn’t I tell you to call me papa?”

“Stepfather! I’m not in the mood for jokes! Hurry up and tell me. What the hell kind of situation is this?”

She asked, looking at Noah who was on the floor. The sword answered as if it was a trivial matter.

“Hm? Ahah, you mean this guy? He’s a thief who secretly broke into your room last night.”

In a trembling voice, she asked.

“No way…You didn’t do anything to him, did you?”

Cheonma, a supreme existence who was called the strongest in the murim in the past.

He fiercely opposed Eugene, his successor, from leaving the Cheonma Order and going to Pyongyang, so as a result, some measures were taken with the Soma Sword so that some of his consciousness could be expressed in the form of sword aura at any time.

If a person such as the Cheonma had done something to Noah…

“I couldn’t finish him off cleanly because of his strong resistance, but he’s probably not in a normal state because he was exposed to my aura.”

“N-no!”

At the same time as the Cheonma’s words fell, she ran straight to Noah.

She hurriedly checked his condition. Fortunately, his body was intact, but the mana circulation was quite unstable.

His life wasn’t in immediate critical condition, but it could be said that she would have to take care of him in her room for a while.

If it’s like this…Today’s test is out of the question.

Cheonma’s voice came into her head.

“Oho. If you sympathize with such a thief, you’ll never become an Emperor! I’ve told you so many times. You have to leave all distractions out of your heart and mind, and in addition, this disgraceful brat not only tried to steal, he even lied saying that he was your friend.”

(TN: Emperor is SS-Rank but for martial artists.)

“?!”

Only then did she understand the whole situation. The reason why Noah was now lying down in her room.

He…came because he was worried about me.

Noah must have ran straight to the medical center after the 3rd test.

And after learning about her actions there, he probably came all the way here to see her condition.

Even though she didn’t see it in person, she could naturally recall the scenes. The appearance of a worried boy who cared about his friend’s condition.

And because he wanted to take care of his friend, he had collapsed after suffering her stepfather’s attack.

Finally learning all the facts, she desperately screamed.

“Noah…he’s! He’s my one and only friend! Why did you do this…”

“What? What he said was true? Then, the relationship is already impure…”

Cheonma muttered in an empty voice, as if he had just heard that the Cheonma Order had fallen.

But his voice didn’t reach her ears.

Ah…It’s all my fault.

She should have predicted this situation when she had handed him the spare key to her room.

If only she had warned him about the sword in advance.

She was just embarrassed by her stepfather’s obsessiveness, so she had decided to cover it up vaguely…she now realized she shouldn’t have done that.

I…have to take responsibility.

She looked at Noah with a solemn look. Soon, she took out a small wooden box.

It was the Maryeongdan, a treasure of the Cheonma Order that Cheonma had given her in the case of an emergency.

Seeing that, Cheonma shouted.

“Eugene! Don’t tell me you’re going to give that to him?!”

“I’m sorry, stepfather. I’ll accept my punishment when I return.”

As she said that, she boldly put the Maryeongdan into Noah’s mouth.

* * * * * * * * * *

Through my blurred consciousness, I could hear someone’s voice.

“That’s a relief…his condition is back to normal.”

A long sigh of relief.

At the same time, vague memory fragments passed through my head.

“…Certainly, for someone like you, the remaining test won’t be a problem.”

“…Let’s meet again someday. My friend.”

Soon, I opened my eyes, grabbing my throbbing head.

“Keuh…”

The moment I woke up, I recalled the overwhelming presence who was pouring energy into me.

I stood up like a spring and quickly took out Red Velvet Curse and held it in my hand.

However, I could longer see the Soma Sword.

Not only the sword, but also the room was neatly arranged in a way similar to when the candidates had first arrived at the dorms.

What was going on?

As soon as I had such a question, I saw a small note on the desk.

There was a line of sentences written in neat letters.

[I’m heading back to China for personal reasons. Good luck on the remaining test.]

“Hmm?”

Cheon Eugene had suddenly given up the exam. Did the injury he suffered yesterday worsen?

While having that kind of question, on one side of my vision, the status window log icon blinked.

Without thinking, I selected the icon and messages that had been delayed came to my eyes.

[ Ingested ] 

[ Your stats have risen significantly. ]

Body: 3.60 -> 4.60 (+1)

Dexterity: 3.13 -> 4.13 (+1) 

Mana: 4.05 -> 4.85 (+0.8) 

Spirit: 3.48 -> 4.48 (+1)

What the hell…

My ability had increased in an exaggerated manner after I had woken up.

It seemed I had taken an item called Maryeongdan without knowing it. I had never even heard of such an elixir in the first round.

This level of increase was similar to when I ate the Daehwandan in the past…

But the messages didn’t end there.

[ Favorability has increased. ]

[ Favorability has reached a certain level. ]

[ You’ve met the requirement to recruit ‘Crohart Eugene’ as a companion. ]

[ Companions cannot betray you once they’ve joined your party. ]

“What’s this?”

Why did he start liking me so much?

I thought he must have noticed that I was trying to steal the Soma Sword, but instead, he met the conditions to become a companion.

It was getting harder and harder to understand the situation.

I didn’t know what I should make of this…

For a moment I considered registering him as a companion.

[ Recruitment rejected. ] 

[ ‘Crohart Eugene’ will be registered as the warrior’s follower. ] 

[ Any target registered as a follower will not betray the warrior and can be converted to a companion at any time. ]

If I do this, whatever it may be, he won’t betray me.

In the worst case, when I encounter the existence in the Soma Sword again, I would be able to survive if I use him as a shield.

I was organizing my thoughts one by one when the broadcast came out of the speaker.

[The 4th test will begin soon, so please move to the lobby.]

Huu…Let’s think about the matter after the exam is over.

And so, I left the empty room without Eugene.

* * * * * * * * * *

The results up to the 3rd test were tallied, and those who didn’t meet the criteria were discharged from the test site this morning as a group.

After that happened, the surviving candidates, including myself, gathered in front of a portal.

The number of candidates was about 200.

Considering that the number of candidates at the start of the 3rd test was around 5,000, a lot more weight was lost than expected.

“Then, I’ll now explain the 4th test.”

The supervisor handed out bracelets with displays to the candidates one by one.

“The bracelets I just handed out are an important item that will help you pass the 4th test.”

The explanation was mostly the same as what No. 18218 had told me.

Candidates were automatically eliminated from the test if the bracelet was taken away or damaged. In addition, the bracelets had the function of showing the remaining number of candidates.

After such a long winded explanation, the supervisor’s tone suddenly changed as if to warn us.

“In the case of the 4th test, as you all know, it’s a test where many casualties occur every year.”

“So if there’s anyone who wants to give up even now, please raise your hand. Even if you quit the test now, a low-rank hero license will be issued automatically.”

“However…If you participate in the last 4th test and fail, not only will you have failed, you will not receive a low-rank license, so please keep this in mind and make the right judgment.”

Nobody raised their hands.

And as if the supervisor knew that would happen, he gave a meaningful smile.

“Seeing as no one has given up, we’ll now start the test. Oh, the position where you’ll be sent is random, so please keep that in mind. Then, please enter the portal one at a time.”

After all that was said, the candidates, including myself, finally entered the blue swirling portal.

And then, a white snowland welcomed me.

A blizzard raged from all sides, and the tall conifer forests shook in the wind.

I guess the terrain this time was a snowy field…

In a place of extreme cold, before even thinking of food, immediately maintaining my body temperature would be key.

It could be said that it was a purposely selected space by the malicious organizers to drop the candidates.

“Hmm…”

But even in this blizzard, I wasn’t feeling that cold.

Classification: General

Grade: B 

Description: A God’s blessing that is suspiciously powerful.

*Greatly increases resistance to the cold element.

*Favored by all beasts.

I didn’t have to worry too much about the cold thanks to this cruel God’s blessing that I had exchanged for a dreadful experience a few months ago.

Fuck!

When I thought of its name again, the terrible feeling of that time seemed to come to mind.

I walked along the snowy field while rubbing my forehead for no apparent reason.

Even though I hadn’t taken many steps, my legs were digging deep into the snow and gnawing at my stamina little by little.

This wasn’t as easy as I had thought.

After walking for some time, at one point, people huddled together in the distance caught my eyes.

A total of five people. It was No. 18218 and his gang.

For some reason, they had stopped in the middle of the snowy field and not near the supply camp, our meeting place.

Why were they gathered here?

Well, this was good. What was really important was that he was wearing the expensive item on his waist.

Haha…It was finally time to farm items.

I slowly approached the Golden Goblin. Then when he saw me, he waved his hand and greeted me.

“Ah! You’re here?”

“Yes, ahjussi!”

I also waved my hand happily and approached him. 

The distance was about 10 steps. I slipped my hand toward my sword.

“You came just at the right time! Hurry up and come over here!”

“What is it?”

Another 5 steps forward. I operated my mana and slowly pulled out my sword.

Wuung—

An eerie cry rang out in the snowy field.

And 3 more steps. The guys had their backs toward me and were looking at something in the field.

Good timing.

The moment I was about to wield my sword, I had no choice but to stop when I heard what he said next.

“A-anyhow…There seems to be a problem. Take a look at this…”

“…”

Looking past him, I saw a familiar sight.

It was a swirling red portal from the demon world.