Academy’s New Guard is Unusual - Chapter 70

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 70
I’ve lived a fairly rough life.
I’ve heard every insult under the sun.
Demon, homunculus, bastard, son of a bitch—you name it.
I pride myself on having heard all manner of vicious names.
But among them—
“Mom?”
There was no mom.
Milo blinked stupidly. He seemed to be hallucinating from blood loss.
In other words—
I simply smacked Milo upside the head.
“Ow!”
“You with us now?”
“Mom?”
“Thoroughly broken, are you?”
“Owww! Yes, I’m awake!”
“Who am I?”
“Grave! You’re Grave!”
I lowered the Baton I’d raised to strike again.
Milo rubbed his head with a grumble. A small lump was already forming.
“W-what happened?”
Milo looked around, asking. The ornate Chapel that had been filled with pure white light was gone. All that remained were charred ruins, as if bombed. A truly brutal sight.
The aftermath of the Hell Rain.
I turned my gaze toward Andy.
Andy’s eyes were bloodshot. His hands trembled slightly—he looked like some desperate gambler.
He’d clearly pushed himself to his limit.
“Andy, you did well.”
“…Huh?”
“Truly excellent.”
I meant it.
I had set a spell for him at a lower tier than Hell Rain—something like the Hell Shower instead.
That’s how high the difficulty of Hell Rain truly is.
But Andy didn’t just activate Hell Rain; he successfully deployed it.
It became quite dangerous because of that, but it was an achievement too significant to dismiss.
“You’re the best, Andy.”
I even clapped my hands as I praised him.
Andy’s face went pale. It was the reaction of someone who’d just swallowed poison.
Just then, Milo suddenly butted in.
“I held them all off with my entire body. Even when my head was cracked by the Mace, I didn’t retreat.”
Milo tapped his own head proudly, like a dog offering its head to be patted.
Andy cast the real Hell Rain instead of the weakened version I’d set for him. Normally, he’d have taken enough time using it that the fanatics would’ve branded him a heretic and shattered his skull—
But all of that was possible because Milo held the line brilliantly.
Since it was true that he’d done well, I reluctantly nodded.
“You did good.”
“Heh heh, I did my part.”
“What about me?!”
Evangeline shrieked at the top of her lungs.
Evangeline was extremely vulnerable to praise. Praise her wrong, and she might become arrogant or develop feelings for me.
But if I don’t praise her, she might go off the rails.
So—
“You weren’t bad.”
“…What? I hesitated and sensed things and did my best, and all you have is ‘not bad’?!”
“Yeah.”
“Wow, I really… huh?”
Evangeline, who’d been about to explode in indignation, tilted her head.
Her eyes were fixed on empty space. As if she were reading something.
“My Level went up?”
Most games have a leveling system as a rule.
However, the game I’d possessed didn’t provide Levels to players, true to its reputation as a garbage game.
Only the protagonist, Evangeline, had a Level.
Evangeline could raise her Level.
The problem was that the required Experience Points were enormous. Two C-Rank Rifts alone couldn’t raise her Level.
But Evangeline’s Level had gone up—
‘…Because it’s Hard Mode.’
This game was brutally difficult, but the rewards scaled with difficulty accordingly. Hard Mode was hard enough that the Experience Points coming in seemed to be much greater.
It was clear good news.
Because raising her Level meant she could allocate Stats.
“Pick a reward? Obviously!”
“Hold on.”
I hurriedly grabbed Evangeline. She glanced at me crossly.
“What is it?”
“What rewards are available?”
“Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Vitality, Lifespan, Charm, Appearance, and Luck!”
Same rewards as when I cleared quests.
Of course, those Stats weren’t necessary for me, but they were for Evangeline.
“Intelligence! Let’s raise Intelligence!”
Andy shouted urgently. Evangeline squinted.
“Intelligence? Why? I’m already smart.”
“No way! You’re such an airhead—”
I subtly cut Andy off.
Evangeline had a contrarian streak. It was best not to provoke her unnecessarily.
“What are you drawn to, then?”
“Hmmmm, what should I pick?!”
Evangeline lifted her chin proudly.
Actually, I already knew what Evangeline would choose.
First, Evangeline disliked her own appearance so much she wore glasses to hide her face. So there was no chance she’d pick Appearance or Charm.
And given her strange, baseless confidence, she wouldn’t pick Stats like Intelligence, Strength, or Dexterity either.
Above all, what Evangeline wanted was obvious.
Luck.
Because Evangeline believed misfortune was her destiny.
“Luck! I’ll take Luck!”
As expected, Evangeline said Luck.
Luck wasn’t a bad choice. But it wasn’t the best either.
The best would be—
“What about Lifespan?”
“Lifespan?”
“Long life without illness is an aspiration even emperors have failed to achieve. Lifespan is the foundation of all things.”
“That makes sense. But I’m the type who prefers to burn bright and brief!”
Burning bright and brief.
A rather absurd wish, but it would be genuine. Evangeline had no particular interest in living long.
“Besides, Lifespan looks totally useless anyway!”
That was a surprisingly sharp observation for Evangeline.
This world would have an external threat descend three years from now. In that context, Lifespan seemed largely meaningless.
But Lifespan didn’t work so simply.
For one thing, it was strange that Lifespan was even a Stat. As if someone had made it a Stat knowing something would happen in the middle.
‘Lifespan is survival rate.’
Raising Lifespan increases survival rate.
For example, falling into the same trap, if your Lifespan was high, your arm would break instead of your head.
Evangeline was the protagonist.
Raising Evangeline’s survival rate was essentially raising the continent’s survival rate.
I absolutely had to assign Lifespan.
But I couldn’t explain any of this.
Even if I did, Evangeline wouldn’t understand, and I’d just provoke her for nothing.
What Evangeline needed in the first place wasn’t persuasion.
“Lifespan seems pretty good though?”
I glanced sideways at Andy and Milo.
Milo blinked, not understanding, but Andy quickly fell in line.
“Yeah, Lifespan does seem good. A long life is everyone’s wish, isn’t it? I’d pick Lifespan!”
“Right! Lifespan! The best!”
Milo chimed in belatedly. Soon the mood was set.
Then—
“Hmm! Actually, I was drawn to Lifespan from the start! Lifespan it is!”
Evangeline quickly nodded.
Evangeline was extremely susceptible to influence. Extremely.
Soon Evangeline pressed something in the empty air.
There was no particular effect.
“How is it? Do I look younger?”
“No! You just look like Evangeline?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“…It means you’re the best!”
“Huh, you’ve got good taste.”
Andy stared at me reluctantly. I casually averted my gaze.
Then the Rift began to collapse.
Since we’d captured the Abomination at its center, the Rift was closing.
Soon, just looking at it created a thousand-fathom chasm.
Then, in the distance, a heat shimmer appeared.
It’s the phenomenon that occurs when someone enters a Rift.
‘Already?’
This Rift had opened inside the Forest of the Missing.
Even if we wasted time because of the Holy Empire, it hadn’t been that long.
Yet someone was entering already—
A variable.
I needed to confirm who’d entered.
If it was a dangerous variable, I’d have to deal with it immediately.
“Everyone jump.”
“Huh?”
“Jump, I said.”
At my command, Evangeline and Andy stared blankly at me. Frustrated, I narrowed my eyes—
“Jump, now!”
Milo shoved Evangeline and Andy from behind.
“Aaaaah!”
“Eeeek!”
Evangeline and Andy tumbled downward.
Milo didn’t follow; he stood beside me instead.
When I looked at him, Milo grinned.
“Not sure what’s coming, but I’ll help.”
“You’ll just get in the way.”
“That’s harsh. I fight pretty well.”
Milo rotated his fists readily.
Then the heat shimmer grew clearer.
“If I tell you to run, you jump off the cliff. Got it?”
“Yes, understood.”
At Milo’s earnest reply, I clicked my tongue and checked my condition.
Curse Stacking had certain effects, but the aftereffects were severe. It was literally stacking curses, after all.
Moreover, since I’d deployed the Sword Formation as well, I’d expected significant fatigue—
But my condition was surprisingly good.
It seemed to be thanks to the Holy Cure.
The Holy Cure recovered not just the body but also the aftereffects of other attributes perfectly.
The Church called it a miracle for a reason.
I adjusted my grip on the Baton and stared at the heat shimmer.
Soon the shimmer became clear, and someone walked out.
The problem was, his uniform was extremely familiar.
More than familiar, actually.
It was the uniform I wore at the Frontline.
‘Why is a Frontline uniform here—’
Then I saw the figure’s face.
Snake-like features, an unnaturally twisted smile, crimson eyes.
It was Snake Eyes from the 111th Unit.
Snake Eyes stared at me.
The killing intent was so thick I could feel it as if it had substance, pricking at me relentlessly.
At the same time, something aimed at my throat.
He’d attacked before even confirming the other party’s identity.
‘His temperament is unchanged.’
I narrowed my eyes and moved the Baton.
The Baton blocked the nearly invisible Needle.
Crash!
A tremendous impact traveled through the Baton into my body. A old, familiar tension from the Frontline scraped my throat.
Behind Snake Eyes, figures in black uniforms emerged in succession.
Each one had an aura sharp and cold as a honed blade.
It made sense.
They were from the 111th Unit, same tier as the 444th Unit I’d been in.
I had to run.
I immediately pushed Milo from behind. Without questioning, Milo dug his feet in and launched forward. I threw myself after him off the cliff.
Reptilian pupils followed me down.
He didn’t seem to recognize me.
All the work I’d put into changing my face, build, and habits had paid off.
Strictly speaking, I’d restored my original face.
Soon Needles rained down from above like a downpour.
Snake Eyes’s judgment was as fast as ever.
Of course, mine was faster.
I exhaled slowly and opened my eyes.
The thick, damp forest stretched out before me.
The Forest of the Missing.
I released the breath I’d been holding and muttered to myself.
‘Snake Eyes entered the Rift. With the 111th Unit.’
Just like the 444th Unit I’d belonged to, the 111th Unit couldn’t pull back from the front lines.
Which means—
‘A Rift opened at the Frontline.’
The Rift on the Frontline and this one seemed connected.
In the game itself, Rifts had been connected like that before.
The real problem was that the 111th Unit had entered the Rift.
The Empire’s basic policy regarding the Frontline was ‘maintaining the status quo’.
Especially entering Rifts directly was strictly forbidden.
Unlike the 444th Unit, composed of madmen, the 111th Unit was made of fiercely loyal soldiers. There was no way the 111th Unit would act on their own.
An order from above must have been issued.
Whether the emperor or the general issued it, I couldn’t say—
‘Someone is coveting the Rift.’
How dare they.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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